Costa Rica have done nothing but shock the world at this year's World Cup. First, they took care of Uruguay by a fairly convincing scoreline of 3-1, although I wondered how Los Ticos would have fared had Luis Suarez healthy and in the lineup. Yesterday Costa Rica took down yet another world power in Italy. With the win, they qualified for the knockout rounds for the second time ever, the other time being in 1990.
Costa Rica's victory was stunning. However, this win was not without Italy's help. Italy missed many chances to score. Mario Balotelli being the biggest offender. They also had some weak performances from their back line, most notably Giorgio Chiellini. He consistently made poor decisions, and committed a should have been penalty shortly before Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz scored.
This cannot take away from the accomplishments of Los Ticos. They have done something nobody had even remotely expected and they have been one of the most exciting stories of the tournament so far. With their two more difficult game out of the way, it isn't inconceivable to think that they will take all three points against an already eliminated England in their third and final match.
In other action yesterday, France proved that they might be a serious threat to win the tournament. I expected their match against Switzerland to be a nail biter. Instead, we got a French goal fest and a 5-2 final. While their first game was, first of all, against Honduras, and, second, mostly the efforts of Karim Benzema, this time was a total team effort against a quality opponent. Five different players scored for France and all Switzerland got was two consolation efforts in the final ten minutes.
Now, Switzerland was likely the weakest of the seeded teams, but they are still a strong opponent. And if France can be as strong as they were yesterday, they can take out anyone in the knockout round. The Swiss will still more than likely join them there. They have Honduras next, a team they should beat fairly easily. France should handle Ecuador to ensure the Swiss make it through.
The other match saw some sloppy, but ultimately exciting play. Ecuador took out Honduras 2-1 in a game where neither team looked much like winning. Honduras in particular was very weak at the back. They were not marking well and got caught out of position often, thus leading to both Ecuador goals. Ecuador's ugliness manifested itself on attack. They missed open headers, flubbed shots, and overall made Honduras's defense looks somewhat adequate. With all the world class football going on, seeing a match where both sides were making mistakes was actually kind of fun.
It has been the upsets that have ruled this tournament. Yesterday was just the latest example, but we have seen smaller countries knock off large ones more often than usual this year. Whether it was Chile and the Netherlands unexpectedly beating Spain, Mexico holding on for a scoreless draw against Brazil, or either of Costa Rica's wins, it has been proven that no large team is safe in this tournament. Will these upsets continue to be the trend? I doubt today will see more of them, but, isn't that the point of these giant slayings?
First off today we are treated with Argentina playing Iran. Argentina came back to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in their first game and Iran failed to score against Nigeria. I expect a show from Messi and the boys on the way to a 3-0 victory. The middle game will probably be the best of them today, and the most important as far as the Americans are concerned, as Germany rides their blowout of Portugal into a match with Ghana. A win or draw for Germany would mean only a single point for the USA tomorrow can put them into the knockout rounds. I do expect a German victory by a 2-0 score. Finally, Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina face off in what could be Group F's most important match. The winner is likely to move on and I expect that to be Bosnia by a 2-1 score.
Enjoy today's warmup for tomorrow's big USA-Portugal game. That's the one we've all been waiting for. See you then.
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