The Bum's WCup - Group Breakdown

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Neymar to miss rest of World Cup

July 4, 2014


FORTALEZA, Brazil (AP) - Neymar will miss the rest of the World Cup after fracturing a vertebra during the team's quarterfinal win over Colombia, the team's doctor said Friday.

Neymar was kneed in the back by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the second half of Brazil's 2-1 win, and was in tears when he was carried off the field on a stretcher.

He was taken to a private clinic for tests and team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said the star striker had fractured his third vertebra.

''He will not be in condition to play, he will need a few weeks to be fit again,'' Lasmar said. ''He is very, very sad.''

Lasmar said Neymar will not have to undergo surgery and is not expected to remain hospitalized.

The 22-year-old forward is Brazil's biggest star and had scored four goals for the team so far in his first World Cup.

Brazil plays Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.

Neymar was hurt in the 86th minute at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, falling to the ground in pain after Zuniga jumped into him from behind, putting his knee into the Brazilian's lower back. Teammate Marcelo quickly called for medical assistance when he saw Neymar writhing in pain. Neymar stayed face down until team doctors arrived and put him on a stretcher to carry him off.

Brazil teammate Hulk said Neymar needed more protection from the referees after being repeatedly targeted by opponents.

''Every time is like this, players always come after Neymar, the referees need to do more to keep this from happening,'' Hulk said.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff sent her support to Neymar.

''Along with the rest of Brazil, I'm hoping for the recovery of our greatest player,'' she said on her Twitter account, before he was ruled out of the tournament.

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Costa Rica coach learned from Dutch master

July 3, 2014


RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - At this point in the World Cup, the Dutch know plenty about Costa Rica - once one of the surprise packages of the tournament. What they may not have heard is that Costa Rica's Jorge Luis Pinto learned his coaching from the Dutchman who invented `total football.'

Pinto, a well-traveled Colombian, studied at the University of Cologne early in the 1980s when Dutch coach Rinus Michels was coaching the city's Bundesliga club.

''In those years I spent my time watching him training and talking to him,'' Pinto said. ''When I didn't have classes, I went to see the club practice. I saw many things and learned a lot.''

Michels was a good teacher - a few years later he would lead the Netherlands to its one and only international title, the 1988 European Championship, having pioneered the `total football' approach - where players can change their positions during a game.

Now Pinto aims to stop the Dutch taking another step toward their first world title when his Costa Rica team meets the Netherlands on Saturday in the quarterfinals at Salvador's Arena Fonte Nova.

It is not only Pinto who knows the Dutch game well. Bryan Ruiz had a successful spell with FC Twente before joining Fulham and now plays at PSV Eindhoven alongside likely Netherlands starter Georginio Wijnaldum and super-sub Memphis Depay.

Ruiz said he has shared what he knows about the Dutch players with his coach.

''Pinto asked me about it and I provided a bit of analysis of the ones I know,'' he said Thursday.

''I haven't had any contact with Memphis or Georginio,'' he added. ''Of course, the day of the match, we will greet each other, chat a bit and then get focused.''

Ruiz has teamed up with a strong, fast-paced striker in Joel Campbell, propelling Costa Rica to the surprise top spot in a Group D that also included England, Italy and Uruguay. Pinto's team also has a miserly defense that has conceded just two goals in the tournament so far.

''Costa Rica has a very good team,'' in-form Dutch forward Arjen Robben said. ''I think before not a lot of people would have expected them to go through to the next round but I think they are a very strong team and it's going to be another very difficult game for us where we have to give everything to go through to the semi-finals.''

Not surprisingly, Costa Rica will be attempting to shut down the Dutch striking partnership of Robben and Robin van Persie, who are looking to get back on the scoring sheet after combining for six goals in their team's first two matches but failing to find the net since.

''We just can't afford to give them any room to maneuver,'' midfielder Celso Borges said. ''They can make you pay if they get an opening.''

The winner in Salvador goes on to a semifinal against either Belgium or Argentina in Sao Paulo on July 9.

Costa Rica will be without defender Oscar Duarte, who was sent off in the 66th minute of the penalty shootout victory over Greece. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas skipped training on Wednesday with a sore shoulder, but he has been declared fit to play.

The lengthening Dutch injury list is creating problems for coach Louis van Gaal, who is fast running out of fit midfielders.

AC Milan strongman Nigel de Jong may have played his last World Cup match in Brazil after tearing a groin muscle early in the second-round defeat of Mexico. Leroy Fer also is in doubt with a hamstring injury he picked up in training the day after scoring the crucial opening goal in the Netherlands 2-0 defeat of Chile.

Van Gaal could push left back Daley Blind from defense to midfield or opt for Feyenoord's Jordie Clasie, who has yet to play in Brazil and has only eight caps to his name.

Van Gaal's most experienced midfielder, Wesley Sneijder, appears to be running into form at just the right time.

The team's top scorer in South Africa four years ago broke his Brazil duck against Mexico with a sizzling drive in the 88th minute, after substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar had headed the ball back. Substitute Huntelaar then calmly slotted home a stoppage time penalty, but he said the assist for Sneijder was his most important touch.

''That moment was so intense,'' he told Dutch website Nu.nl. ''It was an explosion of joy and adrenaline that gave us the feeling we could force a result in the regular 90 minutes.''

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Brazil vs. Germany

July 7, 2014


Brazil vs. Germany

Kickoff: Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Mineirao
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Sportsbook.ag Line:
Germany +150, Brazil +185, Tie after Regulation +230
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over +150, Under -169)

Only four teams remain in the 2014 World Cup, with the first semifinal on Tuesday pitting soccer giants Brazil and Germany.

Host Brazil will be playing this match short-handed, with star forward Neymar suffering a fractured vertebra in the quarterfinal win, while team captain Thiago Silva is suspended due to picking up his second yellow card in a 2-1 victory versus Colombia that put the Selecao into the semifinal round for the first time since 2002. Germany reached its fourth straight semifinal, and 10th such appearance in the past 13 World Cups, by knocking off France 1-0. This was the third straight one-goal victory for the Germans. Brazil holds a 5-2-2 advantage in the past nine meetings between these countries, which include the Selecao's 2-0 victory over the Germans in the 2002 World Cup. However, Germany topped Brazil 3-2 when they last met in a friendly in August 2011. Although Brazil will be missing two key starters on Tuesday, they are undefeated in 41 straight matches on home soil, and manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has never lost a World Cup match while leading the Selecao.

Brazil is coming off another harder-than-expected win, as a Thiago Silva's goal seven minutes in and David Luiz's top-corner rocket off a free kick held up in a 2-1 victory. During that match, 54 fouls were committed, including a tournament-high 31 fouls by Brazil. Silva and goalkeeper Julio Cesar were both given yellow cards, with Cesar quite fortunate he didn't pick up a red card when he took out Colombian star James Rodriguez in the box that resulted in a penalty kick goal. Against Colombia, the Selecao held only a slight edge in total shots (12-11), shots on goal (6-5) and possession (51% to 49%). Brazil nearly fell to Chile to open the knockout round in a match where they committed 28 fouls and were booked for four yellow cards, but prevailed in penalty kicks when Chile's final attempt hit the post. Although the Selecao held a commanding 23-13 shot advantage (13-5 shots on goal) in that match, Chile out-possessed Brazil 51% to 49%. The Selecao will certainly miss injured Neymar, who is tied for second among all goal scorers in the World Cup with four of his team's 10 tallies. David Luiz has two goals, but no other teammate has more than one tally in the tournament, with these other four goals coming from Oscar, Fred, Fernando Luiz Roza and Thiago Silva.

Germany started off its World Cup with 4-0 victory against Portugal, but have not really played up to their capabilities since that lopsided result. After a 2-2 draw with heavy underdog Ghana, they barely topped the United States by a 1-0 result, and failed to score in regulation during a 2-1 win over Algeria in the Round of 16. A Mats Hummels header off a Toni Kroos free kick at the 12-minute mark was the club's loan goal in its 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Les Blues. That was the second goal for Hummels in the tournament, putting him second on the club behind Thomas Muller, who has four of the 10 Germany goals in this tournament. He now has nine goals in 10 career World Cup matches. Andre Schurrle, Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze and Miroslav Klose have the other tallies for the Germans, with Klose's tally marking his 15th career World Cup goal, which ties Brazil legend Ronaldo for the all-time record. In the quarterfinal win over France, possession was split equally at 50% apiece, which marks the fifth straight match that the Germans have not lost possession. They held possession advantages of 59% versus Portugal, 54% facing Ghana and a whopping 63% possession time versus both USA and Algeria. For the tournament, they hold a 27-20 edge in corner kicks on their opponents, and in the past three contests, Germany has fired 50 total shots, with 37 going on goal (74%). The players tasked with feeding the goal-scoring stars are midfielders Kroos and Lukas Podolski, who has 47 goals in his 116 caps, but did not play in the quarterfinals. Germany has allowed a mere three goals over five matches in this tournament thanks to the stellar play of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who is the much more highly-regarded keeper in this match. The Germans have also completed 500 more successful passes than any other World Cup team and over 1,000 more than Brazil, and will need to control possession in this match to beat a more physical Selecao club.

Check out more Game and Player Props at Sportsbook.ag!

Brazil vs. Germany Propositions

First Goal Scorer

Thomas Muller 9/2
Miroslav Klose 11/2
Fred 11/2
Hulk 13/2
Andre Schurrle 13/2
Mario Gotze 13/2
Jo 13/2
Lukas Podolski 15/2
Oscar 8/1
Mesut Ozil 17/2
Hernanes 9/1
Bernard 9/1
Paulinho 10/1
Toni Kroos 11/1
Bastian Schweinsteiger 11/1
Julian Draxler 11/1
Willian 12/1
Mats Hummels 14/1
Ramires 14/1
Fernandinho 14/1
Kevin Grosskreutz 16/1
David Luiz 16/1
Mathias Ginter 18/1
Sami Khedira 18/1
Christoph Kramer 18/1
Marcelo 20/1
Daniel Alves 22/1
Philipp Lahm 23/1
Erik Durm 25/1
Per Mertesacker 28/1
Dante 28/1
Maicon 28/1
Benedikt Howedes 28/1
Luiz Gustavo 28/1
Jerome Boateng 33/1
Henrique 33/1
Maxwell 36/1

To Score Anytime

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Di Maria ruled out of World Cup semis

July 6, 2014


BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) - Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria has been ruled out of the World Cup semifinal against the Netherlands with a thigh injury while striker Sergio Aguero has been declared fit to play after recovering from a similar problem.

Di Maria limped off the field in the first half of Argentina's quarterfinal win over Belgium after straining a muscle in the back of his right thigh.

Team doctor Daniel Martinez on Sunday said tests showed it was a ''first-degree'' strain - the mildest kind but added that Di Maria wouldn't be fit to play in Wednesday's semifinal.

Martinez said Aguero, who sustained a similar injury 10 days ago, had recovered in an ''excellent'' way.

Losing Di Maria is a big blow for Argentina as it prepares for its first World Cup semifinal since 1990. Besides Lionel Messi, he's been the team's most influential player in Brazil.

Di Maria scored the extra-time winner against Switzerland in the second round and set up Gonzalo Higuain's winning goal in the first half against Belgium on Saturday.

''He's a key player in this project,'' Higuain said of Di Maria.

The last time Argentina reached the semifinal stage in the World Cup was 24 years ago in Italy, when it made it to the final but lost 1-0 to West Germany.

Coach Alejandro Sabella said being among the final four was the ''minimum'' that Argentina expected out of this World Cup after being eliminated in the quarterfinals in two consecutive tournaments.

Sabella made two key changes to the lineup against Belgium, fielding Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis for the first time in Brazil, and having Lucas Biglia replace Fernando Gago in the midfield.

''You always hope to play,'' Demichelis said. ''I was showing a lot of heart in practice and tried to get to the place where I would get called up.''

The moves bolstered Argentina's defense, with Biglia and Javier Mascherano dropping back to help protect the early lead.

With left back Marcos Rojo returning from suspension Argentina's defense should be in even better shape for the semifinal. However, the attack is bound to suffer without Di Maria.

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Without Neymar, Brazil takes on Germany

July 6, 2014


BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) - Even without Neymar, Brazil's show must go on.

The World Cup hosts, now forced to play without their injured superstar, will face Germany on Tuesday for a spot in next weekend's final.

Neymar fractured a vertebra in his lower back in Brazil's quarterfinal win over Colombia, ruling him out for the rest of the tournament. But despite having to stay off the field, the 22-year-old striker with the dyed-blonde fauxhawk is still expecting Brazil to win its sixth World Cup title.

''I won't be able to fulfill the dream of playing in a World Cup final,'' Neymar said, ''but I'm sure they will win this one, they will become champions, and I will be there with them, and all of Brazil will be celebrating together.''

Along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar was among the biggest stars at the World Cup. And in Brazil, the man in the yellow No. 10 jersey is something of a megastar, with his face plastered on billboards around the country and constantly shown in TV.

His play on the field lived up to the hype, with four goals in the group stage. He continued to make an impact, albeit without any more goals, in the knockout games until he took a knee in the back late in the match against Colombia.

The question for Brazil now, however, is who will step up to replace Neymar as the focal point of the attack? The much-maligned Fred has been largely ineffective so far, while Hulk has also failed to score for the hosts.

And making things tougher on Brazil is the suspension of captain Thiago Silva. The Paris Saint-Germain defender scored the first goal in the quarterfinal victory, but later picked up a yellow card for foolishly impeding the Colombia goalkeeper. Because it was his second yellow of the tournament, he must sit out the match against Germany.

Brazil has played Germany only once at the World Cup, winning 2-0 in the 2002 final. But the Germans, who will be making their 13th appearance in the semifinals, have reached the final seven times and won three of them.

At this year's tournament, Germany coach Joachim Loew has experimented with the defense, moving captain Philipp Lahm into the midfield and then back to his usual right back position.

With Lahm in the backline and Per Mertesacker on the bench in the quarterfinal win over France, the Germans looked as good as they have since routing Portugal in their group opener.

''The team is improving from match to match,'' said Loew, who has led Germany to the semifinals in every major tournament since taking over eight years ago.

The winner of Tuesday's match will face either Argentina or the Netherlands in next Sunday's final. And if it's Neymar's teammates that prevail, the match at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will be sadly missing the country's favorite son.

''I'm certain,'' Neymar said, ''that my teammates will do whatever possible so I can fulfill my dream of being a champion.''

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Neymar denies attempt to play in final

July 7, 2014


BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) - Neymar and the Brazilian football confederation have denied media reports that the striker could undergo special treatment on his fractured vertebra to try to play in the World Cup final if Brazil makes it that far.

Both Neymar and the confederation released statements late Sunday saying that nothing that could risk the player's health or career would be attempted to allow him to play in the final if Brazil advances past Germany in Tuesday's semifinals.

The statements came after the Brazilian media quoted doctors from the Brazlian club Santos as saying there was a chance Neymar could play in the final by with alternative treatments and painkiller injections.

The confederation said rushed measures would ''put in risk his future life as an athlete.'

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Messi and Robben face off in semifinal

July 7, 2014



RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The World Cup's best dribblers - Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben - face off when Argentina and Netherlands meet in the semifinals.

In Brazil, Robben has been quick, Messi has been quicksilver.

On Wednesday in Sao Paulo, either one could turn the semifinal with a dazzling turn of pace or a weaving run to propel his team to the final.

''We have to cut the supply line to Messi,'' Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi told Dutch website Nu.nl.

The Barcelona star led Argentina through the group stage with four goals. He has also made 180 passes in his five matches so far.

The Dutch have shared the goal-scoring duties more evenly - Robben and Robin van Persie each have three, Memphis Depay has two of the team's total of 12 - but the Bayern Munich winger's scintillating sprints with the ball have often been the highlights of Oranje matches.

''We know that we will play against one of the best teams when it comes to counterattacks because of the speed of their men up front,'' Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said. ''So we have to take precautions to not give them the possibility to counterattack, to always be well positioned, to not lose balls unnecessarily in areas where there's a lot of risk.''

After scoring 10 times in group play, the Netherlands has managed only two in its two knock-out matches and the Dutch will be hoping captain Van Persie regains his touch in front of goal. He looked off the pace and missed an easy chance near the end of regulation time in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica.

The Netherlands will again be without their powerful midfield controller Nigel de Jong, who has a torn groin muscle. A possible replacement, Leroy Fer, is recovering from a hamstring injury and it is not clear if he will be fit for Wednesday's semifinal at the Itaquerao Stadium.

Argentina will be without Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who limped off in the first half of his country's quarterfinal win over Belgium with a right thigh injury, but striker Sergio Aguero has been declared fit after recovering from a similar problem.

Di Maria scored the extra-time winner against Switzerland in the second round and set up Gonzalo Higuain's winning goal in the first half against Belgium on Saturday.

''He's a good player, but we look at the whole team, not one player,'' Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen said. ''We're going to watch ... how Argentina plays. We're going to make our plan to beat Argentina.''

Whether that plan again could involve Cillessen being substituted a minute before a penalty shootout and replaced with the more physically imposing Tim Krul - as happened against Costa Rica - remains to be seen.

The move by tactical mastermind Louis van Gaal was the World Cup's most surprising substitution and one of its most effective as Krul stopped two penalties.

''We are ready for everything,'' Krul said. ''Hopefully, we don't need it against Argentina and we can do the job in 90 minutes.''

The two sides have a long World Cup history, including one of the Netherlands' most heart-breaking losses, in the 1978 final when Rob Rensenbrink's shot hit the post shortly before full time with the scores level at 1-1. Argentina went on to win 3-1 in extra time.

In 1998, the Dutch led by Guus Hiddink got a measure of revenge when Dennis Bergkamp's memorable goal knocked Argentina out in the quarterfinals in France.

Cillessen said beating Argentina in Sao Paulo would only be a step on the way to making amends for the 1978 final - one of three the Netherlands has lost, earning the Dutch the title of the best team never to win the World Cup.

''It would be revenge if we win the World Cup,'' Cillessen said. ''But we have to wait for that. It's not a final. It's a semi.''

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2014 World Cup Results


Round of 16

Saturday, June 28

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

Brazil vs. Chile 1-1 Draw (+375) Under (2.5)

Colombia (-135) vs. Uruguay 2-0 Favorite Under (2.5)


Sunday, June 29

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

Netherlands (+115) vs. Mexico 2-1 Favorite Over (2.5)

Costa Rica vs. Greece 1-1 Draw (+210) Push (2)


Monday, June 30

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

France (-250) vs. Nigeria 2-0 Favorite Under (2.5)

Germany vs. Algeria 0-0 Draw (+500) Under (3)


Tuesday, July 1

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

Argentina vs. Switzerland 0-0 Draw (+315) Under (2.5)

Belgium vs. United States 0-0 Draw (+250) Under (2.5)


Quarterfinals

Friday, July 4

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

France vs. Germany (+175) 1-0 Favorite Under (2.5)

Brazil (-130) vs. Colombia 2-1 Favorite Over (2.5)


Saturday, July 5

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

Argentina (+100) vs. Belgium 1-0 Favorite Under (2.5)

Netherlands vs. Costa Rica 0-0 Draw (+315) Under (2.5)


Semifinals

Tuesday, July 8

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

Germany vs. Brazil - - -


Wednesday, July 9

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

TBA - - -


Third Place & Championship

Saturday, June 12

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

TBA - - -


Sunday, July 13

Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

TBA - - -

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Netherlands vs. Brazil

July 11, 2014

Netherlands vs. Brazil (ESPN, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The Third place play-off is something of an anomaly. No other competition, not the Champions League, the European Championship or Copa America has a third place play-off. But the World Cup does. Sometimes these matches can be celebratory affairs - in 2002, the co-hosts South Korea played out a highly entertaining 3-2 defeat to Turkey. Neither side would have dreamed of reaching the semi-finals before the tournament, so for them it was a celebratory occasion.

It will not be so here. This game, at the Estadio Nacional in Brasília, will have the atmosphere of a funeral. Brazil were humbled 7-1 by Germany in their semi-final. It was the most extraordinary result of my lifetime, and era-defining game. The devastation was such that many who played for the home side that day may never represent Brazil again. They face Holland, who were not lucky second time around after another 0-0 that went to penalties. They got past Costa Rica, but missed two of their four kicks against Argentina, sending Louis van Gaal’s side out.

The most interesting thing about this game will be Scolari’s team selection in his last match as coach, and how the players respond after the some of the worst few days of their lives. Some players, particularly, Fred, Marcelo, Fernandinho, Hulk and Maicon, can surely not play on Saturday, given the criticism they have been subjected to since the defeat.

It will be interesting to see whether David Luiz partners Thiago Silva. Luiz took the captaincy in Silva’s absence in Belo Horizonte, and endured 90 atrocious minutes. Though Marcelo was Brazil’s worst player that night, it was David Luiz whose reputation took the biggest battering. Everything his critics have levelled at him was proven catastrophically right.

Ramires will surely come in, after a respectable second-half performance, while there may also be first starts of the tournament for Jefferson, Henrique, Maxwell, Willian, Hernanes and Jô.

Although he has recently said that ‘We are going to do everything to finish third…We want to leave the World Cup unbeaten, something a Dutch side has never achieved’, Louis van Gaal gave away his attitude to the Third place play-off somewhat by saying it ‘should never be played’. This will surely affect the extent to which his team exert themselves in Brasilia. While many third place games are high-scoring, we could see a low-scorer here.

On the one hand, there is a team at its lowest ebb, humiliated at home and just wanting the nightmare to end. Without Neymar, as we saw against Germany, Brazil just have desperately little going forward, and Thiago Silva’s return will improve the back-line. Holland have only scored once in open play since the group stages, and they have little invention in midfield with Wesley Sneijder having a quiet tournament. Arjen Robben is the man who makes things happen for the Oranje, who also have a solid defence. Ron Vlaar, the man who missed the second crucial penalty in the quarter-final, has been superb. So I recommend taking under 2.5 goals at 29/20 with Sportsbook.ag. This will not be the carefree Third-place play-off of previous years.

In the match winner market, Brazil are rather surprisingly the 23/20 favourites, with Holland 41/20 and a draw 14/5. The draw looks the best option here, but it seems surprising that Brazil are so short. While it is foolish to overreact to one result, that price is not too different from what bookies would have been laying without seeing Brazil capitulate against Germany. One performance does not mean everything, but Brazil were just so bad, and the players were so dejected, that it is bound to have an effect here.

In the first goalscorer market, I have been constantly tipping up Arjen Robben, and again here I like the look of 11/2 about the Bayern Munich man breaking the deadlock. This is particularly good if Marcelo plays. Most of Germany’s early goals came down Marcelo’s side, which is where Robben plays. Jô looks certain to lead the line for Brazil, after poor Fred’s barracking at the hands of the Mineirão crowd on Tuesday. He has 5 goals in 19 for Brazil, a record that is more impressive than it looks given his usual role as a substitute. He is 7/1.

Top Bet: Under 2.5 goals at 29/20