Good to see Luis Suarez eat humble pie and take full responsibility. He didn’t? Well, he tried to win some credibility by “kind of” admitting he bit Giorgio Chiellini.
Sounds to me like Liverpool had a word with him. After all, it will be easier to bring him back to Anfield, or sell him, if he at least shows some regret for his actions. Enough about that.
Some thoughts on Day 18…
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• France was not great against Nigeria, who brought its full arsenal to Monday’s Round of 16 clash. France was troubled by the Nigerian’s energy, and looked a shadow of their impressive selves from earlier in the tournament. However, the French preserved; they did not lose their heads and grew into the game late, scoring two to advance.
• Antoine Griezmann made the difference when he replaced Olivier Giroud in the second half. A nice option to have for Didier Deschamps. Although not Frank Ribery yet, Griezmann has been an adequate replacement.
• Nigeria certainly has reason to feel aggrieved. Patrice Evra could have been called for a penalty in the first half with his bear hug on Peter Odemwingie, Blaise Matuidi could have seen red for his dreadful challenge on Ogenyi Onazi, and he was also fortunate to not be called for a foul on Ahmed Musa in the penalty area.
• Again, Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was sensational in this match. It has been an odd tournament; the attacking brilliance has dominated and rightly so, but there have been some sensational goalkeepers on display, Enyeama, Keylor Navas and Guillermo Ochoa to name three.
• Respect for Algeria! Fantastic display, who along with Nigeria suggested that the gap between the haves and the have nots is rapidly shrinking. Of course, we shouldn’t be too surprised by Algeria’s performance against Germany, as many of their players ply their trade in top leagues. But let’s be honest, it is still refreshing to see.
• While watching Nigeria, Algeria and Costa Rica I can’t help but be reminded that these un-fancied teams would cause my beloved England an absolute nightmare. Costa Rica couldn’t beat England, of course, but nothing was on the line.
• Germany’s problems when dealing with pace is plain to see, but I doubt France will be as content to sit as deep as Algeria. So perhaps Germany’s back line won’t be as exposed on the counter in the quarterfinals. Manuel Neuer was well aware of the velocity-challenged centre back partnership and should be commended for his sweeper-esque performance.
• I am fully aware that Philipp Lahm has been reinvented as a midfielder at Bayern Munich this season, but surely Joachim Loew has seen enough and will play him at right back. Assuming Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira are fit, will they dress vs. France? Or will Mats Hummels come back in and Jerome Boateng assume his fill back spot again? So much to think about.
• As well as it’s swashbuckling footy, Algeria will be missed for its completely insane fans! Great job, you showed how it should be done.