Netherlands 3, Australia 2
Chile 2, Spain 0
Croatia 4,Cameroon 0
Three thoughts on the games
- Good for Australia: they came into this World Cup looking like a joke next to the other three teams in their pool (their inclusion in Group B likely single-handedly kept many from terming it the Pool of Death), but they've come very close to grabbing a point in each of their first two games. As for the Oranje, they may want to get their defensive house in order before the knockout stage begins.
- Well, La Furia Roja quickly turned into La Rosa Wedding. Spain had a terrific run, winning 3 straight major tournaments (2008 European Championships, 2010 World Cup, 2012 European Championships), but they lost their aura early against the Netherlands, and when Chile went up 1-0 and then 2-0, you could see Spain's players pressing, which resulted in some missed opportunities they would normally bury.
- While Group B's third games are limited in drama, Group A will have a terrific set of simultaneous games. Brazil will need at least a draw against Cameroon (shouldn't be difficult, but if Cameroon strikes first Brazil will face a mountain of pressure) in the event of a Mexico-Croatia draw, and Mexico and Croatia will likely be going head-to-head for one spot in the knockout round.
Today's Games:
Colombia vs Ivory Coast (12:00 PM, ESPN)
Uruguay vs England (3:00 PM, ESPN)
Japan vs Greece (6:00 PM, ESPN)
note, all games are available streaming on ESPN3/the WatchESPN app
Updated Tables
A reminder: the number in parentheses next to each team name is the latest FIFA World Ranking.
Qualified for Knockout Round: Netherlands, Chile
Eliminated from the Knockout Round: Cameroon, Australia, Spain
GROUP A
|
||||||||
TEAM
|
GP
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GD
|
GF
|
GA
|
PTS
|
Brazil (3)
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
Mexico (20)
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
Croatia (18)
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
Cameroon (56)
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
-5
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
GROUP B
|
||||||||
TEAM
|
GP
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GD
|
GF
|
GA
|
PTS
|
Netherlands (15)
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
8
|
3
|
6
|
Chile (14)
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
Australia (62)
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
-3
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
Spain (1)
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
-6
|
1
|
7
|
0
|
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