Russia V Algeria World Cup 2014

Russia V Algeria Fifa World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

Beers: Group H of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-h/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Baltika 7 Eksportnoe (Export) V ? Unfortunately I couldn’t source any beer from Algeria so this will be a one sided affair. Click on picture for a preview of the beer.

Baltika 7 Eksportnoe V ? : 1-0 win for Baltika 7 Eksportnoe as I couldn’t source a beer from Algeria. Click on links below for full beer information and reviews

PreGame:

Russia: Capello is under pressure. The man tasked with bringing Russian football to the top table of the world game, is feeling the heat from the Russian public. He is getting paid over £6 million a year. That’s shocking stuff from the Russian FA. I really don’t think any manager is worth that, especially when you see how the likes of Costa Rica and Mexico are doing with relatively novice managers. So lets see how his skills are utilised tonight against the tricky Algerians.

Russia are very dull to watch. In both of their games very little action was recorded. The players seemed disinterested in attacking, and the fact that they still have a chance of getting to the last 16 highlights how relatively easy this group is.

Russia offered absolutely nothing in their game against Belgium. Alexander Kokorin missed their best chance in a dour first half, heading wide from only six yards out. A free header missed. They did come into the game a little more in the second half but that was only due to Belgium standing off and letting them play.

A Russia win will put them through, provided South Korea don’t beat Belgium by a bigger margin, which is unlikely. Can they do it? I haven’t seen anything of yet to suggest they can. They are a pretty limited team that have no passion and look like they have already settled for the the long trip back to Russia.

Algeria probably only need the single point in their final game against Belgium.

They definitely deserve to go through just for the last game alone. It was a cracker. Algeria hit the ground running, scoring four good goals and playing with a really high tempo game. They played some lovely football, attacked with pace, and it looked liked the Koreans were shell shocked. Three goals in the first half shows how great the Algerians were.

Madjid Bougherra was a rock in defence, at least in the first half. Wilted a bit in the second and was badly caught napping for the first Korean goal. He will play another important role tonight if Algeria have to keep the Russians at bay for the whole 90 minutes.

A result tonight and the desert foxes will be making history. A chance to make the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time and banish the nightmare of 82.

A more detailed review on Russia here and on Algeria here

Algeria pulled off the unthinkable and managed to get in the last 16 for the first time in their history. And they had to do it the hard way, by coming from behind to get the goal that they needed. Their performance in the three group games definitely means they deserved it. They have played some decent football and are fairly solid in defence. Well done to the Desert Foxes.

Russia, on the other hand, are an awful team to watch. Clueless going forward, with no leaders or personalities on the pitch. Hopeless. How they think that Capello on £6.6 million is worth all that money is hilarious. If the team are that bad, why waste so much money on them? Get a Russian to manage, he cant be any worse, and at least he knows the lingo.

Probably the worse thing to happen for the Russians was to score early, as after that they just relaxed and gave the initiative to the Algerians to come at them. Dmitri Kombarov did brilliant on the left-wing to put a superb cross into the box for Alexander Kokorin to nod in with a bullet header. And that was about it really for Russia. They did play some half decent possession football but it wasn’t really going anywhere either.

Algeria kept pressing and you could see that there was a goal coming their way. And it did. Russia got two two yellow cards in about a minute with nearly identical fouls, bringing down the Algerian forwards swinging out of them. Despite what Capello said, they were both fouls and deserved yellow cards. Yacine Brahimi took the free and Islam Slimani got up highest to head it pass the Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev who came out and completely missed the ball. Another blunder from the Russian goalkeeper. Capello can blame a laser pen all he wants, but Akinfeev was poor in this World Cup.

Slimani, deserved a goal, as he showed great leadership on the pitch and was involved in much of Algeria’s forward play throughout the match. He put his country into the last 16 for the first time in their history, and gets to play against Germany, in what will be a repeat of their 1982 clash. That game they won 2-1, beating the then reigning European Champions. Can history repeat itself?