18 June,2014 06:51 PM IST | | A Correspondent
FIFA World Cup 2014: After their very successful match against Spain, Netherlands would try to continue the form and look to beat Australia too with a good goal difference in today’s Netherlands Vs Australia match. Australia vs Netherlands at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre (1 pm local time, 9.30 pm IST, 5 pm BST, 12 pm ET).
FIFA World Cup 2014: After their very successful match against Spain, Netherlands would try to continue the form and look to beat Australia too with a good goal difference in today's Netherlands Vs Australia match. Australia vs Netherlands at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre (1 pm local time, 9.30 pm IST, 5 pm BST, 12 pm ET) in FIFA World Cup 2014 section https://www.mid-day.com/sports/fifa-world-cup-2014.
On the other hand, Australia after their defeat against Chile would be looking to score and win if they wish to stay in the race for the Knockout stage and thus this becomes a very crucial match for them.
About FIFA World Cup:
The whole world comes to a standstill once every four years when the biggest stage in football gets underway - the FIFA World Cup! The FIFA World Cup has kicked off in Sao Paulo in Brazil on June 12, 2014.
Starting from a small 13 nation tournament in the year 1930, the FIFA World Cup has gradually emerged as 32 nation competition to be held in Brazil this time around. The FIFA World Cup 2014 is the 20th edition of the tournament.
The tournament will kick off with a game between the host nation Brazil and Croatia. A total of 32 teams will be part of football's biggest carnival. Out of the 32 teams participating, 13 have qualified from Europe, four from North and Central America, six from South America, Four from Asia including Australia, and five have qualified from Africa.
However, this year's World Cup in Brazil has been in the news for some of the wrong reasons. The South American nation has spent over 11 billion dollars to play host to the world cup amid workers' strike, people's protests over rising unemployment and escalating costs. Some of the stadiums constructed by the government were completed just days before the world cup kicked off.
Defending Champions Spain has been pitted against last editions runner-up Netherlands in the Group B. A total of 12 venues have been selected for the matches to take place. The final of the tournament will be played on July 13 at the Estadio do Maracana.
Out of the 19 editions held so far, Brazil has won the tournament a record five times, while Italy comes a close second with winning it four times. Germany is placed third by clinching it thrice, while Argentina and Uruguay have won it two times each. Other teams are Spain, England and France who have won the title once.
The FIFA World Cup over the years has produced many football legends with the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Geoff Hurst, Johan Cryuff, Zinedine Zidane, Romario, as well as Ronaldo. This edition of the World Cup has also provided a platform for players who have excelled in the club arena, to cement their places at the national level like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo as well as budding performers like Neymar, Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Karim Benzema among others.
While many youngsters make their debut in this edition, there will be many legends who will bid adieu to the international scene after the World Cup. Star players like Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and a few more names will be playing their last FIFA World Cup.
