Colombia and The Netherlands have passed their biggest tests so far.

The second round has started with a bang and promises to be every bit as thrilling as the group stages. The passion on display in the game between Brazil and Chile was incredible to watch and the tension was palpable as a superb match sprinted towards a penalty shoot out. Usually when a crucial game heads towards the back end of extra time, the two teams become so afraid of losing that the match limps to a standstill with a penalty shootout becoming an inevitable outcome. Brazil and Chile seemed so desperate to avoid a shootout that they ended up trading blows right until the end. Mauricio Pinilla came closest to winning it for Chile as his shot in the last minute of extra time cannoned off the crossbar. The Chileans were left devastated after Julio Cesar’s heroics in the shootout but they have won many admirers for their endeavour in this tournament.

Colombia were a revelation in the group stages with their dazzling brand of football. James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez have brilliantly stepped up to the plate following the injury to Radamel Falcao. Rodriguez’s two goals against Uruguay have pushed him ahead of Muller, Messi and Neymar as the tournament’s top scorer. Muller and Messi of course have a game in hand but with two assists to his name, Rodriguez is well placed in the race for the golden boot. His first against the Uruguayans was a moment of breathtaking individual quality to rival Robin Van Persie and Tim Cahill’s efforts in the group stages. The second goal was the culmination of move that showed a team working together in beautiful harmony. Juan Cuadrado’s unselfish and athletic header to set up Rodriguez was one of the most sublime assists of the tournament so far. Cuadrado also leads the chart for most assists with four. This Colombian chorus is clearly singing in unison.

On paper, even a Suarez- light Uruguay was Colombia’s toughest assignment in these first four games. The fact that they won so convincingly is a reflection on their quality rather than the impact of the loss of Suarez.

At just 22 years of age- he turns 23 on the eve of the world cup final- James Rodriguez has already had quite a journey in the world of professional football. He spent three seasons at Porto before a £38.5 million transfer to big spending Monaco in 2013 to partner Falcao for both club and country. He has epitomised the style of this young Colombian team and will surely be attracting interest from the giants of European football come the conclusion of this world cup. For all their financial backing, Monaco are not a big player on the European stage and their two Colombian superstars will be courted at every turn. Falcao has already intimated that he would like to leave.

Not since Rivaldo and Ronaldo in 2002 has a player scored in each of the first four games of a tournament. That gives you an indication of what Rodriguez has achieved already. This is also the first time that Colombia have reached the quarter finals. They are up against hosts Brazil however, the highest compliment you can pay to Jose Pekerman’s team is that you would not be at all surprised if they were to triumph on Friday night.

Shortly after their demolition job of world champions Spain in the first round of group matches, I wrote in this blog that I had seen signs that even though they had won convincingly the Netherlands had no chance of winning this tournament. Their second round tie with Mexico looked to be the moment when the cracks in the squad would begin to show. The heat in Fortaleza at an early afternoon kick off local time prompted the first use of the ‘cooling break’ in this tournament wherein the referee can use a stoppage roughly half an hour into each period to allow the players to take on water. Although the cynic in me believed that this would just end up being another opportunity for advertisers to flourish, this actually appears to be a rare moment of sense from FIFA. It was clear that the players were struggling in the conditions and the water would have been an undoubted help.

In the heat, one would have expected that the Mexicans, naturally more acclimatised to such temperatures would have flourished. With Mexico 1-0 up, time running out and Guillermo Ochoa once again performing heroics it looked for all the world as though the Dutch would crack and that the old fissures in the squad would resurface. What transpired was that the Netherlands kept their cool and rallied superby. Louis Van Gaal praised the use of the drinks break after the match but credit should also go to his players who performed admirably and won the game through a late Wesley Sneijder equaliser and a controversial Klaus Jan Huntelaar penalty in stoppage time.

I am still convinced however, that the Dutch will not triumph in this world cup. For all of their attacking strength- they are the top scorers so far with 12 goals- they are far too reliant on Arjen Robben to provide quality and they look increasingly vulnerable at the back. A more clinical team than Mexico would have taken advantage of their winning position.

However, they have not allowed their collective temperament to let them down as has so often been the case in the past. Mexico and the searing heat should have been the moment where my earlier prediction came to pass. The Dutch deserve tremendous credit for enduring the most testing of conditions. How far they go in the tournament remains to be seen however, they and Colombia have provided us all with tremendous entertainment so far.

 

Portugal out, and one man in particular has played a major role.

The history of Portuguese football is one of the great mysteries of the international game. They have never made a great impression on the world stage and their best tournament finish was to be losing finalists in their own European Championships in 2004. This seems like an unbelievable statistic when you consider that they have consistently produced great players. How can a nation that has spawned Eusebio, Luis Figo, Pauleta, Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes not have made more of an impact in major tournaments?

It is in fact, the great names that provide the main clue as to why Portugal have never been ultimately successful. For all the legendary names that have rolled off the production line, there has never been a great team.

The current crop of Portugal players could have been lifted out of any era in the history of the national team. They are a workmanlike squad interspersed with the odd flair player and one genuine superstar. You may have wondered why I left Cristiano Ronaldo out of the aforementioned list of Portugal’s great players. The fact is, he stands alone as the greatest player to come from the Iberian peninsula. No Portuguese player can match what Ronaldo has achieved in his career. At 29 he has 50 international goals making him his country’s record scorer, he has won the Champions League twice, been named world player of the year twice, invented a way of taking free kicks and between his spells for Manchester United and Real Madrid, has plundered nearly 400 goals. Lionel Messi’s advocates will point to the outstanding world cup that the little Argentine is enjoying but for me Ronaldo is, just, the better of the two.

On the eve of the tournament few would have had Portugal down as favourites. Ronaldo aside it would have been hard to name a quality player in their final 23. The odd flair players I referred to, Nani and Moutinho are inconsistent at the highest level. Yet with Ronaldo in their ranks it was impossible to ignore their claims as dark horses. There is no such thing in sport as a one man team but there was a feeling that Portugal could be carried into at least the last eight on the back of Ronaldo’s magic.

Unfortunately, Ronaldo picked up an injury to his knee during a training camp. Whilst the injury was not believed to be serious, images of Ronaldo leaving training with his knee strapped in ice on a regular basis would have made for unsettling viewing back home. The forward played in all three group games but it was clear that he was struggling for full fitness. He was visibly hindered in every game and subsequently he proved to be more hindrance than help to his team.

Ironically, he was undoubtedly the star performer for Portugal in this campaign. In the dismal defeat to Germany he looked like the only player in red capable of attacking the resolute German back line. Against the USA he provided a delicious cross to set up the last gasp equaliser for Silvestre Varela and he also netted the winner against Ghana.

However, these were isolated moments of quality and his lack of fitness meant that he was often behind the play. Unfortunately for him, his team mates seemed unable to comprehend that they needn’t rely solely on Ronaldo in order to win. Whilst Group G was difficult, Portugal should still have been able to qualify in second place. The fact that they didn’t was down to the shadow cast by Ronaldo. Every time Portugal surged forward, their players seemed paralysed with fear and seemed eager to offload to their talisman as soon as possible. No player dared to pass forward or to take on a defender. Every pass went either square or backwards to wherever Ronaldo’s struggling knee allowed him to be.

The Portugal players forgot that they were in fact international footballers capable of taking on other international teams and instead decided that their most viable tactic would be to find Ronaldo at every available opportunity. Such slavish deference to one player is not becoming of a world cup finalist. Only Uruguay and their dependence on Luis Suarez came close to Portugal’s hero worshipping mentality.

Had Ronaldo been fully fit and able to surge into the penalty box with and without the ball as is his wont, the tactic might have worked. Portugal might have beaten both USA and Ghana (Germany always looked to be too strong) and would now be preparing for a very evenly poised second round match with Belgium. As it turned out, Ronaldo was not able to influence games in the manner he has become accustomed to and Portugal have left the tournament with barely a whimper.

Though Ronaldo will be disappointed with his return of one goal and one assist, it is not his fault that Portugal have been knocked out. However, the yawning chasm in class between himself and his team has been at the centre of their problems.

Stat attack: the anorak’s guide to the group stages

136: there have been 136 goals so far. At a total of 2.83 per game this has been one of the most entertaining world cups in recent memory. 136 is a group stage record in a 32 team tournament. To put this into context, there were only 145 goals scored in the entire tournament in South Africa four years ago. Brazil 2014 is on course to beat the record of 171 goals in a 32 team tournament set in France 98.

32: all 32 teams have scored at least once in the group stages for the first time since France 98.

10: the Netherlands are the tournament’s top scorers with 10 goals so far. Lowest scorers Cameroon and Iran have netted just once each.

1: Costa Rica, Belgium and Mexico have had the meanest defences yielding just one goal apiece.

4: Thomas Muller, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the top scoring players with four goals each. Muller leads the race for the golden boot due to having an assist to his name.

7: the highest scoring match saw seven goals as France beat Switzerland 5-2 in Salvador. The same venue also saw the two biggest victory margins, Netherlands 5-1 Spain and Germany 4-0 Portugal.

2: there have been two hat tricks so far, Thomas Muller for Germany against Portugal and Xherdan Shaqiri for Switzerland against Honduras.

4: there have also been four own goals.

15: Miroslav Klose’s goal against Ghana was his record equalling 15th finals goal. He has scored these goals over the last four tournaments. In the same period of time, England have scored 17.

Best goal: there have been some outstanding contenders but Tim Cahill’s volley against the Dutch was reminiscent of Van Basten and will take some beating.

Best save: Guillermo Ochoa’s one handed reach to deny Neymar at full stretch has been compared with Gordon Banks’ similar stop against Pele in 1970.

Biggest flop: despite not being fully fit, Cristiano Ronaldo’s status as the best player in the world means that he will be desperately disappointed with one goal and a first round exit.

Biggest shock: With the three richest domestic leagues in the world, you’d have been given fantastic odds on England, Spain and Italy all exiting in the group stage.

Best sight: the atmosphere at every game has been tremendous and the zeal with which Brazil and Chile in particular have sung their national anthems has been a joy to behold. However, seeing Fifa restore some much needed credibility and finally coming down hard on a player deserving of punishment has made a welcome change. From a vindictive point of view, the four month ban for Luis Suarez was a tonic.

Best player: With the expectation of 200 million fans weighing heavy on his young shoulders, Neymar has been sensational. He has dazzled when Brazil have, at times, been ordinary.

The second round line up is as follows: Brazil vs Chile

Uruguay vs Colombia

Netherlands vs Mexico

Costa Rica vs Greece

France vs Nigeria

Argentina vs Switzerland

Germany vs Algeria

Belgium vs USA

A Colombia victory to cement their achievements?

With all the furore over Luis Suarez and the attention that inevitably circulates around Lionel Messi and Neymar, it is all to easy to overlook the achievements of the South and Central American sides in this tournament. Of the ten nations from the two American federations that qualified for these finals, eight have made it through to the last sixteen. Only Honduras and Ecuador have fallen at the first hurdle. Whilst we would all have expected Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to qualify, the feats of Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, Colombia and Chile have provided us with some of the highlights of this already spectacular world cup.

When the draw was made it appeared that lady luck had deserted the USA. Drawn in a group with Germany, Portugal and Ghana, they were seen as the whipping boys in the one genuine group of death. However, they took advantage of being drawn to play Ghana (on paper their easiest game) in their first match and stunned the African side with an aggressive brand of football that yielded an early three points that proved so vital in a tight group. Their performance against Portugal merited a victory and it was fitting in the end that they qualified at the expense of Cristiano Ronaldo and his team. The USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann has achieved a minor miracle in whipping up public support for ‘soccer.’ The game against Portugal was the most viewed televised match in the country’s history with an estimated audience of 24.7 million. The squad is united under Klinsmann’s passionate approach to management and a second round tie with Belgium is not an insurmountable task.

Chile’s performance in group B was viewed as a surprise by some. However, given the events of the last year it shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. Their performance last November in beating England 2-0 at Wembley in distinctly un-South American conditions was highly impressive and marked them down as potential dark horses. They were equally adept in disposing of world champions Spain in their second group match in one of the most committed team displays of the tournament so far. Their squad is young and the players are able to pound every blade of grass relentlessly. Spain and Australia simply could not cope with the energy of the Chilean players. However, a defeat to an under strength Dutch side in the final group game shows that genuinely quality sides can get themselves one step ahead. Brazil in the second round may be too much for Chile.

With a population of just under 4 million, Costa Rica were by far the smallest and lowest ranked nation in Group B. However, they belied their lowly status by catching Uruguay cold in the first match. They followed that up in the second match by completely outhinking the Italians in one of the great tactical displays of the group stages. This was no plucky, lucky underdog story Instead the Ticos were superior to Italy in every area of the pitch. A nil-nil draw with England secured top spot in the group and provided us with one of the great world cup stories of recent times. Can you remember the last time that the fourth seeded team won their group? A last sixteen tie with Greece provides Costa Rica with a great chance of making the quarter finals.

Mexico have been a joy to watch from the word go. in the first match against Cameroon they were denied two first half goals in controversial circumstances yet they maintained their discipline and eventually earned a 1-0 victory. Against Brazil, goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa produced one of the finest displays by a stopper in a world cup finals match. One particular save from a Neymar header drew comparisons with Gordon Banks’ block to deny Pele in 1970 and is undoubtedly the save of the tournament so far. Mexico were far too good for Croatia in the winner takes all final group match and the joy of manager Miguel Herrera as his team scored three second half goals was one of the most priceless images of the tournament. Mexico have been solid in all three of their games, Ivan Perisic’s late consolation goal for Croatia was the only goal Ochoa conceded in the group stages. They have the joint best defensive record in the tournament with Costa Rica thought they will be severely tested by the firepower of the Netherlands in the second round.

Finally, Colombia have been the most impressive of the American outfits so far. Shorn of their best player Radamel Falcao on the eve of the tournament, they have still managed to blow aside all three of their Group C opponents. James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez have struck up an impressive partnership up front that has seen the pair score five of their team’s nine goals between them. Rodriguez’s goal against Japan in Colombia’s final match was one of the goals of the tournament so far however, the 4-1 victory will be remembered for the wonderful moment when 43 year old goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon was brought on as a substitute and subsequently broke Roger Milla’s record as the oldest player to appear in a world cup match. It was a gesture that epitomised the spirit of the Colombian team at this moment in time. They play Uruguay in the second round. The Uruguayans will be without Luis Suarez who has rightly been hit with a four month worldwide ban for his bite on Giorgio Chiellini. The reaction of the Uruguayan camp in the aftermath of Suarez’s latest indiscretion has been unsavoury at best. The circus surrounding Suarez has unfairly distracted from the achievements of all the South American sides, including Brazil and Argentina. To a man they have shown a commitment to entertaining and virtuoso football (Uruguay excepted) and they have each embodied the spirit of this sensational competition.

It would therefore, be a fitting and poetic moment if Colombia were to dispatch Uruguay in the second round not just for the American teams but for the tournament itself.

In the name of decency, can someone please sanction Gaston Ramirez?

In the Walt Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast, the character Gaston is everything a cartoon villain should be; boorish, arrogant, conceited, cowardly and above all else, a small minded bully. It is therefore an unsettling coincidence that Gaston’s Uruguayan namesake Ramirez should display those exact same qualities whilst in action for his country during a crucial world cup match.

The major controversy from Tuesday night’s clash between Italy and Uruguay was not the suspected bite by Luiz Suarez on Giorgio Chiellini but rather the reaction of Ramirez towards Chiellini afterwards. The Italian defender was rightly incensed by Suarez’s conduct and made an attempt to show the referee the teeth marks adorning his shoulder. That Ramirez took umbrage with Chiellini speaks volumes about his character. He even went as far as to attempt to force Chiellini’s shirt back over his shoulder. There is only one word for this kind of behaviour, contempt; contempt for the victim of a crime and an astounding level of arrogance to believe that the victim should remain silent.

Make no mistake about it, Suarez has committed a crime here. If you and I were to approach someone in the street tomorrow and sink our gnashers into their shoulder we would be hauled in for questioning by police and referred for psychiatric examination. However, Suarez does not live in the real world. He lives in the cosseted world of the wealthy individual where indiscretion can be made to disappear like a magician’s handkerchief.

This is the third such incident where Suarez has bitten an opponent. In 2010 whilst playing for Ajax he received a seven game ban for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal. His transfer to Liverpool occurred during this suspension so were he to return to the Eredivisie later in his career he would start with a ban. In April last year the FA handed down a ten match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. As this latest nibbling incident occurred during a match organised by FIFA it is in the hands of the world governing body to sanction Suarez. In a statement released last night, FIFA declared that the maximum ban permissible under their regulations is 24 international matches. If Suarez is found guilty (and I use the word if in the name of democracy) then FIFA should not hesitate to issue a 24 match ban and thus effectively end the Uruguayan’s international career. His behaviour is clearly not unprecedented and the punishment should reflect this.

And yet despite all the recrimination (there was also an eight game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra) Suarez continues to transgress and, infuriatingly, play the victim. You could be forgiven for asking how one player can have such a lengthy charge sheet without appearing to show any remorse?

The answer lies in the conduct of Ramirez. His outrageous behaviour in protecting his teammate was typical of the indulgence Suarez has received throughout his career. Strong willed managers will, naturally seek to protect their prize assets when the chips are down. One only has to think of the way Alex Ferguson refused to sack Eric Cantona in 1995 following his assault of a Crystal Palace fan as an example of a manager creating a siege mentality to strengthen his club in a desperate situation. However, the indulgences bestowed on Suarez go beyond the realms of siege mentality. Whereas Cantona was punished judicially, and Ferguson made no attempt to resist this process, the reaction of then Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish during Suarez’s racism ban was little more than posturing. The Liverpool players and Dalglish himself wore t-shirts protesting Suarez’s innocence after an independent panel had found him guilty. As a show of defiance, it was lacking in dignity and class.

Ramirez however, has gone above and beyond the previous ways in which Suarez’s teammates have attempted to shield him from blame. In reacting angrily towards Chiellini, Ramirez showed that he is little more than a coward, a coward who felt the need to bully an opponent into concealing the truth. If and when Suarez is suspended, similar punishment should also be handed down to Ramirez though it is unlikely that this will happen as retrospective action against indecency is unprecedented in football. Ramirez the coward will, unfortunately, be able to wriggle his way out from under the microscope.

An unassuming legend who encapsulates the spirit of the world cup

Angelos Charisteas? When you hear that name your initial reaction is that you’ve heard of him but you’re not sure why. There is nothing much about his current surroundings that would make his name immediately stand out in the world of football. As a matter of fact he is currently a free agent having been released at the end of the 2012-13 season by Saudi club Al Nassr with a record of one goal in nine games. Inauspicious circumstances indeed.

And yet you’ve still heard of him and there is a perfectly good reason why. Ten years ago next month, he scored the winning goal for Greece in the final of the 2004 European Championships in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz. It was his third goal of the tournament and capped a remarkable victory for the Greeks against all the odds.

A quick sortie of Charisteas’ club career does not exactly make for stellar reading. As well as brief and moderately successful spells for Werder Bremen, Ajax and Feyenoord there are lengthy spells spent in the lower divisions of the Greek and German leagues. Had his career been in England we might have kindly referred to him as a journeyman.

Despite all this, his name will be forever synonymous with the spirit of Euro 2004. The have a go hero in a team of have a go heroes who wrote his name into tournament football legend.

You may be wondering why I am dissecting Charisteas’ career when he is not involved in this world cup. The simple reason is that on Saturday night this wonderful tournament produced a moment of history from a player who, like Charisteas does not necessarily demand the plaudits his achievements in tournament football deserve. With his first touch of this campaign, Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored his fifteenth World Cup finals goal in his fourth tournament and in doing so equalled the record of the Brazilian legend Ronaldo. The goal was also Klose’s 70th in 133 internationals for his country, a German record that puts him two ahead of the great Gerd Muller. However, here’s the million dollar question. Which club does Klose play for?

The answer is Lazio but you are unlikely to have known that unless you had followed Klose’s career in detail. Like Charisteas, his feats in international football are legendary but his club career is no more than fair to middling. Both men played for Werder Bremen and the German outfit are the only club for which Klose has passed the milestone of fifty league goals.

Despite his modest club career, Klose is a bona fide world cup legend. He is in many ways, the perfect encapsulation of what the world cup should be about; a festival of football where everyone can make a name for themselves. Think Roger Milla in 1990 or Geoff Hurst in 1966. It is not always the blue chip player who makes a tournament his own. Hurst of course was a late replacement to the England squad for the injured Jimmy Greaves.

That is not to say that Klose (or indeed Milla and Hurst) is merely an honest tryer. Far from it he is in fact a clinical poacher with a goalscoring instinct to rival the very best. The fact that his club career is not littered with honours is one of the modern game’s great mysteries.

Ronaldo’s fifteen goals arrived in the form of four in France ’98, three in Germany ’06 and a massive eight in the successful 2002 campaign which included two in the final against Klose’s Germany. Klose’s goals are spread more evenly. Five in 2002 (all headers), five more on home soil in 2006, four in South Africa and the one to equalise against Ghana on Saturday night. Ronaldo’s goal’s came in nineteen matches compared to Klose’s twenty although Klose has a slightly better minutes per goal ratio with 101 to the Brazilian’s 108. Ronaldo’s goals were undoubtedly more significant but there is little to separate them in terms of bare statistical analysis.

Klose is not a player who naturally bathes in the limelight. He is refreshingly removed from the egotistical nature of the modern footballer. Twice in his career he has been the recipient of fair play awards firstly for refusing the referee’s award of a penalty in a German league match that he believed was awarded incorrectly, and secondly for admitting immediately to using his hand to score a goal in a Serie A encounter. Whilst the attention going into this tournament has been on whether the global superstars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney can finally make an impact on a world cup, Klose has consistently outperformed them all on the very biggest stage. He is the spirit of the world cup and embodies everything that tournament football should represent; joy for our great game. At 36 years of age, Klose still greets world cup goals with the same front flip celebration that ushered in his first world cup goals in Japan twelve years ago. Whisper it quietly, he’s a legend.

Preview ahead of the final group games.

One thing has become clear in this World Cup: Anything is possible. Throw the common wisdom out the window.

The reigning champs are already out.

Three teams from CONCACAF, the confederation of North and Central American teams, could make it to the knockout round for the first time ever.

In Group C, the supposed group of champions, three teams ranked in FIFA’s top 10  — former World Cup champions Italy, England and Uruguay — were supposed to fight it out for two spots in the knockout stages. Instead, unheralded Costa Rica are through and currently top the group, England are out, and Uruguay and Italy face off for the right to move on.

The four tournament favorites have all looked beatable. Brazil drew with Mexico, Germany drew with Ghana, Argentina needed a stoppage time goal to beat Iran, and Spain is out of the tourney. Mexico, Ghana and Iran are ranked No. 20, 37, and 43, respectively, by FIFA.

Yes, all but one of the early teams to clinch advancement are highly ranked teams. But so much remains open that it feels like a different sort of tournament. Goal-scoring is up. Games are wild. This kind of thing doesn’t often happen.

Qualification scenarios

Every team has one game left to play in the group stage, so every team knows what must happen for them to move on. Here’s a breakdown:

Eliminated: England, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Australia, Spain, Cameroon.

Advanced to second round: Netherlands, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium.

Several groups feature matches between two teams fighting for the same spot in the second round, notably Mexico-Croatia on Monday and Italy-Uruguay on Tuesday.

There is even the unlikely but possible scenario that one second-round spot could bedecided by a coin flip between Nigeria and Iran.

For full tiebreaker rules — and they definitely matter, certainly for Team USA — click here.

 

In a world cup full of shocks, here’s another one; a united French team!

Spain getting thrashed in their first match and going out in their second? Unlikely. Costa Rica beating Uruguay and Italy and qualifying first from Group D? Implausible. An Australian scoring the goal of the tournament so far? Maybe if he used a cricket bat! France looking organised and interested? No chance! Since they were crowned world and European champions in 2002, Les Bleus record at major tournaments has served only to provide England fans with the line ‘at least we weren’t as bad as…’

In 2002 they became the first defending champions to go out of a world cup without scoring a single goal. In 2006 they were single handedly carried to the final by Zinedine Zidane and that ultimately ended in disgrace. Four years ago in South Africa, the divisions within the squad lead to industrial action being taken by some players against manager Raymond Domenech.

Domenech was in fact symptomatic of the problem’s surrounding French football. A man with a precious ego and a lack of genuine leadership quality at the helm inadvertently spilled his example onto the pitch. He had tried to claim that he had masterminded France’s route to the final in 2006, conveniently ignoring the contribution of Zidane, and he was lucky to hold onto his position after a disastrous Euro 2008 where it is claimed he refused to pick Robert Pires due to his star sign. Perhaps Domenech thought he was the new Arsene Wenger, an innovative professeur in charge of the national team. In the end he was more of a poor man’s Basil Fawlty.

However, from the wreckage of 2010 France have risen steadily. Laurent Blanc, a legend as a player restored some credibility as manager during Euro 2012 and Didier Deschamps has continued the recovery. The French FA have tapped into a wealth of managerial talent among their world cup winning players and Deschamps seems to have tapped into the mood of the French supporters.

He made a bold call on the eve of the tournament to drop Samir Nasri from his final 23. He lost his talisman Franck Ribery to injury before naming a squad but that seems to have worked in his favour and has complemented his decision to drop Nasri. Both Ribery and Nasri are brattish figures and are nowhere near as talented as they think they are (although Ribery comes close). Shorn of both of them, Deschamps has a squad at his disposal that is completely removed from the anarchy of four years ago and it is showing out on the pitch. In the two games they have played so far, France have blossomed as an attacking force and have revelled in each other’s success.

Against Switzerland, Karim Benzema missed a first half penalty but refused to let his head drop. His goal was just reward for a selfless performance where he linked up excellently with Olivier Giroud and Mathieu Valbuena. France’s fifth goal exemplified their spirit. Benzema, in a shooting position instead picked out a superb pass for Moussa Sissoko who was still marauding down the right despite it being late in the game and his team already 4-0 up. The third goal was an example of breathtaking counter attacking football. Deschamps’ tactic of leaving Giroud and Valbuena up when defending a corner paid off perfectly.

The signs that France were a team on the up were evident in their first game against Honduras. They did superbly well to keep their discipline and their patience despite the best efforts of the Hondurans to kick them off the park. In both games the joy amongst the entire squad has been apparent for every goal scored. This is a harmonious unit with a collective ambition to entertain.

How far they can go in this tournament remains to be seen. Their defence looks suspect and the two goals they ceded to the Swiss were well taken yet avoidable. Team spirit is easy to maintain when you’re winning and it will be interesting to see how France fare when they come up against quality opposition that can put them on the back foot. However, Les Bleus are now the joint top scorers in the tournament with eight goals along with the Netherlands and they are playing with smiles on their faces. If they continue in this vein, the fans will be smiling no matter what.

Huge disappointment but England must continue to be brave

In the end, Roy Hodgson and his youthful charges will go down in history for producing the worst showing by an England team at a World Cup. The first England side to go out of the world cup in the group stages since 1958. The first England side ever to lose its first two world cup matches. The stats make for grim reading.

However, this team should be remembered for being the bravest England outfit at a major tournament since Euro 2004. Faced with an immensely challenging task just to qualify from Group D, England went on the offensive. Although the performance against Uruguay was not quite as impressive as the effort against Italy, there were still signs that England are a much improved unit going forward. Wayne Rooney, back in his prefered number 10 role was a constant threat and it was a relief for all concerned to see him finally break his world cup duck. Daniel Sturridge’s presence and pace when running in behind defenders asks questions of opposing teams that England haven’t been able to pose since Michael Owen was in his prime. Raheem Sterling was illuminating in the first half against the Italians and Ross Barkley impressed in both games from the bench. The kids are alright.

There is no doubt that England let themselves down defensively. The suspicion was, even before a ball had been kicked in anger that the back four would be England’s major weakness in this tournament. Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines are all very accomplished Premier League performers. However, as a unit they lack that genuine enforcer and organiser that underpins all of the great defences. John Terry’s name will be mentioned repeatedly in the coming weeks but Roy Hodgson should not be condemned for ignoring a player who had turned his back on playing for his country. How Hodgson must wish he had been blessed with the options available to Sven Goran Eriksson who was able to leave Ledley King, Jamie Carragher, Sol Campbell and Jonathan Woodgate out of his starting line up in central defence.

But England’s problems in defence only serve to highlight the importance of continuity for this squad. In the wake of the defeat to Uruguay, FA Chairman Greg Dyke finally said something sensible (as if this world cup hadn’t provided enough shocks!) when he declared that Roy Hodgson’s job would be safe. The manager is contracted until Euro 2016 and for England to be successful that contract must be honoured. With another two years working with the players, Hodgson should be able to iron out the kinks in defence. Either the back four he has now will be stronger for this experience or the development of young players such as John Stones and Luke Shaw will mean that competition for places is a fierce as it was in 2006.

I mentioned on a previous post that the reason for Germany’s success in recent tournaments was the stability garnered from coach and players working together over a sustained period. If Hodgson is allowed to continue then the young players he has nurtured so well over the last two years will be a formidable outfit in France in two years time.

The preparation can begin immediately. The final game in Group D against Costa Rica is almost a free hit for England. How encouraging would it be to see England start with Barkley, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain? There is room also for Hodgson to show sentimentality which is rare enough in any form of football let alone a world cup. This game will undoubtedly spell the end of the road in international football for Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. With 217 caps and 50 goals between them, it would be fitting if both the captain and vice captain were able to bow out on the pitch against Costa Rica. The thought of Gerrard being replaced by Lampard with twenty minutes to go and handing over the captain’s armband whilst both players are applauded by their team-mates is already bringing a nostalgic tear to the eye.

When the qualifiers for Euro 2016 get under way, I would like to see Joe Hart given the captain’s armband. He has not been his usual assured self during this tournament but he has shown at Manchester City under Manuel Pellegrini that he responds well to proactive man management. Appointing him captain of a brave young squad could be a masterstroke for Hodgson.

It is important now that England focus on the positives from this campaign. They have taken the game to two quality sides in stifling conditions and come up just short both times. They have finally embraced the attacking philosophies that the rest of Europe had adopted years ago – the days of four four two are over. They will be inevitably criticised for their naivety but it won’t take them long to realise that the same people bemoaning the lack of experience in the squad are the same people who were praising the manager for putting his faith in youth when the squad was announced on the 12th of May. If Hodgson and his players are allowed to stay together then the future looks increasingly bright.

Euro 2016 will mark fifty years of tournament football since England were world champions. In England’s brave new world, that fatalistic number has a pleasant ring to it.

What is each teams nickname?

If you want to show off your sports knowledge to friends this World Cup, we’ve got you covered.

ESPN commissioned Brazilian artist Cristiano Siqueria to create posters for all 32 teams competing in the World Cup. They display each team’s unique and oftentimes poetic nickname, so impress your friends by saying “La Furia Roja” instead of “Spain.”

The nicknames range from the simple, such as Switzerland’s “La Nati,” which means “the national team,” to more elaborate ones, such as England’s “The Three Lions,” an homage to the Royal Arms of England. All of the names provide interesting bits of trivia about their respective countries.

Check out Siqueria’s posters and a brief background on the teams’ nicknames, below:

• Algeria, “Les Fennecs”

  In honor of the national animal of Algeria, the national team is “Les Fennecs,” the small, nocturnal foxes native to North Africa.

  

• Argentina, “La Albiceleste”

  As beautiful as it is eloquent, “La Albiceleste” means “The White and Sky Blue,” and refers to Argentina’s famous striped uniforms.

  

• Australia, “The Socceroos”

  This is probably the kookiest nickname: Australia’s national team combines “soccer” and “kangaroos.” Now, you’ve got yourself the Australian squad.

  

• Belgium, “The Red Devils”

  The Belgians are known affectionately in all three of the country’s spoken languages — Dutch, French and German — as “The Red Devils.” The name was coined when a journalist called the Belgian squad “The Red Devils” after three “devilish” wins in 1906, just two years after forming.

  

• Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Zmajevi”

  Like Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina owes its nickname to a commentator who called the players “zmajevi” or “dragons” in 2010, and the name stuck.

  

• Brazil, “Seleção”

  “The Selection” is Brazil’s nickname because it’s what Brazilians call every soccer team: a “seleção. But only the national team is “the “Seleção.” Brazil is also known as “Canarihno” (“Little Canary”) due to the team’s bright yellow uniforms.

  

• Cameroon, “The Indomitable Lions”

  Cameroon’s nickname is actually a nod to the country’s lion-preservation efforts. In the wild and on the pitch, the Cameroon lions or “Lions” are “indomitable.”

  

• Chile, “La Roja”

  The Chileans prefer simplicity, earning their nickname from the team’s notable red uniforms.

  

• Colombia, “Los Cafeteros”

  “Los Cafeteros” loosely translates to “one who makes or drinks coffee,” and Colombians do both. The national team is nicknamed after one of Colombia’s biggest exports: coffee.

  

• Costa Rica, “Los Ticos”

  “Los Ticos” is the shortened, more conversational name for “Costarrincenses” or “native Costa Ricans.”

  

• Croatia, “Vatreni”

  “Vatreni” means “The Blazers” in Croatian, a nod to both the passion of the players on the pitch and the fans in the stands. Lately, Croatia is also known as “Bilic’s Boys,” a reference to the team’s head coach, Slaven Bilic.

  

• Ecuador, “La Tricolor”

  “La Tricolor” refers to the three colors of the Ecuadorian flag: yellow, blue and red.

  

• England, “The Three Lions”

  England’s namesake refers to the country’s rich history, going back to Richard the Lionheart, the King of England from 1189 to 1199. The three lions that appear on the national team’s crest also appear on the Royal Arms of England.

  

• France, “Les Bleus”

  The boys in “bleu” got their nickname because the color dominates the French team’s uniforms. It’s even a nickname for most teams across French sports.

  

• Germany, “Die Mannschaft”

  Call it German efficiency: “Die Mannschaft” means “The Team” in German. Simple, practical and formidable when spoken.

  

• Ghana, “The Black Stars”

  A refrence to the sole black star on Ghana’s national flag, the players of the national team are stars to their fans.

  

• Greece, “Ethniki”

  “Ethniki” or “national” is Greece’s nickname. The Greek team is also known as “Piratiko,” after a Greek radio broadcaster who christened the team with the name during the opening ceremony of UEFA Euro 2004.

  

• Honduras, “Los Catrachos”

  “Los Catrachos” is the name for native Hondurans, derived from General Florencio Xatruch who fought an American insurrectionist’s attempts to reintroduce slavery. Xatruch’s men were called “xatruches,” which then became “catruches,” and so on.

  

• Iran, “Team Melli”

  Like other teams in the World Cup, “Team Melli” simply means “National Team.”

  

• Italy, “Azzurri”

  Like France’s team, “Azzurri” means “the blues.” Though not part of the national flag colors, blue was the color of House Savoy which unified Italy in 1861.

  

• Ivory Coast, “Les Elephants”

  Ivory Coast; ivory tusks. The national team is named “Les Elephants” due to their part in the 19th century ivory trade.

  

• Japan, “Samurai Blue”

  Adorned in “blue” uniforms, the Japanese squad honors the country’s historical warriors, and become “samurais” on the pitch.

  

• Mexico, “El Tri”

  Every national team’s nickname honors its country, but Mexico’s nickname “El Tri” conjures up intense national pride. A shortened “El Tricolor,” Mexico’s nickname refers to the three colors — red, white and green — of the Mexican flag.

  

• Netherlands, “Oranje”

  Named for the team’s famous orange kits, the color is actually nowhere to be found on the Netherlands’ flag. Instead it refers to the color of the old Dutch royal family: House of Orange-Nassau. The team’s invention of a precise method of passing to maintain ball control — Total Football — also earned the Dutch team the nickname and Kubrickian homage “Clockwork Orange.”

  

• Nigeria, “The Super Eagles”

  Nigeria’s nickname is rooted in classic one-upmanship. The national team adopted the nickname “The Super Eagles” after losing to Cameroon’s “The Indomitable Lions” in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

  

• Portugal, “Seleção das Quinas”

  Portugal’s nickname, “The Selection of the Shields,” refers to the five shields (the “quinas”) and the five dots within each shield (the bezants) on the country’s flag.

  

• Russia, “Sbornaya”

  Short on originality, but strong and powerful in pronunciation, Russia’s “Sbornaya” means “National Team” in Russian.

  

• South Korea, “Taegeuk Warriors”

  The “taegeuk” refers to the symbol on South Korea’s national flag, which represents a spiritual balance, similar to China’s yin and yang symbol. Also known as “The Reds” due to the team’s red uniforms, fans have called themselves the “Red Devils” since 1995.

  

• Spain, “La Furia Roja”

  “The Red Fury,” Spain’s nickname, comes from two sources. “La Roja,” like other team nicknames, comes from the colour of the team’s uniforms, while “La Furia” describes its “direct, aggressive, spirited style” of play in the 1920s — a “fury” on the pitch.

  

• Switzerland, “La Nati”

  The Swiss team kept its nickname short and to the point. “La Nati,” means “The National Team” in French. Due to the many languages used in Switzerland, the team is also known as “Schweizer Nati” in German and “Squadra Nazionale” in Italian, but they ultimately all mean the same thing.

  

• Uruguay, “La Celeste”

  Not quite Argentina’s “La Albiceleste,” but equally as beautiful when spoken, Uruguay’s “La Celeste” also refers to the team’s sky-blue uniforms.

  

• U.S.A., “The Yanks”

  Unlike other countries competing in the World Cup, the U.S. doesn’t have an official nickname. In the past, the team has been called “The Yanks,” but the jury’s still out on it being the official name of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Other nicknames include “The Stars and Stripes” or just “Team USA.”