Betting On World Cup Matches Is Not Straightforward - Take Brazil!

Betting on World Cup matches is not always as easy as it appears at first sight. Everyone normally has their favorite out of the 32 participating teams, but as was seen from the last World Cup in 2014 hosted by Brazil, there were indeed some unexpected surprises. This tournament never fails to deliver them!

Brazil themselves were one of the red hot favorites. Betting on World Cup past winners Brazil surely would prove a formality? True, technically speaking the tournament which ran from June 12, 2014 - July 13, 2014, a total of 32 days, was technically held in winter time in the Southern Hemisphere. However soaring temperatures and high humidity one would think would provide a massive home advantage.

As expected the tournament was an incredibly exciting event. No team from Europe had ever won the event before in South America. Europeans alike expected Germany to put in a good showing, and one of the games in the earlier stages looked a very tight match on paper, when the holders Spain were matched up with playing the Dutch.

These two teams were both expected to reach the latter stages of the competition, so when Louis Van Gall's flying Dutch team turned out at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, nobody could possibly have expected a game that will be etched in the minds of the Dutch for many decades to come.

Between Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, the poor hapless holders were run totally ragged, collapsing to a humiliating 5-1 defeat. The Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal and his new history making team had just completed mission impossible, and totally dismantled the Spanish.

Betting on World Cup matches is tricky indeed, what should have been such a close game between two well matched opponents turned into a rout, surely the likes of such a contest would never be seen again? Surely not in the very same tournament in the later stages?

In the semi-final game at the Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, The Brazilians would face up against two time World Cup winners Germany. These two mighty footballing nations facing each other for a place in the Final would produce one of the biggest ever shocks in World football.

The poor Brazilian players would participate in their country's biggest ever defeat. There's nothing fluky about a 7-1 complete and utter mauling. 2014 was to be the year of the Germans as they won the World Cup 1-0 over Argentina in Extra Time. World Cup wonders never cease, bring on 2018!