Yesterday afternoon, I watched what was probably the most exciting scoreless game I have ever seen. Mexico and Brazil bathed hard to a 0-0 draw that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
The result can be pinned down to the heroics of one man, and one man alone. That man was Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa. Ochoa was nothing short of perfect in goal for El Tri. He made six saves in all, but all six required beyond world class skill.
The most impressive of them came midway through the first half when wonder kid Neymar found an open header and fired it towards the goal. Ochoa dove hard to his right and got one hand on the ball as it was even with the goal line. It was as if his hand were made of granite at that very moment. The power Neymar put behind his shot should have flown right through any keepers single hand, but not Ochoa's.
The goal line technology animation showed just how close the ball came from being counted. Parts of the ball did cross, but not even close to the whole thing required for a tally.
Ochoa also made great saves against Fred and Thiago Silva on open headers in the second half. Had Ochoa had any less than a perfect game, Brazil would have all three points and Mexico would be staring down a win or go home game with Croatia in a few days.
Mexico were not without their chances on the attack, but most were long range efforts that would have been spectacular goals on their own. Mexico was more interested in staying back and defending, going for the draw, and taking their chances against a more beatable Croatian side. Can't say I can argue with that line if thinking.
Brazil and Mexico now sit tied atop the group and most likely only needing one point in their final match to see their way through to the knockout round.
Elsewhere, we saw the conclusion of the first round of action in couple of great matches. First, Belgium got off to a horrible start against Algeria. They committed an obvious penalty midway through the first half when Jan Vertonghen pulled down Algeria's Sofiane Feghouli in the box. Feghouli converted the ensuing penalty kick and Algeria had its first World Cup goal in 28 years.
Algeria would play stout defense until Belgium brought on subs that should probably have been in the starting XI. The most important of these was Marouanne Fellaini. The afroed attacking midfielder buried a header for the equalizer and was a brutal force up top for the remainder of the match. The second sub to come on was Dries Martens, who buried the winner on a beautiful three on two break ten minutes later. The 2-1 final have Belgium all three points in their opener. With the way they played after the insertion of Fellaini, I'd be shocked if Belgium kept him on the sidelines when they face Russia on Sunday afternoon.
The final match of the day saw Russia overcome a massive goalkeeping error by Igor Akinfeev. Korea's Lee Keun-Ho fired a prayer from far outside the box that landed right in the arms if the Russian keeper. Akinfeev let the shot slip his grip and it bumbled into the net to give Korea a 1-0 lead.
A mad scramble on the Korean six yard box allowed Russia to equalize shortly after, thus preserving the point.
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The real takeaway from today's action was the state of the Brazilian team. They came in as favorites to win it all, but they aren't playing up to that expectation. They are playing like they are entitled to winning the World Cup. This is evident in their lackadaisical warm up routines and their lack of finishing punch to their scoring opportunities. Had it not been for some host country officiating in the opening match, we might be talking about Brazil only having two points and, after tomorrow, on the outside looking in at the knockout rounds heading into the final round of group play.
Brazil need to start playing like a team that wants to earn themselves a championship, instead of a team that expects it handed to them in a silver platter
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Today sees Group B play their second round of action. First, at noon, the Netherlands look to build on their thumping of the defending champs when they take on Australia. I'm sure they will have no issue doing this and all but ensure their advance with a 3-0 win. At 3pm, Spain looks to rebound from that drubbing against a difficult Chile side. Can Chile and their controlled chaos find a result against the champions? I doubt it. An angry Spain wins 2-1. Finally, at 6pm, the conclusion of round two in Group A. Croatia looks to earn three points against Cameroon. I think they are up to the task and will see a 2-1 victory.
Enjoy another fay of action folks and see you next time.
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