Friday, 4 July 2014
Karim Benzema's France play Thomas Mueller's Germany and Neymar's Brazil take on Colombia, with World Cup revelation James Rodriguez, in the opening clashes of football's remaining titans.
Rio de Janeiro: One of the finest generations of goalscorers ever assembled is poised for a climactic shoot-out for the greatest prize in football here Friday as the World Cup quarterfinals get under way.
Karim Benzema's France play Thomas Mueller's Germany and Neymar's Brazil take on Colombia, with World Cup revelation James Rodriguez, in the opening clashes of football's remaining titans. (Germany Face Acid Test Against France)
The 56 matches so far have been packed with drama. The 154 goals at an average of 2.75 goals per game, puts Brazil 2014 firmly on course to beat the 171-goal record of France 1998.
Theories for the goal-glut have included law changes, tactical variations, declines in defending and the liberating effect of simply staging a tournament in Brazil, the home of attacking football.
Former France manager Gerard Houllier however believes the explanation lies in the assorted personnel gathered in Brazil.
"What we are seeing here is that is that we have a generation of outstanding strikers," said Houllier, a member of FIFA's technical study group.
"Neymar, (Lionel) Messi, Benzema, (Robin) Van Persie, (Arjen) Robben, Rodriguez -- top players." (Lionel Messi Test for Belgium as Last-Eight Looms)
The list of sharpshooters will begin to be whittled down from Friday as France face Germany at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro before hosts Brazil take on Colombia in Fortaleza
via:- http://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2014/news/226409-fifa-world-cup-striker-shoot-out-as-quarterfinals-begin
