Ro16 Game 6: Germany vs Algeria

So, there is no Algeria in FIFA 2002...but Tunisia is basically the same country, right?  They're both formerly part of Carthage, right?  Guys?

In any case, they play some Roman rump state, called "Germany" I think.  Such scrubs.

Yeah, no, Germany won this and had 17 shots.  AlgeriaTunisia didn't even manage one.  Do I need to expound?  Okay, fine, I'll give you the goal scorers:

Asamoah ('13)
Bierhoff ('48)
Asamoah ('57)
Bierhoff ('66)

They just took turns, really.

Final result: 4-0 Germany

Ro16 Game 5: France vs Nigeria

Will France fall for it?

Posting a bit late (the game is already in progress), but I promise I ran the simulations beforehand ;) Possession stayed pretty even between the two teams, but Nigeria was largely unable to do anything with their time, earning only 3 shots and none on goal.

Naturally, this gave France free reign in the other end.  Goals were scored by Vieira('16), Pires('58), and Henry(83).  Nigeria is a good team and they could have made something of this game, but their offense was completely outmatched.

Final result: 3-0 France

Ro16 Game 4: Costa Rica vs Greece

  For one Cinderella story to continue, another must end.

This match between underdogs was very one-sided, but it probably should have been even more so.  Possession was split fairly evenly between Costa Rica and Greece, and neither side was particularly accurate, but that is as far as the similarities between these teams go.  Greece was quick, made smart plays and passes, and broke up every attempt Los Ticos made to attack their end.  They had the lion's share of scoring chances, and never gave Cost Rica a glimmer of hope.

Let's talk about those scoring opportunities for a minute.  In the first half, Greece was 1 for 6 on shots.  Their only goal in the first half came on a completely uncontested corner kick which was easily slotted in by Nikolaidis at 17 minutes.  Every other attempt was far wide or rang off the crossbar.  There was even a chance at 33 minutes where the Greek forward had the keeper on the ground out of position and not a defender in sight.  You could not ask for a better scoring opportunity, yet the ball was shot wide (on the FAR side of the next!) and entirely wasted.  The second half would be only marginally better for the Ethniki, their second goal coming at 76 minutes from almost an identical repeat of the game winner, this time courtesy of Machlas.

The better team won the day, but raised some doubts as well.  If Greece can fix its shooting problems, it will be a serious threat.  If not, look to today to be as far as the Ethniki get.

Final result: 0 - 2 Greece

Ro16 Game 3: Netherlands vs Mexico

The Oranje pretty much ran the show here today.  They dominated possession, had more meaningful shots on goal, and were the only ones to get on the scoreboard.  Some of this is due to El Tri's nasty habit of shooting wide, no matter the circumstance.  The Netherlands were clearly the better side this match.

It was mostly a midfield affair, as the Oranje tried to set up plays and generate breakaways, while Mexico's possession was mostly spent barreling forward past as many orange jerseys as possible before firing a shot on goal.  As you can guess, this was not particularly effective, and left the Dutch keeper with little work to do.  A goal at 64 minutes by "No. 1" (FIFA 2002 does not have names for the Dutch squad) was all it took to put Mexico in the ground.

No surprises here, despite Mexico's fortunate and miraculous goal-tending in the group stages.  Ochoa could not save them here, and The Dutch live to fight another day.

Final result: 1-0 Netherlands

Ro16 Game 2: Colombia vs Uruguay

Another delicious match between two South American teams, this battle was fought largely on Colombia’s side of the pitch.  Uruguay dominated possession throughout the match, though due to poor accuracy, Colombia’s Oscar Cordoba was only forced to make two saves (all bark and no bite?)  Were it not for that, though, this game may have been lopsided in favor of La Celeste.  The Colombian defense was completely unable to contain Uruguay’s passing, and gave up many golden chances.

The first goal came about from just such a scenario.  In the 69th minute, Uruguay’s second corner kick found its man (as had the first).  The striker ripped a shot on net, but Cordoba managed to get a hand on it.  Unfortunately, however, Fellow Cafetero Bermudez undid his teammate’s work.  As he was sprinting into the box, the deflected ball went off his knee and into the Colombian net, counting as an own goal.

It seemed, then, that the match was over.  Uruguay was dominating by every conceivable metric.  They got too cocky, however, and paid for it.  Juan Pablo Angel received a breakaway pass in midfield and burned the out-of-position Uruguayan defense, running the ball all the way into the box before firing a shot that beat Uruguay’s Fabian Carini at the 85 minute mark.  The Colombians then held on through extra time to force a shootout.

The shootout was a quick and brutal affair.  All three Colombian players (Asprilla, Viveros, and the other Cordoba) beat the keeper by shooting bottom left, and Cordoba made three acrobatic saves to put Colombia through to the next round, where they will face mighty Brazil. Will their goalkeeping be enough to steal them another match?

Final result: 2-1 Colombia (SO)

Ro16 Game 1: Brazil vs Chile

The Brazilian fan above was certainly happy to see Chile's victory on the pitch a few days ago, but will he be so today? Let's find out.

The first game of the elimination bracket proved to be quite a thriller.  There was a lot of back-and-forth action, as well as a lot of good chances.  Brazil’s skill players were able to dribble past their men on most occasions, but their crosses were poorly placed and easily intercepted by the skilled Chilean pressure defense.  It was surprising to see just how ineffective the Seleção was this match.

Despite having less of the ball than their opponents, La Roja had the better chances through 90 minutes of play.  The majority of these chances were on breakaways, as Brazil’s offensive trap failed them.  The defenders could not keep up with the speedy Chilean offense, which lends itself well to their aggressive 3-5-2 formation.  However, whether through poor play or back luck, they were unable to finish any these chances.  Three rang off the posts after beating Brazil’s Rogerio Ceni, leaving Chile with 0 shots on goal after 90 minutes.

In the end, it all came down to a botched play in extra time. In the first period of OT at 103 minutes in, striker Mario Jardel intercepted a defensive cross and put it past Nelson Rios to win the game for the World Cup hosts. If they hadn't won, they'd probably never hear the end of it. Spain certainly won't.

Final result: 1-0 Brazil (OT)

World Cup Simulation 2014

Hello and welcome!

In this blog, I will be tracking and simulating the matches of the 2014 Brazil World Cup from the Ro16 onward.  I will be doing so via the best, most scientific tool for the job: FIFA 2002 on PS2.  The game will be played with the default 4 minute halves on World Class difficulty.

Posts will contain match write-ups, and possibly some ruminations of the differences and similarities observed between the simulation and real life.  Unfortunately, I can't simulate biting fouls, but I will do the best I can.

Let the games begin!