Argentina’s Messi named player of the tournament; Germany’s Neuer top goalkeeper

RIO DE JANEIRO – Lionel Messi, who lost out on the World Cup title after Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Germany in Sunday’s final, was named the Golden Boot player of the tournament.

The Barcelona legend and four time Player of the Year was a key part in Argentina’s march to the Maracana stadium, picking up four man of the match performances.

He scored four goals at the tournament, but failed to pick up the one honor eluding him after Germany substitute Mario Goetze’s 113th minute goal dashed the South Americans’ dream of a third title.

Germany’s Manuel Neuer won the World Cup Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper after helping his side to a 1-0 victory over Argentina.

The 28-year-old Bayern Munich player was presented with the award at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium moments after the triumph.

He beat off competition from Argentine opposite number Sergio Romero and Keylor Navas of surprise package Costa Rica.

Neuer was beaten only four times in the tournament and kept clean sheets in the 1-0 quarter-final win over France and the victory over Argentina in the final.

He succeeds Spain’s Iker Casillas, who was voted outstanding goalkeeper at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Colombia’s young striker James Rodriguez claimed the World Cup’s top scorer honors with six goals.

Despite his country going out at the quarter-final stage the 23-year-old’s haul was never matched.

Among his half dozen goals was the magical chest and volley against Uruguay.

The Monaco forward, who stepped in manfully to fill the void left by Colombia’s injured Radamel Falcao, also scored in the 2-1 quarter-final loss to Brazil.

He got a second against Uruguay in the last 16 game, and one in each of Colombia’s first round matches against Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan.

Germany’s world champion Thomas Mueller ended up in second place with five goals.

Losing Argentina finalist Lionel Messi, injured Brazil star Neymar and Dutch striker Robin van Persie, shared third spot on four.

source: interaksyon.com

‘This can’t happen’: Brazil rival Argentina nears World Cup crown as home fans lick wounds after exit

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilians might have thought that their World Cup nightmare couldn’t possibly get any worse — and then bitter rivals Argentina reached the final in their own backyard Wednesday.

Still agonizing over their traumatic 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany just 24 hours earlier, Brazilians will now have to watch Argentina and their superstar Lionel Messi battle for the trophy in Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracana Stadium on Sunday.

Many Brazilians rooted for the Netherlands to beat their South American neighbors in Wednesday’s semi-final. But Argentina saw off the dogged Dutch 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes of attritional stalemate.

“Seeing Argentina in the final in our home hurts, especially after the Selecao’s worst ever defeat,” said Marcio Carneiro da Silva, 36, a mailman drowning his sorrows with a beer on the terrace of a Rio de Janeiro restaurant.

His friend Cesar Augusto, 37, already picked a new team for Sunday.

“Now I’m German,” he said.

Brazilians noted that the final will be in the same stadium where Brazil lost the decisive game of the 1950 tournament to Uruguay, a defeat that traumatized the country.

‘We are all Germany’

“The nightmare continues,” wrote O Dia newspaper in its online edition.

“In addition to not being able to dream about a sixth title, Brazilians will have to live with the real possibility of one of its main rivals triumphing in the ultimate football temple,” it said.

The sports daily Lance used a Twitter hashtag for its title, #SomosTodosAlemanha! (We Are All Germany). Argentines responded on the social media website by repeatedly typing the number 7, reminding Brazilians of their humiliating defeat.

Argentines were on cloud nine, singing and chanting at the stadium in Sao Paulo and in bars across Brazil.

“Reaching the final in Brazil is the best thing that could happen to us, although I would have preferred to beat them in the final,” said Miguel Martin, 32, a truck driver wearing a hat in Argentina’s blue and white colors who watched the game at a public screening in Sao Paulo.

Brazil and Argentina have battled for football supremacy in South America for decades.

Brazilians flaunt their record five World Cup titles at Argentines, whose team has won the trophy twice.

Throughout the World Cup, Argentine fans chanted in stadiums that football legend Diego Maradona was better than Brazilian great Pele.

But the competition goes beyond the pitch. Argentina was a leading emerging nation in the early 20th century but it was eclipsed by Brazil in economic and political might in recent decades.

Unbearable nightmare
At the official “Fan Fest” in Sao Paulo, some Brazilians wore the Dutch team’s orange colors, applauding every time the Netherlands were close to scoring.

Now they have to cope with the possibility of President Dilma Rousseff handing the trophy to Argentine captain Messi.

“I can’t imagine Dilma giving the trophy to Argentina at the Maracana. This can’t happen,” said Marcos Raimondi, a 44-year-old economist wearing the official Dutch team jersey. “It’s worse than what happened yesterday. It’s a nightmare. Unbearable.”

Amadeus Marques, a 27-year-old doctor also in Dutch regalia, was equally dumbstruck.

“This is incredible. I feel the same sensation as yesterday. Since the fourth German goal I was already hoping that Argentina would not go through and that we would play them for third place.”

But not all Brazilians were rooting against their South American peers.

Leonan Freitas, a 33-year-old bank worker, was the only one among a group of friends sipping beers at a Rio bar who cheered for Argentina.

“Argentina is a neighbor. I want South America to win,” he said to his friends’ disapproval. “I was more scared of losing the third-place game to Argentina.”

source: interaksyon.com

Germany salvages draw against Ghana, Messi rescues Argentina from Iran

FORTALEZA – Miroslav Klose hit a World Cup record-equalling 15th goal as Germany fought back to claim a 2-2 draw with Ghana on Saturday.

In other matches, a moment of individual brilliance from Argentina captain Lionel Messi steered his team into the last-16 in a victory over Iran, while Bosnia were knocked out after a controversial 1-0 loss to Nigeria.

Klose had only been on the pitch as a substitute for two minutes in Fortaleza when he jabbed home Germany’s equaliser and joined Brazilian great Ronaldo on top of the all-time scoring charts.

The 36-year-old Lazio struck in the 71st minute of a thrilling Group G game at the Castelao Stadium after goals from Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan had fired Ghana into a 2-1 lead.

Mario Gotze had given Germany the lead, heading in off his own knee on 51 minutes after a goalless first half.

But Ghana struck back brilliantly, levelling through Ayew’s 54th minute header before Asamoah fired the Black Stars into the lead.

The result left the Germans, who beat Portugal 4-0 in their opening match, on top of Group G with four points.

Ghana, beaten by the United States in their first game, have one point heading into their final match with Portugal next week.

Earlier, Messi scored a brilliant injury time winner as Argentina overcame Iran 1-0 in Belo Horizonte to squeeze into the second round.

Four-time world player of the year Messi curled in a sublime shot from just outside the area in the first minute of stoppage time to break Iranian hearts in the Group F battle.

The Argentina captain had been largely anonymous for much of the match as Iran frustrated the South American giants at the Mineirao Stadium.

- Romero saves Argentina -

The Asian minnows might even have snatched victory only to be denied by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero, who pulled off fine second-half saves from England-based duo Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejad.

But with the clock ticking down, Messi picked up the ball on the edge of the area and after being granted time to pick his spot, curled in his second goal of the tournament.

The result leaves Argentina assured of a place in the last 16, joining Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Holland in the second round.

“We are not showing what we can do, but with a run of games I think we will get there,” Messi said of Argentina’s form.

“We are the first ones to know we have not reached the level we would like.”

Iran’s former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz was fuming however over Serbian referee Milorad Mazic’s failure to award his side a penalty.

“Messi was fantastic, but the referee wasn’t,” Queiroz said.

“I don’t understand it, he had to have seen it was a penalty. He was five metres away, there is no way he couldn’t have seen it.”

In the late Group F game in Cuiaba, Nigeria remained firmly in contention for a last 16 place following a 1-0 win over Bosnia, which eliminated the European side.

Nigeria now need only a draw against Argentina on Wednesday to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time since 1998.

But Bosnia were furious after two key decisions went against them in the opening 45 minutes.

First striker Edin Dzeko had a legitimate goal wrongly ruled offside.

Then, moments later, Nigeria scored through Peter Odemwingie.

Bosnia’s players claimed Nigeria’s Emmanuel Emenike had fouled Bosnia captain Emir Spahic in the build-up, but the goal stood.

Bosnia coach Safet Susic said afterward his team had been robbed of a goal by New Zealand referee Peter O’Leary.

“I was told there was no offside but it’s not the first or last time a referee has made a bad decision at this World Cup and it won’t be the last,” said the 59-year-old.

“We lost to a good side, Nigeria played better than against Iran.”

source: interaksyon.com

Luis Suarez, Uruguay push England on verge of early exit

SAO PAULO – Luis Suarez scored twice as Uruguay sent England spinning towards their earliest World Cup exit in 56 years on Thursday with a 2-1 victory.

Liverpool striker Suarez grabbed the second of two opportunistic goals in the 85th minute of a tense Group D battle in Sao Paulo after Wayne Rooney had looked to have rescued a point for England with a 75th-minute equaliser.

The defeat leaves England, beaten 2-1 by Italy in their opening match, needing a miracle if they are to reach the second round of a World Cup, something they have not failed to do since 1958.

“We are more then disappointed, we’re devastated,” England manager Roy Hodgson said after the loss, describing his side’s chances of remaining in the tournament as “unbelievably slim.”

“To be sure of continuing we needed a result today, a draw or a victory, and we didn’t get it,” he added.

Suarez — named English football’s player of the year after a superb season for Liverpool — had been a doubt for the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery in May.

However the 27-year-old returned to haunt an England side containing five of his Liverpool team-mates.

“Yes, I dreamed of this,” Suarez said. “It was something I imagined many times, but I had to calm myself down.”

With both teams knowing that a defeat would likely prove fatal to their chances of progressing to the last 16, the game started cautiously.

But England’s inability to retain possession looked likely to gift Uruguay an opening, and so it proved.

Loose play from England captain Steven Gerrard saw Uruguay break swiftly, with Nicolas Lodeiro releasing Edinson Cavani down the left.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker delayed his cross to perfection, leaving Suarez, who had ghosted clear of Phil Jagielka, to head back past wrong-footed England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

With England struggling to break Uruguay down for much of the second half, Suarez’s opener looked to be enough.

But 15 minutes from time Rooney tapped in his 40th international goal, and his first at a World Cup, after a low Glen Johnson cross to reignite their challenge.

England had looked the likelier to score thereafter, but five minutes from time the ball broke to Suarez off Gerrard and the striker raced clear.

The Liverpool man glanced up and then unleashed a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.

Uruguay’s victory leaves England needing Italy to beat both Costa Rica on Friday and the Uruguayans next Tuesday.

England would then need to beat Costa Rica in their final game to have any chance of qualifying on goal difference.

Colombia on course

Earlier Thursday, Colombia maintained South America’s strong start to the tournament with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, which saw them guaranteed a place in the last 16 from Group C.

A day after Chile eliminated defending champions Spain, Colombia produced another fine attacking display to down the powerful Ivorians in a free-flowing contest at Brasilia’s National Stadium.

Second-half goals from Monaco starlet James Rodriguez and Juan Quintero fired Colombia into the lead before Roma striker Gervinho pulled one back for the Ivorians to set up a tense finish.

Colombia, making their first appearance at the World Cup since 1998, sealed their second round berth later Thursday after Japan and Greece played out a dour 0-0 draw in Natal.

The result means Japan and Greece must win their final matches against Colombia and Ivory Coast respectively to have any chance of going through.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni was unhappy at his side’s inability to make Greece pay following the dismissal of their captain Konstantinos Katsouranis on 38 minutes.

“We’re not happy at this stage of the tournament. We pushed hard to win the game. We do have one match to play, but right now I’m not happy at all,” Zaccheroni said.

“We had a lot of possession, had a lot of chances, and we didn’t capitalise on them.”

source: interaksyon.com