Goals galore hint at lots more in store at World Cup
If this excitement keeps up then FIFA will soon be able to trademark the 2014 World Cup as “The Most Exciting World Cup In History!”
With their extra time consolation strike in the 2-1 defeat to Belgium in Salvador, the US scored the 154th goal of this remarkable World Cup. At the end of the second round, this tournament has already produced more goals than the 145 scored in South Africa.
In the eight remaining games, we only need 17 goals to equal the 171 of France 1998. That’s just over two goals per game and allows for a drop from the current rate of 2.8. There’s no reason to think that the current rate will decline, though.
Looking at the first batch of knockout games, only two of them finished as stalemates and ended in penalties after goalless extra time periods.
Both of these games were 1-1 score draws and the result more of good goalkeeping and missed chances than a reticence to attack from any of the teams. Even Costa Rica made chances and they were down to 10 men against Greece for all of the additional period.
The statistics are quite mind-blowing. Belgium have had the most attempts on goal at the tournament with 81, which includes 52 against the US in the final second-round game alone. That they have only scored six goals in winning their four matches is surely not down to lack of intent.
The spirit of attack that seems to have gripped this World Cup was embodied by the French in their second-round game against Algeria. Les Bleus won a corner in the 91st minute of the game with the score 1-0 in their favor and opted not to shield the ball by the corner flag in order to run the clock down. Instead Matthieu Valbuena dropped a shoulder, drove at goal and fizzed the ball into Antoine Griezmann where it ended up deflecting in off the unwitting Joseph Yobo for an own goal and a decisive French goal.
Late goals have been a welcome feature of the tournament so far. France only opened the scoring against the Super Eagles in the 79th minute despite threatening Victor Enyeama’s goal from the off. The US snatched victory against Ghana in the last few minutes, took the lead against Portugal in the 81st minute and were then denied a second-round meeting with Algeria because of Varela’s 95th minute header leveling the game for the Iberians. The Netherlands have been all about the late goals, they netted two after the 77-minute mark after their “rope-a-dope” tactics stifled Chile and then sent Mexico home with goals in the 88th and 94th minutes. Everyone is attacking to the bitter end and it’s a joy to watch.
Extra time is also producing the goods. Of the three games that ended 0-0 at the end of normal time, every one of them was decided before penalties and seven goals were scored in the extra time. After those years of FIFA’s failed experiments with golden and silver goals in order to try to up the excitement of overtime it’s great to see that soccer has fixed itself.
It’s been a World Cup that has been high on goals and high on drama. So far we’ve had the fifth quickest goal ever and seen some of the latest. There’s no reason to believe that this won’t continue but let’s sit back and enjoy it while it lasts.
Now if only someone could start scoring from direct free kicks, then we could really see some new scoring records being made.