Sporting Madness

I'm bringing back the Earning the (re)cap series for the remainder of the World Cup. Here are quick breakdowns of the quarterfinal games. I'll do another breakdown of the semifinal matches Wednesday evening and then recap the final on Monday. Each match will also be previewed the day before. The Netherlands - Brazil Score: 2-1, NED My prediction: 2-1, BRA I figured this would be a close one, but I wasn't expecting the Dutch to be able to come away with a win. It's interesting how this match turned out, though; it featured two sides that have historically been known more for their attacking efforts than their solid defence, but both Brazil under Dunga and the Netherlands under Bert van Marwijk have focused on improving their sides' defensive performances. As Richard Williams of The Guardian pointed out , it was largely that defensive intensity that allowed the Netherlands to come away with the win against Brazil. The South Americans dominated the early g...

I'm going to be doing previews of every World Cup game from here on in. First up, the quarterfinals. Here's a preview on Paraguay - Spain, which will be televised at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) tomorrow on CBC. Paraguay: Record:(W-L-D) 1-0-3 (one extra win on penalties) GF: 3 GA: 1 Top scorer: Three players tied with one goal each Spain: Record: 3-0-1 GF: 5 GA: 2 Top scorer: David Villa , four goals Try your luck at sports betting ! It's been a very curious World Cup so far for Paraguay. They've only won one game in regular time (a 2-0 victory over Slovakia), but they still claimed first place in Group F and knocked out Japan on penalties in the Round of 16. Their defence has been tremendous, only conceding one goal in four matches. Still, they've only scored three goals, and none of their players have more than one. Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz in particular has perhaps been the biggest disappointment; he...