Ecuador

France (0-0) Ecuador

Why Ecuador is Rooting for Honduras (UPDATE: France In, Ecuador Out)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


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Ecuador needs some stellar play - and help from Honduras - to advance.

UPDATE: France and Ecuador played to a 0-0 draw, meaning France advances to the Round of 16. Ecuador, who needed to win or Honduras to beat Switzerland, got neither, and are heading home.

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With two wins, France is all but through to the Round of 16 – there’s only a .2% chance that they won’t advance. Ecuador’s future is far less certain: if they beat France, they’re in. If they lose to France, they can still move forward – as long as Honduras beats Switzerland. There’s even one scenario where – if Honduras and France win – Honduras, Ecuador, and Switzerland could all tie for second place in Group E. With teams this close, this is sure to be an exciting end to Group E play. The action kicks off at 4 PM ET (8 PM UTC).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Switzerland (3-0) Honduras

Why the Swiss are Rooting for France (UPDATE: Swiss Win & Advance)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


here

France beat Switzerland 5-2. Now, the Swiss are counting on the French to win.

UPDATE: Switzerland secured it’s spot in the knockout stage with a 3-0 win over Honduras, who are out of the tournament.

Just as France is all but in to the Round of 16, Honduras is all but out – there’s a chance they could advance, but the scenario is very complicated, and the likelihood is slim. However, the prospect of advancing is much more realistic for Switzerland: if they beat or tie Honduras, and France beats Ecuador, they’re in. See if the Swiss can make it at 4 PM ET (8 PM UTC).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Ecuador (2-1) Honduras

Honduras vs. Ecuador: The Case of the Coach Swap (UPDATE: Rueda Leads Ecuador to Victory)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


here

Suarez and Rueda embrace in 2012.

UPDATE: This year, it looks like Reinaldo Rueda might be leading Ecuador to the second round. After beating Honduras 2-1, Ecuador is in second place in Group E; Honduras, meanwhile, is in last place, having yet to win a match at the 2014 Cup.

Teams don’t get much more intertwined than Honduras and Ecuador, who have met 14 times in competition. This is perhaps most apparent with their coaches. In 2006, Luis Fernando Suarez led Ecuador to the second round of the World Cup, while Reinaldo Rueda coached Honduras in the 2010 World Cup.

This year, they’ve switched: Suarez is the coach for Honduras, and Rueda coaches Ecuador.

How will Suarez and Rueda do against their former teams? Find out at 6 PM ET (10 PM UTC).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Selfies with Players Latest Trend

Smile and Say “World Cup!”

By Andrew Palczewski   |

Of the countless number of World Cup souvenirs in Brazil, the most sought-after may be one you can’t buy.

Selfies – taking a picture of yourself with a smartphone – have become immensely popular worldwide. So it’s no surprise that fans are coming to Brazil with cell phones in hand, hoping to get a selfie with their favorite player. And a lucky few have been able to do just that, and walk away with what may be the ultimate World Cup memento.

Brazilian President Dilma Roussef kicked off the trend with World Cup stadium construction workers:

Dilma Roussef and construction workers.

Since then, fans have been seeking selfies with some of their favorite players – Javier Hernandez of Mexico:

Javier Hernandez of Mexico.

Brazil’s Neymar:

Neymar of Brazil.

Ecuador’s Jorge Guagua:

Ecuador's Jorge Guagua.

Italy’s Mario Balotelli:

Balotelli.

Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi:

Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi of Italy.

But it’s not just the players that are getting attention from fans – coaches, like Netherlands’ Louis Van Gaal, are too:

Louis Van Gaal, Netherlands' coach.

And even the players can get starstruck, resulting in a memorable photo. Take Germany’s Lukas Podolski, who was able to snag a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after Germany’s 4-0 rout of Portugal:

Lukas Podolski and Angela Merkel.

But the prize for best football selfie has to go to Team Mexico. Not only did they get a selfie with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto…

Team Mexico.

…they were able to fit the entire team into the photo!

Team Mexico.

Group E Is In The House!

Swiss Battle Ecuador

By Mike Eckel   |
here

 

Ecuador, which sits in the perennial shadow of the South American giants Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, had its qualifying run made easier by the automatic inclusion of Brazil in the tournament (by virtue of it being the host nation). But it still had to squeak by Uruguay to make it in.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s  23-man squad had a strong push into the tournament, though as the BBC reports, its qualifying bracket (consisting of Iceland, Slovenia, Norway, Albania and Cyprus) wasn’t exactly top tier competition. The Beeb also notes that the diversity of the Swiss squad is an interesting counterpoint to the immigration debate roiling the country in recent months. Swiss boss Ottmar Hitzfield is quoted as saying: “Without immigrants, we would not have a team.”

The two Group E contenders face off at 12 p.m. USEDT (4 p.m. GMT) today in Brasilia.

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or watch it on Twitter at #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.