Pasamela!

Pasamela! Day 15. Game 45 and 46. Group H Japan - Poland 28th June 15:00 Poland, perhaps the most disappointing team so far at the World Cup, have no chance of qualifying for the next round. Japan however, have been impressive, and took advantage of Colombia being down to 10 men in their match up, meaning they go into their last game knowing a win will take them through. Inui on form Last Time: Japan 2-2 Senegal Poland 0-3 Colombia Japan were behind twice against Senegal in their last outing. Some questionable defending from them put the pressure on their forwards to salvage something from the game, and Inui and Honda did just that, earning them a deserved point. Inui looked extremely lively last time, his goal coming from a lovely curling finish into the bottom corner, and hitting the bar in the second half.  They will need the experience from Honda to come off the bench again if they are to progress into the next round. Experience of Honda...

Pasamela! Day 14. Game 43 and 44. Group E Serbia - Brazil 27th June 19:00 Pre tournament favourites Brazil go into their final game of group E knowing a point will be enough to see them through. Serbia will probably need to win, as a draw would only be enough if Costa Rica were to beat Switzerland by two goals. Coutinho for 3 in 3? Last Time: Serbia 1-2 Switzerland Brazil 2-0 Costa Rica Serbia will be extremely disappointed with the manner of their defeat to Switzerland last time out. A draw would have been perfect for them, yet they allowed Switzerland to counter and win the game in the final minutes. Mitrovic looked dangerous again and put Serbia in front in the first half. Serbia did however look frail in defence, something that one would not have been expecting before the tournament. Mitrovic to bully Brazil Brazil scored twice late on last time out against Costa Rica. It was once again an unconvincing performance from Brazil, who were ...

Pasamela! Day 14. Game 41 and 42. Group F Mexico - Sweden 27th June 15:00 Group F's final round of games provides perhaps the most interesting end to a group in the tournament so far. Sweden go into the match knowing a 1-0 win will put them on the exact same goal difference as current group leaders Mexico. Mexico only need a point to secure their place in the last 16, and more importantly, probably avoiding Brazil in the process. 'Chicharito' to score again? Last Time: Mexico 2-1 South Korea Sweden 1-2 Germany Sweden were extremely unfortunate last time out as they came away with nothing against rivals Germany. The Swedes looked organised and a threat on the break with Marcus Berg missing two guilt edge chances. However, they did go in at half time ahead thanks to a magnificent goal from Ola Toivonen, and some questionable defending from the holders.  Mexico carried on their form from their win over Germany into their second ga...

Pasamela! Day 10. Game 27, 28, and 29. Belgium - Tunisia June 23rd 13:00 Game two in group G begins with leaders Belgium facing Tunisia. Belgium will be expecting to go into their crunch game against England on form, and a game against minnows Tunisia may be the perfect springboard. Last Time: Lukaku to score again Belgium 3-0 Panama Tunisia 1-2 England Belgium coasted past Panama in their opening match thanks to a brace from target man Romelu Lukaku. After a slow first half, the Belgians were able to break down Panama as they tired as the game went on. Expect much of the same against Tunisia, as Belgian kept the ball brilliantly with the tireless midfield of De Bruyne and Axel Witsel pulling the strings. Lukaku was as dangerous as ever, and could have had more, if not for the good efforts of Jaime Penedo in the Panama goal. Khazri to announce himself? Tunisia suffered a late defeat to England in their opening match. The Tunisians were luck...

Pasamela! Day 9. Game 24, 25, and 26. Brazil - Costa Rica 22nd June 13:00 Pre tournament favourites Brazil will be hoping for an improved performance this time out against bottom of the group Costa Rica. The group is set up perfectly going into round two, with Brazil needing a win to establish themselves as tournament hopefuls, and Costa Rica desperate to put some pressure on Serbia and Switzerland. Another Coutinho wonder goal? Last Time: Brazil 1-1 Switzerland Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia Brazil weren't at their best last time out against an organised Switzerland side. All attacking options fell short for the South Americans as they looked off the pace in their opening match. A first half trademark wonder strike from Barcelona man Coutinho got Brazil going but they faltered second half and conceded from a simple set piece. They will be hoping that star man Neymar can provide the goods this time around after being kicked off the pitch against Switzerland. U...

                             Pasamela! Day 8. Game 21, 22, and 23. Denmark - Australia 21st June 13:00 Denmark and Australia will go into their second game of the tournament with contrasting emotions. With Denmark on three points, and Australia on none, it is really a must win game of the Aussies. A draw would suit Denmark perfectly with Peru unlikely to get anything from their match against France.  Eriksen to pull the strings Last Time: Denmark 1-0 Peru Australia 1-2 France Group C boasted two very similar, yet entertaining games. Peru were arguably the better side against Denmark, but the Danes held strong with their vast experience at major tournaments proving valuable. One to watch Yussuf Poulsen grabbed the goal, in what was a game that could have gone either way. Super sub Cahill? Australia, like Peru, were very unlucky to be defeated. Australia went into the...

Pasamela! Day 7. Game 18, 19, and 20. Portugal - Morocco 20th June 13:00 Ronaldo's Portugal face off against Herve Renard's Morocco in what is a crunch match in group B. Portugal will need Ronaldo to continue his goal scoring form if they are to make a big leap towards qualification, whereas Morocco will need more luck than they got from the Iran game. Morocco will almost certainly be out of the tournament if they lose, with Spain sure to beat Iran. Portugal on the other hand will know a win will all but secure them a place in the second round, although they will be aiming for a top place finish. Same again for Ronaldo Last Time: Portugal 3-3 Spain Morocco 0-1 Iran In what has undoubtedly been the match of the World Cup so far, Portugal drew with Spain after an incredible six goals were scored. The Portuguese once again relied on Cristiano Ronaldo to fire them into the lead after a 4th minute penalty, they were then pegged back twice be...

Pasamela! Day 6. Game 15, 16, and 17. Colombia - Japan 19th June 13:00 Return to form Group H finally gets underway on the 6th day of the tournament. The most exciting team in the group, Colombia, start us off against a weakened Japan side. It's perhaps the most competitive group in the tournament, meaning all four nations will fancy their chances of progressing into the next stage. Colombia qualified from the difficult CONMEBOL process, finishing 4th, one point above Chile, guaranteeing a place at this years tournament. Japan also finished just one point ahead of their rivals. In a relativity difficult group, Japan finished ahead of Saudi Arabia and Australia. Ones To Watch: Koln striker Osako James Rodriguez, after a brilliant World Cup four years ago is battling to get back to full fitness ahead of this game. If he plays, it is most likely to be off the bench, leaving the goals to Falcao. The Monaco man made a surprise return to form this season, with 18 ...