France (0-0) Ecuador

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

By Andrew Palczewski |25 June, 201425 June, 2014

Live Match
	Ecuador ECU	0 – 0	France FRA

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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).

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Switzerland (3-0) Honduras

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

By Andrew Palczewski |25 June, 201425 June, 2014


	Honduras HON	0 – 3	Switzerland SUI

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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).

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Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-1) Iran

A Slim Chance Iran Could Advance (UPDATE: Beaten by Bosnia)

By Andrew Palczewski |25 June, 201425 June, 2014


	Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH	3 – 1	Iran IRN

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Could Iran pull off the seemingly impossible?

UPDATE: Bosnia and Herzegovina won their match 3-1, knocking Iran out in group play. Argentina and Nigeria advanced in Group E.

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Although Bosnia and Herzegovina has already been eliminated, today’s match could have major implications for Iran, who has a very slim chance of advancing. First, Iran would have to beat Bosnia. Then, Argentina would have to beat Nigeria. Things get interesting if both of these scenarios play out – as sports statistics website FiveThirtyEight.com notes:

Say that Iran beats Bosnia 2-1 while Nigeria loses to Argentina by the same 2-1 scoreline. Both teams will have one win, one draw and one loss. Both will have two goals scored and two goals allowed. FIFA’s next tiebreaker is head-to-head results, but Nigeria and Iran drew their match. That means FIFA would be out of tiebreakers and forced to draw lots to determine who advances.

…[but] if Iran won 2-0 and Nigeria lost 1-0, Iran would have the better goal differential and would advance. If Iran won 1-0 and Nigeria lost 2-1, the teams would be tied on goal differential but Nigeria would advance on the basis of goals scored. The chance that FIFA will have to draw lots is only 0.6 percent, according to our match predictor.

Essentially, for Iran, this means one thing: win today, and win big.

See if they can pull off this improbable feat today at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC).

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Argentina (3-2) Nigeria

Who’s The Top Dog in Group E? (UPDATE: It’s Argentina)

By Andrew Palczewski |25 June, 201425 June, 2014


	Nigeria NGA	2 – 3	Argentina ARG

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UPDATE: A pair of goals each from Lionel Messi and Ahmed Mura – at the start and end of the first half – kept Argentina and Nigeria even. But it was a goal by Argentina’s Marcos Rojo in the 50th minute of the match that gave Argentina the 3-2, and the top spot in Group E. Although they lost, Nigeria also advanced to the knockout round.

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There’s no doubt that Argentina will advance to the Round of 16 – with a 2-0-0 record, they’re on top of Group E. And it’s likely Nigeria will advance as well – there’s only one very unlikely scenario where Iran could overtake them. But what’s uncertain is who will emerge as the top team from Group E: if Argentina wins or draws, they’ll claim the group’s top spot. But if Nigeria can beat Argentina, they’d be first, and Argentina would be second (but would still advance). The match starts at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC).

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.