Netherlands (2-1) Mexico

Who Will Get Their First Loss? (UPDATE: Netherlands Stays Perfect)

By Andrew Palczewski |29 June, 201430 June, 2014

here

UPDATE: Thanks to two late goals, Netherlands first snatched the lead, and then the win, from Mexico, extending their win streak at the 2014 World Cup to four. With their 2-1 victory, Netherlands continues to the quarterfinals, while Mexico is sent home.

Previous post:

Netherlands and Mexico come into this match without a loss: while Netherlands has had a perfect World Cup so far, a strong Mexico team has two wins and one draw. By the end of 90 minutes, one team will have its streak grow by one – and one team will head home. Find out who at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC).

comes into this match with a perfect World Cup record so far, and hopes to add another win on their march towards the final. But standing in their way is Mexico, a team that hasn

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.

The Crying Game

Mexico’s Coach: Con Mucho, Mucho Gusto

By Mike Eckel |24 June, 201425 June, 2014

To say Miguel Herrera wears his emotions on his sleeve would be an understatement. In fact, the coach for Mexico’s national team might very well wear his emotions on every sleeve, pant leg and other part of his body all the time.

Colorful, flamboyant, intense, Herrera long been known for a full-throated style of managing El Tri.

Check out the reception that goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa gets during Monday’s 3-1 victory over Croatia, a win that qualified the Mexicans for the Round of 16 knockout round:

Or this one:

Or this one (despite appearances, Herrera’s is NOT in fact tackling defender Paul Aguilar):

This hashtag topic on microvideo blogging site Vine also some excellent excepts from Monday’s match, as well as a couple other tidbits from Brazil-Cameroon match, Netherland’s win over Chile and one very, very scary looking Dutch fan…

VINE POSTSCRIPT:

There’s been one particularly poignant image that’s been bouncing around the ‘Net from the emotional US-Portugal match on Sunday. (In case you were living in the cave somewhere, the two sides played to a draw after Portugal scored in the final seconds). It’s unclear when exactly during the match the image was captured, or whether the subject’s face is emotional with agony or joy.

Regardless, it’s a great illustration of what The Beautiful Game does for people.

Mexico (3-1) Croatia

Croatia vs. Mexico: Who Will Advance? (UPDATE: Mexico Moves On)

By Andrew Palczewski |23 June, 201424 June, 2014


	Croatia CRO	1 – 3	Mexico MEX

here

UPDATE: Mexico beats Croatia 3-1, and earns a spot in the Round of 16.

Previous post:

Cameroon’s already been eliminated from Group A, leaving Brazil, Croatia and Mexico battling for the two spots in Group A. Barring an upset of epic proportions, Brazil looks likely to best Cameroon in their match, and advance to the Round of 16. But who will be the other team from Group A to advance: Croatia or Mexico? The two face off today at 4 PM ET (8 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.

Selfies with Players Latest Trend

Smile and Say “World Cup!”

By Andrew Palczewski |19 June, 201419 June, 2014

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:

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

Brazil’s Neymar:

Ecuador’s Jorge Guagua:

Italy’s Mario 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:

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:

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…

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