Here is a recap of Day 10 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
ARGENTINA 1 IRAN 0
A little last-minute magic from Lionel Messi rescued Argentina from the jaws of a humiliating draw against Iran as he scored in second half stoppage time to seal a 1-0 victory. Despite the loss, Iran put in a heroic effort, forcing Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero into repeated action throughout the 90 minutes and being denied what seemed like a clear penalty in the 64th minute. Argentina finally capitalized on the their tremendous possession advantage in the 91st minute when Messi delivered a devastating curling shot past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi for the win.
GERMANY 2 GHANA 2
Miroslav Klose scored his 15th World Cup goal to tie Ronaldo’s all-time tournament record and help Germany salvage a 2-2 draw with Ghana. All four goals came in the second half starting with a scuffed finish by Mario Götze’s in the 51st minute to put Germany ahead. Andre Ayew equalized three minutes later, and the Ghanaians continued to find seams behind the German defense before going ahead in the 63rd minute courtesy of Asamoah Gyan’s fifth World Cup goal. Klose assured the Germans a point less than 10 minutes later when he snuck behind the Black Stars’ defense on a set piece and tapped in the game-tying goal. With the result, a U.S. victory over Portugal on Sunday will seal the Americans passage through to the Round of 16 and put them atop Group G after two games.
NIGERIA 1 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 0
Peter Odemwingie’s first half goal gave Nigeria their first World Cup victory in 10 matches as the Super Eagles defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0, eliminating the Europeans from the World Cup in controversial fashion. The Dragons appeared to take the lead in the 21st minute Edin Džeko scored after a lovely through-ball by Miralem Pjanić, but a raised flag negated the goal despite video replays showing Džeko to be onside. Nigeria’s own tally was marred in debate minutes later when Bosnia defender Emir Spahic was brought down by Emmanuel Emenike, who found Odemwingie for the game’s only goal. Džeko nearly saved the Dragons in stoppage time, but his header cruelly bounced off the crossbar, sealing his team’s elimination.
Day 11 at the World Cup features three matches including the highly anticipated contest between the United States and Portugal at 3:00 p.m. PT. However before the rumble in the Amazon jungle, the action starts with Belgium taking on Russia at 9:00 a.m. PT before Korea Republic faces Algeria in a Group H clash at 12:00 p.m. PT.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
