Peralta Gives Mexico 1-0 Win Over Cameroon

In a match played under torrential downpour, Mexico have managed to start their 2014 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon. Mexico coach Miguel Herrera set out his side in an attacking 3-3-4 formation, which without the ball dropped back into more of a 3-5-2. The two up front for Mexico were Giovani Dos Santos and Oribe Peralta, with Javier Hernandez kept on the bench. Cameroon had the two main pillars of Alex Song in central midfield and Samuel Eto'o up front, settling into a 4-5-1 with Eto'o as the main attacking outlet.

It was Herrera and Dos Santos for Mexico who took control of the match, and put Cameroon under pressure. El Tri were much more comfortable with the ball than the African nation who looked fairly shaky as Mexico maintained possession and cut forward with their quick movement. Although both sides went into the half without a goal it could have been 2-1 for Mexico, as there were three disallowed goals, all due to offside positions (some more legitimate than others). After the opening match's doubtful penalty, the surely legitimate goal which Dos Santos had disallowed only adds to the criticism of this tournament's refereeing.

Although Cameroon were holding onto the draw fairly well, they had little invention going forward. The African side wasn't able to settle down with possession, and were often too snappy in trying to feed Eto'o or run towards goal. On the other hand, Mexico were patient and in the 61st minute Herrera topped a great passing move with a through ball for Dos Santos towards goal. The Villarreal forward had his shot parried by Itandje, but Peralta pounced on the rebound and tucked it in.

With the 1-0 lead, Mexico coach Herrera decided to give Peralta the scorer's ovation substituting him with Javier Hernandez. The Manchester United striker looked dangerous, but when served a pacey cross in front of goal, the unmarked Chicharito blasted it over the bar. With this win Mexico put Croatia in a difficult position in group A, but El Tri still have plenty to worry about as they play Brazil in their next match.

Can Mexico manage to get out of group A ahead of Croatia? Has the refereeing hindered this World Cup so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Brazil Open 2014 World Cup with 3-1 Win Over Croatia

The 2014 World Cup has officially started, and Brazil have won the opening match 3-1 over Croatia. All four goals were scored by Brazilians, as Marcelo started the scoring with an own goal in the eleventh minute. Croatia's low drilled cross was flicked on by Jelavic, and the Brazilian defender wasn't able to get out of the way before the ball scuffed in off the tip of his boot. It was a nightmare start for Brazil, and when Neymar elbowed Modric in the 27th minute, Brazil's starlet graciously received a yellow card which could have been red.

Just a couple of minutes later Neymar steadied his nation's nerves with a low diagonal shot which pinged off the post for the equalizer. It was a deserved goal, as Brazil finally began to ease into the match creating some good chances, with Oscar forcing a flying save from Croatia's keeper Pletikosa. The two sides went into halftime even, both having created some dangerous opportunities without finishing them off properly.

Marcelo's unlucky start to the 2014 World Cup

In the second half Croatia lowered their tempo and sat further back in their half, letting Brazil attack in their hunt for the winning goal. While Neymar was always dangerous with the ball, Croatia defended well, stifling Brazil with a bit too much ease. However the turning point came in the 70th minute, when Fred let himself fall in the box and was awarded an inexistent penalty. It was Neymar who stepped up and had his effort nearly saved by Pletikosa, the Croatian keeper almost managing to stop Neymar from putting Brazil in front.

A few minutes later Croatia managed to put the ball in the back of Brazil's net, but their goal was disallowed because of Olic's barge into Brazil's keeper Julio Cesar during the buildup. While at this point Brazil's victory might have seemed undeserved, it was Oscar who made sure to seal the opening win with a brilliant goal. After slipping through the Croatian defence and running towards goal, the Chelsea player toe punted the ball into the bottom corner just out of Pletikosa's reach to make it 3-1.

Although Neymar delivered on the night with his two goals, it was Oscar who gave Croatia a lot of problems throughout the match, assisting Neymar's first, and scoring the final goal. It was a fairly shaky start for Brazil, and the home country will have to step up their game if they plan on competing with some of the other top teams in the tournament.

What are your thoughts about the opening match of the 2014 World Cup? Can this Brazil team go all the way? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

2014 FIFA World Cup Coverage Starts Soon!

With opening match of the 2014 World Cup just hours away, I thought it would be best to give a summary regarding the World Cup coverage I've got planned, along with a few various updates about the site itself. You might have noticed that SWU has now moved to a proper domain (www.soccerwrapup.com), and hopefully in the coming days the entire website will be given a new fresh design. SWU has always had Facebook and Twitter pages so you can easily keep up with the latest articles, and now you can also stay up to date with our new Google Plus page.

2014 FIFA World Cup

For the World Cup SWU is working with a variety of groups in order to provide as much quality coverage possible for the tournament in Brazil. During the matches I'll be joining FanKave's interactive chat along with fans and other soccer writers/experts, with everyone hanging out and sharing our thoughts on the matches. I'm also going to be working with Fandio to provide occasional post-match coverage where fans can call in and discuss all of the World Cup action.

World Cup Videos by Fubo.tv

On top of those two live services, SWU has partnered with Fubo.tv in order to provide video highlights and coverage of the 2014 World Cup. All of these partnerships, on top of the match reports and other coverage which will be posted here will make for a pretty exciting World Cup. I leave you with this info graphic on England's chances in Brazil, and hope you enjoy the tournament!

This infographic is from the folks over at Gruss Software

Chelsea's Strengthening Starts with Diego Costa

After having completed medical examinations in London, Diego Costa looks set to join Chelsea for next season. The English club will be matching the release clause on Diego Costa's contract, paying 42 million Euros to Atletico Madrid with the added possibility of a Chelsea player being exchanged to Atletico. With 35 goals this season in all competitions, and an upcoming World Cup for Spain in which he'll be competing for a starting spot, Diego Costa looks like he will be the true goalscorer Mourinho has been calling for. 

Jose Mourinho has already gotten to work on strengthening his Chelsea side for next season, with the toughest task that of ensuring Eden Hazard remains at Stamford Bridge. After PSG's 75 million Euro bid for the Belgian starlet, Chelsea have managed to fend off the French club by giving Hazard the number ten jersey. With the frontline combo of Hazard, Diego Costa, and Willian, Chelsea now have to plug some holes in the midfield and defence during the transfer window. 

Due to Frank Lampard's departure and the disappointing season of Ramires, reinforcements in the centre of the midfield are required, especially considering Mourinho's tactical dependence on a strong midfield. Although there have been rumblings about a return to Stamford Bridge for Atletico Madrid's Tiago, it seems like Mourinho would prefer the either of the Brazilians, Sandro or Paulinho from Tottenham (most likely with an exchange including John Obi Mikel), or Juventus' Paul Pogba. There's also the possibility of a thirty to forty million Euro move for Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, however it has been reported that Mourinho isn't completely convinced by the Spaniard and that Pogba remains at the top of his midfield list. 

In terms of the defence, Chelsea have been looking to address their weakness at left back and to replace the spot left by David Luiz after his move to PSG. Real Madrid's Raphael Varane is a strong candidate for the center of defence, however certain reports suggest that the 21 year-old might not be interested in a move to Chelsea. The other names for defence continue to come from Atletico Madrid with Diego Godin a possibility at the centre and Filipe Luis for left back. Atletico Madrid had their offer of around 8-10 million Euros for Granada's left back Siqueira (who playing on loan at Benfica this past season) accepted, possibly in preparation for Filipe Luis' departure. Atleti's other recent signing of Getafe keeper Miguel Angel Moya points to Thibaut Courtois' return to Chelsea, however it seems like the keeper still hasn't decided whether or not to end his loan spell at Atletico Madrid.

With the possibility of five new signings from Atletico Madrid (Diego Costa, Tiago, Godin, Filipe Luis, and Courtois), Chelsea have started the summer transfer window with swift plans to bolster the starting eleven with a set of hungry and passionate players. Whether or not Mourinho will be able to bring out the best from a set of players who were incredibly connected to their coach Diego Simeone is difficult to predict. For now, what remains certain is that Chelsea intend on strengthening every part of the squad with some of the best La Liga players around in order to claim the Premier League and Champions League next season.