World Cup 2014 talking points: Louis van Gaal makes most of water break
Holland used time-out to end impressive Mexico’s tournament while Greece struggled without their underdog tag
Water breaks welcomed by Van Gaal
So that’s why Louis van Gaal was so keen on water breaks. This was not just a chance to hydrate his players; it was a chance to instruct them too. The theory said that the climate would count against the Dutch more than the Mexicans, but Holland took advantage in one, very significant way. Van Gaal enjoyed talking through his tactical switches after the game, from wing backs to three up front and then a more direct style with two forwards. He also praised his players’ ability to adapt intelligently. It had helped that he could talk them through the change.
“We had more of the ball after the first tactical change but no goals. And then it was during the cooling break that I started with the plan B,” Van Gaal explained. “I knew we would have a cooling break and by the way, we worked on this. I could talk to them about this [then].”
Asked if he thought it somehow went against football to use a time-out for tactics, Mexico’s manager Miguel Herrera replied: “What goes against football is playing in this kind of climate. Neither team can give a worthy spectacle and you could see it in Holland, in the way that their rhythm and pace dropped in this temperature. You cannot play at the right level for 90 minutes.” Sid Lowe
Mexico make impression before exit
When Mexico lost on penalties to Bulgaria in the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup in the USA, surely they could never have imagined that history would repeat itself and repeat itself. When Klaas-Jan Huntelaar wrecked a promising Mexican adventure inspired by the charismatic Miguel Herrera, it confirmed yet another exit at exactly the same hurdle where El Tri always seem to tumble.
It is difficult to establish how they will buck this trend, having been afflicted at six successive World Cups at this point. Mexico played with verve and confidence throughout their stay in Brazil and gave the tournament some memorable high points. Guillermo Ochoa has two contenders for save of the tournament and it seems absurd he is a free agent after leaving Ajaccio in France. The coach, Herrera, was a marvel to behold. The lowest paid manager at the World Cup has done outstanding work to forge a team that performed so creditably considering they were a mess when he took over. His efforts, and his now familiar goal dance – like an eccentric uncle doing a John Travolta impression with uncontainable relish – at least mean they made a big impression before the usual departure. Amy Lawrence
Ochoa on song again
It has been a great tournament for goalkeepers. Guillermo Ochoa could not quite do enough to keep Mexico in the competition in the early game on Sunday, but Keylar Navas was the crucial man in Costa Rica’s progression into the last eight. A stunning save from Dimitris Salpingidis from the only clear-cut chance of the first half was just the start. Two minutes after Greece’s injury-time equaliser, he did superbly to claw away Kostas Mitroglou’s goalbound header and then in the 122nd minute his hip was in the right place as the Fulham striker almost pinched the win at the death. He saved (ahem) the best until last, though, producing a fantastic reflex stop to claw away Theo Gekas’s penalty for Greece. Holland will be rightful favourites in the quarter-final, but they will have to get past perhaps the best goalkeeper of the tournament. John Ashdown
Greece flail without underdog tag
Greece got what they deserved. Nothing. Fernando Santos was right when he said they were too frantic in extra-time. The match was there to be won, with half an hour to play against 10 men there should have been no need for penalties, but Greece were too rushed to make their numerical supremacy count.
Surprisingly Giorgios Karagounis, their experienced captain, was one of the worst offenders. He kept demanding the ball in extra-time, and usually got it because of his seniority, only to use it to attempt a series of over-optimistic shots from distance. You might have thought he would be an influence for calm, holding the ball and waiting for support to arrive so that Costa Rica would eventually be outnumbered, but no, his only idea was to go for glory. Konstantinos Mitroglou at least showed tantalising glimpses of what he might be capable of, even if he could not beat Keylor Navas, Costa Rica’s impressive goalkeeper.
It is probably true that without Navas the result would have been different, as both coaches suggested, though that summary excuses some pretty iffy Greek finishing. Samaras, Salpingidis and Mitroglou all had good chances but failed to be sufficiently clinical.
Few neutrals will have minded Greece going out, Costa Rica make a better story and people are growing tired of the way Greece just survive in tournaments without doing anything of note, but one positive thing about them is they way they revel in the role of underdogs and save their best performances for the situations when they appear to have little chance. Give them every chance, the spur of a last-gasp equaliser to earn an extra half hour against a short-handed side, and the magic no longer seems to work. Paul Wilson
It was a penalty
Arjen Robben may have dived or, at the very least, embellished his fall but that does not mean it was not a penalty. Replays of the injury-time incident clearly show Rafael Márquez stabbing his foot down on the Dutch attacker’s left boot after the ball has gone with the result that Robben was robbed of possession and his forward momentum. On any other part of the pitch this type of incident would be considered a foul and since it is in the area, it is a penalty. Pretty simple really. There have been plenty of spot kicks given away in this World Cup that are worth frothing at the mouth over – see Brazil in the opening game or Australia against Holland for further details – but this is certainly not one of them.Ian McCourt
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