World Cup 2014 – Scout Notes – Matchday 5, Day 1

David Luiz and Thiago Silva grab a goal apiece as Brazil reach the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Colombia. Neymar is stretchered off for the hosts, whilst James Rodriguez delivers his sixth goal of the tournament for the beaten visitors. Elsewhere, Mats Hummels nets the winner as Germany get the better of France:

Luiz in the Points Again
The Chelsea defender delivered attacking returns for the third successive appearance in last night’s narrow win. A stunning 35-yard free-kick added to Luiz’ goal against Chile and assist against Cameroon, meaning he is second top scorer behind Neymar for Phil Scolari’s side and has more than atoned for some poor defensive displays from the hosts that have mustered just a single clean sheet in five appearances.

From a Fantasy perspective, Luiz’ stock rose further after Thiago Silva was ruled out through suspension for the hosts – having opened the scoring on seven minutes, the PSG defender earned his second yellow of the tournament and will miss the upcoming semi-final against Joachim Low’s Germany. With Dani Alves dropped for Maicon at right-back last night, Luiz looks the best route into Brazil’s backline for the last four clash.

Neymar Injury Taints Brazil Triumph
Stretchered off with just two minutes remaining of last night’s match, the Brazil frontman is reportedly ruled out of the tournament after picking up a back injury. Neymar was taken to hospital after the game and has since returned to the Brazil training camp via ambulance but the prognosis isn’t good. The Brazilian medical staff have since confirmed his nation’s fears:

“Neymar is out of the World Cup. The player suffered a fracture of the third vertebra and will not be able to recover in time to compete in the remaining two games of the World Cup – the recovery time predicted by the Brazilian team’s medical department is four weeks. It’s not serious in the sense that it doesn’t need surgery, but he’ll need to immobilise it to recover. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to play”

With Fred still toiling up top, and Silva suspended at the back, then, Scolari has it all to do ahead of Tuesday’s clash against Germany. Fantasy owners will be on the lookout for frontline alternatives for the Brazil forward and, on a night where France’s Karim Benzema also crashed out, there’ll be plenty of squad restructuring on the agenda before the semi-finals get underway.

Rodriguez Bows Out with Another Goal
The star of the tournament so far, Colombia’s playmaker found the net once again as his side were defeated by their fellow South Americans. Rodriguez continued his outstanding record of scoring in every Matchday after converting a spot-kick with 10 minutes left of the second period but Jose Pekerman’s side were unable to find another goal to keep their hopes alive. With six goals and two assists over five matches, Rodriguez played a part in eight of Colombia’s 12 goals in World Cup 2014 and his consistency will be sorely missed by Fantasy managers for the remainder of the tournament.

In the FIFA McDonald’s game, Fernandinho (12), Thiago Silva (six), Marcelo and Hulk (five apiece) were Brazil’s best performers for recovered balls. For Colombia, central defensive pair Mario Ypes and Cristian Zapata were the main men, with eight and seven respectively.

Hummels the Hero for Germany
Back in the Germany starting line-up after recovering from flu, the Dortmund centre-half headed his side into the last four with the only goal of the game against France. Having also found the net in the opening win over Portugal, Hummels now has two strikes to his name over four appearances and with three clean sheets also accrued, has proven to be a must-have in our Fantasy backlines. In a night where Mario Gotze was handed a sub role, Toni Kroos earned his second assist of the campaign after Hummels converted his 12th-minute set-piece.

In terms of personnel, Philipp Lahm started at right-back for the first time in the tournament last night, with Jerome Boateng partnering Hummels in the heart of defence due to Per Mertesacker’s absence through illness. Joachim Low’s decision to start Miroslav Klose raised a few eyebrows and forced Thomas Muller into a wider role, with the Bayern man delivering a blank for the first time in the tournament.

Another Blank for Benzema
Fantasy hopes were high for the France forward after he was shifted back into a central role for last night’s game. Didier Deschamps made two changes, bringing in Antoine Griezmann and Mamadou Sakho for Arsenal pair Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny, and with Griezmann taking up a role on the flank, Benzema was hoping to add to his three goals and two assists so far. Despite firing seven attempts on goal, he managed just two on target and failed to find the net for the third game in a row as France crashed out.

In the FIFA McDonald’s game, Patrice Evra was top amongst the French for recovered balls with nine, followed by Mathieu Debuchy and Rafael Varane, with six and five respectively. Jerome Boateng’s 10 led the way for the Germans, with Benedikt Howedes (seven). Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller (all six) and Mats Hummels’ five next in line.