Play of the day: It came in the dying seconds of the first half between Ghana and Uruguay after the two teams were tied 0-0. Sulley Munatri got the ball in space just past the halfway line into the Uruguayan half. He had enough time to turn one player and surprisingly was allowed too much room by the defenders, as no one expected what was to come next. He was all of 40, maybe 45 yards from goal and caught Fernando Muslera flat footed, curling a beauty into the bottom right corner on the bounce.
Player of the day: Wesley Sneijder was tipped as one of the players that could swing the game and the Dutch mid-fielder did not disappoint. Netherlands looked flat and untidy after having fallen a goal behind early, needing some inspiration. It was a free-kick from Sneijder in a dangerous area which sent the Brazil defense in frenzy to give the “ORANGE” an equalizer. 15 minutes later and Sneijder gave his side the lead as he exerted his influence on the second half and steered the game in the Netherlands' favour.
Story of the day: Clearly the biggest story of the day was Brazil’s elimination from the tournament before reaching the semi-finals. Brazil, which also went out in this round four years ago against France, lost its composure after falling behind, and defender Felipe Melo was ejected in the 73rd minute for stomping on the leg of Arjen Robben. But there was more drama later in the day. With time running out in the second match, a scramble in front of the Uruguay net caught goalkeeper Fernando Muslera out of position. A shot by Ghana was kicked away on the goal line by Luis Suarez. Then, Dominic Adiyiah's header was cleared off the goal line by Suarez - using his arm. That drew an immediate red card for the striker, who will miss the semifinal. It did not end there as Ghana was awarded a spot-kick and Gyan failed to convert, sending the match into penalties.
Image of the day: A Brazilian fan holds up an interesting, innovative poster but unfortunately the outcome was quite the opposite.
Read More at: ndtv.footballindia.com
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