Frenetic and Absorbing Action as Brazil 2014 enters its Penultimate Stages!

  Frenetic and absorbing action best describes the penultimate stages of Brazil 2014, since the football extravaganza entered the Round of 16. Forget the big boys like Spain, Italy and England who all fell victims to the tenacity of small of unfancied teams like, Costa Rica and Chile, this world cup has simply lived to its billing as the globe’s greatest football show!

  Since the first Round of 16 match between hosts Brazil and Chile, that was decided on spot-kicks, after the teams slug it and tied after a pulsating 120 minutes, the other knock-out matches only got better. Out of the eight Round of 16 matches, only two were decided in normal time, four were decided in a nail-biting extra time while two ended in the dreaded penalty shoot-out, the nightmare to every player and fan! Brazil-Chile( spot-kicks), Germany-Algeria (extra time), Nigeria-France (normal time), Netherlands-Mexico (extra time), Argentina-Switzerland (extra time), Belgium-USA (extra time), Costa Rica-Greece (spot-kicks) ad Uruguay-Colombia (normal time)!

  In the enthralling Quarters, only The Netherlands-Mexico match ended up in post-match penalties, even after the former had hit the post three times and dominated a Costa Rica side, who too had their share of unlucky moments in the Netherlands goal! The Brazil-Colombia match will forever be remembered for David Luiz’s audacious game-winning free kick that swerved into the Colombia net from almost 30 yards out! Germany-France saw the former hang onto a 12^th minute Mat Hummel’s header, even as France, led by Karim Benzema threatened to nip the game in the dying minutes, as only Manuel Nuer stood firmly in goal for the Germans. The Argentina-Belgium affair was action packed too, and that is the game where Napoli man, Gonzalo Higuain scored a scorcher in the eighth minute and shook the crossbar late in the second half, after leaving the Belgium defense reeling in his wake, from a devastating run! The game where Higuain announced his arrival in Brazil!

  The average per match goal statistics are the best so far as compared to past tournaments, at a staggering 2.83! Now, this tells you that this goal-laden football carnival and goals are in plenty! The total number of goals scored before the Quarter final stage was 156, as compared to the 145 that were scored in the entire tournament at South Africa 2010! 

  As Brazil-Germany and Argentina-Netherlands prepare to face off in the last four, the action promises to be as action-packed as the knock-outs have proved or even better! The fans must be getting real value for their tickets and even as the winner lifts the trophy in the historic Estadio Maracana, all football fans will undoubtedly enjoyed it in Brazil!

  sportskenya.blogspot.comRemember Faryd Mondragon, the Colombian shot-stopper who tasted his first world cup at USA 1994? He became the oldest player to grace the world cup when he came on for David Ospina in the 85^th minute in the 4-1 drubbing of Japan. At 43 years and 3 days, Mondragon broke the 20-year old record held by Cameroun’s Roger Milla.

                                     Reach the writer at jeanmutua@yahoo.com, mutuamaundu14@gmail.com