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- Holland v Argentina: World Cup 2014 semi-final live!
- Sympathy after thrashing dilutes aura of Brazils yellow and greens
- Mats Hummels: Germany are one of the worlds best, but you need luck
- Lazar Markovic poised for Liverpool medical on Thursday
- Brazils players will be scarred for life by Germany semi-final loss
- World Cup 2014: Holland v Argentina in pictures
- Why sports psychologists couldn't save Brazil's World Cup hopes
- Nigeria suspended from Fifa on account of government interference
- Brazil capitulated to the first strong team they encountered. Im livid
- Germanys youth overhaul faces one last challenge in World Cup final
- Roma set deadline for Manchester City to buy Moroccos Mehdi Benatia
- Chelsea sign Croatian teenage midfielder Mario Pasalic
- Arsenal set to complete £30m Alexis Sánchez transfer from Barcelona
- World Cup 2014: day 28 as it happened
- Brazil World Cup humiliation by Germany should serve as a call to arms
- USAs World Cup legacy depends on MLS development, not Letterman
- World Cup 2014: gamblers win big after backing Germany 7-1 Brazil at 500-1
- José Mourinho: dont blame Brazils David Luiz for Germany thrashing
- Archive, 1950: World Cup defeat for Brazil leaves fans dumbfounded
- Was Brazil's 7-1 defeat to Germany the biggest humiliation in sporting history?
- World Cup Show 2014: day 28 news video
- World Cup: Singapore anti-gambling ad backfires after Germany win
- World Cup 2014: Costa Rica gives heroes' welcome to team video
- All I could see was Jô grinning back at me. Jô!
| Holland v Argentina: World Cup 2014 semi-final live! Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:52 PM PDT World Cup semi-final updates: follow all the latest news
90 min +1: SOME EXCITEMENT!!!!!! AFTER 91 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!! The Dutch suddenly spring into life! Robben is set clear into the Argentinian area down the inside-left channel by a deft Sneijder backflick. He's got the chance to shoot, but Mascherano slides in just as a place in the final looms for Holland. Corner. Cleared.
90 min: There will be three added minutes.
89 min: In the last two minutes, first Mascherano and then Demichelis have attempted to power forward on a Beckenbaueresque mission. Given how this match has panned out, you can fill in the rest yourself.
87 min: Messi slides a ball down the inside-right channel for Aguero, who is free in the area just to the right of goal. He looks to feed Palacio to his left, when a shot would have been the better option. Holland clear.
86 min: Kuyt sprays a ball down the left to release Robben into a little space. Demichelis slides in to concede a corner. Rojo heads the set piece clear. Clasie screws a dismal shot miles wide right from nearly 30 yards.
85 min: Nerves have got the better of these two teams. That's been the case for the first 84 minutes of the game, and nobody wants to risk anything now. "The non-football historian in me can't help but point out: the Dutch anthem is called Wilhelmus," writes Sebastian Merz. "It's as silly to talk about German or Dutch blood today as it was back then, but it may be worth pointing out that William the Silent, the great Dutch national hero was the prince of Nassau, which has been part of the different 'Germanies' for most of the last millennium."
84 min: Rojo has a pop from 25 yards down the inside-left channel. Cillessen gathers without fuss. He looks to bowl the ball upfield for a quick break, but a faux-innocent Aguero gets in the way. The ref blows for a free kick, but doesn't book the saucy bugger.
83 min: Pretty quiet in the stadium right now. And no wonder, this is appalling. Come back, Brazil, all is forgiven.
82 min: After a ludicrous wait, Aguero and Palacio come on for Higuain and Perez. Holland take their throw. Robben whips a cross straight down the throat of Romero.
80 min: Blind hoicks a ball into the Argentinian box from the left. A bit of panic as Robben nearly latches onto it amid defensive confusion. Rojo slaps it out of play on the left. There'll be a throw-in soon, but Argentina are about to make a double change.
77 min: A free kick to Holland down the left. Sneijder Kuyts it out of play to the right of goal, on the full. You'd need to be 12 feet tall, with a good spring, to get a header on that. This is piss-poor.
76 min: That Dutch move appears to have shaken Argentina out of their lethargy. Perez loops a fast pass into the Holland area from the right. Higuain, at full stretch, attempts to guide a volley into the top right. The crowd roar in celebration, but the ball's billowed the side netting. It's not gone in. The nearest Argentina have come for a while.
75 min: This is a bit better by Holland. Janmaat is released down the right by a clever reverse pass from Sneijder. The resulting cross is whipped to the near post, where van Persie, his back to goal, attempts to Mark Hughes a bicycle kick into the net. The ball flies wide, and he's offside anyway. But it's something.
74 min: Kuyt, 35 yards out down the left, balloons the ball out of play near the right-hand corner flag. Goal kick. God almighty.
72 min: Vlaar takes out Higuain's knees with his shoulder. What a clumsy oaf. Free kick for Argentina, down near the right-hand corner flag. Messi hoofs it straight out of play to the left of goal, like a Sunday hacker.
69 min: Janmaat is down getting a little bit of treatment after clattering his mug into the back of Rojo's head. He'll be OK, by the looks of it, writes Dr Murray, resident MBM quack, who probably should be struck off, this is no sort of prognosis.
67 min: Holland lump a couple of high balls into the Argentinian area. They're mopped up easily enough. "Sabella looks like Kurtwood Smith doing a Gilbert Gottfried impression," writes Kári Tulinius, using the sort of cultural references the internet kids can't get enough of. They're lapping them up. "I'm watching this game in a bar full of people, but it's not like I risk missing much while typing this email."
65 min: The rain is tipping down in São Paulo. "I have no idea what Wayne Charlton is talking about," writes Philip Reed. "I've lived in many parts of the US, and the word Dutch in isolation almost always means Netherlandic. However, the historical idea of Dutch to mean German lives on in the phrase Pennsylvania Dutch, and no doubt in other terms."
63 min: Biglia is currently down receiving treatment, having knocked knees with Janmaat as the two slid across the turf to challenge for a loose ball. He might have irritated the wrist he's got bandaged up, too. Good news for Argentina: he gets up, and will be back on in a sec.
62 min: Another Dutch change. De Jong is replaced by
60 min: Kuyt, out on the left, swings a ball into the Argentinian area, looking for Wijnaldum, who is coming in from the other wing. Nope. Romero claims with ease.
58 min: Lavezzi twists and turns down the right, then stands one up into the middle for Higuain. But Janmaat comes across to cover just as the striker looks to power a header goalwards from ten yards. Better, though that's not saying much. "Louis van Gaal looks like Steve Bruce crossed with Donald Trump. PS: I watch football alone." Simon Farnaby there, suffering what sounds like a long, slow, lingering, stupid death.
56 min: Janmaat looks for Robben down the right, but his pass is clumpish and flies out for a goal kick. This is a pretty poor match, but not every semi-final can be earth-shudderingly epochal, I guess.
54 min: Robben has a little space down the middle. He makes with purpose towards the Argentinian box, but is spooked by Demichelis, who stands firm on the edge of the area, and as Robben hesitates, Biglia tracks back to nip the ball away.
52 min: This is scrappy rubbish right now. Messi and Higuain are both caught miles offside as Biglia attempts to find a pass that'll get Argentina moving forward. Germany are looking every inch the world champions in waiting right now.
50 min: Sneijder wafts a harmless free kick over the bar. Hopeless. Argentina go down the other end, Biglia rolling a pass down the middle for Messi, who for a second appears to have broken clear, but he's offside, and in any case Cillessen was out of his area and first to the ball.
49 min: Demichelis is quite rightly booked for obstructing Robben as the Dutch attacker looks to turn the defender down the inside-left channel. This'll be a free kick in a dangerous area: Sneijder Country.
48 min: Wijnaldum on a very positive run down the right. His cross is deep. It finds Kuyt, who controls but can't get a shot away or find a team-mate. A scrappy start to the half. Meanwhile here's Wayne Charlton, coming late to the party with a little more Holland-related style pedantry: "References to Dutch here in the USA are not necessarily to those originally from the Netherlands but usually the Germans - Dutch being a bastardization of Deutsch ('German' in German). Yet in the Wilemhuis - the national anthem of the Netherlands - it sings about Wilhem being of Duitse bloed which in modern Dutch translates to 'German blood' but really at the time meant of Dutch blood (Duytsen) - which maybe the origin of Dutch and help a bit with your quandry. Bloody confusing country eh? Still, hup Holland."
46 min: De Vrij bodychecks Perez, who was looking to break down the left. A wee bit lucky to escape a booking for sheer cynicism there. "As a Liverpool supporter this is painful to say," begins Mark Wainwright in an email with the heading 'Managers who enhance their reputation by not going to the World Cup', "but Mourinho dropped Casillas, unloaded Luiz for a fortune and doesnt rate Oscar, all of whom have had disastrous performances in Brazil. He might even be as smart as he thinks he is." It's a worrying thought, isn't it.
Holland get the ball rolling again, having replaced the consistently clumsy Martins Indi with Janmaat. "Looks like Robin van Persies stomach-bug medication has been having exactly the effect listed on the bottle: affects timing of runs." Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Charles Antaki, he's here all week, try the Imodium.
Half-time advertisement: Nobody's fault, but nearly four weeks have passed, and those ball-juggling ITV stings for Santander are getting pretty irritating now. They don't do
Messi slides a pass down the left for Rojo, who overhits a cross into the box meant for Higuain. And that's it for the first half. Could be quite a bit better, this. Say what you like about much-maligned Brazil, but they certainly know how to put on a first-half show.
45 min: Messi skips along a baroque route down the right. He's dragged back by Martins Indi, who is booked for persistent fouling. Messi swings the resulting set piece into the box. It's claimed easily by Cillessen.
42 min: It's gone a bit scrappy, this. Misdirected passes, heavy touches, late clips on the ankle. Robben, Sneijder and Messi surround the referee to moan about some minor infringement or other.
39 min: Demichelis takes a wild hack at Sneijder. Not sure whether he meant it, but the Dutch midfielder felt that. He's off the field getting some attention, clutching his thigh. Meanwhile Martins Indi obstructs Messi down the right. It's a free kick. The ball's swung into the middle towards Messi, but Kuyt - a one-man Total Football XI - is there to intercept and clear.
37 min: Lavezzi is sprung clear down the right. He reaches the byline and pulls a low cross into the centre. Martins Indi manages to get in the way of Higuain. "A number of Guardian writers used to call Carlos Tevez the rich man's Dirk Kuyt," recalls John Kim, "but look at him now, it's 2014, and only one of them is starting in the semi-finals of the World Cup."
34 min: That free kick apart, Messi has been fairly quiet. He's caught offside down the right, and fiddles sheepishly with his socks. "Kuyt's penalty against Costa Rica was great," writes Zach Neeley. "No staring down or stutter stepping around, just run up and kick it hard, essential Dirk-ness."
32 min: A corner for Holland down the left. Romero punches it clear, but it's soon coming back at Argentina. Sneijder swings a ball in from the left. Van Persie flicks on a header towards Blind, ten yards out and contesting with Demichelis, but the offside flag goes up. A borderline decision, that. Argentina didn't look particularly comfortable there.
29 min: Both of these teams are already five goals better off than Brazil were at this point last night. Then again, they're both five goals worse off than Germany. It's the old half-filled glass question, isn't it.
28 min: Mascherano clashes heads with Wijnaldum. It's entirely innocent. Mascherano takes a couple of steps, then, totally dazed, falls face-forward to the floor. He's caught by a concerned Wijnaldum and eased to the floor. After a couple of minutes' worth of treatment, he's up and about again. He looked out of it for a while there, but the magic sponge seems to have done the trick. For now, anyway.
25 min: Yep, Cillessen's confidence hasn't been damaged much by that business against Costa Rica. The ball at his feet on the edge of the box, he drops a shoulder to sell Higuain an outrageous dummy, then sweeps clear. His cheek injects Holland with an instant healthy arrogance, and De Jong, down the left, rakes a diagonal ball downfield and very nearly releases van Persie. That wasn't a million miles away from an ersatz recreation of the famous Dennis Bergkamp goal, in terms of field position of the two players, anyway. But van Persie can't take the ball down, and it's a goal kick.
23 min: Argentina are gaining the upper hand. Lavezzi makes good down the right and zips past Blind with ease. His cross is poor, but Perez is soon causing bother along the other flank. He wins a corner, which Lavezzi takes. Garay meets it, six yards out, and sends a header over. He gets a boot on the noggin for his trouble, Vlaar the culprit, but it's accidental as the pair battled for the ball. It is a World Cup semi-final, after all.
21 min: Martins Indi sticks out a leg to deny Lavezzi crossing from the right. Corner. Lavezzi takes this time, and this one's through the air. As with his free kick earlier, van Persie heads it clear. "For it to be a truly quintessential hat trick of Dirkness, the ball should have travelled for a total combined distance of three-and-a-half yards and gone in off first his shin, then the back of his head with the final one cannoning in off his arse," suggests MBM regular Phil Sawyer, who is if memory serves is a Liverpool fan; there's a lot of affection on show here.
19 min: Space for Zabaleta down the right. He lumps a cross towards the near post, looking for Perez, but De Vrij gets ahead of the Argentinian to hoick the ball out for a corner. Messi sends in a weird bouncing bomb along the deck, and it nearly catches Holland by surprise, but Martins Indi hacks clear.
17 min: Sneijder looks like he's in the mood, too. From the centre circle, he sprays a delicious ball to the right wing for Kuyt. Shame that wasn't Robben, for a player with pace would have been clear on goal. But the ball's asking too much of Po' Dirk. "I actually quite like the new German change strip," opines David Wall, "but if Argentina are their opponents in the final, and get to wear their home shirt with black shorts, I hope that Germany wheel out a bottle-green number, just for old times' sake." That would indeed be lovely. Five goals minimum in the final, too, for that total 1980s vibe. Or a couple of meltdowns and a few red cards, I'd not be fussy.
15 min: ... fizzes a low shot through the left-hand side of the wall, looking for the bottom left corner. Cillessen is behind it all the way, gathering with safe hands. It doesn't look like the Ajax goalkeeper's much affected by the Krul shenanigans against Costa Rica.
14 min: This could be danger for Holland. Higuain plays a clever reverse ball down the right to release Perez into space. Perez is hacked down by Vlaar, clumsily rather than maliciously, 25 yards out, just to the right of goal. This is Messi Country. Argentina's genius steps up, and ...
13 min: A half-arsed clearance for Mascherano, who robs Robben down the Dutch right but gifts the ball to Sneijder, 25 yards out down the inside-right channel. Sneijder looks for the top left. It's never going in, but a decent effort nonetheless.
11 min: A free kick for Argentina down the left. Lavezzi whips it into the Dutch box from 25 yards out. Demichelis looks to meet it with his head, but van Persie gets there first. "It's been a World Cup of surprises," writes Ray Boland. "Given the result in the other semi, the stage is set for a big game player like Dirk Kuyt to march to the top of the Golden Boot ranks. Two perfect hat tricks would do nicely." Only if it's scored from a total combined distance of three-and-a-half yards, for quintessential Dirkness.
9 min: Higuain and Messi take turns to run at pace down the inside-right channel. They're both in top sashaying form, it would seem. Holland get the job done, crowding them out, but for a second they were being pressed back towards their own area without an answer. Blind and De Vrij went about their business briskly and eventually the danger's cleared. A nice open feel to this match.
6 min: Robben has an exploratory run down the left channel, but Mascherano is on his case. Then he looks sprightly down the other wing, chasing after a long ball and breaking free into the area. But he's offside. An early scare for Argentina, though, who were sleeping a little at the back there.
4 min: Argentina enjoying most of the ball early doors. Perez had an early run at the Dutch defence but was crowded out soon enough. "Am I the only person worried that Germany or Argentina could end up keeping the Victory trophy if they win this?" shivers Paulo Padilha, "or are Fifa no longer doing that win-it-three-times-and-its-yours thing? Part of me is excited at the prospect of that kind of history being made, but then I think about what sort of monstrosity Sepp Blatter would commission to replace it and hope Holland win this just so the old man can't ruin yet another aspect of the World Cup." You'll be pleased to hear that Fifa have got rid of the keep-it-after-three-wins rule, which saw Brazil make off with the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970 only for the thing to get stolen and melted down 13 years later. But there are only four more spaces left to engrave the names of winning teams on the underside of the new one, which means Fifa may well need another new trophy for 2030. Blatter will be a sprightly 94 years old by then, so if you think his judgement's gone now, it'll be very interesting to see what modernist masterpiece he commissions when the task finally needs sorting. What's that? You don't think a nonagenarian Blatter will still be in charge of Fifa come 2030? Oh my sweet, sweet innocent children.
2 min: Now it's Argentina's turn to knock it around a bit. Everyone desirous of an early touch. An awful lot of whistling. Brazilians, I'll be bound. They had plenty of practice last etc., and so on, and so forth.
1 min: Holland ping it around the back a bit. The crowd give it plenty of olés as they do so. Brazilians, I'll be bound. They had plenty of practice last night, I suppose. "Now if someone will just tell Germany to wear black shorts in the final, I think we're good," writes Halli Cauthery.
And we're off! A hell of an atmosphere in the Arena de Sao Paulo. Argentina aren't just wearing black shorts, by the way, they're wearing black armbands too, in memory of the great Alfredo di Stefano, who sadly died on Monday. A round of respectful applause. And Argentina get the ball rolling.
The teams are out! A beautiful, crisp, clean, classical aesthetic to this match. Dutch oranje and Argentinian abiceleste. And rather wonderfully, both teams have reverted to traditional trousers! Argentina are wearing their black strides, while Holland are in white shorts! Magnificent! It's the small things, they always add up. These people look good. The greatest association football event of all, ladies and gentlemen, distilled into its purest form. Tincture of World Cup. Parfum de la coupe du monde. And then it's time for the anthems, both of which are gloriously proud and pompous, as all good anthems should be. A-one, a-two, a-one two three ...
Holland: Cillessen, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi, Kuyt, De Jong, Sneijder, Wijnaldum, Blind, Robben, van Persie.
Team news: Robin Van Persie starts for Holland, despite those rumoured stomach problems, while Nigel de Jong, who strained his groin muscle in the second round against Mexico, returns to replace striker Memphis Depay. Argentina meanwhile make two expected changes: Enzo Perez comes in to replace the injured Angel Di Maria while Marcos Rojo takes the place of Jose Basanta.
GEORGE: What is Holland?
Rob Rensenbrink. No man has come closer to World Cup immortality only to miss out. There he is, 15 seconds into injury time of the 1978 final between Holland and Argentina, the scores level, skittering down the inside-left channel after Ruud Krol's long, one-bounce free kick. The ball's at his feet. He's stolen a march on Jorge Olguin, and is tearing towards the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Argentina goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol comes off his line to close the angle, but he's always going to be too late. Rensenbrink sticks out a long left leg, and prods the ball past Fillol. It's heading towards the empty net! It's Holland's World Cup, surely! Continue reading... |
| Sympathy after thrashing dilutes aura of Brazils yellow and greens Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:30 PM PDT All of us are feeling really sorry for Brazil said José Mourinho after the hosts 7-1 defeat by Germany that left local fans struggling with a sense of humiliation To put it into context, the last time Brazil experienced a defeat anywhere near as harrowing they tried to blame the teams colours and decided that the first part of the grieving process had to be to start again and clean away the memories. That was after the deciding game of the 1950 World Cup when Uruguay had beaten them at the old Maracanã and Brazils white shirt with blue trimmings was deemed so unpatriotic that a competition was launched by the Correio da Manhã newspaper to design a new look for the next tournament. The rules stipulated that the strip must use the colours of the Brazil flag and, of the 401 entries, it was an 18-year-old by the name of Aldyr Garcia Schlee who came up with the winning design. More than sixty years on, at least this time Brazil will be sticking with their colours. It just might be a while before the yellow and green feels like its old self. Continue reading... |
| Mats Hummels: Germany are one of the worlds best, but you need luck Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:30 PM PDT German rebuild began after flop of Euro 2000 Five Euro 2009 under-21 winners at World Cup Germanys elated players have united in calls for renewed focus ahead of Sundays final, with the squad determined a decade of preparation will yield a fourth World Cup. Joachim Löws team inflicted Brazils joint-heaviest ever defeat in Tuesdays 7-1 drubbing, with five goals plundered in 18 frantic first-half minutes. But both the manager and the man of the match, Toni Kroos, stressed in the immediate aftermath that the nature of the victory means little in the context of what will be the national teams eighth World Cup final. Those sentiments were echoed by team-mates as they mulled over their victory and prepared for the Maracanã, with the determination to claim a first major trophy since Euro 96 all too clear. Continue reading... |
| Lazar Markovic poised for Liverpool medical on Thursday Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:30 PM PDT Serbian winger expected to complete £20m transfer Markovic scored 12 goals for Benfica last season Lazar Markovic will fly to Liverpool on Thursday to have his medical before joining Liverpool for a fee of £20m from Benfica. The winger is being bought before the proposed sale of Luis Suárez to Barcelona for £75m. Continue reading... |
| Brazils players will be scarred for life by Germany semi-final loss Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:30 PM PDT Players admit they failed our people in humiliation Fred, Hulk and Willian among those to apologise Brazils crestfallen players have admitted they will be scarred for life by the record defeat to Germany, with the humiliation having left the squad perplexed and pained as they somehow attempt to rouse themselves for Saturdays third-place play-off in Brasília. The 7-1 rout by the Germans in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday was the worst ever suffered by Brazil, and a first competitive home defeat in 39 years, as their hopes of avenging their defeat to Uruguay in the final back in 1950 were emphatically dashed. The crowd in the Estádio Mineirão turned on their own team as the visitors goals rained in, the locals pausing only to applaud André Schürrles seventh, with many of the players departing the turf in tears. Continue reading... |
| World Cup 2014: Holland v Argentina in pictures Posted: 09 Jul 2014 01:14 PM PDT The best images from Arena de Sao Paulo as Holland take on Argentina for a place in the final Continue reading...  |
| Why sports psychologists couldn't save Brazil's World Cup hopes Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:58 AM PDT They were supposed to be key to the success of their campaign. So why did the team fall apart so dramatically against Germany? Is it because there is too much emphasis on staying relaxed, and not enough on hardening players to the extreme pressure? Before Germany buried Brazil in their semi-final, Brazilian captain Thiago Silva was confident his team would hold up under pressure because they had top sports psychologist Regina Brandão helping them relax. Brandão has a degree in sports psychology, as well as a PhD in sports science, from Unicamp in São Paulo. The important thing, said Silva repeatedly, was to put the players at ease. "If we are not at ease, things won't happen the way we want them to." Even star player Neymar had expressed his confidence in Brandão and felt her methods would benefit the rest of us. "It is not only us in football who are surrounded by emotion every day and need psychologists. I think it could do every person good, to make one more relaxed." Each player was apparently given a battery of psychological tests to evaluate their emotional reactions in different situations. They were presented with different stimuli, such as smiley faces or frowns, and their reactions were analysed and manipulated. The aim was to harmonise their responses, to put them "at ease on the pitch". Continue reading... |
| Nigeria suspended from Fifa on account of government interference Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:41 AM PDT Decision comes after government dissolved NFF Under-20 team could miss out on Womens World Cup Nigeria have been suspended from Fifa on account of government interference. A statement released by the governing body on Wednesday said the Emergency Committee took the decision with immediate effect after a court order compelled the Nigerian Minister of Sports to appoint a senior member of the civil service to take over the running of the Nigeria Football Federation. Continue reading... |
| Brazil capitulated to the first strong team they encountered. Im livid Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:20 AM PDT Brazils performance against Germany was terrible and we have abandoned the right to claim we have the best football Continue reading...  |
| Germanys youth overhaul faces one last challenge in World Cup final Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:00 AM PDT Joachim Löws beautiful brand of efficient football took Brazil apart and is helping to take the sting out of tired old stereotypes Germany were extremely efficient against Brazil. That must look like an unsatisfying way to describe one of the greatest performances of all time. Efficient? Try inspired or scintillating or a combination of Brazil 1970 multiplied by Hungarys Magic Magyars with a dash of total football Holland thrown in for good measure. Not efficient. Efficient is a word that feeds into the tired old stereotypes about German football they were joyless, they never got the blood pumping, they were sneaky, they got the job done. Grudging praise at best, underhand criticism at worst. Yet in the context of their humiliation of Brazil, talking about this German teams efficiency is the highest praise imaginable but only to highlight the achingly beautiful and ultimately brutal efficiency of their passing and exploitation of space, the way it felt like every German player always had time to assess the situation and pick the right option. Continue reading... |
| Roma set deadline for Manchester City to buy Moroccos Mehdi Benatia Posted: 09 Jul 2014 09:56 AM PDT Champions still interested in Portos Eliaquim Mangala Samir Nasri set to sign his new contract this week Roma are trying to force Manchester Citys hand by setting a 21 July deadline for the sale of Mehdi Benatia, the central defender who is the Premier League champions second choice behind Portos Eliaquim Mangala. While Roma want around £30m for Moroccan international Benatia, 27, City continue to hold out hopes of signing Mangala despite the France defender twice turning down the opportunity to force the move through. Continue reading... |
| Chelsea sign Croatian teenage midfielder Mario Pasalic Posted: 09 Jul 2014 09:43 AM PDT 19-year-old was in his countrys provisional World Cup squad Pasalic scored 11 goals for Hajduk Split last season Chelsea have announced the signing of midfielder Mario Pasalic from Hajduk Split. The 19-year-old, who was named in Croatias provisional 30-man World Cup squad, will join up with José Mourinhos squad for its first pre-season training session on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading... |
| Arsenal set to complete £30m Alexis Sánchez transfer from Barcelona Posted: 09 Jul 2014 09:17 AM PDT Chile strikers agents finalising terms on four-year contract Barcelona intent on wrapping up Luis Suárez deal first Arsenal remain hopeful of signing Alexis Sánchez before the end of the week, although the deal may not be formally completed until Monday at the earliest due to Barcelonas desire to wrap up their purchase of Luis Suárez before they allow the Chilean to depart for north London. Both clubs have agreed a fee for Sánchez, believed to be in the region of £30m, with the 25-year-olds representatives having arrived in England to finalise personal terms on a four-year contact with the FA Cup holders. Sánchez himself, however, remains in Barcelona and will do so until the Catalan club have sealed the transfer of Suárez from Liverpool, which is expected to happen before the weekend. Continue reading... |
| World Cup 2014: day 28 as it happened Posted: 09 Jul 2014 09:02 AM PDT |
| Brazil World Cup humiliation by Germany should serve as a call to arms Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:54 AM PDT Brazils jogo colapso could and should mean some long overdue changes for Brazils neglected football infrastructure Well, at least thats one thing settled. It turns out Brazils footballers do know how to entertain after all. Watching the action in São Paulo city centre the term is used loosely: this was not so much action as a formal, structured dance through Brazils football team Germanys stunning 7-1 semi-final victory passed in a kind of daze. Cinco o seis? Cinco o sete? called the yellow-shirted head waiter in a busy restaurant, curious more than anything else, craning his neck around a pillar to ascertain the exact scoreline in what was already after half an hour the most humiliating World Cup host nation defeat of all time. It is hard to think of a more eviscerating defeat in any sport, ever. World Cup favourites; hosts at a $11bn home World Cup. Plus, of course, throw in the preceding bluster, the ludicrous, liturgical furore over Neymars injury. Even from a notably mawkish and overblown group of footballers, this was a notably mawkish and overblown complete sporting implosion but then Brazil have always been innovators in football. This is the home of sports science, the bicycle kick, the flying full-back. And now here was a performance that went beyond the standard sporting. Welcome to Brazil, home of the jogo colapso. Continue reading... |
| USAs World Cup legacy depends on MLS development, not Letterman Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:15 AM PDT Clint Dempseys appearance on chatshow demonstrates the national teams rise in popularity but if the USA are to capitalise, the MLS must continue to develop Continue reading...  |
| World Cup 2014: gamblers win big after backing Germany 7-1 Brazil at 500-1 Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:10 AM PDT Bookmaker forced to pay out £2,500 from £5 bet Singapore anti-gambling ad backfires Scolari accepts blame after World Cup defeat Owen Gibson: Brazil a mix of mutiny and mourning Continue reading...  |
| José Mourinho: dont blame Brazils David Luiz for Germany thrashing Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:08 AM PDT Brazil must share responsibility for World Cup semi-final defeat I dont think its fair to separate a player from the team The Chelsea manager José Mourinho spoke out in David Luizs defence on Wednesday, saying his former player should not be singled out for blame in Brazils 7-1 World Cup semi-final thrashing by Germany. Mourinho, who last month sold the defender to Paris Saint-Germain for an estimated £50m, said the whole team must share responsibility for the rout. Continue reading... |
| Archive, 1950: World Cup defeat for Brazil leaves fans dumbfounded Posted: 09 Jul 2014 05:50 AM PDT So certain were the hosts of winning the tournament they even recorded a victory samba entitled "Brazil the Victoria" Continue reading...  |
| Was Brazil's 7-1 defeat to Germany the biggest humiliation in sporting history? Posted: 09 Jul 2014 05:42 AM PDT Brazil's fans were so appalled by their team's performance that they began to cheer the opposition's passes. Has sport ever produced a more brutal and unforgiving humiliation than this?  |
| World Cup Show 2014: day 28 news video Posted: 09 Jul 2014 05:23 AM PDT Brazil 1-7 Germany: five things we've learned. Nat Coombs identifies the key talking points from Brazil's embarrassing loss to Germany last night: was Neymar or Thiago Silva the bigger loss? Just how good is Joachim Löw's German side? And how many records were broken? Don't forget to check out are brand new YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/GuardianFootball Continue reading...  |
| World Cup: Singapore anti-gambling ad backfires after Germany win Posted: 09 Jul 2014 05:08 AM PDT Advert has child telling friends his dad bet savings on Germany Government ministers respond as advert goes viral Singapore has scored an own goal with its World Cup anti-gambling ad which features a crestfallen boy telling his friends his dad bet his life savings on Germany who have just reached the finals by thrashing the host nation Brazil 7-1. Continue reading... |
| World Cup 2014: Costa Rica gives heroes' welcome to team video Posted: 09 Jul 2014 04:48 AM PDT Thousands of Costa Rica fans in San José cheered as their national football team returned home after being eliminated from the World Cup. The team travelled through the city on a double-decker bus, singing and dancing along with their supporters. Costa Rica made it to the quarter-finals for the first time in their World Cup history Continue reading...  |
| All I could see was Jô grinning back at me. Jô! Posted: 09 Jul 2014 04:39 AM PDT |
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