Brazil and Netherlands make World Cup Quarter-finals
The first match of the World Cup quarter-finals was just decided with 2 of the last Round of 16 matches coming to an end. Brazil was facing Chile and the Netherlands was facing Slovakia on the field.
Brazil had control of their match against Chile, with a 2-0 score on the board before the second half - Juan made the first point shot, while Luis Fabiano made the second. Then after the break, Robinho made the 3rd goal during minute 58. This made Chile suffer a crushing 3-0 defeat in the first knockout round.
Dunga, the team’s coach, has been widely criticized for the tactics his team uses - calculated and pragmatic football, rather than the typical flair. Fans and players have also been frustrated about their opponents’ defensive tactics. However, this match against Chile has illustrated why teams are unwilling to go against Selecao, as the players created chances out of the blue, swarmed their opponent nearly half the time and moved around the pitch with ease.
As for the Netherlands and Slovakia match, the well done run of Slovakia came to an end after a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands. The first point for the Netherlands was made by Robben, and the second was made by Wesley Sneijder during minute 84.
Coach Bert van Marwijk said after the match that it’s fantastic that Robben was able to make a score like that after having a bad injury. They had a good first half and started well in the second, he continued, but they should have scored more and prevented Chile from scoring at all.
Now the Netherlands and Brazil will meet on the field at Port Elizabeth Stadium on Friday at 4pm (local time) for the quarter-finals. Whoever wins will go on to the semi-finals.