While United States versus Germany match took center stage stateside, there remained a watchful eye on “the other match.” Both Portugal and Ghana needed a clear winner in the United States vs. Germany encounter and then needed to beat their own opponent convincingly to have a chance to advance to the knockout stage.

Portugal, a team that was undoubtedly more desperate to score considering their woeful goal differential, played with greater attacking impetus from the first whistle. Despite personnel changes, Portugal’s greatest threat was still on the flanks. A typically audacious shot from Ronaldo down the right wing struck woodwork in the 5th minute and served as a warning to Ghana.

The Ballon d’Or winner then came close in the 19th minute with a header from six yards out only to be denied by a terrific save from Ghanaian goalkeeper Dauda.

The deadlock however was broken in the 30th minute. Miguel Veloso found space down the left and served a low cross that Ghanaian center back John Boye awkwardly placed into his own net. Though the manner of the goal was unexpected and harsh on a player who had been one of Ghana’s standout performers through its first two matches, the score seemed warranted.

Portugal was rewarded for its greater urgency but knew that it still needed more to overcome the effects of the thrashing it suffered at the hands of Germany in its first game.

However, Ghana was the team to find the back of the net next. The Black Stars came out of halftime rejuvenated. Their early second half performance was rewarded when Asamoah Gyan’s head got on the end of a perfectly placed Kwado Asamoah cross in the 57th minute. At that moment, with the United States 1-0 down thanks to a Thomas Muller goal, the Ghanaians needed one more goal to leapfrog the United States into second place.

And though second place seemed closer to Ghana’s grasp than to Portugal’s, it was the Portuguese that grabbed the next goal. Nani’s seemingly harmless cross in the 80th minute was poorly dealt with by both defender Jonothan Mensah and goalkeeper Dauda. The ball landed at the left foot of Ronaldo just outside the penalty area, and the Real Madrid man didn’t hesitate to expertly slot in. The goal, much like Portugal’s first, was down to sloppiness from the Ghanaian defense.

Ronaldo’s goal left Ghana shell-shocked. The Africans went from one goal away to possible qualification into the knockout stage all the way to last place in the Group of Death the instant Ronaldo found the net. It was indeed Ronaldo that looked the most likely to get on the score sheet in the game’s dying minutes as he looked to end his World Cup in style.

In the end, the world’s best player would have to settle for one goal in a match that saw both national sides eliminated from the World Cup. The real winners from the match were the United States, whose 1-0 defeat to Germany in Recife did little to change their positions as runners up in the Group of Death. He may face criticism from around the globe following his side’s early exit from the World Cup, but one thing is for sure: Ronaldo for a brief moment was the most popular man in America today.

In Saturday’s thrilling Germany 2-2 Ghana match, German striker Miroslav Klose made history when his 71st minute goal helped him equal the all-time World Cup goalscoring record that he now shares with Brazil’s Ronaldo. His come-off-the-bench goal was classic Klose to keep Germany in contention to qualify for the next round of the World Cup.

Watch the highlights of Klose’s call here:

In the game itself, Germany was right in not anticipating a cakewalk against Ghana. The African outfit performed admirably against the Germans in a game that has seen the so called “Group of Death” grow increasingly interesting.

As expected, the Ghanaians didn’t see nearly as much of the ball against the Germans as they did against the Americans. Instead, the African side looked to allow Germany a majority of the possession and counter with the pacy duo of Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew.

And it was through Atsu that Ghana sent an early warning to the German defense. Sulley Muntari’s searching cross field pass in the 7th minute found Atsu, whose driven cross from the right wing was drilled over by Asamoah Gyan. That chance, as well as Atsu’s long range strike that tested Manuel Neuer in the 13th minute, showed that Ghana possessed a genuine offensive threat.

Meanwhile, Germany maintained in the first half the impressive passing that saw them demolish Portugal. The interchange from Germany’s forward trio of Mario Gotze, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller frequently led to half chances for the forwards, who were well marked by the Ghanaian center backs.

Gotze and Ozil found themselves momentarily free in the attacking third in the 21st and 29th minutes respectively, only for their intended low crosses towards Muller to be dealt with by Ghana’s impressive center back pairing.

However, neither team had to wait long to get a goal following the half time interval. First, Germany was rewarded for its stellar possession play in the most unlikely of fashions. Gotze, not known for his heading ability, found himself getting on the end of Muller’s searching cross in the 51st minute. The finish was clumsy, but sufficed in giving the Germans the 1-0 lead.

Not to be outdone, Ghana responded almost immediately with a goal that was similar to the one its opposition had scored. Harrison Afful’s dangerous lofted ball was met by Andre Ayew, who nodded home expertly to level the score in the 54th minute.

The Ghanaians had their tails up following the leveler. The central midfield pair of Muntari and Rabiu seemed to step up a gear as they pressed German midfield with a greater ferocity.

The aforementioned pressing directly led to Ghana’s second goal in the 63th minute. Sulley Muntari nicked the ball off a sluggish Sami Khedira in the center of the park and moments later slipped it through to Asamoah Gyan. Gyan slotted past a helpless Neuer, and of course, celebrated with a choreographed team dance.

The Germans, who many now have as favorites to win the entire tournament following Spain’s poor performances, looked stifled for the first time. German coach Joachim Low, hoping to have his side avoid what would’ve been a shock defeat, brought on the experienced Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger in place of Gotze and Khedira in the 69th minute.

The move paid off. Having been on for a minute, Klose found the net with his first touch. Ozil’s corner in the 70th minute was headed on by German left back Benedikt Howedes before falling to the feet of a sliding Klose. The goal was Klose’s 15th World Cup goal, putting him level with Brazil’s Ronaldo for most career World Cup goals.

Both teams continued to have chances following Klose’s leveler. Muller perhaps should’ve done better when he momentarily found himself clear in on goal in the 84th minute. A moment of indecisiveness allowed Kwado Asamoah the chance to tackle both Muller and the ball.

Ultimately, the game ended as a stalemate. Ghana will rue the fact that they did not perform this well against the United States in their first match. From the American perspective, a win tomorrow secures qualification into the Round of 16. Of course, the Americans will now more than likely face a full strength German side that will be bullish following this relatively poor performance.

England manager Roy Hodgson might feel hard done if he finds himself under criticism following England’s loss against the Italians. There were adamant calls from all corners before England’s World Cup opener for Hodgson to be brave. Having largely comprised his squad with exciting young talent, the England manager was urged by both fans and pundits alike to start with an attacking lineup.

Hodgson did not disappoint.  A front four of Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney, and Daniel Sturridge seemed capable of worrying the Italians with pace and invention. Sterling, when on the ball, was direct. Welbeck was quietly one of England’s standout performers in a first half where his smart positioning and abundant speed troubled the Italians. Sturridge marked his first World Cup match with his first World Cup goal.

And that leaves us with Wayne Rooney. England’s number 10 will undoubtedly come out of the opener as the player most scrutinized. A fantastic left footed cross for Sturridge’s goal will do little to offset Rooney’s failure to track back throughout most of the game. The Manchester United stiker will be the easy target as fans look to make sense of how Leighton Baines regularly found himself outnumbered against the likes of Antonio Candreva and Matteo Darmian on England’s left flank.

However, Rooney’s defensive deficiencies were not the reason for England’s defeat. The match was ultimately decided in the midfield.

Sitting behind England’s bold front four were the defensive midfield pair of Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson. With a plethora of attacking talent ahead of them, the Liverpool duo did not seem under any pressure to provide an offensive spark. Gerrard and Henderson were instead entrusted with providing cover for the back four.

Hodgson’s plan looked good enough on paper. However, it quickly became apparent that Gerrard did not possess the legs to function in a two man midfield and adequately mark Italy’s midfielders. Whereas Henderson seemed willing to run out wide and protect Glen Johnson, the 34 year old Gerrard seemed reluctant to chase the younger duo of Candreva and Darmian.

Opposite Steven Gerrard was Italy’s Andrea Pirlo, a player that England fans knew all too well following his superb performance against England in the Euro 2012 quarterfinals. Unlike Hodgson, Italian manager Cesare Prandelli did not place defensive duties on his deep lying playmaker. Despite sitting just in front of Italy’s defense for large portions of the game, Pirlo rarely found himself one on one against England’s much quicker attackers. With Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio willing to do the dirty work, it seemed that Pirlo’s only job was to act as a catalyst for the Italian attack, a task that the 35 year old excelled at.

When Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers began deploying Steven Gerrard as a defensive midfielder, there was talk amongst Liverpool fans of the similarities between their Kop idol and Andrea Pirlo. The only similarities between the two iconic midfielders in England’s World Cup opener versus Italy were their positions as captains and their facial hair (although Pirlo probably beat Gerrard in that department too).  The good news for England will be that the apparent difference between the pair was largely down to the tactics of the respective coaches. Steven Gerrard showed throughout the majority of Liverpool’s season that he can function effectively as the deepest midfielder. The key is surrounding Gerrard with players that have the legs to make up for his lack of mobility.

And so the discussion switches back to Hodgson, who in heeding to the demands of most English fans may actually have gone with too offensive a setup against Italy.  Will Hodgson decide that it was the jungle-like climate of Manaus that stifled an England side that would’ve otherwise gotten a result against the Italians? Or will the England boss look to aid his team captain by replacing past golden child Wayne Rooney for present golden child Ross Barkley? With a crunch time encounter against Uruguay just days away, Hodgson will very little time to get it right.

The summer transfer season has yet to kick into full gear but Liverpool has already completed its most important bit of business this offseason. Brendan Rodgers’ contract extension at Liverpool may not come as much of a surprise to fans. Understandably, a manager signing an extension is not nearly as exciting as the club welcoming in a new player. However Rodgers’ long-term contract brings with it both a sense of direction and stability that cannot be undermined.

One only has to look at the scenes following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace to see how far the Reds have progressed under Rodgers. Steven Gerrard’s look of dejection and Luis Suarez’s uncontrollable tears signaled disappointment of the highest order. Regardless of its capitulation against Chelsea and then Palace, Liverpool was actually top of the league with one game to go as the players walked off the field that night.

Rewind back to the scenes following Rodgers’ first Premier League game in charge of the Merseyside outfit. The likes of Suarez and Gerrard looked similarly disappointed, albeit to a lesser degree, as they trudged off the field at the Hawthorns. The Reds, having finished the previous 2011-2012 season in an underwhelming 8th place, had just been trounced 3-0 by West Bromwich Albion.

The prominent change in expectation from that horrid day at the Hawthorns to the more recent match against Crystal Palace is Rodgers’ doing. The Northern Irishman’s ability to adapt both playing style and team formation is well documented and rightly praised. However, it is Rodgers’ ruthlessness that has accelerated Liverpool’s rise from mid-table mediocrity to within touching distance of the Premier League crown.

The days of a side reliant on Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing for attacking impetus are a distant memory thanks to Rodgers. The former Swansea City manager was quick to loan out or completely offload underperforming big money signings that Kenny Dalglish insisted on starting.

Moreover, Rodgers has not been shy in benching and loaning out his own signings. After disappointing early, Joe Allen and Fabio Borini have found themselves on the bench and on loan respectively for large chunks of their Liverpool careers. Rodgers’ ruthlessness places greater accountability on players for their performances and likewise provides incentive for youngsters like Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan to impress their way into the starting eleven.

However, the greatest exhibition of Rodgers’ no-nonsense approach has been off the pitch. Few Liverpool fans will forget the transfer speculation surrounding Luis Suarez last summer. Though the situation reminded many of the Fernando Torres ordeal, Rodgers and Liverpool’s owners ensured that the end result would be different. While Dalglish famously claimed following Torres’ departure that the, “Football club is more important than any individual,” Rodgers’ insistence on holding onto a “want away” Suarez was an admission of the club’s dependence on its star striker. Simply put, Liverpool needed Suarez more than Suarez needed Liverpool. Rodgers knew that without the attraction of Champions League football, replacing a talent like Suarez would’ve been impossible. Roughly one year and 31 Premier League goals later, Rodgers’ decision to remain firm with his best player seems vindicated.

Having signed a new long-term deal, Rodgers will know where both he and his side must improve. Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho’s immediate impact following their arrival in January 2013 has masked many of Rodgers’ failings in the transfer market. Questions remain about big money signings such as Mamadou Sakho, Joe Allen, and Fabio Borini. Additionally, Rodgers must improve his side’s leaky defense, which conceded an alarming 50 goals this season.

The arrival of new players at Anfield this summer will inevitably overshadow Rodger’s contract extension. And yet, maybe that is the way it should be. After a Tottenham-esque period that saw Roy Hodgson and Dalglish come and go, Liverpool fans will welcome a summer where they do not have to acclimate to a new boss. For the first time in long time, there is unanimous support for a Liverpool manager. He may not be nutmegging defenders on a weekly basis or performing wacky goal celebrations, but Rodgers is steering the Liverpool ship in the right direction.

The inclusion of five Liverpool players in England’s World Cup squad is fitting considering Liverpool’s unprecedented resurgence in the Premier League this season. The youthful trio of Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge were just as integral to the Liverpool cause as the experienced duo of Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson. However, club form does not always seamlessly transition into international form. That being said, what can we expect from Liverpool’s youngsters this summer in Brazil?

For club, the trio plays in a system that encourages creativity on the ball and simultaneously promotes tactical discipline. Though Brendan Rodgers tinkered with the Liverpool formation as needed through the course of the season, the setup that proved most fruitful for the Merseysiders was the 4-4-2 diamond. The formation saw Sturridge play up front alongside the mercurial Luis Suarez and Sterling sit just behind the pair as the most advanced of a midfield four. Henderson was typically found on either the left or right of the midfield diamond, tucking in to allow his full-backs space to get forward.

The formation allowed Liverpool’s youngsters to flourish. Sturridge’s partnership with Suarez yielded 52 goals between the two. Henderson’s relentless running, a trait that the former England Under- 21 captain possessed prior to the 2013-2014 EPL season, became more intelligent and effective. The 23-year old was often the spearhead of the Reds’ midfield pressing game, troubling opposition sides with an abundance of energy.

However, it was Raheem Sterling who experienced the greatest renaissance this season under Rodgers. Sterling’s move inward into essentially a No. 10 role coincided with his best football so far. Having played previously as a traditional winger, Sterling showcased a combination of confident dribbling and incisive passing in a more central role. It can be argued that the 19-year old was the Reds’ best player for the last two months of the season.

Having five Reds in his World Cup squad, Hodgson could bravely attempt to replicate the Liverpool setup.  Employment of the 4-4-2 diamond would represent an uncharacteristically adventurous move on the part of the England boss. However, a midfield diamond anchored by skipper Steven Gerrard and lead by a free-roaming Sterling could be the breath of fresh air required for an England side that has long failed to gain the confidence of the majority of English supporters. Jordan Henderson and the dynamic Ross Barkley could be deployed on either side of the diamond, with the former providing the energy needed to harry opposing midfielders, and the latter providing the ingenuity and drive needed to unlock opposing defenses.

Of course, Hodgson’s potential attempt at replicating the Liverpool attack would lack the Reds’ greatest attacking asset.  Unfortunately for England, Luis Suarez is not English. The only moment that Suarez and Sturridge will both be on the same pitch in Brazil this summer is when England face Uruguay in Sao Paolo.

Sturridge’s strike partner, and ultimately England’s star man, will be Wayne Rooney. Once himself a youngster from Liverpool (albeit the blue half), Rooney could benefit from Liverpool’s current youth. Having Raheem Sterling playing as a free roaming No. 10 could relieve Rooney of the responsibility of having to constantly drop deep to receive the ball. Likewise, Sturridge’s fine form for club means that Rooney finally has a strike partner capable of stretching opposing  back-lines and providing a legitimate goal threat at the international stage.

Hodgson’s 23-man selection for the World Cup seemed to reward the stellar performances of English youngsters throughout the Premier League. It’s important that the England manager retain this approach in Brazil. Two months into the most recent Premier League season, Rodgers claimed that British players were as technically sound as their continental counterparts.  Fast forward some seven months later, and the performances of Liverpool’s English trio suggests that the Northern Irishman was on to something. With a tough group stage and recent failures in international tournaments lowering fans’ expectations, this World Cup could prove the ideal platform for the England boss to put faith in the likes of Sterling, Henderson, and Sturridge.