There's only one truly meaningful match left in the 2014 World Cup with the final ahead, a bittersweet fact for football fans who have been enjoying one of the most dramatic and high-scoring competitions ever held, but the consolation game must be decided first.
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An exciting and upset-filled group stage gave way to the somewhat more slowly-paced knockout rounds, which reached a climax in Germany's 7-1 demolition of the hosts Brazil. Before we can decide who will be the winner of the Germany vs Argentina final, the consolation match between Brazil and the Netherlands needs to be played--a much less important game no doubt, but one that hopefully entertains.
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. The winner of the third place game according to FIFA 14 will be Brazil, a very small way of gaining back some of what was lost in their heft defeat to Germany.
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The simulation didn't predict a fun, high-scoring affair, unfortunately, but there were plenty of chances and close calls. Oscar scored the only goal in the 32nd minute, collecting a nice chipped pass and settling it with his first touch before slotting home. Van Persie would later hit the post, as would Oscar, but nobody else could find the back of the net. Brazil took it, 1-0.
My simulation featured two AI-controlled sides on Legendary difficulty facing off against one another, using the squads expected to start the game. It's hard to predict what will happen in the real match, as motivation might not be very high for a somewhat meaningless game (Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal thinks the match is unnecessary), but we'll find out tomorrow who comes away in third.
