..::Football III::..

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Cavani: Uruguay have 'great people'

Edinson Cavani is hopeful that Uruguay have a prosperous future ahead of them despite their elimination from the World Cup in Brazil.

The tournament started badly for the Celeste, who suffered an ignominious 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica in their opening Group D game.
Oscar Tabarez’s men bounced back, however, with consecutive victories over fellow former World Cup winners Italy and England.

The gloss was taken off their progression from the group stage, however, by Luis Suarez’s latest biting incident.
The striker was banned for the remainer of the tournament by Fifa after being found guilty of sinking his teeth into the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Shorn of their key attacking threat, Uruguay were impotent against Colombia in their last 16 clash and crashed out of the tournament following a 2-0 defeat.

Despite elimination, Cavani refuses to despair, however, and is keen to look to the future.

“This group of players have been working together for many years and have achieved wonderful and important things," Cavani was quoted as saying by FourFourTwo.

"It'll now depend on the coach [Oscar Tabarez] and the FA [to decide] on any changes that might be made.

"It's a fact that there are solid foundations, made up not only of great players but also great people.

"When you've got that, it's easier to keep building."

Uruguay’s vanquishers, Colombia, will now go on to face Brazil in the quarter-finals at the Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza on Friday July 4.

 

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Mourinho: Suarez deserves ban

Jose Mourinho says Luis Suarez's suspension for biting Giorgio Chiellini is deserved but the Chelsea manager admits he cannot justify the forward's stadium ban.

The Liverpool forward received a nine-match international suspension and a four-month global ban from Fifa for biting Chiellini during Uruguay's win over Italy on Tuesday.

Due to the stipulation of his suspension which prevents him from attending any football match, Suarez was not inside the Maracana as Uruguay were dumped out of the World Cup after being beaten 2-0 by Colombia in their last-16 fixture on Saturday.

"I think the punishment is deserved because it is an accumulation of [incidents where Suarez has committed] the same negative act on the football pitch,” Mourinho told Yahoo.

"What I really don't like in football is the stadium ban. What's the problem for Suarez to be in the stadium, in the middle of the Uruguay supporters watching the game between his country and Colombia?

"It's too hard, it's something that I really don't understand.

"If his punishment comes as a sequence of three similar mistakes in three different situations, it is something that he deserves. It has to stop."

 

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Lloris: France want to emulate 1998 World Cup winners

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says his team are keen to emulate the generation that won the World Cup on home soil in 1998.

Didier Deschamps' men impressed during the group stages with free-scoring wins over Honduras and Switzerland and they are brimming with ambition ahead of their round of 16 match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mane Garrincha on Monday.

"Of course France 1998 are an inspiration to us," Lloris told reporters.

"The team of '98 is a reference for all France players and for future generations. I grew up watching them achieve wonderful things. They really are an inspiration to us."

The Tottenham goalkeeper also had praise for his Nigeria colleague Vincent Enyeama and insisted that France cannot afford to take the game against Stephen Keshi's men lightly.

"I am not surprised by Enyeama's good performances. He has had great season with Lille and is a decisive player for Nigeria.

"He is one of their top players, but Nigeria in general are a very solid team. We expect a difficult game, but we will do our utmost to reach the quarter-finals.

"Nigeria’s strong collective is their biggest strength. They have plenty of attacking skills and are physically strong. They can appear in front of goal with just one or two passes. We have to stay alert right until the end."

Lloris also had his say on the possibility of the game going to penalties and insisted that he will be ready for every scenario, although he is hopeful France can seal the deal in normal time.

"We are extremely well prepared for penalties. We have video footage and one more training [session] to practice [for that scenario]. Games are decided by small details at this stage.

"Before thinking about penalties, we must focus on regular playing time, though. We hope to decide game before it goes to spot kicks."

 

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Fifa investigate alleged assault on Pinilla

Fifa have opened an investigation into claims that the spokesman for the Brazil Football Confederation assaulted a Chile player during Saturday’s World Cup clash in Belo Horizonte.Brazilian media reported on Sunday that Rodrigo Paiva threw a punch at Mauricio Pinilla at half-time. Paiva denies the claims although he did admit there had been an incident.

He told the Lance newspaper: “There was pushing between the two sides. That always happens when everyone comes together. It was not an isolated incident and I did not punch anyone. It happens a lot and it has happened in other games too.”
Fifa confirmed it was seeking further information on the matter. Spokeswoman Delia Fischer said: “There has been an incident and the disciplinary committee is currently analysing the matter.”

Brazil went on to win the game on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra-time. They face Colombia in the quarter-finals in Fortaleza on Friday.

 

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Raul laments Europe’s World Cup

Former Spain striker Raul says has commented on the underwhelming record of the European teams at the ongoing World Cup, according to his assessment.
Of the 13 European representatives to have qualified for the tournament in Brazil, seven have already been eliminated. Former World Cup winners England and Italy, as well as reigning-champions Spain fell at the first hurdle.

By contrast, eight of the ten teams from South, Central and North America to have qualified for the tournament made it through to the last 16. Of the South American qualifiers, only Ecuador failed to advance from the group stage, while half of the group winners, including CONCACAF’s Costa Rica, were non-UEFA sides.
“European nations have had a bad World Cup so far in terms of numbers.” wrote Raul in his column for the Times of India.

“Of the six teams that have qualified, Germany, the Netherlands and France have dominated their opponents, while Belgium snatched victory in the last 10-15 minutes in every game.

“Switzerland and Greece were fortunate seconds in their groups.”The former Real Madrid hitman also acknowledged the ongoing rivalry between Europe and South America at football’s biggest tournament.

“The World Cup has always been a fight for supremacy between European and South American nations," he added.“The balance is slightly in favour of the Europeans at the moment, as they have won 10 of the 19 editions, but they have to be at their best to retain that edge now despite dominating and winning the last two.

“In Germany 2006, all four semi-finalists ­ [Italy, France, Germany and Portugal]... ­ were from Europe. In 2010, the line-up was Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Uruguay.

“Two superpowers of South America and world football had missed the cut and they are among the favourites this time.”

 

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Deschamps: France can do better

France coach Didier Deschamps still wants more from his players despite their fine start to the World Cup.

Les Tricolores outclassed Honduras 3-0 and put five past Switzerland before enjoying the luxury of resting some of their key players in a 0-0 draw with Ecuador that cemented their place as group leaders going into the knockout stages.
"I'm pretty happy with their performance [against Ecuador], even if I think we could have played better as a team," Deschamps said in an interview with Fifa.com. “But it's important that as many players as possible are able to stay match-ready by getting playing time."The coach also spoke about the ease with which France navigated the opening stage."It's a huge satisfaction for me and my staff," he went on. "I'm proud of what the players have achieved.

“We need to appreciate this moment: when you look at the other matches, you realise that this is a very difficult World Cup. Some big nations have already been eliminated, but we're still here."

In addressing the only failure of the opening round, France’s inability to score against Ecuador, Deschamps was relaxed and keen to pinpoint the problem, "We lacked efficiency, but we had a lot of chances."We were very prolific in our games before that, and that was important. It would have been better to continue in the same vein, but that doesn't spoil our joy at having qualified."

Finally, Deschamps looked ahead to France’s next opponents, Nigeria.
"They will undoubtedly cause us problems on a physical level and they have forwards who can make the difference at any moment," the coach continued.
Les Bleus meet the Super Eagles at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia at 1pm local time on Monday.

Nigeria have returned to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in 16 years and will be looking to become only the fourth-ever African side to make the quarter-finals of a World Cup.

 

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Michael Dawson set for Tottenham exit

Michael Dawson has been told he can leave Tottenham and is a target for both Hull and QPR.

The central defender is in the final year of his contract at White Hart Lane and Spurs do not believe he suits new manager Mauricio Pochettino's preferred style of play. He is available for around £6 million.

Hull have already shown they are ready to spend big this summer having already shelled out a club record transfer fee for Jake Livermore ahead of their first European campaign, and it is believed they are prepared to pay £4m for Dawson.

But former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp wants to reunite with his former captain, two years after Dawson turned down a £9m transfer to Loftus Road and QPR are understood to be slight favourites for the 30-year-old.

Dawson, who made 41 appearances in all competitions for the north London outfit last season, joined Tottenham from Nottingham Forest for £4m in 2005.

While Dawson has been told he is free to leave the club, Tottenham are less willing to let Argentine winger Erik Lamela leave.

The £27.5m signing from Roma made just 17 appearances for Spurs during a difficult debut season which culminated in his omission from the Argentina squad for the World Cup.

Reports have linked the 22-year-old with a move back to Serie A to kick-start his career, but advances from Inter have so far been rejected.

 

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Suarez ban is 'an act of brutality' - Lugano

Diego Lugano has lashed out at the sanctions imposed on his Uruguay teammate Luis Suarez, describing his record ban as "an act of brutality."

Fifa imposed a nine-game international ban and suspended Suarez from all football-related activity for four months after finding him guilty of biting Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's final Group D clash last Tuesday.The Liverpool forward was absent for Saturday's 2-0 second-round defeat Colombia and, following la Celeste's World Cup exit, Lugano fumed at the injustice he saw in the punishment.

"It's a breach of human rights that a player cannot go into a stadium where there are 80,000 people or into a hotel with his teammates, that he cannot work for four months," the 33-year-old defender told a press conference.

"He has committed a crime, but this [ban] is barbarity. Not even a criminal would receive this penalty."

Uruguay struggled without Suarez in the Maracana against los Cafeteros, offering little response to James Rodriguez's two strikes, and Lugano stressed that he was not surprised that they encountered difficulties without their star man."He is irreplaceable," the centre-back said of Suarez.

"Against Colombia we weren't able to replace the skills he has. For years he has been our best player."Us losing him is much worse even than Brazil losing Neymar or Argentina losing [Lionel] Messi."

Edinson Cavani, however, denied that the furore around Suarez had distracted the Uruguay camp leading up to the game."From the moment we knew about the sanction, we only thought about Colombia," the Paris Saint-Germain striker said.

"We knew it was a tough penalty, both for him and for us, but from that moment we separated ourselves from it and we concentrated on our players."

 

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Van Gaal is like Ferguson, says Van Nistelrooy

Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed the club's new manager Louis van Gaal and believes he shares qualities similar to Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 37-year-old, who notched 150 goals during five seasons under Ferguson at Old Trafford, is set to become assistant manager to Guus Hiddink for the Netherlands once Van Gaal moves onto his new position.

And Van Nistelrooy believes his former club is in safe hands under the leadership of his compatriot, who he praised for his work-ethic and likened to his former manager.

"Everyone will know who is the boss. He does everything himself," he said of Van Gaal while working for ESPN as a pundit for their World Cup coverage.

"Louis has assistants, but he does all the coaching - every session. He's very hands on. He is a Ferguson-type character and it's what they need now. Louis is a good manager."

The former Red Devils favourite also believes Van Gaal will be raring to go at his new club, suggesting he will go without a holiday in order to fully assess the players at his disposal during pre-season training.

"He will start work immediately at Manchester United after the World Cup," continued van Nistelrooy. "Louis won't have a holiday. He has to start immediately.

"There is pre-season training and he has to get to know the players. Then there is the tour to America and into the Premier League season.

"He will look at the players at United and if he sees someone he likes he will give them a chance. He likes to do that. He is prepared to promote. He won't just go out and just buy players."

 

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Liverpool should demand Suarez swap deal, says Ferdinand

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Liverpool should target Alexis Sanchez as part of any potential deal with Barcelona, should Luis Suarez exit the club this summer.

The Uruguay striker has been the focus of much media attention following his four-month global ban and nine-game suspension from competitive international fixtures after biting Giorgio Chiellini.

And after conceding it would be a 'risk' for him to stay at Liverpool, Ferdinand feels the club should look for Arsenal-target Alexis Sanchez as part of a player-plus-cash deal should Barcelona make an offer.

"If I were the chief executive or the money man at Liverpool, I’d have him up for sale already," admitted the former England captain in his column for the Mail Online.

"The issue is one of risk and what might happen in the future given a pattern of behaviour. Keeping Suarez may potentially cost Liverpool tens of millions of pounds. Perhaps £70million or more.

"How so? If he went somewhere else this summer — Spain, I guess, with Barcelona and Real Madrid showing recent interest and having the money — Liverpool cash in on their biggest asset.

"Yes, it will be a tough ask to replace such quality, but if all the proceeds and more were re-invested in a proven striker, it might make sense.

"If Liverpool don’t sell him and he bites someone else after his ban ends, he could be thrown out for years. The solution to the Suarez situation could be that if Barca do want him, I’d demand Alexis Sanchez in a swap deal."

However, the former England international acknowledges Suarez is "indispensable" to Liverpool, adding that – if he was manager – he would keep him at the club ahead of next season.

"If I were the Liverpool manager there wouldn’t be a moment’s doubt about what to do next with Luis Suarez. I’d keep him. " he continued.

"Leave aside, just for a moment, questions of morality or whether his ban is long enough and what is going on is his head to make him do these extraordinarily bad things.

"Purely and simply from a football perspective, what he does for you on the pitch — and I don’t mean biting people - makes him indispensable.

"And with the season Liverpool have ahead of them, that’s truer than ever. So that’s the football decision. It’s an easy one to make."

 

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Origi can be a Premier League hit - Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen believes his Belgium team-mate Divock Origi has what it takes to be a success at the top end of the Premier League amid interest from Liverpool.

The Tottenham full-back followed up a shot from Origi to net the winner in Thursday’s 1-0 victory over South Korea secured the Red Devils a fixture with USA in the World Cup Round of 16.And following reports that the Anfield side have shown interest in the Lille striker, Vertonghen says the 19-year-old can be a big hit if a move materialises.

"He has the qualities to play for a good team in the Premier League and I think he shows it every game," Vertonghen told reporters."He has come on in every game, and he's changed games for us."He has the qualities to go to a bigger league, but obviously with Lille playing in the Champions League we'll see."

Origi and Adnan Januzaj are the two youngest players in the Belgian World Cup squad, and Vertonghen has also backed the Manchester United star to fulfill his immense promise.

"Januzaj is someone a bit like Origi, there's no pressure and he plays like he's on the street. He did well against South Korea, he kept possession and he worked very hard. I saw him a couple of times playing balls from our end so I'm very happy with him and how he played in that game," added Vertonghen.

"It's lovely to see, and it reminds me how old I am! He's a great guy and such a good player so I hope he can get to play more games here and at United to show just how good he is.

"He feels no pressure. He's a guy with so many qualities and he's shown that next season he could be one of the best players in the Premier League."The 27-year-old will return to Spurs after the tournament to find a new face in the manager’s office after Mauricio Pochettino replaced Tim Sherwood as boss. And Vertonghen is sure the club can progress under the ex-Southampton and Espanyol coach.

"I've heard some good stories about our new manager so I'm looking forward to meeting him and talking to him and we'll see what's going to happen this summer but I'm very confident about Tottenham next season."

 

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James: I prefer Real Madrid to Barcelona

James Rodriguez has revealed he would favour a move to Real Madrid over Barcelona if he had to make a choice between the Clasico rivals.

The 22-year-old Colombia international scored both goals, including a volley that may prove to be the goal of the tournament, to seal a 2-0 win over Uruguay at the Maracana and a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The double in Rio took the Monaco forward to the top of the Golden Boot table with five goals in four games and set up a mouth-watering last-eight tie with hosts Brazil next Friday.

The Monaco attacking midfielder could not have failed to catch the eye of Europe's biggest clubs and he fuelled transfer speculation by confessing that he would love to play in La Liga in the future.

"I would love to play in Spain," said James. "It would be a dream to play there - it is the best league in the world."

When pushed on his favoured destination, he told Cadena Cope: "I prefer Madrid to Barcelona."

James was delighted with his side's performance against Uruguay and is looking forward to see his nation continue to impress the watching world with their performances this summer.

"I'm happy because we won and we are through," he continued.

"There's no chance to value what I'm doing - maybe when this is over. Now you have to try to play every game like it's your last.
"But it is historic - a dream come true for me. I always wanted to score in the Maracana and now I have.

"Uruguay had a lot of men behind the ball, so we needed plenty of movement up front and we got it. Now things are going to get harder but I believe we can go a long way."

James cost Monaco €45 million when they bought him from Porto last summer, as well as forking out to sign fellow Colombian Radamel Falcao, though he is absent from the World Cup through injury.

The South American duo helped to fire the Stade Louis II club to Champions League football this season with a second place Ligue 1 finish and, if James is not sold, he is bound to get a chance to impress on the European stage in 2014-15.

 

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Van Gaal tells Manchester United: I don't want a holiday

Manchester United expect Louis van Gaal to take up his post within 72 hours of Netherlands ending their World Cup adventure in Brazil.

Old Trafford insiders have stated the Dutchman, 62, will first return to Amsterdam for a planned reception with the Dutch FA, before taking the short flight to Manchester.

Van Gaal has told the Red Devils he does not need a break after Brazil and he will get to work straight away at Carrington.

The former Bayern Munich chief has a villa in the luxury Portuguese resort of Vale de Lobo and spent a few days with his wife there before joining up with the national team camp.

His wife Truus has already picked out a house and United are now sorting out the paperwork.

 

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Enyeama: Nigeria don't fear France

Nigeria are not scared of France and are capable of beating them, according to Vincent Enyeama.The West African nation went through as runners up in Group F, earning a last-16 berth despite a 3-2 defeat in their final group match against Argentina in Porto Alegre.

Stephen Keshi's side are aiming to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history and, despite coming up against a France side that have impressed so far, Enyeama feels that dream can become a reality."We fear nobody," the 31-year-old said in an interview with L'Equipe."We have a culture for football. It's our way of life. We work for that and we must show the world what we are capable of.

"France are favourites but anything could happen. I said before the tournament that playing them would be my dream fixture.

"To be honest, we have a great confidence in ourselves."Enyeama, who has 93 caps for Nigeria, also spoke of his pride at captaining the national side, revelling in the burden of responsibility that the role brings.

"To be captain is one of the most important things in the world," the Lille shot stopper added."I don't know what it means in France, but in Nigeria, it means that you carry the team on your shoulders. If all is good, you will be praised - if it's not, you are to blame."

France and Nigeria face each other in the last 16 in Brasilia on Monday.

 

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Nigeria can finally count on Odemwingie

Peter Odemwingie is one of the most controversial players to have ever put on the Nigeria shirt at a World Cup.

The talented forward turns 33 in less than a month and it appears that, after many years of ups and downs, the Super Eagles can finally count on him.

In recent years he has fallen out with three of the country’s previous coaches – Shaibu Amodu in 2010, Lars Lagerback later that year and then current boss Stephen Keshi after he was left out of the Afcon squad in 2013.

He spent a year out of the team due to the most recent dispute and was criticised for his form in the World Cup warm-up games after making his long-awaited return to the squad.

But now Odemwingie is recognised as the leading figure in his country’s attack and faces a career-defining match as Nigeria face France on Monday to do battle for a place in the last eight at the World Cup.

While France have Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud and Mathieu Valbuena providing firepower, the Africans will be relying on Odemwingie, with support from Emmanuel Emineke and Ahmed Musa.

With 11 international goals to his name, Odemwingie is the highest goalscorer in the Super Eagles’ World Cup squad. He is the most proven talent in a group of players who have the opportunity to make history for their country by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.

He has had an impressive World Cup to date. In the match against Argentina it was Musa who shined brightest, but the Stoke City striker was still involved in some free-flowing attacking moves for the Super Eagles.

Odemwingie also came to the fore in Nigeria’s other two group games. The striker came off the bench against Iran and was easily the biggest threat for Keshi’s side, shooting narrowly wide of the post with a volley after coming off the substitutes’ bench. He has not been out of the team since.

Against Bosnia-Herzegovina, it was his first-half goal that proved decisive in the 1-0 victory. It was a clever finish from close-range that boosted the hopes of a nation.

The player himself appears to be in confident mood. After Nigeria made it through the group stages, Odemwingie said he believes they can stun the world and make it all the way to the final.He said: “I saw a Brazilian on the street who told me he foresaw Nigeria playing the final against Brazil and I said to myself ‘why not’.

“Going by the level of our players and the fact that they are yet to peak. Mark my words – we have a very resilient defence, a creative midfield and an attack force that can trouble any defence in the world. If we played to our potentials, we can go all the way.”

He is an experienced and talented attacker who now seems to be a positive influence on the rest of the squad.Finally, Nigeria can count on Odemwingie.

 

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Robben doesn’t go down easy – Cillessen

Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has insisted that his side deserved their controversial penalty, won for them by Arjen Robben, which helped them secure a 2-1 win over Mexico and to progress to the World Cup quarter-finals.

With the matched poised at 1-1 and having entered stoppage time, Robben was awarded a spot-kick after going down under a challenge from Rafael Marquez, and while the Bayern Munich star claims he was fouled by the Mexico captain, his admission that he dived earlier in the match has caused a stir.

Cillessen, however, has backed up his international team-mate's claims, insisting the decision of referee Pedro Proenca was correct.

"He doesn't go down that easy, and I think we should have had a penalty in the first half," he said. "I've not seen it back, but I think it's a penalty. If he says it's a penalty, I believe him."

Regardless of the late nature of the Dutch victory – Wesley Sneijder's equaliser arrived in the 88th minute – the Ajax shot-stopper was confident his side could pull through, aided by the contribution of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who came on as a substitute to score the late penalty.

"We kept confidence and we knew if we scored before the end of the game we'd go on and win it - and that's what we did," he said.

"We have a great bench, full of players who want to play. We saw that from Leroy Fer against Chile and Memphis Depay against Australia. We have a great team."

The weather was a major discussion point before the match, and though the 25-year-old admitted that conditions were not easy, he was pleased his side came through such a challenge.

"It was warmer than where we trained, but we trained here for two days. It's not our favourite kind of weather, but we showed we can win here," he continued.

"We had belief, and we believe it can get better, especially when you can win in this kind of situation, with this weather and we think we can beat everyone."

Netherlands will face the winner of Greece and Costa Rica in the quarter-finals next weekend.

 

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Van Gaal relieved after Netherlands 'escape' against Mexico

Louis Van Gaal admits the Netherlands had an ‘escape’ in their World Cup last 16 victory over Mexico and has strongly refuted suggestions his side are favourites to reach the semi-final.

Holland set up a quarter-final clash against either Greece or Costa Rica with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Mexico in Fortaleza on Sunday thanks a penalty in added time from substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Wesley Sneijder had equalised just two minutes before the end of the 90 minutes after Giovani dos Santos had put the Miguel Herrera’s men ahead early in the second-half.

“It was an escape yes, but in the second half we showed we could create many opportunities,” said Van Gaal.

“It’s always food for thought, we will analyse the next opponents and see what’s best to do. It’s not only to do with our qualities but also those of our opponents.”

Van Gaal was delighted with the Netherlands’ victory but was quick to play down the suggestion that they will be clear favourites to win their quarter-final match in Salvador next Saturday.

“The Dutch media thought we’d never survive the first round so how have we ended up becoming the favourite? I don’t get it.

“The players are very modest, we will carry on, we have an outstanding team spirit which led to this win. Whether it’s Costa Rica or Greece, these are very difficult opponents to beat.”

Holland were dealt a blow when midfielder Nigel De Jong was substituted after just nine minutes with a groin injury against Mexico.

Van Gaal believes it will be “difficult” for De Jong to recover in time for Saturday’s match but confirmed that Robin Van Persie was substituted in the second-half for tactical reasons rather than due to injury concerns.

“De Jong? I don’t know yet, we’ll have to look into that. It will be difficult for the next match,” added the Dutch coach. “But with Van Persie it was a tactical substitution.”

 

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‘Cristiano, Bale and Falcao would be the most feared attack in history'

Former Real Madrid centre-back Ricardo Carvalho believes that Radamel Falcao could complete "the greatest attacking trio in history" should he join Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at Santiago Bernabeu.

Falcao only joined Ligue 1 side Monaco last summer from Atletico Madrid but rumours that he could be in line for a sensational move to the European champions have continued to grow in recent weeks.

And Carvalho, who spent three seasons with Madrid from 2010 until 2013, feels Falcao could prove to be the "missing piece" in Carlo Ancelotti's attacking line-up should he opt to join the club this summer.

"I think Falcao is the missing piece that would make Madrid's attack perfect," Carvalho told AS. "Cristiano is the best player in the world, Bale is very good and Falcao is the best striker.

"Cristiano, Bale and Falcao would be the most feared attacking trio in the history of football. I am a defender and I would not want to face them."Carvalho also believes Falcao is the only player who can rival Ronaldo in terms of his worth ethic as a player in the modern game.

"Everyone knows that Cristiano is the best player in the world, and the most professional," he continued.

"In terms of professionalism, Falcao is the player who is the closest. He will have a very long career because of the care he takes."

Finally, the former Chelsea man spoke of his own impressive season in Monaco and his disappointment at missing out on Portugal’s World Cup squad."[Missing out on the World Cup] was the greatest sorrow in my career. I am very sad, and also by the elimination of Portugal," he added.

"I think I've been at a high level, but I'm sure the next [season] will be even better and Monaco will surprise many people."

The Seleccao were knocked out in the first round following a defeat to Germany, a draw with the United States and a victory over Ghana.

 

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