feedmemore37's FIFA World Cup

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2014 FIFA World Cup Teams.jpg

Semi-Finals Review:

Results:

1A vs 2F: Cameroon def. by Argentina 1-1 (4-5 pen.)
2A vs 2G: Brazil def. by Germany 0-2

Match Outcomes and Major Stories:

• Cameroon vs Argentina: All fairy tales sadly come to an end and it was a heartbreaking penalties ending to Cameroon's amazing world cup run. Scoring the first goal Cameroon were celebrating like they had won the match, but minutes later the man who was counted out all tournament, Lionel Messi, scored the goal to keep the game in reach. Neither team could capitalise in the second half or extra time and penalties would decide the game, and after Argentina's first kick was saved, Cameroon thought they were finally home. Unfortunately for them though Argentina would crush their heart's and Pablo Zabaleta would go down a national hero, that would send the South American's to their first world cup final since 1930.
• Brazil vs Germany: Brazil had grabbed favouritism to win the world cup after they knocked out reigning champions Spain, and their toughest matchup looked to be the German's. Germany made the first half their own with two goals before holding off the Brazilians' for the rest of the game. In what was a poor performance by Brazil they will look to go back to the drawing board in an effort to go a few better in 2018, but Germany would finally make their first World Cup final as a full nation, being West Germany the last time they would make an appearance in the last match, 1978.
• Awards: Once again it would be Balotelli and Neymar leading the Golden Boot race, with Neymar's final game in the third place playoff looking like his only advantage. Kroos is basically your Golden Ball winner, as no one has looked to try and contest him since we started the knockout stages and the Golden Glove would be shared between a number of goalkeepers. With only two teams left in it though, Germany are the outright favourites to win it all as they look far to strong for Argentina.
• Statistics: The amount of yellow cards at the tournament has sttayed the same with 35, as no more yellows, reds or injuries have occurred.

Up Next: Third Place Playoff and Final Preview

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2014 FIFA World Cup Teams.jpg

Third Place Playoff and Final Preview:

Bracket

2014 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage.png

Fixtures

Match Day 24-Third Place Playoff:

Cameroon vs Brazil, 1A vs 2A, Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, 17:00

Match Day 25-Final:

Argentina vs Germany, 2F vs 2G, Estadio do Maracana, 16:00

Match Previews

• Third Place Playoff: The two most heartbroken teams in the world cup will face off for third place and it will really come down to which team has more fight left in them. Cameroon had their hopes crushed in a brutal penalty shootout against Argentina and Brazil, well the hosts' have had a good run but were just outclassed by Germany in there humiliating win. The two teams both came from Group A and in the Group Stage Cameroon picked up an easy win, so it will be interesting to see the outcome of this match.
• 2014 FIFA World Cup Final: What all soccer fans have been waiting for. The last four years of boredom have led to this grand finale between two great nations. Both teams have never won the World Cup. Both teams are full of some of the greatest world class players. But it is all about who can deliver on the day. Germany are easy favourites to win as Argentina have had a troubling tournament, but no one can count out their captain Leo Messi. In what could be many players final world cup match, both teams will look to go out on a high, in a very unpredicatable, but huge final game with two of the greatest soccer nations worldwide. Who will win? We will have to wait and see...

Up Next: Match Day 24-Third Place Playoff

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2014 FIFA World Cup Teams.jpg

Match Day 24:

Match 63, Cameroon vs Brazil

Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, Brasilia; Attendance: 68,034
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria); Third Place Playoff

Lineups:

Cameroon (4-1-4-1):

16. Charles Itandje
14. Aurelien Chedjou, 3. Nicolas N'Koulou (c), 21. Joel Matip, 12. Henri Bedimo
7. Landry N'Guemo
13. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 11. Jean Makoun, 6. Alex Song, 8. Benjamin Moukandjo
10. Vincent Aboubakar
Manager: Volker Finke

Brazil (4-2-3-1):

12. Julio Cesar
23. Maicon, 3. Thiago Silva (c), 4. David Luiz, 14. Maxwell
8. Paulinho, 17. Luiz Gustavo
16. Ramires, 11. Oscar, 19. Willian
21. Jo
Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Game Log:

45' L. N'Guemo > D. Nounkeu, Substitution, Cameroon
45' Oscar > Neymar, Substitution, Brazil
58' Luiz Gustavo > Fernandinho, Substitution, Brazil
85' Maicon > Dani Alves, Substitution, Brazil
85' E. Choupo-Moting > S. Eto'o, Substitution, Cameroon
85' A. Chedjou > V. Aboubakar, Substitution, Cameroon
109' S. Eto'o, Goal, Cameroon 1-0
113' Neymar, Goal, Brazil 1-1
119' Neymar, Goal (2), Brazil 2-1
Result: Brazil W 1-2 / Man of the Match: Neymar (Brazil)

Up Next: Road to the Finals

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Germany vs Argentina 2014.jpg

Road to the Finals:

We are under an hour away from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, so let's take a look at how the teams got here and how they will lineup at 4PM.

Bracket

2014 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage.png

How They Got Here:

Argentina

Group Stage (Group F 2nd):
15-6-14, Draw vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1
21-6-14, W vs Iran 1-0
25-6-14, Draw vs Nigeria 0-0

Round of 16: 30-6-14, W vs Ecuador 1-0
Quarter-Finals: 4-7-14, W vs Portugal 2-1 (a.e.t.)
Semi-Finals: 8-7-14, W vs Cameroon 1-1 (5-4 pen.)

Germany

Group Stage (Group G 2nd):
16-6-14, L vs Portugal 0-1
21-6-14, W vs Ghana 4-1
26-6-14, Draw vs United States 2-2

Round of 16: 1-7-14, W vs Belgium 3-1
Quarter-Finals: 5-7-14, W vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 (a.e.t.)
Semi-Finals: 9-7-14, W vs Brazil 2-0

Lineups:

Argentina

In: None
Out: None

Germany

In: Christoph Kramer
Out: Sami Khedira

Up Next: Match Day 25-2014 FIFA World Cup Final

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2014 FIFA World Cup Teams.jpg

Match Day 25; 2014 FIFA World Cup Final:

Germany vs Argentina 2014.jpg

Match 64, Argentina vs Germany

Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro; Attendance: 74,738
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy); Final

Lineups:

Argentina (4-3-3):

1. Sergio Romero
4. Pablo Zabaleta, 15. Martin Demichelis, 2. Ezequiel Garay, 16. Marcos Rojo
8. Enzo Perez, 14. Javier Mascherano, 6. Lucas Biglia
10. Lionel Messi (c), 9. Gonzalo Higuain, 22. Ezequiel Lavezzi
Manager: Alejandro Sabella

Germany (4-2-3-1):

1. Manuel Neuer
16. Philipp Lahm (c), 20. Jerome Boateng, 5. Mats Hummels, 4. Benedikt Howedes
23. Christoph Kramer, 7. Bastian Schweinsteiger
13. Thomas Muller, 18. Toni Kroos, 8. Mesut Ozil
11. Miroslav Klose
Manager: Joachim Low

Game Log:

21' T. Muller, Goal, Germany 1-0
31' B. Schweinsteiger, Yellow Card, Germany
45' T. Kroos > M. Gotze, Substitution, Germany
47' G. Higuain, Goal, Argentina 1-1
59' M. Ozil > J. Draxler, Substitution, Germany
65' G. Higuain > R. Palacio, Substitution, Argentina
67' B. Howedes > E. Durm, Substitution, Germany
90' E. Lavezzi > S. Aguero, Substitution, Argentina
90' J. Mascherano > A. Di Maria, Substitution, Argentina

Penalty Shootout Results:

1. Sergio Aguero, Argentina 0-0
2. Thomas Muller, Germany 1-0
3. Rodrigo Palacio, Argentina 1-1
4. Miroslav Klose, Germany 1-1
5. Ezequiel Garay, Argentina 1-1
6. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany 1-1
7. Lionel Messi, Argentina 2-1
8. Mario Gotze, Germany 2-2
9. Angel Di Maria, Argentina 3-2
10. Julian Draxler, Germany 2-3
Result: Argentina W 1-1 (3-2 pen.) / Man of the Match: Sergio Romero (Argentina)

ARGENTINA ARE YOUR 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!

Up Next: Third Place Playoff and Final Review

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2014 FIFA World Cup Teams.jpg

Third Place Playoff and Final Review:

Results:

Third Place Playoff: Cameroon def. by Argentina 1-2 (a.e.t.)
Final: Argentina def. Germany 1-1 (3-2 pen.)

Final Bracket:

2014 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage.png

In-Depth Match Outcomes:

• Third Place Playoff-Cameroon vs Brazil: Both teams were fighting for something in this game. Cameroon wanted to finish their great world cup on a high where the hosts, Brazil wanted to get back some of their rep after a shocking effort against Germany. People were talking before the game about both teams' lineups, with no Eto'o for Cameroon and no Neymar for Brazil, who also chose to start Jo up front. The game was quite boring and the most exciting moment of extra time was at both the 45th and 85th minutes when we saw both Neymar and Eto'o make an appearance. Extra time would come and after the first half there was still no scores and it looked like Cameroon would hold off the Brazilian challenge and wait for spot kicks, but instead they went all guns blazing and arguably their biggest star, Samuel Eto'o would score the game changing first goal as Cameroon clinched the lead 1-0. Only four minutes would pass before Brazil's equaliser as their star man Neymar would cruise in for an easy goal. We looked all set to go to penalties until a corner, where Brazil would come back from the dead and Neymar would grab another, running straight to the sideline as the fans had something to cheer for once again. After 108 minutes there had no been a single goal but in the space of 12 minutes we had seen three, in what was a crazy match. Cameroon's supporters were left in tears as they had been heartbroken after 90 minutes for the second straight game as a great image of Neymar and Eto'o emerged, both in tears for unknown reasons. The hosts vowed that they would easily go better in four years, and with that result we only had one more game for the entire tournament.
• Final-Argentina vs Germany: Who would of thought two teams who finished second in their respective groups would make the final. Both looked out of touch within their first three matches and now we are at the biggest stage of all. The hype around this game was insane, it was classified as goalkeeper vs goalkeeper and Messi vs Kroos. Germany were the easy favourites and the only ones to make a change as Sami Khedira would be given a rest as Christoph Kramer would make his first start at the tournament. Both teams had never won a world cup, as Argentina's only final appearance would come at the very first tournament in Uruguay 1930, as Germany hadn't made a final since their loss to France in 1978. The game had taken a while to get going as many fouls were given but referee Nicola Rizzoli did not want the final game at the tournament to go down as a card fest, only looking to punish severe, deliberate challenges. Thomas Muller and the Germans would strike first, have a powerful shot go straight past Romero to make 1-0 just after 20 minutes. Rizzoli would finally hand out a yellow card to Bastian Schweinsteiger for a very hard foul on Leo Messi, as the first half ended with no more intense action. Toni Kroos would sit for the rest of the game after half time, as within the first minute Gonzalo Higuain would run the length of half the pitch before slotting in one straight past Neuer. The rest of the 90 minutes was filled with substitutions and midfield battles for the ball as no one could take control as we headed to extra time. The scene made it look like both teams were readying for penalties as no one wanted to risk being counter-attacked against, as only Mario Gotze and Muller were the only two who really looked close for Germany in the first half of ET. The second half would be a bigger picture though, as Argentina looked to finish the match within those 15 minutes, as chances arose from Aguero, Messi, Di Maria, Palacio and even danger off a corner by Marcos Rojo. But it was not enough as we would enter penalties. The action would intensify here, as Germany looked like they had saved their energy, but everyone was talking about Argentina's PK experience. Kun Aguero was first to the spot, as Manuel Neuer would make a huge diving save to raise the German hopes. Muller and Palacio would both easily score before one of the most well known strikers in the world, Miroslav Klose, could not convert, setting the game up on even terms once again. That was before Ezequiel Garay would miss in the shootout for the second time in two games, as Schweinsteiger was also feeling the pressure, flying his shot straight into the arms of Sergio Romero. After three kicks each the score was 1-1. Leo Messi took the bull by the horns and slotted in a huge penalty as Mario Gotze would then fool Romero, taking it down to the fifth kick. If either team missed it was game over. Angel Di Maria would go to the spot for Argentina and with no fear in his eyes would slot the ball straight down the middle. It was down to this penalty, score and you're still in, miss and Argentina are champions. Young Julian Draxler would head to the spot, and with much debate about who should have taken the kick, the commentators had been certain it should have been Philipp Lahm. The opportunity would lie on Draxler's shoulders as he looked every bit nervous, as he would kick to the right. But no, Romero dived the right way. ARGENTINA ARE YOUR CHAMPIONS!! The heartbreak in the eyes of the German players was seen worldwide, as Sergio Romero would run straight to his teammates to celebrate as Sabella was jumping with joy. The Argentinian's were taking the trophy home as Lionel Messi had completed all he had ever hoped for an would be heralded as one of, if not the Greatest of All Time. As Messi lifted the trophy the crowd roared, and without Messi there would have been no celebration for Argentina. The may who along with Sergio Romero, would be heralded as the nations hero's for their efforts, while Julian Draxler would be named and seen in the eyes of all German fans as the villain. With one of the best endings to a world cup you could ask for, we hope to see the same in four years time in Russia. Thank you for tuning in to this historic day as we have new champions. ARGENTINA ARE YOUR 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP WINNERS. That is the headline worldwide.

Argentina World Cup Winners 2014.jpg
Argentina's players rush to keeper Sergio Romero to celebrate their first world cup victory.

Up Next: 2014 FIFA World Cup Review

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2014 FIFA World Cup Logo.jpg

2014 FIFA World Cup Review

The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in 1950, and the fifth time that it was held in South America.

Thirty-one national teams advanced through qualification competitions to join the host nation in the final tournament (with Bosnia and Herzegovina as only debutant). A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, as well as vanishing spray for free kicks. FIFA Fan Fests in each host city gathered a total of 5 million people, and the country received 1 million visitors from 202 countries.

In the final, Argentina defeated Germany in penalties. After the game finished 1-1 after extra time they would win 3-2 in the shootout and secure the nations first world cup title. This would also be their first world cup final appearance since the inaugural tournament in 1930.

Group Stage

Group A:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group A
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Cameroon	3	2	0	1	6 (+1)
Brazil	3	2	0	1	6 (0)
Croatia	3	1	1	1	4 (+1)
Mexico	3	0	1	2	1 (-2)

12-6-14: Brazil def. Croatia 3-2
13-6-14: Mexico def. by Cameroon 0-1
17-6-14: Brazil def. Mexico 1-0
18-6-14: Cameroon def. by Croatia 0-2
23-6-18: Cameroon def. Brazil 2-0
23-6-18: Croatia draw w/ Mexico 2-2

Group B:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group B
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Spain	3	3	0	0	9 (+5)
Netherlands	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Chile	3	1	0	2	3 (-3)
Australia	3	0	1	2	1 (-2)

13-6-14: Spain def. Netherlands 1-0
13-6-14: Chile def. Australia 3-2
18-6-14: Australia draw w/ Netherlands 0-0
18-6-14: Spain def. Chile 5-2
23-6-14: Australia def. by Spain 0-1
23-6-14: Netherlands def. Chile 3-2

Group C:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group C
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Greece	3	1	2	0	5 (+1)
Colombia	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Japan	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Ivory Coast	3	0	1	1	1 (-1)

14-6-14: Colombia draw w/ Greece 1-1
14-6-14: Ivory Coast draw w/ Japan 0-0
19-6-14: Colombia def. Ivory Coast 1-0
19-6-14: Japan def. by Greece 0-1
24-6-14: Japan def. Colombia 2-1
24-6-14: Greece draw w/ Ivory Coast 0-0

Group D:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group D
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Italy	3	2	0	1	6 (+3)
Uruguay	3	2	0	1	6 (-1)
England	3	1	1	1	4 (+1)
Costa Rica	3	0	1	2	1 (-3)

14-6-14: Uruguay def. Costa Rica 2-1
14-6-14: England def. Italy 4-2
19-6-14: Uruguay def. England 2-1
20-6-14: Italy def. Costa Rica 2-0
24-6-14: Italy def. Uruguay 4-1
24-6-14: Costa Rica draw w/ England 1-1

Group E:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group E
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Ecuador	3	2	1	0	7 (+2)
Honduras	3	0	3	0	3 (0)
Switzerland	3	0	2	1	2 (-1)
France	3	0	2	1	2 (-1)

15-6-14: Switzerland def. by Ecuador 0-1
15-6-14: France draw w/ Honduras 0-0
20-6-14: Switzerland draw w/ France 1-1
20-6-14: Honduras draw w/ Ecuador 0-0
25-6-14: Honduras draw w/ Switzerland 0-0
25-6-14: Ecuador def. France 1-0

Group F:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group F
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Argentina	3	1	2	0	5 (+1)
Nigeria	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Iran	3	0	0	3	0 (-4)

15-6-14: Argentina draw w/ Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1
16-6-14: Iran def. by Nigeria 0-2
21-6-14: Argentina def. Iran 1-0
21-6-14: Nigeria def. by Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-2
25-6-14: Nigeria draw w/ Argentina 0-0
25-6-14: Bosnia and Herzegovina def. Iran 4-3

Group G:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group G
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Portugal	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Germany	3	1	1	1	4 (+2)
United States	3	0	3	0	3 (0)
Ghana	3	0	1	2	1 (-5)

16-6-14: Germany def. by Portugal 0-1
16-6-14: Ghana draw w/ United States 0-0
21-6-14: Germany def. Ghana 4-1
22-6-14: United States draw w/ Portugal
26-6-14: United States draw w/ Germany 2-2
26-6-14: Portugal def. Ghana 3-1

Group H:

2014 FIFA World Cup Group H
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Belgium	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Russia	3	2	0	1	6 (+2)
Korea Republic	3	1	1	1	4 (-1)
Algeria	3	0	0	3	0 (-4)

17-6-14: Belgium def. Algeria 3-2
17-6-14: Russia def. Korea Republic 2-0
22-6-14: Korea Republic def. Algeria 1-0
22-6-14: Belgium def. Russia 2-0
26-6-14: Korea Republic draw w/ Belgium 1-1
26-6-14: Algeria def. by Russia 1-3

Knockout Stage

Round of 16:

28-6-14: Cameroon def. Netherlands 2-1
28-6-14: Greece def. Uruguay 1-0
29-6-14: Spain def. by Brazil 0-1
29-6-14: Italy def. by Colombia 2-3 (a.e.t.)
30-6-14: Ecuador def. by Argentina 0-1
30-6-14: Portugal def. Russia 1-0
1-7-14: Bosnia and Herzegovina def. Honduras 3-1
1-7-14: Belgium def. by Germany 1-3

Quarter-Finals:

4-7-14: Argentina def. Portugal 2-1 (a.e.t.)
4-7-14: Cameroon def. Greece 0-0 (4-2 pen.)
5-7-14: Bosnia and Herzegovina def. by Germany 0-1 (a.e.t.)
5-7-14: Brazil def. Colombia 1-0

Semi-Finals:

8-7-14: Cameroon def. by Argentina 1-1 (4-5 pen.)
9-7-14: Brazil def. by Germany 0-2

Third Place Playoff:

12-7-14: Cameroon def. by Brazil 1-2 (a.e.t.)

Final:

13-7-14: Argentina def. Germany 1-1 (3-2 pen.)

Statistics

Goalscorers:

Neymar was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring six goals, his first time receiving the award. In total, 139 goals were scored by 105 players, with two credited as own goals. Goals scored from penalty shoot-outs are not counted.

6 Goals:

Neymar (Brazil)

4 Goals:

Mario Balotelli (Italy)

3 Goals:

Eden Hazard (Belgium), Veded Ibisevic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Mario Gotze (Germany), Toni Kroos (Germany), Reza Ghoochannejad (Iran)

2 Goals:

Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Argentina), Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Anel Hadzic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Senad Lulic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon), Charles Aranguiz (Chile), Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Eduardo Vargas (Chile), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Jefferson Montero (Ecuador), Daniel Sturridge (England), Sami Khedira (Germany), Thomas Muller (Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Russia), Aleksandr Kokorin (Russia), Andres Iniesta (Spain)

1 Goal:

Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria), Carl Medjani (Algeria), Hillal Soudani (Algeria), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Ezequiel Garay (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Tim Cahill (Australia), James Troisi (Australia), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Kevin Mirallas (Belgium), Axel Witsel (Belgium), Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Fred (Brazil), Oscar (Brazil), Benjamin Moukandjo (Cameroon), Landry N'Guemo (Cameroon), Marcelo Diaz (Chile), Juan Cuadrado (Colombia), Teofilo Gutierrez (Colombia), Alexander Mejia (Colombia), Adrian Ramos (Colombia), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Carlos Sanchez (Colombia), Christian Bolanos (Costa Rica), Joel Campbell (Costa Rica), Mateo Kovacic (Croatia), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia), Luka Modric (Croatia), Ivica Olic (Croatia), Ross Barkley (England), Steven Gerrard (England), James Milner (England), Wayne Rooney (England), Blaise Matuidi (France), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Jonathan Mensah (Ghana), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Greece), Konstantinos Mitroglou (Greece), Jerry Palacios (Honduras), Antonio Candreva (Italy), Ciro Immobile (Italy), Claudio Marchisio (Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Marco Verratti (Italy), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Japan), Kim Shin Wook (Korea Republic), Ki Sung Yueng (Korea Republic), Giovani dos Santos (Mexico), Carlos Pena (Mexico), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Jeremain Lens (Netherlands), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands), Ramon Azeez (Nigeria), Emmanuel Emenike (Nigeria), Fabio Coentrao (Portugal), Joao Moutinho (Portugal), Nani (Portugal), Denis Glushakov (Russia), Jordi Alba (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain), David Silva (Spain), Fernando Torres (Spain), Xavi (Spain), Steve von Bergen (Switzerland), Michael Bradley (United States), Clint Dempsey (United States), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Diego Godin (Uruguay), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Cristian Rodriguez (Uruguay), Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

Own Goals:

Michael Umana (Costa Rica, against Italy), John Boye (Ghana, against Portugal)

Discipline

The 2014 FIFA World Cup had a total of 35 yellow cards and a total of five red cards. The first yellow card of the tournament was handed to Paulinho of Brazil against Croatia while the first red card of the tournament was handed to Ron Vlaar of the Netherlands against Australia. The teams with the most and least yellow cards were Germany with five and Belgium, Chile, Croatia, England, Ghana, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland, all with zero.

Awards:

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

2014 FIFA World Cup Awards.jpg

Technical Study Group:

The members of the Technical Study Group, the committee that decided which players won the awards, were led by FIFA's head of the Technical Division Jean-Paul Brigger and featured:

• Gerard Houllier (France)
• Raul Arias (Mexico)
• Gabriel Calderon (Argentina)
• Ricki Herbert (New Zealand)
• Abdel Moneim Hussein (Sudan)
• Kwok Ka Ming (Hong Kong)
• Ioan Lupescu (Romania)
• Gines Melendez (Spain)
• Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Japan)
• Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria)
• Mixu Paatelainen (Finland)
• Jaime Rodriguez (El Salvador)
• Thoedore Whitmore (Jamaica)

Dream Team

As was the case during the 2010 edition, FIFA did not release an official All-Star Team, but instead invited users of FIFA.com to elect their Dream Team.

Goalkeepers
Julio Cesar (Brazil)

Defenders
Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina)
David Luiz (Brazil)
Joel Matip (Cameroon)
Jose Holebas (Greece)

Midfielders
Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia)
Toni Kroos (Germany)
Sami Khedira (Germany)

Forwards
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon)
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
Neymar (Brazil)

Manager
Alejandro Sabella (Argentina)

Prize Money

The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA as US$576 million (including payments of $70 million to domestic clubs and $100 million as player insurances), a 37 percent increase from the amount allocated in the 2010 tournament. Before the tournament, each of the 32 entrants received $1.5 million for preparation costs. At the tournament, the prize money was distributed as follows:

• $8 million - to each team eliminated at the group stage (16 teams)
• $9 million - to each team eliminated in the round of 16 (8 teams)
• $14 million - to each team eliminated in the quarter-finals (4 teams)
• $20 million - fourth placed team
• $22 million - third placed team
• $25 million - runner-up
• $35 million - winner

Final Standings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

2014 FIFA World Cup Final Standings.png

So that's a wrap for this edition of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. I hope everyone enjoyed and all my hard work and information provided a good read. As close to the real life edition as it was I am happy with the outcome and some of the surprises which came through were really great. I hope to get my 2018 FIFA World Cup series started soon in the same thread, and I hope I can get a bigger fanbase with as many more viewers and replies as I can. Hopefully I can make the 2018 version much better and I hope to get started in a few days. 2018's edition is just around the corner, and I'll see you then!

Up Next: Introduction to the 2018 FIFA World Cup

[asvpxhughuet]

We are now up to the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup. This will be a longer process as unlike the 2014 version I will be playing all the games currently, as with 2014 I played them in advance. I hope everyone will enjoy this and once I finish the current tournament I will create a poll on this page to start something new, whether it is a play through of the EPL, UEFA Champions League or something else like a single team career. Let me know if there is anything you want me to incorporate into this edition.

I have also created a poll, so feel free to vote for who you believe will win the 2018 FIFA World Cup!

Here is the link: http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p...b0f78c70ad502f