The Road to Glory – 2014 World Cup predictions

On the eve of the World Cup, here is how I think this summer’s tournament will pan out.

Group stage

Group A

Brazil top the group easily with comfortable wins over Mexico and Cameroon having come through a tight opening match with Croatia where nerves and the crowd’s expectations almost get the better of them.  It’s plain sailing from that point onwards though and they finish in a flourish against Cameroon.  Croatia are the victors in a winner-take-all clash with Mexico in the final game of the group which sees them join Brazil in the last 16. Mexico finish with just 3 points from a win over Cameroon to show for their efforts whilst the African side finish bottom of the group with no points.

Group B

 

Much like Brazil, defending champions Spain breeze through their group with not even Holland, 2010 beaten finalists, doing enough to stop them from claiming maximum points.  Along the way they crush a weak Australia side. The crucial final match in the group sees Holland and Chile go head to head for a place in the next round after both sides suffer defeat to a confident Spain. Although Chile give their all, a competitive draw is enough to see Holland through on goal difference by virtue of having beaten whipping boys Australia by a greater margin.  The team from down under head home having made no impact on the group and fail to claim a single point.

Group C

The Ivory Coast, spurred on by star man Yaya Touré, provide the first big shock of the tournament by beating Colombia to top spot in the group. Wins against Japan and Greece sandwich a draw with the South American side who have enough to go through in second place despite being disadvantaged by the absence of striker Radamel Falcao. Crucially they secure a draw with Japan in their final group game and the result also sees the Asian side avoid the wooden spoon.  This unwanted accolade goes to Greece who fail to cope with the physical challenges they face against Colombia and the Ivory Coast and finish with just a single point earned in a draw with Japan.

Group D

 

The so-called ‘Group of Death’ proves fatal to Italy who become the first big casualty of the tournament.  Uruguay’s attacking fire power helps them take top spot in the group as they draw with Italy but claim a crucial win over England in their second game.  Having beaten Italy in their first match, England recover from that loss to Uruguay to easily dispatch Costa Rica and seal their place in the last 16. Italy pay the price for their lack of pace at the back with England’s offensive mobility allowing them to claim three points and although they still have a chance of going through ahead of the final round of games, they are unable to force a winner against group winners Uruguay and exit the tournament early.  Costa Rica lose all three games to finish bottom.

Group E

Group E lives up to expectations as Ecuador, Switzerland and Honduras compete for second place behind an in form France side who make easy progress due to the goals of striker Karim Benzema. In the end, Ecuador make their experience of the playing conditions tell and just pip a much-fancied Switzerland side to a place in the next round. Following a draw between the sides in the opening match of the group, Ecuador overcome Honduras whilst Switzerland lose to neighbours France but it’s all to play for going into the final games. Despite Ecuador’s defeat at the hands of France leaving the door open, Switzerland can’t quite secure the big win they need over Honduras (who finish bottom) to overcome a goal difference deficit and so Ecuador claim second place in the group.

Group F

Argentina’s incredible array of attacking options sees them easily through to the last 16 with a tight opening win over Bosnia being followed by the destruction of vastly inferior Nigeria and Iran sides. The key game of the group comes in the second round of games as Bosnia’s players make good use of their experience in top European leagues to overcome Nigeria and leave themselves needing a win over Iran in their final game to seal their place in the next round. They manage this without any trouble although Nigeria’s heavy loss to Argentina makes their result irrelevant to the final group positions.  Iran finish bottom having scored just one goal and conceded heavily in all three of their matches.

Group G

 

After overcoming the toughest test in their opener against Portugal, it’s plain sailing for Germany and they claim maximum points on their way to top spot in the group. Portugal recover from that early setback and also beat USA and Ghana to seal second place. Despite getting off to a good start with a win over Ghana, the lack of experienced players in the USA side shows and they lose any chance of progressing when they are beaten by Germany in what is seen as a grudge match for Jurgen Klinsmann, German coach of the American team. Ghana can’t repeat their success of four years ago and exit the tournament with no points and without really putting up much of a fight.

Group H

 

The tightest of all the groups sees three sides still in with a mathematical chance of progressing as the final group games get underway. Earlier on, Belgium and Russia both claim wins in their opening matches and a draw between the sides see them level pegging ahead of the decisive round of fixtures.  South Korea also have a chance following their win over Algeria, who are already out after losses in their first two matches.  Belgium only need a draw to progress but they go one better and secure a win over South Korea, which in turn sees the Asian side eliminated and makes Russia’s result irrelevant.  They are held to a draw with Algeria (who earn their first and only point in the group) and qualify for the last 16 in second place behind Belgium.

 

Round of 16

Brazil vs Holland                                             Ivory Coast vs England

France vs Bosnia                                             Germany vs Russia

Spain vs Croatia                                              Uruguay vs Colombia

Argentina vs Ecuador                                     Belgium vs Portugal

An increasingly confident Brazil, roared on by a home crowd, overcome a Holland side who fail to reach the heights of 2010 and exit prematurely .

England manage to stifle the influence of Yaya Touré and the other Ivory Coast players don’t have the quality to combat the enthusiasm of their opponent’s young stars.

Free-scoring France have no trouble penetrating the questionable Bosnia defence in what is the least competitive match of the last 16 stage.

Germany make good use of their superior tournament experience to dismiss a Russia side who lack the superstars needed to progress further.

The battle of midfield stars goes to Spain as the defending champions shackle the La Liga-based Croatia axis of Modric and Rakitic and are beginning to grow in confidence.

Uruguay come out on top in this clash of South American sides as Luis Suarez stars against a Colombia side who in contrast are missing their star striker Radamel Falcao.

Argentina eventually come through a surprisingly tough battle with continental rivals Ecuador who, despite being more comfortable with the conditions, can’t match their rivals strength in depth and fall after extra-time.

A young Belgium side, featuring several Premier League stars, shock Portugal who struggle in extra-time as World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo shows signs of tiredness following a demanding season at club level.

Quarter-finals

Brazil vs England                                             France vs Germany

Spain vs Uruguay                                            Argentina vs Belgium

Brazil ride the increasing wave of belief which has swept up their supporters and beat England to claim a place in the semi-finals.  Neymar finally starts to grow into the tournament and is crucial as his side ensure England exit at the quarter-final stage yet again.

A disciplined Germany side halt France in their tracks. Although far from spectacular, they manage to efficiently shackle in-form French striker Karim Benzema as their opponents begin to feel the absence of the injured Franck Ribery.

Uruguay pull off the biggest shock of the tournament so far as they knock out holders Spain. Their aggressive tackling and energetic pressing prevents Spain from getting a foothold in the match and although they can’t quite finish the job in extra-time, they progress on penalties. 

Argentina have a much easier task than in the last 16 as they overcome an inexperienced Belgium team to make it three South American teams in the semi-finals.  Both teams seem tired from their previous match but Argentina progress whilst Belgium head home with their heads held high after a good showing.

Semi-finals

Brazil vs Germany                                           Uruguay vs Argentina

Brazil reach the final of their home World Cup as Neymar scores a late goal to knock out Germany, who finally wilt in the heat giving their opponent’s creative players the chance to shine. They battle hard but with increasing space available for Brazil, they eventually pick the German defence apart and now have the chance of glory on home soil.

Argentina are the victors in a predictably competitive South American clash as Uruguay finally pay the price for their overreliance on attacking stars Suarez and Cavani. As in previous games it is Argentina’s options on the bench which make a difference and they give their side the added boost they need to claim victory in extra-time.

Final

Brazil vs Argentina

Argentina steal glory from under the noses of their perennial rivals Brazil, who relive the nightmare of the Maracanazo against Uruguay in 1950. Neymar is almost anonymous in the final as the weight of a whole nation’s expectations crush him allowing Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi to take the glory in the final with a brace. Messi finally emerges from the shadow of Diego Maradona and can now legitimately be talked about as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Argentina crowned 2014 FIFA World Cup champions

(Argentina striker Sergio Aguero claims the golden boot award as top scorer in the tournament with 7 goals. He gets off to a good start with 4 strikes in the group stage but his 3 goals in the knock-out stages are crucial to Argentina’s success.)