What's this? This is an unbiased just-the-facts news timeline ('newsline') about 2014 World Cup, created by Newslines contributors. Become a contributor

2014 World Cup

2014 World Cup62 posts
Latest News view > Click for Biography view
14 Jul, 2014

Biggest social media event ever

0 Comments

Facebook claims the World Cup is the biggest social media event ever. Figures obtained by Reuters shows 350 million users participated in a record Facebook “conversation” with 3 billion posts, comments and likes. Facebook tells Reuters:

We knew the World Cup was going to be big, but this level of engagement is remarkable. It was the highest level of conversation around a single event that we have ever measured…Facebook was the global stadium for the 2014 World Cup.

According to Facebook, Germany’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final was the most commented match of the tournament, with 88 million users and 280 million interactions. Brazil’s star Neymar was the most talked about player, followed by Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez. Brazil was the strongest voice on the site, with 26 percent of all World Cup interactions. 

13 Jul, 2014

Vomits, finishes game

0 Comments

messi_finals_vomitMessi vomits on the pitch in the first half of the 2014 World Cup final against Germany, but completes the match. The Argentina captain and striker for FC Barcelona in Spain’s Primera Liga says the incident is not unusual and that he has vomited in league and international matches, during training and at home. Team doctors are unable to determine the cause of the problem. In several matches, Messi has gone on to score after vomiting on the pitch.

Golden Boot

0 Comments

Rodriguez wins the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot award as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. He scores in each of Colombia’s matches including their quarter-finals elimination and adds two assists, reaching his final goal tally in two fewer games than award runner-up Thomas Mueller of Germany, who ends the finals with five.

Golden Ball

0 Comments

Messi wins the 2014 World Cup Golden Ball award as the tournament’s top player as voted by FIFA. Although scoreless in the knockout stages, he scored four in the group and captained Argentina to its 1-0 final loss against Germany, the furthest the team has progressed in finals competition since 1990, placing him ahead of early tournament favourites Neymar of Brazil and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Wins Golden Glove

0 Comments

Neuer wins the Golden Glove trophy for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Neuer was presented with the trophy after the final game.  He was beaten only four times during the tournament and kept clean sheets in the 1-0 quarter-final win over France and in the victory over Argentina in the final.

Riots after final game

0 Comments

Post World Cup celebration get out of hand, and police arrest at least 30 people.  A peaceful celebration was in progress until dozens of rowdy vandals begin to smash windows, beat journalists and attack police. Fifteen police offers and at least five other people are  injured.  Water cannons and tear gas are used to help disperse the crowd.

Final: Germany 1-0 Argentina

Announcement0 Comments

Germany wins 1-0 over Argentina, its fourth World Cup win. The game was tied 0-0 at 90 minutes, forcing the game into extra time. Mario Gotze’s strike, seven minutes from the end of extra time, ends Germany’s 24-year wait for the cup.

Thanks soccer for changing her life

0 Comments

While preparing to perform at her third World Cup finals’ show in Argentina, Shakira sayshe:

will never forget that I met the love of my life at the World Cup.

She met Spain defender Gerard Pique while promoting ting her 2010 World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka — Time for Africa.”

If it wasn’t for the World Cup my son Milan would not be here.

10 Jul, 2014

Tickets up to $20,000

Announcement0 Comments

world-cup-tickets2014Ticket prices for this weekend’s match between Argentina and Germany at Maracana Stadium in Brazil are approaching $20,000 each. Tickets being sold on Ebay are in a range of $3000-$18,000.  Stub Hub sold completely out of tickets. Viagogo, and online ticket re-seller, has tickets listed from $5000 – $20,000.

9 Jul, 2014

Record goalscorer

0 Comments

German striker Miroslav Klose becomes the World Cup record goalscorer with 16 goals with his second of the 2014 finals as Germany defeat Brazil 7-1 in the first semifinal of the tournament, moving him ahead of Brazil’s Ronaldo with 15. The match marks the 23rd finals appearance for the 36-year-old striker for Lazio in the Italian Serie A league, only one fewer appearance than record-holder Lotthar Mathaus who is also German. Klose is Germany’s record goalscorer with 74 goals in 136 games and Die Mannschaft have never lost a match in which he has scored. He is the fourth player to score in four tournaments after Brazilian Pele and West Germany’s Uwe Seeler both scored at the 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 finals.

Germany 7-1 Brazil

0 Comments

Germany hand Brazil a 7-1 thrashing in the first semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, equaling the biggest ever margin of defeat for the Samba Boys and marking their first competitive home loss in 39 years. Die Mannschaft go 5-0 up in the first 29 minutes as Thomas Muller nets from a corner, Toni Kroos grabs a double in under 3 minutes and tournament alltime record goalscorer Miroslav Klose and Sami Khedira also score. Striker Andre Schurrle adds two more after coming on as a second-half substitute before Chelsea teammate Oscar scores a consolation on 89 minutes. The margin of the result equals Brazil’s previous heaviest defeat, a 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920, and is the first time a team have scored seven in a World Cup semi-final and the biggest defeat in one of these games since West Germany beat Austria 6-1 in 1954.

7 Jul, 2014

Suspended

0 Comments

Brazil captain Thiago Silva is suspended for the semi-final against Germany as the hosts fail to have a ban overturned after the centreback receives his second yellow card of the tournament in the 2-1 win over Colombia. After opening the scoring, he is booked for blocking Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina’s attempt to take a kick. The Brazilian football confederation wanted the second caution rescinded but FIFA said there is ‘no legal basis’ to grant the request.

5 Jul, 2014

Neymar out

Injury0 Comments

Neymar is carried off the field in tears after being kneed in the back by Columbia’s Juan Camilo Zuniga in the 86th minute of a quarterfinal game on July 4, 2014.  Neymar was taken to a nearby clinic and released.  Although he is not expected to need surgery, he is is unable to compete in the rest of the World Cup.  Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar says:

He will not be in condition to play, he will need a few weeks to be fit again.  He is very, very sad.

4 Jul, 2014

Brazil 2 – Columbia 1

0 Comments

Brazil beats Columbia 2-1 to advance to the 2014 World Cup Semi-Finals. Brazil’s goals were scored by Thiago Silva and David Luiz, then James Rodriguez grabbed a late consolation penalty.

Germany 1 – France 0

0 Comments

Germany beats France 1-0 in the World Cup quarter finals to advance to the Semi-finals. The only goal of the game was a header scored by Mats Hummels in the 12th minute of the first half.

3 Jul, 2014

Overpass collapse: at least two dead

Death0 Comments

At least two people are killed and at least 15 people injured when an overpass collapses in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte. A city bus and several vehicles were crushed after a part of a bridge, which was under construction, fell onto a busy highway. The overpass, which was supposed to have been completed in time for the tournament, is almost four miles from the Estadio Mineirao, where next Tuesday’s semifinal matchup between the winners of France/Germany and Brazil/Colombia will take place.

Aerial video: Bridge collapses in Brazil World Cup host city Belo Horizonte

2 Jul, 2014

Study: Sex bans not effective

0 Comments

A study published in Quartz shows that all of the World Cup teams that ban sex for players, such as Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, and Chile, fail to advance past the round of 16 in the knockout stage of the tournament. Other teams, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, France, and the Netherlands, have no ban on sex and advance at least to the quarterfinals.

Hagel: Thank you

Announcement0 Comments

Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, speaks briefly with U.S. men’s national team goalie, Timothy Howard, thanking him for:

defending the United States of America at the World Cup.

Howard set a World Cup record for saves in Tuesday’s match against Belgium.  Hagel says Howard:

could someday become the real Secretary of Defense.

30 Jun, 2014

Apologizes for bite

1 Comments

Suarez offers a public apology for biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s World Cup game against Italy on June 24. The apology comes after Suarez was banned for nine games and suspended from all soccer-related activities for four months for the incident.  

The truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me. For this I deeply regret what occurred. I apologize to Giorgio Chiellini and the entire football family. I vow to the public that there will never again be another incident like this.

29 Jun, 2014

Netherlands come back, beat Mexico

0 Comments

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scores an injury-time penalty to give the Netherlands a 2-1 win over Mexico and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. It is awarded after Rafael Marquez brings down Arjen Robben in the area. Giovani Dos Santos gives the Mexicans the lead in the 48th minute, but Wesley Sneijder equalizes for the Dutch in the 88th minute. Says Huntelaar, who makes his first appearance at this year’s World Cup:

You don’t know when your chance will come, but it was today, and so you grab it with both hands. And it was fantastic.