Elephants take torturous route to AFCON victory

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2024

FINAL

Nigeria 1 Troost-Ekong 38
Ivory Coast 2 Kessie 62, Haller 81

Nigeria Nwabali, Ajayi, Troost-Ekong (c), Bassey, Aina, Onyeka (Aribo), Iwobi (Yusuf), Sanusi (Moffi), Chukwueze (Simon), Osimhen, Lookman (Iheanacho)
Subs not used Uzoho, Musa, Samuel, Onuachu, Awaziem, Omeruo, Nwadike Booked Nwabali, Aina
Ivory Coast Y Fofana, Aurier (c) (Singo), Kossounou, Ndicka, Konan, Kessie, Seri (Lazare), S Fofana (I Sangare), Gradel (Diakite), Haller (Krasso), Adingra
Sub not used Diomande, Bamba, Boga, Pepe, Kouame, B Sangare, Diallo Booked Aurier, Fofana, Ndicka
Attendance 57,094 at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan Referee Dahane Beida (Mauritius)

HOSTS Ivory Coast took a ridiculously circuitous route to their third African Cup of Nations title as Sebastian Haller completed his own remarkable comeback story.

Former West Ham United striker Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer shortly after joining Borussia Dortmund from Ajax Amsterdam in July 2022.

The 29-year-old underwent two surgical procedures and chemotherapy over the rest of that year before returning to action for Dortmund in January 2023.

Now, though, Haller has truly made his mark in the annals of Ivorian football history, cleverly using the toe-end of his boot to lift the ball over Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali for a deserved winning goal.

Deserved it may have been - but, in truth, the Elephants will have counted their blessings that they even had the chance to contest this Final.

After all, in the group stage, the home team had been utterly abysmal following their straightforward 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on the opening day of the tournament.

The 1-0 defeat to eventual runners-up Nigeria was painful enough without the collective defensive breakdown in the 4-0 capitulation to Equatorial Guinea. 

Ivory Coast - stranded in third place with a -3 goal difference having played all their matches - were staring an embarrassing early exit in the face.

The repercussions for French head coach Jean-Louis Gasset were immediate - he was sacked while, having played first, the rest of the squad were forced to hang around awkwardly on the off-chance that other results went in their favour.

But then results did go in their favour.

Chris Hughton's Ghana were particularly guilty of blowing their chance of reaching the Last 16 despite their own slow start to proceedings. 

The Black Stars lost to Cape Verde Isles in their opening game after conceding a stoppage-time goal then twice gave away the lead to draw against Egypt. 

Worse was to come, though. Seemingly sailing into the knockout stages with a 2-0 lead over Mozambique, Hughton's men contrived to concede twice in stoppage time at the end of the match, and fell out of the reckoning altogether.

The former Newcastle United, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion manager paid for the failure with his job - and the Ghanaians hardly found much consolation in being far from the only big name to be eliminated early on.

Algeria and Tunisia followed in the days which followed - both were winless, with the Algerians eliminated by minnows Mauritania, and Tunisians beaten by Namibia, who - along with the Mauritanians - won their first ever AFCON finals match.

Meanwhile, seven-time champions Egypt also exited the competition without a win in the Last 16 after sneaking through the first round with three draws.

However, the draw had not exactly opened up for the Ivorians.

Instead, their lowly finish left interim head coach Emerse Fae preparing for a knockout stage match against defending champions Senegal - and it looked set to go to form when Habib Diallo rifled a shot into the roof of the net inside four minutes.

But the Elephants hung in the contest and scored a late equaliser through Franck Kessie's penalty after former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe had been brought down by former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

The Ivorians then took the match to penalties and were perfect from the spot while, for Senegal, Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate was unable to find the net.

And so, in the space of exactly one week, the hosts had gone from embarrassing no-hopers to the team which had ousted the defending champions.

Incredibly, the quarter final against Mali also involved late drama.

Trailing again to Nene Dorgeles's goal for the Eagles and down to 10 men, Ivory Coast rescued the last eight tie in the last minute with a goal from Simon Adingra.

The Brighton winger was quickest to react when the ball ran loose to force another period of extra time - then, just as the match looked destined for penalties, Oumar Diakite flicked a boot to divert Seko Fofana's long-range effort into the net.

In contrast to all of that, the 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi final felt pretty straightforward as Haller hit his first goal of the tournament by bouncing a volleyed finish over the goalkeeper.

Indeed, Nigeria had a far more stressful night in their last four clash, being taken to penalties by a resurgent South Africa side after conceding a last-minute spot-kick in normal time.

Until then, the Super Eagles had shown great defensive fortitude and kept four consecutive clean sheets with the highlight  of that run coming in a 2-0 win over their great rivals Cameroon in the Last 16 through a brace from Ademola Lookman.

But, in a match of penalties in the last four, it was ultimately the South Africans who lost their nerve with two misses from the spot to put the Nigerians through to the Final.

To their credit, Bafana Bafana recovered to take third place after winning yet another penalty shootout - their third in four matches - to register their best finish at AFCON in 24 years.

Thankfully, though, the Final did not require spot-kicks as a decider - not that Ivory Coast made life any easier than usual for themselves.

Despite the hosts dominating proceedings from the kick-off in terms of possession and attacks, Nigeria took a 38th-minute lead with what ended up being their only effort on target all night, as William Troost-Ekong headed in from a corner.

In the now-familiar position of chasing the game, Ivory Coast kept plugging away - and, with just a little more than an hour on the clock, Kessie headed in the equaliser, the goal again coming from a corner.

Kessie had earlier been rather fortunate to stay on the pitch after deliberately throwing his elbow to stop a rare Super Eagles' break.

However, the Nigerians never looked like turning the tide after the equaliser - and another wave of Ivorian attacks eventually took its toll for a second time.

Haller's finish brought an explosion of joyous orange-tinged celebrations in the stands and the West African country at large as supporters saluted a most unlikely triumph in Abidjan. 

▪️

ASIAN CUP 2024

FINAL

Qatar 3 Atif 22(p), 73(p), 90+5(p)
Jordan 1 Al-Naimat 67

Qatar Barsham, Salman, Mendes, Mukhtar (Khoukhi), Abdurisag (I Mohammad), Al-Haydos (Hatem), Gaber (Assadalla), Fatehi, Waad, Ali, Afif Booked Assadalla, Barsham
Jordan Abulaila, Nasib, Al-Arab, Al-Ajalin, Haddad, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Olwan (Al-Awadat), Al-Taamari, Al-Naimat, Al-Mardi (Rateb) Booked Olwan Al-Ajalin, Al-Naimat, Abulaila
Attendance 86,492 at Lusail Stadium, Lusail Referee Ma Ning (China)

THE HOST nation also won the Asian Cup as Qatar defended their title with a 3-1 win in the Final against surprise package Jordan.

Akram Afif kept his cool to score a remarkable hat-trick of penalties - but, while that sounds extremely dubious, it was actually the result of repeated instances of clumsy Jordanian defending.

Al-Nashama appeared completely overwhelmed by the occasion - although the bigger names on the continent were a far bigger disappointment.

The failure of Japan and South Korea to win their groups resulted in some titanic knockout games as the Asian powerhouses took each other out.

Iran eliminated the Japanese in the last eight before their own semi defeat to the Qataris.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klinsmann's South Korea sneaked through against Saudi Arabia and Australia - before their good fortune ran out in the last four against Jordan.

The Jordanians thus reached the Final for the first time, having earlier edged out Iraq and first-time quarter finalists Tajikistan.

But Qatar had the last word to become the first team to defend the Asian Cup title since Japan in 2004. 

Yet another African Cup of Nations

THE fourth African Cup of Nations in just six seasons begins later today with replacement hosts Equatorial Guinea taking on Congo in Bata.

Yet, already - as that introductory paragraph suggests - this 30th edition of the tournament has endured a torrid build-up.

Original hosts Morocco first asked for a postponement until 2016, citing fears over the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. But, once the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stood firm, the North Africans pulled out altogether.

This was despite the fact that the Moroccan city of Casablanca had hosted Guinea's successful qualification campaign because the threat of Ebola meant the Guineans could not play at home.

Morocco's contradictory position therefore looks decidedly odd. It is nothing, though, compared to the subsequent illogical move by CAF to bestow hosting rights on Equatorial Guinea.

After all, the tiny central African country had been disqualified last July for fielding an ineligible player in a qualifying match. Now, bizarrely, they have qualified for the finals automatically as hosts.

Usefully at least, it is not a new role for Equatorial Guinea to take on. They were, in fact, hosts as recently as 2012 - but, back then, they shared the burden of the duties with neighbouring Gabon and only used their two biggest cities, Bata and Malabo.

This time, Mongomo and Ebebiyin - two outposts even by Equatoguinean standards - will also be responsible for overseeing the progress of part of the group phase as well as hosting a quarter final each.

Unsurprisingly, the short notice given to the two venues has resulted in concerns over infrastructure and security.

Additional fears that even the 5,000-capacity stadium in Ebebiyin will not be filled has led to the country's president Teodoro Obiang Nguema to pay for 40,000 tickets for fans to attend for free.

Of course, by "president", think instead of an oil-rich dictator who has been in power since 1979 and whose human rights abuses have been well-documented by advocacy agencies.

Suddenly, as cynical as it sounds, the CAF decision begins to make some sort of sense.

Seemingly driven by greed at the best of times - why else stage the Cup of Nations so often? - these were actually the worst of times for the organisation.

Their centrepiece tournament - older than the European Championships by three years - was hanging by a thread. It is no wonder that it went to the highest bidder.

And so, regardless of what happens over the next month in Equatorial Guinea, there will be a real sense of unease as to how this championship has still gone ahead.

Maybe, by asking for a postponement, Morocco had the right idea after all.

FULL AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2015 FIXTURES
GROUP A

Date		Venue
Sat 17 Jan, 16:00	EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1-1 CONGO	Bata
Sat 17 Jan, 19:00	BURKINA FASO 0-2 GABON	Bata
Wed 21 Jan, 16:00	EQUATORIAL GUINEA 0-0 BURKINA FASO	Bata
Wed 21 Jan, 19:00	GABON 0-1 CONGO	Bata
Sun 25 Jan, 18:00	GABON 0-2 EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Bata
Sun 25 Jan, 18:00	CONGO 2-1 BURKINA FASO	Ebebiyin

Group A Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) CONGO	2	1	0	4	2	7
(Q) EQUATORIAL GUINEA	1	2	0	3	1	5
GABON	1	0	2	2	3	3
BURKINA FASO	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP B

Date		Venue
Sun 18 Jan, 16:00	ZAMBIA 1-1 CONGO DR	Ebebiyin
Sun 18 Jan, 19:00	TUNISIA 1-1 CAPE VERDE	Ebebiyin
Thu 22 Jan, 16:00	ZAMBIA 1-2 TUNISIA	Ebebiyin
Thu 22 Jan, 19:00	CAPE VERDE 0-0 CONGO DR	Ebebiyin
Mon 26 Jan, 18:00	CAPE VERDE 0-0 ZAMBIA	Ebebiyin
Mon 26 Jan, 18:00	CONGO DR 1-1 TUNISIA	Bata

Group B Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) TUNISIA	1	2	0	4	3	5
(Q) CONGO DR	0	3	0	2	2	3
CAPE VERDE	0	3	0	1	1	3
ZAMBIA	0	2	1	2	3	2

GROUP C

Date		Venue
Mon 19 Jan, 16:00	GHANA 1-2 SENEGAL	Mongomo
Mon 19 Jan, 19:00	ALGERIA 3-1 SOUTH AFRICA	Mongomo
Fri 23 Jan, 16:00	GHANA 1-0 ALGERIA	Mongomo
Fri 23 Jan, 19:00	SOUTH AFRICA 1-1 SENEGAL	Mongomo
Tue 27 Jan, 18:00	SOUTH AFRICA 1-2 GHANA	Mongomo
Tue 27 Jan, 18:00	SENEGAL 0-2 ALGERIA	Malabo

Group C Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) GHANA	2	0	1	4	3	6
(Q) ALGERIA	2	0	1	5	2	6
SENEGAL	1	1	1	3	4	4
SOUTH AFRICA	0	1	2	3	6	1

Note: Ghana qualify ahead of Algeria on head-to-head basis (Ghana 1-0 Algeria)

GROUP D

Date		Venue
Tue 20 Jan, 16:00	IVORY COAST 1-1 GUINEA	Malabo
Tue 20 Jan, 19:00	MALI 1-1 CAMEROON	Malabo
Sat 24 Jan, 16:00	IVORY COAST 1-1 MALI	Malabo
Sat 24 Jan, 19:00	CAMEROON 1-1 GUINEA	Malabo
Wed 28 Jan, 18:00	CAMEROON 0-1 IVORY COAST	Malabo
Wed 28 Jan, 18:00	GUINEA 1-1 MALI	Mongomo

Group D Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) IVORY COAST	1	2	0	3	2	5
(Q) GUINEA	0	3	0	3	3	3
MALI	0	3	0	3	3	3
CAMEROON	0	2	1	2	3	2

Note: Guinea placed ahead of Mali after a drawing of lots

QUARTER FINALS

Date		Venue
Sat 31 Jan, 16:00	CONGO 2-4 DR CONGO	Bata
Sat 31 Jan, 19:30	TUNISIA 1-2 aet EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Bata
Sun 1 Feb, 16:00	GHANA 3-0 GUINEA	Malabo
Sun 1 Feb, 19:30	IVORY COAST 3-1 ALGERIA	Malabo

SEMI FINALS

Date		Venue
Wed 4 Feb, 19:00	DR CONGO v IVORY COAST	Bata
Thu 5 Feb, 19:00	GHANA v EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Malabo

THIRD-PLACED PLAYOFF

Date		Venue
Sat 7 Feb, 16:00	SF LOSER 1 v SF LOSER 2	Malabo

FINAL

Date		Venue
Sun 8 Feb, 19:00	SF WINNER 1 v SF WINNER 2	Bata

TELEVISION COVERAGE
Eurosport has live coverage of all of the matches. ITV4 will show seven matches - one each from the four groups, both semi finals and the Final. ITV4 also has nightly highlights.

World Cup 2014: Back home

WORLD CUP 2014

Preview - Groups A-D - Groups E-H - Complete results

England v Italy - England v Uruguay - England v Costa Rica

GROUP A Brazil and Mexico qualify

Thu 12-Jun	BRAZIL	3-1	CROATIA	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV	Neymar 29, 71(pen) Oscar 90+1		Marcelo (og) 11
Fri 13-Jun	MEXICO	1-0	CAMEROON	Natal
5pm ITV	Peralta 61
Tue 17-Jun	BRAZIL	0-0	MEXICO	Fortaleza
8pm BBC
Wed 18-Jun	CAMEROON	0-4	CROATIA	Manaus
11pm ITV			Olic 11, Perisic 48  Mandzukic 61, 73
Mon 23-Jun	CAMEROON	1-4	BRAZIL	Brasilia
9pm ITV	Matip 26		Neymar 17, 35 Fred 49, Fernandinho 84
Mon 23-Jun	CROATIA	1-3	MEXICO	Recife
9pm ITV	Perisic 87		Marquez 72, Guardado 75 Hernandez 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	1	0	7	2	7
(Q) MEXICO	2	1	0	4	1	7
Croatia	1	0	2	6	6	3
Cameroon	0	0	3	1	9	0

GROUP B Netherlands and Chile qualify

Fri 13-Jun	SPAIN	1-5	NETHERLANDS	Salvador
8pm BBC	Alonso 27(pen)		Van Persie 43, 72 Robben 53, 80, De Vrij 64
Fri 13-Jun	CHILE	3-1	AUSTRALIA	Cuiaba
11pm ITV	Sanchez 12, Valdivia 14 Beausejour 90+2		Cahill 35
Wed 18-Jun	SPAIN	0-2	CHILE	Rio de Janeiro
8pm BBC			Vargas 20, Aranguiz 43
Wed 18-Jun	AUSTRALIA	2-3	NETHERLANDS	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Cahill 21 Jedinak 54(pen)		Robben 20, Van Persie 58 Depay 68
Mon 23-Jun	AUSTRALIA	0-3	SPAIN	Curitiba
5pm ITV			Villa 36, Torres 69  Mata 82
Mon 23-Jun	NETHERLANDS	2-0	CHILE	Sao Paulo
5pm ITV	Fer 77, Depay 90

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	10	3	9
(Q) CHILE	2	0	1	5	3	6
Spain	1	0	2	4	7	3
Australia	0	0	3	3	9	0

GROUP C Colombia and Greece qualify

Sat 14-Jun	COLOMBIA	3-0	GREECE	Belo Horizonte
5pm BBC	Armero 5, Gutierrez 58 Rodriguez 90+3
Sun 15-Jun	IVORY COAST	2-1	JAPAN	Recife
2am ITV	Bony 64, Gervinho 66		Honda 16
Thu 19-Jun	COLOMBIA	2-1	IVORY COAST	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Rodriguez 64, Quintero 70		Gervinho 73
Thu 19-Jun	JAPAN	0-0	GREECE	Natal
11pm BBC
Tue 24-Jun	JAPAN	1-4	COLOMBIA	Cuiaba
9pm BBC	Okazaki 45+1		Cuadrado 17(pen) Martinez  55, 83 Rodriguez 89
Tue 24-Jun	GREECE	2-1	IVORY COAST	Fortaleza
9pm BBC	Samaris 42, Samaras 90+3		Bony 74

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COLOMBIA	3	0	0	9	2	9
(Q) GREECE	1	1	1	2	4	4
Ivory Coast	1	0	2	4	5	3
Japan	0	1	2	2	6	1

GROUP D Costa Rica and Uruguay qualify

Sat 14-Jun	URUGUAY	1-3	COSTA RICA	Fortaleza
8pm ITV	Cavani 24(pen)		Campbell 54, Duarte 57 Urena 84
Sat 14-Jun	ENGLAND	1-2	ITALY	Manaus
11pm BBC	Sturridge 37		Marchisio 35, Balotelli 50
Thu 19-Jun	URUGUAY	2-1	ENGLAND	Sao Paulo
8pm ITV	Suarez 39, 84		Rooney 75
Fri 20-Jun	ITALY	0-1	COSTA RICA	Recife
5pm BBC			Ruiz 44
Tue 24-Jun	ITALY	0-1	URUGUAY	Natal
5pm ITV			Godin 81
Tue 24-Jun	COSTA RICA	0-0	ENGLAND	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COSTA RICA	2	1	0	4	1	7
(Q) URUGUAY	2	0	1	4	4	6
Italy	1	0	2	2	3	3
England	0	1	2	2	4	1

GROUP E France and Switzerland qualify

Sun 15-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-1	ECUADOR	Brasilia
5pm ITV	Mehmedi 48, Seferovic 90+3		E Valencia 22
Sun 15-Jun	FRANCE	3-0	HONDURAS	Porto Alegre
8pm BBC	Benzema 45(pen), 72 Valladares (og) 48
Fri 20-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-5	FRANCE	Salvador
8pm ITV	Dzemaili 81, Xhaka 87		Giroud 17, Matuidi 18 Valbuena 40, Benzema 67 Sissoko 73
Fri 20-Jun	HONDURAS	1-2	ECUADOR	Curitiba
11pm ITV	Costly 31		E Valencia 33, 65
Wed 25-Jun	HONDURAS	0-3	SWITZERLAND	Manaus
9pm BBC			Shaqiri 6, 31, 71
Wed 25-Jun	ECUADOR	0-0	FRANCE	Rio de Janeiro
9pm BBC

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	2	1	0	8	2	7
(Q) SWITZERLAND	2	0	1	7	6	6
Ecuador	1	1	1	3	3	4
Honduras	0	0	3	1	8	0

 
GROUP F Argentina and Nigeria qualify

Sun 15-Jun	ARGENTINA	2-1	BOSNIA-HERZ	Rio de Janeiro
11pm BBC	Kolasinac (og) 3 Messi 65		Ibisevic 85
Mon 16-Jun	IRAN	0-0	NIGERIA	Curitiba
8pm BBC
Sat 21-Jun	ARGENTINA	1-0	IRAN	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Messi 90+1
Sat 21-Jun	NIGERIA	1-0	BOSNIA-HERZ	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Odemwingie 29
Wed 25-Jun	NIGERIA	2-3	ARGENTINA	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Musa 4, 47		Messi 3, 45+1, Rojo 50
Wed 25-Jun	BOSNIA-HERZ	3-1	IRAN	Salvador
5pm ITV	Dzeko 23, Pjanic 59 Vrsajevic 83		Ghoochannejhad 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	3	0	0	6	3	9
(Q) NIGERIA	1	1	1	3	3	4
Bosnia-Herzegovina	1	0	2	4	4	3
Iran	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP G Germany and United States qualify

Mon 16-Jun	GERMANY	4-0	PORTUGAL	Salvador
5pm ITV	Muller 12(pen), 45+1, 78 Hummels 32
Mon 16-Jun	GHANA	1-2	UNITED STATES	Natal
11pm BBC	A Ayew 82		Dempsey 1, Brooks 86
Sat 21-Jun	GERMANY	2-2	GHANA	Fortaleza
8pm BBC	Gotze 51, Klose 71		A Ayew 54, Gyan 63
Sun 22-Jun	UNITED STATES	2-2	PORTUGAL	Manaus
11pm BBC	Jones 64, Dempsey 81		Nani 5, Varela 90+5
Thu 26-Jun	UNITED STATES	0-1	GERMANY	Recife
5pm BBC			Muller 55
Thu 26-Jun	PORTUGAL	2-1	GHANA	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Boye (og) 31, Ronaldo 80		Gyan 57

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) GERMANY	2	1	0	7	3	7
(Q) UNITED STATES	1	1	1	4	4	4
Portugal	1	1	1	4	7	4
Ghana	0	1	2	4	6	1

GROUP H Belgium and Algeria qualify

Tue 17-Jun	BELGIUM	2-1	ALGERIA	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Fellaini 70, Mertens 80		Feghouli 25(pen)
Tue 17-Jun	RUSSIA	1-1	SOUTH KOREA	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Kerzhakov 74		Keun-ho 68
Sun 22-Jun	BELGIUM	1-0	RUSSIA	Rio de Janeiro
5pm BBC	Origi 88
Sun 22-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	2-4	ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
8pm ITV	Son 49, Koo 72		Slimani 26, Halliche 28 Djabou 38, Brahimi 62
Thu 26-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	0-1	BELGIUM	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV			Vertonghen 77
Thu 26-Jun	ALGERIA	1-1	RUSSIA	Curitiba
9pm ITV	Slimani 59		Kokorin 6

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BELGIUM	3	0	0	4	1	9
(Q) ALGERIA	1	1	1	6	5	4
Russia	0	2	1	2	3	2
South Korea	0	1	2	3	6	1

FIRST ROUND FALLERS
Group A - Croatia W1 D0 L2 F6 A6 Pts 3 - Rank 19
Ultimately for Croatia, it came down to a winner-takes-all match against Mexico following an unfortunate opening day defeat to Brazil and a 4-0 thrashing of Cameroon. But Mexico, who struggled through qualifying, have been one of the surprise packages of the World Cup and richly deserved their 3-1 win which dumped Niko Kovac's Croatians out. 
 
Group A - Cameroon W0 D0 L3 F1 A9 Pts 0 - Rank 32
A disaster from start to finish - or perhaps even before the World Cup started - with the Cameroon players predictably indulging in a row over bonuses. There were no win bonuses to be had anyway as Cameroon's seventh appearance in the finals ended with them racking up a record seventh successive defeat, stretching back to 2002. Starting with a 1-0 loss to Mexico which could have been much worse, the Indomitable Lions completely collapsed in their second match against Croatia, losing Alex Song to a reckless sending off on their way to going down 4-0. In a bizarre moment towards the end of that game, Benoit Assou-Ekotto landed a headbutt on team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo. The campaign ended with a 4-1 defeat to the hosts Brazil to leave Cameroon ranked last of the 32 teams competing.

Group B - Spain W1 D0 L2 F4 A7 Pts 3 - Rank 23
The end of an era - as Spain, winner of their previous three major tournaments, went out of this World Cup after just two games. Yet, even during the course of the first match, a Spanish implosion looked unlikely. Vicente del Bosque's men led 1-0 and David Silva had just missed a good chance to double the lead when Robin Van Persie equalised with a brilliant diving header. But, after half time, the game turned on its head as Van Persie and Arjen Robben proceeded to rip apart the ageing Spain defence with goalkeeper Iker Casillas, in particular, enduring a horrible night. On the back of the 5-1 defeat, Spain moved on to face Chile - but the South Americans high-pressing game proved too much for the vulnerable defence in a 2-0 defeat. David Villa and Fernando Torres scored, along with Juan Mata, in a 3-0 defeat of Australia in the dead-rubber. It was a sharp reminder of what La Roja once were. 

Group B - Australia W0 D0 L3 F3 A9 Pts 0 - Rank 30
The lowest-ranked team of the tournament unsurprisingly went out in the group stage, losing all three games in a very tough group. Nevertheless, the youthful Socceroos can head home with their heads held high - and with a strong candidate for goal of the tournament following Tim Cahill's stupendous volley against the Netherlands. That made it 1-1 against the Dutch in Porto Alegre - and when Mile Jedinak converted a penalty early in the second half, it looked as if there was going to be a huge shock. Ultimately, the Dutch stepped up their game to win 3-2, and that comeback - along with the Aussies' stage-fright in going 2-0 down to Chile after just 14 minutes, were the vital moments of a campaign which finished in rather anti-climatic fashion against a Spain team with something to prove.   

Group C - Ivory Coast W1 D0 L2 F4 A5 Pts 3 - Rank 21
Just what will it take for Ivory Coast to progress through the group stage at a World Cup? Handed two fiendishly difficult groups in 2006 and 2010, it looked as if the Ivorians had cracked it this time, particularly when Wilfried Bony and Gervinho overturned Japan's surprise lead in their first match. A 2-1 reverse to Colombia was disappointing, but not unexpected - and left the Elephants with the task of holding their nerve against Greece. Instead, they seemed to panic - even when Bony equalised Andreas Samaris' goal, one last Greek attack ended with Georgios Samaras converting a stoppage-time penalty he had won himself. Off the field, the Toure brothers, Yaya and Kolo, had to deal with the difficult news that their brother Ibrahim had died of cancer.
 
Group C - Japan W0 D1 L2 F2 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 29
Keisuke Honda's goal against Ivory Coast gave Japan an ideal start to this World Cup - but that was about as good as it got for the Blue Samurai. The Ivorians came back to win 2-1 and, although Japan kept themselves in with a shout of a Last 16 place with a dull 0-0 draw against Greece, a heavy defeat to the free-scoring Colombians showed exactly how just short of the required standard they were.
 
Group D - Italy W1 D0 L2 F2 A3 Pts 3 - Rank 22
Despite an ideal start - victory over England in the first match - Italy failed to make it through the group phase for the second World Cup in a row. A lacklustre performance in the second match against Costa Rica got exactly what it deserved - a 1-0 defeat - and that scoreline was repeated in a winner-takes-all clash against Uruguay. A hot-headed encounter saw Claudio Marchisio sent off for a studs-up challenge - but the real controversy came, inevitably, through Luis Suarez and his bite on the shoulder of Giorgio Chellini. One minute later, the Azzurri were behind to Diego Godin's header with barely any time to rescue the game. Coach Cesare Prandelli and the head of the FA Giancarlo Abete have both resigned.
 
Group D - England W0 D1 L2 F2 A4 Pts 1 - Rank 26
Somewhat encouraging against Italy, dreadfully disappointing against Uruguay and downright dull against Costa Rica. All the matches have already been covered on this site - so I am not going to scratch the Three Lions' wound any harder, thank you.
 
Group E - Ecuador W1 D1 L1 F3 A3 Pts 4 - Rank 17
Sixty seconds of Ecuador's opening match against Switzerland would sum up a campaign which fitted the phrase so near yet so far. Level at 1-1 into stoppage time, La Tri had a glorious chance for a famous World Cup win - but the ball was scrambled clear and, seconds later, Haris Seferovic had slammed in a glorious Swiss winner on the break. It actually then got worse before it got better with the impressive Enner Valencia hitting his second and third goals of the tournament to overturn a shock Honduran opener - and so the results heading into the last day meant that Ecuador only had to match Switzerland's result to go through. But, while the Swiss recovered their goal difference, previously damaged by France, by beating Honduras 3-0, Ecuador toiled against the French in a 0-0 draw. Their cause was hardly helped by Antonio Valencia's sending off - though the level of caution exercised even late on in the match had to be seen to be believed. 

Group E - Honduras W0 D0 L3 F1 A8 Pts 0 - Rank 31
Probably the kindest thing to write here is that Honduras will not be much missed from the World Cup, their thuggish attitude out of place in this wonderfully free-flowing tournament. Their 'style' of play was evident from the start, Wilson Palacios seeing red against France in a 3-0 defeat. A second loss to Ecuador followed, although La Bicolor at least managed to score their first finals goal since 1982 when Carlo Costly gave them a brief lead. Xherdan Shaqiri's hat-trick for Switzerland ended slim hopes of progression in the last round of matches, Honduras returning home without a point. 

Group F - Bosnia-Herzegovina W1 D0 L2 F4 A4 Pts 3 - Rank 20
Bosnia-Herzegovina belatedly stepped up to the mark, goals from Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic and Avdija Vrsajevic giving them a first ever World Cup finals win. Their first goal in the finals was actually scored by Vedad Ibisevic against Argentina - but a nightmare start, featuring an own goal from Sead Kolasinac, meant it was no more than a consolation. A 1-0 loss to Nigeria in the second game sent the Bosnians out, and so the historic 3-1 victory over Iran was effectively too little, too late. It did, at least, take the Dragons off the bottom of Group F and the whole experience should prove vital in years to come for a clearly talented generation of footballers. Coach Safet Susic is not sticking around, though - he has resigned.

Group F - Iran W0 D1 L2 F1 A4 Pts 1 - Rank 28
Proof, if it were needed, that an overly-cautious approach was not the right attitude for this World Cup. Desperately boring in an opening 0-0 against Nigeria, the Iranians actually came out their shell and missed some good chances against Argentina, only to go down to a last-minute Lionel Messi strike. Team Melli still harboured some hope of a Last 16 place but these were quickly extinguished by already-eliminated Bosnia-Herzegovina. A late goal by Charlton Athletic striker Reza Ghoochannejhad at least ensured the Iranians did not go home without a goal - and, indeed, it meant that none of the 32 teams in Brazil failed to score at least once. Ongoing sanctions continue to bite hard into Iranian football with Carlos Queiroz unable to be kept on.

Group G - Portugal W1 D1 L1 F4 A7 Pts 4 - Rank 18
Portugal were still paying for Pepe's stupidity in getting sent off for a headbutt right until the very end of the group phase after their 4-0 opening defeat to Germany left them with too much to do. Indeed, the Portuguese could have been out after two games after falling 2-1 behind to the United States in a disjointed performance. But, into the fifth minute of stoppage time, the otherwise well-shackled Cristiano Ronaldo escaped on the right and produced a brilliant cross for Silvestre Valera to convert. That point still left A Selecção with much to do as their goal difference was far inferior to the Americans - but they probably could have made it up against Ghana if Ronaldo had managed to take all of his chances. As it was, Portugal did win - but only by 2-1 and so they head home after the group stages for the first time since 2002. Talisman Ronaldo will be 33 by the time of the next World Cup in Russia.

Group G - Ghana W0 D1 L2 F4 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 25
Ghana failed to make it through the group stages of a World Cup for the first time amid acrimony in the squad over unpaid bonuses. It has been reported the Black Stars' players even needed a phone call from their country's president to get them on a plane to Brasilia for the decisive group game against Portugal - though it did not do them much good anyway. A comical John Boye own goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo strike gave the Portuguese a consolation win and left Ghana bottom despite encouraging performances in the 2-1 defeat to the United States and the 2-2 draw against Germany which was probably game of the tournament so far.

Group H - Russia W0 D2 L1 F2 A3 Pts 2 - Rank 24
For Russia under Fabio Capello in 2014, refer to England under the Italian in 2010 - except for a fortunate group stage win. Deathly dull throughout, the Russians battled their way to a 1-1 draw in their opening match against South Korea before being beaten by a late Belgium goal in their second game. At this point with England four years ago, Capello won his final group match against Slovenia to progress - and it looked as if history really was going to repeat itself when Russia took a 1-0 lead against Algeria. But Islam Slimani's controversial second half equaliser sent the North Africans through at Russia's expense, Capello's men having scored just twice and failed to win any of their games. Much more will be expected in four years time when Russia will host the World Cup for the first time.

Group H - South Korea W0 D1 L2 F3 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 27
South Korea have gone a long way backwards since reaching the semi finals of their home World Cup in 2002. Now placed outside of the top 50 in the FIFA rankings, the Koreans looked short on quality right through the group stage, scraping a draw against Russia thanks to a goalkeeping error before being comfortably beaten by Algeria in the first ever instance of an African team hitting four goals in a single World Cup match. Still with a slim chance of progression in the last round of matches, the Koreans were given a chance against Belgium when Steven Defour stupidly got himself sent off in first half stoppage time. But still the Taeguk Warriors could not take advantage - and, indeed, Belgium earned a third narrow win through Jan Vertonghen's goal to leave the Koreans bottom of the group.

Rank Teams ranked in places 17 to 32 by points scored, goal difference then goals scored.

World Cup 2014 Preview - Part II

GROUP E SWITZERLAND + ECUADOR + FRANCE + HONDURAS

	Fixtures		Venue
ITV	5pm Sun 15 June	SWITZERLAND v ECUADOR	Brasilia
BBC	8pm Sun 15 June	FRANCE v HONDURAS	Porto Alegre
ITV	8pm Fri 20 June	SWITZERLAND v FRANCE	Salvador
ITV	11pm Fri 20 June	HONDURAS v ECUADOR	Curitiba
BBC	9pm Wed 25 June	HONDURAS v SWITZERLAND	Manaus
BBC	9pm Wed 25 June	ECUADOR v FRANCE	Rio de Janeiro

SWITZERLAND FIFA World ranking 6 - Odds 100/1 - Squad
Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld (since July 2008)
World Cup best: Quarter finals 1934, 1938, 1954
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group E (W7 D3 L0 F17 A6)
Recent form: W1-0 v Jamaica, W2-0 v Peru
Switzerland have surged up the FIFA World rankings in recent times, their seventh place last October even good enough for them to steal the final seeded position. And the improvement should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the previous work of their coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. A seven-time winner of the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the German also won the European Cup with both clubs. But, while Hitzfeld's reign at Switzerland did not get off to the best of starts with an early embarrassing defeat to Luxembourg and a failure to qualify for Euro 2012, the campaign for 2014 went much better with 24 points accrued out of 30. Having said that, the quality of their opponents - Iceland, Slovenia, Norway, Albania and Cyprus - left much to be desired, and it remains to be seen exactly how the Swiss will cope when the competition takes a step up in the form of France and then perhaps Argentina.
Prediction: Last 16

ECUADOR FIFA World ranking 26 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Reinaldo Rueda (since July 2010)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 2006
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2006
How they qualified: Fourth in South American qualifying (W7 D4 L5 F20 A16)
Recent form: D1-1 v Netherlands, L1-3 v Mexico, D2-2 v England
For a South American country that did not enter the qualifiers until 1962, and then did not first make it to the finals until 2002, Ecuador have an excellent recent record of reaching the World Cup. Qualification this time made it three times out of four - and, playing on their home continent, La Tri will be looking to repeat their finest moment, which came in their last appearance eight years ago. Back then, Ecuador beat Poland and Costa Rica to reach the Last 16 before bowing out to a David Beckham free-kick - but, despite a decent draw, it would be surprise if Reinaldo Ruedo's men made it through this time. After all, progress to the finals was hard won with all seven of Ecuador's wins coming at home where the altitude at their Quito stadium gives them an advantage simply not available to them in Brazil. Perhaps a better guide would their away form which produced a paltry three points from eight matches.
Prediction: Group stage

FRANCE FIFA World ranking 17 - Odds 22/1 - Squad
Coach: Didier Deschamps (since July 2012)
World Cup best: Winners 1998
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won 3-2 on agg v Ukraine (0-2a, 3-0h) after finishing runners-up in UEFA Group I (W5 D2 L1 F15 A6)
Recent form: W4-0 v Norway, D1-1 v Paraguay, W8-0 v Jamaica
France have some making up to do with their public following the complete debacle four years ago in South Africa where the players went on strike and then went home early with just one goal and one point. Euro 2012 was only marginally better as Les Bleus won just one of their four games leading to Laurent Blanc's resignation - and so, now another of the Class of 98, former skipper Didier Deschamps, holds the reins. Deschamps too has struggled to get the best out of his squad and disaster looked to have struck when Ukraine took a 2-0 lead into the second leg of the playoff. Just one away goal in Paris would have sufficed for the Ukrainians but ultimately France squeezed home 3-2 on aggregate. As luck would have it, the French then landed a pretty kind draw. Nevertheless, not solely qualifying but winning the group ahead of Switzerland must be the focus as avoiding a likely Last 16 clash with Argentina could lead Deschamps' men to a quarter final or perhaps even more following some encouraging warm-up results.
Prediction: Quarter finals

HONDURAS FIFA World ranking 33 - Odds 4000/1 - Squad
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez (since March 2011)
World Cup best: Group stage 1982, 2010
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Third in North-Central American qualifying (W4 D3 L3 F13 A12)
Recent form: L0-2 v Turkey, L2-4 v Israel, D0-0 v England
As a country whose most whose most famous - or maybe infamous - World Cup moment remains a 100-hour war with El Salvador following a qualifier in 1969, Honduras actually made the right sort of history in October. La Bicolor secured the point they required in Jamaica in a 2-2 draw to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup finals for the first time in their history. Eliminated four years ago without scoring, the Central Americans will at least hope to put that right but it would be foolish to expect much more of a team which was actually younger and leaner four years ago. Certainly, the Hondurans will be trouble if they perform anything like they have in some of their warm-up games, losing 2-0 to Turkey and 4-2 to Israel.
Prediction: Group stage 

GROUP F ARGENTINA + BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA + IRAN + NIGERIA

	Fixtures		Venue
BBC	11pm Sun 15 June	ARGENTINA v BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA	Rio de Janeiro
BBC	8pm Mon 16 June	IRAN v NIGERIA	Curitiba
ITV	5pm Sat 21 June	ARGENTINA v IRAN	Belo Horizonte
BBC	11pm Sat 21 June	NIGERIA v BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA	Cuiaba
ITV	5pm Wed 25 June	NIGERIA v ARGENTINA	Porto Alegre
ITV	5pm Wed 25 June	BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA v IRAN	Salvador

ARGENTINA FIFA World ranking 5 - Odds 4/1 - Squad
Coach: Alejandro Sabella (since August 2011)
World Cup best: Winners 1978, 1986
Last appearance: Quarter finals in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of South American qualifying (W9 D5 L2 F35 A15)
Recent form: W3-0 v Trinidad & Tobago, W2-0 v Slovenia
While the other South American teams competing in Brazil are likely to receive the backing of a good share of the home support, it is almost certainly the case that this offering will not be extended to Argentina. But, rather than being offended by that, La Albiceleste should take it as a compliment - Argentina are a big danger and the Brazilians are simply petrified of failing to win at a home World Cup for a second time. Just about everything is set up for Argentina to do well - the first round draw has been kind and, for the superstitious, Lionel Messi's age - 26 - is the same as Diego Maradona's when he produced a series of brilliant individual displays on the way to help the Argentines to their last World Cup win in 1986. A Messi masterclass at a World Cup finals, where he has scored just once back in 2006, is long overdue - but it should be remembered that the Barcelona maestro also has a fine supporting cast in Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. As has often been the case with recent World Cups, it is at the other end of the pitch where the concerns lie.
Prediction: Runners-up

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA FIFA World ranking 21 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Safet Susic (since December 2009)
World Cup best: Never previously qualified
Last appearance: N/A
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group G (W8 D1 L1 F30 A6)
Recent form: W2-1 v Ivory Coast, W1-0 v Mexico
After two close calls - both ending in the same way with defeat to Portugal in the playoffs - Bosnia-Herzegovina have at last made it to a tournament finals. And what better place to start than in Brazil for the World Cup! This time, the Bosnians ensured they did not to need the playoffs, scoring 30 goals to finish well clear ahead of Greece on goal difference after they both finished with 25 points from 10 matches. Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko contributed 10 of those goals and he was well supported by his strike partner, Stuttgart's Vedad Ibisevic, who himself hit eight. But, while the attacking tactics of Safet Susic are laudable and entertaining, they can potentially leave The Dragons looking foolish at the back. Whatever happens, though, Bosnia will surely just enjoy providing a completely different impression of their country to the war-ravaged mess broadcast to the world in the mid-1990s. This young country has come a long way.
Prediction: Group stage 

IRAN FIFA World ranking 43 - Odds 3000/1 - Squad
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (since April 2011)
World Cup best: Group stage 1978, 1998, 2006
Last appearance: Group stage in 2006
How they qualified: Winners of Asian Group A (W5 D1 L2 F8 A2)
Recent form: D0-0 v Belarus, D0-0 v Montenegro, D1-1 v Angola, W2-0 v Trinidad & Tobago
Iran arrive in Brazil as the highest-ranked Asian team as they seek a place in the World Cup knockout stages for the first time at the fourth attempt. Their Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz is under no illusions that it will be tough ask, however. Political and economic sanctions have affected preparations with opponents simply unwilling to travel to Tehran, meaning that their warm-up games have taken place in the Austrian Alps. Nevertheless, Team Melli will retain some optimism on the strength of a solid defence which conceded just twice in eight games in the final qualifying round. The main issue, though, is at the other end where they scored just a goal per game in that group and relied on Reza Ghoochannejhad of struggling Championship club Charlton Athletic to provide their main threat. Queiroz has his work cut out.
Prediction: Group stage

NIGERIA FIFA World ranking 44 - Odds 200/1 - Squad
Coach: Stephen Keshi (since November 2011)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 1994, 1998
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won 4-1 on agg v Ethiopia (2-1a, 2-0h) after winning African Group F (W3 D3 L0 F7 A3)
Recent form: D2-2 v Scotland, D0-0 v Greece, L1-2 v United States
Reigning African champions Nigeria head to Brazil cautiously optimistic of an appearance in the knockout stages for the first time since 1998. Victory in the African Cup of Nations not only restored some much-needed confidence but it also presented coach Stephen Keshi and his squad with the opportunity to test themselves out in Brazilian conditions at the Confederations Cup last summer. Yes, the defeats to Uruguay and Spain suggest the Super Eagles will still struggle against real top class opposition - but the experience could ultimately prove vital in deciding the runners-up spot behind the assumed group winners Argentina, especially against tournament first-timers Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nigeria face Iran first, though, and a good start against a team ranked just a single place above them will be required to set up that second game against the Bosnians as a chance to advance.
Prediction: Last 16 

GROUP G GERMANY + PORTUGAL + GHANA + UNITED STATES

	Fixtures		Venue
ITV	5pm Mon 16 June	GERMANY v PORTUGAL	Salvador
BBC	11pm Mon 16 June	GHANA v UNITED STATES	Natal
BBC	8pm Sat 21 June	GERMANY v GHANA	Fortaleza
BBC	11pm Sun 22 June	UNITED STATES v PORTUGAL	Manaus
BBC	5pm Thu 26 June	UNITED STATES v GERMANY	Recife
BBC	5pm Thu 26 June	PORTUGAL v GHANA	Brasilia

GERMANY FIFA World ranking 2 - Odds 5/1 - Squad
Coach: Joachim Low (since July 2006)
World Cup best: Winners 1954, 1974, 1990
Last appearance: Semi finals in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group C (W9 D1 L0 F36 A10)
Recent form: D0-0 v Poland, D2-2 v Cameroon, W6-1 v Armenia
As ridiculous as it is for an Englishman to refer to the Germans as "chokers", at the same time it is difficult to entirely ignore recent history. Without a tournament win in 18 years and without a single World Cup as a united country, the Nationalmannschaft are under pressure to put recent disappointments behind them. The Germans' tournament record generally is, of course, still utterly enviable - even a terribly weak team in 2002 scrambled their way through to the World Cup final on the back of several 1-0 wins. And, though that side then failed at Euro 2004, Germany - since reaching the semi finals as hosts in 2006 - have lost in the Euro 2008 final and also fallen in the semis in both 2010 and 2012. Constantly losing these titanic clashes is becoming rather wearing, though - and yet most accept it would be a surprise if they broke their duck at a World Cup held in South America. With a big game against Portugal up first, it will be established pretty quickly if Joachim Low's team have the character to shed their unwanted nearly men tag.
Prediction: Semi finals

PORTUGAL FIFA World ranking 4 - Odds 20/1 - Squad
Coach: Paulo Bento (since October 2010)
World Cup best: Semi finals 1966, 2006
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: W4-2 v Sweden on agg (1-0h, 3-2a) after finishing runners-up in UEFA Group F (W6 D3 L1 F20 A9)
Recent form: D0-0 v Greece, W1-0 v Mexico, W5-1 v Republic of Ireland
Regularly flattering to deceive in the run-up to a tournament, Portugal have actually failed to top a qualifying group since 2005. Yet, in that time, the Selecao still have a reasonable tournament record, reaching semi finals at World Cup 2006 and Euro 2012 and never at least failing to advance from the group stage. Here, a continuation of that record will not be straightforward - for a start, the first match is against Germany who beat the Portuguese in a memorable 2008 quarter final. Meanwhile, the United States and Ghana are both no strangers to reaching the knockout stage either. Having said all of that, the team will enjoy good support against all of their opponents from the Portuguese-speaking Brazilian crowds. And it would be a big shock if the number four-ranked team failed to make it out of the group, particularly with the 29-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo set to hit his peak.
Prediction: Last 16

GHANA FIFA World ranking 37 - Odds 200/1 - Squad
Coach: Kwesi Appiah (since July 2012)
World Cup best: Quarter finals 2010
Last appearance: Quarter finals in 2010
How they qualified: W7-3 v Egypt on agg (6-1h, 1-2a) after winning African Group D (W5 D0 L1 F18 A3)
Recent form: L0-1 v Netherlands, W4-0 v South Korea
Ghana have made it out of the group stages in both of the World Cup finals which they have attended - but the draw has made it tough for the Black Stars to make it three in a row. Of course, the Ghanaians are still haunted by their exit in the quarter finals against Uruguay four years ago when Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty in the last minute of extra time following Luis Suarez's handball on the line. And while Ghana did have another chance in the shoot-out, the shell-shocked team unsurprisingly bowed out. Since then, disappointment has given way to a steely determination among the squad and this is especially true for Gyan. Former Chelsea libero Michael Essien, who cruelly missed out four years ago through injury, is another who will be highly motivated. Nevertheless, this still may not be enough against number two-ranked Germany and number four-ranked Portugal.
Prediction: Group stage

UNITED STATES FIFA World ranking 13 - Odds 250/1 - Squad
Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann (since July 2011)
World Cup best: Semi finals 1930
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of North-Central American qualifying (W7 D1 L2 F15 A8)
Recent form: W2-0 v Azerbaijan, W2-1 v Turkey, W2-1 v Nigeria
Well, it has happened again - the United States have been drawn against bogey side Ghana having lost and gone out to the Africans at the last two World Cups. In 2006, the Americans lost 2-1 in the final round of group games to be left bottom with just a single point - then, in 2010, the pair met in the Last 16 where the Ghanaians won 2-1 again but only after Asamoah Gyan's extra time goal. Nothing will be ultimately decided as a result of the match this time, given that it is the opening game - but, with Portugal and Jurgen Klinsmann's native Germany to come, another defeat would leave the Americans with the proverbial mountain to climb. A strong qualifying performance saw USA easily top the CONCACAF standings with seven wins from 10 games, including a clean sweep at home. But this may have perhaps raised expectations a little too high, considering the hopeless Jozy Altidore will lead the line.
Prediction: Group stage

GROUP H BELGIUM + ALGERIA + RUSSIA + SOUTH KOREA

	Fixtures		Venue
ITV	5pm Tue 17 June	BELGIUM v ALGERIA	Belo Horizonte
BBC	11pm Tue 17 June	RUSSIA v SOUTH KOREA	Cuiaba
BBC	5pm Sun 22 June	BELGIUM v RUSSIA	Rio de Janeiro
ITV	8pm Sun 22 June	SOUTH KOREA v ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
ITV	9pm Thu 26 June	SOUTH KOREA v BELGIUM	Sao Paulo
ITV	9pm Thu 26 June	ALGERIA v RUSSIA	Curitiba

BELGIUM FIFA World ranking 11 - Odds 16/1 - Squad
Coach: Marc Wilmots (since May 2012)
World Cup best: Semi finals 1986
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2002
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group A (W8 D2 L0 F18 A4)
Recent form: W5-1 v Luxembourg, W2-0 v Sweden, W1-0 v Tunisia
Belgium are back with a bang. After bowing out at the Last 16 stage against eventual winners Brazil in 2002, the Diables Rouges went strangely missing without trace for the best part of a decade, failing to qualify for anything. A new generation, absolutely brimming with talent, has now emerged with many faces familiar to Premier League viewers. Indeed, such is the quality of this batch of players that the seeded Belgians have been seemingly bestowed with the 'dark horses' cliché from all and sundry. In fairness, it would rank as a considerable shock if a team featuring the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku could not at least get through this kindly section - and, while progress into the last week of the tournament will be difficult, with this team it is eminently possible.
Prediction: Quarter finals

ALGERIA FIFA World ranking 22 - Odds 2000/1 - Squad
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic (since July 2011)
World Cup best: Group stage 1982, 1986, 2010
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won on away goals in 3-3 v Burkina Faso (2-3a, 1-0h) after winning African Group H (W5 D0 L1 F13 A4)
Recent form: W3-1 v Armenia, W2-1 v Romania
Algeria have repeated their feat from the 1980s by qualifying for consecutive World Cups - but it must be hoped that the North Africans show rather more ambition than they did four years ago. The highlight of their tournament then was undoubtedly the 0-0 draw against England which kept the possibility of progress to the Last 16 alive until the final round of games. While never looking like achieving knockout football, the Fennec Foxes did come within minutes of a second 0-0 against United States. Ultimately, though, Algeria exited the tournament still waiting for their first World Cup finals goal since 1986, a streak which has lasted five group games and counting. That, at least, must surely come to an end in this fairly modest group.
Prediction: Group stage

RUSSIA FIFA World ranking 19 - Odds 40/1 - Squad
Coach: Fabio Capello (since July 2012)
World Cup best: Group stage 1994, 2002
Last appearance: Group stage in 2002
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group F (W7 D1 L2 F20 A5)
Recent form: W1-0 v Slovakia, D1-1 v Norway, W2-0 v Morocco
Since the break-up of the former Soviet Union, Russia have struggled to make much of an impression on world football, qualifying for just six out of 10 tournaments prior to World Cup 2014, and advancing to the knockout stages just once. That was back at Euro 2008 when Andrei Arshavin spearheaded a run to the semi finals - but the former Arsenal man has been a fading force for some time and has not made Fabio Capello's squad. Instead, Russian hopes effectively now lie with Dynamo Moscow striker Alexander Kokorin who is likely to play on his own up front. The draw, of course, offers a good chance for Russia to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time and even a place in the Last 16 would be an important milestone in the development of this team. After all, it is more realistically being prepared for the home World Cup in 2018 when a first round exit most certainly would not suffice.
Prediction: Group stage

SOUTH KOREA FIFA World ranking 57 - Odds 500/1 - Squad
Coach: Hong Myung-bo (since July 2013)
World Cup best: Semi finals 2002
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Runners-up of Asian Group A (W4 D2 L2 F13 A7)
Recent form: L0-1 v Tunisia, L0-4 v Ghana
Traditionally one of the continent's powerhouses, having now made it to eight successive World Cup finals, South Korea actually struggled through Asian qualifying, losing at home and away to Iran and drawing away to Lebanon and Uzbekistan in the final round-robin stage. Four wins in their other matches were still enough for a runners-up spot and an automatic place in the finals but it was an altogether far from convincing show from the Taeguk Warriors. Then-coach Choi Kang-Hee stepped down as had already been arranged anyway and suggested a foreign coach should lead the team to the finals. However, the Korean FA ignored his advice and continued their recent approach of appointing a Korean. Their choice was not just any Korean, though - it was Hong Myung-bo, the captain of the team which enthralled the nation as they reached the semi finals of their own World Cup in 2002. Now Hong will be looking to rub some of his magic onto the new generation in this very open first round group.
Prediction: Last 16

FIFA World rankings correct as of release on 5 June. Odds supplied by Ladbrokes on outright win. Full odds details here at www.oddschecker.com/football/world-cup/winner