FIFA World Cup 2014: A look at the teams qualified for the Round of 16

Brazil football players acknowledging the fans

Teams at the World Cup then and now

It’s official, round one is over, and it had just about everything. Dazzling football, outrageous goals, sending offs, clever passes, unfair penalties, individual skill play acting, violent conduct and terrible refereeing. In the end, that just about describes the modern game doesn’t it. But let’s stay clear on the morality of the game and other aspects about it, let’s just focus on the football.

Argentina, Netherlands, Columbia and Belgium were the four teams from eight groups to win all their matches. I’m sure that the odds of that happening before the tournament started would have been quite low. Also we now have six teams from Europe that qualified for the second round, the same as seen in previous world cup but apart from France, Germany and Netherlands, the names are quite different from what you expect.

Year	2014	2010	2006	2002	1998
Host Country	Brazil	South Africa	Germany	Japan & South Korea	France
European Teams in Second Round	6	6	10	9	10
Teams from American continents in second round	8	7	4	4	5
Teams from other federations in second round	2	3	2	3	1

Local conditions do play a part for the teams

A view of the above table shows that local conditions do play a part in the way teams play and qualify. The two World Cups in Europe in the above period shows that each time ten teams from Europe qualified for the next round. European teams did well in Asia too, playing in the same hemisphere. In the last edition, which was played in the southern hemisphere too, you can see a resurgence of South American teams, which seems to have carried over in the current edition as well. We’ll know if this is a tectonic shift or just a local influence when the world cup moves back to Europe in 2018.

Belgium, Switzerland and Greece provide new European flavor replacing traditional heavy weights Italy, England, Portugal and Spain. The South American contingent though has added more names without losing any of the big names in their continent. Brazil and Argentina cruised, though the manner in which they did is hardly reflected in the point sheets. Columbia topped their table with full points, scoring nine goals along the way, showing that they are relishing conditions in Brazil.

Let’s take a quick look at each of the teams that have qualified, and what they represent.

Algeria – By drawing with Russia and beating South Korea comprehensively, Algeria have moved into the second round from a fairly competitive group. Having scored six goals, this bunch will be happy going forward, but without a single clean sheet, the defense must be on shaky ground going into the round of 16. Going up against Germany, they’ll have to be super sharp at the back and play with all the energy they can find for the full duration of the match.

Argentina – Lionel Messi has come to the party, and has slowly improved as the tournament progressed. This in itself represents the biggest threat to all other teams. The rest of team too must carry more weight in the games to come to take them all the way. Going forward Argentina seem to be finding their game, but in doing so they seem to leave themselves a little vulnerable at the back. If they take are of this aspect, and if Messi continues his form, they are in for going the distance.

Belgium – Coming into this tournament, much was expected of this young Belgian side. By winning all their group games, they certainly stayed the course. However, the manner of these wins was far more industrious than expected. There’s a lot of talent in this squad and some technical and ability based football was expected of them. But the first job is done, and if their individual skills come to the fore as the tournament progresses, there’s no saying where they will stop.

Brazil – The hosts have, like Argentina, depended on one man so far. The good thing is that one man is Neymar. He seems to be thriving on the expectations of the local folk, and his performances have lacked none of their potential so far. In the goalless draw with Mexico though we could see that the side may lack the depth to go all the way. But if Neymar continues this rich vein of form and others from the team stand up at key moments, they’re certainly worth the money.

Chile – Chile’s quick play, and counter attacking style gave them an edge non expected in the group containing Netherlands and Spain. Getting the job done against Australia, they proved their mettle against a Spanish side looking for a quick rebound after a trouncing from Holland. Their last game showed signs that they may be outclassed as the tournament moves on, but on their day this Chilean side is certainly up for it.

Columbia – Having seen resurgence in the last few years, this Columbian side has proved that it is no walkover in the first round. Two convincing victories were separated by a grinding result against Ivory Coast, which shows that the team has both flair and character, something that they’ll need as the tournament progresses.

Costa Rica – By defeating Uruguay 3-1, and then beating Italy 1-0 Costa Rica have certainly provided some great headlines in this tournament. To qualify top in a group also containing England shows just how far they have come. They have flair, they have shown grit and they have also shown composure and there is no reason that they cannot go even further in this tournament.

France – Coming into the tournament with low expectation this team have done exceptionally well in qualifying. They were scoring for fun in the first two games and Karim Benzema has finally found the form that makes him such a big name in football. Overall they have shown the potential to go all the way, but how they will perform against stronger opposition will decide their fate.

Thomas Muller celebrating after scoring a goal against USA

Germany – This team has great potential, and has been playing a brand of football that is quick and full of firebrand energy. The squad seems to have put together to play this brand of football and it is refreshing to watch. After failing at key steps in recent major tournaments, a diehard attitude will be required for sterner tests. Their qualifying showed great attacking prowess, but they need to work a plan against teams that can play counter attacking football as well.

Greece – They wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for that Samaras penalty. But that doesn’t mean anything now. They played like a unit in that last qualifying game, and frankly up to that game they were just making up the numbers. A little change in attitude and some change in luck saw them qualify, but they just might come unstuck in the second round.

Mexico – The team that held Brazil to a draw, largely thanks to their goalkeeper have played good football especially in the last group game. They seem to have a lot of support in the stands and that seems to be lifting them at key moments. But with the all-conquering Dutch up next, how they play in that game will decide their tournament.

Nigeria – After a hard fought draw against Iran, and a hard fought win against Boznia, Nigeria showed some real character against group favorites Argentina. A spirited display bought them double the goal tally of their previous two games, and that’s a promising sign ahead of the second round. They’ll need to continue that determination to have any chance of further progress.

Switzerland – The Swiss have done it again. Normally quite unromantic, this Swiss side has shown some distinct change in approach. A tight victory over Equador was followed by a drubbing by France and then by a comfortable win over Honduras. They will have to improve their defensive frailties over the next game to stand any chance of progressing.

Netherlands – A sparkling start to the tournament, when they came from behind to beat the world champions 5-1, has made them the talk of the tournament. They can demoralize opponents with their speed and finishing (as Spain will testify), and they can dazzle with moments of individual brilliance. With Van Persie and Robben in form, defenses will be troubled regularly when they play against this Dutch side.

United States – The United States qualified from a tough qualifying group. With Germany, Ghana and Portugal, not many would have expected this far, but they have done well overall and have earned their place at the knockout stages. They will have to be at their resolute best to beat Belgium in the second round.

Uruguay – After all the good work against England, the horned and tailed Luis Suarez returned for the Italy game. A 1-0 win was marred by the biting incident and that alone may ruin their chances in the coming game. Without their best player, and with all the media attention this is a good chance for the group to show their quality, and to play to their best ability, but there’s no telling what effect the incident of the tournament will have on them.

If it all goes according to script there’s a good chance of Argentina, Germany, Netherlands and Brazil making the semifinals. But in a world cup where the script has been torn since day two, not many people would bet on that.