Wow! Germany has been eliminated! At the beginning of the tournament if someone had told me Germany would be last in their group, I would've called you crazy. However, after watching the Germans play, I am not shocked at all. The Germans did not play as a unit and looked like a bunch of individuals instead of a team. I believe the biggest set back was the injury to Sebastian Rudy. In the Sweden game, he played very disciplined and selfless football. Had Rudy not have gotten a broken nose, I believe Mexico would be the ones on their way home right now. With that said, losing a player like Rudy should not have been their downfall. I was disappointed by Thomas Muller who seems to be on the decline, which is heartbreaking because his prime was short lived. Muller had 0 goals, 0 assists, and completed just 4 passes in 3 games. The man who was supposed to replace Miroslav Klose as the reliable goal-scorer for this German side has shown that he is no longer apart of that tier of world class players. Although I believe they outplayed Korea, they were not able to score and that at the end of the day is the reason they are going home. Hats of to Sweden for bouncing back after that heartbreaking loss and for continuing to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Game predictions for Round of 16
Urugay (1) x Portugal (2) Ronaldo scores two goals and a late consolation goal for Edison Cavani
France (1) x Argentina (0) French sub comes on and scores. Messi tries his hardest and misses a late free kick that could tie the game.
Brazil (1) x Mexico (1) (5-4 pk's) Lozano shows up and scores on the biggest stage and Coutinho scores to tie the game. Ochoa's fantastic form comes to an end when he is unable to save a pk or Mexico.
Belgium (4) x Japan (2) Belgium shows dominance early but Japan's relentless mentality doesn't allow them to give up. Japan gives a great late effort but ultimately falls short.
Spain (2) x Russia (1) Spain's victory does not come as easy as they would have hoped. Russia scores a penalty kick early on but Spain is saved by Diego Costa's quick back to back goals.
Croatia (0) x Denmark (0) (4-2 pk's) Croatia and Denmark both get great chances; however, neither are able to fully capitalize and leads to Denmark's demise in kicks from the mark.
Sweden (3) x Switzerland (1) Sweden continues their great form and capitalizes on a Switzerland foul in the box and red card.
Colombia (2) x England (2) (6-5 pk's) Colombia proves that they are not just a 1 man team and come out with the victory even with the injury to James Rodriguez. England's world cup penalty kick curse is still not lifted.
