Fifa World Cup 2014 Brazil Column
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Messi to win against the machine / Messi to win against the machine
The moment has come. The moment is to decide who will take the World Cup home—Argentina or Germany? Who will have the final smile— team with a superstar or an all star team?
Goodbye, Big Phil / Goodbye, Big Phil
The Orange humiliation could have been harsher even. Thanks to the pulled-hamstring of Sneijder, Brazilians could get some sort of respite. The margin of defeat could have been more humiliating if not the No. 10 Dutch had to sit out the match.
Fifa gains in game of losers / Fifa gains in game of losers
Here comes a game that no one wants to be involved in. What glory two losers can achieve from a third-placing deciding game? For teams, nothing but the Cup matters. It’s just cruel to ask one of the losing semifinalists to lose again.
Shock bigger than Maracanazo / Shock bigger than Maracanazo
A tragedy, bigger than Maracanazo, has consumed Brazil Wednesday. Brazil were thrown out of the World Cup; a heart-break that the hosts could get over with. But a 7-1 thrashing by the Germans? No way! Brazil would never be able to swallow the insult.
The Dutch bury penalty ghost
The Dutch preparation for their first ever World Cup must have gone deep. The way the Netherlands finished off the lottery phase of their match against Costa Rica Sunday only confirmed their homework to a great detail.
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Scolari needs Plan B now
Brazil finally exuded Brazilliance. For the first time in the World Cup, Brazil played like a team and like the Solecao. And it came five games into the World Cup and at a time when they needed it most against Colombia.
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Brazilian 22-year-old to move on
Two 22-year-olds are all set to fight it out. But which one of the two is going to be the king tonight? Will Neymar outshine Rodriguez? Or is it Rodriguez who will have the last laugh? The fate of two South American rivals -- Brazil and Columbia -- will depend on how these young but hugely gifted footballers play their games.
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Brazil not going home next!
From 32 countries, the World Cup comes down to eight. It's a D-Day for four teams-- Brazil, Colombia, Germany and France. And two of the four will head home when the daylight breaks in Bangladesh Saturday.
Try Bilardo tricks
It was too much to take for Argentine fans. No match is easy and no opponents are weak in a World Cup. Yet, it may seem unfair for Argentine fans to go through a nerve-wracking, nail-biting win once more against a not-so-fancied opponent.
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Love this Algeria!
Whew! What a surprise Algeria had saved for the match against Germany. It was supposed to be a contest between underdogs and hot favourites. But in reality, it were Algerians who played like hot favourites and almost knocked fancied Germans out of the World Cup.
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Germany, France to win; not without sweats
Germany and France, the two strong World Cup aspirants from Europe, will appear in two different matches to book their quarterfinals berths.
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Dying-minute drama bids Mexico adios
It’s incredibly unbelievable the way fortune fluctuated in the last eight minutes of the match between the Netherlands and Mexico. Sure winners turned losers. Happy faces suddenly became horrified with heart-breaks. What a turn of events! The World Cup certainly unfolded one of its best dramas in Brazil.
Brazil survive Chile, referee
As expected, it turned out to be a spill-thrill contest. Brazil barely prevailed in an epic match against Chile, who fought neck and neck till the end of 120 minutes at 1-1 before going down in the shootout 3-2.
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Brazil to prevail in the spill-thrill match
Stage is all set for teams to knock others out or get knocked out. Like the group phase, Brazil again feature in the opening match of the round of instant elimination Saturday against the team they prefer to avoid.
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