Here is a recap of Day 20 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
ARGENTINA 1 SWITZERLAND 0
Switzerland pushed Argentina to the brink, but an Angel Di Maria goal just two minutes before the end of extra time saw the Albiceleste through to the quarterfinals. Throughout the match, Argentina dominated the run of play, but the Swiss nearly took the lead in the 38th minute when Josip Drmic saw an attempt saved by goalkeeper Sergio Romero. With both sides unable to break the deadlock, the game went to extra time where the Argentines rose to the occasion. In the 117th minute, Di Maria gave Argentina the win as he slotted a shot past Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio to seal the victory.
BELGIUM 2 UNITED STATES 1
U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard made 16 saves, the most by any goalkeeper at a World Cup since 1966, but it wasn’t enough as Belgium scored two goals in extra time to defeat the United States 2-1. Howard’s brilliance kept the Americans in the match until Chris Wondolowski missed from close range in second half stoppage time to send the game into extra time. Three minutes into extra time, the Red Devils took the lead as Kevin De Bruyne found the back of the net. Just 12 minutes later, Romelu Lukaku doubled their lead by dribbling past Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler before beating Howard at his near post. The Americans cut the lead in half in the 107th minute after a goal by U.S. wunderkind Julian Green, but it was not enough as Belgium earned the victory.
World Cup action continues on July 4 when France face Germany at 9:00 a.m. PT before hosts Brazil take on tournament darlings Colombia at 1:00 p.m. PT.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
