Last night’s first batch of quarterfinal matches felt like any other day since the World Cup kicked off a few weeks ago, only if you added injuries and grasshoppers into the mix. History will remember yesterday as the day Germany and Brazil set up a semi-finals match against each other.
But we’ll also remember it for Neymar’s debilitating back injury and the exit of Colombia’s James Rodriguez and his new-found friend, giant Jiminy Cricket.
But for now, we’re moving forward at the other quarterfinals bracket featuring Argentina taking on Belgium and the Netherlands duking it out with Costa Rica.
Argentina vs Belgium
On paper, this should be easy pickings for an Argentinian squad that has the best attacking quartet in football. But there’s a reason why I used should instead of would. Five games into the tournament, Argentina’s entire offense have resembled something like: “Hey Leo, bail us out, please!”
That doesn’t exactly bode confidence if you’re a fan of Argentina. Granted, Messi’s been up to the challenge, literally bailing out his team in each and every one of its games in the tournament. But against Belgium, Messi’s going to need all the help he can get, especially against a physically imposing defensive line and an equally imposing goaltender in ThibaultCourtois.
The big question surrounding the Red Devils doesn’t have anything to do with skill or pace. They have that in abundance. What they don’t have is experience at this stage of the tournament. I watched the Brazil-Colombia game last night and felt like this game will have a similar ebb and flow—minus the violence and horrendous officiating.
Argentina goes up quickly and Belgium makes it interesting in the end. But I’m expecting Messi to be Messi again, which is more than enough to lift Los Albicetes into the semis.
Result: Argentina 2, Belgium 1
Netherlands vs Costa Rica
I’ve disregarded Costa Rica long enough and every time, they’ve made me look like an idiot. I may or may not have lost a few bets because of them, too. No more! I’m riding with La Sele until the cows come home to roost.
But this is still the Netherlands, a team that has already found enough ways to win at the World Cup; it won’t surprise anyone if they somehow come back from two goals down to score three in injury time.
Sizing up these two teams is a little tricky, even if odds point to the Dutch as overwhelming favorites. Costa Rica’s a scrappy bunch and often times, the World Cup isn’t determined so much by talent as it is by plain drive and hunger.
That’s been the game plan of Costa Rica throughout the tournament and there’s no reason why they can’t pull off another rabbit out of their hats. So I’m calling it now: Costa Rica beats the Netherlands to advance to the semi-finals.
(In the event the Oranje bum-rushes La Sele, feel free to disregard everything I said.)
Results: Costa Rica 2, Netherlands 1
