FIFA World Cup 2014 - Viewed Matches

A record of matches viewed live in the 2014 World Cup.

1. Brazil - Croatia 

(13.6.14, 01.30, Sao Paulo)
3-1 [1-1]

Marcelo (11) [OG] CRO
Neymar (29) BRA
Neymar [P] (71) BRA
Oscar (90+1) BRA

2. Mexico - Cameroon
(13.6.14, 21.30, Natal)
1-0 [0-0]

Peralta (61) MEX

3. Spain - Holland
(14.6.14, 00.30, Salvador)
1-5 [1-1]

Xabi Alonso [P] (27) ESP
Van Persie (44) HOL
Robben (53) HOL
De Vrij (64) HOL
Van Persie (72) HOL
Robben (80) HOL

4. Colombia - Greece
(14.6.14, 21.30, Belo Horizonte)
3-0 [1-0]

Armero (5) COL
Gutierrez (58) COL
Rodriguez (90+3) COL

5. England - Italy
(15.6.14, 03.30, Manaus)

1-2 [1-1]

Marchisio (35) ITA
Sturridge (37) ENG
Balotelli (50) ITA

6. Switzerland - Ecuador
(15.6.14, 21.30, Brasilia)
2-1 [0-1]

Valencia (22) ECU
Mehmedi (48) SWI
Seferovic (90+3) SWI

7. Germany - Portugal
(16.6.14, 21.30, Salvador)
4-0 [3-0]

Mueller [P] (11) GER
Hummels (32) GER
Mueller (45+1) GER
Mueller (78) GER

8. Belgium - Algeria
(17.6.14, 21.30, Belo Horizonte)
2-1 [0-1]

Feghouli [P] (25) ALG
Fellaini (70) BEL
Mertens (80) BEL

9. Brazil - Mexico
(18.6.14, 00.30, Fortaleza)
0-0

10. Australia - Holland
(18.6.14, 21.30, Porto Allegre)
2-3 [1-1]

Robben (20) HOL
Cahill (21) AUS
Jedinak [P] (54) AUS
Van Persie (58) HOL
Depay (68) HOL

11. Uruguay - England
(20.6.14, 00.30, Sao Paulo)
2-1 [1-0]

Luis Suarez (39) URU
Rooney (75) ENG
Luis Suarez (85) URU

12. Italy - Costa Rica
(20.6.14, 21.30, Recife)
0-1 [0-1]

Ruiz (44) CRC

13. Argentina - Iran
(21.6.14, 21.30, Belo Horizonte)
1-0 [0-0]

Messi (90+1) ARG

14. Belgium - Russia
(22.6.14, 21.30, Rio de Janeiro)
1-0 [0-0]

Origi (88) BEL

15. Holland - Chile
(23.6.14, 21.30, Sao Paulo)
2-0 [0-0]

Fer (77) HOL
Depay (90+2) HOL

16. Italy - Uruguay
(24.6.14, 21.30, Natal)
0-1 [0-0]

Godin (81) URU

17. Nigeria - Argentina
(25.6.14, 21.30, Porto Alegre) 


2-3 [1-2]

Messi (3) ARG
Musa (4) NGA
Messi (45+1) ARG
Musa (47) NGA
Rojo (50) ARG

18. USA - Germany
(26.6.14, 21.30, Recife)
0-1 [0-0]

Mueller (55) GER

19. Brazil - Chile
(Pre-Quarter, 28.6.14, 21.30, Belo Horizonte)
3-2 PSO [1-1 ET2], [1-1 ET1], [1-1 FT], [1-1 HT]

David Luiz (18) BRA
Sanchez (32) CHI

PSO 1: David Luiz (BRA) - ☑   Pinilla (CHI) - ☒
PSO 2: Willian (BRA) - ☒  Sanchez (CHI) - ☒
PSO 3: Marcelo (BRA) - ☑   Aranguiz (CHI) - ☑ 
PSO 4: Hulk (BRA) - ☒  Diaz (CHI) - ☑ 
PSO 5: Neymar (BRA) - ☑  Jara (CHI) - ☒

20. Holland - Mexico
(Pre-Quarter, 29.6.14, 21.30, Fortaleza)
2-1 [0-0]

Dos Santos (48) MEX
Sneijder (88) HOL
Huntelaar [P] (90+4) HOL

21. France - Nigeria
(Pre-Quarter, 30.6.14, 21.30, Brasilia)
2-0 [0-0]

Pogba (80) FRA
Yobo (90+2) [OG] FRA

22. Argentina - Switzerland
(Pre-Quarter, 1.7.14, 21.30, Sao Paulo)
1-0 [0-0 ET1], [0-0 FT], [0-0 HT]

Di Maria (118) ARG

23. France - Germany
(Quarter, 4.7.14, 21.30, Rio de Janeiro)
0-1 [0-1]

Hummels (13) GER

24. Brazil - Colombia
(Quarter, 5.7.14, 01.30, Fortaleza)
2-1 [1-0]

T. Silva (7) BRA
D. Luiz (69) BRA
Rodriguez [P] (80) COL

25. Argentina - Belgium
(Quarter, 5.7.14, 21.30, Brasilia)
1-0 [1-0]

Higuein (8) ARG

26. Holland - Costa Rica
(Quarter, 6.7.14, 01.30, Salvador)
4-3 PSO [0-0 ET2]

PSO 1: Borges (CRC) - ☑  Van Persie (HOL) - ☑  
PSO 2: Ruiz (CRC) - ☒  Robben (HOL) - ☑  
PSO 3: Gonzalez (CRC) - ☑  Sneijder (HOL) - ☑
PSO 4: Bolanos (CRC) - ☑  Kuyt (HOL) - ☑
PSO 5: Umana (CRC) - ☒

27. Brazil - Germany
(Semi Final, 9.7.14, 01.30, Belo Horizonte)
1-7 [0-5]

Mueller (11) GER
Klose (23) GER
Kroos (24) GER
Kroos (26) GER
Khedira (29) GER
Schuerrle (69) GER
Schuerrle (79) GER
Oscar (90) BRA

28. Holland - Argentina
(Semi Final, 10.7.14, 01.30, Sao Paulo)
2-4 PSO [0-0 ET2]

PSO 1: Vlaar (HOL) - ☒  Messi (ARG) - ☑
PSO 2: Robben (HOL) - ☑  Garay (ARG) - ☑ 
PSO 3: Sneijder (HOL) - ☒  Aguero (ARG) - ☑
PSO 4: Kuyt (HOL) - ☑  M. Rodriguez (ARG) - ☑

29. Brazil - Holland
(Loser's Final, 13.7.14, 01.30, Brasilia)
0-3 [0-2]

Van Persie [P] (3) HOL
Blind (17) HOL
Wijnaldum (90+1) HOL

30. Germany - Argentina
(FINAL, 14.7.14, 01.30, Rio de Janeiro)
1-0 [0-0 ET1]

Goetze (113) GER

GERMANY become World Champions in 2014

See my post on World Cup 2010 South Africa

When You are in Coma...

Man walking towards sunset. (I couldn't resist some drama)

Yes, when you are in coma, what would you do? Presumably, nothing. You are unconscious, or at least you have lost control of all sensory body functions, even if your brain retains some vitality. Any way, if your doctors are not able to elicit any response from you, it clearly means that you are dead, may be temporarily. So, coma is temporary death - I know, it is oxymoron, but there is nothing else that precisely convey the same idea.

So, while you are in an unconscious bliss, your dear ones are waiting anxiously at the door, hopeful of getting some good news from the inside to which they are denied entry. Coma may last for many days and even many weeks. The emotional toll the interminable wait exacts from them is beyond imagination, to say nothing of the financial burden. That is, of course, if they love you! But you have to accept it a priori, otherwise the whole facade will crumble down to earth. Naturally you want to relieve their misery, but being in coma, you cannot guide them. What is the viable option here?

Giving instructions to them in advance is the alternative which I am doing here. Verbal instructions are not enough in such critical times, because there may be some distant relations who would want to play the role of 'caring guy' and may dissuade the near ones from putting an end to it all. Hence, the following lines are clear cut, written instructions to my nearest ones.

1. If I am in coma with no favourable prospect of recovery, the life support systems may be switched off after waiting for 48 hours. I don't want to prolong the agony, myself as well as my relatives!

2. All organs which can be donated may be done likewise. The body should be donated to a teaching hospital/medical college.

3. No religious ceremony shall be performed for me, immediately after death or at any time in future.

4. An amount not exceeding 5% of my savings may be entrusted to the local high school in which I studied and the interest accrued on it may be awarded to hard working students who performed exceedingly well in Mathematics, Physics and History.

These are my instructions and I would like to 'see' it followed to the letter.

Freeing of Nurses - Diplomatic Victory for New Government

Modi government was accumulating criticism over its policy of cutting subsidies for oil, railway fares and the anticipated hike in LPG and kerosene prices. After a brief honeymoon of two weeks, the new government sat down to do business the hard way. But people are not prone to approach an escalation of prices with any hint of rationalism. If the measure somehow affects their purses, they will naturally scorn the hand that pursue this line of action.

The unexpected surge in the activities of the Sunni-led Islamic forces in Iraq was thought to be a thorn in the flesh for the new government, though it is anticipating a drought as well. Hundreds of Indians working in Iraq were caught between the crossfire and many of them were detained by the rebels, which included 46 female nurses. Their plight fanned the flames of national anxiety in the past two weeks. No body had any clue how to rescue them from the clutches of a militia which was overrunning the whole of Iraq before which government troops were meekly putting down their guns and sitting still to be culled like a clutch of chicken! The nation trembled in anticipation at the likely fate of these hapless nurses.

When Delhi began contacting Iraq's neighbouring states to secure the release of hostages, nobody took it seriously. How could the Indian administrators possibly hope to effect the release of Indians from the custody of diehard militants against whom even the Americans are unwilling to deploy their ground troops? Not only that, the fighters declared a caliph who vouched sovereignty over India too. Naturally, everyone thought that the administration was playing for time while praying for the best.

But quite out of the blue, it bore fruit. The real reason behind the impulsive change of heart of the rebels is not clear, but they decided to free the nurses to the relief of the entire country. They were transported to neutral Kurd-controlled territory and flown over to India today. This is a definite diplomatic victory for India and for the rebels too, for their responsible behaviour and maintenance of wartime ethics to civilians.

Until the day when somebody comes out with a book detailing the behind-the-scenes drama, we must thank and congratulate the Modi Sarkar for pulling off this seemingly impossible achievement!