Gomis to Swansea - Summer Signing Review #6:

Swansea are known for their shrewd business in the transfer market, and they may have just pulled off another decent signing for their team, with the free transfer of Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who rejected a contract extension with the French club to join the Swans this summer. Wow!

Ferocious shot: Gomis will add some much-needed firepower to Swansea, alongside Bony

You may or may not know who Gomis is, you may have seen him in the Champions League or Europa League in the past few seasons - he's that kind of player who could help boost Swansea's overall position in the league and help them qualify for European competition in the future. 

So who exactly is Gomis then? Well: 

• He joined Swansea at the end of the June, when his contract with Lyon officially expired
• His nickname is the "baby Drogba" - he is a powerful, strong and agile striker who is clinical in-front of goal
• He played for Lyon, from 2009 to 2014 - scoring 91 goals in 239 appearances for the club
• This was after he became only the 6th player in French football history to transfer directly from Saint Etienne over to rivals Lyon
• He has 12 international caps for France, and has scored 3 goals in the process

You want to know his strengths? Well you're in luck!

Watch this video below, to see the beast in action.

And now onto the most interesting part of this review. His potential partnership with Wilfried Bony in strike!

Bony was one of their standout performers throughout the season, scoring 25 goals (in all competitions) in his first season in England is superb! 

Clinical in-front of goal: Bony has settled in well at Swansea, can Gomis do the same?

For club and country: Bony was also a standout player for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup

In-fact he was quite impressive. His power and strength frightened defenders and Gomis' presence alongside him could spell even more danger for opposition defences from next season onwards. 

FACT: Only Suarez, Sturridge, Yaya Touré, Rooney and Aguero scored more goals last season than Bony in the Premier League.

FINAL VERDICT:

Gomis needs a player or two to give him good service, and he has certainly made the right decision to join Swansea if he wants players to pass to him. 

The Swans' tactics are based around a pass-and-move game, and although Gomis is not the fastest striker around, his attacking positioning will help him get in-behind defenders and score goals.

This is their 4th consecutive season in the top flight of English football, and they will want to make sure that they stay consistent throughout the campaign.

They finished in 12th place this past season, due to a number of reasons - such as the sacking of Michael Laudrup (which I still can't believe), and the small gap between matches when they were playing in the Europa League.

Swansea want to establish themselves as a top 10 club in the Premier League, and I'm glad to see that they are doing their best to prove that especially in the transfer market - Gomis is a good striker and he will settle in perfectly alongside Bony, if they can keep hold of the Ivorian striker. 

WORLD CUP 2014 FINAL - GERMANY VS ARGENTINA, LIVE COMMENTARY:

The World Cup final, it really needs no introduction. Welcome to my latest blog post, and it's a LIVE Commentary for tonight's game, the conclusion to what has been arguably the best World Cup yet. Germany up against Argentina; the winner wins it all.

The grandest stage of them all, bigger than their respective domestic leagues, even bigger than the Champions League - the biggest and best trophy to win. The World Cup itself.

Here are the team line-ups for tonight's match - 

Germany: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Howedes, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Kroos, Ozil and Klose.

Subs: Zieler, Weidenfeller, Grosskreutz, Ginter, Schurrle, Podolski, Draxler, Durm, Mertesacker, Gotze and Kramer.

Argentina: Romero, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Garay, Rojo, Biglia, Mascherano, Perez, Higuain, Messi and Lavezzi.

Subs: Orion, Andujar, Campagnaro, Gago, Di Maria, Rodriguez, Augusto Fernandez, Federico Fernandez, Palacio, Alvarez, Aguero and Basanta.


Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (from Italy)

19:45 - You have to give credit to all the hard work done behind the scenes, to make sure that everything runs smoothly for this tournament, especially the big one tonight. Nicely done.

19:50 - And it's about to begin. 10 minutes left, until the 20th World Cup final. 

19:51 - Here is a recap of both teams; how they got to where they are tonight, the final.

19:53 - Cameras are showing both teams as they make the long walk out of the tunnel. An especially good look of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, one of the best players ever to grace a football pitch has the chance to cement himself as the best player of all-time among all of the other footballing greats.

19:54 - A picture of what both teams are playing for tonight.

Former Spain captain Carles Puyol and model Gisele Bundchen present the trophy, pitchside

19:55 - German national anthem now. Klose starts, in what probably will be his last tournament for the Germans.

19:57 - Argentina now. It would be so big if they could win the World Cup, especially on enemy (Brazilian) soil tonight.

19:58 - Pre-match handshakes begin, both teams are itching to kick-off. Argentina were thrashed 4-0 back in 2010, let's hope for a more open and overall exciting match tonight!

19:59 - And having a look at the team line-ups, you might be wondering where Real Madrid defensive-midfielder Sami Khedira is, he was injured during the pre-match warm-up and is consequently replaced by 23-year-old Christoph Kramer; his first ever competitive start for Germany! What a stage.

20:00 - You ready? I certainly am. And it begins. Argentina kick-off.

1: Argentina playing many men behind the ball, as Germany look to keep possession in the opposite half. 

2: Germany free-kick, as Muller is clattered onto the floor by the oncoming run from Sporting Lisbon defender Marcus Rojo.

3: Muller, Ozil, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Kramer and Lahm all speaking about the spot-kick, to be taken.

4: The resulting shot is blocked by the Argentinian free-kick wall, and they clear the danger away.

5: Muller with an ambitious through ball into the box, Romero able to catch and collect the low cross as Argentina attempt to counter attack.

6: Muller with another cross attempt into the box, but no team-mates are able to latch onto the delivery and Romero comfortably holds onto the ball.

8: Messi shows a quick snippet of what he can bring to the Argentina side, bursting with pace down the flank past Hummels before his resulting cross fails to find a team-mate in space and Schweinsteiger reads the play well to clear away.

9: Good low cross into the area by Zabaleta, who beats his man on the overlap before whipping in a ball into space; Lavezzi and Higuain both fall to ground as they slide and miss the ball completely. That was a good chance there.

12: Good tracking back by Messi to help Demichelis on the flank, as Schweinsteiger wins the ball from a mis-placed pass from the Manchester City defender.

13: Germany have another free-kick in a dangerous area of the field as Demichelis charges into Klose and clips into the back of the experienced striker's heel.

14: Kroos stands over the set-piece, with 4 Germany players waiting patiently for the referee's whistle..... good clearance away by Zabaleta who gets the ball to safety.

14: Good defensive header from Demichelis to block Schweinsteiger's attempted cross into the area.

15: Germany corner, taken by Kroos.... and Argentina clear the ball away.

16: Germany pass the ball out of play with Kramer down on the ground, after many protests from Argentina players to stop play.

17: Ouch! Replays show that Kramer was hit in a collision with Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay; and he looks dazed after that.

20: WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY! Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has a golden chance to break the deadlock, but he fires his strike wide. How did he miss that?

The opportunity came after an accidental headed back-pass from Kroos fell straight into his path, but it spins into the advertising board and Neuer is under no pressure to kick the ball out from the goal-kick.

HOW! Higuain missed the best chance of the game so far

21: Still can't believe Higuain missed that chance, it should be 1-0 to Argentina really. Anyways, the game's still going on and Germany are having all of the possession. 

24: Germany are dominating possession and keeping the ball, but fair play to Argentina who are doing well to keep them at bay so far. 

25: Mascherano and Demichelis are holding off Klose and Muller well enough so far, but we will wait until the second-half begins to see if they can do more of the same. 

27: Late reflex save by Romero, to deny a good through ball dink over-the-top of the Argentina defence on the edge of the area by Phillip Lahm, Muller runs towards the rebound but the linesman flags for offside.

28: Replays show that it was the correct decision, well done to the linesman for that spot.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is given the first yellow card of the final after chopping down Lavezzi who was sprinting on the counter attack.

29: GOAL! Wait.. no GOAL! A great through ball from the flank by midfielder Enzo Perez, finds Higuain unmarked inside the area, he taps the ball into the bottom corner of the net and sprints away to celebrate, but eventually realises that his shot was in-fact OFFSIDE.

30: Replays show that it was the correct decision, still 0-0.

31: A real shame now, as Kramer is no longer able to continue after that collision earlier on in the first-half. 

Germany SUB - 
Christoph Kramer OFF
Andre Schurrle ON

32: Pace injection coming on, Schurrle has made a real impact off the substitutes' bench in the past few matches.

33: Naughty foul by Schalke defender Howedes, he sticks a leg out and catches Zabaleta's ankle - that looks painful but the City full-back gets up.

34: The referee brandishes a card to Howedes, and he can have no real complaints. 2 yellow cards, both for the Germans. 

35: Argentina go on the counter attack with Lavezzi and Messi both weaving their way past the German defenders on the break; Messi's attempted final ball into a team-mate in the area is quickly cleared away and Argentina win a corner.

36: Lavezzi whips a cross into the box, but it is too high and close to Neuer who jumps and collects the delivery before throwing powerfully towards the flank.

37: GOOD SAVE by Romero! The Argentinian goalkeeper reacts quickly to parry away Schurrle's effort on-goal inside the area; but the linesman on the far side flags for offside despite Ozil ducking underneath the ball to avoid the offside call being given.

38: It doesn't really feel like a World Cup final, I can't explain it though - it's been a great tournament nonetheless. 

39: Messi weaves his magic again, beats Hummels and almost scores in the process as he speeds into the area - a last-ditch clearance from defender Jerome Boateng ensures that Messi does not break the deadlock.

40: 5 minutes left of the first-half and Germany look rattled and annoyed, not making the most of their half-chances as of yet.

42: A promising counter attack is quashed by Romero as he does well to get his body behind the ball and holds onto the ball to deny Kroos' low but tame effort on-goal, despite good footwork from Muller and Ozil on the edge of the area.

43: Germany's defence looks vulnerable whenever Messi and Lavezzi get the ball at their feet.

45: Germany corner, as the fourth official signals for 2 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half. 

45+1: OFF THE POST! Two consecutive corners for Germany, the second of which rattles off the post as Howedes goes narrowly close to opening the scoring with a power header past Romero. 

Close but no goal: Howedes hits the post with a power header from a corner

45+2: The referee blows his whistle to end the first-half, an entertaining watch as I expected.

20:48 - Thoroughly enjoyable first-half, there could easily be 3 or 4 goals in the match so far. 

20:49 - Slightly surprising that Germany are playing a high-line with their vulnerable defenders on the counter attack, but both teams look dangerous when they are on the attack. 

20:50 - Messi and Lavezzi are the danger men for Argentina, but they have failed to create many chances apart from on the break.

20:51 - Higuain had the best chance of the half for sure, he should have scored with the first effort and his eventual goal was offside. Typical really.

21:03 - The second-half is about to start, and Argentina are making their first substitution of the match: 
Argentina SUB - 
Ezequiel Lavezzi OFF
Sergio Aguero ON

45: Slightly disappointed to see Lavezzi come off, if any attacking-minded player should be replaced it should probably be Higuain but Aguero comes on for the last 45 minutes (unless extra time is needed).

47: CLOSE! Lionel Messi with a shot narrowly wide of Neuer's post, it looked as if it was going in aswell! His effort trickles wide of the post, and Germany are let off.

49: A hint of doubt is starting to creep in, perhaps Argentina will rue their missed chances? Not saying that Messi's effort was as clear-cut as Higuain's in the first-half but Germany only need one chance to score - as seen by Howedes' effort which struck the post in the dying seconds of stoppage time earlier on.

53: Schurrle is brought down on the edge of the area by Zabaleta; play continues on the advantage rule by the referee but the Chelsea forward reacts angrily to the decision from the ref, who let Germany continue on the attack, before the ball was cleared for a corner. 

54: Corner-kick comes of nothing; and Argentina clear.

56: Germany are awarded a free-kick in the area after Neuer does well to sprint towards the ball and accidentally catches Higuain's face when he punches the ball clear, contacting Higuain's face with his trailing knee as a result.

57: Higuain goes to ground, gets up, protests and goes back down again. He is treated by the physio on the far side before he shouts at the fourth official on the touchline. Okay then.

59: Germany have dominated possession, had more passes (376 in the game so far) and better passing accuracy (82%) than their counterparts tonight - no goals to show for it. 

61: Germany go on the counter attack; Schurrle bursting forward past Zabaleta and fires in a low cross into the box - the ball bounces off the floor and hits Ozil on the way out for a goal-kick.

62: Unlucky there from the Germans, they almost scored from a chance which was created out of nothing.

63: First yellow card of the day for Argentina defender Javier Mascherano with a stretching sliding tackle on Klose, he doesn't argue with the referee who books the former Liverpool player.

65: Another yellow card for Argentina, Sergio Aguero collides with Schweinsteiger near the touchline and drops him onto the floor in a heap. The referee is quick to give the Manchester City substitute striker a booking.

66: Now the game is starting to get a bit more fierce, more sliding tackles flying in and the game is stopping quite frequently as I type this. Klose with a late tackle on Biglia.

68: I digress quickly to give my answer for the "Goal of the Tournament" - there have been some absolute stunners, but I will have to pick James Rodriguez against Uruguay in the Last 16.

My goal of the tournament: Rodriguez vs Uruguay

69: The control, the touch, the execution, the finish. Superb strike.

70: But to be fair, there have been many good strikes.

71: Notably, former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill's wonder strike against Holland in the group stage. That was something special.

72: Also, Manchester United striker Robin van Persie's ambitious long-range header from 18 yards out, which had Casillas scrambling into the back of the net.

73: And lastly (because I'm still watching the match), Messi's solo goals against Iran and Nigeria. Magical Messi.

74: Messi does well to get past three German defenders with quick feet and fast movement onto the edge of the area, but his resulting shot is wide of Neuer's goal. The bright spark of the team.

75: FACT - Argentina are yet to be behind in any game at this year's World Cup.

76: Cameras are showing that Palacio is warming up on the touchline, getting ready to come on.

77: Argentina SUB - 
Gonzalo Higuain OFF
Rodrigo Palacio ON

78: Good distribution by Neuer to throw the ball into the path of Muller on the flank, after a quick burst by Messi is cleared away after the German defenders all swarm onto him; 5 German players were needed to get him off the ball. Wow.

79: Germany are lurking in the area.... goal-kick for Argentina is given by the referee after Muller is clattered onto the floor by Biglia, as a cross is whipped into the box.

81: Super passing play between Lahm and Ozil, the Arsenal midfielder passes across to Kroos after a neat cut-back - but the Bayern midfielder's effort is again tame and low into the corner, for Romero to save. 

82: Ozil is upset after the referee waves play on, he is brought down by Mascherano near the edge of the area and the ball trickles out for a goal-kick.

83: Goal-kick temporarily halted, thanks to a pitch invader. 

84: Argentina are preparing another substitution, and it is a defensive change. Gago is getting ready to come on.

85: Argentina SUB -
Enzo Perez OFF 
Fernando Gago ON

86: Gago comes on as fresh legs for Argentina, the possibility of extra-time is looking more and more likely now. Meanwhile Germany are set to make another sub, Gotze is preparing to come on and is waiting patiently on the touchline.

87: Two good defensive tackles in quick succession by Jerome Boateng and then Bastian Schweinsteiger to block the oncoming runs from Messi and Biglia into the German area.

88: Germany SUB -
Miroslav Klose OFF 
Mario Gotze ON

89: Gotze replaces Klose, and Muller is expected to play in the middle of attack with Gotze on the flank or just behind him in the hole.

90: The fourth official signals for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be played.

90+1: Great piece of skill by Messi to first win the ball in the opposing half before threading through a long-range through ball into the area, but Boateng does well to tackle and clear away.

90+2: Gotze has a long-range shot comfortably held by Romero, before Argentina go on the counter attack and Hummels does well to keep his eye on the ball and block the oncoming run from the flank into the area.

90+3: The referee blows his whistle for full-time.

21:54 - 0-0 after 90 minutes, and time for extra-time. The players will be tired and emotionally drained, but it will be interesting to see how they respond now. 

21:55 - No goals scored in an interesting 90 minutes of football, and this is the third consecutive World Cup final that has gone to extra-time.

21:56 - You'd probably expect Germany to comfortably win the match if it did go to penalties; Romero was Argentina's goalkeeping hero in the semi-finals so this next half-an-hour will be interesting again.

21:57 - My Man Of The Match for the 90 minutes of football would have to be Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta, he has made the most tackles on the field of play tonight with 8 so far and has worked hard for his team. 

Looks dangerous on the flank whenever he goes forward and he knows how to defend.

90: The referee blows his whistle to start extra time, and both sides go on the counter attack almost instantly after the whistle has been blown. 

91: First, Schurrle has a one-two layoff with Gotze and his teasing shot is parried away by Romero - before Argentina go on the counter attack and are denied by two excellent sliding blocks from defensive partnership Hummels and Boateng.

92: Those two have also been standout performers tonight, Hummels and Boateng. Looked solid at the back, 11 tackles between them tonight as of yet.

96: CHANCE! Another chance goes begging for the Argentianians, a great ball by Rojo into Palacio is chested down well, Neuer comes out to rush Palacio's shot and the goal is gaping - but Palacio panics and his chipped effort bounces out of play for a goal-kick, narrowly wide of the post.

97: If Argentina fail to go and win after that chance, they will seriously feel robbed. Germany have played well today but to be honest with you, Argentina could easily be 3-0 up if they had taken their chances. 

99: Good defensive work by Mascherano, he beats his marker to the ball before sliding in on Schweinsteiger who goes down, clutching his ankle.

100: Replays show that Mascherano slid in late with his studs onto Schweinsteiger, a painful one despite attempting to win ball possession there. 

101: A nervy finish perhaps? The Argentina supporters are desperately trying to push their team to score now, shouting loud in the Maracana stadium.

103: Cameras show both sets of supporters in the ground, they all look nervous.

105: The referee blows his whistle for half-time in extra time, with 15 minutes to go to settle this gripping final of the World Cup. 

Neither goalkeeper has been beaten so far tonight, and penalties look like a real possibility now.

106: Second-half of extra time has begun. Some really tired legs on the pitch now.

109: Wow. Argentina very lucky to still have 11 men on the field of play after that, two bad challenges in the space of a minute or so from the Argentines. 

110: First, Mascherano with a late tackle which could have easily resulted in his second yellow card of the match.

111: Then, Aguero with an aerial swipe at Schweinsteiger, hit him with an arm into the face and drew blood on the Bayern midfielder.

112: GOAL! Germany are ahead! Bayern Munich creative midfielder Mario Gotze breaks the deadlock in "Iniesta-style" with a superb touch and neat finish beyond Romero, who can only watch as he is beaten with a low strike which nestles into the bottom corner.

113: And now Argentina need to somehow find a way through and equalise, otherwise they will lose this game.

114: Just had a feeling that they would do this, have most of the chances and then not take them. 1-0 down, 5 minutes to play.

117: Germany are preparing for a substitution, defender Per Mertesacker getting ready to come on. 

119: Germany SUB -
Mesut Ozil OFF
Per Mertesacker ON

120: The fourth official signals for 2 minutes of stoppage time to be played, Schweinsteiger is down on the ground while clutching his hamstring after stretching to tackle for the ball in a dangerous position.

121: He gives away a free-kick in a dangerous area for Argentina, probably their last chance of the match.

122: It appears Schweinsteiger has cramp of some sort, he is getting treatment on the far side as Messi stands waiting patiently to take the set-piece.

123: Messi's resulting effort on-goal is well wide, his shot flies over the bar to ironic cheers from the Brazilian supporters in the ground tonight. 

124: After protests about time from the German subs on the bench, the referee eventually blows his whistle for full-time. 

FULL-TIME: 

Germany 1 Argentina 0 AET -
A solo goal and neat finish from Bayern Munich's wonderkid midfielder Mario Gotze (who is 22 years of age) gives the Germans their first World Cup victory for over 20 years against an unlucky Argentinian side who failed to take their chances and have paid the ultimate price as a result. 

An enthralling match to watch, a real shame that the realisation has sunk in that it is the end of the World Cup after this game. What a tournament though. 

Commiserations to Argentina, they have battled their way to the final but didn't take their chances tonight. Just wasn't their night.

22:47 - This may sound controversial, but I think that Messi is without a doubt the best player to ever grace a footballing pitch.

22:48 - They may argue that he needed to win a World Cup to prove himself, but I'm sure that he has done that throughout the tournament.

22:49 - Germany have deserved to win the World Cup this year, they have won all their matches apart from their 2-2 draw against African side Ghana.

22:50 - Cameras are showing Messi, he isn't sobbing on the pitch but he looks like he's thinking about something; he's done well this year.

22:55 -
Goalkeeper of the Tournament - Manuel Neuer of Germany.
Player Of The Tournament - Lionel Messi of Argentina.
Golden Ball Winner - James Rodriguez of Colombia.

23:00 - And now Argentina are walking up to the stage to receive their runners-up medals, after a warm and respectful reception from the German players, giving them a round of applause on the pitch.

23:01 - The world champions are walking up to the stage now, with Bastian Schweinsteiger leading them up to receive their medals and the World Cup trophy itself.

23:03 - Germany are not exactly an old team either, they have a lot of youth startlets who are up and coming in their side. 

23:04 - GERMANY ARE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS! The media and photographers sit patiently on the pitch, waiting to get their turn to capture the beautiful moment as captain Phillip Lahm lifts the World Cup.

World champions: Germany lift the trophy after a tense finish, winning 1-0 after extra time.

23:05 - And a fascinating fact for you: 

FACT - Gotze becomes the FIRST player to come off the bench and score the winner in a World Cup final.

23:06 - Gotze's second goal at this year's World Cup, and what a time to score it. In the final, the biggest stage of them all.


23:08 - Disappointed that it's all over now, but the countdown to the official start of the Premier League has begun.

23:10 - 34 days until the start of the EPL, and you can bet your life savings that I will have coverage, commentaries, match reviews, analysis and more next season, in England and around Europe. 

23:12 - I will be back probably tomorrow or so, with another blog post (can't be revealed, must be kept in suspense..).

23:13 - Hope you enjoyed my LIVE Commentary tonight, it was a great game and Germany deserved to win the tournament overall despite a nervy finish in a match that could have ended much differently, if Argentina had taken their chances. 

WC 2014 3rd vs 4th PLAYOFF, Brazil vs Holland - LIVE COMMENTARY:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, another LIVE Commentary from the World Cup as the tournament draws to a dramatic close.

This match is the 3rd vs 4th play-off game to be played tonight; the hosts Brazil will be desperate to find some sort of comfort and play for pride as they play against van Gaal's men - the Dutch.

Brazil were comprehensively thrashed 7-1 against Germany in their semi-final, while Holland failed to take their chances and lost on penalties to Brazil's South American rivals Argentina.

Here are the team line-ups for tonight's game - 

Brazil: Cesar, Maicon, Silva, Luiz, Maxwell, Gustavo, Paulinho, Ramires, Oscar, Willian and Jo.

Subs: Jefferson, Victor, Alves, Fernandinho, Marcelo, Hulk, Dante, Fred, Henrique, Hernanes and Bernard.

Holland: Cillessen, Kuyt, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi, Blind, Clasie, Wijnaldum, de Guzman, Robben and van Persie.

Subs: Vorm, Krul, Janmaat, Verhaegh, Veltman, Kongolo, Lens, Huntelaar and Depay. 


Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (from Algeria)

21:00 - The referee blows his whistle, and the match has begun. Both teams playing for nothing but pride, the right to be named as 3rd place in this year's World Cup.

10: Not a lot has happened in the first 10 minutes of the match, but the only notable point to take out of the opening exchanges is the clear fact that Holland are leading 1-0.

11: This was thanks to an early penalty breakthrough by Manchester United striker Robin van Persie after Robben was clearly brought down inside the box by PSG defender Thiago Silva, arguably lucky to still be on the field of play after that challenge.

12: Brazil have started the game slowly, and have been punished for it. Neymar is sitting on the bench to help support his country tonight, but they are clearly missing his presence for sure.

16: GOAL! And it goes from bad to worse for Brazil, after a poor attempted headed clearance from David Luiz fall into the path of full-back Daley Blind, who calmly slots the ball beyond Cesar into the net to double Holland's lead and score his first international goal for Holland in the process.

18: Brazil have not been at their best today, it's a real shame given how they have struggled in the last few matches and now they are paying the price.

21: Oscar has been the only real bright spark in the Brazilian side today, he darts forward with the ball at his feet and has a dragged shot into the path of Cillessen.

23: Holland look solid but shaky at the back, as if there is a lack of communication between the defenders altogether.

25: Unfortunately for Brazil, they don't seem to be able to capitalize on this.

30: Last 5 minutes or so has just been Brazil pressurizing on the Holland goal, but to no avail. 

34: First yellow card of the match goes to Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzman for a late foul on Oscar, who was about to sprint on the counter attack with the ball.

35: de Guzman took one for the team there, Brazil are starting to up the ante.

37: CLOSE! David Luiz and Luiz Gustavo fly towards a deep cross into the box from Oscar, but they both miss the ball and Holland are let off there. Still 2-0 to the Dutch.

39: The match momentarily halts as Kuyt receives treatment on the far side with a head wound from an aerial challenge, the top of his head is clearly bleeding and he is currently being treated.

41: Kuyt comes back on after treatment from the physio after a fizzing effort from van Persie is well held by goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

43: Tough, hard-looking challenge by Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar on Ramires, who rolls around on the floor in a considerable amount of pain. 

45: The fourth official signals for 2 minutes of stoppage time.

45+2: 
HALF-TIME:
Brazil 0 Holland 2
The Dutch have dominated and taken their chances, Brazil have been wasteful and look vulnerable at the back.

It's been that simple so far in the first-half, where the majority of the Brazilian players have been quite poor in truth. 2-0 to Holland, and Brazil are lucky that they are only 2-0 down at half-time.

22:03 - The second-half has begun, with Brazil making one substitution at the break:

Brazil SUB: Luiz Gustavo OFF, Fernandinho ON

45: 45 minutes for Brazil to save some respect for themselves, can they do it? Probably not to be truthful.

53: van Persie is brought down after a hefty challenge from Fernandinho who blocks his run and clatters into the United striker's knee.

54: Holland have an in-swinging free-kick to take, 30 yards out as van Persie tries to regain his balance after crashing to the turf in pain.

56: Brazil SUB - 
Paulinho OFF
Hernanes ON

59: Chelsea duo Oscar and Ramires link-up well on the edge of the area, the latter has a shot towards goal but his effort fires wide of Cillessen's far post. Good half-chance for Brazil, but they fail to convert. 

62: Brazil have a free-kick in a dangerous area, 25 yards out after Maicon gallops with the ball at his feet and is fouled by both Blind and Kuyt under pressure, both lunging forward towards him.

63: David Luiz steps up to take the free-kick.... saved! by Cillessen who does well to comfortably catch the effort and avoid potential danger.

66: Cameras are showing the despairing faces of Brazilian supporters and the players on the field, they look down and out already despite the crowd cheering them on whenever they have the ball.

67: The referee brandishes a yellow card to Chelsea attacking midfielder Oscar for what he adjduged to be a dive. 

68: Replays show that the decision was definitely a harsh one from the official, Oscar fell to ground but there was clear contact and a clash of knees between him and full-back Daley Blind, who is down on the floor clutching his knee as a result of the accidental collision.

69: Blind is in some discomfort, and the physio have wasted no time rushing onto the pitch with a stretcher to carry him off. He will not be able to continue, the knee looks clearly bruised and battered after contact with Oscar. 

70: Holland SUB - 
Daley Blind (injury) OFF 
Daryl Janmaat ON

72: Brazil SUB - 
Ramires OFF
Hulk ON

74: Hulk goes down easily and wins a free-kick near the centre circle as a result, with rumoured United target and defender de Vrij visibly upset by the decision, clearly not a foul.

76: For someone of his size and physique, it's quite surprising that Hulk goes down so easily. 

79: Poor decision and poor delivery into the box by Oscar, his cross into the box flies over his team-mates and over the bar - wasted chance there.

82: Robben goes down easily again in the box, luckily for the sanity of many people watching the game tonight no foul was given by the referee.

83: It's ridiculous that Robben dives all the time, despite his clear individual ability as one of the best forwards in the world he just lets himself down.

86: CLOSE! Holland almost go 3-0 up with a whipped corner-kick delivery into the box punched clear by the jumping presence of Julio Cesar, just inches away from Kuyt's head who was about to head the ball into the back of the net... that was close.

88: Hulk and Vlaar exchange heated words near the touchline after the Brazilian reacts badly to an accidental clip of his heel by the Aston Villa defender.
"The Hulk" vs the Dutch brick wall.

89: Another injury, young central midfielder Jordy Clasie is being stretchered off by the physio after it appears that he pulled his hamstring.

90: Holland SUB - 
Jordy Clasie (injury) OFF
Joel Veltman ON

90+1: GOAL! Holland make it 3-0 with minutes to the end, with midfielder Wijnaldum slotting the ball into the far corner of the net, out of Cesar's reach to clinically finish a low cross into the area from Janmaat. 

FACT: That is Brazil's 10th goal that they have conceded in the last 2 matches, 7 against Germany and 3 against Holland.

90+2: Brazil look like a beaten team, and they truly are one now. The Dutch have deserved to win tonight, and they have taken their chances. 

90+3: A nice touch by Holland manager van Gaal, he replaces Cillessen for Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm with 2 minutes of time.

90+4: That means that van Gaal has used up all 23 of his first-team players during the tournament. 

90+5: 
FULL-TIME:

Brazil 0 Holland 3 -
The final whistle blows. 3-0 to Holland, and that ends a poor finish to such a promising tournament for the host nation Brazil.

Well played Holland, deserving of 3rd place this year. Unlucky not to go all the way, but the lack of a clinical nature in the knock-out rounds ended up biting them where it hurts.

Well deserved: Holland have finished this tournament in 3rd place

Goals from van Persie, Blind and Wijnaldum have given the Dutch a well-deserved 3rd place in this year's World Cup, against a Brazilian side who will be under a huge amount of scrutiny for what has been perceived to be a feeble attempt to win the tournament on home soil in the last few matches.

They have been average quite frankly in the knock-out rounds, which makes you think whether or not Colombia and Chile could have progressed further if they were lucky enough to win. 

But in the end, their only plan has backfired on them; they constantly rely on Neymar, and once he was injured they lost their creative spark.

Unbearable: Star man Neymar is among the players on the bench, struggling to watch

Let's not even talk about their defensive frailties, there are too many to analyse right now. David Luiz for £50million looks like a joke after this tournament. To be honest, despite being a quality player, he probably shouldn't be called a centre-back.

Anyways, time to look forward to what promises to be an intriguing final tomorrow. Germany vs Argentina, the winner will lift the World Cup and become the new world champions!

Glory awaits: Germany up against Argentina in a must-watch World Cup final. Tomorrow, 9pm.

Can't wait for that match, you can follow my LIVE Commentary of the game on the blog tomorrow from 8.30pm GMT. 

Stay close for that one, along with other posts.

Shaw to United - Summer Signing Review #5:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post. 

Second of the summer: United unveiled Shaw, a day after they confirmed Herrera had signed

Today, I will be reviewing my 5th summer signing review of the transfer window - Manchester United's second signing; 18-year-old teenage startlet Luke Shaw for a reported transfer fee of £30million pounds from Southampton.

This is what Shaw had to say on the deal:

"It's a great feeling you know, I thought that the deal would be concluded before the World Cup but I can't believe that it has been done now.

They are the best club in the world and the main reason why I've come here is because the club aspire to win trophies and me as a young lad - I want to do the same. I'm very excited to work with Ryan Giggs and van Gaal, I present my game the exact way that he does and I'm excited to be here."

There has been some news coverage and questions being asked over whether or not the transfer fee is justified, but Shaw has proved himself at the highest level for Southampton in the past season or so and he has the potential to be a good long-term signing for the club in the future.

Good long-term investment: Shaw has the potential to be one of the best full-backs in the world

Record-breaking: Shaw is now the most expensive full-back in the world, at age 18. 

He is only 18, which means that he still has a lot of time to develop his potential and improve his skills; United will use him as a future first-team player and ensure that he gets all the help he needs to settle in quickly and become one of best signings in recent years. 

Experience: Shaw has already played and been capped at international level for England.

Southampton will feel disappointed to sell one of their key players; but they will be content that they have £30million pounds from the sale - so they can re-build their team and sign new players this summer, as they look to establish themselves as a top 8 team again in the next campaign, which will be far from easy. Losing Lambert, Lallana and Shaw among others will put a dampen on their spirits.

Shaw's strengths and weaknesses -

• His defensive contribution is strong, and he has a lot of pace to catch up with defenders
• Struggles to hold onto the ball for a long period of time, and is more likely to pass to a team-mate than go on a selfish run
• Quick feet, has a good pass and his visual awareness is superb
• Poor at man-marking and often wanders away from markers
• Fast on the counter attack and has a good cross
• Does not score many goals, but creates good goal-scoring opportunities
• Good at dribbling with the ball at his feet
• Needs to work on his strength and overall presence in the air also if he is to establish himself as a top-quality defender in the future

VERDICT: United have made some shrewd business to get Shaw and Herrera so far in the transfer market - obviously their supporters will be desperate for more good signings, and these two players are both promising and have potential.

Shaw is only 18, and will improve. As a long-term replacement for French full-back Patrice Evra, the club has done well to sign him and he will develop ofcourse. 

Herrera meanwhile does not have any Premier League experience, but if he settles in well, there is no reason why he will not link-up well with the likes of Mata, Kagawa and Rooney at Old Trafford next season.

This is an exciting time for United at the moment, having under-performed last season they can get back to where they belong in the top four, van Gaal IN and some promising signings are a signal of intent for sure. 

WC 2014 SEMIS MATCH REPORT: Holland vs Argentina -

In the second and last of the World Cup semi-finals being played, Holland were up against Argentina, with the winner up against Germany in the final of the tournament on Sunday.

After a truly shocking and breathtaking display yesterday in what can only be described as a post-mortem event afterwards in the match between Germany and Brazil, the Germans breezed past their opponents in comfortable fashion and were able to take advantage of the defensive weaknesses to thrash them 7-1. Yes, you read that last sentence right, 7 goals to 1.

You STILL don't believe me? Okay, look: 

Destruction: Germany were dominant throughout the match and exposed the frail Brazil team

So there was obviously going to be a surreal atmosphere inside the ground before kick-off on Wednesday night, both teams knew they needed to be at the top of their game to ensure that they were not exploited just like Brazil were the night before.

At half-time, the score was still 0-0, with limited goal-scoring chances for both teams. Messi had a low free-kick drive from 20 yards out caught by Cillessen, and Garay had a free header whipped over the bar. 

Notable performers in the first 45: Messi, Vlaar, de Vrij and Cillessen.

Both teams were understandably tentative and had defensive-minded tactics going into the match; and it resulted in a dull spectacle to watch - but it was obviously going to be interesting to see which side could take the lead in the second period, if at all.

The second-half was almost a carbon copy of the first, but with a slight twist. Both sides were going for it, seeing as they wanted to win the match and avoid the possibility of extra time and even penalties. 

Despite three substitutions and a few silly tackles and challenges, the score remained goal-less; both sides were going for it but lacked the clinical touch.

And then extra-time was upon us. And then it went. No change, still 0-0. A tense finale followed, as it was time for the penalty shoot-out to decide who would face Germany in Sunday's final.

No bold change by new United manager van Gaal this time, as he gave Cillessen his chance to shine from the spot-kicks, as Tim Krul watched on.

And in the end, this is how it ended (LIVE reactions to the spot-kicks being taken)

• SAVED! 0-0. Good diving block by Romero to stop the weak placement by Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar, who arguably shouldn't have taken the penalty in the first place.
• GOAL! 1-0 to Argentina. Cool, calm and collected from Barcelona forward and captain Lionel Messi, sends Cillessen the wrong way and slots into the corner.
• GOAL! 1-1. Bayern winger Arjen Robben equalises in the shootout with another good strike, Romero dived the wrong way.
• GOAL! 2-1 to Argentina. What a power strike! Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay with a thunderbolt into the net, and Argentina are back in front!
• SAVED! Argentina now have an advantage! Romero guesses right and dives to his right to stop Sneijder's well placed effort, which was definitely goal-bound. Solid save.
• GOAL! 3-1 to Argentina. Aguero with a low drive into the back of the net out of Cillessen's reach despite guessing the right way. Game over?
• GOAL! Holland pull one back! 3-2. Match point to the Argentinians, but Kuyt slots his penalty calmly into the bottom corner of the net. They score now, they've won.
• GOAL! 4-2 and ARGENTINA ARE THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL!! 
• Maxi Rodriguez finishes off the clinical shootout with a power strike, Cillessen parries but the ball bounces off the crossbar into the net.

And so now it's CONFIRMED:

Germany vs Argentina - World Cup final on Sunday

Brazil vs Holland - 3rd vs 4th place play-off on Saturday

VERDICT: I'm glad to see that Argentina and Messi will be in the World Cup final, perhaps Messi can finally silence the doubters that he is the best ever - criticism in the past saying you can not be the best if you don't win the World Cup, here is his chance!

But also - Germany. They have been both dominant and nervy at times throughout the tournament, and they have a lot of quality and strength in depth in terms of tactical options, which will culminate for a great final surely?!

It's the final I predicted when I saw the Last 16 fixtures! Should be a very good game aswell, painful for Holland - they were unlucky but could not finish their chances in the end and it backfired on them. 

But to be fair, the 90 minutes of football was fairly dull, barely any real clear-cut chances for either side.

As soon as extra-time was announced, I expected the match to be decided on penalties. No other way.

On the other hand for Holland, despite being a good team, they have rode their luck to even be in the semi-finals. Remember Mexico and Costa Rica?

Holland: Runners-up in 2010, now fighting for 3rd place in 2014. 

Romero was the hero for Argentina, Messi was a bright spark throughout and Mascherano was the unsung hero.

FACT: Messi completed 10 dribbles throughout the match, which was 6 more than any other player in the game (Robben had 4). 

Can't wait for the conclusion to an enthralling tournament.

Through to the final! Argentina have done it the hard way, on penalties.