The Best and Worst of World Cup 2014
Some of the most memorable moments of this years World Cup.
To say this World Cup has been full of surprises is a bit of an understatement to say the least.
World Cup 2014 has been a tournament of firsts (and for some teams hopefully lasts).
From some of the big guns getting knocked out early to the host nation being hammered, we take a look at some of the best and worst moments of footballs greatest spectacle.
The giants fell:
It wasn’t the fairy tale run that many of the big guns would have imagined. Spain, England, Portugal and Italy and even African giants Ghana and Ivory Coast were all knocked out in the group stages. England only amassed one point and Spain suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Dutch during a dismal campaign.
The flying Dutchman:
Robin van Persie is no stranger to scoring spectacular goals but his header against the Spanish took it to a whole level. Van Persie helped start a riot that definitely sunk the Spanish.
Bite worse than his bark:
After making headlines for destroying England’s dreams of making it it into the next round, Luis Suarez made headlines again but for all the wrong reasons. The Uruguayan striker bit Italian, Giorgio Chiellini, during their group game, earning himself a four month ban from all football activities.
29 second stunner:
Clint Dempsey scored the fifth fastest goal in World Cup history when he took only 29 seconds to break the deadlock against Ghana. The USA had an impressive run at this years tournament and with a German coach at the helm, look like they could be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
The surprise package:
Costa Rica shocked many people with their performance at this years World Cup. Ranked number 24 in the world, Costa Rica beat three sides ranked in the top 12 and drew with the English (10). Los Ticos, as they are affectionately known, had their impressive run ended by the Dutch in a thrilling penalty shoot-out.
Titanic Tim:
Tim Howard was a titan between the posts for the USA when they faced Belgium in the knock-out stages of the competition. Howard made 15 saves during the game, the most by any keeper in a single game at the World Cup.
The hosts were humbled:
Brazil suffered their all-time biggest margin defeat when they went down 7-1 to eventual champions, Germany. The Germans ran riot scoring 5 goals in 29 minutes. The Brazilians conceded 14 goals in total during their campaign.
Klose makes history:
Miroslav Klose became the tournaments all-time leading goalscorer. The German striker scored his 16th goal in the tournament, surpassing the previous record holder, Ronaldo. Ironically the goal came during the 7-1 win against Brazil.
A star is born:
James Rodriguez became a name everyone was talking about with his superb performances for Columbia. The 22-year-old scored 6 goals during the tournament on his way to winning the Golden Boot award.
And the champions are:
A Mario Götze extra time goal was enough as Germany overcame Argentina in a nail-biting final on Sunday. The Germans were crowned champions for the fourth time in their history, scoring 18 goals in this years tournament on their way to victory.
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