The first full day of the 2014 World Cup showcased plenty of goals, and plenty of action. Let’s take a look at the best and worst moments from each game.
Mexico vs Cameroon
Biggest Winner: Miguel Herrera, Mexico’s manager. From the opening whistle, his offense took the game to its opposition, keeping the ball in the Cameroonian’s defensive third of the field. This allowed Mexico to deny Samuel Eto’o the ball and any goal scoring opportunities they might have created for their goal scorer.
Honorable Mention: The groundskeepers. Before and during the game, the rain was relentless, yet the field held up well. Kudos to the men who maintain the conditions of the pitch.
Biggest Loser: The referees. In the 11th minute, Giovanni Dos Santos scored what should have been the first goal of the game. But the goal was disallowed by the assistant referee. None of us expects perfection, but this is the second straight match in which a referee has affected a game in a goal scoring situation. There was a possible second goal that was disallowed later in the half that was also a questionable call. With the advent of goal line technology, is it time to consider ways to improve other calls as well?
(Dis)Hororable Mention: ESPN play-by-play announcers Fernando Palomo and Alejandro Moreno. Gentlemen, it’s fine to cheer on a team, but as announcers please don’t make it so obvious. We all understand that you’re a fan of El Tri, but as viewers we’d like some impartiality. C’mon EPSN, FIFA mandates Fair Play, how about some fair announcing?
Best halftime moment: Had to be the Hyundai commercial. The commercial starts off in the maternity wing of a hospital in Spain showing a room filled with newborns while still more pregnant women await the opportunity to deliver their offspring. The staff asks aloud what happened to cause such an up swell in births, as the camera pans back nine months ago to Spain’s victory in the World Cup.
Biggest Surprise: Mexico consistently left only one defender on their half of the field, leaving them vulnerable to the counterattack with a back line that is aging. While successful in their match against Cameroon, will Miguel Herrera rethink his defensive posture against Brazil and Croatia?
Worth Noting: Today’s loss is Cameroon’s fifth straight loss in World Cup play. And with matches against Croatia and Brazil upcoming, it seems all but certain that the Cameroonian team of 2014 will follow its predecessor and not advance beyond group play. Mexico, however, is unbeaten in its last five World Cup matches. But their defense was largely untested, and it is unclear how it will hold up in their next two matches.
Spain vs Netherlands
As a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final, this game held the promise of two European titans battling it out for three points.
Biggest Winner: Hands down, the Netherlands. It’s clear that they had vivid recollections of the Cup final four years ago when they were beaten by Spain, and went on to create a different set of memories. While the Netherlands seem to know how to play up to their potential, the question is where does Spain go from here? Does Del Bosque have the answer to advance deep into Cup play, or even out of group play?
Honorable Mention:The fact that there are two halves in a game, and anything can happen. And this game was a perfect example. Although Spain had the better of play throughout most of the first half, the game was level at the half. The second half was all Oranje, as Spain seemed to collapse. And with Diego Costa playing hurt, he was substituted in the second half and the rout was on.
Best Goal: Robin Van Persie took a lead pass off his head and headed it over the keeper from some 15 yards from goal. He made it look easy, but it was anything but. After being outplayed for most of the first half, his goal puts the Netherlands level and back in the match.
Chile vs Australia
Biggest Winner: The Aussies by far. The lowest ranked team in the Cup (FIFA ranked at 59th), they trailed Chile 2-0 early in the first half and clawed their way back into the game with a first half goal by Tim Cahill right at the end of the half. They came away with no points, but earned a lot of respect from the soccer community. Unfortunately, they may come away without a point in the group, given how great their competition is.
Biggest Loser: Chile entered the game with heightened expectations, and clearly came up short. In a group where advancing teams will rely on goal differential in the event of a tie in points awarded, a two goal win by Chile against the Socceroos may not be enough to see them though the group stage.
Biggest shortcoming: With Arturo Vidal clearly still hurting, Chile is lacking a midfielder to provide service up front to players like Alexis Sanchez. In their games against Spain and the Netherlands, that position will need to be addressed if La Roja is to advance beyond the group stage.
(via SB Nation GIF’s Twitter account)
(Photo credit: SB Nation)
