Brazil 2014 will be remembered as one of the best FIFA
World Cups in history, here we reflect on some of the most memorable moments.
Hosts humiliated by rampant Germany
Few could choose between Brazil and Germany ahead of
their mouth-watering semi-final clash. Yet the European side flipped the
narrative by producing a performance for the ages in a 7-1 drubbing of the
hosts. A shell-shocked Brazil found themselves 5-0 down after just 29 minutes,
with their opponents seemingly taking pity on the five-time champions
thereafter. Few will forget the night Germany broke Brazilian hearts in their
own backyard, even enjoying a standing ovation from a bedazzled home crowd when
the seventh goal went in.
Costa Rica upset the odds
Earmarked as whipping boys in a group featuring three
former winners in Uruguay, England and Italy, Costa Rica began their World Cup
fairytale with a stunning 3-1 win over Uruguay. Having fallen behind early to
Edinson Cavani's penalty, the Central American side produced a superb riposte
through goals from Joel Campbell, Oscar Duarte and Marco Urena. Not content,
they subsequently beat Italy and drew with England before eliminating Greece to
reach the quarter-finals. Their journey ended there, with Costa Rica beaten on
penalties by Netherlands, but they had certainly proved a point.
Klose surpasses Ronaldo's tally
Aged 36 and coming off a season in which he scored just
seven Serie A goals for Lazio, it appeared Miroslav Klose's selection in the
Germany squad was one of sentiment. Yet he found himself leading the line in
the knockout stages, his goal in the 7-1 rout of Brazil following a similarly
scrappy one in the Group G draw with Ghana to leave the German at the top of
the all-time World Cup scoring chart. As if seeing his team's humiliation
first-hand was not enough, former Brazil star Ronaldo was forced to see a
lasting legacy taken away.
Rodriguez: A star is born
Those who had written off Colombia due to Radamel
Falcao's injury-enforced absence had not banked on a coming-of-age showing from
James Rodriguez. Falcao's Monaco colleague proved to be one of the players of
the tournament, netting six goals, and his stunning chest-and-volley strike
against Uruguay in the second round will be remembered among the all-time great
World Cup goals.
Defending champions stunned
With three consecutive tournament successes, many were
tipping Spain for a repeat of their 2010 triumph. However, Vicente del Bosque's
side were brought back down to earth with a shuddering bump as Netherlands
produced a sublime display in Salvador. Seemingly in command having opened the
scoring through Xabi Alonso's penalty in the 27th minute, Spain ended on the
wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing as Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben ran amok.
Messi makes his mark on world stage
Much of the pre-tournament buzz surrounded Lionel Messi's
quest to put an exclamation mark against his stunning career by performing on
the biggest stage of all. He certainly delivered in the group phase, his four
goals taking Argentina to the second round - where a fine pass fed Angel di
Maria and earned a last-gasp extra-time win over Switzerland. Having faded away
as his side stuttered through the next two rounds, the stage is set for Messi
to shine in the final.
Culled from Soccerway
0 comments:
Post a Comment