A live thread for day three of the FIFA World Cup knockout stages
Another day, another couple of great games at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. We were so close to a couple of shock results too, but on both occasions, the favourites salvaged a late result. First we saw Holland come within minutes of elimination, only to overturn a one-goal deficit and defeat a resilient Mexico defense, albeit courtesy of a suspicious fall from renowned fair-play advocate, Arjen Robben. Then in the evening kick-off, Costa Rica nearly gave up a one-goal lead against Greece, only to survive thanks to the heroics of Levante keeper, Keylor Navas, who shone all throughout the 120 minutes and in the penalty shoot-out.
Costa Rica will square off against Holland in the quarter-finals at the end of the week, but before then, we must find out the identity of the final four quarter-finalists:
France vs Nigeria, Kickoff: 6pm CET
France stormed through their group to emerge as one of the tournament's real dark horses, devastating a number of teams with their lightning fast counter-attack. Nigeria on the other hand stumbled out of Argentina's group as entirely unconvincing runners-up. It's a mismatch on paper. It's a mismatch in the form guide, but who knows what will happen. France have a tendency to implode when you least expect it, and have stumbled against African teams in previous World Cups. So, while they might be clear favourites, don't rule out Nigeria just yet...
Germany vs Algeria, Kickoff: 10pm CET
Yes, Algeria weren't tipped to reach the knockout stages, but let's be honest -- Group H was probably the weakest in this World Cup. Belgium topped the group playing poor football, so why are we surprised that a side like Algeria made it out? However, they aren't facing South Korea anymore -- this is Germany, the real deal. Let's see how Algeria cope with that threat.
Here's hoping for another great day of football. Enjoy!
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