Four games remain at this year's World Cup: two semi-finals, a third place game, and of course, the final itself. During the quarterfinal stage, the clock finally struck midnight for Cinderella team Costa Rica. The Ticos did everything in their power to get the game to a shootout, and even had a great chance to win the game with about 3 minutes left in extra time. The Dutch were all over them though, hitting three posts and creating countless chances. In the end, the better team certainly won. Costa Rica got further than both the United States and Mexico, something I doubt any expert predicted. Then there was France and Belgium, two teams that were under most people's radars. Both disappointed in their quarterfinal matches. France looked like they didn't care that they were losing to Germany and Belgium didn't play with enough urgency either. Neither team really pushed men forward at the end. If you're playing in the final 8 of a World Cup, and are trailing with less than 5 minutes to go, you should be throwing all but one person into the attacking third of the field. Then there was the most entertaining game of the quarterfinals, one that may have ended both teams' dreams. Sure, Brazil beat Colombia, but they lost two very important players. Thiago Silva's yellow card was quite possibly the stupidest one of this tournament. He knows he can't get one, and he decides to run in front of the goalie when he's punting the ball. That's something you may expect from an 18 year old making his World Cup debut, not an experienced veteran like Silva. Then, late on in the game, Camillo Zuniga charged into the back of Neymar. Even on replay the foul itself doesn't look THAT bad, but it still deserved a yellow card. You knew the injury was serious when Neymar was taken off in tears. The verdict? A fractured vertebra, ending the star player's World Cup. Neymar should be considered lucky though, doctors said if the injury was just a few centimeters higher, he could have been paralyzed. They expect about 45-60 days of recovery time, meaning he will be ready to play for Barcelona right around the start of the season. Colombia also didn't look very threatening until they went down by two goals. You have to wonder where that urgency was for the rest of the game. James Rodriguez still got on the score sheet, but didn't play nearly as well as other games. He left the field in tears, consoled by Brazilian players. Many critics blame the referee for Neymar's injury, and I have to agree with them. The ref should not have been from Europe, as weird as that sounds. I've watched many South American qualifying games and Copa America games, teams from this part of the world play a very scrappy type of soccer. It's common for at least one team to get a red card, and there probably should've been one in this game as well. By refusing to card players, the Spanish referee allowed the players to get away with cynical fouls time and time again. Maybe if Zuniga was already on a yellow card, he wouldn't have gone in on Neymar like he did...
I correctly predicted 3 of 4 games in the quarterfinals, let's talk about the two semifinal match-ups.
The Semi-Finals
Brazil vs. Germany
The rematch of the 2002 final, where Brazil won 2-0. Surprisingly, that is the only competitive meeting between these two powerhouses. Germany is the first team in the history of the World Cup to make 4 straight semi-finals. A very impressive feat, but they haven't won the title in the previous three. Mats Hummels came back just in time, and the while the Germans didn't play a show stopping game against France, they played fundamentally sound team defense and easily took care of business. Brazil is definitely weakened, but make no mistake, the pressure on them isn't going down. Without Neymar, someone else needs to step up in his role, though no one can replace him. Bernard or Willian will likely play in Neymar's place. Bayern Munich centre-back Dante will likely fill in for Thiago Silva. Brazil's biggest issue (aside from not having Neymar) is the lack of goal scoring from their strikers. Fred and Jo were both awesome in the Confederations Cup a year ago, but have both been poor in this World Cup. I believe this game will be won in the midfield, where both teams have mountains of talent. Don't underestimate the emotional boost these players will get, as they try to win the cup for Neymar. Emotion is a very powerful tool, especially when you're playing at home. If there was ever a time for Germany to break their habit of choking at this stage of the World Cup, this is it. Make no mistake, this will NOT be a German blowout like some people are suggesting. I picked Brazil before the tournament started, and I think the emotional boost they get in this game will be just enough to see them through.
Prediction: Brazil 2 Germany 1 (after extra time)
Argentina vs. Netherlands
This semi-final should be just as exciting as the first, as both of these teams are soccer powerhouses. Lionel Messi continues to shine for Argentina. The only goal in their 1-0 win over Belgium saw 4 defenders crowd Messi, which opened up space for others. Argentina loses Angel di Maria to injury, but Sergio Aguero is fit after missing the last few games. The big question for Argentina is who marks Arjen Robben. If I'm Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, I stick Pablo Zabaleta on him, and then instruct my team to double him up when he starts his runs. Of course they have to be careful, Robben is very good at "selling" fouls. The Netherlands' chief concern will be stopping Messi. Nigel de Jong would be a good person to put on him, but he's out for the rest of the tournament. The Dutch will have to rely on solid team defense to attempt to stop Messi (attempt being the key word). Robin van Persie has also struggled in the knockout rounds, and while it's unlikely he gets benched, Klass-Jan Huntelaar may be inserted if the Dutch fall behind. Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben have been key to the Dutch success and they need to continue carrying this team. The Dutch have yet to face a team with so much attacking prowess, and I think their inexperienced defense will struggle to contain Messi, Aguero, Higuain, etc.
Prediction: Argentina 3 Netherlands 2
Follow me on twitter @abakiera for World Cup updates and my opinions on the games
Adam Bakiera
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