Brazil wins 4-1 Over Cameroon and Tops Group A, Mexico win 3-1 Over Croatia, Netherlands Tops Group B After 2-0 Win Over Chile and Spain wins 3-0 over Australia!

Brazil wins 4-1 Over Cameroon

 Neymar scored twice in the first half to lead Brazil to a 4-1 win over Cameroon on Monday, helping the hosts secure a spot in the second round of the World Cup.

Fred and Fernandinho added second-half goals for Brazil, which advanced from Group A.

Neymar opened the scoring off a low cross by midfielder Luiz Gustavo in the 17th minute, deftly side-footing the ball home from close range, then restored the lead with a low right-foot strike from the top of the penalty area in the 35th after a pass by left back Marcelo.

Midfielder Joel Matip had equalized for already eliminated Cameroon with a tap-in from inside the area in the 26th.

Fred found the net in the 49th and the substitute Fernandinho struck in the 84th.

Writing… Stay tuned post will be updated soon!

Netherlands Tops Group B After 2-0 Win Over Chile

Both the Netherlands and Chile entered the final match of group play knowing they were through to the knockout stage, but the Dutch are moving on as the champions of Group B thanks to 2-0 victory.

he Chileans had their chances, controlling much of the possession and play early in the first half, but after the 35th minute it felt very much like the Netherlands’ game.

The first goal didn’t come until the 76th minute, on a header by Leroy Fer. The Dutch offered a final exclamation point in stoppage time, when Arjen Robben raced up the left side and sent a cross to Memphis Depay.

The Dutch will get the second place finishers of Group A in the knockout round. Chile will likely get Brazil, unless Cameroon can give them trouble later today.

Spain pounds Australia, 3-0

So it wasn’t a complete loss.

Spain finally looked like the side everyone had expected to see, routing an overmatched Australian team in the two sides’ final match of the 2014 World Cup, 3-0.

In what was his final match as a member of the national team, David Villa opened the scoring in the first half, and Spain just wore down the Aussies from there. They added two more goals in the second half and missed on numerous other opportunities.

There were some nice moments for Australia, but, in general, they were far outclassed by a Spain side that won the 2010 World Cup and was expected to be a contender this year. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as Spain had a disastrous opener against Holland and followed that with a loss to Chile.

Spain finishes third in Group B, ahead of Australia but behind the Netherlands and Chile.

Spain crashes out of World Cup and Netherlands hangs on to beat Australia 3-2!

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Nobody wanted it to end this way — the embarrassment and humbling of a side which has brought so much joy to the world.

“You cannot consider that this generation is finished,” said Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso ahead of its crunch game against Chile. “On the contrary, we are still alive.”

But Alonso’s words rang hollow Wednesday as Spain sank to a 2-0 defeat by Chile at the Maracana — almost as if this generation has now received the last rites.

Dumped out of the World Cup after just two group games on the same day that King Juan Carlos abdicated his throne and signed it over to Prince Felipe, the nation’s footballers have now relinquished the crown they once wore with distinction.

Those fortunate enough to have a ticket for the potential dethroning came wearing red — Chilean red.

Even before kick off, there was a sense of something special — a wind of change, a new era about to be ushered in.

This was a moment nobody wanted to miss — including the 85 Chilean fans who were apprehended by military police after trashing the stadium’s media center.

While the spine tingling a capella version of the Chilean national anthem galvanized those in white with a call to arms, Spain shrunk away almost apologetically.

It was left to Eduardo Vargas and Charles Arranguiz to put the final nails in the coffin– both men scoring in a high-octane first half.

There was no fightback — no last stand, no heroics from Spain. Those who had once thrilled and mesmerized for so long, slowly and silently slipped away into the Rio night.

This was not a mere collapse — this was an implosion of seismic proportions.

“We cannot complain we did not deserve to go out, they were better than us,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque told Spanish TV.

“The team showed character, we pressed forward but we had little luck in front of goal.

“We were certainly inferior to our rivals here at the finals. It is not the moment to think about the future. Little by little we will make the necessary assessments.”

Spain had left Salvador last Friday, beaten, thrashed and humiliated after being dismantled with ruthless efficiency by a Dutch side set on revenge following its defeat in final four years ago.

It was a defeat which not only brought a shattering halt to the domination it had enjoyed on the international stage — it was a defeat which signaled the end of an era.

For the past six years, this Spanish side has thrilled those who marveled at its tiki-taka passing and ability to make the game look so effortless.

For so long a perennial failure, its victory at the 2008 European Championship finals ushered in a period of almost flawless football.

Victory at the 2010 World Cup was secured courtesy of a win over the Netherlands, while it retained its European crown comfortably two years later.

Netherlands hangs on to beat Australia, 3-2

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It was a valiant effort from the Aussies, but, alas, not enough.

There was a brief period in the second half when Australia led the mighty Dutch side, but that was quickly wiped away. Both teams now head into their final matches going in opposite directions.

It was an uninspired effort, at best, for Holland. After wrecking Spain in its opener, they couldn’t quite find a rhythm against the Aussies. Still, the Dutch got away with the win, which is all that really matters. A solid showing against Chile next week — without Robin Van Persie, remember — and all the unpleasantness Wednesday will be forgotten.

How to Watch the 2014 World Cup: TV, Online & Social Media

Hey World Cup fans, kick back and watch the world’s biggest single-sport competition from the comfort of your laptop. Held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the first of 64 matches will kick off on June 12.

This year’s championship is more digitally interactive than ever before. With apps and beefed-up streaming services, here’s how to keep up with the game’s hectic schedule.

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The Beira Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil will host matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

 

To watch the games live on TV, here are the channels you should tune into:

  • USA: ESPN, ABC and Univision
  • UK: BBC and ITV
  • Australia: SBS
  • Brazil: Globo
  • Middle East [Lebanon]: beIN Sports

For a full list of countries and their corresponding networks that have licensing rights to broadcast the games, check out this resource provided by FIFA. For a full schedule of all of the games, check out this detailed list on ESPN. Sports Interaction also has a beautiful interactive schedule.

After you’ve familiarized yourself with players’ backstories and learned how to pronounce their difficult names, follow this guide for the worldwide web of the World Cup. It’s important to note that mega TV networks mainly hold all the rights to streaming the games online. (Though there are plenty of other sites that might stream the matches, they’re not always legal.)

Online

USA: ESPN, the all-sports-all-the-time network, is all over the event. The channel will not only present all of the games live on TV via ESPN (43 matches), ESPN2 (11 matches) and ABC (10 matches), it will livestream all 64 games online. Every game will be available via the WatchESPNsite and app, which is available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Chromecast and more.

The 10 games that air on ABC will be available via WatchABC. However, these online services are only available for those who already have cable and pay for access to the network.

Another site making the games available is Univision. The Spanish language network will air 56 games on Univision Deportes, its sports channel, as well as via its UD app. Like ESPN, the service is only available to subscribed viewers.

The UK: Across the pond, the BBC iPlayer and ITV will also be streaming the games for viewers in the United Kingdom, starting with the first match England plays against Italy on June 14. Both services have apps and sites that will stream the matches live.

Canada: Canadian viewers can check out CBC, which will stream all of the games live on its site, in addition to replays which will be available on demand. Unlike ESPN, it’s a free service.

Australia: The network SBS has secured the rights to stream all 64 games online for Australian viewers, in addition to providing accompanying apps and radio broadcast.

Middle East [Lebanon]: beIN has secured the rights to stream all 64 games! Click Here

Social media

Twitter: If you’re truly addicted to the social site, you can’t watch a major telecast without constantly checking your feed. So keep up with the sport via Twitter by following certain hashtags. The site Fanbrandz has put together a fun, handy guide to tags you should expect, like #GoSocceroos (for Australian fans), #EmBuscaDoHexa (for Brazilian fans) and #Bleus (for French fans).

It’s also worth checking out the official FIFA World Cup account, which keeps up a pretty active flow of tweets.

Plenty of players also use Twitter themselves. Here’s our guide to the most-followed World Cup players currently using the social site.

Follow Elie Chahine’s Twitter account: @ElieChahine

Facebook: Make sure to “like” ESPN FC, the network’s channel dedicated to the beautiful game. The World Cup also has an official page of its own, full of behind-the-scenes photos and interviews with soccer stars.

Follow Elie Chahine’s Facebook Account: Elie M. Chahine

Instagram:
Finally, the FIFA World Cup has an official Instagram page where it posts all kinds of fun photos of players and fans.

Blogs:

Elie Chahine’s Blog got u covered!

Brazil World Cup 2014: Fixtures / Schedules

 

Brazil World Cup 2014: Fixtures / Schedules