Belgium vs Algeria:
Many experts are predicting the young, talented Belgians to go far in this summer's tournament but they were slow out of the box today against Algeria. The Desert Warriors started strong and controlled the early portions of the match, putting pressure on Belgium. That pressure finally paid dividends when Algeria drew a penalty after Jan Vertonghen hauled down Sofiane Feghouli in the box. Feghouli then dispatched into the bottom right corner of the net to give Algeria their first World Cup goal since 1986.
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| Vertonghen drags down Feghouli |
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| Feghouli puts Algeria ahead |
Going down seemed to wake up the Red Devils but they were unable to score before halftime, despite creating some good chances. Belgium continued the pressure in the second half and were finally able to find an equalizer as substitute Marouane Fellaini headed home Kevin De Bruyne's well placed ball.
Beligum continued to pile on the pressure as Algeria looked to hold on for a crucial point. Belgian substitute Dries Mertens gave his side the lead just ten minutes from time as he found the back of the net on a fast break.
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| Mertens nets the winner |
Belgium were able to continue their second half domination for the final ten minutes and hang on to a crucial three points to take an early lead in Group H.
Takeaways:
Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne was good on the ball all game and created a number of opportunities for the Red Devils, including Fellaini's equaliser.
Belgium played well after going down 1-0. But they were a mess for the first thirty minutes of the match. Against better teams they'll have to bring their A game from the opening kick.
Algeria were very offensive before scoring their goal. Then they went on to park the bus in an effort to secure all three points. They looked sturdy in defense for most of the match but their inability to score could spell trouble going forward.
Brazil vs Mexico
First place in Group A was on the line as the two teams with three points faced off in Fortaleza. Brazil started off the match on the front foot and brought the game to Mexico. The hosts had a number of chances in the first 25 minutes, none better than Neymar's header that was saved by Guillermo Ochoa with a sensational diving effort.
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| Ochoa denies Neymar |
That save seemed to give Mexico live as they were able to create some pressure of their own to close out the first half. The second half was back and forth but Brazil began to take more and more control as the match went on. Ochoa once again came up with a huge save, this time denying Thiago Silva's cross range header. The match ended in a 0-0 draw that secured a crucial point for both teams, specifically Mexico.
Takeaways:
Man of the Match: Guillermo Ochoa
Ochoa was absolutely immense today and his six saves match a tournament best. The timing and the difficulty of his saves were crucial in securing the all important point for El Tri.
Mexico are the first team not from South America or Europe to ever get a point off of Brazil in the World Cup
Brazil were once again up to their diving ways. This time it was Marcelo who went down looking for a crucial penalty.
Both teams now have a chance to advance to the knockout stage if they're able to win or draw their next match. Brazil will take on Cameroon and Mexico will take on Croatia on June 23, both games at 4 pm EST.
Russia vs South Korea
The last two teams to get the tournament underway were looking to keep pace with Group H leaders Belgium who had won earlier in the day.The two heaviest drinking countries in the world provided a match that didn not lack for excitement. The first half was a back and forth battle with each team creating a number of chances. However, no one could find the opening goal before the intermission. Russian goalie Igor Akinfeev looked shaky for a majority of the match and he made a huge blunder in the 68th minute as Lee Keun-ho's got bounced off Akinfeev's hands and into the back of the net to give South Korea the lead.
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| Akinfeev's gaff |
Russia stepped up their attack and were able to tie the game through Aleksandr Kerzhakov just six minutes later. After a scrum in the box, the ball fell to Kerzhakov and he was able to poke it home for the equalizer.
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| Kerzhakov to the rescue |
Russia continued to apply the pressure in the final minutes but were unable to find a winner and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Takeaways:
Man of the Match: Son Heung-kim:
Son picked up right where he left off for Bayer Leverkusen, creating a number of chances for his side. If Son can find a way to put the ball in the net, South Korea could be a tough team to deal with.
Akinfeev was Russia's best player at Euro 2012 and he almost gave the game away for them tonight. He'll need to play much better if russia are going any further than the group stage.
Kerzhakov and Alan Dzagoev were impressive after coming on as substitutes and could see more playing time in the coming games.
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