France vs Nigeria (12:00 PM, ESPN)
Germany vs Algeria (4:00 PM, ESPN)
Weekend Results:
Brazil 1, Chile 1 (Brazil wins 3-2 on PKs) - Saturday
Colombia 2, Uruguay 0 - Saturday
Netherlands 2, Mexico 1
Costa Rica 1, Greece 1 (Costa Rica wins 5-3 on PKs)
Four Thoughts on the Games:
Brazil needs to play better if they're going to make the run at this World Cup their fans want to see. You can see the bits of individual skill, but the problem looks like the link up play with the forwards. Fred and Jo aren't operating at the same level as some of the players feeding them the ball. Once that happens, it turns into a bunch of players (Neymar, Hulk) relying on pure individual skill to create chances, and good defending teams can weather those storms.
Colombia plays a very appealing brand of soccer, both aesthetically and results-oriented. I believe they will dispatch Brazil in the quarterfinals.
The Robben play was absolutely embellished to the point of embarassment. However, Marquez stuck his leg out and clipped Robben. In the box. It was a legitimate penalty. The 4-time World Cup captain should know better.
Costa Rica and Greece was not the most aesthetically pleasing soccer match I've seen. (If I've seen 200, it's probably somewhere between 201 and 250). But Costa Rica's penalty taking? Clinical.
Updated Bracket
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ROUND of 16
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QUARTERFINALS
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SEMIFINALS
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FINALS
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A1
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Brazil
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1 (3)
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B2
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Chile
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1 (2)
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A1
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Brazil
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C1
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Colombia
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C1
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Colombia
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2
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D2
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Uruguay
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0
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E1
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France
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F2
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Nigeria
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G1
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Germany
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H2
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Algeria
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B1
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Netherlands
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2
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A2
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Mexico
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1
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B1
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Netherlands
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D1
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Costa Rica
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D1
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Costa Rica
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1 (5)
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C2
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Greece
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1 (3)
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F1
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Argentina
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E2
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Switzerland
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3RD PLACE
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H1
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Belgium
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G2
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United States
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