WC 2014 LAST 16 - Colombia vs Uruguay, Rodriguez steals the show!

Rodriguez stole the show for Colombia, to set up an interesting quarter-final against Brazil

Hello again and welcome to my latest blog post - as I have a match report plus summary of the second match in the Last 16 of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

After a dramatic end to an enthralling match between fellow South Americans Brazil and Chile; the host nation eventually progressed through to the quarter-finals after extra time and penalties.

The winner of this match would be up against the hosts in the quarter-finals next week Friday, so there was obviously pressure on both teams to win.

Here are the other Last 16 matches to be played -

France vs Nigeria and Germany vs Algeria - both on Monday

Argentina vs Switzerland and Belgium vs USA - Tuesday

MATCH REPORT:
The best team won on the night, thanks to a great solo display by Monaco creative midfielder James Rodriguez.

Colombia were simply the better team when it came to the crunch, and Uruguay lacked any real attacking threat and were poor at the back - losing the ball in dangerous positions and failed to test their opposition until the final twenty minutes, when the game was virtually over by this point.

It was pretty evident from the start that Uruguay were missing a key player: Luis Suarez.

James was on top-form yet again for Colombia; scoring two goals in a fine display.

He scored twice, including a stunning first-half strike on the volley from 25 yards out, which slammed off the crossbar and past Muslera into the net.

The goal had everything; control, vision, swerve, power and a top-quality finish. Nothing Muslera could have done to stop the shot either.

James opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a fierce volley drive to make it 1-0, a goal of the tournament contender perhaps?

Goal of the tournament? James' first strike past Uruguay was a stunner.

Unselfish play saw Cuadrado's cross fall into the path of his team-mate, to complete his brace.

This result means that Colombia have now set up an interesting quarter-final fixture with Brazil, and it could have all the makings of a super match next Friday.

This post was submitted by Mosope Ominiyi of football365. To see the original blog post, and to see more World Cup blogs from football365, please visit http://football365mo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/wc-2014-last-16-colombia-vs-uruguay.html

Mind The Gap - What Gap?

Much has been made of the apparent failure of many of the big teams and success of the so-called smaller teams at this summer's world cup. However, when you look closer, the failure is more accurately defined as European failure as opposed to big team failure. Yes, both Brazil and Argentina have at times struggled, with Brazil failing to beat Mexico and Argentina struggling to beat Iran. They appear to have been caught out by the pace and organisation of their opposition's defending.

 In contrast, the European team's struggles have gone beyond struggling to win. In many cases they have jumped all the way to struggling, and often failing, to avoid defeat. It is easy to complain and roll out the usual clichéd responses to world cup disappointment, but should the performance of European teams at this World Cup be a shock to anybody other than those who do not understand football.

 European teams had always failed to win the trophy outside of Europe until four years ago, and have never won in South America, (just as the process is true in reverse). However, they still managed to compete well, providing semi-finalists and finalists on numerous occasions. The lack of international teams at a competitive level outside of Europe and South America allowed this to happen. The sheer number of European teams competing ensured some level of success.

The last time the competition was held in South America, Argentina 1978, 10 of the 16 competing nations were European (62.5%) and 3 were South American (18.75%) with one each from Asia, Africa and CONCACAF (6.25%). Those three teams combined only managed to take one point from games against European or South American opposition (Iran v Scotland). They were there to make up the numbers and give credibility to the competition being a World cup.

That was then. This is now.

Read More >>

A Day Of Contrasts: Bowing Out In Style And Shame

Day seven of the 2014 saw the first three teams eliminated from the competition. The contrast in the three different ways each of them exited the tournament could not have been greater. While one team enhanced its reputation, another marked the passing of an era of dominance. Sadly, the third team did neither.

The expectations on Australia could not have been smaller. They were the rank outsiders coming into the competition and they were facing the Dutch team who destroyed reigning champions Spain. They were expected to be blown away. Despite an admirable start, once the Netherlands took the lead those predictions looked even more likely. Instead, 13 seconds of playing time later, this happened...

That is how you respond to adversity! Despite going on to take the lead, Australia eventually lost out to the class of the Dutch, and in particular Robin Van Persie. They kept fighting for a result right up until the final whistle, doing themselves and their nation proud.

 In contrast to the Australians, the weight of expectation on the shoulders of the Spanish team was immense. These were the superstars who had dominated World and European football for the past six years. The thought of Spain becoming the first holders to go out after only playing two games would have been inconceivable a week ago. Last night it happened. In truth they never looked like overcoming Chile, who were quicker, more energetic, and more creative. The Spanish looked tired and short of inspiration. We were watching the sad sight of a once powerful, but now wounded, animal trying to cling onto its former glory and dignity, but instead succumbing to the inevitable throes of death. This team has much to be proud of though. All good things come to an end, but we should not forget how good this Spanish team were for three consecutive tournaments. This group of players have more than earned the right to be forgiven for 2014's failures.

And then came Cameroon. Cameroon were the African nation who first showed the world how good African football could be. It was Cameroon in 1990 who battled past the reigning champions Argentina in the opening game. It was that 1990 team that made it all the way to the quarter finals, where they were very unlucky to be beaten by England. The team of Roger Miller and co showed passion, creativity and flair, and in the process won the hearts of the footballing world.

Read More >>

Keep Up to Date With World Cup Blog Posts Using Our RSS Feed Of Football Bloggers

It's here! World Cup Day has arrived at last!

During the World Cup, time is an even more precious commodity than usual as we try to fit in the usual eat, work and sleep while making time for an extra four hours of football - and that doesn't include the build ups and post match analysis.

Added to our desire to actually watch the games, we also want to soak up as much information and opinion of events in Brazil as possible. What we all need is a really quick way to find World Cup articles without having to waste time looking - and that is where the Football Blog Directory can come to the rescue.

With over 300 football blogs already listed, and more being added every day of the World Cup, we can bring the latest World Cup blog posts direct to your screen with the minimal effort possible. Our RSS feed of member blogs brings you live updates of every blog posted from registered bloggers. All you have to do is click. What could be simpler?

Here is a live version of the feed:




So why not bookmark our RSS feed, which can be found at:

http://www.footballblogdirectory.co.uk/blogposts.php

Happy Reading!

International Football Fan Day

Football is a game that transcends borders and boundaries. It is a common reference point that stretches beyond political and social divides, giving a common language to people of all nationalities, creeds, colours, gender, wealth and philosophical outlooks. The way in which football breaks down these barriers is not through the sport itself, but through the ordinary people who follow it. The football fans.

Football fans are the lifeblood of the game. The fans provide the atmosphere, the market, the financing, the publicity and even the participants. It is only right that football fans' role in the sport should be celebrated.

Conceived over a year ago, the International Football Fan Day campaign celebrates football fans’ timeless devotion to the sport, which overcomes social, cultural and political barriers. A worldwide vote to determine the date of International Football Fan Day will be held on Hinch.as, where clubs, players and fans meet online to suggest and discuss their greatest football milestones within the 100% football environment the social network provides.

There are more than 200 suggested dates so far, including classic games, breath-taking plays, unforgettable goals and saves, an idol’s birthday or a social need the sport has fulfilled. Clubs, players and fans are invited to nominate the most memorable moments from the sport they love and vote to choose the date to celebrate their passion. What date would you pick?

Among the many players to have voted so far are Andrés Iniesta, Dani Alves and Falcao. This day isn't just about the stars though. Your vote is as important as their's and counts equally.

The vote to choose International Football Fans Day will run until 7 November 2014.

Top 4 Best Fantasy World Cup Sites Reviews (Commercial Press Release)

PRESS RELEASE

Top 4 Best Fantasy World Cup Sites Reviews 

 The FIFA World Cup is undeniably one of the biggest sporting events on earth, followed - no, celebrated - by hundreds of millions across the globe, thus attracting fans of its fantasy games as well. Fantasy football (or soccer) is best said to be fans’ avenue to draw up their best XI, and effectively manage their teams. It is tricky to figure out the best fantasy provider (besides football giant FIFA themselves) that has the most offerings, so here is a look at some fantasy football games you may want to try:

1. FanXT Fantasy World Cup & Prediction Game 

FanXT.com, although relatively new in the fantasy games arena, has got a lot to offer. Their game Fantasy World Cup (http://fantasyworldcup.fanxt.com) welcomes World Cup fans with a Rio-inspired interface. A fantasy manager chooses 15 players (11 starters, 4 substitutes) to fill out the roster for each game round and they all accumulate points based on players’ statistics, with help from injury report, weekly graph analysis, performance table and upcoming matches. There doesn't seem to be any prizes offered for now (although rumours say they are revealing soon), but, for those who love the game, this fantasy football World Cup 2014 game is certainly a solid choice with virtual medals and manager badges. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian and Chinese languages, the game also supports captaincy, substitutes, formation options, dream team, transfers history; as well as ease of use like instant team creation, team auto-completion, player search and sorting undo changes, in addition to live scores, fixtures, and standings.

For users always on the go or who loves to be on Facebook, this game is also available on iPhone: (http://goo.gl/SilDSO), Android (http://goo.gl/mYzDbp) and Facebook (http://goo.gl/aduJVC)

The game has thorough social media integration, enabling users to login, like, invite friends via Facebook (allowing users to earn extra budget) and share team performance; as well as Twitter and Google+ share options. A World Cup Prediction game (http://goo.gl/hzS9qW) is included in-site, which challenges users to predict the outcome (including the score) of all 64 matches. As for users who want to compete among friends, family or co-workers, FanXT offers a mini-league option, which includes easy invitation processes, either via a URL (without code) or Facebook. A delightful addition is the ability to have friendly banter via Facebook comments in each mini league, as well as comparing performance via mini league ranking. Users also have the option of having their mini league to be public or private.

FanXT doesn't simply stop with that. They've also got a Daily Fantasy Football for World Cup (http://ultimatefantasy.fanxt.com) option that allows users to join free and paid daily or weekly fantasy contests – enabling users to have a completely new fantasy World Cup team each day or week. This is most welcome, as footy fans are given the chance to participate in weekly fantasy games like American Football fans.

2. The Sun: Road To Rio 

The Sun is one of the leading tabloids in UK and Ireland with a great football section and had its hand in fantasy games – so it is not surprising that they have a fantasy game for World Cup as well; Road to Rio. Although the game only offers player statistics and upcoming matches, users are recommended to stay up to date with the latest news from The Sun for injury reports and weekly performance before finalizing their team.

Available in English, Road to Rio allows player search and sorting, as well as management functions of substitution, formation change, dream team, viewing transfer history and fantasy rankings. Road to Rio also has a mini-league with pin-code required invites, mini league ranking and option to make the league private or public, although there is no Facebook integration for communication within the mini-league.

As overall view, Road to Rio would fall under the usual fantasy game, but it is certainly fun to play, as users get the latest and informative facts from the close proximity of The Sun Sports itself.

3. Fantastar 

Claiming to be “a comprehensive fantasy sports platform packed with features and supported by excellent customer service” as stated from its site, Fantastar’s world cup offering includes the basic features of fixtures and standings. Offered only in Spanish, the features to draft the team include captaincy, substitution, formation, team of the week, transfer history and fantasy team rankings, as well as the ability to search players and sort them by categories.

Their mini league offering requires a pin code for invites, but also uses Facebook for invites and comments. Although there is no choice to make the mini league private or public, they still have ranking; which really is the priority for mini league competitiveness.

4. ESPN Word Cup Predictor 

The sports giant has a prediction game which would have fans on their edge to see if they had correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup matches, thus includes livescore, fixtures and standings to keep its users updated. Users can also monitor upcoming matches, an important feature for match prediction.

Although there is a possibility of many games popping up much nearer to the World Cup kick off, the fact that these games are already up and running show the integrity of the fantasy providers, as well as their concern for fans to be able to get a head start with their World Cup Fantasy teams. 

Sent in by FanXT Ltd