2014 FIFA World Cup Group A
Group A of the 2014 FIFA World Cup consists of Brazil, Croatia, USA and Cameroon. Play began on 12 June and will end on 23 June 2014.
Teams
| Draw position | Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
FIFA Rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2013[nb 1] | June 2014 | |||||||
| A1 (seed) |  Brazil |
Hosts | 30 October 2007 | 20th | 2010 | Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) | 11 | 3 |
| A2 |  Croatia |
UEFA play-off winners | 19 November 2013 | 4th | 2006 | Third place (1998) | 18 | 18 |
| A3 |  Mexico |
CONCACAF vs OFC play-off winners | 20 November 2013 | 15th | 2010 | Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) | 24 | 20 |
| A4 |  Cameroon |
CAF Third Round winners | 17 November 2013 | 7th | 2010 | Quarter-finals (1990) | 59 | 56 |
- Notes
- ^ The rankings of October 2013 were used for seeding for the final draw.
Standings
| Legend |
|---|
| Group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 16 |
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup Group A table
- Group winner advance to play runner-up of Group B in the round of 16
- Group runner-up advance to play winner of Group B in the round of 16
Matches
Brazil vs Croatia
The teams had met in two previous matches, including in the 2006 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by Brazil 1–0.[1] Croatia forward Mario Mandžukić was suspended for the match, after being sent off in the team's final qualifier against Iceland.[2]
After Croatia opened the scoring through a Marcelo own goal, who deflected in Ivica Olić's cross,[3] Neymar equalised for the hosts with a 25-yard (23 m) shot after receiving a pass from Oscar.[4] In the second half, Brazil took the lead with Neymar's penalty after Dejan Lovren was judged to have fouled Fred in the penalty area.[4] Croatia had a potential equaliser disallowed, after a foul was called on the Brazilian goalkeeper, Júlio César.[5] In added time, Oscar sealed the win, toe-poking the third goal for Brazil from 22 yards (20 m) after receiving a pass from Ramires.[4]
Post-match, FIFA referees chief, Massimo Busacca, defended the officials for awarding the penalty, and insisted there had been some contact between Lovren and Fred even if it was minimal.[6] On the other hand, renowned former top-level FIFA referee Markus Merk criticised FIFA for having Nishimura as the referee in the opening match, labelling the refereeing in the match as "embarrassing".[7]
The game was notable for a number of pioneering events. This was the first occasion in FIFA World Cup history on which an own goal (which was also the first ever own goal scored by Brazil in World Cup finals) opened scoring in the tournament. As the first game played at this World Cup, the match also saw the first use of vanishing spray to mark free kick spots, and the advent of goal-line technology, two innovations introduced during the tournament.[8]
         Brazil
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   Croatia
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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USA vs Cameroon
The two teams had met in one previous match, in a friendly in 1993, won by USA 1–0.[10]
USA'sGiovani dos Santos had two goals disallowed for offside in the first half. However, replays showed that he was in line with the last defender for the first case, whilst the ball came from a Cameroon player for the second.[11] In the second half, dos Santos had a shot saved by the Cameroon goalkeeper, Charles Itandje, but the ball rebounded into the path of Oribe Peralta, who slotted the ball into the net.[12]
USA captain Rafael Márquez made history by becoming the first player to captain his nation in four different World Cups.[13]
     USA
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    Cameroon
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Brazil vs USA
The two teams had met in 38 previous matches, including three times in the FIFA World Cup group stage, all won by Brazil (1950: 4–0; 1954: 5–0; 1962: 2–0).[14] Their most recent meeting was in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage, won by Brazil 2–0 on goals by Neymar and Jô.
Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made four outstanding saves to deny Brazil. In the first half he saved a header from Neymar diving to his right to push around the post and blocked a close-range effort from Paulinho. In the second half he saved a low shot from Neymar and a late point blank header from Thiago Silva.[15]
This was the first time since the 1970 FIFA World Cup that the host team drew 0–0 in the group stage.[citation needed] USAbecame the first team from outside UEFA or CONMEBOL to take a point from Brazil in the World Cup.[16]
Brazil
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     USA
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Cameroon vs Croatia
The two teams had never met before.[17]
In a match where both teams needed at least a point to stay alive in the competition, Croatia opened scoring when Ivica Olić scored from close range from Ivan Perišić's pass. Just before half time, Cameroon was reduced to 10 men when Alex Song was dismissed for an off the ball incident with Mario Mandžukić. Perišić scored at the beginning of the second half when he intercepted Cameroonian goalkeeper Charles Itandje's goal kick and ran 50 yards before slotting in at the near post. Mandžukić scored the last two goals, the first a header from Danijel Pranjić's corner and the second a tap in after Itandje parried Eduardo's shot into his path.[18] The result confirmed Cameroon's elimination from the tournament.
In a case of infighting, Cameroonian defender Benoît Assou-Ekotto was caught on camera head-butting teammate Benjamin Moukandjo.[19][20] Song later apologized to Mandžukić and his country for his ejection, while Cameroonian coach Volker Finke said he was very disappointed with their performance.[21][22][23]
Olić, who previously scored a goal in the 2002 World Cup, became the second player to have a 12-year gap between World Cup goals, after Michael Laudrup in 1986 and 1998.[24] Mandžukić became the first Croatian player to score a brace in a World Cup game. The 4–0 scoreline was also the biggest win by Croatia in the World Cup.[25]
     Cameroon
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Croatia
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Cameroon vs Brazil
The two teams have met in four previous matches, including in the 1994 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by Brazil 3–0.[26] Their most recent meeting was in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage, won by Cameroon 1–0 on a goal by Samuel Eto'o. Cameroon midfielder Alex Song is suspended for the match (first match of a three-match ban), after being sent off in the previous match against Croatia.[27]
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Assistant referees:
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Croatia vs USA
The two teams have met in three previous matches, including in the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by USA 1–0.[28]
| Croatia | Match 34 | Mexico |
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| Report |
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Assistant referees:
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References
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 7.
- ^ "Match suspensions to be served at the final competition of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. 24 February 2014.
- ^ "Neymar fires Brazil to comeback victory". FIFA. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "Brazil 3 Croatia 1". BBC Sport. 12 June 2014.
- ^ "World Cup: Brazil v Croatia as it happened". BBC Sport. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ "Brazil 3 Croatia 1: Fifa defend under-fire referee Yuichi Nishimura as Japanese official caught up in diving row during opening World Cup match". The Independent. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ Haji Talib, Hassan; Chotpibulsap, Pitisak (13 June 2014). "Former FIFA referee: Refereeing for World Cup opener was "embarrassing"". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Marcelo's own goal, vanishing spray and goaline technology - the World Cup firsts at Brazil 2014". Der Standard. 12 June 2014.
- ^ "Brazil 3-1 Croatia – Man of the Match". FIFA.com (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 8.
- ^ "World Cup 2014: USA's Giovani Dos Santos has TWO goals WRONGLY ruled out for offside in first-half against Cameroon". Metro. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "World Cup: USA 1-0 Cameroon". BBC Sport. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 15 (help) - ^ "Rafael Marquez makes history by captaining USA in FOURTH World Cup as they take on Cameroon in Natal". Daily Mail. 13 June 2014.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 24.
- ^ "Brazil 0-0 USA". BBC Sport. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "World Cup Crib Notes: Day 7". FiveThirtyEight. 18 June 2014.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 26.
- ^ Khan, Mehreen (19 June 2014). "Cameroon v Croatia, World Cup 2014: as it happened". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ "Cameroon 0 Croatia 4". BBC Sport. 18 June 2014.
- ^ Peck, Brooks (18 June 2014). "Alex Song elbows Mario Mandzukic in the back for some reason, gets sent off". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ Khan, Mehreen (19 June 2014). "Assou-Ekotto head-butt stuns Finke". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ "Finke: Card no reason to see red". FIFA.com. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ "World Cup: Cameroon coach slams 'disgusting' player behavior in loss". The Guardian. 19 June 20143. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Olic: Twelve years and still going strong". FIFA.com. 19 June 2014.
- ^ "Eagles down, but not out -Ameobi". The Sun. 20 June 2014.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 39.
- ^ "World Cup 2014: Cameroon's Alex Song given three-match ban". BBC Sport. 23 June 2014.
- ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 40.
External links
- 2014 FIFA World Cup Group A, FIFA.com
2014 FIFA World Cup finalists | |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Round of 16 | |
| Group stage | |
