The country of Brazil hosted another tense match in the World Cup round of 16. It was the world class Germans facing the hard-nosed Algerians. This battle was a very intense and even went into extra time, as both teams were scoreless.
But, it was Germans who came on top over Algeria, 2-1.
Before the match, Germany announced Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels out due to minor injuries. So it was Germany going in with a shorter roster than Algeria.
As the game started Germany was dominant as expected. They had many chances to score and controlled a majority of the ball possession. But Algeria found a way to stay in it. They played a very defensive game but they also had some dangerous counter attacks at goal.
Germany’s loose defense was exposed whenever Algeria counterattacked. The Germans were caught off-guard many times on defense and it was German goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, who saved his team from losing to Algeria. Neuer made a few risky defensive plays outside of the penalty box, chasing down any Algerian who possessed the ball. Surprisingly, it worked every time. It is Needless to say that Neuer played one of his best games as a German goalkeeper.
After a quiet and scoreless first half, Germany came out and attacked even more. Germany kept dominating the ball and had a total of 13 shots just the second half. Sadly, none of those shots were able to find the back of the net. As for Algeria, they only got off to 3 shots. It was evident that Germany was dominating, but they could not score during the span of 90 minutes.
The 2014 World Cup round of 16 has yet to disappoint and this game stayed true to that statement. It was a Germany vs. Algeria matchup going into extra time. A world-class offense vs. a world-class defense. Grab the popcorn.
As the extra time started, Germany kept their same game plan, attack, attack and attack. Of course Algeria stuck to their hard-nose defense. But it was only till the 2nd minute of extra time (92nd minute) that Germany finally scored against the defensive Algerian squad. It was back up André Schürrle who put in an outstanding back-heel goal into the net.
The frustrated German players and fans were finally able to keep calm. But frustration was still present for Algeria. Algeria could not create a clean shot attempt at goal, as the Germans remained to control the ball possession. Algeria had to rely on their own counterattacks but that was not working too well for them during the extra time period.
German forward, Mesut Özil, was finally able to close out this game with a final, 120th minute goal, increasing the score to 2-0 over the Algerians, but it was only a few seconds later when Algerian midfielder, Djabou, was able to answer back with a goal of his own. It was now 2-1.
Unfortunately, it was too late for Algeria The final whistle blew as Germany took possession of the ball. They were victorious over the Algerians in this tense round of 16 matchup.
Germany will now face a tough French Squad, in a World Cup Quarterfinal match. This is the 16th straight time that Germany advances to the World Cup quarterfinals since 1954.
Chris Zacherl may be reached at [email protected].
