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World Cup 2014 on PES

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
I'm going to play through a handful of World Cups on Pro Evolution Soccer using the exact same groups/teams as the actual World Cup that will be played this summer.

Unfortunately, I can't mimic the World Cup 100% accurately, as it randomizes the order of games (so I might not necessarily play teams in the same order - in fact, I will be lucky if I do get the correct order, since odds are that I don't). But that's only a minor blip. Just wanted to point this out so when USA vs Portugal is the first game of that group sometimes, you'll aren't like "hey, you set it up wrong, we play Ghana first". I can't change it.

Anyways, I figured I'd make a thread to record the results.

[xtable=skin1]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td}
World Cup​
{/td}

{td}
Team​
{/td}

{td}
Result​
{/td}

{td}
Winner​
{/td}

{td}
Runner Up​
{/td}

{td}
Semifinalists​
{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}
1​
{/td}

{td}
Chile​
{/td}

{td}
Quarterfinals​
{/td}

{td}
England​
{/td}

{td}
France​
{/td}

{td}
Argentina, Italy​
{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}
2​
{/td}

{td}
Uruguay​
{/td}

{td}
Round of Sixteen​
{/td}

{td}
Spain​
{/td}

{td}
Brazil​
{/td}

{td}
Argentina, Portugal​
{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}
3​
{/td}

{td}
Belgium​
{/td}

{td}
Round of Sixteen​
{/td}

{td}
Spain​
{/td}

{td}
England​
{/td}

{td}
Germany, Portugal​
{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]

*Table code on this thing sucks, why can't I just use HTML? lol I will fix this up later.
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
User Team:
chile_flag.jpg
Chile


First team to be used was randomly selected, and I got Chile. The thing that stuck out to me after playing this was "GOT DAMN!" Chile has an INCREDIBLY HARD schedule for the World Cup. Spain, Netherlands, and Australia is a pretty difficult group but then look who is in Group A - BRAZIL. Jesus.

Anyways, the order for the real World Cup is Australia, Spain, Netherlands. The order that I was drawn for this play through was Spain, Australia, Netherlands. So it's kinda close, same last day matches, which are generally the most important.


Game 1 : Chile vs Spain

Started out strong and was thinking that maybe Spain isn't as good in this game as they are supposed to be in real life. I had the better first half chances and played really good defense to shut down their attack. I didn't cash in on the chances I had though, and it was 0-0 at half time. Spain had also picked up 3 yellow cards, so I was feeling confident that I could maybe get a few players sent off in the second half and then maybe score with that advantage.

I guess I got a bit too confident from my first half performance because it was a completely different game in the second half. Spain scored right out of the gates, 47th minute, and then again around 54th minute. Another goal near the end of the game sealed it up as Spain won 3-0 and showed me up in the process. One Spanish player did get sent off, but it was late in the game and didn't help me much.

In the other game, Australia upset Netherlands, 2-1.



Game 2: Chile vs Australia

So now I was in a bind. If Spain beat Netherlands and I lost to Australia, the group would already be over for the Dutch and us. It didn't help when the Aussies scored in the 15th minute after a combination of good passing/bad defending. Four straight goals conceded - ouch.

I fought back though, pulling level just before the break to make it 1-1 at halftime, my first goal of the tournament! In the second half we played better defense and denied Australia any chance of winning the game. Instead, a quick counter attack caught them off guard and put us ahead. 2-1 would be the final score, Chile's first win of the tournament.

As feared, Spain defeated Netherlands 3-0, meaning that a loss to Australia would have ended the group. Instead, it was wide open now. Since Spain were expected to beat Australia, it meant the winner of Chile vs Netherlands had a great shot at advancing.



Game 3: Chile vs Netherlands

Assuming (hoping) that Spain would beat Australia, I figured all Chile needed to advance was a draw. However, with -2 GD, it would be hard to advance in a 6-3-3-3 group, so defeat would likely mean elimination.

As such, we went for the win early. A bit of brilliant passing between two of the strikers gave us the opening goal in the 11th minute. Unfortunately, the team took too long to reset and Netherlands equalized in the 13th minute. That was a wake up call though, and we stepped up to go toe to toe with the Dutch for the remainder of the half, which ended 1-1.

During the break we found out that Spain was up 2-0 over Australia, so a draw would probably send us through. As such, we played more cautiously in the second half, staying back to defend rather than going forward to look for a goal. It almost cost us a few times, but Dutch attacks were thwarted and the final whistle eventually sounded to conclude this 1-1 draw.

Sure enough, Spain had won 3-1 over Australia, so the point put Chile through to the knockout round, finishing second place with 4 points to Spain's 9, above Australia's 3 and Netherlands' 1.


---------------------------------

Group Stage Recap

In Group A, hosts Brazil started off slow with a 1-1 draw to Mexico, but then outclassed Croatia 4-0 and beat Cameroon 1-0 to top the group with 7 points. Croatia were embarrassed by the 4 goal defeat, but they had beaten Cameroon in the opening day and then beat Mexico to take second place in the group. Cameroon downed Mexico 1-0 to finish third.

Group C saw a pair of 1-1 draws to start the tournament before Greece emerged ahead with a 2-1 win over Colombia and then a surprising 1-0 victory over the Ivory Coast. Cote d'Ivoire had beaten Japan 1-0, which was enough to advance as runners up. Finally, Japan and Colombia drew in their final game as well, and each ended up with just 2 points, tied on goal difference.

The most straight forward group was Group D where England won three straight to take first, while Italy defeated Uruguay 4-0 in the decisive match for second place. Costa Rica played whipping boy, losing all 3 games without scoring a goal.

Honduras also bowed out without a victory, but they at least put up a fight in Group E. In the end, France came out on top with three straight 1-goal victories, including a thrilling 3-2 win over Ecuador to close out the group. Switzerland had already beaten Ecuador 3-0, so their 1-0 win over Honduras secured their place as runners up.

Group F saw Nigeria start out strong with a win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, only to lose to Iran in the next match and then finally to Argentina, meaning they failed to advance. Argentina were the heavy favorites and managed to beat both Iran and Nigeria 2-0, but were denied a perfect run by Bosnia-Herzegovina who held them to a 1-1 draw. Iran was the biggest surprise of the group. They lost, as expected, to Argentina first, but then managed to beat Nigeria and played to a draw against Bosnia to earn a spot in the knockout round.

United States pulled out a pair of 1-0 victories against Portugal and Ghana to advance thanks to Germany also winning their opening games. This meant that both teams had clinched a spot heading into their final game against each other, so it wasn't a huge disappointment when Germany won 3-1. Portugal beat Ghana by the same score to take third, but it was too little, too late.

Finally, Russia topped Group H thanks to a pair of 1-0 wins over Belgium and South Korea. A draw against Algeria prevented the Africans from advancing because South Korea had beaten Algeria on the opening day and then had also beaten Belgium to jump the North Africans. Belgium failed to win a game, although they kept each one close.

Results & Standings:
Group A

Croatia 2 - 0 Cameroon
Brazil 1 - 1 Mexico

Cameroon 1 - 0 Mexico
Brazil 4 - 0 Croatia

Mexico 1 - 2 Croatia
Cameroon 0 - 1 Brazil

Brazil - 7 pts +5 GD
Croatia - 6 pts -1 GD
Cameroon - 3 pts -2 GD
Mexico - 1 pt -2 GD


Group B

Netherlands 1 - 2Australia
Spain 3 - 0 Chile

Australia 1 - 2 Chile
Spain 3 - 0 Netherlands

Chile 1 - 1 Netherlands
Australia 1 - 3 Spain

Spain - 9 pts +8 GD
Chile - 4 pts -2 GD
Australia - 3 pts -2 GD
Netherlands - 1 pt -4 GD


Group C
Greece 1 - 1 Japan
Colombia 1 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire

Japan 0 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire
Colombia 1 - 2 Greece

Cote d'Ivoire 0 - 1 Greece
Japan 1 - 1 Colombia

Greece - 7 pts +2 GD
Cote d'Ivoire - 4 pts +0 GD
Colombia - 2 pts -1 GD
Japan - 2 pts -1 GD


Group D

Costa Rica 0 - 4 Italy
Uruguay 1 - 2 England

Italy 0 - 2 England
Uruguay 2 - 0 Costa Rica

England 3 - 0 Costa Rica
Italy 4 - 0 Uruguay

England - 9 pts +6 GD
Italy - 6 pts +6 GD
Uruguay - 3 pts -3 GD
Costa Rica - 0 pts -9 GD


Group E

Ecuador 2 - 0 Honduras
Switzerland 1 - 2 France

Honduras 1 - 2 France
Switzerland 3 - 0 Ecuador

France 3 - 2 Ecuador
Honduras 0 - 1 Switzerland

France - 9 pts +3 GD
Switzerland - 6 pts +3 GD
Ecuador - 3 pts -2 GD
Honduras - 0 pts -4 GD


Group F

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 2 Nigeria
Argentina 2 - 0 Iran

Nigeria 0 - 1 Iran
Argentina 1 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Iran 1 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Nigeria 0 - 2 Argentina

Argentina - 7 pts +4 GD
Iran - 4 pts -1 GD
Nigeria - 3 pts -2 GD
Bosnia-Herzegovina - 2 pts -1 GD


Group G

Portugal 0 - 1 United States
Germany 3 - 1 Ghana

United States 1 - 0 Ghana
Germany 2 - 1 Portugal

Ghana 1 - 3 Portugal
United States 1 - 3 Germany

Germany - 9 pts +5 GD
United States - 6 pts +0 GD
Portugal - 3 pts +0 GD
Ghana - 0 pts -5 GD


Group H

Algeria 0 - 1 South Korea
Belgium 0 - 1 Russia

South Korea 0 - 1 Russia
Belgium 0 - 1 Algeria

Russia 2 - 2 Algeria
South Korea 2 - 1 Belgium

Russia - 7 pts +2 GD
South Korea - 6 pts +1 GD
Algeria - 4 pts +0 GD
Belgium - 0 pts -3 GD

---------------------------------

Round of Sixteen: Chile vs Brazil

Seemed like the run would come to an end here. What a tough tournament for Chile, they will have to fight very hard to advance and then they'll run into Brazil if they do. Yikes.

I played pretty well though, and managed to take a 1-0 lead in the first half. Brazil had plenty of shots, but hadn't managed to score on them. In the second half, I earned a free kick just outside the box and managed to score directly from the free kick. This gave us a 2-0 lead with not much time left. I managed to hold the two goal advantage until the 83rd minute or so, when Brazil finally broke through and scored. After the goal I managed to hold out for the 2-1 victory to advance. The free kick that ended up being the difference was a great goal, a worthy winner.

Italy defeated Greece 1-0 in the other match, so how's this for a World Cup tournament: Spain, Australia, Netherlands, Brazil, then Italy. WOW!

France and Germany both dispatched their Asian foes by similar 3-0 scorelines. Iran and South Korea had done well to pass the group stage, but they were outclassed here.

Best game of the round was probably USA vs Russia. The match required extra time before Russia scored the winner and took the match 2-1. Argentina won, as expected, although Switzerland kept it close, also a 2-1 scoreline.

England narrowly edged Cote d'Ivoire, 1-0, to set up a showdown with Spain, who had defeated Croatia 3-1.


--Round of Sixteen--
Brazil 1 - 2 Chile
Greece 0 - 1 Italy

France 3 - 0 Iran
Germany 3 - 0 South Korea

Russia 2 - 1 United States [OT]
Argentina 2 - 1 Switzerland

England 1 - 0 Cote d'Ivoire
Spain 3 - 1 Croatia

---------------------------------

Quarterfinals: Chile vs Italy

Three of my top strikers had missed the Brazil match. One was suspended for card accumulation, another had bad form, and the third was fatigued. Obviously we managed to win anyways, but this left me optimistic for the next game as I'd get to return all three, well rested.

This was a huge boost and we dominated the whole first half, outshooting Italy 10-2. A few great chances were squandered though, and it was still 0-0 at half time. Italy finally broke through midway in the second half on a free kick very similar to the one that had beaten Brazil. They scored again on a corner kick to really leave Chile in a bind.

Finally, in the 86th minute, Chile capitalized on their chances and pulled one back. Then, in stoppage time, a header for the equalizer beat the keeper but bounced off the post instead. Another striker lunged for it, but an Italian defender had dove in to head the ball away. As such, Italy held on to win 2-1 and ended Chile's run.

France stomped Germany 3-0 in the other quarterfinal, setting up a rematch of the 2006 final in this semifinal round.

On the other side of the bracket, Argentina demolished Russia, 4-0 but England and Spain played the "match of the tournament." It ended 5-5 after a full overtime period before England finally won on penalties, 4-2.

--Quarterfinals--
Chile 1 - 2 Italy
France 3 - 0 Germany

Russia 0 - 4 Argentina
England 5 - 5 Spain [4-2 PKs]

---------------------------------

Semifinals

So there would not be a new World Cup champion in this tournament as four previous winners made up the field for the semifinals. These were some great matchups too: France vs Italy and England vs Argentina!

France redeemed Zidane's headbutt with a 2-0 victory over Italy, while the other match proved to be one sided with England running out 4-0 winners over Argentina.

--Semifinals--
Italy 0 - 2 France
Argentina 0 - 4 England

---------------------------------

Championship

This set up the championship game as France vs England. Much to chi-bob's enjoyment, England pulled off the 3-1 victory to win the World Cup.

:england:

--Championship--
France 1 - 3 England
 

Yankee151

Hot Girl Summer
US advancing is nice, but this is obviously a bizarro universe with England not only sweeping their group, but beating the champions on PKs.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Yeah, this game loves England for some reason. They seem to be heavy favorites in the simulator. Maybe I'll do Uruguay next, try to get revenge on Italy and knock England off their (in-game) perch. :p
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
User Team:
Uruguay-flag-50x34.jpg
Uruguay


Up next was Uruguay who reached the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup and had previously won the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, both of which took place in South America. They are in a tough group and will be competing with England and Italy for a spot in the second round. Costa Rica also rounds out the group, but the Ticos did not win a game in the last play through and will be heavy underdogs for the tournament this summer.

This time around the schedule came out in my favor - it is exactly as it will be during the World Cup. First match will be against Costa Rica, second against England, and we will finish the group against Italy. England won the entire tournament during the last simulation, while Italy reached the semifinals, so it should be a difficult group for us.


Game 1 : Uruguay vs Costa Rica

There was pressure for the opening game just because every team is expected to beat Costa Rica, so if anyone doesn't, they will likely be heading home with the Ticos at the end of the group stage. Thankfully we got out to the best possible start and scored a goal in the first 5 minutes of the game. Another goal elevated us to a 2-0 half time lead which was further extended in the second half for a fairly straight forward 4-0 Uruguay victory.

In the other game, Italy knocked off England 1-0.



Game 2: Uruguay vs England

Matchday 1 results gave us a great opportunity heading into the second match. Since Italy had beaten England and was expected to beat Costa Rica, we had a chance to end the group right here if we could get a win. That would be easier said than done though, as England's offense was very difficult to slow down. Fortunately, Uruguay's offense was a bit stronger than England's defense, so it made for a very open game with lots of chances on each end.

Uruguay took advantage of those chances by scoring a goal midway through the first half, but Uruguay responded to make it 1-1 by half time. In the second half, Uruguay started to take command of the game, scoring a pair of goals around the 70th minute to jump ahead 3-1. England clawed back with a late goal, but it wasn't enough and Uruguay held on to win 3-2.

As expected, Italy beat Costa Rica 3-0, which locked up the group. Uruguay and Italy both had 6 points now, while England and Costa Rica had 0. With just one game left, there wasn't enough time to catch up, so all that would be decided on the last matchday would be who finished in first place.



Game 3: Uruguay vs Italy

Since Uruguay had beaten Costa Rica by one more goal than Italy had, they were in the driver's seat for the last match. A draw would be enough to clinch first place and supposedly an "easier" opponent in the Round of Sixteen. Unfortunately, that advantage evaporated quickly, as Italy scored in just the second minute of the game to force Uruguay to play from behind. The game of "catch up" did not go well for the South Americans as they were eventually caught forward and conceded a second goal to fall further behind. Italy lead 2-0 at half time.

In the second half, Uruguay started to regain their footing and finally scored a goal to pull themselves back into the contest. However, they got caught napping on the ensuing kickoff and just as quickly as they had cut into the lead, Italy had restored it back to 3-1. Despite some late pressure to try and catch back up, Uruguay were unable to score any more goals and Italy held on to the 3-1 victory.

England narrowly edged Costa Rica 3-2 to lock up third place in the group, but it would be Italy and Uruguay advancing to the next round.


---------------------------------

Group Stage Recap

In Group A, hosts Brazil once again captured the top spot. Victories over Croatia and Mexico locked up advancement, although a meaningless loss to Cameroon on the last matchday blemished their record. Cameroon had lost to both Croatia and Mexico, so that late win over Brazil didn't help much. Instead, it came down to Mexico edging Croatia 2-0 on the last matchday to determine the group's runner up.

Chile did not fare as well on their own in Group B. The Chileans lost their opening games to Australia and Spain, and only avoided a complete sweep by holding Netherlands to a draw. Spain topped the group again, winning all three matches en route to the knockout round. Netherlands beat Australia in the pivotal match to decide who would advance with the Spanish.

Cote d'Ivoire ran the table in Group C, winning all three matches to take the top spot. Greece didn't get the kind of results they did last time, losing all three of their matches. This meant both Japan and Colombia had lost to the Ivorians and beaten the Greeks, however, they also failed to separate themselves from each other, drawing 1-1 in the group finale. So second place had to be settled via tie breakers. Japan had a better goal difference, so they took the spot in the Round of Sixteen.

Group E ended up being very entertaining. There were a lot of draws in this group, as Switzerland and Ecuador drew the opening game and then Honduras earned a great 2-2 draw against Ecuador while France and Switzerland settled at 1-1. This left the group wide open heading into the last matchday, anyone who won could go through. France managed to beat Ecuador 2-0, and then perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament - Honduras advanced as runners up thanks to a 1-0 victory over Switzerland!

It was much more straight forward in Group F. Argentina won out, beating Bosnia 2-1, Iran 4-1, and Nigeria 3-1. That late defeat didn't matter much for Nigeria though, as they had already beaten Iran 4-1 (same as Argentina) and Bosnia 3-1.

The USA beat Ghana once again, but weren't as fortunate against Portugal. In fact, Portugal swept Group G, beating Germany in the opening game and then taking out USA and Ghana to top the group. It all came down to the Americans vs the Germans for the second spot, and Germany narrowly came out ahead, 2-1.

Once again, Russia topped Group H by beating both Belgium and Algeria after an opening draw with South Korea. South Korea then lost to Algeria, which really made a mess of things since Algeria had beaten Belgium in their opener. All Algeria had to do was draw with Russia to advance, but they weren't able to. Instead, South Korea beat Belgium 2-0 to somehow steal the runner up spot.

Results & Standings:
Group A

Mexico 2 - 1 Cameroon
Brazil 1 - 0 Croatia

Cameroon 1 - 4 Croatia
Brazil 2 - 0 Mexico

Croatia 0 - 2 Mexico
Cameroon 1 - 0 Brazil

Brazil - 6 pts +2 GD
Mexico - 6 pts +1 GD
Croatia - 3 pts +0 GD
Cameroon - 3 pts -3 GD



Group B

Chile 1 - 2 Australia
Spain 3 - 0 Netherlands

Australia 1 - 3 Netherlands
Spain 2 - 1 Chile

Netherlands 1 - 1 Chile
Australia 0 - 3 Spain

Spain - 9 pts +7 GD
Netherlands - 4 pts -1 GD
Australia - 3 pts -4 GD
Chile - 1 pt -2 GD



Group C

Cote d'Ivoire 3 - 2 Japan
Colombia 2 - 1 Greece

Japan 2 - 1 Greece
Colombia 0 - 3 Cote d'Ivoire

Greece 0 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire
Japan 1 - 1 Colombia

Cote d'Ivoire - 9 pts +5 GD
Japan - 4 pts +0 GD
Colombia - 4 pts -2 GD
Greece - 0 pts -3 GD



Group D

England 0 - 1 Italy
Uruguay 4 - 0 Costa Rica

Italy 3 - 0 Costa Rica
Uruguay 3 - 2 England

Costa Rica 2 - 3 England
Italy 3 - 1 Uruguay

Italy - 9 pts +6 GD
Uruguay - 6 pts +3 GD
England - 3 pts -1 GD
Costa Rica - 0 pts -8 GD



Group E

France 2 - 1 Honduras
Switzerland 0 - 0 Ecuador

Honduras 2 - 2 Ecuador
Switzerland 1 - 1 France

Ecuador 0 - 2 France
Honduras 1 - 0 Switzerland

France - 7 pts +3 GD
Honduras - 4 pts +0 GD
Switzerland - 2 pts -1 GD
Ecuador - 2 pts -2 GD



Group F

Iran 1 - 4 Nigeria
Argentina 2 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Nigeria 3 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Argentina 4 - 1 Iran

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 0 Iran
Nigeria 1 - 3 Argentina

Argentina - 9 pts +6 GD
Nigeria - 6 pts +3 GD
Bosnia-Herzegovina - 3 pts -2 GD
Iran - 0 pts -7 GD



Group G

Ghana 0 - 1 United States
Germany 1 - 2 Portugal

United States 0 - 2 Portugal
Germany 3 - 0 Ghana

Portugal 3 - 1 Ghana
United States 1 - 2 Germany

Portugal - 9 pts +5 GD
Germany - 6 pts +3 GD
United States - 3 pts -2 GD
Ghana - 0 pts -6 GD



Group H

Russia 1 - 1 South Korea
Belgium 2 - 0 Algeria

South Korea 0 - 2 Algeria
Belgium 1 - 4 Russia

Algeria 0 - 3 Russia
South Korea 2 - 0 Belgium

Russia - 7 pts +6 GD
South Korea - 4 pts +0 GD
Belgium - 3 pts -3 GD
Algeria - 3 pts -3 GD

---------------------------------

Round of Sixteen: Uruguay vs Cote d'Ivoire

Uruguay were upset at having blown the game against Italy. A simple draw would have given them Japan, rather than Cote d'Ivoire, in this next round. But at this stage, with only sixteen teams left in the entire world, you can't be too picky. You've just got to win.

That seemed to be on the cards for Uruguay as they controlled the early part of the game and then finally put the ball into the net, but it didn't change the scoreboard. The offside flag had gone up to discount the strike. Somehow that was the turning point in the game, as Cote d'Ivoire started to control the match after the incident. They eventually had a goal disallowed for offsides as well, but then they found the net again and this time it counted; Cote d'Ivoire were in the lead.

The Ivorians struck again, and again, to really put the dagger in Uruguay's tournament. Trailing 3-0, Uruguay finally found the net for the first time since that early offsides call, but it was far too late and Cote d'Ivoire won 3-1. A disappointing end to a tournament that had started so well.

On the other side of the bracket, Brazil pounded the Netherlands 4-1, the largest victory of the Round of Sixteen.

France had a tougher time than expected with Nigeria, but the French ultimately won 2-1 to squeak by into the quarterfinals. Portugal handled South Korea, 2-0 to set up a rematch of the 2006 semifinals against France.

Honduras were unluckily paired up against Argentina, but the Central Americans gave it a hell of a run, just like in the group stage. They nearly shocked the world too. Instead, Argentina narrowly escaped with a 2-1 win to move on. They will meet Germany, who edged Russia 2-0. These two have met in the knockout round in both 2006 and 2010, with Germany having won both encounters.

There weren't many surprises in the last pod of the bracket. Italy took out Japan 2-0 while Spain dropped Mexico 3-1, setting up an all-European quarterfinal.

--Round of Sixteen--
Brazil 4 - 1 Netherlands
Cote d'Ivoire 3 - 1 Uruguay

France 2 - 1 Nigeria
Portugal 2 - 0 South Korea

Russia 0 - 2 Germany
Argentina 2 - 1 Honduras

Italy 2 - 0 Japan
Spain 3 - 1 Mexico

---------------------------------

Quarterfinals

Three rematches from the 2010 World Cup took place in this round of the playthrough. Brazil had beaten Cote d'Ivoire in the group stage of 2010, and this time Brazil won 2-0 to advance to the semifinals. It was a reversal for the other match as France had defeated Portugal in the 2010 semifinals, but Portugal got the upper hand this time, winning 2-1.

On the other side, Germany had stomped Argentina in the 2010 quarterfinals, but it was Argentina who ran out 4-2 winners in this contest. Finally, Spain took out Italy 3-1 to set up a pair of Europe vs South America semifinals.

--Quarterfinals--
Brazil 2 - 0 Cote d'Ivoire
France 1 - 2 Portugal

Germany 2 - 4 Argentina
Italy 1 - 3 Spain

---------------------------------

Semifinals

In the lusophone semifinal, Brazil topped Portugal 2-1 to advance to the championship as hosts.

Over in the hispanophone semifinal, Argentina was hopping to set up an epic championship match against neighbors/rivals Brazil, but Spain came out ahead, 1-0.

--Semifinals--
Brazil 2 - 1 Portugal
Argentina 0 - 1 Spain

---------------------------------

Championship

The hosts vs the 2010 holders - a great championship match in its own right, but this one far surpassed the hype. Tied at 2-2 after regulation, both teams proceeded to score two more goals in overtime to end the match tied at 4-4. It all came down to penalties, where player after player slotted in their shots with perfect accuracy. Finally, Brazil missed a single kick while Spain did not, meaning that Spain had won the World Cup 5-4 on penalty kicks!

--Championship--
Brazil 4 - 4 Spain (4-5 PKs)
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
User Team:
BELGIUM.gif
Belgium


Belgium was the next choice due to the fact that I played a semi-dynasty with them (posted on the old board) and so I was familiar with their roster. I also think their group is the most wide open as no team is the clear favorite here, Russia, Algeria, and South Korea are all just about as good as each other, and Belgium, so it is anyone's guess as to who will advance. However, that is also why I picked Belgium; because Russia and South Korea have finished 1-2 in both of the previous play-throughs.

Again I lucked out and got the same schedule as the World Cup itself. First match will be against Algeria, second against Russia, and finishing up against South Korea.


Game 1 : Belgium vs Algeria

This game set the tone for my campaign. I fell behind by two goals but then fought back late in the second half. After cutting the lead in half, I eventually scored a stoppage time goal to steal a 2-2 draw from the opening game.

South Korea edged Russia 3-2 in the other group match.



Game 2: Belgium vs Russia

Once again I found myself trailing 0-2 fairly early in the match. A great free kick from Arshavin put Russia ahead early and then they increased their lead just a few minutes later. This one looked like it was going downhill as Russia scored a third goal shortly after Belgium had finally got on the board, taking a 3-1 lead midway through the second half.

However, the late heroics continued. Belgium scored twice more to tie the match and then scored a stoppage time goal for the second game in a row! This gave Belgium a 4-3 victory, stunning Russia in the process.

South Korea continued to win, beating Algeria 3-0 to secure their spot in the knockout round.

By this point in the campaign, Belgium could have easily been down and out with 0-1 points, but instead now had 4 and were still in contention for advancement. South Korea had 6, Algeria, 1, and Russia 0, meaning all Belgium needed was a draw to go through. But a victory would make them group winners!



Game 3: Belgium vs South Korea

For the first time of the tournament, it was Belgium, rather than their opponents, who nabbed an opening goal. This took a large amount of pressure off, having a cushion due to only needing a draw to advance. South Korea were already through regardless, so they weren't too interested in fighting back. Instead, another Belgian goal settled this contest, 2-0 in favor of Belgium.

In the end, it didn't even matter because Russia had beaten Algeria 1-0, which meant Belgium would have still advanced even if they had lost 10-0. The victory did mean that Belgium goes through as group winners, while South Korea advance for the third straight time as runners up.


---------------------------------

Group Stage Recap

Brazil once again came out ahead in Group A, although they needed goal difference to earn the top spot yet again. An opening draw with Croatia had given both teams a point in which they expanded on throughout the group stage, each managing to beat both Mexico and Cameroon to finish with 7 points each.

Spain swept Group B yet again, winning all three games en route to the Round of Sixteen. This time Chile did not manage to win a game or even earn a point, so it all came down to Netherlands vs Australia for the runner up spot. Once again, the Netherlands advanced, having beaten Australia 3-1.

Group C stands for Cote d'Ivoire as the Ivorians won all three games again, scoring more goals each game than the last. Japan was not as good this time, falling in each of their contests. The decisive game saw Colombia edge Greece 2-1 for second place. This is the first time Colombia has advanced in any of the play-throughs.

Costa Rica is now 0-9 in three play-throughs after losing each game again this time around in Group D. Once again, Italy ran the group, taking the top spot after defeating Uruguay 4-0 in the final match. England had also beaten Uruguay, 3-0, to advance as runners up.

Honduras was not able to follow up their great performance last time, as they lost all three matches this time around in Group E. Instead, France and Switzerland bossed the group, as both teams beat Ecuador and then drew 2-2 with each other to share the top spot with 7 points each. France had a better goal difference, and thus advanced as the group's champion.

Argentina again won all three games in Group F to top the table. However, it was very close for second. Nigeria and Iran had drawn in the opening game, but Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Nigeria 2-0 in the next match. Their thunder was stolen the following game, as Iran beat Bosnia 1-0 to steal second place and reach the knockout round.

The United States has been getting progressively worse results as the dynasty has gone on. In the first tournament they beat both Portugal and Ghana, in the second tournament they beat Ghana, and this time around they only managed a draw against Ghana. That would be the only point either team picked up as both Portugal and Germany ran the table to advance. Portugal edged Germany 3-2 to take the top spot.


Results & Standings:
Group A

Mexico 0 - 2 Cameroon
Brazil 1 - 1 Croatia

Cameroon 0 - 2 Croatia
Brazil 2 - 0 Mexico

Croatia 4 - 2 Mexico
Cameroon 0 - 4 Brazil

Brazil - 7 pts +6 GD
Croatia - 7 pts +4 GD
Cameroon - 3 pts -4 GD
Mexico - 0 pts -6 GD



Group B

Chile 0 - 3 Australia
Spain 5 - 2 Netherlands

Australia 1 - 3 Netherlands
Spain 2 - 0 Chile

Netherlands 3 - 1 Chile
Australia 1 - 3 Spain

Spain - 9 pts +7 GD
Netherlands - 6 pts +1 GD
Australia - 3 pts -1 GD
Chile - 0 pts -7 GD



Group C

Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 0 Japan
Colombia 2 - 1 Greece

Japan 0 - 3 Greece
Colombia 0 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire

Greece 1 - 3 Cote d'Ivoire
Japan 0 - 1 Colombia

Cote d'Ivoire - 9 pts +5 GD
Colombia - 6 pts +0 GD
Greece - 3 pts +0 GD
Japan - 0 pts -5 GD



Group D

England 0 - 1 Italy
Uruguay 3 - 1 Costa Rica

Italy 2 - 1 Costa Rica
Uruguay 0 - 3 England

Costa Rica 0 - 4 England
Italy 4 - 0 Uruguay

Italy - 9 pts +6 GD
England - 6 pts +6 GD
Uruguay - 3 pts -5 GD
Costa Rica - 0 pts -7 GD



Group E

France 3 - 2 Honduras
Switzerland 1 - 0 Ecuador

Honduras 1 - 2 Ecuador
Switzerland 2 - 2 France

Ecuador 0 - 3 France
Honduras 1 - 2 Switzerland

France - 7 pts +4 GD
Switzerland - 7 pts +2 GD
Ecuador - 3 pts -3 GD
Honduras - 0 pts -3 GD



Group F

Iran 0 - 0 Nigeria
Argentina 2 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Nigeria 0 - 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Argentina 3 - 1 Iran

Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 - 1 Iran
Nigeria 2 - 3 Argentina

Argentina - 9 pts +4 GD
Iran - 6 pts -1 GD
Bosnia-Herzegovina - 3 pts +0 GD
Nigeria - 1 pt -3 GD



Group G

Ghana 1 - 1 United States
Germany 2 - 3 Portugal

United States 0 - 3 Portugal
Germany 3 - 0 Ghana

Portugal 3 - 0 Ghana
United States 1 - 2 Germany

Portugal - 9 pts +7 GD
Germany - 6 pts +3 GD
United States - 1 pt -4 GD
Ghana - 1 pt -6 GD



Group H

Russia 2 - 3 South Korea
Belgium 2 - 2 Algeria

South Korea 3 - 0 Algeria
Belgium 4 - 3 Russia

Algeria 0 - 1 Russia
South Korea 0 - 2 Belgium

Belgium - 7 pts +3 GD
South Korea - 6 pts +2 GD
Russia - 3 pts -1 GD
Algeria - 1 pts -4 GD

---------------------------------

Round of Sixteen: Belgium vs Germany

The unfortunate part about being in such a wide open group as Group H is that once you get past the group, you are paired up with Group G. And no matter who comes out of Group G, nor in what place, you know it's going to be difficult. This was the case for Belgium, as their "reward" for winning the group was a showdown against Germany! Second place would have netted them Portugal instead. Really a case of "pick your poison".

As such, Belgium found themselves in a familiar position: down two goals early. They had worked it out against Algeria and Russia, but Germany was a bit different animal. Nevertheless, Belgium continued to scrape and claw and wouldn't you know it, they found a goal to cut into the lead.

As time wound down, the Belgians became more desperate and started to pile on the pressure. Germany was in a "bend, don't break" defensive mold, just barely hanging on. Complete joy for Belgium nearly came when an open header beat the keeper, but it disappeared just as fast when the ball slammed off the crossbar and was eventually cleared away by a quick reaction from the German keeper. Finally, in late stoppage time, a loose ball found its way to an open striker at the top of the box but he was much too excited and his shot soared above the bar. The final whistle sounded immediately after to bring an end to Belgium's run.

It was especially unfortunate considering the missed opportunity moving forward. Switzerland had upset Argentina 1-0, which would have made for a very favorable quarterfinal matchup. Now the Germans will face their Swiss neighbors instead.

Elsewhere, Brazil beat Netherlands 4-2 this time, ending the Dutch's run for the second time in a row. England tore apart Cote d'Ivoire 3-0 to set up a rematch of the 2002 quarterfinal in this tournament's quarterfinal stage.

France and Portugal seem to keep crossing paths in the knockout round and this time was no exception. France needed overtime, but managed to beat Iran 4-2 while Portugal knocked off South Korea 1-0.

Finally, as expected, Italy beat Colombia, 3-1 and Spain had no problems with Croatia, winning 4-1. This creates a rematch from the previous play-through, at the same stage too.

--Round of Sixteen--
Brazil 4 - 2 Netherlands
Cote d'Ivoire 0 - 3 England

France 4 - 2 Iran [OT]
Portugal 1 - 0 South Korea

Belgium 1 - 2 Germany
Argentina 0 - 1 Switzerland

Italy 3 - 1 Colombia
Spain 4 - 1 Croatia

---------------------------------

Quarterfinals

Portugal beat France 2-1, the exact same scoreline as the previous tournament. Unfortunately, it won't be an all-Portuguese speaking semifinal as Brazil fell 1-2 against England, some revenge for the English after losing by the same scoreline in 2002 to Ronaldinho.

Huge underdogs Switzerland were not able to knock off Germany, and instead lost 3-1. The Germans will meet Spain, who outlasted Italy 3-2 in the other quarterfinal match.

--Quarterfinals--
Brazil 1 - 2 England
France 1 - 2 Portugal

Germany 3 - 1 Switzerland
Italy 2 - 3 Spain [OT]

---------------------------------

Semifinals

England narrowly edged Portugal, 1-0, giving England their second appearance in the World Cup Final in just three play-throughs. This is now the second time Portugal has lost at the semifinal stage.

Also for the second time in a row, Spain advanced to the championship match after defeating Germany 3-0.

--Semifinals--
England 1 - 0 Portugal
Germany 0 - 3 Spain

---------------------------------

Championship

England won the first play-through while Spain won the second. Who would prevail in this championship of champions? Well, Spain had a harder time last tournament against Brazil, so this was a "cake walk" for them. Spain won 2-0 to win their second title in a row in this dynasty.

--Championship--
England 0 - 2 Spain
 
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