Ochoa hero, Akinfeev villain in World Cup draws

Thursday, 19 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa produced a heroic performance in a 0-0 draw with Brazil and his Russian counterpart Igor Akinfeev was the villain in a 1-1 draw with South Korea as the World Cup produced more drama on Tuesday. While Ochoa kept Brazil at bay, the hapless Akinfeev was left to bury his head in his hands after he allowed Lee Keun-ho’s straightforward shot from 25 metres to slip through his grasp. Algeria ended their 28-year wait for a World Cup goal when they took a shock lead against Belgium although it was not enough as the highly-rated Europeans hit back to win 2-1 in the day’s other match. Ochoa produced four world class saves to deny Paulinho, Neymar (twice) and Thiago Silva when they seemed certain to score in an intense, end-to-end match in tropical Fortaleza which left both teams with four points from two games in Group A. Silva thought he had won the game in the closing minutes with a powerful header only to see his effort parried at point blank range by the Mexican keeper. Despite the scoreline, the match was anything but dull and the Mexicans enjoyed long periods of possession, bravely taking the game to the hosts in the second half. “I believe this was the best match of my life because this was a World Cup game and this is very important,” said Ochoa. “I don’t know whether I can think of another goalkeeper in memory...someone who has done what Memo (Ochoa) did today,” Mexico coach Miguel Herrera told a news conference. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari also praised Ochoa, describing his performance as spectacular, and could not resist pointing out that this time, unlike the controversial 3-1 win over Croatia, his side had a late penalty appeal turned down. “There was no penalty in favour of Brazil,” said ‘Big Phil’, shrugging his shoulders. Cameroon and Croatia, the other teams in the group, who are yet to get off the mark, meet in Manaus on Wednesday. In the Group H clash in Cuiaba, Akinfeev’s blushes on 68 minutes were spared when veteran Alexander Kerzhakov pounced to equalise for Russia after more scrappy goalkeeping by Jung Sung-ryong six minutes later. Much-fancied Belgium were made to work hard for a 2-1 win over Algeria in Belo Horizonte after the North Africans took a shock lead with a Sofiane Feghouli penalty in the 25th minute. It was Algeria’s first goal at the tournament since Djamel Zidane scored against Northern Ireland in a 1-1 draw in 1986. Algeria played two more games at that tournament and three at the 2010 World Cup without scoring. The Desert Foxes kept the lead until the last 20 minutes when goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens turned the game around, much to the anger of Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic. “It’s a major disappointment,” he said. “I have a number of players that are rather limited, they’re young, they’re not that experienced, they can’t play 90 minutes. “Each Algerian player needs to improve his physical condition by 30 to 50 percent. The Belgian players are in much better shape.” Portugal’s troubles continued after their 4-0 thrashing by Germany on Monday when left back Fabio Coentrao was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a thigh muscle injury. “It’s a very sad moment for me, and one that I want to forget as quickly as possible,” he told the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) website. Defending champions Spain, who made an even worse start than Portugal when they were thrashed 5-1 by Netherlands in their opening match, face Chile in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Netherlands face Australia in Porto Alegre. “There was no euphoria in the team. We have played Total Football. Nothing has changed in that respect. We are applying the Dutch principles,” said flamboyant coach Louis van Gaal.

Fellaini shines for Belgium, buries awful Man United season

REUTERS: Lanky midfielder Marouane Fellaini put a miserable season for Manchester United behind him with a fine headed goal for Belgium on Tuesday to spark a revival in their 2-1 win against Algeria at the World Cup. After regularly netting in the English Premier League at Everton, the 26-year-old Fellaini failed to score once during his debut season at Manchester United. Yet all that was forgotten in the Brazilian sunlight at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium when Fellaini came on as a second half substitute to deftly flick a Kevin De Bruyne cross into the top of the net and cancel out Algeria’s opener. Surging forward and using his height and strength to make a nuisance of himself in the box as the Africans wilted in the final quarter of the Group H match, Fellaini played a huge part in the turnaround for Belgium. “We suffered a bit in the first half. We had our problems against a good Algerian team but at the end we won which is all that matters,” Fellaini told reporters after celebrating in front of fans on the pitch. Familiar around the world due to his outsized Afro hairstyle, Fellaini dedicated the goal to travelling relatives. “It was important because we were a goal down at that moment. This is for my family who came all the way to see me here,” he said. Algeria coach Valid Halilhodzic was generous in his praise of Fellaini, saying his team became exhausted and had no answer for Belgium’s substitutes. “Fellaini is one of the best headers in Europe, he gives a plus to the team, he made all the difference,” he said. Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said his intention was always to bring on Fellaini in the second half after using other players to first grind down Algeria. “Yes, I could have used him from the start, but it was important to have a technical team to keep ball possession,” he said. “I knew the moment would come, we had to stay calm.”