The group stages, second round, and quarterfinals have all concluded in one of the most exciting and high-scoring World Cups ever held, and the second semifinal match is set to get underway today.
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The first semifinal game of this World Cup yesterday between Brazil and Germany was historic, with the European side absolutely embarrassing the host nation with a 7-1 scoreline. As has been the case through the tournament, I have been simulating the fixtures using FIFA 14's World Cup mode, which is updated to reflect the form and performances of each squad. My simulation did in fact predict a German victory, but EA's game (nor anyone else, I would imagine) saw that demolition coming.
Netherlands and Argentina square off in the other semifinal game today, and my simulation is predicting a safe win for Oranje. The Dutch scored a goal in each half while playing responsible defense, keeping Messi and friends off the score sheet for the entire game. Janmaat scored the first goal in the 17th minute, opening his body to receive a fantastic chipped pass from Van Persie over the defense and slotting it home after a deft settle. RVP scored himself after halftime, capitalizing on a sloppy Argentine defensive turnover that was picked off by Sneijder.
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My simulation featured two AI-controlled sides on Legendary difficulty facing off against one another, using the squads expected to start the game. The real result could be similar, depending on which Dutch team shows up. We've seen them brilliantly pick apart teams, but also struggle to score--similar to the German side before yesterday's thrashing of Brazil. Argentina have been unconvincing, playing more like Brazil so far this tournament with close, late wins and a lack of goal-scoring despite a talented offense.
Argentina can still win this game if they put it all together, but we'll have to see what happens--tune in at 4 p.m. ET to see if FIFA gets this one right.
