Binge Media Sports: 2014 FIFA World Cup-Round of 16-Day 3
Welcome back to Binge Media Sports coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Today we look at Day 3 of the knockout round. Both of these matches will be played on Monday, June 30th. Germany is the biggest name of these four, with the other three looking for a special performance to move on to the quarterfinals.
TV BROADCAST: Monday, June 30th-Noon Eastern/11:00 Central-ESPN
Group Stage:
FRANCE- def. Honduras 3-0, def. Switzerland 5-2, tied Ecuador 0-0
NIGERIA- tied Iran 0-0, def. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0, lost to Argentina 2-3
Group Stage Poll Results:
100% voted for France to advance
100% voted for Nigeria to advance
Match Preview: Well, it looks like the good France squad showed up this year, with two decisive victories in their first two matches, a 3-0 win over Honduras, and a 5-2 thrashing of Switzerland. They rested their stars in a 0-0 draw with Ecuador in their final match of the group stage, so they will be rested and ready for an aggressive assault on Nigeria, who finished second in Group F. They were able to put up a fight against Argentina, losing by only one. They haven’t been nearly as explosive as their French opponents, relying instead on a strong counterattacking strategy. With France looking to press early and press often, Nigeria will have to rely on their defense and that counterattack to have any chance in this match.
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TV BROADCAST: Monday, June 30th-Noon Eastern/11:00 Central-ESPN
Group Stage:
GERMANY- def. Portugal 4-0, tied Ghana 2-2, def. United States 1-0
ALGERIA- lost to Belgium 1-2, beat South Korea 4-2, tied Russia 1-1
Group Stage Poll Results:
67% voted for Germany to advance
50% voted for Algeria to advance
Match Preview: After 32 years, Algeria finally gets a chance for revenge. In 1982, Algeria beat then West Germany in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. With Algeria nearly a lock for the knockout round, Germany faced Austria on the final day of group play. They were expected to trounce Austria, but after going up 1-0 early, the game pretty much stopped. No more shots were taken by either side over the final 80 minutes as this result would put both European teams in and keep Algeria out. Cries of corruption and conspiracy by everyone in the soccer world followed and Algeria now has the chance to make it right. The problem is that Germany is still one of the favorites to win this tournament. Algeria will have a tough time against a German team that thrashed Portugal 4-0 in their opener, fought back to salvage a 2-2 draw with Ghana, and defeated a gritty United States team that needed a point. Germany can play so many different styles and beat you in so many different ways, while Algeria can score but can’t really keep their opponents from scoring and in a shootout type of match, Germany will be the favorite. Really in any scenario, Germany will be the favorite going in.
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Check back tomorrow for Day 4 and the final preview of the Round of 16. The preview tomorrow features Argentina v. Switzerland and of course, Belgium v. United States. If you feel the need to justify your votes, do so in the comments section below or follow me and tweet @THElukenorris.