FIFA World Cup™ on FOX Programming Highlights: Sunday Afternoon, June 17
Today’s Results and Schedule (all times ET):
- Serbia def. Costa Rica, 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Costa Rica vs. Serbia)
- Mexico def. Germany, 1-0 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Germany vs. Mexico)
- Brazil and Switzerland tie, 1-1 (WATCH: 90 in 90 Brazil vs. Switzerland)
- 10:30 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
Today’s Top Story
This Afternoon’s Top Quotes:
FOX Sports lead studio analyst Alexi Lalas explains how questionable refereeing and aggressive play by Switzerland caused Neymar to be ineffective:
“The reason why he didn’t show up is because [the Swiss] tried to kill him tonight. That was a disgraceful performance by the referee and by Switzerland. This is one of the great players of the world. That’s not a reason to give him calls, but time and time again, every single time he gets the ball, he’s better than everybody on the field. He can take players on. He’s got the skill. He’s got the speed. The only way to stop him is to foul him.”
FOX Sports studio analyst Guus Hiddink thinks Brazil didn’t position Neymar properly during the game:
“I’m not blaming Neymar. I’d like to see [Brazil] position Neymar a little closer to the box. He doesn’t have to be the leader. He doesn’t have to be overcommitted. I thought he was a little overcommitted after being away for so long. The few times he’s near the box, going one-on-one, he was dangerous. But he has to fight from the midfield through three or four defenders. And I agree, the referee was too weak on this performance.”
Lalas on the referee not protecting Neymar today:
“In the modern day, we have all this talk about protecting players, encouraging attacking players. Guus wants to see beauty. Guus wants to see dancing. I’m speaking as a defender. I get it. But even as a defender, I want to see The Beautiful Game. I want to see beautiful players. I want to protect them. He was not protected today. And he shouldn’t be protected because he has crazy hair or because he plays for Brazil. He should be protected because each and every time he took players on, he beat players, and the only way Switzerland could stop him was to foul him.”
https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1008444997207711744
Hiddink on what Brazil could have done differently during the game:
“You go for the players with the yellow [card] and go for another one. You have to be more streetwise and say hey, when someone has a yellow, then go for another one and attack him.”
FOX Sports lead game analyst Stu Holden assesses Brazil’s performance at the end of the game:
“It’s been sloppy from Brazil. At times we’ve seen them, that Brazilian flair, the passing, the one-two touches around the corner, but sloppy in possession at times. They switched off on the corner that they got punished for. They haven’t really gotten going in this second half. They’ve had good stretches, but they’ve haven’t carved out a real chance where you say they’re the better team.”
Holden on Switzerland’s success against Brazil:
“As much as we want to discount this performance from Brazil, we have to give the credit to Switzerland. This is a good team. The way that they work – they have a clear identity. They went down a goal. They fought back. They managed the second half very well with their possession, the movement, and the way they picked off Neymar.”
FOX Sports studio analyst and former Mexican National Team goalkeeper Moises Munoz was not impressed by the Swiss team:
“You say the Swiss are well organized, but it’s boring soccer. It’s not the soccer you want to see in the World Cup. It just gave them one point.”
FOX Sports lead play-by-play announcer John Strong on Coutinho’s goal for Brazil:
“It looked like the Swiss had at least momentarily stopped the danger. An absolute missile from Coutinho. His first career World Cup goal puts Brazil on the board.”
Holden on Coutinho’s first goal for Brazil:
“This is a beauty from Coutinho. We’ve seen him do this time after time for both Liverpool and then Barcelona, showing why they paid all that money for him earlier this year. Look at the bend on this. It starts out five yards outside the right post and just nestles into the far corner. Sommer with the courtesy dive, because he was never getting to that. What an absolute strike from Coutinho.”
Holden on Switzerland in the first half:
“They’ve responded well. The should have their manager very happy going into the half. Yes, they’re down a goal, but the way especially in the middle of the field, they’ve taken control not allowing Brazil to get out in transition. They’ve possessed the ball well. They’ve been moving it around. It might not create a clear-cut chance, but if they clean it up a little more in that final third. They’ve played their way back into this game very well.”
Hiddink was disappointed with Brazil’s performance in the first half:
“I’m disappointed by the approach to this game. They made this goal by a bad clear by the defense. But they didn’t create hardly any chances. Sometimes I have the impression they like to play just to enjoy themselves and they don’t know where to go. Switzerland doesn’t have any power, they won’t hurt them.”
Munoz on Switzerland’s appearance in the first half:
“Switzerland seems to be comfortable with this score. They seem to know a corner kick or a free kick can put them back with the equalizer.”
Holden on Steven Zuber scoring Switzerland’s first goal:
“It’s incredible how he finds this space in the box, because there are six Brazilian defenders and nobody attacks the ball. It’s almost as if everyone was waiting for the other man. You see it – Zuber just goes off the back here. He has the slightest of touches off the back of Miranda and he’s free six yards out, and heads it home with authority. It’s not a foul, it’s just the slightest of touches there. Miranda has to be stronger.”
Holden on if the contact by Zuber to get the goal was illegal:
“It was not enough of a push, especially in corners, you see it all the time – shirt pulling and pushing. There was clearly hands on the back. You see that from center backs all the time, on goal kicks, on the backs of attackers. And attackers don’t get that call. I’m completely ok with the ref keeping that one.”
Today’s Top Video:
Neymar is back, fit, and has a new haircut
Alexi Lalas has some thoughts on the refereeing in the Brazil vs. Switzerland match
Philippe Coutinho scores a beautiful curler to put Brazil up 1-0 on Switzerland
Tomorrow’s Schedule (all times ET):
- 7:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP LIVE (FS1)
- 8:00 AM – Sweden vs. Korea Republic (FS1 / Glenn Davis and Cobi Jones)
- 10:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FS1)
- 11:00 AM – Belgium vs. Panama (FS1 / Mark Followill and Warren Barton)
- 1:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FS1)
- 2:00 PM – Tunisia vs. England (FS1 / Derek Rae and Aly Wagner)
- 4:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TODAY (FS1)
- 7:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP NOW (Twitter)
- 10:00 PM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FS1)
- 12:00 AM – FIFA WORLD CUP TONIGHT (FOX / airs at midnight in all U.S. time zones)
