Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It was only last week that I was reflecting on the vast number of goals and lack of draws in the opening games and then within the space of the next few games we witnessed a couple of goalless draws.
However, an analysis of each game demonstrates that you cannot read too much about the game in question by looking at the score line.
The first was an archetypal bore-draw played out between Iran and Nigeria. The performance of both teams led to the 60,000 fans in the stadium booing off both sets of players.
I am sure that any first time viewers of ‘soccer’ would have wondered what all the World Cup fuss was about.
Yet the next goalless draw between hosts Brazil and Mexico could not have been more different as a spectacle.
Despite having an unbeaten home record stretching back 39 matches and having won their last three World Cup games against Mexico by a combined total of 11 goals, the Selecao were unable to breach a resolute defence.
The individual performance of the Mexican goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa, stood out, as he repelled more shots than any goalie in the tournament to date (six saves from 14 shots on goal). Remarkably he is out of contract and with a number of high-profile European clubs looking at enhancing their options between the sticks he will no doubt now be on their radar as a relatively cheap, quality addition.
In the first half one of his saves, diving to his right, drew comparisons with a Gordon Banks save from a Pele header at the 1970 World Cup, one that is revered as one of the best of all time. If anyone thought that this was a one-in-a-lifetime moment they were wrong, as Ochoa went on to produce several more that were equally magnificent.
One former Brazilian star, Juninho, has pondered before this match whether the pressure of playing at home would have been getting to the host players. In this instance, I personally don’t believe it.
Brazil created a number of quality chances but simply came across a keeper who was perfectly positioned and made all the right decisions. These games happen.
They also kept a clean-sheet which will have pleased the coach. There is always room for improvement yet I would personally not adjudge that the pressure is telling.
In the modern age of sports psychologists there is no excuse for allowing the additional pressure to tell. There are many positives that come from home advantage, including familiarity with surroundings and the additional support that urges athletes to perform beyond expectations. Look at the British achieving a record haul at the London Olympics in 2012 for an example.
The biggest news from the past week was the elimination of the World Cup holders as Spain conceded more goals in two matches than in their last three major competitions!
Staggeringly, the exclusion of the champs was not as remarkable as you would think; three of the past four winners have lost in the group stage of the following competition suggesting the World Cup Trophy is a long-term poisoned chalice (although they are only the fifth defending champions in history to suffer this fate).
Another match demonstrated the globalisation of the game as two brothers played against each other in Group G. Germany’s Jerome Boateng faced off against Ghana’s Kevin-Prince Boateng. Fortunately, the parents were not required to take sides as the game ended in a 2-2 draw, unlike when these two sides met each other in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where Germany won 1-0.
The other main talking point after the match was Miroslav Klose equalling Ronaldo’s (the Brazilian version) all-time World Cup finals scoring record with his first touch of the game. He becomes the third player to score in four different World Cup Finals along with Pele and Uwe Seeler although he would have to improve dramatically if he were to catch the strike-rate of Just Fontaine who scored 13 goals in six matches in the 1958 tournament!
Klose is Germany’s leading scorer with 70 goals and bizarrely they have never lost a match in which he has scored.
More modestly, in the same match Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan equalled Roger Milla’s African record of five goals in World Cup Finals.
Otherwise, it has been another terrific week of football with relatively minor confrontations with even Honduras minimising their bully-boy tactics. The most concerning incident was Cameroon’s Assou-Ekotto head-butting a teammate in their 4-0 defeat to Croatia!
This past week also saw Switzerland’s Blerim Dzemaili become the first player to score a goal from a direct free-kick at the 2014 World Cup, a statistic made more remarkable given the ‘free-kick foam’ and Brazuca ball that is easier to control!
With two group games completed by each team the week ahead allows us to focus on those matches where there is all to play for.
Tonight Switzerland will have to be at their creative best to overcome a resilient Ecuador to qualify and will need to banish any memories of their humiliating drubbing by the French.
Group F is even more intriguing as Iran battle Bosnia for a place in the next round, although they will also have to watch how Nigeria perform against an Argentinian side that has already qualified but will want to win the group.
Tomorrow’s first match sees the US battle for first place against Germany, although a draw would see both teams qualify. Defeat for either side could see them eliminated entirely if Portugal or Ghana is successful by a big enough margin in their battle.
The final group witnesses a fascinating scenario despite Belgium entering the final stage with qualification secure. Any one of the three remaining teams, Russia, South Korea and Algeria can still make it through!
