Scott Murray's Blog, page 198
July 11, 2014
World Cup 2014: countdown to Germany v Argentina live!
3.20pm BST
"Having just last weekend flown back from Brazil after three weeks at the World Cup attending 8 games I can tell you that the Associated Press have got it wrong when they say that Latin America will be supporting Argentina in the final," blathers Rory McCafferty. "In Brazil they are the hated enemies and even at games which did not have Brasil or Argentina in it the Brazilians would sing songs against Argentina. The favorite which was sang at every game was about how only Pele scored 1,000 goals and Maradona sniffed cocaine. From my experience Argentina was disliked by other countries fans especially Chile."
2.59pm BST
Here is a preview of the World Cup final based on statistics.
2.53pm BST
"Do you know who's the home team in Sunday's final?" asks Paul Kelly. "In other words, is it 1986 or 1990?" It's 1990, Paul, which only seems right given that Germany looked so at home in Brazil in the semi-final, only removing their slippers to administer the occasional spank.
2.48pm BST
The FAI has announced that the Republic of Ireland will host the USA in a friendly on November 18. Perhaps they are playing for the Joe Lapira Challenge Cup?
2.19pm BST
It is with a heavy heart that I leave Liverpool for a new life and new challenges in Spain. Both me and my family have fallen in love with this club and with the city.
But most of all I have fallen in love with the incredible fans. You have always supported me and we, as a family, will never forget it, we will always be Liverpool supporters.
2.06pm BST
"Good to see Flann OBrien, the morose Irish wit, get a picture credit," emails Charles Antaki. "How he would have hated the World Cup! People enjoying themselves without measure - including two of his least favourite categories of people, women and children - lots of colour, amusement and football, with pints of porter difficult to to procure in the local bars. But he was a professional humorist, so it would have been a pleasure to see what he would have made of the tear-stained Brazil shenanigans; if only theyd have been managed by the Brother" For a minute there I was worried that you were going to ask me if I had an opinion on the matter, in which case I would have been forced to quote the man himself: "Questions are like the knocks of beggarmen, and should not be minded."
1.55pm BST
Apparently Barcelona are brainstorming at the moment to try to come up with a suitable place to unveil Suarez next week, since he is banned from any football-related spots. Any suggestions? Should the striker be persuaded to pop out of a cake on the Ramblas, Marilyn Monroe-style? Or perhaps fans should fans be given a chance to acclaim their new signing as he circles the city in a low-flying helicopter, before jumping from a bungee to within an inch of the Nou Camp's air space?
1.38pm BST
Thanks and praise to Sabbir Azam for bringing to our attention the story of the Bangladeshi farmer who sold all his land to raise funds for ... a 3.5km long Germany flag. You'll be wanting further details, I'm guessing, so best check out the story on BDnews24.com, who, as the snippet below shows, found the man and got to the bottom of his thinking:
Peasant Amzad, a resident of Ghoramara village in Magura Sadar Upazila, made a 3.5-km-long German flag before World Cup football began this year by selling his land to raise money for its manufacture ...
Before the World Cup matches started, Amzad Hossain sold his land and made a 3.5-km-long German flag at a cost of Tk 150,000. Bdnews24.com and other news media carried the story, which drew the German embassys attention.
Amzad Hossain told bdnews24.com, I like German football for a long time. I had caught literally a non-curable disease in 1987. I tried lots of medicine with no avail. But a medicine brought from Germany finally cured the disease. Since then, I became a fan of Germany.
1.31pm BST
Who could have said that and about what? Why, it was Luis Suarez's lawyer, talking about the punishment meted out to his client for that unfortunate teeth-first interaction with Giorgio Chiellini. Here's the latest from PA:
In an interview with Spanish radio station Cope, Suarez's lawyer Alejandro Balbi hit out at football's global organising body and confirmed an appeal would go forward [to the Court of Arbitration for Sport) in an attempt to see the ban reduced.
"We hope they revoke this sanction that is blatantly draconian, totalitarian and fascist," said Balbi.
"The right of a footballer to work is being violated, and football should be worried about that. The nine (international) games may seem excessive, but the fact that he can't watch a game of football, or train or carry out his job, we are talking about unpleasant things."
"Luis recognised his error but we've seen that for Fifa saying sorry is not an important factor," added Balbi.
"Justice will take its time but it will come.
"We knew that FIFA would uphold the ban because they are corporatists. We will not stop, we are going to go to the CAS and we will keep taking the juridical path that is available to us."
If Suarez does to go CAS, he could ask the court to suspend the ban pending a final decision. CAS may refuse to do so but, if it agrees, it could mean Suarez being available at the start of the domestic season.
The downside, however, is that if CAS puts the ban on hold, it means that, instead of Suarez being banned for a month of the close season when no clubs are playing, he would instead face being out for even longer when the campaign starts.
1.20pm BST
"How are you?" asks Michael Gaff. It's a good question, Michael, and I guess the answer depends on how far back you want to go. Before we explore that, is there anything else you need to know? "I was wondering with van Gaals annoyance at having to play Saturday night, what would happen if Holland and Brazil just said that they werent going to play the 3rd/4th play off game? What would Sepp do?" I'm guessing both countries would be threatened with a ban from future tournaments, which, now that you mention it, might be a blessing for Brazil.
12.48pm BST
Anyway, that's it from me. I'm DOING ONE. From here on in, Paul Doyle, like a pint of plain, is your only man!
12.31pm BST
Where's Whelan? It's the new craze sweeping Brazil. Ray Whelan, the senior director of Fifas official hospitality company, pictured here a few days ago talking to PC Gaz from Supergrass as part of a police investigation into a $100m ticket touting investigation ...
12.07pm BST
O Fiverão, the unfunny daily World Cup email written by irritable people at ungodly hours, has landed. Today's edition considers claims that the 2014 World Cup is the greatest of all time. O Fiverão's not on board, kids, O Fiverão's not on board.
11.49am BST
Michael Cox has already given you his tactical take on Sunday's final. It's only fair that Jonathan Wilson gets a chance to Have His Say too. Here he is, having his say.
11.38am BST
Poor Wesley Sneijder, the latest in a long list of Dutchmen to balls it up big time in a major-tournament penalty shootout. He can take succour from the fact that he might be off to Old Trafford, where he'll earn ££££££££££££s. Yes, that's right! Real cash money! That's just one of the hot snippets of transfer gossip in today's Rumour Mill, which is shorter than usual because most of the people who usually spin these stories out of thin air are currently in Brazil rattling up their expense accounts.
11.22am BST
Old-fashioned 1980s-style German confidence dept. Fulham manager Felix Magath may not even bother watching the big game on Sunday. "I don't know if I will watch the final," he announced, as part of a triptych on insouciance which also included yawning and scratching his arse. "For me, the result is obvious. I think it will be 3-0 to Germany." Also taking it easy: Harald Schumacher. "I'm absolutely convinced that we will beat Argentina," says Magath's team-mate from the loveable 1982 and 1986 West German squads. Here, Schumacher and the rest of the 1980s German team may not have necessarily won many neutral hearts, but they had one hell of a kit! Imagine if they ran out in their bottle-green number on Sunday, with Argentina in their blue-and-white-striped shirts and black shorts. Eleven out of ten for aesthetics. I wouldn't even mind if the game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes, the photographs would be superb.
11.10am BST
Ahead of the final, it might be a good idea to bone up on famous Argentina-Germany matches of yore. Here are some old Guardian match reports, including
a 34,000-word think piece on Oreste Corbatta's third-minute opener for Argentina in the 1958 group stage
the legendary and quite brilliant David Lacey's takes on the 1986 and 1990 finals.
West Germany were two goals down before the hour and seemed destined to pass into footballing history as the most uninspired of losing World Cup finalists. In this sort of situation, however, something always seems to stir in the soul of the most leaden-footed West Germany footballer ...
10.48am BST
Here's Shaun Wilkinson on the Guardian's One-Point Plan To Save Brazilian Football (10.14am). "Brazil ditched their white shirts and went on to World Cup glory?" he begins. "Forget youth development and infrastructure investment - we may have just solved English football's problems." Yes, perhaps that would do it. Though are there any other, less dramatic, decisions we could make?
10.31am BST
A different angle of the aforementioned Ron Vlaar penalty. Thanks to Ryan Johansen for sending it in via electronic mail. Poor old Holland. But we say that every other World Cup. The real talking point here is whether Sergio Romero wants sacking for gross dereliction of duty. See the job through, Sergio, for goodness sake!
10.18am BST
Michael Cox is probably making more sense. How do Germany stop Lionel Messi? Will Argentina be able to cope with Germany's midfield? The answers are here!
10.14am BST
The big question of the week, of course, has been: what is wrong with Brazilian football, and how to save it? The answer is surely staring everyone in the face. The last time they suffered a soul-shattering defeat as World Cup hosts, in 1950, they ditched their white shirts. Bingo! Within five years of pulling the new yellow ones on, they were world champions and preparing to embark on a golden decade of glory. So if it worked once, surely another sartorial reboot could see them fine once again? No need for anything as dramatic as changing colours again, just a little spiritual realignment ...
Here are some happy Brazilians in 1958, having played the World Cup final in duds purchased in Stockholm city centre, badges sewn on at the last minute.
9.42am BST
Good morning. That video of Müller and Neuer is quite something, isn't it. Neuer is surprisingly self-conscious for a man who
plays for Bayern Munich
happily races out of his area during World Cup knockout matches to gad around like Franz Beckenbauer in his pomp. A sober dad at a wedding. The kids are embarrassed. Müller however really is going for it, and should be commended for pulling some top-class shapes. The full Bob Fossil. Someone should ask him if he likes cricket, or whether he can go for that.
9.24am BST
That's it from me. Scott Murray will be here for the next couple of hours to guide you through the Argentinian dance moves and the rest of the World Cup news.
9.22am BST
Just when we thought the Germans were great at everything comes this heaven-sent video of Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer on the dancefloor. Check out the shorts, shoes and white socks combo too.
9.14am BST
Britain's Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce has made the novel suggestion that England should copy Germany in producing youth teams which can develop together and form the core of the senior national side. Many of the Germany team that reached Sunday's World Cup final were also in the side which trounced England 4-0 in the final of the 2009 European under-21 championships. "The Brazil v Germany semi-final was astounding, the performance of the German team was something else," said Boyce. "But I have been chairman of Uefa's youth committee for many years and I have seen how the Germans have built up their policy. From that team many played at under-19 level, then at under-21 level and in fact won the 2009 European under-21 championships. Like the Belgians, the Germans decided they were starting on that policy and saw it through. I think England need to start doing something like that because the Germans are now reaping the benefits."
9.04am BST
David Wall has emailed in to inquire whether Brazilian might unleash any superstars of the future in the third-placed play-off against Holland on Saturday.
The 3rd/ 4th place play-off is often a chance for those who've not yet played in the tournament to get a game at the World Cup. Are there any hidden gems in the Brazilian squad to look out for tomorrow evening, similar to Viola who got a quarter of an hour in the '94 final and looked more exciting than the other players on the field put together? What must Philippe Coutinho be thinking back on Merseyside? Having watched Marcelo's performance against Germany even Fabio might have cause for complaint for being over looked for the squad, let alone the Liverpool forward.
8.50am BST
Is Lionel Messi lazy? The Guardian's German football expert Raphael Honigstein has stumbled across a very interesting fact about the Argentina forward's work-rate at this World Cup:
Interesting stat: only #BRA's Fred (47.2km) has run less than #ARG 's Messi (51.9km) in six WC games (http://t.co/hFm5j60DeF)
8.43am BST
Argentina are not popular among the other South American countries, but the Associated Press think for once their neighbours will be rooting for them against Germany.
With a reputation for arrogance and illusions of European-styled grandeur, Argentines have long been the objects of scorn and the butt of jokes across Latin America But for at least 90 minutes on Sunday, during the World Cup final, most Latin Americans will put aside their disdain for their proud neighbors as they look to Lionel Messi and his teammates to salvage what's left of the region's soccer pride. A defeat for Argentina would be historic: never has a European team been crowned champion on this side of the Atlantic. But in the wake of Germany's 7-1 thrashing of host Brazil even the most-devoted believers in the spontaneous and stylish Latin American brand of soccer are wondering if the region is outmatched. "My heart wants Argentina to win, but my brain says Germany will," confessed Alberto Ramos Salcedo, a Colombian journalist and author who frequently writes about soccer.
8.31am BST
Morning all. Rob Bleaney here to run you through the next couple of hours of World Cup final buildup. First though, for anyone who missed it, the Chile forward Alexis Sánchez has joined Arsenal and Amy Lawrence reckons this is proof that the Gunners are finally ready to compete...
It was around this time last summer that Arsenals players began dropping hints about how hopeful they were that progress could be made with some welcome major additions. The names of Gonzalo Higuaín and then, infamously, Luis Suárez dominated Arsenal thoughts, but neither of them materialised, and a summer of transfer angst was only relieved when Mesut Özil arrived with a late flourish.
This is different. Alexis Sánchez, one of the outstanding performers of this World Cup,has been snapped up before the tournament in Brazil has even finished, and it is a serious statement of intent that in the transfer market Arsenal intend to be more aggressive than they have been since the early days of Arsène Wengers tenure.
7.26am BST
Here's another question that I know not the answer: Did Ron Vlaars penalty in World Cup semi-final cross the line?
What do you think?
7.12am BST
Josh Chapman has an interesting question, the answer to which I haven't the foggiest: "Who is wearing what kits in the final? Seems Germany is the home team? Does that mean no famous stripes for messi? Are they at all superstitious about not playing in their famous shirt? Will they switch for the trophy presentation like Spain in 2010 if they win?
6.58am BST
For those curious about the latest on Ángel 'will-he-play-or-won't-he-play' di María, look no further than ... here.
6.51am BST
Speaking of predictions - and seeing as I was lashed the other day for supplying the thirsty throng with a 'not very good at all' prediction video not featuring an animal - here's a camel.
6.48am BST
Must say, as a betting man, I'm surprised Germany are odds-against to beat Argentina in 90 minutes. I rate them slight odds-on chances, if you're at all interested.
If you have an opinion on who will win the World Cup final, and I'm convinced you do, why don't you share said opinion with your fellow man?
6.37am BST
Neymar has been shedding a considerable amount of tears these past few days, what with him suffering a serious back injury and then being helpless as his teammates suffered that shellacking at ze hands of ze Germans.
6.17am BST
Welcome to Friday's coverage of the World Cup, featuring all the breaking news from Brazil and reaction to the latest results, injury news, squad stories and fan reaction.
July 9, 2014
World Cup Football Daily: Argentina advance to the final
Holland v Argentina: World Cup 2014 semi-final as it happened! | Scott Murray
A poor game was decided on penalty kicks, as Argentina made it to their first final since 1990
Golden Boot standings: check out the latest table
All the best images from tonight's semi-final
11.49pm BST
Cillessen probably should have kept that Maxi penalty out. But he doesn't have a strong enough hand, and the ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. He still hasn't saved one in his professional career. Messi runs around in delirium, Mascherano is in floods of tears, Sabella doesn't appear to believe he's led a team to a World Cup final (stop it, be nice), Kuyt, Robben and Sneijder look pensive, and Van Gaal goes around doing the polite thing, shaking hands. Commiserations to the Dutch, but they didn't really turn up tonight, and were very poor. Argentina were pretty damn bad tonight too, but they've squeaked through to the final. They'll play Germany in the Maracana on Sunday in a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 editions. Another thriller like '86, please! Final word to Jim Morrish: "Pope Benedict vs Pope Francis: it's ON!!!!"
11.45pm BST
Holland 2-4 Argentina: MAXI RODRIGUEZ SCORES, AND ARGENTINA ARE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1990!!! He batters a shot just to the left, which Cillessen gets a hand to. But the ball angles up and into the roof of the net!
11.44pm BST
Holland 2-3 Argentina: KUYT SCORES! Did you ever doubt him? Bottom right. But it's match point to Argentina.
11.43pm BST
Holland 1-3 Argentina: AGUERO SCORES! Whacked into the bottom left, past the despairing arm of Cillessen.
11.42pm BST
Holland 1-2 Argentina: SNEIJDER MISSES! Or, more accurately, Romero saves. Sneijder hits a decent enough one high to the left. Not quite in the corner, though, and the keeper turns it away brilliantly!
11.42pm BST
Holland 1-2 Argentina: GARAY SCORES! Roofed. Straight down the middle. You don't save those.
11.41pm BST
Holland 1-1 Argentina: ROBBEN SCORES! He batters a superb kick into the bottom right, Romero going the wrong way.
11.40pm BST
Holland 0-1 Argentina: MESSI SCORES! A narrowing of the eyes, and the little genius clips a fine kick into the middle-left, sending a flapping Cillessen the wrong way.
11.39pm BST
Holland 0-0 Argentina: VLAAR MISSES! He hits it low and not very hard to the right. It's nowhere near the corner, and Romero parries. Advantage Argentina!
11.38pm BST
Coins are tossed, lists are filed with the referee. Again with the huddles. Penalties are coming! The first will be taken by Ron Vlaar.
11.35pm BST
It was inevitable. Let's be honest, we knew after about 15 minutes. This will go to penalty kicks. Jasper Cillessen, let it be noted, has never saved one in his career. Now would be some time to break his duck.
11.33pm BST
ET 30 min: AND NOW A HALF-CHANCE FOR HOLLAND! Janmaat in space down the right. He whips a ball into the centre. Kuyt tries to smash a first-time sidefoot goalwards from the penalty spot, but doesn't connect properly, and Garay blocks anyway. Why couldn't the rest of the match have been like this?
11.31pm BST
ET 29 min: Robben in some space down the left, but he's stopped by a fine sliding challenge from Mascherano. "I can't tell whether this is correct praise for an underrated player or definitive proof of just how bad Argentina have been, but this game has made Ron Vlaar look like prime Jaap Stam," writes Thomas Jenkins. "It's probably the latter, isn't it?"
11.30pm BST
ET 27 min: AND ANOTHER!!! Messi has done the square root of bugger all this evening, but the cream always rises. He bursts down the right wing, showing Vlaar a clean pair of heels. Upon reaching the byline, he stands one up at the far post, where Maxi Rodriguez is racing in. But no repeat of his 2006 Mexican antics: he scuffs the volley, and Cillessen gathers a ball sailing serenely towards the top corner.
11.28pm BST
ET 25 min: A CHANCE!!! Maxi Rodriguez scoops a pass down the inside-left channel. Palacio is free, on the edge of the area! He waits for the ball to drop, lets it bounce, and tries to nudge it over Cillessen when it rises again, but he can't get enough on his header, and the keeper plucks it from the air with a yawn.
11.26pm BST
ET 23 min: Two teams going nowhere in a quiet stadium. "I can't help but notice that the Google Doodle in honour of this game shows Dutch and Argentine aliens who are completely unaware of the rudiments of football," reports Philip N Gross. "Is the all-knowing search engine hinting at a sinister explanation for this dire display?"
11.23pm BST
ET 20 min: Mascherano looks to break upfield quickly. He attempts a one-two with Messi, who clanks a woeful short pass miles away from his team-mate. He's been dreadful tonight. Still time, still time. Mind you, many more passes like that, and there may not be, for De Vrij picks up the loose ball, strides forward, and batters a shot from distance wide right of goal. Ambitious, but then nothing else has worked for either team this evening.
11.21pm BST
ET 18 min: In the middle of the field, Zabaleta is clattered, accidentally, by Kuyt as the two contest a high ball. Kuyt's shoulder crumps right into the full back's coupon, who then falls awkwardly on his back. A long period of treatment, as poor Zabaleta gets his mouth fixed up.
11.20pm BST
ET 16 min: Cillessen drops a shoulder to diddle Aguero on the edge of his own box. He's been the most skilful footballer this evening! That it's come to this at a World Cup semi.
11.18pm BST
After a couple of huddles in the turnaround, we're off again! There's still time for a mini-classic. Isn't there? Eh?
11.15pm BST
Cillessen punches the set piece clear with ease. But Argentina are quickly back at Holland, Palacio bombing down the right. He whips a fine cross into the middle for Aguero, but Vlaar intercepts and guides out for a corner. It's cleared by De Vrij, and that's that for the first half of extra time.
11.13pm BST
ET 15 min: Huntelaar is booked for lunging into the back of Mascherano, who was making off down the inside-right channel. There'll be one added minute, enough time for Argentina to load the box and Messi to deliver from nearly 40 yards out.
11.12pm BST
ET 13 min: Holland are probing again, showing much more intent. Robben looks to bust clear down the left, but he's checked by Zabaleta. The referee waves play on. Robben waves his arms around a lot. "Still, we have an average goal tally of four in the semis of the World Cup," tots Thomas Krantz. "Not too bad right?"
11.09pm BST
ET 11 min: Maxi Rodriguez comes on for Lavezzi. This match could do with a carbon copy of his extra-time stunner against Mexico in 2006, but the way things have gone tonight for these two teams, we may as well ask him to lasso the moon.
11.08pm BST
ET 10 min: Space for Rojo down the left. He blooters a high ball through the posts for three rugby points. Brilliant conversion.
11.07pm BST
ET 9 min: Robben cuts in from the right, takes a touch past Biglia, and launches a dipper towards the bottom right. Romero gets his body behind it and gathers.
11.06pm BST
ET 7 min: See ET 4 min, except Sneijder's the star turn. Holland are at least trying. Argentina haven't put a thing together since the restart.
11.05pm BST
ET 6 min: Robben shows a bit of rare ambition, his toes twinkling down the right, diddling Demichelis and winning a corner. The set piece is easily mopped up by Argentina.
11.04pm BST
ET 5 min: Kuyt plays a clever ball down the left. Van Persie doesn't have the energy to chase it. He's immediately hooked, Huntelaar coming on. Stand down, Tim Krul!
11.02pm BST
ET 4 min: Kuyt on the left. Ball out on the right. Ay ay ay.
11.01pm BST
ET 2 min: Now Argentina ping it around the back. This is what passes for entertainment tonight. In fairness, we were spoiled yesterday.
10.59pm BST
And we're off again! No changes, though Huntelaar is being prepared for a possible final Dutch substitution. Holland get the ball rolling, and knock it around the back awhile.
10.56pm BST
"When does The Open start?" wonders Simon McMahon.
10.53pm BST
More good news for Germany! Not only are these two teams extremely poor, they're playing an extra 30 minutes of football ahead of the final.
10.53pm BST
90 min +3: Janmaat is in acres down the right, and looks for Wijnaldum in the middle with a low cross. But the ball inside is inaccurate, and the full back's offside anyway.
10.52pm BST
90 min +1: SOME EXCITEMENT!!!!!! AFTER 91 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!! The Dutch suddenly spring into life! Robben is set clear into the Argentinian area down the inside-left channel by a deft Sneijder backflick. He's got the chance to shoot, but Mascherano slides in just as a place in the final looms for Holland. Corner. Cleared.
10.51pm BST
90 min: There will be three added minutes.
10.49pm BST
89 min: In the last two minutes, first Mascherano and then Demichelis have attempted to power forward on a Beckenbaueresque mission. Given how this match has panned out, you can fill in the rest yourself.
10.47pm BST
87 min: Messi slides a ball down the inside-right channel for Aguero, who is free in the area just to the right of goal. He looks to feed Palacio to his left, when a shot would have been the better option. Holland clear.
10.46pm BST
86 min: Kuyt sprays a ball down the left to release Robben into a little space. Demichelis slides in to concede a corner. Rojo heads the set piece clear. Clasie screws a dismal shot miles wide right from nearly 30 yards.
10.45pm BST
85 min: Nerves have got the better of these two teams. That's been the case for the first 84 minutes of the game, and nobody wants to risk anything now. "The non-football historian in me can't help but point out: the Dutch anthem is called Wilhelmus," writes Sebastian Merz. "It's as silly to talk about German or Dutch blood today as it was back then, but it may be worth pointing out that William the Silent, the great Dutch national hero was the prince of Nassau, which has been part of the different 'Germanies' for most of the last millennium."
10.43pm BST
84 min: Rojo has a pop from 25 yards down the inside-left channel. Cillessen gathers without fuss. He looks to bowl the ball upfield for a quick break, but a faux-innocent Aguero gets in the way. The ref blows for a free kick, but doesn't book the saucy bugger.
10.43pm BST
83 min: Pretty quiet in the stadium right now. And no wonder, this is appalling. Come back, Brazil, all is forgiven.
10.42pm BST
82 min: After a ludicrous wait, Aguero and Palacio come on for Higuain and Perez. Holland take their throw. Robben whips a cross straight down the throat of Romero.
10.41pm BST
80 min: Blind hoicks a ball into the Argentinian box from the left. A bit of panic as Robben nearly latches onto it amid defensive confusion. Rojo slaps it out of play on the left. There'll be a throw-in soon, but Argentina are about to make a double change.
10.37pm BST
77 min: A free kick to Holland down the left. Sneijder Kuyts it out of play to the right of goal, on the full. You'd need to be 12 feet tall, with a good spring, to get a header on that. This is piss-poor.
10.36pm BST
76 min: That Dutch move appears to have shaken Argentina out of their lethargy. Perez loops a fast pass into the Holland area from the right. Higuain, at full stretch, attempts to guide a volley into the top right. The crowd roar in celebration, but the ball's billowed the side netting. It's not gone in. The nearest Argentina have come for a while.
10.34pm BST
75 min: This is a bit better by Holland. Janmaat is released down the right by a clever reverse pass from Sneijder. The resulting cross is whipped to the near post, where van Persie, his back to goal, attempts to Mark Hughes a bicycle kick into the net. The ball flies wide, and he's offside anyway. But it's something.
10.33pm BST
74 min: Kuyt, 35 yards out down the left, balloons the ball out of play near the right-hand corner flag. Goal kick. God almighty.
10.32pm BST
72 min: Vlaar takes out Higuain's knees with his shoulder. What a clumsy oaf. Free kick for Argentina, down near the right-hand corner flag. Messi hoofs it straight out of play to the left of goal, like a Sunday hacker.
10.30pm BST
69 min: Janmaat is down getting a little bit of treatment after clattering his mug into the back of Rojo's head. He'll be OK, by the looks of it, writes Dr Murray, resident MBM quack, who probably should be struck off, this is no sort of prognosis.
10.28pm BST
67 min: Holland lump a couple of high balls into the Argentinian area. They're mopped up easily enough. "Sabella looks like Kurtwood Smith doing a Gilbert Gottfried impression," writes Kári Tulinius, using the sort of cultural references the internet kids can't get enough of. They're lapping them up. "I'm watching this game in a bar full of people, but it's not like I risk missing much while typing this email."
10.25pm BST
65 min: The rain is tipping down in São Paulo. "I have no idea what Wayne Charlton is talking about," writes Philip Reed. "I've lived in many parts of the US, and the word Dutch in isolation almost always means Netherlandic. However, the historical idea of Dutch to mean German lives on in the phrase Pennsylvania Dutch, and no doubt in other terms."
10.23pm BST
63 min: Biglia is currently down receiving treatment, having knocked knees with Janmaat as the two slid across the turf to challenge for a loose ball. He might have irritated the wrist he's got bandaged up, too. Good news for Argentina: he gets up, and will be back on in a sec.
10.22pm BST
62 min: Another Dutch change. De Jong is replaced by
Tim Krul
Jordy Clasie.
10.20pm BST
60 min: Kuyt, out on the left, swings a ball into the Argentinian area, looking for Wijnaldum, who is coming in from the other wing. Nope. Romero claims with ease.
10.18pm BST
58 min: Lavezzi twists and turns down the right, then stands one up into the middle for Higuain. But Janmaat comes across to cover just as the striker looks to power a header goalwards from ten yards. Better, though that's not saying much. "Louis van Gaal looks like Steve Bruce crossed with Donald Trump. PS: I watch football alone." Simon Farnaby there, suffering what sounds like a long, slow, lingering, stupid death.
10.17pm BST
56 min: Janmaat looks for Robben down the right, but his pass is clumpish and flies out for a goal kick. This is a pretty poor match, but not every semi-final can be earth-shudderingly epochal, I guess.
10.14pm BST
54 min: Robben has a little space down the middle. He makes with purpose towards the Argentinian box, but is spooked by Demichelis, who stands firm on the edge of the area, and as Robben hesitates, Biglia tracks back to nip the ball away.
10.12pm BST
52 min: This is scrappy rubbish right now. Messi and Higuain are both caught miles offside as Biglia attempts to find a pass that'll get Argentina moving forward. Germany are looking every inch the world champions in waiting right now.
10.10pm BST
50 min: Sneijder wafts a harmless free kick over the bar. Hopeless. Argentina go down the other end, Biglia rolling a pass down the middle for Messi, who for a second appears to have broken clear, but he's offside, and in any case Cillessen was out of his area and first to the ball.
10.09pm BST
49 min: Demichelis is quite rightly booked for obstructing Robben as the Dutch attacker looks to turn the defender down the inside-left channel. This'll be a free kick in a dangerous area: Sneijder Country.
10.08pm BST
48 min: Wijnaldum on a very positive run down the right. His cross is deep. It finds Kuyt, who controls but can't get a shot away or find a team-mate. A scrappy start to the half. Meanwhile here's Wayne Charlton, coming late to the party with a little more Holland-related style pedantry: "References to Dutch here in the USA are not necessarily to those originally from the Netherlands but usually the Germans - Dutch being a bastardization of Deutsch ('German' in German). Yet in the Wilemhuis - the national anthem of the Netherlands - it sings about Wilhem being of Duitse bloed which in modern Dutch translates to 'German blood' but really at the time meant of Dutch blood (Duytsen) - which maybe the origin of Dutch and help a bit with your quandry. Bloody confusing country eh? Still, hup Holland."
10.06pm BST
46 min: De Vrij bodychecks Perez, who was looking to break down the left. A wee bit lucky to escape a booking for sheer cynicism there. "As a Liverpool supporter this is painful to say," begins Mark Wainwright in an email with the heading 'Managers who enhance their reputation by not going to the World Cup', "but Mourinho dropped Casillas, unloaded Luiz for a fortune and doesnt rate Oscar, all of whom have had disastrous performances in Brazil. He might even be as smart as he thinks he is." It's a worrying thought, isn't it.
10.05pm BST
Holland get the ball rolling again, having replaced the consistently clumsy Martins Indi with Janmaat. "Looks like Robin van Persies stomach-bug medication has been having exactly the effect listed on the bottle: affects timing of runs." Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Charles Antaki, he's here all week, try the Imodium.
9.52pm BST
Half-time advertisement: Nobody's fault, but nearly four weeks have passed, and those ball-juggling ITV stings for Santander are getting pretty irritating now. They don't do
World Cups
bank ads like they used to.
9.49pm BST
Messi slides a pass down the left for Rojo, who overhits a cross into the box meant for Higuain. And that's it for the first half. Could be quite a bit better, this. Say what you like about much-maligned Brazil, but they certainly know how to put on a first-half show.
9.46pm BST
45 min: Messi skips along a baroque route down the right. He's dragged back by Martins Indi, who is booked for persistent fouling. Messi swings the resulting set piece into the box. It's claimed easily by Cillessen.
9.44pm BST
42 min: It's gone a bit scrappy, this. Misdirected passes, heavy touches, late clips on the ankle. Robben, Sneijder and Messi surround the referee to moan about some minor infringement or other.
9.41pm BST
39 min: Demichelis takes a wild hack at Sneijder. Not sure whether he meant it, but the Dutch midfielder felt that. He's off the field getting some attention, clutching his thigh. Meanwhile Martins Indi obstructs Messi down the right. It's a free kick. The ball's swung into the middle towards Messi, but Kuyt - a one-man Total Football XI - is there to intercept and clear.
9.39pm BST
37 min: Lavezzi is sprung clear down the right. He reaches the byline and pulls a low cross into the centre. Martins Indi manages to get in the way of Higuain. "A number of Guardian writers used to call Carlos Tevez the rich man's Dirk Kuyt," recalls John Kim, "but look at him now, it's 2014, and only one of them is starting in the semi-finals of the World Cup."
9.37pm BST
34 min: That free kick apart, Messi has been fairly quiet. He's caught offside down the right, and fiddles sheepishly with his socks. "Kuyt's penalty against Costa Rica was great," writes Zach Neeley. "No staring down or stutter stepping around, just run up and kick it hard, essential Dirk-ness."
9.34pm BST
32 min: A corner for Holland down the left. Romero punches it clear, but it's soon coming back at Argentina. Sneijder swings a ball in from the left. Van Persie flicks on a header towards Blind, ten yards out and contesting with Demichelis, but the offside flag goes up. A borderline decision, that. Argentina didn't look particularly comfortable there.
9.32pm BST
29 min: Both of these teams are already five goals better off than Brazil were at this point last night. Then again, they're both five goals worse off than Germany. It's the old half-filled glass question, isn't it.
9.30pm BST
28 min: Mascherano clashes heads with Wijnaldum. It's entirely innocent. Mascherano takes a couple of steps, then, totally dazed, falls face-forward to the floor. He's caught by a concerned Wijnaldum and eased to the floor. After a couple of minutes' worth of treatment, he's up and about again. He looked out of it for a while there, but the magic sponge seems to have done the trick. For now, anyway.
9.28pm BST
25 min: Yep, Cillessen's confidence hasn't been damaged much by that business against Costa Rica. The ball at his feet on the edge of the box, he drops a shoulder to sell Higuain an outrageous dummy, then sweeps clear. His cheek injects Holland with an instant healthy arrogance, and De Jong, down the left, rakes a diagonal ball downfield and very nearly releases van Persie. That wasn't a million miles away from an ersatz recreation of the famous Dennis Bergkamp goal, in terms of field position of the two players, anyway. But van Persie can't take the ball down, and it's a goal kick.
9.25pm BST
23 min: Argentina are gaining the upper hand. Lavezzi makes good down the right and zips past Blind with ease. His cross is poor, but Perez is soon causing bother along the other flank. He wins a corner, which Lavezzi takes. Garay meets it, six yards out, and sends a header over. He gets a boot on the noggin for his trouble, Vlaar the culprit, but it's accidental as the pair battled for the ball. It is a World Cup semi-final, after all.
9.23pm BST
21 min: Martins Indi sticks out a leg to deny Lavezzi crossing from the right. Corner. Lavezzi takes this time, and this one's through the air. As with his free kick earlier, van Persie heads it clear. "For it to be a truly quintessential hat trick of Dirkness, the ball should have travelled for a total combined distance of three-and-a-half yards and gone in off first his shin, then the back of his head with the final one cannoning in off his arse," suggests MBM regular Phil Sawyer, who is if memory serves is a Liverpool fan; there's a lot of affection on show here.
9.20pm BST
19 min: Space for Zabaleta down the right. He lumps a cross towards the near post, looking for Perez, but De Vrij gets ahead of the Argentinian to hoick the ball out for a corner. Messi sends in a weird bouncing bomb along the deck, and it nearly catches Holland by surprise, but Martins Indi hacks clear.
9.19pm BST
17 min: Sneijder looks like he's in the mood, too. From the centre circle, he sprays a delicious ball to the right wing for Kuyt. Shame that wasn't Robben, for a player with pace would have been clear on goal. But the ball's asking too much of Po' Dirk. "I actually quite like the new German change strip," opines David Wall, "but if Argentina are their opponents in the final, and get to wear their home shirt with black shorts, I hope that Germany wheel out a bottle-green number, just for old times' sake." That would indeed be lovely. Five goals minimum in the final, too, for that total 1980s vibe. Or a couple of meltdowns and a few red cards, I'd not be fussy.
9.16pm BST
15 min: ... fizzes a low shot through the left-hand side of the wall, looking for the bottom left corner. Cillessen is behind it all the way, gathering with safe hands. It doesn't look like the Ajax goalkeeper's much affected by the Krul shenanigans against Costa Rica.
9.15pm BST
14 min: This could be danger for Holland. Higuain plays a clever reverse ball down the right to release Perez into space. Perez is hacked down by Vlaar, clumsily rather than maliciously, 25 yards out, just to the right of goal. This is Messi Country. Argentina's genius steps up, and ...
9.14pm BST
13 min: A half-arsed clearance for Mascherano, who robs Robben down the Dutch right but gifts the ball to Sneijder, 25 yards out down the inside-right channel. Sneijder looks for the top left. It's never going in, but a decent effort nonetheless.
9.12pm BST
11 min: A free kick for Argentina down the left. Lavezzi whips it into the Dutch box from 25 yards out. Demichelis looks to meet it with his head, but van Persie gets there first. "It's been a World Cup of surprises," writes Ray Boland. "Given the result in the other semi, the stage is set for a big game player like Dirk Kuyt to march to the top of the Golden Boot ranks. Two perfect hat tricks would do nicely." Only if it's scored from a total combined distance of three-and-a-half yards, for quintessential Dirkness.
9.11pm BST
9 min: Higuain and Messi take turns to run at pace down the inside-right channel. They're both in top sashaying form, it would seem. Holland get the job done, crowding them out, but for a second they were being pressed back towards their own area without an answer. Blind and De Vrij went about their business briskly and eventually the danger's cleared. A nice open feel to this match.
9.07pm BST
6 min: Robben has an exploratory run down the left channel, but Mascherano is on his case. Then he looks sprightly down the other wing, chasing after a long ball and breaking free into the area. But he's offside. An early scare for Argentina, though, who were sleeping a little at the back there.
9.05pm BST
4 min: Argentina enjoying most of the ball early doors. Perez had an early run at the Dutch defence but was crowded out soon enough. "Am I the only person worried that Germany or Argentina could end up keeping the Victory trophy if they win this?" shivers Paulo Padilha, "or are Fifa no longer doing that win-it-three-times-and-its-yours thing? Part of me is excited at the prospect of that kind of history being made, but then I think about what sort of monstrosity Sepp Blatter would commission to replace it and hope Holland win this just so the old man can't ruin yet another aspect of the World Cup." You'll be pleased to hear that Fifa have got rid of the keep-it-after-three-wins rule, which saw Brazil make off with the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970 only for the thing to get stolen and melted down 13 years later. But there are only four more spaces left to engrave the names of winning teams on the underside of the new one, which means Fifa may well need another new trophy for 2030. Blatter will be a sprightly 94 years old by then, so if you think his judgement's gone now, it'll be very interesting to see what modernist masterpiece he commissions when the task finally needs sorting. What's that? You don't think a nonagenarian Blatter will still be in charge of Fifa come 2030? Oh my sweet, sweet innocent children.
9.04pm BST
2 min: Now it's Argentina's turn to knock it around a bit. Everyone desirous of an early touch. An awful lot of whistling. Brazilians, I'll be bound. They had plenty of practice last etc., and so on, and so forth.
9.03pm BST
1 min: Holland ping it around the back a bit. The crowd give it plenty of olés as they do so. Brazilians, I'll be bound. They had plenty of practice last night, I suppose. "Now if someone will just tell Germany to wear black shorts in the final, I think we're good," writes Halli Cauthery.
9.01pm BST
And we're off! A hell of an atmosphere in the Arena de Sao Paulo. Argentina aren't just wearing black shorts, by the way, they're wearing black armbands too, in memory of the great Alfredo di Stefano, who sadly died on Monday. A round of respectful applause. And Argentina get the ball rolling.
8.57pm BST
The teams are out! A beautiful, crisp, clean, classical aesthetic to this match. Dutch oranje and Argentinian abiceleste. And rather wonderfully, both teams have reverted to traditional trousers! Argentina are wearing their black strides, while Holland are in white shorts! Magnificent! It's the small things, they always add up. These people look good. The greatest association football event of all, ladies and gentlemen, distilled into its purest form. Tincture of World Cup. Parfum de la coupe du monde. And then it's time for the anthems, both of which are gloriously proud and pompous, as all good anthems should be. A-one, a-two, a-one two three ...
8.13pm BST
Holland: Cillessen, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi, Kuyt, De Jong, Sneijder, Wijnaldum, Blind, Robben, van Persie.
Subs: Vorm, Janmaat, de Guzman, Verhaegh, Veltman, Kongolo, Clasie, Lens, Huntelaar, Depay, Krul.
8.07pm BST
Team news: Robin Van Persie starts for Holland, despite those rumoured stomach problems, while Nigel de Jong, who strained his groin muscle in the second round against Mexico, returns to replace striker Memphis Depay. Argentina meanwhile make two expected changes: Enzo Perez comes in to replace the injured Angel Di Maria while Marcos Rojo takes the place of Jose Basanta.
7.53pm BST
Pedant repellant
Style guide:
GEORGE: What is Holland?
JERRY: What do you mean, 'what is it?' It's a country right next to Belgium.
GEORGE: No, that's the Netherlands.
JERRY: Holland is the Netherlands.
GEORGE: Then who are the Dutch?
7.30pm BST
Rob Rensenbrink. No man has come closer to World Cup immortality only to miss out. There he is, 15 seconds into injury time of the 1978 final between Holland and Argentina, the scores level, skittering down the inside-left channel after Ruud Krol's long, one-bounce free kick. The ball's at his feet. He's stolen a march on Jorge Olguin, and is tearing towards the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Argentina goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol comes off his line to close the angle, but he's always going to be too late. Rensenbrink sticks out a long left leg, and prods the ball past Fillol. It's heading towards the empty net! It's Holland's World Cup, surely!
Continue reading...World Cup 2014: day 28 as it happened
5.02pm BST
So here ends a bad day for fans of BRAZIL TEAM, then. The darkest hour is before the dawn, however. You only have to look at Germany, and how they turned it round from their 98-01 nadir, to realise that. It might take a decade or so to sort out, but it could be an enjoyable ride back. They'll get there in the end. And it could be worse ...
4.43pm BST
Man Says Hello To Other Man, Who Says Hello In Return dept.
@WayneRooney @felixkroos18 Thanks ! All the best for you !!!
4.38pm BST
Actually, I should stop referring to the Brazilian national team as the "Seleção". It's preposterous and presumptuous. Unless you're from Brazil, of course. "The Brazil team" should suffice. Bad hack. Sorry.
4.23pm BST
Some sort of collective nervous breakdown for the Seleção was always on the cards, though, wasn't it? We refer you to the end of the 2010 World Cup final MBM. Make sure to tune in on Sunday, where we predict a first World Cup for Scotland in 2018.
4.05pm BST
All good things come to an end. And so does my live blog shift. Scott Murray's will guide you gently through the rest of the day.
3.50pm BST
Bild claim that the deal to take Toni Kroos to Real Madrid is done.
3.45pm BST
Bayern Munich have announced that Mario Mandzukic is close to leavign the club and joining Atletico Madrid. "There is nothing signed yet but there is a verbal agreement between both FC Bayern and Atletico Madrid and also between Mario and Atletico," said sporting director Matthias Sammer.
3.40pm BST
The man responsible for determining the cause of Arjen Robben's falls tonight is Turkey's Cüneyt Çakir.
3.27pm BST
Chelsea have announced the signing of midfielder Mario Pasalic from Hadjuk Split. The 19-year-old was named in Croatia's provisional 30-man World Cup squad. "I am very happy because I am now a Chelsea player," Pasalic told Chelsea's website. "I am very impressed by the training ground and I must thank everybody at Hajduk. This is now a new start in my career. I am a central midfielder, my favourite player is Frank Lampard, and so I am very happy to be a Chelsea player."
3.16pm BST
This is always worth a listen.
3.09pm BST
"Looking for an alternative to Collapsão (11.03am), we find that if you put comeuppance through Google translate, it gives réplica in Portuguese," notes Sparrowgrass. "So Brazil were doomed by all those toy trophies in the crowd. Brazil will learn from all this and rebuild. First thing to do is get an English manager, to teach them all about 'managing expectations'."
2.36pm BST
A good question from Malcolm Cullen: "Now that Brazil have been humiliated at a home World Cup for a second time, what colours do you think their next strip will have?" Not sure, but possibly some tie-dyed number to create the effect of colour run abetted by all those tears.
2.32pm BST
Jose Mourinho has resisted the temptation to trumpet his own vindication. Because Guess because David Luiz did it for him last night.
2.10pm BST
If you haven't already read Rob Smyth's discussion of Dennis Bergkamp's sumptuous goal against Argentina in the 1998 semi-final, then treat yourself now.
2.08pm BST
Last night was Brazil's first competitive defeat at home since 1975. The victors that team were Peru, and Brazil's defending was of a sort that David Luiz & co might recognise (but check out Teofilo Cubillas's wonderful freekick for Peru's second).
1.53pm BST
There's a part of me, a wicked, childish part perhaps, that wants Argentina to come out on the pitch doing this tonight.
1.47pm BST
It seems that not all Brazilians dissolved into tears yesterday. Some retained enough dignity to make a welcome quip. "Meia Hora, the usually cheeky, chirpy, colourful tabloid, has turned its front page black in mourning today," reports our man Jon Watts. "The headline reads 'Não vai ter capa' (There isn't going to be coverage) and is a play on words on the protest slogan, 'There isn't going to be a World Cup.' Below it is a short explanation, 'Today, we are too ashamed to make jokes. We'll come back tomorrow*. At the foot of the page, the asterisk is clarified 'While you were reading this, Germany scored another goal'."
1.44pm BST
1. Is the upcoming third-placed play-off the most interesting ever?
2. Should goals scored in the third-placed play-off really count towards the Golden Boot? Not in my opinion, as these game are always more open than any other in the tournament (um, Brazil semi-final capitulations notwithstanding), often feature weakened sides and just do not have the same pressure as other ones. Davor Suker, Toto Schillachi and Thomas Muller: your Golden Boots are tainted!
1.32pm BST
Was Julio Cesar really Brazil's least awful performer last night?
Those Lance ratings again - with working link... pic.twitter.com/CFMKSzzMB3
1.30pm BST
Thanks to Michael Schirp for pointing out that Miroslav Klose only needs one more goal to equal England's total tally from the last four World Cups. It currently stands England 17-16 Klose.
1.22pm BST
"Not to be parochial," begins Neil Connolly. "But Ireland have Germany in our Euro 2016 qualifying group. Do you think we could nick three points in Lansdowne Road?" Of course, we had them in our qualifying group for this World Cup, too, and heroically out-performed Brazil, losing only 6-1. This time round, alas, I fear the best hope may be to get a local resident to complain about the inconvenience of having people attend a stadium near their house and make the match go the way of those Garth Brooks concerts ...
1.06pm BST
"I Cant wait for the final to begin," yelps Jeroen Stet. "Eight hours till kickoff. Well just have to beat those Argies 8-1 to show Germany whos Boss! Thought you might like this. Its the front page of De Telegraaf, the biggest Dutch newspaper." Yikes!
12.47pm BST
Afternoon. Paul Doyle at your service. One of the big questions today, of course, is how will Argentina rise to the challenge laid down by Germany's victory last night? This has created a historic opportunity for their supporters to splash gaily in the tears of their arch-rivals, and chances like that are not to be passed up lightly. Bastia fans set an excellent precedent when they mocked their fellow Corsicans Ajaccio for being relegated to Ligue 2 by displaying a huge banner of Nelson Muntz from the Simpsons pointing and taunting. Here it is. Haha indeed! Will Argentina fans show similar wit tonight?
SC Bastia fans after relegating rivals AC Ajaccio to Ligue 2 today. pic.twitter.com/BAcjNScP3D
12.28pm BST
Right, that's all from me. I'm handing the keys to Paul Doyle.
12.25pm BST
Diego, did you see the game last night?
12.17pm BST
BREAKING NEWS: Angela Merkel will travel to Brazil to watch Sunday's final.
11.59am BST
Gonzalo Higuain says he won't be leaving Napoli, despite Leo Messi wanting him at Barcelona. "I am really grateful to Leo (Messi) for his kind words but I have a contract with Napoli that makes me very happy," Higuain said. "The Partenopei club (Napoli) has always treated me very well since I arrived there."
11.54am BST
Actually Argentina should lose on purpose tonight just so they can play Brazil on Saturday.
11.53am BST
Brazil still have to play the third-place play-off, though. Possibly against Argentina. Imagine if they lose that.
11.48am BST
Jim Powell has compiled a collection of today's front pages from around the world. Have a look here.
11.37am BST
The IOC president, Thomas Bach, liked what he saw last night (he's German).
It is not only a shock for the Brazilians, I think it is for everybody. Such a result can only happen when you have these kind of circumstances. Brazil was missing its best player. Neymar cannot be replaced and the other team was playing an excellent match and scoring. If you saw Brazil in the first 10 minutes, they played very well offensively, then it all turned around. I really have a lot of respect for the sports-loving fans and public and nation, and I keep my fingers crossed for them for the (third-place) match."
Other stadia would have been empty at halftime after 0-5," he said. "There you saw a full capacity stadium still supporting the team and acknowledging the effort. There are these kind of black days. It is a pity but things like this happen. But Germany was the better team and deserved to win."
I think that the world has seen the organisational skills of Brazil in this World Cup. Many were surprised, but you could see how well this was organised, how well this went. This evening, in particular, all the world could see what a sports-loving nation Brazil is. I think both together (are) a very good message for the world and for the Olympic Games."
11.28am BST
Would you like to see a video of Brazilian fans crying? You would? You monsters!
11.23am BST
But Lazio will not be selling Miroslav Klose. So says their president, Claudio Lotito. Here's what he reckons about the World Cup legend.
Now we have a champion who has scored the most goals in World Cups. The figure he had to reach, he has already done so, regardless of whether or not he scores in the final. In order to receive offers for a player, he must be placed on the market and Klose is not for sale."
11.21am BST
In non-World Cup news, Bayern Munich are selling Mario Mandzukic to Atletico Madrid. That's a good signing.
11.16am BST
Johan Cruyff has had his say on Twitter.
Germany was better. Their ball control, movement & position play was superior. This is why I consider them the best team in the tournament
@JohanCruyff shut up ugly flop
11.13am BST
On This Day in World Cup history, Brazil beat Sweden 7-1 in 1950. Now there's irony!
11.03am BST
Ian's right. We do need a word for this.
Lots of David Luiz lolz here as @JacobSteinberg rounds up reaction to the Collapsão (we do need a word for this) http://t.co/aoNwq5kHh0
11.00am BST
Philip Oltermann has written this piece on the reaction in Germany. They are pleased.
In my neighbourhood, they let off fireworks after the first, second and third goal. But after Toni Kroos side-footed in the fourth, there was only silence. People started to shake their heads in disbelief rather than pump their fists into the humid summer air: Was that another goal, or just the replay?, the man sitting next to me asked. Even the keenest pyromaniacs of Berlin hadnt prepared for a feast of football like this one.
Interviewed on German television after the match, World Cup record-scorer Miroslav Klose seemed unable to articulate an appropriately enthusiastic response, automatically resorting to the must try harder soundbites one would expect after narrow 1:0 victory: Toni [Kroos] always delivers the ball where it needs to be. But we need to keep on working on that.
10.54am BST
"If Luiz is Sideshow Bob, does that make Marcelo Sideshow Cecil, and Dante Sideshow Mal?" says David Wall. "Krusty the Clown, managing things from the bench must have a hard time choosing his side-kick from that lot."
They should all be loaded into a cannon and fired into the sun.
10.48am BST
"David Luiz just doesn't seem to learn," says Matt Dony. "Like that time he kept standing on all those rakes..."
You asked for it.
10.40am BST
You know how some people very sniffy about David Luiz not being "appreciated in England"? Well how are those people feeling now? He is a complete liability as a centre-back, charging around like a headless chicken, trying to put out fires by pouring petrol on them, not bothering to do things like marking or defending or standing in the right place. Jose knew. He's dirty too. How many snide elbows last night?
10.37am BST
I genuinely think last night was the most amazing match I've ever seen. I mean, Fred had a shot on target!
10.28am BST
Of course, Brazil have always been rubbish.
10.18am BST
Manchester United want Angel Di Maria and Mats Hummels, it says here.
10.17am BST
Should Brazil have just refused to come out for the second half and thus forfeit the game 3-0? At least it would have erased Klose's record-breaking goal. Dignity, dignity.
10.07am BST
"On the subject of Robin Van Persie, I was somewhat perplexed to see him referred to in Glenn Hoddle's Evening Standard column yesterday as 'hitting top form at the right time'," says David Hopkins. "Has he actually been watching the games? This example of questionable judgement was compounded by his selection of an All Time World Cup XI, which featured the eternally overrated Roberto Carlos."
And that's not all. In today's column he's tipping Brazil to beat Holland tonight.
10.06am BST
None of you predicted it would be 7-1 to Germany. Idiots. What are we paying you for?
9.57am BST
Here are five potential issues to look out for in tonight's semi-final. It's by, er, me.
Disclaimer: the Van Persie one was written before it emerged he was a doubt.
9.53am BST
Speaking of whom, when the cameras located Fred sitting on the bench last night, a Brazilian fan in front of me gave him not one but two middle fingers.
9.45am BST
A lot of people get very sniffy about Miroslav Klose breaking Ronaldo's record.That's because most if you added the combined distance of where his goals are scored from together, you'd come up with 7.333333 yards. Apparently this makes him unworthy - but if that was easy, then everyone would be at it, wouldn't they. Klose is great. He's 36 and was a constant thorn in Brazil's side. Compare his output to that of Fred, who is a rampant disgrace. Exactly.
9.42am BST
Ouch! Ouch, I say!
9.40am BST
Chelsea sure did see Paris St Germain coming, didn't they? Go on another run, David Luiz, that'll sort it out!
9.39am BST
Morning. I watched last night's game in a Brazilian bar in London. It was a bit awkward.
9.39am BST
That's all from me folks. Jacob Steinberg will be here for the next bit. Bye!
9.33am BST
"Did Rob Smyth (in his article referenced a lot in yesterday's live blog) and others speak too soon about people speaking too soon in calling this the best World Cup ever?" asks David Wall.
"Supposedly it was missing a great team, and a real stand-out, great game. I think last night it certainly got the latter, that was a landmark result (and a great game does not have to be an close or even one, see Hungary's demolition of England at Wembley, Brazil 4-1 Italy in 1970, Milan's 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Gullet - van Basten years, and some of Barcelona's wins over the past few years (e.g. putting 5 past Real Madrid, or destroying United 3-1 in the Champions' League final), for examples).
9.29am BST
Germany have taken over from Spain as the sports standard-setters but this extraordinary result will lose its meaning if victory is not achieved in Sundays final, reckons Amy Lawrence. You can read more of Amy's thoughts on the game over here.
9.23am BST
In the midst of all the shock last night, it is easy to overlook just how good that Schürrle goal was. That first touch was sublime killing the speed of the pass and dropping the ball into his path is not quite as easy as it looks and to finish like that from that tight an angle at the near post was something else.
Andre Schurrle's finish... http://t.co/udVPibnRPG
9.16am BST
And here is how the front pages across Europe saw the defeat:
De Europese kranten daags na de historische avond in Belo Horizonte #DUIBRA pic.twitter.com/O3TyiU4WVa
9.12am BST
Good morning. Did that really happen? Or did we all just collectively dream it? Have you ever seen anything like it? Nope. Me either. Here's how some of our writers in Brazil reacted to it that:
9.07am BST
Welcome to Wednesday's coverage of the World Cup, featuring all the breaking news from Brazil and reaction to the latest results, injury news, squad stories and fan reaction.
July 5, 2014
World Cup Football Daily: Holland eliminate Costa Rica in the Krul-est way
Holland v Costa Rica: World Cup 2014 quarter-final - as it happened | Scott Murray
Holland scraped through on penalties as 2,500-1 outsiders Costa Rica threatened to shock Louis van Gaal's side
The best images from Salvador11.51pm BST
Shame, shame, shame. What a shame for the brave and occasionally brilliant Costa Ricans. In the end, after all their goalkeeper Keylor Navas's heroics, it was Tim Krul who ended up the matchwinner. And in fairness, the best team won, Holland having rattled the woodwork on a couple of occasions. But the romantics will shed a tear for Costa Rica, who were a penalty shootout away from becoming the biggest outsiders to ever reach a World Cup semi final. Maybe next time? Well, probably not. But they'll have this one in the memory banks, to enjoy when the pain subsides. As for Holland, they move on to a semi-final with Argentina, who have had a very good evening, all told.
11.47pm BST
Holland 4-3 Costa Rica: Krul tips Umana's weak effort towards the bottom right around the post - and HOLLAND HAVE MADE THE SEMI FINAL!!!
11.46pm BST
Holland 4-3 Costa Rica: Kuyt slaps his into the bottom left. Never missing. It's match point. Costa Rica have to score to keep their absurd, beautiful dreams alive.
11.46pm BST
Holland 3-3 Costa Rica: Bolanos whips a stunner into the top left! He had looked nervous, too, but not a bit of it!
11.45pm BST
Holland 3-2 Costa Rica: Sneijder tucks his away, into the left-hand side of the net, Navas sent the other way.
11.44pm BST
Holland 2-2 Costa Rica: Gonzalez walks very slowly towards the area. Krul gets right in his face, which isn't ideal but I suppose needs must. It doesn't work. Gonzalez blasts the ball into the top right.
11.43pm BST
Holland 2-1 Costa Rica: Robben sends Navas the wrong way, and blooters a fine kick into the top right!
11.43pm BST
Holland 1-1 Costa Rica: Ruiz goes for the bottom-right corner too, but it's weak and Krul gets a hand to it!
11.42pm BST
Holland 1-1 Costa Rica: Van Persie. Doesn't look confident. But he must be inside! Because he threads one into the bottom right. Navas goes the right way, but was never getting it.
11.41pm BST
Holland 0-1 Costa Rica: Costa Rica to take the first kick. Borges steps up. Krul dances along the line. He goes the right way, but Borges kick - low to the bottom right - is good enough!
11.40pm BST
As the players prepare for the penalty drama, Robben gets right in Krul's face, giving him advice, and perhaps psyching up the newly introduced, cold goalkeeper. Think Jamie Carragher and Jerzy Dudek in Istanbul back in 2005. Krul trudges towards the goal, in very pensive frame of mind. Costa Rica meanwhile get into a huddle. It's penalties! It's on!!!
11.36pm BST
The luck's been with Costa Rica, but they deserve to have gotten here. Sheer stubborn brilliance from them. It'll be penalty kicks, starring Keylor Navas and
Jasper Cillessen
Tim Krul!
11.35pm BST
ET 30 min +1: There's enough time for Cillessen to be replaced by Krul! The Ajax keeper doesn't look particularly happy about it, but this is Louis van Gaal's final throw of the dice! And it's with the penalty shoot-out in mind!
11.34pm BST
ET 30 min: Robben has another desperate run down the right. He cuts inside. Lays off to Kuyt, whose shot is blocked. That should be it!
11.33pm BST
ET 29 min: Bedlam, you say? More pressure on Costa Rica, and Sneijder has the ball just outside the area, to the left of the D. He drops a shoulder and curls a stunning shot towards the top right! The ball beats Navas - finally! - but clatters off the crossbar! Robben tries to pick up the rebound, but can't get anything away! WOW. This was utter rubbish for 80 minutes, but it's been wonderful since!
11.31pm BST
ET 28 min: Robben cuts inside from the right! Robben shoots! Robben doesn't score! Corner, which is hacked clear by Costa Rica! This is bedlam!
11.31pm BST
ET 27 min: Bolanos twists and turns down the middle of the park, and slides the ball right to Urena, who is clear in the area! But he smashes his shot straight at Cillessen! What a fine save! But what a chance to seal perhaps the biggest shock in World Cup history!
11.29pm BST
ET 26 min: It wasn't worth waiting for. Bolanos loops it straight through the area and out of play on the right!
11.28pm BST
ET 25 min: Bolanos has come alive! Now he's attacking Holland down the left - and upon entering the box, his shot is deflected out left for Costa Rica's first corner of the match!
11.28pm BST
ET 23 min: Chances at either end! First Bolanos twists and turns down the right, and enters the area. He can't quite get a shot away, but for a second he threatened to open Holland up. Then down the field, Lens is sprung clear into the box down the left! He's one on one with Navas! But the keeper smothers! What a stunning save! Turns out Lens was offside, but Navas wasn't to know that!
11.26pm BST
ET 22 min: Tim Krul is going through his warm-up routine on the touchline. Will Louis van Gaal switch keepers if this goes to penalties?!
11.25pm BST
ET 21 min: Kuyt loops a cross in from the right. Huntelaar goes up with Navas. The keeper claims, despite getting a faceful of Huntelaar's fingers. The striker's booked, and the keeper is given an opportunity to waste a lot of time while being dabbed with the magic sponge.
11.24pm BST
ET 20 min: A long hoof downfield sees Urena nearly break clear into the Dutch area down the right! But the bounce isn't kind, allowing De Vrij to get in the road. Urena hooks the ball back in the hope there's a team-mate nearby, but no.
11.23pm BST
ET 19 min: Diaz takes about 30 seconds to get to a throw in. Holland aren't too happy about it. The crowd are certainly sympathising with Costa Rica, as you'd imagine they would.
11.21pm BST
ET 18 min: Robben and Kuyt causing more bother down the right. Another corner. And it's not a particularly good one, clanked out of play by Vlaar.
11.21pm BST
ET 17 min: Robben at high speed down the right. He looks to break into the area, but bangs into the back of Acosta. Was Acosta booked? Not clear! He shouldn't be, it looked clumsy but nothing more, and the pair clashed heads accidentally, so that'd be insult added to injury. The resulting free kick is far too deep, and hacked clear by Costa Rica.
11.19pm BST
And we're off again! Huntelaar comes on for the ludicrous Martins Indi. Costa Rica set the ball in motion once more. Costa Rica's Plan B is penalties, isn't it?" wonders Sarah Rothwell. "Worked pretty well last time." Yep, their spot kicks in the shootout against Greece were magnificent. Meanwhile the Dutch have been in five tournament shootouts - and have won only the once!
11.15pm BST
Kuyt crosses from the right. Navas punches clear. And we're 15 minutes from penalty kicks! What tense entertainment this is!
11.14pm BST
ET 15 min: There will be two added minutes of this half. Costa Rica have, to be fair, fannying around quite a lot, taking their time at restarts, helping each other out with cramp, etc.
11.13pm BST
ET 14 min: Ruiz rolls a ball down the centre for Urena, who would have been clear on goal had his team-mate not overcooked the pass slightly.
11.12pm BST
ET 12 min: Robben goes on a rococo ramble down the right wing. He whips a shot goalwards and sees it clank off Diaz's shoulder. The ref claims that's handball. Harsh. For a second, it looks like he's pulling out that second yellow, too, but it's only his Temporary Graffiti spray. Robben blasts the free kick into Urena's startled coupon. But the Costa Rican striker will take those all day, because that's the situation dealt with!
11.10pm BST
ET 11 min: Ruiz is down, after being clattered in the trouser arrangement by Martins Indi, tonight's star galoot. He's on a yellow too! Sneijder doesn't put the ball out and goes on a skitter down the left, and is fairly unhappy when the referee orders play to be stopped.
11.08pm BST
ET 8 min: Costa Rica have a decent shout of a penalty here! Urena dribbles the ball into the Dutch area down the right. He's chasing the ball to the byline with Vlaar, who does brush the Costa Rican striker. Urena goes down looking for the penalty kick, but the referee isn't interested. File that under Seen Them Given But Would Have Been Harsh. Vlaar gives Urena a mouthful of abuse. File that under Chutzpah, given the controversy surrounding the Mexico game.
11.06pm BST
ET 7 min: Cubero comes on for Tejeda. Navas must be OK, because that's Costa Rica's three subs used.
11.05pm BST
ET 6 min: Navas clattered into Kuyt while flapping. For a second it looks like his heroics might be at an end, but after a lengthy delay, and a squeeze of the magic sponge, he's up again. Holland do nothing with the corner.
11.04pm BST
ET 4 min: Kuyt bustles down the right and wins a corner. Robben whips the set piece towards Vlaar on the penalty spot. Vlaar directs a clever header towards the bottom left, but is of course denied by Navas, who turns the ball away spectacularly. The resulting corner nearly sees the keeper run out of luck, as he flaps at the cross and misses. The loose ball's bouncing just wide of the left-hand post. Acosta attempts to bicycle kick the ball clear, but misses. The ball clanks off his knee and out for another corner.
11.01pm BST
ET 2 min: Costa Rica looked spent at the turnaround, splayed across the turf. Louis van Gaal took a leaf out of Alf Ramsey's 1966 World Cup final winning book, telling his players to get up and look sprightly. The mind games appear to have worked, with Holland on the front foot again. Robben tears clear down the right wing but is unfairly pulled back for offside. He'd have been clear on goal there.
10.59pm BST
And we're off again! Holland get the ball rolling for the first period of extra time. Another 30 minutes like those last ten would be just the ticket!
10.56pm BST
The end of that game was magnificent. A combination of Navas's brilliance, van Persie's profligacy, and Tejeda's luck. And Costa Rica, the 2,500-1 outsiders, are still in this World Cup!
10.53pm BST
And that'll be extra time! A terrible game that exploded into life in the last ten minutes! How did Costa Rica survive that late onslaught? Not sure!
10.52pm BST
90 min +3: From that save, some more tumult in the Costa Rican area. A low cross from the left is met by van Persie, six yards out, at the far post. He blooters a low shot towards the bottom right. It's cleared off the line by Tejeda, but in the most ludicrous way imaginable! He kicks it straight in the air, nearly takes his own nose off, and the ball rattles off the bar! It really isn't van Persie's night. Not yet, anyway.
10.51pm BST
90 min +2: ... sends the ball towards the top right. It's a brilliant effort, but Navas is right behind it to parry!
10.50pm BST
90 min +1: Just to the right of the Costa Rican box, Diaz sticks out a leg to challenge Robben. Contact. Robben goes over. Diaz should probably be awarded a second yellow - again! - but the referee looks kindly upon him. This free kick is in a very dangerous position, though. Van Persie steps up, and ...
10.48pm BST
90 min: There will be four added minutes of this.
10.48pm BST
88 min: Plenty of love in the stadium for Costa Rica, who have been staunch. Can they hold on? It would look like it. And here's proof that it might not be Holland's night: Sneijder makes some space for himself on the left-hand edge of the Costa Rican box. He stands a pinpoint-perfect cross into the middle for van Persie, who is clear six yards out, with the ball gently dropping towards his feet. But the striker gets in an awful tangle, and his legs turn to pipe cleaners as they buckle under him. He wafts a boot at the ball, but it's nowhere near! What a fresh-air swipe! What a miss! That's Robin van Persie doing that. Very strange.
10.45pm BST
85 min: Van Persie very nearly brings a long ball down on the edge of the Costa Rican box. Holland not afraid to mix it up. He can't quite control. "American cheese in a can actually delivers when you want it," argues
Kraft employee
Scott Martin.
10.43pm BST
84 min: Another free kick for Holland, to the right of the Costa Rican area. Robben takes. Van Persie and Kuyt make nuisances of themselves at the near post. Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam. What a stramash! Navas gets a block in as van Persie whips a shot in from a tight position on the right, and Costa Rica clear. This game has suddenly exploded into life!
10.41pm BST
82 min: The free kick, just outside the Costa Rican area, on the far left. Sneijder takes a step, and curls a stunning free kick onto the left-hand post. The ball twangs back out and into the middle of the box. Plenty of oranje shirts, but it doesn't break to any of them. Costa Rica hack clear. Navas was beaten all ends up there. For once. Lucky, lucky Costa Rica!
10.39pm BST
81 min: Robben turns Gonzalez brilliantly down the left, on the edge of the penalty area. Gonzalez tugs him to the floor. Robben falls in the area, but the foul was outside the box. Free kick. Gonzalez is rightly booked, and will miss the semi should his country make it.
10.37pm BST
80 min: Kuyt in a bit of space down the right. He whips a high cross into the box, where Lens powers a header towards the top right. Navas saves in spectacular fashion, a wonderful parry, and the flag's up anyway.
10.37pm BST
78 min: Turns out Dr Murray really is an old quack, and Gamboa is jiggered. He's stretchered off with some sort of jarring of the leg, and will be replaced by Myrie. "The problem with Jon Wilde's suggestion is, although we Welsh fellas do indeed make the best cheddar, it's essentially an English cheese," writes Matt Dony. "And joint ownership simply isn't allowed, as Sheffield United still bang on about. This game is more like American cheese in a can."
10.34pm BST
76 min: Lens comes on for Depay, who has faded badly. "If Jon Wilde is saying that a Welsh Cheddar would beat a Tasty Lancashire in the Cheese World Cup then I'm afraid I may have to ask him to step outside," writes Phil Sawyer, the first instance of serious hooliganism at this World Cup threatening to break out. Over cheese. "Except, of course, that Lancashire would need to declare itself a separate country to be eligible. Speaking as a Lancashire lad, this would not be an unpopular move in the land of the Red Rose."
10.33pm BST
74 min: Gamboa, refreshed and fully fit, attempts to high kick Blind down the left wing. Free kick. Sneijder teases in a lovely set piece, which Vlaar meets with purpose. But his strong header flies over the bar.
10.31pm BST
72 min: Bolanos breaks clear down the left. Nearly. He's got a split second to get a shot away, a step or two inside the area, but indecision is his enemy. Both teams will be feeling the nerves now as the clock runs down, though Costa Rica may have decided they've got less to lose.
10.29pm BST
71 min: Gamboa's back on!
10.28pm BST
70 min: Gamboa goes up for a high ball with Blind. Perfectly innocent, but Gamboa lands awkwardly. Might have turned an ankle, but you know Dr Murray, the Guardian MBM medical correspondent, he's a right old quack who doesn't know what he's talking about. Gamboa's stretchered off, but after a bit of a rest he doesn't appear in too much pain, he might be OK.
10.27pm BST
68 min: Robben zips down the right and cuts inside, one-twoing with van Persie and cocking his leg to shoot. But Tejeda intercepts and concedes a corner. Fine attack and defence. There's a mild stramash in the area from the set piece, but eventually van Persie is flagged offside. Again. A bit better from both teams, though. I've upgraded this match from casu marzu to Dairylea cheese slice.
10.25pm BST
66 min: Urena comes on for Campbell, who doesn't look at all happy at being hooked. Here's Jon Wilde again: "Not wishing to labour the point but, if this was a cheese World Cup, Wales (honest to goodness, strong Cheddar) would beat Canada (Lankaaster) in the final on penalties. In football terms, a Wales v Canada final is not likely to happen in my lifetime or, indeed, anyone else's. Good cheese though."
10.23pm BST
64 min: In the least surprising development of the night, Martins Indi is booked for pointless clumsiness. He's all over Ruiz, and that's a yellow card. The free kick from the right wing, 35 yards out, is whipped to the far post by Bolanos, and Gonzalez gets a head onto it. The effort flies over the bar. Good defending by Vlaar, who put the pressure on there, but Holland want to watch themselves here. They're not playing well at all.
10.21pm BST
63 min: Sneijder rolls a pass down the inside-left channel to release van Persie into the Costa Rica area. The striker's gone too early, and the flag goes up before he can gets a shot away.
10.20pm BST
62 min: Free kick for Costa Rica, 35 yards out, just to the right of centre. They're having a decent spell here. Bolanos makes an awful song and dance about waving at his team-mates, who are gathered at the left-hand post. Sure enough, it's a con, and he blooters a shot towards the top right. Incredibly ambitious, that, and miles over the bar to boot.
10.19pm BST
60 min: Another left-to-right diagonal pass by Sneijder. This one's all out of whack, but Diaz panics and bundles it behind for a corner with no oranje shirt near him. Robben's corner isn't up to much. Then Costa Rica race up the other end, Campbell down the left. Campbell reaches the byline, then pulls the ball back towards Diaz, who is knocked over from the back by the clumsy Martins Indi. Not much contact there, but some referees would give that. Again, Costa Rica don't complain much, which is usually a sign. But Martins Indi wants to watch himself, he appears to be in Galoot Mode tonight.
10.16pm BST
58 min: Sneijder rakes a stunning diagonal pass towards the right touchline for Robben, who does spectacularly well to keep the ball in play while chasing after it at full tilt. He zips along the byline from a position near the corner flag, and nearly finds Kuyt free at the near post. Holland are turning up the pressure a bit here.
10.15pm BST
56 min: Van Persie dances down the right, and wins a corner off Gonzales. Robben whips it to the far post, where De Vrij is in a bit of space. But his header is lame and misdirected, and Costa Rica clear. A decent chance, that. "I said to my wife this morning, 'Gee, I hope I can get through the Guardian's text feed for Holland-Costa Rica without having to see a picture of insect larva munching on cheese'," writes the picky Richard Warner. "Oh, Scott, you've gone and dashed my dreams." Sorry. I suppose you should just be thankful this isn't the tea-time kick-off.
10.11pm BST
53 min: Kuyt shapes to curl in a high ball, but it's a disguise. He pulls a low ball across the front of the area. Sneijder scores three rugby union points. A fairly dismal effort.
10.10pm BST
52 min: Robben goes down as he races along the right wing, and it's fair to say he didn't dive this time, clattered in a pincer movement by Diaz and Umana. Diaz is already booked, and lucky to escape a second yellow for his block on Robben, but Umana goes in the notebook for the initial trip. Free kick in a very dangerous position, just outside the area on the right wing.
10.09pm BST
50 min: All a bit scrappy, this. Costa Rica are as comfortable as they could be. Pictures of scrap, anyone? There'll be good pictures in our Gallery, good pictures of great scrap.
10.06pm BST
47 min: Campbell clips a lovely ball down the left wing for Borges to run onto. He whips a first-time cross into the area. Cillessen gathers high under the bar, under no pressure whatsoever. A fine atmosphere in the stadium but at the moment the fans are making their own entertainment.
10.04pm BST
And we're off again! Holland get the ball rolling for what is hopefully a better second 45. "If this was a cheese World Cup," begins Jon Wilde, in extremely promising fashion, "you'd reckon that Holland would do an Arbroath v Bon Accord and see off Costa Rica 36-0 or thereabouts. But you'd be wrong. My auntie Pam returned from Costa Rica a few years ago and presented me with a feta-like, strangely-tangy cojita cheese that had the beating of any Edam, Gouda or Limburger I've ever tasted. So, in cheese terms: Holland 0 Costa Rica 1." If this was a cheese World Cup, what's being served up tonight is casu marzu.
9.50pm BST
Half-time refreshment:
9.48pm BST
Everyone trudges off, as well they might. This hasn't been the worst game, but it's far from the best. A step up in quality for the second half, please, everyone! It's a World Cup going on here. And its reputation is, let's be honest with ourselves and face facts, in the balance.
9.47pm BST
45 min: Van Persie might have left a boot in on Umana. There was certainly a coming together, but the rights and wrongs aren't clear yet. The Costa Rican bench aren't happy, though, and are up as one to berate the referee. They're demanding action. About what? No idea. Action replays, so popular when introduced at the 1966 World Cup, seem to have fallen out of fashion at the 2014 edition. Are we all that jaded?
9.44pm BST
42 min: This is nice from Holland, though. Robben slides a can-opener of a pass down the inside-left channel, and van Persie is chasing after the ball, free in the area! But the superlative Navas is quick off his line, and smothers at van Persie's feet. It's a perfectly timed save, as it had to be. Van Persie tumbles over, but in fairness isn't looking for a thing; the keeper got there first, and got there fairly. Nice football all round.
9.43pm BST
41 min: A lot of Dutch possession, but they're forced to enjoy it in the midfield. De Vrij gets fed up, and lumps a simpleton's ball down the middle. Robben takes it down, then fresh-air swipes as he looks to shoot from the edge of the box. Hmm. This is not great.
9.41pm BST
38 min: ... Robben dummies, allowing Sneijder to curl a gorgeous effort towards the top left. It's going in, but Navas extends himself to tip the ball acrobatically round the post. What a shot! What a save! The finest football of the half, the Robben-Kuyt-Depay-van Persie combination of 22 min apart. Nothing comes from the corner, but that's enough entertainment for now, let's not be greedy.
9.39pm BST
37 min: Diaz shoves Robben's back as he slaloms down the middle of the park. Free kick, 30 yards out, centrally. Diaz is booked, quite rightly. Robben and Sneijder stand over the set piece. They step up, and ...
9.37pm BST
35 min: Another free kick to Costa Rica, down the inside right. The ball's looped to Borges at the left-hand post, and he nearly manages to rotate his body under severe pressure to bundle home. He can't, though, and Holland break upfield through Robben, who is unfairly stopped in his tracks by Gamboa. Were it not for the Robben diving furore of the last week, Gamboa would probably be in the book for that, but the Dutch star opts not to make a meal of it, and the referee goes easy. The resulting free kick, with the Costa Rican box loaded, is a risible disgrace.
9.34pm BST
32 min: ... sends a dreadful free kick straight into the arms of Cillessen. Holland romp upfield, Robben challenging for a high ball on the edge of the Costa Rican box. But he's penalised, rather harshly, as Gonzalez falls over.
9.33pm BST
31 min: Martins Indi is putting himself about, and not necessarily within the laws of association football. He bundles over Gamboa in the middle of the park. Costa Rican free kick, hoicked down the right. Campbell battles on the edge of the area, but loses possession. But Costa Rica are soon coming back at Holland, and van Persie is forced to clank into the back of Tejeda, 35 yards out. Costa Rica load the box. Bolanos steps up, and ...
9.31pm BST
28 min: A nice end-to-end feel about this, all of a sudden. Van Persie down the Dutch inside left. Depay to his left in a bit of space. He's fed the ball by an unselfish van Persie, and unleashes a low shot goalwards. Navas is in no mood to be beaten at his near post. A brilliant parry denies the Dutch striker.
9.29pm BST
27 min: Sneijder barges Ruiz in the back as the pair contest a loose ball down the left, Martins Indi having put Holland under a bit of needless pressure with a poor blind pass. Free kick, in a dangerous position, as Costa Rica can load the box. Bolanos hooks the set piece to the far post. Borges goes up but can't meet the ball with his head. Martins Indi was a bit hands on there, you've seen penalties given for that sort of wrestling. You've seen them not given, too, mind you, and that's what's happened here. To be fair to the referee, Costa Rica aren't moaning much about it.
9.27pm BST
25 min: Kuyt in more space down the right. His low cross into the area should be sidefooted home by van Persie from ten yards, but the striker takes a fresh-air swipe, and is offside in any case. Millimetres in that. The offside decision, that is, the fresh-air swipe was out by a matter of feet.
9.25pm BST
24 min: Sneijder scoops a pitching-wedge pass down the inside-left channel. Depay is clear on goal, but he's offside. After a quiet period, Holland are working up a head of steam here.
9.24pm BST
23 min: Robben runs at Costa Rica with extreme prejudice down the inside right, but is never in total control and his eventual shot is weak.
9.24pm BST
22 min: Fine play by Holland here. Kuyt is sent down the right by a lovely reverse pass from Robben. He pulls a low ball back to the edge of the area for Depay, who takes a touch and instead of shooting, shifts it left to van Persie in space. The striker hammers a low shot straight at Navas from a tight angle. Parry. The ball rebounds to Sneijder, 20 yards out. He takes a touch to the right and hits another shot straight at the keeper, who gathers. Poor finishing, all told, but a lovely crisp passing move to open Costa Rica up.
9.21pm BST
20 min: Campbell and Gamboa ping a couple of passes down the right, the latter fizzing in a low cross that's easily cleared by Martins Indi. Throw. Gamboa takes an age to take it, much to the referee's annoyance. All part of a plan? Holland are a little subdued at the moment.
9.20pm BST
18 min: Plenty of Costa Rican possession right now. The crowd, on the whole, seem pretty happy to see this, and holler accordingly. Bolanos attempts to thread a pass from the left to Campbell in the Dutch box, but the angles are all wrong. Costa Rica will be very pleased to continue in this manner, getting deeper into the game without conceding, with a view to seeing what happens then.
9.17pm BST
16 min: For a split second, it looked like Borges was going to break clear on goal. De Vrij hacked a hapless clearance upfield under a little pressure from Ruiz. Borges picks up possession and bombs down the centre. He attempts to drop a shoulder to beat the last man, Vlaar, to the right, but miscontrols. Hearts in Dutch mouths, though. Costa Rica are looking fairly comfortable at the moment.
9.15pm BST
14 min: Robben, van Persie and Kuyt triangulate down the right. It's a crisp passage of play, and Kuyt's in space along the wing. His cross is dismally overhit, though. Holland not quite clicking yet.
9.14pm BST
13 min: A bit of possession for Costa Rica. Ruiz is close to one-twoing his way through the Dutch defence down the inside right, with Balanos, but the ball's intercepted. Van Persie zips down the other end of the pitch, but his attempt to spring Depay clear down the left wing is misdirected. Not a classic yet, but there's plenty of time.
9.12pm BST
11 min: It's mainly Holland, as you'd expect. Robben attempting to come at the Costa Ricans from all angles. But no great scares for the underdogs yet. "I never realised Gordon Strachan was young and unsurly once," writes Joseph Rega of our preamble star. "But that is a bit of a resemblance to Messi, isn't it? Did Scotland play in Argentina in '87?" It's a lovely idea, mental images of Wee Gordy making the beast with two backs notwithstanding. But even if it were true, Scotland can't stake a claim, Wee Lionel's committed to Argentina now. They'll just have to wait for Ryan Gauld to blossom. No pressure!
9.09pm BST
8 min: Robben at speed down the right now. Gonzalez is forced to step in and concede a corner, just as the winger threatens to break into the box. The corner is a laughable piece of nonsense, and back at the feet of Cillessen within ten seconds of it being taken. Not what was planned, one can assume.
9.08pm BST
6 min: Robben has his first serious run at the Costa Rican defence, down the left. Costa Rica backtrack. Robben flicks the ball out wide left to Depay, who lumps a fairly agricultural cross towards the far stick, where Van Persie miscontrols. He's offside too. Half a chance to carve something out goes to waste.
9.05pm BST
4 min: Costa Rica move forward for the first time in the match, through Bolanos. And he's upended by De Vrij down the inside-left channel. The free kick's hoicked towards the far post from 40 yards out by Ruiz, but with too much juice, and Campbell can't reach it. Out on the right. Costa Rica hardly loaded the box there.
9.04pm BST
3 min: It's pretty much all Holland right now. Everyone happy to get a feel of the ball in the midfield. Nothing really happening otherwise. Gary Ashdown has been eyeing the pic of Big Louis: "Stewart Lee's let himself go, no?" This is the Guardian, we're contractually obliged to mention him at some point.
9.02pm BST
And we're off! Holland are in their famous oranje, while Costa Rica wear their change strip, white with a red sash across the shoulder. Costa Rica kick off, but quickly lose possession. Holland tear forward through Depay down the left. The ball's rolled across the front of the box. Umana hoofs clear. Just in time, too, with Robben racing in with a view to shooting first time. A lively start, but not necessarily one Costa Rica would have appreciated.
8.57pm BST
The teams are out! First, la platitudes de Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Don't be bad to each other, kids, is the general thrust. Which is fair enough. And then the national anthems. Holland's is a hymn, really, isn't it. I suppose that's the point of national anthems, a paean to the motherland. It's not very jaunty, though. A bit of a dirge, in fact, which belies the laid-back national image. The 2010 final as dots on a stave. Costa Rica's effort is much more enjoyable, built around the sort of elbow-rocking swing that could get an evening in a bierkeller going at a fair old whip. A Total Anthem. It would suit the Dutch, actually.
8.54pm BST
A bit of footage on the television of Louis van Gaal wandering onto the pitch to have a little look around before the match. He was sauntering down the tunnel with his wonderful trademark mix of insouciance, aloofness and healthy arrogance, the sort all the best managers have. He's got one hand in his pocket. And the other one might as well be giving the V sign. He's got a dip in his hip and a glide in his stride, strutting along in a gentle I-own-this-stadium rhythm. He clearly fancies this tonight. I wonder if he's started to dream about becoming a World Cup winning manager? You couldn't blame him. It's there for the taking, for nobody in this competition is any good whatsoever!
8.29pm BST
A couple of changes for Holland to the XI named against Mexico in the second round, with striker Memphis Depay and central defender Bruno Martins Indi in the starting line-up. They replace the injured midfielder Nigel de Jong and perfectly fit left back Paul Verhaegh. It's an attacking gambit by Louis van Gaal, I'll be bound*. Meanwhile Costa Rica name Johnny Acosta in the place of suspended defender Oscar Duarte. Both teams are playing 3-4-3. Or 3-2-2-3, or 3-2-2-2-1, depending on how pedantically you interpret the diagrams on Subs: Vorm, De Jong, Janmaat, de Guzman, Verhaegh, Veltman, Kongolo, Clasie, Lens, Fer, Huntelaar, Krul.
Costa Rica: Navas, Gamboa, Acosta, Diaz, Gonzalez, Ruiz, Borges, Tejeda, Bolanos, Campbell, Umana.
Subs: Pemberton, Duarte, Myrie, Barrantes, Francis, Granados, Brenes, Miller, Calvo, Urena, Cubero, Cambronero.
7.56pm BST
Style guide: GEORGE: What is Holland?
7.30pm BST
Juan Cayasso. Now there's a name to send shivers down the spines of Scottish football fans. Admittedly there are quite a few names which send shivers down the spines of Scottish football fans, but this one has special resonance for a certain generation perhaps a little too young to remember the calamities of 1954 or 1978. The Scots had gone into Italia 90 with hope. Four years earlier they'd been drawn in the original Group of Death, alongside perennial major finalists West Germany, the most exciting team in Europe in Danish Dynamite, and Enzo Francescoli's Uruguay. No chance. But this time they just needed to be runners up to Brazil in what looked a thoroughly escapable group that also contained a very average Sweden side and the minnows of Costa Rica. Would they make it to the second round for the first time in their history at last?
Continue reading...July 4, 2014
Brazil v Colombia: World Cup 2014 quarter-final as it happened | Scott Murray
David Luiz's stunning free kick was the difference, as Brazil lined up a semi-final with Germany
10.56pm BST
And that's it! Brazil make the semis for the first time since 2002. They'll face Germany - who they beat in the final that year - in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. James Rodriguez exits the stage he's made his own in floods of tears. Poor lad. He's been immense, the star of this tournament. Six goals in five matches! He may well end the 2014 World Cup as leading scorer. But no further glory for him. Brazil were a little too sharp for the rest of his team-mates tonight. The hosts probably had the better share of the referee's decisions, but the result was a deserved one nonetheless. They still don't quite look the complete package, but then who does? And they're in the semis, two wins from laying those ghosts of 1950 to rest. One way or another, the business end of this World Cup is guaranteed to be emotional ...
10.54pm BST
90 min +4: Zuniga is bodychecked as he romps up the right, by Hernanes. Quintero whips a ball towards the far post. Ramos gets a head on it, but sends it sailing miles over the bar. It'll be a goal kick, and the cheers can be heard all the way back in an unhappy Bogota.
10.53pm BST
90 min +3: Brazil manage to get the ball upfield, and into the Colombian half. But they can't keep hold of it for long. Colombia move upfield.
10.52pm BST
90 min +2: Armero whips a cross into the Brazilian area from the left. It's spectacularly cleared by Thiago Silva. The ball's then lumped in from the left. Bedlam, bedlam. Corner on the right, conceded by Marcelo. From which, Ramos eyebrows wide left. Colombia are desperate, but Brazil are not in total control of this situation, or themselves. The panic's on!
10.51pm BST
90 min +1: Bacca bursts into the Brazilian box after being released by Rodriguez. The striker's bundled off the ball, legally. Brazil clear. Rodriguez has been put on the floor when making the pass, and claims a free kick, but he's not getting one.
10.50pm BST
90 min: There will be five added minutes! Scolari reacts in the 'animated' style.
10.49pm BST
89 min: It's Henrique who's on for Neymar, whose rattling coccyx is now totally drowned out by the desperate whistles of the home crowd. They want full time, and they don't care that the 90 minutes aren't up yet.
10.48pm BST
87 min: From a poor Quintero corner, Oscar and Fred romp upfield on the break. The move breaks down. Brazil turn back towards their own goal. Zuniga plants his knee in the small of Neymar's back. Ooyah, oof! What a preposterous lunge. No card! But poor Neymar can't continue. He looks in obvious pain. That was a proper clatter. His coccyx must be humming like a tuning fork.
10.46pm BST
86 min: Zuniga romps down the right. Oscar is forced to concede a corner from 40 yards out. Before it's taken, Brazil swap Paulinho for Hernanes.
10.45pm BST
84 min: Colombia come straight back at Brazil. Armero is pinged free into acres down the left, and Colombia have men over in the middle. But the full back's mistimed his run, and is offside.
10.44pm BST
83 min: Quintero whips the corner hard to the near post. Fred heads behind for a corner. A second go. Ramires clears out for a throw. Brazil are pinned back in their own area, but Zapata stupidly crashes into Fernandinho, and Brazil can run down the clock before blootering a free kick up the other end.
10.42pm BST
82 min: Now it's a corner for Colombia, won down the right. Before it's taken, Hulk is replaced by Ramires.
10.41pm BST
81 min: Cuadrado is replaced by Quintero. And Brazil are rocking, because they give up a chance to Bacca, the striker heading a left-wing cross wide right from six yards. Turns out he was offside, but dearie me!
10.40pm BST
Rodriguez sends Julio Cesar the wrong way. The keeper goes left. Rodriguez rolls the ball to his left. He's kept up his amazing record of scoring in every game! That's his sixth goal in this World Cup! And Colombia are back in it!
10.39pm BST
79 min: A lot of fannying about before the penalty, Julio Cesar taking an age to get up.
10.39pm BST
77 min: PENALTY FOR COLOMBIA!!! Rodriguez clips a little diagonal ball from the left-hand edge of the D to release Bacca into the area down the inside right. Bacca's upended by the outrushing Julio Cesar, who should see red but only receives yellow. But that's a penalty kick! Can James Rodriguez get Colombia back into this game?
10.37pm BST
76 min: Oscar blooters a long ball down the inside-left channel. Neymar takes up possession. He's only got Yepes to beat, and he'll be free in the box. But the old man slides in brilliantly, to stop a certain goal.
10.35pm BST
75 min: Cuadrado jinks in from the left, but mishits his shot, which harmlessly bounces a few times before landing softly in Julio Cesar's arms.
10.33pm BST
73 min: Neymar, down the inside right channel, takes a touch inside and attempts to curl a left-footed shot into the top left. He so nearly manages it.
10.32pm BST
72 min: Yepes has been booked, it seems for dissent. Colombia aren't particularly happy with the free kick that led to the goal. A suggestion that Hulk went down slightly easily.
10.31pm BST
70 min: What a couple of minutes those were! Another change for a shell-shocked Colombia, who switch Gutierrez for Bacca.
10.30pm BST
We've not had many good free kicks at this World Cup. Well, here's one! Luis whips a sidefoot over the wall and into the top-right corner! Ospina had no chance whatsoever!
10.28pm BST
68 min: Rodriguez, who has been kicked hither and yon, slides in on Hulk, 30 yards out, and is booked. Free kick to Brazil, in a dangerous position. From which ...
10.28pm BST
66 min: DISALLOWED GOAL! Colombia lump a free kick into the Brazilian area from the right. There are two red shirts offside, so the flag goes up. But there's a stramash on the edge of the six-yard area. A series of fresh-air kicks ends with Yepes battering the ball into the net! But it won't count. Colombia argue that they didn't meet Zuniga's initial free kick - Luiz hit it first - but the ref's not letting that stand.
10.25pm BST
64 min: Cuadrado crumps his shoulder into Neymar's breastplate after being outskilled down the left by the young Brazilian. Still no card! This is preposterous. A free kick for Brazil in a dangerous position, but Neymar's set piece is claimed by Ospina. And then, finally, the first booking, and typically it's farcical. Ospina looks to drop-kick clear, only for Thiago Silva to get in the way of boot and dropping ball as he comes from behind. The loose ball is belted into the net by Fred, but it won't count. And the Brazilian captain has picked up the booking that'll keep him out of the semi should his team get there.
10.22pm BST
61 min: Colombia pin Brazil back for a little while. Then Yepes pointlessly bundles over Fred in the middle of the park as Brazil look to edge back upfield, and the pressure's released. What a daft challenge. "Is this referee part of a plan to increase the popularity of football further by making it more appealing to the computer-game-loving youth of today?" wonders David Wall. "When we get the Brazil - Netherlands final, if the Dutch revert to 2010 tactics and the hosts keep up their current approach it'll be more like a game of Mortal Combat or Street Fighter than football." If you see Sepp Blatter wheelspinning around Rio with the steering wheel in one hand and a length of lead piping in the other, somebody call the bobbies, he'll have finally lost the plot.
10.20pm BST
60 min: The ball's shuttled in from the Colombian left wing to Rodriguez, on the edge of the Brazilian area. He attempts another world-stunning volley, but this one isn't going into the top left, miles high and wide as it is. Still, hats off for trying. Colombia need something to happen.
10.19pm BST
57 min: Thiago Silva knees Ramos in the back of his leg. A foul any day, and probably a yellow too. But nothing's awarded. This referee is losing control of this game. He's making Howard Webb look like Abraham Klein.
10.15pm BST
55 min: Ramos tugs at Luiz's arm like a child who has spotted some sweeties at the supermarket counter. Free kick. This is scrappy rubbish right at the moment. On that subject ... "Just before the match, I popped to the shop to get some nice healthy oatcakes," begins Matt Dony. "While I was there, I also found a pack of doughnuts reduced to 25p. And you're absolutely right. Whatever Apple tell me, I'm going to enjoy them. After all, if Yepes can play a World Cup quarter final at 38, I've got a few years to catch up with him. Russia 2018 here I come!"
10.14pm BST
53 min: A bit of space for Marcelo down the left. He reaches the byline and sticks a high ball into the middle, where Fred and Hulk are lurking. Ospina rises to claim, and is bundled over for his trouble. Peep! A free kick, correctly awarded!
10.12pm BST
52 min: Guarin is forced to bring down Fernandinho as the Brazilian goes on a very positive burst down the inside right, 30 yards out. A little tip-a-tap free kick is eventually flicked into the area, where Luiz lurks. Zapata heads behind for the corner, but Colombia get a goal kick. Neymar is incensed. They're not having a good game, these officials.
10.11pm BST
50 min: Hulk rather needlessly bundles over Zuniga, as the right back looks to make ground down the right. Cuadrado takes the resulting free kick, out on the wing, 30 yards from goal. It's headed clear, but Colombia are quickly coming back at Brazil. Rodriguez looks to release Cuadrado into the Brazil box with a clever little reverse sliderule pass down the right channel, and he nearly succeeds, but there's a little bit too much juice on the pass, and it rolls away from the winger.
10.09pm BST
49 min: Rodriguez looks to turn Maicon down the left, but is nicked off the ball. This half is a load of stop-start nonsense so far. "Here in these Untied States, Pele's pushing Subway sandwiches," reports Bill Jones. "He doesn't say a word, just sits there." A bit like the sandwich, I guess.
10.08pm BST
47 min: Cuadrado bombs down the inside-right channel, and is upended by the dangling leg of Luiz. The referee's not giving it, though. Then the increasingly thuggish Fernandinho shoulder-charges Ramos into the hoardings behind the Brazilian goal on the left. Totally unnecessary, as Ramos had run the ball out of play. Again nothing. This referee's a clown.
10.05pm BST
The teams are back out, and we're off again! The hosts get the ball rolling. No changes for the home side. But Colombia have made a switch, and it's an attacking one: Ibarbo off, Ramos on. "This game is being played like a school ground game of First-to-Ten-Goals-Wins, and Big Phil is looking on like the genial master thinking 'boys will be boys'," writes Justin Kavanagh. "Somewhere in Portugal, the control-freak Mourinho must be in agony watching this."
10.01pm BST
Half-time advertising message, courtesy of Pelé :
9.49pm BST
And that's that for the first half. A very open and entertaining affair. Brazil just about deserve their lead, but their midfield enforcer has deserved a booking too. Colombia have been sporadically dangerous in attack, but they'll need to get their act together in the second period if they want to knock out the hosts.
9.48pm BST
45 min: How on earth has Fernandinho not gone in the book? He comes straight through the back of Rodriguez as the two contest a bouncing ball down the Colombian left, in the midfield. That's just old-fashioned clogging, pure and simple. But no yellow.
9.47pm BST
44 min: Neymar does indeed fancy it. He attempts a curler into the top right. Not a bad effort, with Ospina's feet planted to the floor. But it's never going in.
9.46pm BST
43 min: Zuniga rather clumsily clatters into Neymar as the former jinks around a bit down the inside left. Free kick to Brazil, just outside the Colombian box, to the left of goal. Neymar looks like he fancies this.
9.45pm BST
40 min: Neymar turns on the burners down the inside-left. Zapata looks surprised and, for a second, stranded. But he manages to hold his line, and Neymar runs the ball out of play for a goal kick as he tries to circumvent the defender on the outside. "My word. This is as frenetic and fierce as any derby I've seen. Though perhaps I should expect as much from the two largest coffee exporters in the world. Certainly more delicious than the earlier match, which was a bit of a grind." Grant Tennille, everyone. He's here all week. Try the Mellow Bird's.
9.41pm BST
39 min: Hulk dances down the inside-left channel and drops a shoulder to get past Zuniga. He's ten yards from goal, but shanks an awful effort wide left.
9.41pm BST
37 min: ... sees his free kick blocked by Marcelo, who is about a yard away from him now. That was always going to happen. Another chance comes soon after, as Cuadrado is blocked off down the left wing. Rodriguez sends that free kick straight into Julio Cesar's hands. Very poor.
9.39pm BST
36 min: Free kick in a very dangerous position for Colombia, as Fernandinho and Ibarbo both highkick each other while challenging a loose ball just inside the Brazilian D. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, but Colombia get the decision. The free kick is just to the right of centre. Fortaleza reverberates to tense, loud whistling. The ball's tapped sideways to Rodriguez, who ...
9.37pm BST
35 min: Another corner for Brazil down the right, Maicon winning it off Armero. Or rather, he'd have won it off Armero had the pitch been a yard longer. The ball was already out. But Brazil get the decision. Thankfully for the general health of the internet, and specifically Twitter, the resulting set piece comes to nothing, Neymar finding Fernandinho at the near post, the flicked header flying over the bar and wide left.
9.36pm BST
33 min: A relative lull in what's been a magnificently open and entertaining match, albeit a rather one-sided one so far. Brazil pass it around the middle of the park for a while, but their Liverpool c.1979 approach gets them nowhere. "By far the most troubling thought in this world cup is who has kidnapped Millings (3 min) and replaced him with someone who actually talks about the football rather than make laboured puns on footballers' names," writes Phil Sawyer. "I'm chiefly worried as if the real Millings has been disappeared I'm not sure anyone will realise I'm still locked in his basement."
9.34pm BST
30 min: Colombia showed up for a couple of minutes after the Brazilian goal, but since, there's been little from them. However, here they come again, through the lively Cuadrado, who batters a shot from 25 yards straight into Thiago Silva. The ball balloons off the Brazil captain's back and out for a throw down the left, from which Cuadrado and Rodriguez attempt a one-two that'd bust the latter into the area. But it doesn't quite come off. Cuadrado and Rodriguez look very bright, but Colombia could do with one or two others making a contribution in attack.
9.31pm BST
28 min: Brazil are looking extremely lively in attack. Marcelo whips a low pass into the Colombian box from the left, finding Hulk, who takes a touch and hammers a stunning low shot towards the bottom left. Ospina parries the ball straight up into the air, a stunning save, and Yepes heads clear. Oscar returns the ball with menace, but there are several Brazilians offside by now. Hulk is enjoying himself tonight.
9.29pm BST
27 min: Hulk slips the ball to Marcelo, just to the left of the Colombian D. Marcelo takes a shot with a view to finding the top right, but the effort twangs off the back of a yellow shirt, and there goes that opportunity.
9.28pm BST
24 min: Komik kutz in the middle of the park. Rodriguez is fouled, and gets up quickly, first with the intention of starting a fight, then to nudge a quick free kick forward. Gutierrez has the ball at his feet in a dangerous position upfield, but doesn't think the game's restarted. He's robbed of the ball with farcical ease by Fernandinho, and Brazil flood upfield. Oscar is very nearly freed down the inside right. Probably just as well he's not, as you'd never hear the end of it, though neither Brazil nor the referee did anything wrong.
9.25pm BST
22 min: Brazil are pressing. But they over-commit and suddenly Colombia are breaking upfield, four on two! A shot on target is the bare minimum that must occur here, but Rodriguez rolls the ball out right to Cuadrado, and the winger is blocked as he cuts inside to shoot by Thiago Silva. Brilliant defending, but what a chance spurned. "
Don't shill the World Cup to countries with human-rights issues
(Pre-match Fifa platitudes) is obviously a Fifa tenet," tut-tuts Damian Clarke. "Bloody Iain Duncan Smith and his Back to work schemes. Now we know why we didn't get the bid!"
9.23pm BST
20 min: Brazil have their dander up. Hulk again makes good down the left channel. He one-twos with Neymar then hammers a shot goalwards that's parried by Ospina. Oscar looks to loop the rebound into the top left, but that's easily dealt with by the keeper. A corner results, and after a fashion Colombia clear that, too. But they're rocking a little here.
9.21pm BST
17 min: Brazil don't score this time, but Colombia make another meal of defending a corner. Yepes heads out of the area, but the second phase of the clearance isn't dealt with, and Hulk is given the opportunity to make it back into the box with a powerful run down the left channel. He reaches the corner of the six-yard box, but there's no shooting chance, so opts for a low cross instead. Fred can't connect from six yards out, though Zapata was giving him full-on hassle.
9.19pm BST
16 min: Maicon bothers Armero down the right wing, and earns a fairly cheap corner, the full back clanking the ball out of play in a blind panic. From which ...
9.16pm BST
13 min: Rodriguez turns briskly in the centre circle and looks to break upfield with purpose. He's clattered by Fernandinho, who is very fortunate not to go in the referee's notebook. "In your intro, you suggest that Brazil will need to play better 'to banish the ghosts of 1950, else we could have a couple of new Moacir Barbosas and Bigodes on our hands by the end of the evening'," parrots Peter Johannessen. "Ironically, bigodes (which translates to moustaches in Portuguese) might actually be the answer, not the problem. As seen in this article, Brazil only wins the World Cup when they have at least one player with a moustache. Enter Fred!"
9.14pm BST
11 min: Colombia have responded brilliantly, it must be said. Cuadrado races down the right and sees his low cross cleared. Then he takes up possession again, cuts inside from the wing, and unleashes a low fizzer that's deflected inches wide of the right-hand post, the ball billowing the side netting. That might have troubled Julio Cesar were it on target. The resulting corner is taken by Cuadrado himself - well, he earned it - but is easily dealt with by Brazil. What a start we've had here!
9.12pm BST
10min: Cuadrado is gently kneed in the back by Luiz, 35 yards from goal, in a fairly central position. Guarin decides to have a crack. It's a ludicrously ambitious, and his effort to find the top-right corner of the goal only just about stays in the top-right corner of the stand behind it.
9.10pm BST
Well this is pretty easy. A ball fizzed in from the left. It goes straight through the six-yard box, over the heads of Luiz and Zapata, and is bundled into an open net at the far post by Brazil's captain! What a start for the hosts! What inept defending by Colombia! This is the first time the Colombians have fallen behind at this World Cup. Now let's see what they've got.
9.08pm BST
6 min: Fernandinho curls a pass down the inside left to set Neymar off on a fast-paced attack. He wins a corner off Zapata, from which ...
9.08pm BST
5 min: Sanchez bundles Neymar over, 30 yards from goal, winning a free kick in a fairly central position. He looks to get the ball up and over the Colombian wall and back down into the bottom left. He manages the first bit, but not the latter, and his effort flies well wide left too. But Brazil have started in a lively fashion, and Maicon's soon coming back at Colombia. He's in space down the right, but loops his cross onto the roof of the net.
9.06pm BST
3 min: A fairly open start, mind you. First Paulinho and Neymar attempt to combine down the right. Then Rodriguez breaks down the other end, along the right wing. Neither attack comes to much, but they get the crowd going. Meanwhile even Mac Millings is betraying a shiver of nerves, because for once he's playing it straight. "I love this Colombian side," he judders, "but I don't like the dropping of Jackson Martinez. Brazil are vulnerable to teams who have the nerve to go at them, as I thought Mexico showed, and I'm convinced that, had Chile showed more of their attacking side, they would be the ones facing Colombia today. It's precisely the wrong time for caution. I'm worried, Scotty. Worried." Yep, Pekerman will take a while to live this selection down if Colombia don't at least have a good go tonight.
9.03pm BST
And we're off! Colombia get the ball rolling, and lose possession rather quickly. Brazil gift it back in turn. It may take a wee while for nerves to settle.
9.02pm BST
I forgot to mention the pre-match Fifa platitudes. Don't be beastly to each other, kids. A well-meaning litany of no-nos: don't be racist, don't be sexist, don't be homophobic,
don't shill the World Cup to countries with human-rights issues
. "Is anyone weeping yet?" asks JR in Illinois. "Please keep us apprised. I expect maybe Dani Alves had some tears in private when he saw the team sheet." No tears yet, or none I've seen anyway. There's even been that now-traditional second a cappella chorus of the Brazilian anthem, but not a drop squeezed out. A few hairs standing on end, I'll be bound. There's a rare old atmosphere at the Estadio Castelao!
8.52pm BST
The teams are out! Brazil are in their famous yellow shirts with green trim, but white instead of traditional blue shorts. NOT OK. Colombia are in second-choice red. The players line up, and it's time for a bit of the old . Brazil! Of the sons of this ground / Thou art gentle mother / Beloved homeland Brazil! Colombia! Oh, unfading glory! / Oh, inmortal joy! / In furrows of pain the good now germinates!
But we know all this by now. Our time is better spent listening to a spot of cumbia ...
8.38pm BST
Should neither Neymar nor James Rodriguez turn up for this match, tonight's most influential player could potentially be Mario Yepes. Colombia's 38-year-old veteran is a fine defender who has tasted success at Deportivo Cali, River Plate, Paris Saint-Germain and Milan, as well as winning the 2001 Copa America with his country. But never mind all that! Just before the 2006/07 season, the authorities in France decided to launch a campaign to clean up the penalty area, with particular determination to stop shirt pulling. A DVD featuring examples of this heinous crime was sent round to referees and clubs for the purposes of information and education. Eight out of ten of the tugs featured turned out to have been executed by Yepes, then at PSG. He was also the cover star of the disc. Sure enough, in his first two matches of the season, Yepes gave away three penalties, all for the crime of shirt pulling.
Meanwhile, two of the three mentions of Yepes in the MBM of last weekend's Colombia-Uruguay match see our hero nearly starting a brawl with Diego Forlan, then getting involved in a shoving match with Diego Godin. Let's hope referee Carlos Velasco Carballo isn't looking for any old excuse to give the rickety old hosts a helping hand!
8.27pm BST
The big team news sees Maicon make his first appearance of the World Cup, replacing Dani Alves at right back in Brazil's starting XI. Luiz Felipe Scolari also brings Paulinho, so sleepy against Cameroon, back into the midfield to replace the suspended Luiz Gustavo. Brazil fans will be hoping he can find a team-mate or two this time with his passes.
Colombia meanwhile make two changes to the team that started against Uruguay in the second round. Midfielders Victor Ibarbo and Fredy Guarin are named in place of midfielder Abel Aguilar and striker Jackson Martinez, who both drop to the bench. It's a slightly more conservative selection by coach José Pékerman, who, if it all goes wrong for los Cafeteros, will get reminded yet again of what happened in 2006 between Argentina and Germany after he took Juan Román Riquelme off.
8.03pm BST
Brazil: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Thiago Silva, Luiz, Marcelo, Fernandinho, Paulinho, Oscar, Neymar, Hulk, Fred.
Subs: Jefferson, Dani Alves, Dante, Maxwell, Henrique, Ramires, Hernanes, Willian, Bernard, Jo, Victor.
Colombia: Ospina, Zuniga, Zapata, Yepes, Armero, Guarin, Sanchez Moreno, Cuadrado, Rodriguez, Ibarbo, Gutierrez.
Subs: Vargas, Arias, Carbonero, Aguilar, Mejia, Balanta, Bacca, Ramos, Quintero, Martinez, Valdes, Mondragon.
7.30pm BST
Twenty long years ago, Colombia went into the World Cup as one of the favourites, alongside usual suspects Brazil, Argentina and Germany. They had been tipped to win the whole damn thing by industry experts such as Terry Venables and Trevor Brooking. (Poor much-maligned Pelé hadn't gone rogue; plenty of people were saying it.) But Francisco Maturana's team couldn't live up to the promise generated by an unbeaten qualification campaign which had climaxed in an astonishing 5-0 demolition of Argentina in Buenos Aires. Los Cafeteros became the first team to be knocked out of USA '94, a painful experience for the country's golden generation of Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla et al, and one which descended into tragedy when defender Andrés Escobar was murdered back home in Medellin, ten days after scoring an own goal against the hosts. This ill-fated campaign is the first thing that springs to most minds whenever Colombia is mentioned in the context of World Cups. Well, that or overly ostentatious goalkeeper Rene Higuita fannying around on the halfway line to Cameroon striker Roger Milla's gleeful benefit at Italia '90. Either way, it's about time a truly positive chapter was added to Colombia's World Cup story.
Continue reading...World Cup 2014: day 23 as it happened
Latest results, schedule and fixtures
4.30pm BST
Closedown. That's your lot. Over to Paul Doyle's MBM for France v Germany with you, where Harald Schumacher's memories of Battistongate, as it has never been called, await.
I also received letters, some in German and some in French, from people who said they wanted to kidnap or kill my children.
4.14pm BST
"Here's some breaking news," writes lifesaver Alex Pratchett. "We just drew our 500th Panini Cheapskate sticker. It's Salomon Kalou, and it's absolutely horrendous, though he is pulling the exact same face that I did when I woke this morning and realised the quarter-finals start today. Only 140 more stickers to go by final day."
3.58pm BST
For hot France-Germany action, the superlative Paul Doyle is your man. He's at the helm of the MBM over here. Please make sure to join him.
3.51pm BST
Still no breaking news. But there's no point running off to Trading Standards to complain, we've promised nowt. This is nothing more than a quarter-final countdown. So, to that end...
3.24pm BST
Bribery latest! The Cameroon Football Federation has promised a thorough investigation into allegations that seven of the country's players fixed their 4-0 group shellacking at the hands of Croatia. Here they are:
The investigation is ongoing. We have already, by mail, asked [German magazine Der Spiegel, which published the accusation] for tangible evidence of these claims, which they have maintained despite the apparent challenge of the facts by their main source.
We remind the national and international public we will strengthen our application of the fundamental values of our sport - integrity, fair play, respect.
3.00pm BST
Afternoon, dear reader. With 24 of the 32 teams already back home, and no matches having been played since Tuesday, it's hardly a surprise that breaking news is thin on the ground. But it's the business end of a World Cup, and in a South American country to boot. The greatest combination in All Football. So, to get us all in the mood, the hot sounds of the last year the World Cup was played round this way, 1978. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for
John Travolta and Olivia New
Rod Stewart!
2.48pm BST
Domestic English football news: Oxford United have axed boss Gary Waddock and replaced him with Michael Appleton. And with that, Mr Scott Murray is here to take you through to the close
2.32pm BST
Warning: this may sorry, will give you nightmares. Blame Jonathan Fisher.
2.26pm BST
Here's a video from the Colombia camp, where manager José Pékerman has been making all the right respectful noises with regards to Brazil, stating that Colombia have been studying 'the Brazilian way' to play football for years.
2.22pm BST
*Makes mental note to watch later*
Nicklas Bendtner set to make his debut as a pundit for Danish TV today. What could possibly go wrong? #afc
2.16pm BST
Never let it be said the World Cup liveblog fails to hunt high or low for you here is how the manhole covers in Rio de Janeiro are decorated.
2.11pm BST
The fall-out from Luis Suárez's bite ban continues. Now Abkhazian club Nart FC are ready to hijack Barcelona's move for the Liverpool striker. Typical big-club hijacking. Reuters reports that:
The Republic of Abkhazia is located within Georgia, but claimed independence following Georgia's brief war with Russia in August 2008. The territory has not been widely recognised by the international community while its local football federation is not part of Fifa.
Gennady Tsvinariya, the president of the club, said Suárez will be able to take part in the Abkhazian national championship. "Of course we can not offer the Uruguayan footballer a financial package that he is used to, but the Abkhazian championship is at its peak," Tsvinariya told the Itar-Tass news agency. "We will be able to offer Suárez the chance to maintain his match fitness."
2.05pm BST
Paul is off to psyche himself up for the France v Germany minute-by-minute. Speaking of that game, here are your predictions so far:
2.02pm BST
Everyone enjoys quizzes, don't they?
A) Yes
1.46pm BST
I'm saying France will expose German mismanagement and oust Low with a little to spare. Let's say 3-1.
Colombia will beat Brazil, Holland will beat Costa Rica. And I need to think more about Argentina v Belgium. Fortunately, Mac Millings doesn't, and he's got it all sussed, emailing this:
Brazil 0
Colombia 1 (James Rodriguez 57)
1.26pm BST
Afternoon. Gregg is gone but his thoughts will linger: check out what he thinks about Gerard Houllier's proposal for permitting fourth subs in extra-time.
12.55pm BST
Right, well I'm going to hand over to Paul Doyle now. He knows a bit about French football so I'm sure he'll give you the lowdown on what to expect from Didier Deschamps and co tonight. Me? Well, I'm off to eat some food, but not before I've posted this image of religious dolls in a box that are going to give Big Phil's boys the boost they need to beat Colombia tonight.Bye.
12.44pm BST
Even Germany's Kristopher Kramer has got into that annoying habit of pulling his shorts up and flashing thigh. Alexis Sanchez has been at it too too in this tournament. And others. Was it Ronaldo who started it? Personally, I blame Montenegro's Mirko Vucinic.
12.30pm BST
Let's keep it modern dept!
That's all well and good Kraftwerrk getting the better of Jean Michel Jarre," writes Jermaine O'Leary. "But let's take into consideration the new wave of French music that has swept Europe. Sebastien Tellier, Daft Punk, Air, Kavinsky, versus the best of new wave German ..... Moderat (A new error)"
12.18pm BST
Do you know what the Brazilian saying is for a nutmeg? I didn't until I watched this video. It's 'to give a small egg' apparently, which presumably is shorteneed to "eggs" in the favelas.
"My money's on Ha-mez scoring a 'pigeon without wings'," writes James Lane.
12.11pm BST
Brazil v Colombia is going to be like watching two birds go to war, well according to this front page from the Correio Braziliense.
11.58am BST
Here's the Fiver on today's World Cup bongo, including Big Phil getting the Jock Wallace battle-fever on.
11.54am BST
Here's our football editor on whether Suárez can train or not. It's lacking an #fcb tag, mind
11.47am BST
If Colombia beat Brazil tonight I would love to see a video of the young kid here whose response to meeting Radamel Falcao before the World Cup caused the striker to cry. It sounds soppy but go on, watch it, and tell me you don't feel a lump in your throat at the young lad's ability to humble a superstar with sheer emotion. He must have been devastated when Falcao was ruled out. Although I fear the young kid would combust if Colombia actually went one to win the Big One.
11.41am BST
How have you supported your team this World Cup?
11.36am BST
That Neymar penalty stutter. A good or bad thing? Here's Patrick Michael Hull.
From watching the video of Neymar's shocking penalty last time out against Colombia, and the couple he's taken in this tournament so far, where do you stand on the stutter? I'd say the keepers are at enough of a disadvantage without the taker trying to dummy them into an early dive ..."
11.29am BST
If France and Germany were to face off in a late 70s minimalist electro pop-off, who'd win? So let's imagine Jean Michel Jarre with Equinoxe v Kraftwerk with Europe Endless. In my mind the match would play out with France getting off to a jaunty start and taking advantage of Germany's sluggish passing, before being pinned back by a late German flourish and ultimately losing 2-1. Thanks to Paul Kelly for posing teh question.
11.15am BST
Apparently, Liverpool have bid around £20m for Southampton's Croatia defender Dejan Lovren. But the Saints will only do business if Liverpool do a Lallana, and post a cheque for £25m the way of St Mary's in exchange for the centre-back.
11.11am BST
How did Louis van Gaal make Robin van Persie smile again? Owen Gibson explains here
With a relationship built on mutual respect. And it is key to the dynamic that Van Gaal has created around a Dutch side in which his captain and his vice-captain, Arjen Robben, have become his lieutenants on the pitch. The rhetoric from both has been the polar opposite of the sometimes selfish public image they have projected in the past.
11.04am BST
Here's Matt Dony
Does Landon Donovan have a son who can take him to task for an attack on Klinsmann?
10.59am BST
Hello. Gregg here. France v Germany? Brazil v Colombia? On the same day? Yes, I'm excited.
10.54am BST
That's it from me. Thanks for all your messages and comments. Next up is Gregg Bakowski to keep you up to date as the excitement builds in Brazil.
10.52am BST
Australia impressed almost everyone in Brazil, but their goalkeeper Mat Ryan is still tormented by the Memphis Depay strike that gave Netherlands a 3-2 win in their second group game. Ryan was slow to pick up midfielder Depay's speculative shot from well outside the box and managed only to get a hand to it.
"It's never easy for a goalkeeper to make a mistake and unfortunately in the Netherlands game, the third goal, I was pretty disappointed with my effort. It was probably the hardest five days of my life yet. It's never good making a mistake, let alone on the world stage in Brazil and at the World Cup, and I felt like I let my country down a little bit. Conceding three goals a game at that level isn't good enough. But in saying that there were a couple of saves I made, which was good for the confidence to show at that level I can make a save or two and hopefully in the future I can go away and learn from it."
10.41am BST
More World Cup recriminations now, and Landon 'I'm not bitter' Donovan has ripped into Jürgen Klinsmann, saying the USA were not set up to succeed. Donovan, who was controversially left out of the USA squad on the eve of the World Cup, argued that Michael Bradley was played too far forward, among other gripes. Klinsmann had to order his son to apologise to Donovan for a disrespectful tweet after the former Everton player's Brazil 2014 omission in May, but I bet he wished he hadn't bothered now.
Read Donovan's full attack on Klinsmann here
10.24am BST
André Schürrle deserves to start for Germany against France, while Didier Deschamps should unleash Karim Benzema through the middle. Ian McCourt has highlighted five key issues that will help decide who progresses to a World Cup semi-final against Colombia or Brazil.
10.14am BST
So let's admit it, we're all raving about how good Colombia are, how they're style of football will put Brazil on the rack and how fantastic it is to see the nation enjoying themselves again after everything they've been through. But here is Colombian football expert Carl Worswick to help us sound a bit more plausible in the pub tonight by telling us five things we might not know about Los Cafeteros
Of all the wacky and colourful fans that have dressed up to support their country in Brazil this summer, El Cole or The Birdman takes some beating. For 25 years Colombias most famous supporter has been flapping around in the stands, decked out in a yellow, red and blue condor outfit inspired by the countrys national bird and flag. After making his World Cup debut at Italia 90 where he later confessed to having slept in parks and train stations, he has now clocked up seven tournaments. Considered a national icon, the eccentric 61-year-old even opened his own museum earlier this year.
10.06am BST
The last time Brazil played Colombia Neymar produced one of the worst penalty misses in the history of football. After his trademark swinging run and stutter, Brazil's golden boy ballooned the ball so far over the bar even Colombia's keeper David Ospina came to console him...
9.57am BST
A lot of people are seeing France v Germany as a battle between Karim Benzema and Thomas Müller, but the Real Madrid striker was focusing on his old mate Mesut Ozil before tucking himself into bed last night..
Demain, Mañana, Tomorrow... FRANCE vs ALLEMAGNE - 18h00 !!!! #CM2014 #allin or nothing #AllezLesBleus #FRAALL pic.twitter.com/mMt68B5a0O
9.47am BST
Rajit Ojha has emailed with an interesting point regarding the France v Germany quarter-final and Joachim Löw's praise of Manuel Neuer's goalkeeping skills.
With Hugo Lloris opposite, won't today's match be a battle of the sweeper keepers? Thing is Neuer's excursions have a touch of Teutonic reliability/arrogance/efficiency about them while Lloris always leaves you feeling he is a shampoo commercial away from Joe Hart. I wish I could provide more laser-like insight but Akinfeev I am not.
9.42am BST
So which World Cup footballer are you? A bit of a James Milner perhaps? Tell us how you's react if a bearded opponent made fun of your hair at a corner. Or your team had a last-minute penalty and a team-mate tried to snatch the ball away when you were the official penalty taker. Give us your responses to our 10 fictitious Brazil 2014 scenarios and we'll tell you which player you are most like.
9.32am BST
The start times for today's two magical quarter-finals are as follows.
9.26am BST
Costa Rica, the USA and Mexico have led an impressive Concacaf assault on Brazil 2014, and the tournament is being hailed as a crucial breakthrough for the region. Costa Rica fans have been heard singing Concacaf in Brazilian bars as Africa and Asia have been put in the shade by central and north America, and Owen Gibson says there could be lasting implications on the pitch.
Then there was one. Los Ticos are the last men standing for a Concacaf region that has hailed the Brazil World Cup as a crucial breakthrough for a region of world football that has sometimes felt patronised and overlooked.
The Costa Ricans have been the surprise package of this World Cup, topping the supposed group of death over Uruguay, Italy and England and overcoming Greece on penalties in the second round.
9.14am BST
Is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar joining Liverpool? Can Chelsea hijack Real Madrid's bid for Toni Kroos? Have Arsenal uncovered the new Seamus Coleman? Today's Rumour Mill has all the answers. Read it here
9.05am BST
So England were absolute rubbish at this World Cup again, despite our hopes that the young guns would offer up something different this time. Help is at hand though, with a campaign to save grassroots football in Britain having been relaunched. Something needs to be done.
8.55am BST
Forget Arjen Robben, Alexis Sánchez or James Rodríguez, the best player at this World Cup so far has been David Luiz. That's what Fifa says anyway, and for once, Barney Ronay believes they might not be too far off the mark, with the wacky centre-half becoming vital for Brazil on and off the pitch.
Penalty shootouts often tend to boil down in the memory to a single tear-stained snapshot. At the end of Brazil and Chiles World Cup last-16 shootout in Belo Horizonte last weekend it was Júlio Césars sobbing post-match interview, replayed relentlessly on Brazilian TV, that seemed to capture the sense of overwrought fraternal catharsis, and also to point most clearly to the sheer scale of the collective emotional breakdown narrowly averted by Júlio Césars saves and a helpful goalpost.
There are two points that perhaps got a little lost in all this. First, and by way of a tangent, imagine for a moment what this most bizarrely emotional and highly-strung Brazil squad are going to be like when and if they actually lose at this World Cup.
8.36am BST
Breaking news now and Silvio Berlusconi says he came close to selling Mario Balotelli to an unnamed Premier League club BEFORE the World Cup. The Milan striker has been strongly linked with a £30m move to Arsenal this summer, but after scoring just one goal in three appearances in Italy's disappointing campaign, his lovable president says he will struggle to flog him now. "Other than Italy, I lost during the World Cup," Berlusconi was quoted as saying in Gazzetta dello Sport. "I was about to sell Balotelli to an English team for several millions. But after this World Cup who will buy him anymore?"
8.23am BST
Morning all on what promises to be a fantastic day of football, and Joachim Löw is as excited as anyone, suggesting Manuel Neuer is so good he could play in midfield. The Germany goalkeeper operated almost as as a sweeper in the last-16 win over Algeria, and his coach wants him to continue in the same vein in this afternoon's quarter-final clash with France at the Maracanã.
"If a team tries to play high the way we did against USA and Algeria the keeper cannot just stay in his box. Manuel Neuer has the same technical skills as the others, he could play in the midfield, he also has great awareness and that's why we are happy for him to take these risks, and that's why he's so valuable. He can basically be a player behind the defence."
8.00am BST
Who will reach the semis?
Scott will soon be here and I can go have my lie down. Meanwhile, you can have your say about who will go through by going to our poll here.
7.57am BST
Away from the football, a flyover in host city Belo Horizonte has collapsed onto a bus, killing two people and injuring 19.
The road was built as part of the World Cup construction work in the city which will host a semi-final on Tuesday.
7.48am BST
David Wall writes in to say that France-Germany is really the first heavyweight clash of the World Cup so far. From a world point of view that's probably true because it's the first time two genuine contenders have come together.
Anyway, here's David's point.
Is today the first real heavy-weight clash of the World Cup so far in the first 1/4 final? I know we've had Spain-Holland, and Germany-Portugal already in the groups but (if they're honest) most people weren't really considering Holland or Portugal as genuine contenders pre-tournament. But now you have France-Germany, both of whom have an enviable World Cup record and were considered in with a decent chance of winning when people were making predictions beforehand.
7.33am BST
Not entirely surprising, but it seems the Colombian wunderkind James Rodríguez doesn't fancy a switch to the Premiership. Apparently he thinks it's too "physical".
Bloody fancy dan foreigners. He obviously wouldn't fancy a wet Tuesday night at Barnsley and, in any case, does the Premiership really need stuff like this?
7.17am BST
That's been one of the big themes of the World Cup so far but Brazil's combative manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has come out fighting. Although he admits it's been "emotional" so far, as our chief football writer Daniel Taylor writes Scolari has brought his psychologist of the last 20 years to help his players cope with the expectation.
6.58am BST
The fans out in Brazil better start getting ready now if they're getting dressed up again.
6.50am BST
Germany are confident - Tony Kroos simply says they're the better team - and have every right to be.
In an idle moment I calculated that they've never failed to reach a World Cup final for three successive tournaments in the post-war era. Their record goes 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002. So, after missing the last two ...
6.37am BST
Anyway, back to the round of eight, as I don't think anyone calls it, and the big question of who's going to win.
The Guardian's latest World Cup preview features French football pundit Julien Laurens, who not surprisingly plumps for France, but with the proviso that Germany don't exploit Les Bleus' weakness at left-back. Step forward Patrice Evra. You can watch the preview here.
6.23am BST
No World Cup would be complete, however, without some sort of ticket scandal and this cups of cups has provided.
Police in Rio say they have arrested 11 suspected touts and believe that an as-yet unidentified Fifa official has been supplying them. Tickets have been sold by the touts for up to eight times their face value with the touts looking to reap $100m. That sounds like quite a lot until you discover that the average price being quoted for the final through agencies is now more than US$7,000.
6.14am BST
If a rematch of the 1982 and 1986 semi-finals is not exciting enough then the Brazil-Colombia tie is, as they like to say on the telly, mouth-watering.
Saliva levels are already running high in Fortaleza where big crowds turned out to peer through gates to, maybe, catch of glimpse of Brazil training on Thursday and where a large contingent of Colombians is expected.
6.04am BST
I don't know about you but I'm pretty excited about these quarter-finals. In fact, I might have to have a lie down before the kick off, which considering the France-Germany game starts at 2am here in Australia is probably what's going to happen.
5.58am BST
Good morning and welcome to Friday's coverage of the World Cup, featuring all the breaking news from Brazil and reaction to the latest results, injury news, squad stories and fan reaction.
Continue reading...July 1, 2014
Argentina v Switzerland: World Cup 2014 as it happened | Scott Murray
A dull game for 117 minutes exploded into glittering life thereafter, with one goal scored and two other notable misses, one from the halfway line, another from six yards! And after it all, Argentina make the quarters ...
7.35pm BST
Nope. His free kick blooters into the wall, and Argentina are through! Well, well, well, what an appalling game that was for 117 minutes. And then in the final throes, more than enough incident for a whole game! Superlative stuff, and what fun! Poor Switzerland. But well done Argentina, who will play either Belgium or the USA in the quarter finals! What a parable of patience that was. A party atmosphere in Buenos Aires and Vatican City tonight! All round to Pope's!
7.34pm BST
ET 30 min +4: Shaqiri is going to take it. Can he keep Switzerland in it?
7.34pm BST
ET 30 min +3: The Swiss come forward again, and Shaqiri makes use of Garay's lunge, leaping over his leg and winning a free kick in the middle of the Argentinian D! What a finish we have here!
7.33pm BST
ET 30 min +2: Switzerland have another free kick. They load the box. Benaglio comes up again. But Argentina break free! Di Maria is free down the left, but from the halfway line misses the open net high and wide left!
7.32pm BST
ET 30 min +1: WHAT A MISS!!! Switzerland hook the free kick into the box. After a stramash, it's out of play on the left for a corner. Switzerland bung the ball in. The keeper Benaglio, up in desperation, gets a head on it. The ball flies out to the right, and is then whipped back in - where Dzemaili is free by the left-hand post, six yards out! He heads onto the bottom of the post, then knees the rebound wide left, with the goal gaping! What an astonishing miss!
7.30pm BST
ET 30 min: Di Maria is booked for a cynical clatter on Rodriguez down the left. He's booked. There will be three added minutes!
7.29pm BST
This game has been dross, but this goal is pure quality! Palacio wins the ball in the middle of the park. Messi suddenly turns on the burners and dribbles down the inside left channel, drifting inside. Then he rolls a pass out wide right to Di Maria, who meets it and steers a wonderful finish into the bottom left corner! What a stunning finish, and a wonderful run by Messi.
7.27pm BST
ET 27 min: Messi runs around in a baroque manner, going absolutely nowhere. "Pope Francis better start saying his prayers for the penalties," suggests Justin Kavanagh. "He is reputed to always take the side of the poor, and Argentina have been that today."
7.26pm BST
ET 25 min: Rodriguez battles past Biglia down the left and rolls a dreadful cross straight to Romero. Argentina go up the other end, where Mascherano ambitiously attempts to score from 30 yards. Mascherano! "That Jan Molby reference (ET 9 min) reminds me of my favourite ever Kenny Dalglish quote, in the Liverpool Echo back in 2006, I think," recalls Phil Sawyer. "He was involved in preparations for a charity match between the Liverpool and Everton sides of 1986 and said, and I'm quoting from memory here but remember it fairly accurately, 'The Everton midfielders are putting in extra practice right now. They're trying to raise their stamina levels as it's an awful long way around Jan Molby nowadays'."
7.23pm BST
ET 23 min: Mehmedi is replaced by Dzemaili.
7.22pm BST
ET 22 min: Di Maria is beginning to wake up at last. He has another flay at goal after gliding in from the right. His shot is deflected over the bar and wide left by Fernandes. From the corner, Di Maria has an ambitious rake from 30 yards. Three rugby points, but no more.
7.21pm BST
ET 21 min: Messi goes on a skedaddle down the inside left, and reaches the Swiss area, but his low cross is hacked away. This is all pretty bad. "Surely a player who had run around more than the average is exactly the kind of player who'll be more tired and hence likely to be substituted?" asks Tom Lawrence, adding a rare dash of logic and intelligence to the regular Guardian MBM recipe.
7.18pm BST
ET 19 min: Suddenly a dash of quality from Di Maria, who has been poor today but highly decent at this World Cup otherwise. He drops a shoulder down the right and launches a rising bolt towards the top right. Benaglio tips over for a corner, from which Switzerland try to break upfield, but dither and fail.
7.17pm BST
ET 18 min: Argentina are dominating possession, pinging it around the back. But can't get it forward to the four men they've thrown up front. It's a stand-off. "How about sending home BOTH teams if a game ends in a 0-0 draw?" wonders Tom Walton. Anyone know anyone with Sepp Blatter's number? Tell them it's an emergency.
7.15pm BST
And we're off again! Biglia comes on for Gago. "Like Matthew Tempest (ET 9 min), I'm rather late to the party too," writes Ianto Brychan, "but I'd like to support your stance on GSTQ. It's the British anthem, as I understand it, and, as we Welsh and the Scots have gotten away with another song for years now, I'm surprised the English haven't followed suit. The dirge can be kept for British sport such as the Olympics, Andy Murray doing well and the ones where you sit down."
7.13pm BST
Di Maria is in acres of space down the left, a sudden quick break. There aren't many options for him, though, and his cross is aimless. Messi tries to sort something out on the edge of the area, but can't find room for a shot. And that's that. Don't worry, only 15 more minutes of this to go.
7.12pm BST
7.11pm BST
ET 15 min +1: Rojo - who by the way will miss the quarter final should Argentina get through, as a result of that booking on 89 mins - is replaced by Basanta.
7.10pm BST
ET 14 min: Switzerland go up a gear or two, all of a sudden. Shaqiri is very close to dancing past Gago down the left, and breaking into the box, but he loses control. Nearly. The Swiss ping it around awhile, to a lusty chorus of "olé"s, led by the Brazilian contingent in the crowd I'll be bound. Argentina are not on top of their game today.
7.07pm BST
ET 12 min: Zabaleta dinks a ball down the right in the hope of freeing Higuain into space, but it's easily blocked out. Argentina are doing nothing. Switzerland sashay upfield, Seferovic having a whack from 30 yards. No, no, no.
7.06pm BST
ET 9 min: This has slowed right down now. Neither team seems to possess the wit to carve the others open. Defences very much on top, but only because the attacks are proving so inept. "I'm late to the party," writes erstwhile Guardian politico Matthew Tempest, "but if Dan Rookwood can show up unannounced to the Guardian Unlimited Reunion, why not? Question: You know those substitution data captions that come on when a player departs the field? I may have missed a couple of games in this World Cup - but I've yet to see one for a player who's run less than the team average...this can only be, surely - by the law of averages - if the goalkeeper is included in the team algorithms?" It's a fair point, well made. But those stats are pointless anyway. Everyone knows the best players stand for the entire match in the centre circle dictating play, walking no more than five yards hither and yon, with a massive beer belly hanging over the belt of their shorts. Jan Molby: total distance covered, 18m 37cm. That sort of thing.
7.01pm BST
ET 6 min: Shaqiri is knocked to the ground by Mascherano down the Swiss left. A free kick in a very dangerous position for Switzerland. Inler curls one in, but it's easily headed clear, the ball not beating the first man with six red shirts standing behind screaming in impotent frustration. Picking up the second phase ball, Shaqiri attempts to score from the best part of 30 yards, but come along.
6.59pm BST
ET 4 min: Djourou tussles with Higuain down the Argentinian right. Free kick for Argentina, who load the box. Messi curls the ball into the area. Palacio sends a backwards header towards the top left. Benaglio holds comfortably.
6.56pm BST
ET 2 min: A couple of corners for Argentina down the right. Benaglio makes a hash of punching the first, with Garay looking to head home at the near post, then deals with the second easily enough. Paf!
6.55pm BST
And we're off again! Argentina get the ball rolling for the first half of extra time. Quality, please, people!
6.49pm BST
Nope! That's it! And there will be 30 more minutes. Let's hope exhaustion opens this game up a bit in extra time, because that was pretty poor stuff all round.
6.48pm BST
90 min +2: Will there be any ridiculously late drama?
6.48pm BST
90 min +1: ... Schaer heads harmlessly over from eight yards, level with the left-hand post.
6.47pm BST
90 min: There will be three added mintues. Rodriguez is bundled over by Gago down the left. Switzerland will be able to fling a free kick into the Argentinian area from 35 yards out. In it goes, and ...
6.46pm BST
89 min: Messi goes on a determined skitter down the left. Then cuts into the box. He threads a pass through to Palacio, who has the ball at his feet six yards out, level with the left-hand post. The striker can't get the ball out from under his feet. Corner. The set piece is curled to the far post, where Di Maria's header clanks off the back of Higuain. Switzerland clear. Unnamed Swiss Player looks to break up the left. Rojo takes him out cynically and is booked.
6.44pm BST
87 min: Messi and Behrami tangle down the left. Messi wins a free kick. He grabs the ball to take, and shoulders Behrami out of the way. Behrami goes down with a view to getting the referee to whip his notebook out. But the referee quite rightly opts to talk to the pair. Messi did little wrong there, to be honest.
6.42pm BST
84 min: Gago rakes a lovely right-to-left diagonal pass down the left, releasing Rojo, who pulls back for Palacio. The striker attempts a Maxi Rodriguez style flick and volley. Nope! Argentina soon come back at the Swiss, with Rojo taking his turn from distance. Nope! Argentina appear to have run out of ideas; it's all ambitious skelps from distance.
6.38pm BST
82 min: Garay bundles Drmic over in the centre circle. It's the last action the striker sees. He's subbed off, with Seferovic coming on. "I'm not one to complain, generally speaking," begins Harry the Dog, "but can you not start snippets with phrases like 'Gago scores (76 mins)? You damned near woke me up, man!"
6.36pm BST
79 min: The corner's whipped to the near post. Benaglio manages to hook the ball clear, in a clumsy fashion, as though he's waving a shovel about. Free kick, for some imagined slight. More diplomacy from the referee, who seems to have decided that nothing whatsoever should come from that little episode.
6.35pm BST
78 min: Messi dances and diddles into the area down the inside left. He's got a couple of chances to shoot, but wants to get closer and closer. Eventually he takes a low whack towards the bottom left. Benaglio does well to get down and keep the shot out with a strong arm. Cue stramash, as the loose ball bounces around. Palacio goes over the keeper's body. Switzerland claim a foul. Argentina claim a penalty. Nope. And nope. It's a corner. Very diplomatic.
6.32pm BST
76 min: Gago scores three rugby points from 30 yards. Very desperate. Also very poor. This has got extra time written all over it.
6.31pm BST
75 min: Palacio's immediately into the action. Messi clips a cross into the Swiss area from the left. Palacio heads wide right from a position six yards out, near the right-hand post. Higuain was just behind Palacio and arguably better placed to batter a header goalwards - the new boy was stretching - and grimaces accordingly.
6.30pm BST
74 min: Fernandes is baiting the big boys all right, but scything across the back of Di Maria's legs is not the most stylish way to do it. He's quite rightly booked. Meanwhile Argentina hook Lavezzi, and replace him with Palacio.
6.29pm BST
72 min: Gago tries to flick an insouciant pass down the right to release Messi into space, but it's straight at Inler. Gago flicks his head back, like a Pez dispenser, the international language of inner turmoil. Argentina are beginning to betray their frustration. "People seem to fancy this Argentina side, which is significantly not as good as the one that wilted in the sun in 2006," argues Niall Mullen. "Cambiasso, Ayala, Milito, Riquelme andZanetti are arguably upgrades on their 2014 counterparts. If they couldn't manage it I'm not sure how this lightweight side will."
6.26pm BST
69 min: Switzerland show up down the other end for the first time in a while. Fernandes is this close to threading a pass straight down the middle to release Drmic, but the striker can't quite bust clear and he ends up using too much force on Fernandez. Free kick. Argentina breathe again, because for a split second that looked like becoming a one-on-one with the keeper.
6.25pm BST
67 min: Higuain misses a header from six yards, Zabaleta having dinked a lovely cross in from the right. He didn't connect properly at all, the ball flying off to the left wing. It's pumped back into the area. Cleared, but only to Messi who, taking a step down the inside right, lashes his laces across the front of the ball and sends a screaming, dipping volley inches over the crossbar. The best moment from Messi, and Argentina, so far. Preceded by one of the worst, but you can't have everything.
6.22pm BST
66 min: Xhaka is replaced by Gelson Fernandes. Another big-boy baiting performance from the Swiss midfielder, who scored the winner against Spain four years ago?
6.21pm BST
64 min: Corner for Argentina down the left. Lavezzi takes. Inler eyebrows to the right wing. A little magic from Messi, who sparkles along the byline and stands one up into the centre. Cleared by the determined Inler. It's attack versus defence right now.
6.19pm BST
62 min: Rojo is Argentina's best player today by some distance. He curls a delicious ball into the Swiss box from the left, onto the head of Higuain, 12 yards out. The header is blootered straight at Benaglio, who arcs his back and tips over spectacularly. The corner is no good. A sense that Argentina are beginning to dominate, to impose themselves on the Swiss. But the final touch is lacking so far.
6.17pm BST
60 min: Di Maria needs a good talking to. He's in acres of space down the right. He reaches the byline, with options in the centre. Argentina desperately need something, so what does he attempt? A rabona. A time and a place, Angel, a time and a place. The ball is shanked straight out of play. Dearie me. Not quite up there with David Dunn's slapstick masterpiece, but still.
6.15pm BST
6.15pm BST
59 min: Rojo is trying his level best. A cross - or is it a shot? - from a tight angle down the left. It forces Benaglio to parry clear at the near post, a desperate last-ditch save.
6.14pm BST
57 min: A little bit better by Argentina, with the impressive Rojo in space down the left. He lifts a cross into the area which Benaglio punches clear. Cutting in from the right, Di Maria picks up the loose ball and flicks a dismal effort goalwards. It's easily blocked. But it's an effort nonetheless. More is expected of Argentina than this. They're currently making Brazil 2014 look like Brazil 1970.
6.12pm BST
56 min: A bit of possession up the field for Argentina, but they're shockingly ineffective. Switzerland very comfortable. "I take it by 'our' national anthem (20 mins) you mean God Save The Queen," begins Simon McMahon. "That is the mother of all dirges, but I'm not too keen on Flower of Scotland either. We really need to get our act together on the anthem front. 'Hermless' by the legendary and much missed Dundee singer-songwriter Michael Marra has often been touted as an alternative Scottish national anthem. And with good reason. 'Hermless, hermless, there's never nae bather fae me, I go to the library, I tak oot a book, and then I go hame for meh tea.'"
6.09pm BST
53 min: Rodriguez attempts to score from a position nearly 40 yards up the left wing. Romero might have had the clown shoes on back there, but even so, a little respect, please! The, eh, ambitious effort bounds out of play, miles to the right of the goal. A waste, too, as other red shirts were in close proximity and offering attacking options. Switzerland look the more confident side right now.
6.07pm BST
51 min: Buoyed by that display of Argentinian nerves, Shaqiri makes off down the inside left and pulls a ball back for Drmic, who welts a shot from the edge of the area over the bar. He didn't have much time to play with there.
6.07pm BST
50 min: Mascherano takes down Drmic as he makes off down the right wing. Free kick to the Swiss, 30 yards out. Shaqiri takes, and goes for the top right. Romero plucks the ball out of the sky, then performs a little tribute to Hollywood's silent comedians, dropping the ball at his feet and then chasing after it along the byline. The PA system should blast out a bit of jaunty piano, but doesn't. The ball clanks off his shin. It's like a farmer chasing a pig. He eventually smothers the ball just before it fizzes out of the area. What haplessness.
6.04pm BST
48 min: Switzerland should be down to ten men, Xhaka clanking into the back of Messi down the right in an extremely clumsy fashion. He's already been booked. But the referee is generous, and the resulting free kick comes to nothing. Lucky Switzerland.
6.03pm BST
46 min: This is better from Argentina already. Messi picks up a long Mascherano rake from the centre of the park, just near the Swiss D. He turns a pass down the left for Lavezzi, who wins a corner. That set piece leads to another corner, this time on the right, earned by a Mascherano shot. But Messi's delicate cross is easily headed clear by Schaer.
6.01pm BST
No changes for the start of the second half. And we're off again! Switzerland restart the game. Meanwhile it appears even the Pope has succumbed to banter. Look at the state of this. Banter. The Pope. For the love of Diego H Maradona, is nothing sacred?
Argentina vs Switzerland :) #Brasil2014 #ArgentinaVsSwitzerland #ArgentinaVsSuiza #argentinasvizzera pic.twitter.com/xBFhANFxHo
5.51pm BST
Half-time advertisement filmed in glamorous Switzerland: A classic, from one of the 1954 World Cup's main sponsors (if that picture of Josef Hugi in the preamble is anything to go by, which in fairness it might not be).
5.46pm BST
Drmic busies himself down the left and wins a corner off Fernandez. Switzerland have been lively in attack. Schaer looks to win a header at the near post from the corner, but the ball's clanked clear. And that's that for a fairly poor half of football. Switzerland will be happier than Argentina, but only just. Where's our classic? Improvements in the second half, please!
5.44pm BST
43 min: Argentina with more passing. They've not been particularly impressive. Lavezzi plays what looks like an overly strong reverse pass down the left to release Rojo. The left back, one of Argentina's few hits at this World Cup, somehow gets to the ball, and pulls it into the centre. There's a little bit of pinball, and a strangled claim for a handball, but they're not getting that. "The cultural vandal responsible for Argentina's white shorts should have their contract torn up by Diego himself," suggests Jim Lines. "Is nothing sacred in modern football? This is a nation defined by its delicious meddling in football's dark arts and those shorts were the perfect symbol."
5.41pm BST
41 min: Argentina play some over-intricate stuff back and forth along the front of the Swiss box. Everyone's too close to each other to function properly. The ball somehow breaks to Di Maria on the right. He wafts a weak effort straight at Benaglio.
5.40pm BST
39 min: Switzerland really should be leading. A long diagonal ball from the right towards Drmic down the inside-left channel, and the striker's free, making good for the box! Romero doesn't know whether to come and smother or stay tall. He does neither. All Drmic has to do is lift a gentle pitching wedge of a shot over the stranded keeper from the edge of the box. But he whiffs his shot, and the ball gently falls into a grateful Romero's arms. What a waste. Argentina are a woeful shambles at the back, but Iran have already proved this point.
5.38pm BST
36 min: "I'm a bit concerned that Stewart Todd (13 min) thinks his son will grow up to believe everything he sees on the internet," worries Lizz Poulter. "I think now is a very good time to educate him. It's all lies. All of it. Every single bit." Xhaka comes straight through the back of Lavezzi and is shown a giant yellow £500,000 cheque by the referee, who is riding a pink unicorn.
5.36pm BST
35 min: Free kick for the Swiss down the right, deep in Argentinian territory. Shaqiri lumps a ball into the mixer. Romero punches clear, though not in a particularly convincing fashion. This is not a high-quality game.
5.34pm BST
32 min: Argentina, perhaps shocked into action by the chance they gave up from that Swiss corner, are applying a bit of territorial pressure. They've enjoyed 57% of possession so far. The final ball's been lacking, though.
5.31pm BST
29 min: A couple of chances for Lavezzi in the Swiss area on the right. The first leads to a weak shot, straight at Benaglio. The second is a mazy dribble that brings a corner. Di Maria whips an astonishingly good ball straight through the six-yard box and out of play to the left of goal. Garay was an inch away from getting a decent header on that, but it only brushed his eyebrow. It's not been a good game, but a couple of proper connections and we could be at 1-1 here.
5.29pm BST
27 min: Shaqiri with a free kick down the right. To prove witless free kicks aren't the sole preserve of Argentina, he whips in a ball that's cleared without fuss by Garay. But the Swiss come back at Argentina, Shaquiri again with a decent dribble. Corner down the right. Another corner's the result. And from that, a short corner, Shaqiri zips along the byline and pulls the ball back to Xhaka on the penalty spot. He really should score, but batters his shot straight at Romero, who parries, then gathers a fairly timid follow-up from the edge of the area from Drmic. Great play by Switzerland to carve Argentina open, mind.
5.28pm BST
5.25pm BST
25 min: Di Maria is bundled over by Mehmedi, 30 yards from goal down the inside-right channel. The free kick is rather obviously curled into the Swiss box, towards the head of Higuain. Over the bar, by quite some distance. This match is poor.
5.24pm BST
23 min: Nothing is happening.
5.24pm BST
20 min: Shouldn't he be practising, or getting an ice bath, or something? Anyway, speaking of Swiss institutions fast running out of time, here's Luke Williams on the Swiss Psalm. "This is potentially the last time that the Swiss Psalm heard today will feature at a World Cup," he reports. "And not because of the state of Swiss football, either. A competition is under way (since 1 Jan 2014) to write a new one that is less 'like a cross between a weather report and a church hymn'. The idea is to present a new text to the Government by end 2015, which would then be put to a good old Swiss referendum." Can we not have one of these too, please? Anything to dump our dirge. The only worry is they'd get Gary Barlow to write it.
5.19pm BST
17 min: Messi scampering down the left like a wild animal, chasing after a long hoick. He can't quite keep the ball in play. The Swiss have done very little since that Inler shot. One couch potato will not be happy:
This is it, c'mon #switzerland pic.twitter.com/QU3oqbEqSF
5.15pm BST
14 min: A little more space for Messi down the left. He whips a cross into the centre for Higuain again, this time a high ball. A wee bit too high for the striker, but Argentina are beginning to impose themselves.
5.14pm BST
13 min: Space for Messi down the left wing. He smoothly glides infield, and on the edge of the box slides a diagonal ball along the turf for Higuain, racing in from the penalty spot. The striker can't quite connect. A little danger there. "If there is one thing that has been wrong with this World Cup it is Fifas ridiculous insistence that teams wear predominantly light or dark strips," begins Stewart Todd, before taking a deep breath and resuming his diatribe, utilising both the 'relentless' and 'trenchant' styles. "And adidas, Nike, Puma etc slavishly going along with it. All white Germany? Argentinas white shorts? And the fact Holland and Italy didnt have any white shorts? Come off it, I dont want my son growing up in a world where he thinks YouTube footage of strips in Espana 82 must be wrong."
5.12pm BST
5.11pm BST
10 min: Di Maria is in busy mood down the left wing. Xhaka pulls his shirt and this will be another free kick down the left. This is only 30 yards from goal, and Argentina should be able to whip a dangerous ball into the Swiss area. But they don't, Lavezzi's ball easily headed clear by Djourou.
5.09pm BST
8 min: Mehmedi goes on a little wander down the left, nipping the ball past Garay and nearly beating Zabaleta by the byline. Shaqiri gets involved to win a corner, from which Inler takes a whack from 20 yards down the inside-left channel. It's miles over the bar, but Argentina gave the Swiss a lot of time and space there, and didn't look particularly solid at the back either. Promising stuff from Switzerland.
5.07pm BST
6 min: Di Maria is stopped while in full flight down the left. The challenge is not in full accordance with the game's laws. The free kick's lifted rather witlessly into the Swiss box, and easily mopped up. We're six minute in, but this game is yet to begin. "You should really post a picture of a Swiss legend to balance out the snap of Batigol," writes Hugh Collins. "Maybe Ramon Vega?" Bah. Too late. Refresh the page and there's a non-technicolour snap of 1954 hat-trick hero Josef Hugi down there now. Of course, if you'd emailed with your suggestion a bit earlier*, I'd have been only too happy to help.
*: This is a pathetic excuse
5.04pm BST
3 min: A throw to Argentina deep down the left wing, near the Swiss corner flag. Higuain picks up possession near the byline and loops a cross into the middle, but there are no blue-and-white shirts WITH UNACCEPTABLE WHITE SHORTS around. Switzerland hoick clear. A quiet start to this game, all told.
5.02pm BST
And we're off! Argentina get the ball rolling. One hell of an atmosphere. The favourites stroke it around the back awhile. Zabaleta looks to free Lavezzi down the left, but Mehmedi isn't having it. Throw to Argentina. Then more passing around at the back. Nearly two minutes gone, and Switzerland not given a sniff of the ball yet.
4.59pm BST
The teams are out! Argentina in their lovely blue-and-white shirts, and tradition-jiggering white shorts which are NOT OK. Look at the picture of Batistuta in this preamable, and think on, Adidas, Fifa, the AFA, or whoever's at fault for this sartorial disgrace. Perhaps all of them. Clowns! Cultural vandals! The Swiss meanwhile are in their red garb. All very nice. Then to the national anthems! First up, the Swiss Psalm. People like to say it. People like to say
salsa
Swiss Psalm.
4.38pm BST
Lionel Messi, then. With his goals against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria, the wee man is three-sevenths of the way to joining an elite band of players to have scored in every game of the World Cup finals. Only four players have pulled off this trick so far: György Sárosi of Hungary in 1938, Alcides Ghiggia of Uruguay in 1950, Just Fontaine of France in 1958, and Jairzinho in 1970. You can rank them according to preference, with the free and bold use of caveats and asterisks. Only Ghiggia and Jairzinho won the trophy as a result, but the former only played in four games while the latter ploughed through six. Sárosi was a losing finalist. Fontaine didn't even play in the final, but you can't play in both the final and the third/fourth final, so he did what he could. Messi will top them all if he keeps up his scoring habit and leads Argentina to the trophy, for there are seven games to play nowadays. Can he make it four from four (equalling the feat of Colombian winger James Rodriguez, who is on a similar mission right now)? Let's see!
4.31pm BST
Thanks to everyone who noticed that this game doesn't kick off at 5pm Buenos Aires time, as originally stated. "Is that Buenos Aires, Swindon?" asks OM. "They do a great asado, chimichurri and chips there." Yep. Take the 13th exit off the Magic Roundabout for the Río de la Plata.
4.24pm BST
Argentina: Romero, Federico Fernandez, Zabaleta, Garay, Rojo, Gago, Mascherano, Di Maria, Higuain, Messi, Lavezzi.
Subs: Orion, Campagnaro, Biglia, Perez, Maxi Rodriguez, Augusto Fernandez, Demichelis, Palacio, Alvarez, Aguero, Andujar, Basanta.
Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Schar, Djourou, Rodriguez, Inler, Behrami, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Mehmedi, Drmic.
Subs: Sommer, Ziegler, Senderos, von Bergen, Lang, Barnetta, Seferovic, Stocker, Dzemaili, Fernandes, Gavranovic, Burki.
3.30pm BST
Argentina haven't won a major trophy since they lifted the Copa America in 1993. Supporters of the England football team, starved of success for 48 years, may be inclined to instruct Argentinian fans to cry them a river as long and wide and deep as the Paraná. But fair's fair: Argentina are a serious football nation, and actually should be winning stuff. That 21-year wait is way too long for la Albiceleste; it's about that time. But you sense they've been waiting for a reason: the unearthing of a new hero to fill El Diego's boots. Well, it's beginning to look like they've found one. Lionel Messi's achieved just about everything in football bar making a serious impression on the biggest tournament of all. Now it appears he's ready to make that mark. He glides in from the right against Bosnia and Herzegovina and BOOM! He drops a shoulder in the last-minute of a struggle with Iran, looks for the top corner, then BOOM! He wanders onto the field in that insouciant way of his and sees off a spirited Nigeria with a DOUBLE BOOM! Three matches down, four to go, and he'll be safe and snug in the pantheon alongside Maradona, Mario Kempes and Antonio Rattin (who admittedly wasn't the star of an Argentinian World Cup winning team, but he made his mark, you have to say he made his mark).
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