World Cup 2014 – Scout Notes – Matchday 3, Day 4

Thomas Muller grabs his fourth goal of the World Cup as Germany finish top of Group G. Cristiano Ronaldo nets Portugal’s winner against Ghana but both sides fail to progress, Jan Vertonghen slots home the only goal of the game as Belgium win again, while Islam Slimani fires Algeria into the knockout stages with a second-half equaliser against Russia:

Muller Nets Again as Germany Advance
Another goal from Thomas Muller was enough to see off USA in a hard-fought match yesterday evening. The Bayern man took his tally to four strikes and an assist for the tournament so far, with yesterday’s winner maintaining the form which has seen him serve up returns in all three of his appearances over the group stages.

Joachim Low drafted in Bastian Schweinsteiger for Sami Khedira in the centre of the park and also handed Lukas Podolski a spot in the front three as Mario Gotze dropped out, though the latter made way for Miroslav Klose at the break after an ineffectual display and seems unlikely to retain his place for the upcoming clash against Algeria. With Philipp Lahm once again picked in central midfield, the 1-0 win means that five German defenders have accrued a couple of clean sheets so far, with Mats Hummels leading the way after scoring in the opener against Portugal. Up against Algeria now for a place in the quarter-finals, investment at both ends of the pitch looks a canny tactic.

USA Through Despite Loss
Jurgen Klinsmann also made two alterations for yesterday’s match. At the back, Omar Gonzalez replaced Geoff Cameron in central defence, whilst Brad Davis gets the nod ahead of Alejandro Bedoya on the right flank, with Clint Dempsey leading the line once again. The former Fulham man was unable to net for the third match in a row, though, with his side struggling to make their mark in the final third – indeed, with Klinsmann’s side failing to muster a single attempt on target over the 90 minutes, upcoming opponents Switzerland will be confident ahead of their showdown in the knockouts.

In the FIFA McDonald’s game, Germany registered 41 recovered balls to their opponents’ 31. Leading the way for Low’s side were three of the back-four – Mats Hummels (12), Benedikt Howedes (eight) and Per Mertesacker, with five. For the USA, central midfielder Kyle Beckerman and right-back Fabian Johnson (five) were the main men.

Ronaldo Exits With a Goal
A first win of the tournament was not enough for Paulo Bento’s side as Portugal crashed out on goal difference. For the third match in a row, the Portuguese boss fielded a different lone striker, bringing in Eder for Helder Postiga, but the switch failed to make any real impact, with a Ghana own goal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s first effort of the campaign ensuring a 2-1 win. Bento also drafted in Pepe, William Carvalho and Ruben Amorim for Ricardo Costa, Andre Almeida, Raul Meireles and switched Miguel Veloso to left-back but despite a total of 18 attempts, with seven on target, Portugal were unable to find the goals that could have clinched a place in the last 16.

Ghana Crash Out
The Africans’ preparations were thrown into disarray after Kevin Prince-Boateng and Sulley Muntari were sent home prior to the match due to disciplinary reasons. Kwesi Appiah brought in Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Abdul Majeed Waris in the pair’s absence but despite the best efforts of Asamoah Gyan – who fired an impressive nine shots on goal on his way to netting for the second time in the tournament – they were unable to grab the result required and finished bottom of Group G.

In the FIFA McDonald’s game, Pepe produced eight recovered balls for Portugal, with Bruno Alves (six), Miguel Veloso, Nani and Joao Moutinho (all five) also impressing. For Ghana, right-back Harrison Afful led the way with eight, while Mohammed Rabiu and Jonathan Mensah both registered seven and Kwadwo Asamoah managed six.

Vertonghen Wins it for Belgium
As Fantasy managers feared, Marc Wilmots made many alterations to his starting XI for last night’s clash with South Korea. With his side already through, the Belgium boss made seven alterations, with only Thibaut Courtois, Daniel Van Buyten, Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens retaining their places, as Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen missed out through injury.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Wilmots’ side still managed to prevail thanks to a Jan Vertonghen strike. The Spurs defender slotted home after a shot from substitute Divock Origi, who once again impressed with a lively display that will strengthen his chances of a start in the next match against USA. Conceding just one goal over the three group games, Belgium’s backline will surely come into consideration as we restructure our Fantasy squads ahead of the knockout stages.

In the FIFA McDonald’s game, Daniel Van Buyten and Jan Vertonghen led the way for recovered balls amongst the Belgians, with seven and six respectively. Hong Jeong-ho (eight), Kim Young Gwon (seven), Yun Souk-young and Han Kook-young (five) were top for South Korea.

Slimani Guides Algeria Into Knockouts
Islam Slimani struck for the second match in succession to help Algeria finish runners-up in Group H. Handed a starting role against South Korea last time around, he fired a goal and assist in a 4-2 win before netting a crucial 60th minute equaliser last night, with Yacine Brahimi (who also netted against the Koreans) supplying the assist. Vahid Halilhodzic made just one change from the side that beat South Korea in Matchday 2. Madjid Bougherra missed out with a heel problem, allowing Essaid Belkalem to slot into the heart of the back-four alongside Rafik Halliche, though the former Rangers man will surely be recalled for the upcoming clash against Germany as the Algerians look to upset the odds once again.

Kokorin Finally Nets
Alexander Kerzhakov was finally handed his first start of the tournament by Fabio Capello last night. The Russia boss also made just a single alteration from the previous match, with Maksim Kanunnikov the man to make way, though it was Alexander Kokorin who headed Russia’s opener to briefly boost hopes of qualifying, with the youngster belatedly opening his account for the tournament. Dimitri Kombarov owners were rewarded with an excellent assist from the left-back but without a single clean sheet over their three games, and just two goals to their name, Capello’s side have been a bitter disappointment at both ends of the pitch.

In the FIFA McDonalds game, all of the Algeria back-four and both defensive midfielders impressed for recovered balls. Nabil Bentaleb led the way with nine, with Essaid Belkalem (seven), Aissa Mandi, Jonathan Mesbah and Carl Medjani (all six) and Rafik Halliche (five) the main men. For Russia, centre-half Sergei Ignashevich’s nine was top, with left-back Dimitri Kombarov next best on seven.