February 24 to March 8, 2020 Global Futbol Matches (Physico Championships)

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

February 24 to March 8, 2020 (Physico Championships)

 

Round of 16

The Physico Championships came to the final 16 after over two years of matches.

 

France made no changes to their line-up from the group stages, while the Czech Republic made two changes in midfield. France started with a bang, shaving the crossbar and hitting the post with early, peppering shots. The Czechs worked back into the match and soon the first half’s momentum shuffled between the two sides. France had the better of possession and looked set to make the most of it in the second half. However, as the match wore on, Hugo Lloris made a blunder of a pass that fell straight at the feet of Michael Krmenčík, and the talisman made no mistake. France replied inside two minutes thanks to the duo of Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud, with the latter powering home with his left boot. As the match neared the end of the 90 minutes, French substitute Kingsley Coman brought down Krmenčík, who made no mistake from the spot.

 

Argentina and Sweden largely kept their same line-ups as they fought to progress to the Quarters. Neither side looked like dominating in the first half, though Argentina, on a surface level, had the upper hand. It took until the 83rd minute for Ángel Di María to volley a ball after it was headed to him from a long corner. From there, Argentina held on for the victory and saw Sweden exit the tournament.

 

Jamaica and Serbia made changes to their starting eleven as both saw this match as an ideal pathway to the Quarter Finals. The difference between the two was Aleksandar Katai’s goal, where he easily found the net in the first half. Jamaica had chances to gain a netter, only for shots to fly wide of the mark. In the end, Serbia held on for a vital victory, and a place in the final eight nations.

 

Brazil and Chile both made changes in their midfield in their Round of 16 all-South American encounter. Neymar needed two attempts in the 25th minute after Roberto Firmino initially set him up for the opening goal. Chilean Nicolas Castillo pegged level before the break, setting up a solid second half. However, neither side could find the edge, until additional time entered the fray. The ever-present Philippe Coutinho scored in emphatic fashion to send the Brazilians into the Quarter Final against Serbia.

 

The following day, the Dutch and English faced off, with minor changes made to their starting eleven. The first half saw the Netherlands go closest to a goal, hitting the woodwork. However, the front three combined in the 54th minute for England, gifting Raheem Sterling a goal. The Dutch replied with a grand goal as Georginio Wijnaldum set up Memphis Depay for a sliding netter. Substitute Quincy Promes then made the most of a poor goalkeeping trap, scoring with his own first touch of the match. England fought hard to equalise, including hitting the post as well, only to fail at the Round of 16 stage, and the Dutch progressed.

 

Italy and Switzerland made a number of changes to their side as they sought to outdo each other and gain the upper hand in their rivalry. Switzerland scored early with a header off a corner from Remo Freuler. Steven Zuber then slotted a penalty into the back of the net, doubling the lead. Italy tried in vain to bounce back, only for the Swiss defence to hold firm. Freuler then made it three immediately after the break as he out turned his marking men and slotted with his left. From there, it was clear who stamped their authority on the rivalry, as Switzerland booked a Quarter Final match up with the Netherlands.

 

The match between Portugal and Austria followed a similar pattern as the Italy-Switzerland match. Austria made two changes, while Portugal kept the same line-up. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the first half to give his side the upper hand. João Félix then added a third after the break with a cutback from the left wing and score with his right boot. From there, Portugal knew they would progress to the final eight.

 

Germany and South Korea both made no changes for their Round of 16 encounter. South Korea looked lacklustre at the beginning with Germany scoring twice inside the first eight minutes via the heads of Leon Goretzka and Timo Werner. The game settled into a familiar pattern, until Son Heung-Min nailed a goal right before halftime, making the most of the built-up pressure enacted on the German defence. Sensing an upset, South Korea chipped away for a second goal, while Germany could only shoot from long range. Korean substitute Hwang Hee-chan led onto a ball and with a deft chip, equalised the match. In extra time, Ji Dong-Won caught the Germans napping, with the Asian champions again scoring right before halftime. However, Germany would have none of it, and scored twice via Serge Gnabry and Werner to win the match and reach the Quarter Finals.

 

Quarter Finals

The teams remaining in the Physico Championships shifted to Germany for the remainder of the tournament.

 

The Czech Republic felt confident against Argentina, knowing their consistency would bode well. Argentina looked dangerous early with Sergio Agüero taking charge up front and Lionel Messi with speed down the right wing. However, the Czechs did enough to keep in the game, as well as showing signs of stealing a counterattacking goal. Argentina should have scored, only for the game to go into extra time. Even though Argentina had kept their same line-up, it was the Czech Republic who looked exhausted, with niggling injuries coming into play. Then, eleven minutes into extra time, substitute Matías Suárez, who played in the unusual role up front, caught onto a corner and headed home the first goal of the match. The Czechs remained reluctant to give in, however, and two minutes from the end, substitute Zdeněk Ondrášek was found with the greatest of assists and he made no mistake. As extra time finished and the penalties deepened, with Agüero’s being saved and Jakub Brabec firing over the bar, it came down to their sixth penalty kick for each side, where the Czech defender Tomáš Kalas hit the post, and Roberto Perayra sent the Argentinians into the Semi Finals.

 

Brazil kept their starting eleven for the match against Serbia, while their opponents made changes as they maintained a back three formation. Coutinho had an early chance to score; his header hitting the crossbar but not crossing the line. After the break, Brazil exploited the gaps in the back three as they worked down the left wing, crossed long to the right wing, before shooting/crossing into Firmino, who took a touch around the goalkeeper and slotted home the opener. Serbia had two opportunities to equalise but muffed both of them. Instead, Fernandinho, Brazil’s substitute, doubled the lead as he outran the defence and easily bagged his side’s second. His fellow bench player, David Neres, also shot from a similar region, with the same result, to round out a 3-0 win.

 

That set up an all-South American Semi Final against Argentina in a match set to entertain the masses.

 

The Netherlands and Switzerland made no changes to their sides as Wijnaldum scored early for the Dutch; he was found open near the 6-yard box and made no mistake. From there, the Swiss, in spite of more possession, struggled to fight back into the match. In the second half, the Netherlands opened up the game, utilising the wings, in particular on the right. However, four key defensive blocks kept Switzerland hopeful. It was not meant to be as Wijnaldum’s goal was the difference on the night.

 

Portugal came in with the same line-up, while Germany made some alterations. It was Portugal who looked more attacking, though they were thwarted by four sets of offsides. Neither nation looked like scoring the opener until finally Portugal’s Ronaldo got the ball rolling. Germany attacked without relent, only to have the Portuguese defenders in the way. Then, as the 90th minute ticked over, substitutes Luca Waldschmidt and Nadiem Amiri combined to equalise. In extra time, Portugal tried in vain to wrestle back the lead. Instead, Amiri headed home a corner in the 114th minute and gifted Germany a Semi Final berth against the Netherlands.

 

Semi Finals

That meant that a South American nation would fight a European nation in the Final. To see who that would be, the Semi Finals were a tight tussle.

 

Argentina and Brazil faced off, with Argentina making three changes after having played to penalties only three days earlier. Brazil only made the one alteration. The first half was largely dull, with Neymar’s shot the only real highlight. The match piked more intrigue in the second half, as neither side could find a way to goal. Eventually, Coutinho dribbled toward goal, showing off a brilliant display of footwork. This freed up David Neres, and for the second time in two games, managed to score. His goal became the only goal for the match. Argentina worked late to get close to goal but were largely ineffective as the match died out in favour of the Brazilians.

 

The Netherlands made two changes on each wing, and Germany brought Amiri into the starting eleven, as well as strengthening in defence. The Dutch stretched the defence early, culminating in a lean-back-and-header from Memphis Depay to open the scoring. The man of the hour, Amiri, equalised two minutes later after running onto a through ball. From there, the match tightened as neither side wanted to gift the other an easy goal. In the second half, Patrick van Aanholt capitalised on a rare chance to be in the box and gave the Netherlands back the lead. Germany remained defiant and a substitute cut the ball back to İlkay Gündoğan, who made no mistake. The match ended a draw, and across extra time, no team could find the right path to goal. When Frenkie de Jong received a red card, it seemed the advantage from the spot kicks might favour the Germans. Instead, Tim Krul made two saves against the German penalty takers, with the second shot hitting the crossbar. Meanwhile, all but one Dutch player ensured the ball went in the back of the net, with Luuk de Jong scoring the winning penalty.

 

Final

Brazil and the Netherlands faced off in the Final, with Brazil having the extra day’s rest and not having to play through 120 minutes and penalties. The Dutch were also without the red-carded de Jong, and it showed early as Brazil closed down the ball as often as possible, not allowing the boys in blue any time to set up their play. This pressure led to Neymar’s goal in the 17th minute. The Dutch felt for most of the first half they were on the back foot, having to make last-gasp tackles and clearances off the line. When in attack, they struggled to make the Brazilian goalkeeper nervous. In the second half, Brazil opened up the game as they worked both flanks, before the 67th-minute goal from Neymar, his second, all but secured the win. The Netherlands tried in vain to wrestle back some control, though it was Brazil who came out on top and won the tournament after a lengthy campaign.

 

The win also placed Brazil within earshot of taking first place in the overall rankings from Germany, come April for the next confirmation of ELO Global Futbol rankings.

 

February 24 Physico Champs Round of 16 �"England as hosts · France 1 Czech Republic 2 · Argentina 1 Sweden 0 · Jamaica 0 Serbia 1 · Brazil 2 Chile 1

February 25 Physico Champs Round of 16 �"England as hosts · Netherlands 2 England 1 · Italy 0 Switzerland 3 · Portugal 3 Austria 0 · Germany 2 South Korea 2 (4-3 aet)

February 27 Physico Champs QF �" Germany as hosts · Czech Republic 0 Argentina 0 (1-1 after et; 4-5 after penalties) · Serbia 0 Brazil 3

February 28 Physico Champs QF �" Germany as hosts · Netherlands 1 Switzerland 0 · Portugal v Germany

March 1 Physico Champs SF �" Germany as hosts · Argentina 0 Brazil 1

March 2 Physico Champs SF �" Germany as hosts · Netherlands 2 Germany 2 (3-0 after penalties)

March 7 Physico Champs Final · Brazil 2 Netherlands 0