2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

Confederation analysis 83The qualification for the round of 16 ofboth Nigeria and Algeria, coupled with thegood performances of Côte d’Ivoire and atleast some glimpses of promise from Ghana,will have given the continent hope of aneven better future. Consistent developmentwork and the introduction of a continentalcoaching licence are certainly steps in the rightdirection.North, Central America and theCaribbeantheir excellent performance in South Africafour years ago, many African hopes rested onGhana’s shoulders. In their opening match,some lapses in concentration at key momentssaw them slip to a disappointing defeat atthe hands of the USA before they put in theirbest performance of the tournament to holdGermany to a 2-2 draw, a game in which allof the Ghanaians’ positive attributes cameto the fore, namely their joyful style of play,their technique, their commitment and theirathleticism. Their chances of progressing wereslim, however, and defeat by Portugal sawthem eliminated. Cameroon were drawn intoa very strong group with Brazil, Mexico andCroatia, and although they only lost 1-0 to theMexicans in their opening match, the Africanswere seldom in the game. Subsequent 4-0 and4-1 defeats to Croatia and Brazil respectivelyended the Cameroonians’ disappointingWorld Cup campaign.In stark contrast to South Africa 2010, all ofthe African teams kept faith with the coacheswho had guided them through the qualifiers,decisions for which they were rewarded.Three CONCACAF teams qualified for thesecond stage for the first time in WorldCup history. In their opening match againstUruguay, Costa Rica fell behind to an earlypenalty but they bounced back impressivelywith two goals in three minutes to setthemselves up for victory. They followed thatup with an excellent tactical performance ina 1-0 win over Italy to seal their place in thenext round before their goalless draw withEngland in their last group match. Los Ticoslost a man to a red card after an hour of theirround-of-16 clash with Greece, but the twoteams were still locked together at 1-1 after120 minutes. The resulting penalty shootoutsaw the Central Americans hold theirnerve, with goalkeeper Navas particularlyimpressive. A similar scenario played itselfout in their goalless quarter-final meetingwith the Dutch, only this time there was tobe no happy ending for the Costa Ricans asthe eventual bronze medallists came outon top in the battle from the spot. Afterlimping through the qualifiers, Mexicocruised through the group stage on the backof victories over Cameroon and Croatia,and a draw with Brazil. Everything lookedrosy in their round-of-16 game against theNetherlands too thanks to a goal shortlyafter half-time, only for the Dutch to equalisein the dying stages before claiming victorywith a penalty in injury time. The USA foundthemselves in a group with Germany, Portugaland Ghana, and they got off to a dream startby seeing off the Africans with a late goal.There was a sting in the tail in their matchwith Portugal, however, as the Europeanslevelled in the fifth minute of injury time.Although they lost their last group match toGermany, the Americans still qualified for the