Brazil 4 - 1 Cameroon

They once stood as tall as the Kilimanjaro Mountains (the highest peak in Africa) for the African continent in global Football but how low have the mighty fallen to become the whipping boys of global football at the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil.

Cameroon exits the FIFA 2014 World Cup in the most embarrassing fashion conceding 8 goals in their last two showing to Croatia and Brazil respectively the worst showing ever for the Indomitable Lions who once dominated at this stage. It got so bad that the team devolved into absolute chaos as players got entangled with each other in fisticuffs.

After narrowly beating their World Cup nemesis Ghana in the first game 2-1 and drawing 2-2 with Portugal last night in a fight until the very end, the U.S. men’s national team’s hopes of advancing come down to Thursday’s match with Germany at Arena Pernambuco (ESPN, UniMas at 12 p.m. ET). Led by leading scorer and captain Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), the U.S. team controls its own destiny needing a win or a tie to advance to the knockout round. A breakdown of the scenarios in which the U.S. can advance – even if they lose – can be found here.

Brazil celebrated their 100th FIFA World Cup™ match with a fittingly entertaining 4-1 victory over Cameroon to arrange a mouthwatering Round of 16 meeting with fellow South Americans Chile.

A double from Neymar, now the top scorer at the tournament with a quartet of strikes, and second-half efforts by Fred and Fernandinho proved enough to secure top spot in Group A for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. Their opponents, on the other hand, say farewell to the competition without a point from three outings.

Buoyed by reverberating noise in Brasilia, the hosts were fast and direct, causing consternation for the African side regularly from kick-off by moving the ball to their frontline as quickly as possible. They were thankful for the positioning of Marcelo in the tenth minute, however – the Real Madrid full-back crucially blocked a goal-bound piledriver from Eyong Enoh.

Cool, calm, calculated and never one to make hasty decisions, Côte d'Ivoire head coach Sabri Lamouchi's style on the sidelines has a lot in common with what he was like as a player. A tireless worker, the 42-year-old former defensive midfielder – who was capped 18 times for France – was hugely influential everywhere he plied his trade, including notably at Auxerre, Inter Milan and Marseille. Known for always making the right choices on the pitch, he appears to have taken this priceless attribute into his career in the dugout.

"We are trying to find our own style," Lamouchi told FIFA. "We've been working together and building this group for two years now. We've got to know each other and want to stamp our mark on the pitch." Speaking of which, there is no question that the squad has the coach's fingerprints all over it: a blend of up-and-coming talents making their debut at the FIFA World Cup™ and seasoned veterans, it is a group forged in his image, with youth and wisdom rolled into one.

Very few people predicted that Algeria would be able to secure a win at the 2014 Fifa World Cup, lest alone become the first African side to score four goals in the history of the tournament.

The emphatic win moved the Desert Foxes close to their first ever appearance in the knock out rounds after dishing out a 4-2 defeat to South Korea in Porto Alegre yesterday.

Nigeria 1 – 0 Bosnia

The Super Eagles looked at best lackluster in their first game against Iran and were truly discombobulated but after the Iranians played Argentina to an almost goalless draw we have come to realize that the Iranians are no push over.

In today’s match the Eagles looked a lot more composed and crisp and were in sync with each other and moreover they had more shots at the goal and their striker Emenike  was more Drogbalike in his approach today putting a lot more pressure on the Bosnians who at time were so frustrated by his consistent attach at the goal that they stated fouling him even without the ball.

Ghana 2 – 2 Germany

It was a game that lived up to the hype as Soccer and European powerhouse Germany got held in Brazil by African powerhouse the Black Stars of Ghana in their Group G (Group of Death) matchup in a game that most thought Ghana would lose and be out of the World Cup.

An interesting note is the outright presumptuous comment made by the ESPN commentator calling the Germany Vs Ghana game who was already looking ahead to the round of 16 for the US and Germany indicating the disrespect that is out there for the African continent and the African game.

Television coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ broke a whole host of viewing records during the first round of group matches in Brazil, highlighting the growing popularity of the competition and football around the world.

Opening matches set new audience highs for 2014 all over the world as fans watched in record numbers in countries such as Brazil, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, France, the Netherlands, Croatia and Italy. An all-time high was set in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

 “You can't hide from pressure. Football is a game of pressure. Everyone expects big things from you.”

The broad shoulders of Emmanuel Emenike look capable of withstanding their fair share of expectations, but after Nigeria's opening 0-0 draw with Iran – where the reigning African champions largely failed to ignite – he accepts there will be even more than usual when they face Group F rivals Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As a result the team have come in for some criticism from the football-loving streets of Abudja, Lagos and across the rest of their West African homeland on the other side of the Atlantic, but the burly Fenerbahçe striker feels they must take it in their stride. “When things don't go well, everyone speaks, everyone talks the way they like,” he told FIFA.

Liverpool star striker, Luis Suarez, put up a splendid show last night and was deservedly awarded with two goals that knocked England out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Both sides entered the match clearly knowing that a defeat would send them on the next plane home and it was Suarez who nodged the South American outfit ahead with a crisp first half header.

England then fought hard in the second half and were duly rewarded when Wayne Rooney recorded his first ever World Cup goal to level matters.

The biggest shock of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has come and like in 2010, the holders of the cup have been knocked out.

Reigning champs Spain were booted out last night in emphatic fashion by a resurgent Chile side who also put Vicente Del Bosque’s job on the line as he risks facing the chop after the tournament.

Spain have been the dominant world football powerhouse for the past six years having secured back to back Euro championships in addition to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Their renowned tiki taka passing game hit a brick hall against a well disciplined Chilean outfit.

They always say you cannot fix what is not broken, and that is what exactly Sabri Lamouchi did to the Ivory Coast squad on Thursday June 19th 2014 when they played their chief rivals Colombia in Group C, by trying to fix what was not broken in the first game against Japan.

Coach Lamouchi did something during their first match against Japan which worked great for the Ivorians by subbing Didier Drogba in during the second half and at the same time played him alongside  Wilfred Bony another striker position a the front (a two headed monster if you will) that gave the Japanese fits as they labored to contain them.

Côte d'Ivoire will be without striker Didier Ya Konan when the Elephants face Colombia in Brasilia on Thursday.

The Hanover forward, who helped inspire the comeback against Japan last week after coming off the bench, suffered a knee injury that will keep him out. However Stuttgart defender Arthur Boka is available after returning to training despite limping off with a calf problem against Japan. Both Côte d'Ivoire and Colombia won their opening matches and a win for either should guarantee qualification for the Round of 16.

Cameroon have crashed out of the FIFA World Cup™ after a resounding 4-0 defeat to Croatia in which they were reduced to ten men. The Indomitable Lions were second best throughout this Group A encounter in Manaus, which ended with their European opponents having boosted their hopes of vying with Brazil and Mexico for a place in the Round of 16. Croatia now know that the winner of their final group phase encounter with El Tri will advance, while Cameroon will conclude their doomed campaign against the hosts.

Niko Kovac's side had impressed in spells against Brazil in their opening match and their class told in this encounter, with the outcome rarely in danger from the 11th minute onwards. That was when Ivica Olic, 34, became his country's oldest World Cup goalscorer, firing home first time with his left foot after being teed up at close range by Ivan Perisic's perfectly weighted pass.

Africans who were around during the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cup can vividly remember the magic and legend that was the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and most have hung on to those glorious times and moments fooling themselves that the Lions will forever remain as they were. But time and tide waits for no man and time surely moves on and things change and certainly the indomitable Lions today are not that of the 1980’s and 90’s.

Africa fell in love with a time when they were all made to feel proud to be African and a part of Football a sport the continent is madly in love with, a moment when the legend himself Roger Milla dazzled the world but that moment has been long gone and the indomitable Lions with its lone superstar in Samuel Eto’o is nothing but a mirage of those times.

Ghana's Berlin-born midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has turned up the heat for Saturday's FIFA World Cup™ Group G match against Germany by comparing it to a gladiator-style 'fight to the death'.

"It's like in ancient Rome. There will be people around the pitch who want to see how two teams fight," the Schalke 04 star told German magazine Sport Bild. "The team who wants it more will win and we will fight to the death against Germany."

Boateng opted to play for Ghana, the country of his father, in 2009 and will be up against his half-brother and Germany right-back Jérôme Boateng in Fortaleza. Germany top their group after Monday's 4-0 hammering of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, while Ghana are third after their 2-1 defeat to the USA the same day.

Kwadwo Asamoah has appealed to Ghana's coach Kwesi Appiah to put him back in a more attacking role ahead of a key FIFA World Cup™ clash against Germany.

Asamoah, Ghana's footballer of the year for the past two years, was devastated by the Black Stars' 2-1 defeat by the United States on Monday. The 25-year-old was used as a left-sided defender in a loose 4-2-3-1 formation that did not work in the Group G clash. He has found it difficult to change from his normal role at Juventus as a wingback in a 3-5-2 formation.

"I'm the kind of player who attacks a lot. My style is different, I'm not a typical defender," the Juventus midfielder told AFP. With World Cup survival probably hinging on Saturday's game against an ominously strong looking Germany, Asamoah feels he is being underused.

There is no denying that 28 year old Mexico goalie, Guillermo Ochoa has become an internet sensation after producing man of the match saves last night to allow his side settle for a goalless draw against hosts Brazil.

The AC Ajaccio number one, till 30 June, thwarted all the Samba Boys raids and reduced Neymar to being merely a spectator when he denied him on numerous occasions. He also saved a goal bound header from Brazilian

And to celebrate his feat, Ochoa instantly became the new World Cup darling of the internet, as has become the norm in this epoch governed by social media were global football fans interact.

It’s do or die for Cameroon today when they play their second Group A match against Croatia vying for nothing short of a victory if they are to progress to the Round Of 16. A defeat will all but end the Indomitable Lions dreams of making an impact at Brazil 2014 as they will surely be eliminated.

This is after Mexico pulled off a shocker last night by holding hosts Brazil to a goalless draw. Both Brazil and Mexico are now on 4 points while Cameroon and Croatia are still to collect points in a group were football experts have predicted that Brazil and Croatia will sail through.

It doesn’t seem to rain but it continuously pours for African representatives at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. After Cameroon succumbed to a 1-0 loss last Friday to Mexico, expectations were high that the remaining 4 nations would deliver. But alas, things keep getting worse for our mother continent after Nigeria and Ghana failed to secure wins last night.

The first draw of the FIFA World Cup wasn’t exciting at all after Nigeria squandered numerous chances and sat back to allow Iran back into the game. The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

The result painfully stings for Nigeria, who were better poised to survive and move through to the knockout phases of the competition in a group that also features Argentina and Bosnia. To qualify, Nigeria now needs to certainly beat tough European nation Bosnia.

Bosnia are spearheaded by lanky Manchester City forward Edwin Dzeko.

Two young Belgians impressed in a come-from-behind win over Algeria on Matchday 6, with both Romelu Lukaku and Divock Origi doing their chances of picking up the Hyundai Young Player Award here at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ no harm at all.

Powerful striker Lukaku started for Belgium in their opener. The 21-year-old powerhouse, however, was unable to break down a stingy Algerian rearguard and was eventually withdrawn in the 58th minute. His performance was mature and vigorous, but he was up against a team determined to sit on their lead.

The man who replaced him is also in the running for the Hyundai Young Player award. Divock Origi, a replacement in the squad for injured Christian Benteke, made an immediate impact. He dragged the Africans, who featured young gun Nabil Bentaleb in midfield, out of position with his lively running and helped carve out two goals as the Belgians stormed back to take all three points. It was only Origi’s third cap for his country and he may well have earned himself a starting spot from here on out.

Second-half goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens enabled Belgium to come from behind and beat Algeria 2-1 in their Group H opener. There was as much relief as joy for Marc Wilmots' side at Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao, although they ultimately merited a win that had looked unlikely until the coach began shuffling his pack.

Belgium had began the match as overwhelming favourites - considered even as dark horses for the Trophy - but it was Algeria who began by far the brighter of the two teams. After forcing a few early set-pieces and pinning the Europeans back in their own half, Les Fennecs carved out their first big chance on 18 minutes when an off-balance Riyad Mahrez sliced wide from the angle of the box after bursting through in the left channel

a goal after 30 seconds undoes the best-laid of plans and conceding another after 86 minutes leaves you with little time to react, as Ghana found to their cost on their Group G debut against USA on Monday.

“That early goal we conceded killed us,” Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan told FIFA.com. “It totally changed our gameplan and put us on edge. We were the better side, though. We dominated the game and we managed to pull level. I thought we deserved to win, and we were looking for the winner when they scored their second. But, then again, that’s football.”

To lose in such a way was a bitter pill for Akwasi Appiah’s side to swallow, as a resigned Gyan explained: “We are very down but it just wasn’t our day. We created a lot of chances and we couldn’t score. Our problem was a lack of focus. USA didn’t create that much danger. They only had two chances.”

USA 2 – 1 Ghana

Team USA Shocked the Soccer World in their World Cup Opener as they finally beat the Black Stars of Ghana for the first time ever on their June 16th 2014 match-up.

In a thrilling match in their Group of Death (Group G) opening match Team USA under the guidance of former National German Team legend Jurgen Klinsman, defeated a loaded and talented Black Stars team in what most were expecting the USA to fall or at least come out with a draw against the Ghanaians.

The Black Stars who started the match without Kevin Prince Boateng and Michael Essien had to recover from the Initial shock of an early goal by US striker Clint Dempsey who scored 32 seconds into the match.

In very humid conditions the Ghanaians would launch counter attack after Counter attack but the score would remain unchanged throughout the first half.

The Brazilians did not forget Stephen Keshi and his Super Eagles after the men in green swooped down to South America’s biggest country for the FIFA Confederations Cup last year.

Though they were unable to navigate themselves through an examining group including world champions Spain and Copa America holders Uruguay, they did give a good account of themselves and thrill the flair-obsessed locals. That was evident when the Nigerians arrived at the team hotel in Campinas, where innumerable animated fans were on hand to greet them.

Here, in an interview with FIFA, Keshi reveals his surprise at that memorable welcome, discusses the way he believes football should be played, outlines what has let African sides down in the past, and weighs in on Iran, whom Nigeria will commence their FIFA World Cup™ campaign against in Curitiba on Monday.