Thariq Amir

The World Cup is well and truly into the business end of the competition. As the dust settles on the round of 16 there’s been no shortage of drama, controversy and talking points. The best South American side playing in yellow is not Brazil; Arjen Robben will be closely scrutinized after admitting his penchant […]

The match may not have ranked as a classic but it still delivered drama at the death as a disciplined Swiss side succumbed to a late, late Argentine effort from the otherwise disappointing Ángel di María. The Swiss will be ruing what might have been after squandering a number of golden opportunities. Then again they […]

There wasn’t a comeback that has been the vogue in this World Cup in the match between France and Nigeria but nonetheless this was an entertaining game that went from end to end. Stephen Keshi prepared his side well and the Super Eagles looked dangerous going forward, causing a lot of grief down their right […]

Okay, so a come from behind victory? Check. Late drama? Check. A Louis van Gaal game changing substitution? Check. A Guillermo Ochoa wonder save? Check and check. It’s just standard fare for this World Cup. For a large portion of this game Mexico was the better side and were only a few minutes away from […]

Brazil may be through but Luis Felipe Scolari will be extremely worried about his team’s form. They came up against a fired-up Chile who could have easily dumped the hosts out of the tournament had Mauricio Pinilla’s effort had been a few inches lower. It was a magnificent effort by Chile but they will look […]

Caught your breath yet? It’s been quite a whirlwind since the World Cup started with goals aplenty and no small amount of talking points. The World Champions, Spain, has been dumped out unceremoniously, the tournament’s scoring spree started with an own-goal by Brazil. One hundred and thirty six goals thus far have been scored at […]

On a day that saw Luis Suárez given a heavy ban from soccer as well as Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince-Boateng being sent home in disgrace by Ghana, there was a danger that the off-pitch drama would overshadow the remaining fixtures in Group G. The equation was simple, a draw between the US and Germany […]

This game was a must-win for Uruguay and a must-not lose for the Italians and the differing mindsets of the two sides leant itself to a tense and edgy contest. After losing their opening match, the Uruguayans deserve a lot of credit for getting the results needed to book their berth in the knockout stages. […]

With both Netherlands and Chile already through to the knockout stages but the winner avoiding Brazil (in all likelihood), this affair was always going to be a testy fair of "hot potato." The match only sparked into life with two goals in the final 15-minutes by the Dutch who qualify at the top of their group. […]

This is the World Cup that keeps on giving after yet another rip roaring, drama packed game. Two Portuguese goals at the beginning and the end of the match sandwiched a captain’s goal by Clint Dempsey and a wonder strike from Jermaine Jones and ensured that all will be decided in Group G in the […]

The game between Belgium and Russia was not one for the purists, and was an uninspired affair save for a moment of brilliance from Eden Hazard. Belgium managed to secure their berth in the knockout stages albeit unconvincingly whilst Russia must win and hope that the Red Devils do them a favor against South Korea. […]

If this World Cup has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. The Iranians nearly provided another shock result being only minutes away from securing a 0-0 draw. Argentina’s talisman Lionel Messi once again scored a magical goal to get his side out of trouble. Could this be Messi’s year? Here are my […]

The French are here for the party and this 5-2 thumping of their neighbors Switzerland is a statement of intent. Not only is France playing well but more importantly there is a real team unity as the togetherness shown by Les Bleus (or on this occasion Les Blancs) bodes well for Didier Deschamps and sets […]

Luis Suárez made a spectacular contribution in his first game of the World Cup. The Uruguayans have three crucial points on the board and England will need a lot of things going in their favor if they are even to have a sniff of qualifying. 1- Cagey, Cagey Opening: With both sides losing their opening […]

There may have been no goals but there was plenty of drama at Fortaleza. A superbly disciplined and tactically astute Mexico denied hosts Brazil and gave Luiz Felipe Scolari a lot to chew on as he prepares his troops for their final group encounter with Cameroon. His Mexican counterpart Miguel Herrera on the other hand […]