2014 FIFA World Cup Group E

The two teams had never met before.[1]

Ecuador took the lead in the first half when Walter Ayoví's free kick was headed in by Enner Valencia. Switzerland equalised early in the second half from another set-piece, Ricardo Rodríguez's corner kick headed in by half-time substitute Admir Mehmedi.[2] The winning goal of the match was scored by another substitute Haris Seferović in the 93rd minute of the game with just 20 seconds remaining in injury time. A Swiss breakaway started in their own penalty area when Valon Behrami won the ball, and finished by Seferović converting Rodríguez's cross.[3]

This was Switzerland's first World Cup win over South American opposition in six attempts.[4]

15 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Switzerland	2–1	Ecuador
Mehmedi  48' Seferović  90+3'	Report	E. Valencia  22'

Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília

Attendance: 68,351

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)[5]

Switzerland

Ecuador

GK 1 Diego Benaglio RB 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner CB 20 Johan Djourou  84' CB 5 Steve von Bergen LB 13 Ricardo Rodríguez DM 11 Valon Behrami DM 8 Gökhan Inler (c) RW 23 Xherdan Shaqiri AM 10 Granit Xhaka LW 14 Valentin Stocker  46' CF 19 Josip Drmić  75' Substitutions: FW 18 Admir Mehmedi  46' FW 9 Haris Seferović  75' Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld

GK 22 Alexander Domínguez RB 4 Juan Carlos Paredes  53' CB 2 Jorge Guagua CB 3 Frickson Erazo LB 10 Walter Ayoví RM 16 Antonio Valencia (c) CM 23 Carlos Gruezo CM 6 Christian Noboa LM 7 Jefferson Montero  77' CF 13 Enner Valencia CF 11 Felipe Caicedo  70' Substitutions: MF 15 Michael Arroyo  70' MF 9 Joao Rojas  77' Manager: Reinaldo Rueda

The two teams had never met before.[6]

The match started without the national anthems being played before the kick-off,[7] which FIFA later said was due to an audio system malfunction.[8] France took the lead in the first half on a penalty kick converted by Karim Benzema, which was awarded on a foul by Wilson Palacios on Paul Pogba, for which Palacios received his second yellow card and was sent off.[9] An own goal by Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares early in the second half gave France a two-goal lead. Benzema's shot rebounded off the post and then hit Valladares, and despite his effort to scoop it clear, the ball was indicated by goal-line technology to have crossed the line and the goal was awarded. France completed the scoring when Benzema scored his second goal, as he blasted in the rebound after Mathieu Debuchy's shot was inadvertently blocked by Patrice Evra and fell to him in the penalty area.[10]

The second goal was the first time that a goal was awarded in the World Cup with the support of goal-line technology.[11] There was some confusion when the animated replay of the goal was shown in the stadium, however, as when the ball first hit the post, causing "NO GOAL" to correctly flash onto screens in the stadium, it then hit Valladares and crossed the line, producing "GOAL" on the screen. The initial flash of "NO GOAL" drew boos from fans, caused a commotion among the managers and players on the sideline,[12] and led to confusion even from the BBC's experienced television commentator Jonathan Pearce, who required his colleague Martin Keown to explain the incident to him.[13] In response to the confusion, FIFA promised to review how the replays are shown in the future for similar incidents.[14]

Stretching back to their last match of the 1982 World Cup, this was the fifth consecutive World Cup match that Honduras failed to score a goal, matching the record held by Bolivia (1930–1994) and Algeria (1986–2010).[15]

15 June 2014

16:00 UTC−3

France	3–0	Honduras
Benzema  45' (pen.), 72' Valladares  48' (o.g.)	Report

Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

Attendance: 43,012

Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)[5]

France

Honduras

GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c) RB 2 Mathieu Debuchy CB 4 Raphaël Varane CB 5 Mamadou Sakho LB 3 Patrice Evra  7' DM 6 Yohan Cabaye  45+2'  65' CM 14 Blaise Matuidi CM 19 Paul Pogba  28'  57' RF 8 Mathieu Valbuena  78' CF 10 Karim Benzema LF 11 Antoine Griezmann Substitutions: MF 18 Moussa Sissoko  57' MF 12 Rio Mavuba  65' FW 9 Olivier Giroud  78' Manager: Didier Deschamps

GK 18 Noel Valladares (c) RB 3 Maynor Figueroa CB 21 Brayan Beckeles CB 5 Víctor Bernárdez  46' LB 7 Emilio Izaguirre RM 17 Andy Najar  58' CM 19 Luis Garrido  83' CM 8 Wilson Palacios  28'  43' LM 15 Roger Espinoza SS 13 Carlo Costly CF 11 Jerry Bengtson  46' Substitutions: MF 14 Óscar García  53'  46' DF 2 Osman Chávez  46' MF 20 Jorge Claros  58' Manager: Luis Fernando Suárez

The two teams had met in 36 previous matches, including in the 2006 FIFA World Cup group stage, a 0–0 draw.[16]

France took the lead in the 17th minute when Olivier Giroud headed in Mathieu Valbuena's corner. Almost straight from the restart, Karim Benzema intercepted a Swiss pass and set up Blaise Matuidi to increase the lead. Later, Benzema was tripped by Johan Djourou in the penalty box, but his penalty was saved by Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio and Yohan Cabaye shot the rebound onto the crossbar. A quick counter-attack saw Giroud cross for Valbuena and France took a 3–0 lead at half time.[17] France added two more goals in the second half, first Paul Pogba crossing for Benzema to score, then Benzema setting up Moussa Sissoko. While the referee was blowing the final whistle, Karim Benzema scored a sixth goal at the end of the match, causing some confusion for a short while about the final score.[18] Switzerland scored two late consolation goals, from a long-range free kick by substitute Blerim Džemaili, and a volley by Granit Xhaka after a pass by Gökhan Inler.[19]

Giroud's goal was France's 100th goal in the World Cup, joining four other countries to have achieved this feat (Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina).[20]

20 June 2014

16:00 UTC−3

Switzerland	2–5	France
Džemaili  81' Xhaka  87'	Report	Giroud  17' Matuidi  18' Valbuena  40' Benzema  67' Sissoko  73'

Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

Attendance: 51,003

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Switzerland

France

GK 1 Diego Benaglio RB 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner CB 20 Johan Djourou CB 5 Steve von Bergen  9' LB 13 Ricardo Rodríguez DM 11 Valon Behrami  46' DM 8 Gökhan Inler (c) CM 10 Granit Xhaka RW 23 Xherdan Shaqiri LW 18 Admir Mehmedi CF 9 Haris Seferović  69' Substitutions: DF 4 Philippe Senderos  9' MF 15 Blerim Džemaili  46' FW 19 Josip Drmić  69' Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld

GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c) RB 2 Mathieu Debuchy CB 4 Raphaël Varane CB 5 Mamadou Sakho  66' LB 3 Patrice Evra DM 6 Yohan Cabaye  88' CM 18 Moussa Sissoko CM 14 Blaise Matuidi RW 8 Mathieu Valbuena  82' LW 10 Karim Benzema CF 9 Olivier Giroud  63' Substitutions: MF 19 Paul Pogba  63' DF 21 Laurent Koscielny  66' MF 11 Antoine Griezmann  82' Manager: Didier Deschamps

The two teams had met in 14 previous matches, all in friendlies, most recently in 2013, a 2–2 draw.[21] The two coaches, fellow Colombians Luis Fernando Suárez and Reinaldo Rueda, had previously managed their opponents: Suárez managed Ecuador in the 2006 World Cup, while Rueda managed Honduras in the 2010 World Cup.[22] Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios was suspended for the match, having received a red card against France.[23]

Honduras took the lead in the first half when Carlo Costly collected goalkeeper Noel Valladares's long clearance to score with his left foot.[24] Ecuador, which needed at least a point to stay alive in the competition, equalised three minutes later when Juan Paredes's shot was deflected and Enner Valencia turned the ball in at the far post from close range. Enner Valencia scored the game winner in the second half, heading in a free kick from Walter Ayoví.[25]

Costly's goal snapped Honduras's 511-minute World Cup scoreless streak stretching back to 1982, second place at the time to the record of 517 minutes between 1930 and 1990 held by Bolivia.[26] Enner Valencia's brace gave him three total goals in the tournament, and he joined Agustín Delgado as the country's joint top scorer in the World Cup.[27]

20 June 2014

19:00 UTC−3

Honduras	1–2	Ecuador
Costly  31'	Report	E. Valencia  34', 65'

Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

Attendance: 39,224

Referee: Ben Williams (Australia)

Honduras

Ecuador

GK 18 Noel Valladares (c) RB 21 Brayan Beckeles CB 5 Víctor Bernárdez  7' CB 3 Maynor Figueroa LB 7 Emilio Izaguirre  46' RM 14 Óscar García  83' CM 19 Luis Garrido  71' CM 20 Jorge Claros LM 15 Roger Espinoza SS 13 Carlo Costly CF 11 Jerry Bengtson  45+3' Substitutions: DF 6 Juan Carlos García  46' MF 10 Mario Martínez  71' MF 23 Marvin Chávez  83' Manager: Luis Fernando Suárez

GK 22 Alexander Domínguez RB 4 Juan Carlos Paredes CB 2 Jorge Guagua CB 3 Frickson Erazo LB 10 Walter Ayoví RM 16 Antonio Valencia (c)  57' CM 14 Oswaldo Minda  83' CM 6 Christian Noboa LM 7 Jefferson Montero  80'  90+2' CF 11 Felipe Caicedo  82' CF 13 Enner Valencia  73' Substitutions: MF 8 Édison Méndez  82' MF 23 Carlos Gruezo  83' DF 21 Gabriel Achilier  90+2' Manager: Reinaldo Rueda

The two teams had met in one previous match, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage, a 0–0 draw.[28]

All three goals of the match were scored by Xherdan Shaqiri. In the sixth minute, he received the ball from Stephan Lichtsteiner, dribbled inside and curled the ball into the net with his left foot. In the 31st minute, a break-away by Switzerland saw Josip Drmić setting up Shaqiri to convert. Shaqiri completed his hat-trick in the 71st minute, from another break-away and assist by Drmić.[29]

As Ecuador drew with France in the other match taking place simultaneously, Switzerland sealed a place in the knockout stage as the group runners-up, while Honduras, which needed a win to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time, were eliminated with zero points.[30]

Shaqiri's hat-trick was the 50th hat-trick in the history of the World Cup, and also the second by a Swiss player, following Josef Hügi in the 1954 World Cup.[31] Honduras completed their third World Cup tournament still without a win, and had played more matches (nine total) without a win than any other side.[31]

25 June 2014

16:00 UTC−4

Honduras	0–3	Switzerland
	Report	Shaqiri  6', 31', 71'

Arena da Amazônia, Manaus

Attendance: 40,322

Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)

Honduras

Switzerland

GK 18 Noel Valladares (c) RB 21 Brayan Beckeles CB 5 Víctor Bernárdez CB 3 Maynor Figueroa LB 6 Juan Carlos García CM 20 Jorge Claros CM 8 Wilson Palacios RW 14 Óscar García  77' LW 15 Roger Espinoza  46' SS 13 Carlo Costly  40' CF 11 Jerry Bengtson Substitutions: FW 9 Jerry Palacios  66'  40' MF 23 Marvin Chávez  46' MF 17 Andy Najar  77' Manager: Luis Fernando Suárez

GK 1 Diego Benaglio RB 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner CB 20 Johan Djourou CB 22 Fabian Schär LB 13 Ricardo Rodríguez CM 11 Valon Behrami CM 8 Gökhan Inler (c) RW 23 Xherdan Shaqiri  87' AM 10 Granit Xhaka  77' LW 18 Admir Mehmedi CF 19 Josip Drmić  74' Substitutions: FW 9 Haris Seferović  74' DF 6 Michael Lang  77' MF 15 Blerim Džemaili  87' Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld

The two teams had met in one previous match, in a friendly in 2008, won 2–0 by France.[28] France midfielder Yohan Cabaye was suspended for the match due to accumulation of yellow cards.[32]

The match finished goalless, with the point enough to confirm France's place in the knockout stage, winning the group with seven points. Ecuador, which had to match Switzerland's result in the final match to have any chance of qualification, had captain Antonio Valencia sent off in the second half after a high tackle on Lucas Digne.[33] As Switzerland defeated Honduras in the other match played at the same time, Ecuador was eliminated, thus being the only team in the CONMEBOL group to fail to advance to the Round of 16.[34]

25 June 2014

17:00 UTC−3

Ecuador	0–0	France
	Report

Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

Attendance: 73,749

Referee: Noumandiez Doué (Ivory Coast)

Ecuador

France

GK 22 Alexander Domínguez RB 4 Juan Carlos Paredes CB 2 Jorge Guagua CB 3 Frickson Erazo  83' LB 10 Walter Ayoví RM 16 Antonio Valencia (c)  50' CM 14 Oswaldo Minda CM 6 Christian Noboa  89' LM 7 Jefferson Montero  63' CF 15 Michael Arroyo  82' CF 13 Enner Valencia Substitutions: MF 5 Renato Ibarra  63' DF 21 Gabriel Achilier  82' FW 11 Felipe Caicedo  89' Manager: Reinaldo Rueda

GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c) RB 15 Bacary Sagna CB 21 Laurent Koscielny CB 5 Mamadou Sakho  61' LB 17 Lucas Digne DM 22 Morgan Schneiderlin CM 19 Paul Pogba CM 14 Blaise Matuidi  67' RW 11 Antoine Griezmann  79' LW 18 Moussa Sissoko CF 10 Karim Benzema Substitutions: DF 4 Raphaël Varane  61' FW 9 Olivier Giroud  67' FW 20 Loïc Rémy  79' Manager: Didier Deschamps