2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

16Story of the tournamentSemi-finalsBrazil v Germany 1-7 (0-5)Hosts Brazil went into the semi-finalencounter without their suspended skipperSilva and injured striker Neymar. They wentall out against the Germans from the startin search of an early lead, but it was theGermans who took the lead in the 11 thminute as Kroos whipped in a corner to theunmarked Müller, who duly scored. TheSeleção then capitulated for seven first-halfminutes in which Germany played withoutmercy: Klose (11) scored in the 23 rd minute toclaim his place as the top scorer in World Cuphistory, Kroos clinically put away the next twogoals, before Khedira (6) added a fifth just onthe half-hour mark. The Brazilians managedto get some breathing space for the next15 minutes and did not concede again beforehalf-time. Brazil appeared to be reinvigoratedin the second half as they looked to restoretheir pride. German keeper Neuer was up tothe task, reacting brilliantly on a number ofoccasions to deny strong efforts from Ramires(16), Oscar (11) and Paulinho (8). However,substitute Schürrle added two more goals toextend the lead to seven. Oscar finally gota consolation goal for his team in stoppagetime, but Germany marched irresistibly on tothe World Cup final.Netherlands v. Argentina 0-0 a.e.t.,2-4 PSOBoth the Netherlands and Argentina wereextremely cautious, perhaps as a result ofthe lessons learned from the other semifinal.With so much at stake, it was hardlysurprising that both teams played cagily inthe first half and few clear-cut opportunitiesdeveloped. Early on, Sneijder blazed widefrom the edge of the box while Messi drovea free kick straight into the arms of keeperCillessen. Argentina received a scare whenMascherano (14) was forced to leave thefield briefly after suffering a head injury. Thesecond half was just as tight as the first, andthe best chance came in stoppage time asRobben burst clear in the box after a layofffrom Sneijder only for his shot to be clearedwith a perfectly timed tackle by Mascherano.There were precious few chances in extratime and so the match had to be decidedwith penalties. While all four playersconverted for Argentina, Romero savedpenalties from Vlaar (2) and Sneijder to putArgentina through to face Germany in Rio deJaneiro in their fifth World Cup final.Play-off for third placeBrazil v. Netherlands 0-3 (0-2)Skipper Van Persie (9) netted a penalty in thethird minute after Robben had been broughtdown. Blind (5) doubled the lead in the 17 thminute after a poor headed clearance byDavid Luiz. The Seleção only started to playwith more composure after they had fallenbehind. They pushed forward through Oscarand Maicon (23), who looked to be theirbest attacking outlets, and the hosts wenton to create a number of good chances fromset pieces. Brazil gave a better account ofthemselves after the half-time break but lackedthe edge in front of goal and so missed chancesto reduce the deficit. Hulk was brought onand combined well with Oscar but their shotsnever troubled the Dutch keeper. Time ran outfor the Brazilians and Wijnaldum (20) addeda third for the Dutch in injury time, firing infrom close range. While Brazil were unableto recover from their heavy semi-final defeat,the Netherlands played outstanding footballthroughout the tournament and fully deservedthird place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.FinalGermany v. Argentina 1-0 a.e.t.From the opening exchanges, Germanydominated possession while Argentinapatiently waited to attack on the counter.The strategy proved effective for both sides.Despite being goalless, the first half was byno means dull. It was Argentina who hadthe better opportunities, but Higuaín failedto capitalise on two golden chances. Messiwent close when he burst into the box androunded Neuer, only for Boateng (20) to clearoff his own line. Germany also went close just