On June 12, 2014, the tournament kicked off. We had hopes, expectations, plenty of which faded away in the first round. Spain is out, Portugal, Italy and England followed. In round 16, the big teams struggled their way up; matches ending in ties and penalties deciding who qualifies. Julio Cesar and Manuel Neuer were the highlights of their teams, while Messi gave his deadly assist to Di Maria who ended the Suisse hopes in the last minute. Sneider scored an amazing kick to tie against Mexico and Holland later received a penalty to win the game. James Rodriguez, the newly revealed talent and the surprise of the world cup, scored his amazing goals and Uruguay failed to maintain a spot in the World Cup. And finally, France keeps on scoring high. The quarter finals are expected to kick off today with a bit of a surprise. Teams like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Belgium proved themselves to be amongst the giants.
Tonight, Germany faces France, in a European battle, while Colombia stands in the way of Brazil's semi-finals hopes. Tomorrow, the Netherlands are to face Costa Rica, who might still carry the key to ending the big teams' hopes, while Argentina is to face Belgium who is not to be underestimated.
When we first wrote about the World Cup, we had names that disappeared early in the tournament, making it the most surprising world cup ever to be; however, new names came to the table and shortly after the tournament ends, teams will place new bids on new talents. Players are falling ill of weather, and the Europeans are struggling to maintain a high standard performance in such challenging conditions. We have enjoyed every match as all the teams are now showing remarkable performance. Every match counts and teams need to prove tolerance and fortitude. Nine days await for the winner to raise the cup. One month is almost at an end and we are still in confusion when it comes to expectations.
The questions remain: Who will qualify? What battles are upfront? Are there any surprises left? And who will finally win the 2014 Rio World Cup Tournament.
By : Stephany B.
