Belgium 2-1 Algeria
Belgium came into the tournament as the competition’s ‘Dark Horses’, but during the first half were really outplayed by a strong and defensive Algeria unit.
Jan Vertonghen was at fault for the first goal, giving away a penalty which Sofiane Feghouli coolly converted.
And for most of the match it seemed like Belgium would not be able to get back into the game, until the introduction of none other than Marouane Fellaini.
The Manchester United man came off the bench to score a vital header in the 69th minute, before another substitute in Dries Mertens sent a blistering shot into the roof of the net ten minutes later to give all three points to the Europeans.
Brazil 0-0 Mexico
In what was expected to be another win for the hosts, Mexico’s tough tactics did not allow the Brazilians to easily walk into the knockout rounds with a second consecutive win. However El Tri need to thank Guillermo Ochoa for the result, with the stopper pulling off some stunning saves.
Brazil were fully intent on getting the three points as they put constant pressure on the Mexican back-line, but Neymar, Alves, and even Thiago Silva, were constantly denied by Ochoa.
Here are a few of the saves that kept the game deadlocked at 0-0.
And it wasn’t like Mexico parked the bus, they played some good football at times and fully deserved a point.
Russia 1-1 South Korea
In a match filled with long range shooting, both Russia and South Korea were somehow unable to find the killer pass to give their side a decent scoring opportunity.
The Eastern European side took control of possession early in the first half, but their failure to find creativity caused their passes to be intercepted as the Asian side broke time and time again on the counter-attack.
Though the Russians had more chances, it was the Koreans who drew first blood when substitute Keun-Ho Lee saw a long shot mishandled by Igor Akinfeev, turning the ball into his own net.
However, six minutes later, Aleksandr Kerzhakov spared the blushes for his keeper when a defensive mishap left him with an easy finish from close range, ending the match at 1-1.
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