On Wednesday evening in Brazil, the final table of Group E was revealed. Ecuador - France and Honduras - Switzerland national teams faced each other.
Perhaps the most interesting match took place between the French and the Ecuadorians, however, no goals were scored in this match, and some celebrated it while others were sad.
The first half started evenly but with aggressive play. The first dangerous opportunity was created in the 10th minute when Antoine Griezmann tried a shot from about 20 meters.
After five minutes, there was another danger near Ecuador's goal when Blaise Matuidi received a great pass and took a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper defended the goal well.
After a few dangerous episodes from the French, the game calmed down again, although there was no shortage of battles between players. In the 37th minute, after a pass from A. Griezmann, Paul Pogba headed the ball, but once again, goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez saved the goal reliably.
In the remaining time of the first half, Ecuador started to press forward, but they could not score a goal.
In the beginning of the second half, the French started to play more successfully. In the first minute of the second half, there was a very dangerous opportunity near Ecuador's goal. Bacary Sagna made a precise pass into the penalty area, and A. Griezmann sent the ball towards the goal, but it hit the post.
The second half continued unsuccessfully for the Ecuadorian national team. Antonio Valencia committed a foul against Lucas Digne and received a red card, so Ecuador was left without a captain and played with one player less.
However, the Ecuadorian footballers did not give up, and after a few minutes, they almost broke through. Enner Valencia made a pass to Christian Noboa, who shot next to the goal without being interrupted.
The French national team had excellent opportunities to score a winning goal in the second half, but the goalkeepers saved the Ecuadorians multiple times. The final result remained 0-0.
In the other match, Honduran footballers did not receive any mercy, and the Swiss defeated them with a score of 0-3. All goals were scored by one player.
Xherdan Shaqiri - the player who contributed to the victory with his goals and became the first player of the 2014 World Cup to score a "hat-trick" in one match.
Both European national teams advanced to the next stage. France finished first in the group and will face Nigeria in the round of 16, while Switzerland will face Argentina.
Results:
Ecuador 0 - 0 France
50' A.Valencia (Ecuador) sent off from the field
Honduras 0 - 3 Switzerland
6' [0 - 1] X.Shaqiri
31' [0 - 2] X.Shaqiri
71' [0 - 3] X.Shaqiri
Lineups:
France: Lloris (c), Sakho, Benzema, Griezmann, Matuidi, Sagna, Digne Sissoko, Pogba, Koscielny, Schneiderlin.
Ecuador: Dominguez, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes, Noboa, Montero, W. Ayovi, E. Valencia, Minda, Arroyo (c), A. Valencia.
Honduras: Valladares (c), Figueroa, Bernardez, J Garcia, W Palacios, Bengtson, Costly, B Garcia, Espinoza, Claros, Beckeles.
Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Inler (c), Xhaka, Behrami, Rodriguez, Mehmedi, Drmic, Djourou, Schaer, Shaqiri.
Group E standings:
1. France - 3 matches, 7 points, +6 goal difference
2. Switzerland - 3 matches, 6 points, +1 goal difference
3. Ecuador - 3 matches, 4 points, 0 goal difference
4. Honduras - 3 matches, 0 points, -7 goal difference
