Germany vs Portugal

Germans began from where they left off in the previous world cup. Billed as the high profile fixture in this group it did live up to it with the number of goals produced. We have seen everything in this match from goals, attractive football, individual brilliance and of course the moment of madness from Pepe. This game was easy as it gets. Sometimes coaches don't want that to happen as they would want their team to be tested against full strength oppositions. Remember Van Gaal telling the same when the Dutch had a friendly match against Wales just before the start of the world cup.

Taking nothing away from the Germans, the match was over in the first half itself. All the thrill was blown away after the red card incident. I am not debating that the result would have been different had Pepe not been sent off but it played a part in making this a one sided match. I felt that Portugal would have created problems for Germany if they were playing with eleven men. Pepe can't argue the card because he was at fault. Irresponsible when you consider the experience he has but not unexpected behavior from him. End of discussion. Players must play for the team and it was stupid to behave like the way he did. Portugal were left with no other option than to limit the damage and Ronaldo was left stranded and frustrated. There was not much he could do when your teammate lets you down.

In the end it was Muller who stole the show. Three good goals on his way to first hat-trick of his career and showing good signs of yet again on his way to become the top scorer in the world cup. The red card in a way did not help people like us to exactly judge the team. They created so many opportunities to score goals but at the same time will be thinking about the wastefulness in front of the goal. This can be a cause of concern for them in the later stages of the tournament. They might not find themselves in a position similar to what they had against Portugal. Towards the final stages of the match Portugal did test the German back line but they were far from creating any real havoc.

Joachim Low must be proud of his boys performance but deep inside he mind be thinking what happened in the last world cup. They had a similar start last time around and Low will be hoping his team can continue this form right through the tournament. They started as one of the pre-tournament favorites and they are certainly living up to it. Germans have unfinished business and they mean it.

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Argentina vs Bosnia Herzegovina

One of the tournament favorites, boasting the services of the best player in the world in Lionel Messi along with some incredible talents like Aguero, Higuain, Di Maria much was expected from the boys in La Albiceleste.  With the talent available at disposal fans must be wondering what happened in the first half of this match. The answer from the coach was funny. He started with five at the back as a caution against the threat from the tall Bosnian players. Here is a coach who has enough players capable of scoring goals against any team but just did not trust the attacking quality available. I would never understand even if it was against Netherlands or Germany let alone a real surprise considering the fact Bosnia are playing their first world cup.

I am not underestimating Bosnia but it was evident throughout the match that Argentina struggled to impose themselves on their opponents.Much of that was down to the negative tactical setup by the Argentina coach. With five at the back they did not have control in midfield. Messi was playing far too deep for my liking. He was forced to come deep into their half because he was not getting enough support from midfield as Argentina were outnumbered in that area. The link up was not seen and each time Messi was on the ball there were two or three opposition players around him. He and Aguero was left alone most of the time. Bosnia played really well and was unlucky not to score in the first half. It was unthinkable that they had better shots on goal than their counterparts.

Things did improve in the second half once Gago came on. Messi took more control of the game and eventually paid off with what was an important goal not just for his team but personally as well. He is under so much pressure to perform for his team at this world cup after the disappointments of the last one. For that to happen and for Argentina to have any hope of going all the way in the tournament the coach must make sure that he makes use of Messi to the maximum. For that to happen the tactics must change in a way that he benefits from the players around him.

It is fair thinking from the coach they defend well as a team which was their shortcoming in South Africa. At the same time he should not forget or discount the firepower upfront that is more than capable of winning any football match. The coach was trying to win the match in his own half when the real action should have happened up front in the opposition box. Along with defensive stability it is goals that ultimately win any football matches and Argentina should concentrate more on that in the next couple of games before the knockout stage. Remember attack is the best form of defense. With so many good players Sabella must decided to attack. When you do that against your opposition you create mistakes from your opposite team and that's where you create opportunity. Maybe they might peak at the right time.

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England vs Italy

For the shocking scoreline between Netherlands and Spain this match too was up there with its unpredictability not for the scoreline but for the attacking play displayed by the two teams. This was expected to be the match that will see two cautious teams considering their past history.

Credit must be given to both the coaches for setting up their teams the way they did. England especially benefited by putting faith in youngsters. Before the start of the game there were calls from all corners asking Hodgson to start Frank Lampard in midfield. But with Gerrard a surety to start being the captain and the better player credit must be given to Hodgson for starting Henderson to partner Gerrard in the middle. With Sterling up front Henderson provides them that energy required in midfield. It was clearly evident from the match how much the team benefited as a whole. The pace of Sterling and Welbeck created trouble for the Italian defense but sadly they could not capitalize it to convert it as goals. It was real end to end stuff and pleasing stuff. It was sad that England could not get something out of the game.

Italy was equally impressive with their attacking display. Perhaps that was the surprise everyone felt during the game. The England equalizer was because of the lack in concentration in Italian defense. Perhaps they missed the experience of their captain in goal. Talking about goalkeeper Sirigu standing in for Buffon did his job well. As expected Pirlo was instrumental for them in midfield. They are now in a good position to go through this group.

England were disappointed with the result but I feel they should stay positive. If England can display the same attacking abilities going forward they can get some good results in the tournament. But the real problem lies elsewhere. With Italy and Costa Rica getting the result they were looking for in the first match it remains to be seen how those to play out when they face each other. The only thing I didn't like was England complain about their result against Italy. They must remember that it was not too long ago when they too have enjoyed days when their opposition created flurry of chances to win but they came out with victors by odd goal. You can't be sorry losers when you are at the receiving end.

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Spain vs Netherlands Review

Expecting a draw in this game I was not surprised with the victory for the Dutch. However the scoreline was unimaginable. The dutch were criticized for the way they played the 2010 world cup final but they made up for it. Earlier in the first half it seemed like going the old way but after the first fifteen minutes both team got settled. Spain though were dominant from that point but what the dutch did well was that they did not just sit back and defend. When they had the possession they did create problem in the Spanish penalty box.

The goal did help Spain but it was sorry to see another player diving to earn a penalty.We saw UEFA having an official near the penalty boxes in the champions league to guide the referee. I don't know if having another official would have helped avoid that penalty but maybe FIFA could have taken a chance. In the end it did not matter much. Even after Spain scored the dutch did not lose their way. In fact they kept on pressing for that equalizer that they managed to achieve courtesy of individual brilliance from Van Persie.

Second half was completely different. What we saw was two teams trying to get maximum points from the match and in the process the dutch were taking the game back to the Spanish.  So what went right for the Dutch? It will be easier to say what went right for Dutch than to say what went wrong for the Spaniards. The answer is simple. The best way to play Spain is to attack them. Perhaps it took the dutch some time to find out how some teams took that approach against Barcelona and that paid off. The same was evident against Brazil in the confederations cup final and Del Bosque might have missed a trick or two after Brazil final. Soon after scoring their second goal the Dutch gradually increased their confidence and went for an all out attack. Attacking football was at its very best and once the third goal went in Spain knew what was on the cards for them. By the time Del Bosque reacted with his substitutions it was all over. It was not as if Spain played really badly to lose by that scoreline but somehow cannot justify their second half performances.

Diego Costa the main talking point before the world cup and the match flopped brilliantly. He might be wondering about his allegiance switch. Still remember his first game for Spain when he struggled to adapt with the style and don't be surprised to see him on the bench for the next match. In the end it was Spain's biggest defeat in tournaments which raises serious questions on whether they are capable of bouncing back after such a big defeat. Let's wait and see if they make a comeback and those are qualities expected from world champions. They must introspect what went wrong because time is running out quickly and it doesn't get easier from now on.

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Brazil vs Croatia Review

                              Scolari and his players will be relieved that the match is over and they won it. In the end the 3-1 scoreline does not reflect the true nature of the match and was cruel to Croatia. Having said that overall when you look back at the match the host nation deserved to collect their three points.

                              Credit must be given to Croatia for the way they played his match. They were really threatening on counter attack and whenever they had the ball caused problems for the Brazilian defense. On the other hand the duo of Neymar and Oscar  were absolutely brilliant. Then again so much was their talent going forward Croatia did exploit Brazil's frailties in defending.

                              Football fans will be disappointed withe the way Fred won the penalty. It was no where near a penalty, Fred went down so easily and should have been yellow carded for diving. The resultant penalty was not convincing and I really wish Neymar the best if he gets the chance to take another one. Croatia can take positives from the game and can fancy themselves getting through this group. On the other hand Brazil's run of opening match victories at the world cup continues but though the hosts demonstrated good football their defensive problems at the back casts serious doubts whether they can be world champions.

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Brazuka

                       Football fans across the world were waiting for this day. Yes, the world cup is back and what more can you ask if it is happening in the country that breath and live by the game. This time it is different though with noises arising from within in a wrong way in form of strikes, incomplete stadium works not to forget those workers who lost their lives in the process of making this event a grand success. This has not been an easy ride for Brazil while authorities will be hoping the performances of the team can help settle all these issues.

                       Put aside those issues and we are in for a cracking month of excitement. Being host nation puts enormous amount of pressure on Brazil but my feeling is that they will get past Croatia without any major hiccups. It is crucial that they get a good start in the match as well as the tournament and am quite sure that Scolari will have the same in his mind.

                       On the other hand fans will be waiting for individual stars to perform well at this tournament. The likes of Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Rooney have all promised but failed to live up to expectations in the past. They will surely have something to say at this tournament. At the same time I feel sympathetic for those who missed the great stage due to injury. It was sad to see some quality players missing through injury and not because their team did not qualify like sweden. Having said that there are far too much quality players to keep you up an jumping throughout the next one month.

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