Jersey to chase: Cesc Fabregas is moving on with Team Spain to the round of 16. Fabregas is the captain of the Premier League side Arsenal at only 23. But don’t let his age fool year, Fabregas was signed by Arsenal at just 16. Despite his history with the club, Catalan club Barcelona is looking to steal away Fabregas by offering him a €35 million deal.
Recap: Friday marked the completion of Groups G and H, and things went according to plan… unlike other group play. In Switzerland’s first game of the tournament, they beat favorite Spain. However, Switzerland failed to advance to the round of 16 after tying with Honduras in their third and final group game. Despite losing in their first game, Spain advanced after beating, Chile 2-1. Although Chile lost and star player Marco Estrada picked up his second yellow card, the Chileans will still be advancing. For Group G, Brazil and Portugal (tournament favorites) advanced with ease as the powerhouses played each other in a 0-0 meaningless draw. Group G had another meaningless match between North Korea and Cote D’Ivoire. Cote D’Ivorie pulled out the win, 3-0, but both teams head home. North Korea was on of two teams in the tournament who failed to get at least one point in their group.
Look Smart: Difference between knockout rounds and group play? In group play, teams could tie and the point standings determined who advanced to the round of 16 (second round). After group play, teams can no longer tie. After 90-minutes of play, teams play two 15 minute periods. The extra play is not sudden death, but if teams are still tied after the 30 minutes, the winner will be determined by penalty kicks.
