And Then There Were Two

Thomas Muller celebrates one of Germany's seven goals
in front of the stunned Brazil.

The absolute demolition of Brazil at the hands of the ruthless Germans coupled with Argentina's penalty kick victory over the Netherlands means that only Rodrigo or Krista can claim the BISERGS crown.  Krista can boast that she is the only one with both finalists, but even with that honor, the odds of are very much in Rodrigo's favor at this point.  He holds an 8.25 point lead over Krista and also has the Netherlands playing in the third place game.  If the Dutch can defeat the demoralized Brazilians, Krista's Argentines may have to win by several goals to make up the difference.  The other complication for Krista is that every goal scored by Argentina counts as a goal not only against Rodrigo, but agains herself, since they both have the Germans.  The final is worth triple points and the third place match is worth the same as the group stage matches were.

Argentina advances to the final after defeating
the Netherlands in a penalty kick shootout. 

The record breaking victory by Germany was worth 12.5 BISERGS points and not only did it lift Rodrigo, Krista and Gray into a nearly guaranteed top three finish, it also vaulted Brian G and Evan into the top 10 from the 16th and 17th places respectively.  Brian M also entered the top 10 for the first time with Argentina's victory and could climb much higher than his current 9th place if Argentina wins it all.  Doug sits in 4th place and has Argentina in the final, but he is nearly 12 points behind Gray.  All of Brazil's owners slipped backward with the minus 2.5 point result in the semifinal round.  The Netherlands lost on penalties, but still earned their owners 2 points because they finished 120 minutes on equal footing and the semifinal was worth double points.

The Brazilians would probably rather not have to play in the 3rd place game after being humiliated in front of their home fans in the semifinal, but Holland are also exhausted after back to back 120 minute matches decided by penalties.  It may not be a game worth watching, but the results will affect the final BISERGS standings.

The final is a classic matchup between Europe and South America.  Germany is a complete team that seems to be able to score at any moment, while rarely conceding a goal. Thomas Muller can take home the Golden Boot and the World Cup if he is able to score twice in a German victory.  Currently, Colombia's James Rodriguez is the Golden Book leader with 6 goals in this years World Cup, Muller has 5 goals and Messi has 4.  Lionel Messi has a chance to put his name in the conversation as the best player ever.  A hat trick in the final would give him 7 goals, the Golden Boot and the World Cup and would probably put him ahead of Pele and Diego Maradona in most peoples rankings when added to his other accomplishments with Barcelona over the years.  He wasn't able to assert himself on yesterday's match, but he did have two clever passes in overtime that could have lead to goals if his teammates were able to finish their golden opportunities.  

3rd Place Match

World Cup Final