Ballon d’or Winner is: Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid CF and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has retained the FIFA Ballon d’Or, beating Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer to the world crown.

Ronaldo picks up the award for the third time, joining an elite group of only five players to have won it more than twice. It comes after another incredible 12 months for the 29-year-old. He plundered 62 goals in as many games for club and country,breaking multiple records including becoming the first player to score in two UEFA Champions League final wins – one of four trophies for the No7 in 2014.

“It has been an unforgettable year,” said Ronaldo after collecting the accolade from Thierry Henry. “To win a trophy of this kind is unique. I want to continue as I have and go on for more titles for the team and myself, to improve and get better with every day. I’d never have thought I’d pick up this trophy on three occasions. I want to be one of the greatest players of all time.”

Löw honoured
Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winning boss Joachim Löw was named FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2014, seeing off competition from Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone. “It is a huge honour to receive this award, the icing on the cake that was the World Cup,” said the 54-year-old.

“Those who know me know I don’t accept this as my own, though; I accept it on behalf of many others. The World Cup was the consequence of many years of hard work. I thank all German coaches who work with young players – I am nothing without good players. I thank the DFB [German Football Association] for creating the structures that brought this success, and the Bundesliga.”

The FIFA Puskás Award for goal of the year went to Real Madrid’s James Rodríguez for his remarkable volley for Colombia against Uruguay at the World Cup.

The FIFA/FIFPro World XI:
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München); Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), David Luiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF); Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid CF), Ángel Di María (Manchester United FC); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München).

Nadine Kessler took the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year prize, with VfL Wolfsburg’s Ralf Kellermann honoured as top women’s coach.

Source

Belgium defeats USA 2-1 in Extra Time and Argentina breaks Swiss hearts 1-0

Belgium scored an early goal in extra time to take a quick lead. The game went to overtime after regulation ended with the score 0-0.

In the knockout round, there are 30 minutes of overtime and then a round of penalty kicks until the tie is broken.

Belgium has been “far more consistent” than the U.S. team, according to USA TODAY’s analysis, but U.S. goalie Tim Howard is keeping the American team in the match.

The last, and only, time the U.S. team ever won a Round of 16 match was in 2002. That year marked the furthest the U.S. team had advanced since it made the semifinals in 1930.

Belgium to the final 8 after defeating USA in Extra time!

Final Score: Belgium 2-1 USA

1st Goal: Du Bruyne (Belgium) scores: 93′

2nd Goal: Lukaku (Belgium) Scores: 105′

3rd Goal: Green (USA) Scores: 107′

Live Score on ECB on your Right! ~>

 

 Argentina breaks Swiss hearts 1-0 in Extra Time

Even by Lionel Messi’s standards at what is an ever more extraordinary World Cup, this was late.

But once again Messi was the difference. Once again an Argentina team that continues to disappoint was exposed as desperately over-reliant on their magical, masterful No10.

He was not the scorer of the winning goal on this occasion. That honour would fall to Angel Di Maria. But he was the provider of a perfectly-weighted  ball after a trademark run that saw him ride one challenge before inviting his international colleague to score.

For Switzerland it was so, so cruel. For 118 minutes they had more than provided an answer to the best that Argentina could throw at them.

Indeed they were the better team; certainly the creators of the better first half chances. Chances that will leave them only with regrets that they did at least not take this last 16 encounter to penalties.

Even after Di Maria’s goal they had opportunities, the sight of Blerim Dzemaili’s close-range header bouncing off the post – before rebounding off him and trickling wide – making defeat all the more painful for Ottmar Hitzfeld and his team.

Argentina were so desperately disappointing in this game even if Hitzfeld, twice a Champions League winner, did once again prove himself a master tactician.

Messi endured comfortably his worst game of the tournament, struggling to escape the attention of a superbly drilled Swiss defence until that decisive run; the first time he had really got beyond the Swiss midfield to take on their back four.

While Di Maria actually had a dreadful game, losing possession no less than 37 times in normal time.

If the Swiss were crushed by France in the group stages, conceding five goals, they were defensively brilliant this time. Further evidence, surely, of the impact a decent international manager can have on his players.

For the Argentina fans it was nothing short of torture. For the thousands of yellow-shirted Brazilians more enjoyable. They delighted in Xherdan Shaqiri’s fearless attacking football, even if he was a little too elaborate at times. Echoes of a young Cristiano Ronaldo. But he posed constant danger to a stuttering, static Argentina.

Germany and Ghana Play to a 2-2 Draw and Messi’s wonder goal saves Argentina against Iran

Germany and Ghana traded blows in a pulsating 2-2 tie in Fortaleza on Saturday.

The result leaves Germany at the top of Group G with four points from two games; a win for the United States against Portugal in Manaus tomorrow would give the Americans sole possession of top spot.

After a torpid first half of patient German possession and quick Ghanaian counterattacks, the game sprang to life in the 51st minute, when Mario Gotze capped a long run to head home Thomas Muller’s fine cross.

The Germans had barely finished celebrating when Ghana pulled level; Andre Ayew rose above a static German defense to head past Manuel Neuer in the 54th minute.

The Black Stars took a shock lead in the 63rd minute, after Sulley Muntari broke up some sloppy German play in their own midfield to send a pass to Asamoah Gyan. The striker raced in on goal, took one touch to control the ball and another to fire it past the outstretched fingertips of Manuel Neuer.

But Germany Coach Joachim Low had an ace up his sleeve: the veteran striker Miroslav Klose. Germany won a corner, and Klose’s first action was to pop up at the far post to poke home a loose ball that flashed across the goalmouth. The goal was Klose’s 15th in World Cup finals play, tying him with Brazil’s Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer. He also became the third player to score in four tournaments alongside Pele and Germany’s Uwe Seeler.

Both teams had chances in a frenetic finale, but neither could provide a winner. The result left Germany with four points and Ghana still alive in Group G.

Germany now faces the United States in Recife on June 26. Ghana will travel to Brasilia to play Portugal.

Messi wonder goal saves Argentina against Iran

Lionel Messi spared Argentina’s blushes with a wonderful last-gasp winner against unheralded Iran at the World Cup on Saturday to give the South Americans a 1-0 victory and passage to the last 16.

Argentina’s fabled “Fab Four” strike force had appeared heading for a blank despite dominating possession to the frustration of their massed hordes of fans who came expecting a goalfest at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium.

But four-times world player of the year Messi, who has struggled to reproduce his Barcelona form at past World Cups, curled the ball in during stoppage time to send them wild with his second goal of two games in Brazil.

 

“With Messi, everything is possible,” said relieved Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, praising Iran for playing a “great” game and making it difficult for his side.

Watched by past Argentine great Diego Maradona in a 57,698 crowd, Messi had appeared in an unthreatening position when he received the ball on the right in the 91st minute.

Then dropping his shoulder and cutting quickly inside, he curled a simply brilliant 25-yard left-foot shot over Iran’s massed defense and into the far corner past outstanding goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi’s outstretched hand.

“Not even two goalkeepers could have stopped that Lionel shot,” Sabella added.

The result was probably fair given Argentina’s 71 percent possession and superior ballplay in the middle but felt cruel after Iran had grown in confidence and begun counter-attacking neatly to complement their solid defense.

The result leaves Argentina on top of Group F with six points from two games and takes them into the knockout stage.

ARGENTINA WILL NEED MORE GUILE

Sabella’s men will need more guile and precision, however, than they have shown against both Bosnia and Iran, if they want to take home a third World Cup.

Iran, on just one point after a draw with Nigeria and widely viewed as one of the weakest teams in Brazil, were shattered by the game’s denouement but will take heart from a fantastic performance against one of the favorites to lift the trophy.

Their final game is against Bosnia, who face Nigeria later on Saturday

Constantly crowded out by two and sometimes three Iranians, Messi had until the end been unable to pull the strings and again vomited on the pitch in the first half. The Argentine captain put two free kicks wide in either half, and saw a shot go wide after a trademark run early in the second.

In a succession of wasted Argentine first half chances, Gonzalo Higuain was quickly shut down by goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi in a one-on-one in the 13th minute, Angel Di Maria shot over the bar and Sergio Aguero had a curling shot well saved.

 

World Cup 2014: Messi magic saves Argentina, Benzema shines in French colours

Lionel Messi ended an eight-year wait for a World Cup goal on Sunday as Argentina edged past debutants Bosnia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, while fellow No 10, France’s Karim Benzema, put two past Honduras in a man-of-the-match display.

Argentina’s forward and Lionel Messi prepares to kick the ball to score his team’s second goal during the World Cup match against Bosnia Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. (AFP Photo)

The goals continued to rattle in across Brazil. France cruised to a 3-0 victory in Porto Alegre, and in the other Group E match, Switzerland came from behind to beat Ecuador 2-1 with a dramatic, counter-attacking winner in injury time.

The buildup to the fourth day of action at the 2014 World Cup had all been about Messi, the 26-year-old Barcelona forward who has lit up club soccer like few others but has so far failed to repeat those heroics on the biggest stage of all.

His last World Cup goal came on June 16, 2006, the sixth out of six Argentina put past Serbia and Montenegro in Germany.

Messi’s roar of delight after a fine left-foot strike from the edge of the area on Sunday suggested the goal would lift a huge weight from his shoulders.

“It was important to start with a win and to get three points, but we need to improve,” Messi said after also being named man of the match in the 2-1 victory in Group F.

Until that point Messi’s display had been lacklustre, but it proved a crucial goal when Bosnia scored late on to set up a tense end to a game many had expected Argentina to win easily.

There was a touch of fortune in the outcome, after Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac netted the fastest own goal in World Cup history in the third minute.

His side recovered from the shock and began to look the better team, but a lack of composure in front of goal saw several long-distance efforts fly high and wide.

Messi’s successor as World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, expects to start for Portugal against Germany in the pick of Monday’s matches.

The 29-year-old said he was fit for the Group G encounter in Salvador, despite struggling with tendinosis in his left knee.

Asked whether a great World Cup was all that was missing from a glittering career, he replied: “I don’t think I have to show anyone anything. If you look at my statistics and my resume… I have no words for that question.

“I think I do not have to demonstrate anything, not now, before, not after. What I have to do is just continue my career, which has been great so far.”

In the other Group G clash, Ghana meet the United States in Natal, while Iran and Nigeria play in Curitiba in Group F.

France reunited

In Porto Alegre, France survived a bruising encounter with Honduras, but passed the test with aplomb in a game where Benzema grabbed two and goal-line technology was used to confirm the ball had crossed the line for the first time at a World Cup.

Benzema’s shot hit the upright and the ball rolled across the goal, only for Honduras keeper Noel Valladares to divert it over the line by inches.

France’s forward Karim Benzema takes a penalty during their World Cup match against Honduras at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre. (AFP Photo)

Honduras were reduced to 10-men after Wilson Palacios charged into French midfielder Paul Pogba seconds before the break in a challenge that earned him a second yellow card.

Benzema stroked home the resulting penalty, and 18 minutes from time he struck again from a narrow angle, earning a rendition of “La Marseillaise” from the red, white and blue clad French fans.

The result will have delighted France coach Didier Deschamps, especially after Les Bleus’ 2010 debacle in South Africa when they failed to win a game amid bitter squabbling that blew up into a national scandal.

Swiss smash-and-grab

Switzerland’s Haris Seferovic celebrates after scoring a goal with Ricardo Rodriguez during their World Cup match against Ecuador at the Brasilia National Stadium in Brasilia. (Reuters Photo)

In arguably the most exciting contest of the day, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a breathtaking box-to-box counter-attack in stoppage time to give Switzerland a 2-1 win over Ecuador in Brasilia.

A brilliant block tackle by Valon Behrami in his own area instigated the break, which was allowed to continue by an excellent decision from Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov after the midfielder was body-checked.

With more than three goals a game on average, and a surprisingly expansive style of soccer for the early stages of a World Cup, action on the field has grabbed people’s imagination in a country considered by many to be the sport’s spiritual home.

The tournament has gone much more smoothly than many had expected, with protests against the $11 billion spend on new stadiums and infrastructure small compared with mass demonstrations that rocked Brazil a year ago.

On Sunday, police blocked a small group of anti-World Cup protesters who were trying to reach the Maracana stadium before the Argentina-Bosnia game.

About 150 bandanna-wearing demonstrators carrying banners that said “Fifa go home” marched towards the stadium, but police on horseback blocked their path, leading to minor scuffles.

A similar-sized march was held ahead of the Switzerland-Ecuador game, but participants simply laid down their banners in front of a police cordon and dispersed when the game started.

Cristiano Ronaldo Won the Ballon d’Or 2013!

Result: Cristiano Ronaldo Won the Ballon d’Or 2013!

Full Post:

If Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi weren’t so excellent at football, you’d be tempted to call the Ballon d’Or award boring.

The pair’s domination of the sport in recent years has turned the race for Fifa’s golden ball into a straight shoot-out, which has been won by Lionel Messi for the past three years.

This year Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite, but in Franck Ribérythe game’s two leading lights have their most worthy competitor for many years.

How do the statistics from 2013 compare for all three? Let’s have a look…

The basics

	Messi	Ronaldo	Ribery
Appearances	45	56	52
Minutes on pitch	3346	4542	4018
Won	26	40	52
Drawn	14	10	4
Lost	5	6	3
Trophies	1	0	5

Watch all of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals and assists in 2013:

——————————————————————————————-

The usually ever-present Lionel Messi suffered a couple of rare injuries this year, limiting his minutes and appearances. Forty-five games is still a laudable total, but well behind Ribéry’s 52, which featured runs to the final of the Champions League and German Cup as well as appearances in the European Super and Club World Cups. His five trophies give him a clear edge, but while Ronaldo ended the year without silverware his triumphant performance to secure World Cup qualification for Portugal in a play-off against Sweden. Just 14 defeats out of 153 combined games illustrate the collective might of all three on the shortlist.

^{Franck Ribery celebrates with the Champions League trophy (GETTY IMAGES)}
——————————————————————————————-

Goals

	Messi	Ronaldo	Ribery
Goals	42	66	22
Shots on target	87	160	56
Shots off target	59	136	36
Accuracy	59.6%	54.1%	60.9%
Chance conversion	28.8%	22.3%	23.9%

The goals scored figures continue to astound for both La Liga players. Messi’s 42 is an outrageous return of just less than a goal per game, but even that is eclipsed by Ronaldo’s absurd 66 goals from 56 appearances. But Ronaldo’s goal tally came from a total of 396 shots. Messi scored 14 fewer but did so from only 146 attempts on goal, which were more than 5 per cent more accurate than his rival. Ribéry, a player whose main strengths are in other areas, trails both by a significant margin with a still-creditable 22 goals, but he does bost more accurate shooting than the two that play in Spain.

Watch all of Lionel Messi’s goals in 2013:

——————————————————————————————-

Passing

	Messi	Ronaldo	Ribery
Assists	15	15	18
Chances created	70	94	149
Total passes	2136	1901	2903
Pass completion	84.5%	79.2%	85.7%
Crosses	80	97	261
Cross completion	10%	16.5%	27.6%

The purist’s choice for the award could be Franck Ribéry, who has contributed three more assists for Bayern Munich than either of his rivals for the prize. His chance creation stats also stand out, as does his pass completion rate despite passing far more times than either Messi or Ronaldo. The latter plays in a more direct system than Barcelona or Bayern’s, so his lower total pass count does not surprise, but a failure to complete more than 20 per cent of his passes does not reflect too kindly on the Portuguese.

^{Cristiano Ronaldo’s passing stats put him third behind Messi and Ribéry (AP)}
——————————————————————————————-

Dribbling

	Messi	Ronaldo	Ribery
Dribbles	331	252	1084
Dribble completion	51.4%	46.0%	45.6%
Duels	579	709	943
Duels won	52.5%	54.6%	45.5%

While Ribéry tends to play wide on the left for Bayern Munich, it is something of a surprise to learn that he attempted almost four times as many dribbles as Messi and Ronaldo in 2013. The Frenchman also engages with opposition players more frequently, taking part in 943 one-on-one battles for the ball compared to Ronaldo’s 709 and Messi’s 579. Ribéry’s more frequent forays with the ball

Watch some of Franck Ribery’s best moments from 2013:

——————————————————————————————-

As more advanced players, Messi and Ronaldo predictably contribute less to their teams defensive efforts than Ribéry, but Ronaldo cleared the ball 38 times in 2013, presumably due to often being stationed in crucial areas when Real Madrid were defending corners. Ronaldo has also fouled more than his competitors for the award, and was the only player of the three to receive a red card in 2013.

^{Lionel Messi with the golden shoe awarded to the European top scorer (AP)}
——————————————————————————————-

What have we learned? That we are living in an era of exceptional football. Franck Ribéry, thought of as an in a distant second tier of the best footballers compared to Messi and Ronaldo, won five trophies and contributed a combined total of 30 goals and assists in 2013.

Source: telegraph