BREAKING: Netherlands have gained Third Place in the FIFA World Cup winning against Brazil 3-0

Brazil lost its last two matches by a combined 10-1. Not an expert, but that seems poor. Brazil have suffered a second defeat in a row, after they were beaten by the Netherlands in the SWC third/fourth place playoff.



Boos and handshakes follow the final whistle. The Brazilians were marginally better after the break, but it really was a clueless, disjointed performance from the hosts. Van Gaal now heads to Manchester United; Scolari to who-knows-where?

The Dutch were worthy winners. Truthfully, the scoreline would have been even more lopsided had they not eased up in the second half.

Worst defeat in 100 years: Brazil plead for forgiveness

Belo Horizonte - Brazil's World Cup dream was smashed into oblivion Tuesday as majestic Germany ran riot to win an extraordinary semi-final 7-1, sending the hosts crashing to the worst defeat in their 100-year footballing history. Germany scored five goals in 18 astonishing first-half minutes on their way to a 7-1 semi-final mauling of Brazil on Tuesday setting a string of records and leaving the host nation's fans angry and bewildered.

Germany will meet Argentina or the Netherlands in Sunday's final in Rio de Janeiro after an unbelievable performance in which striker Miroslav Klose became the tournament's highest scorer of all time with his 16th World Cup goal.  Fireworks boomed across the city, and fans in the German capital took up the refrain chanted by the German supporters in Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: “What a day! So beautifully wonderful is today!” Their national team had stunned the world, including Germany itself, with a 7-1 trouncing of Brazil to reach its eighth World Cup final.

Protest as KLM airline angers Mexico fans

What was meant to be a joke has turned into a PR blunder for Dutch airline KLM after it angered Mexican fans by taking to Twitter to celebrate the Netherlands' dramatic comeback victory in the World Cup.

Within minutes of the Netherlands' 2-1 victory over the Tri, KLM let loose on its Twitter feed a picture of an airport departures sign under the heading "Adios Amigos!"

The post immediately went viral, with A-list Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal using not one but two expletives in a 140-character Tweet to tell his 2 million-plus followers that he'll never fly the carrier again.

Amid the widespread protest online, the post was pulled a half-hour later without an explanation.

Fierce heat forces first cooling breaks in World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil had its first cooling breaks of the competition during the Round of 16 match between the Netherlands and Mexico in Fortaleza.

It took place in both halves when referee Pedro Proenca signalled a three-minute time-out as temperatures reached above 32C inside the stadium.

Both set of players rehydrated with drinks, while both coaches took the opportunity to give team-talks.

The heat forced fans to move to the back of the stadium to get shelter.

“Climate conditions will be evaluated and should the temperature exceed 32 degrees, then the FIFA Venue Medical Office will recommend cooling breaks to the FIFA General Co-ordinator and Match Commissioner.

Brazil 2014; Spain, Cameroon out of world Cup

Champions Spain crashed humiliatingly out of the World Cup on Wednesday after a second shock defeat, along with Cameroon that lost 4-0 to Croatia, while 2010 runners-up the Netherlands continued their perfect start with another high-scoring win.

Thrashed 5-1 by the Dutch in their opening game, Spain’s normally composed and incisive team again looked a spent force, allowing Chile to score twice in the first half then hold firm for a totally deserved, glorious win.

“It is difficult to explain,” bemoaned Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who was at fault on both goals and is likely to be among an old guard jettisoned for fresh faces.

“We ask people’s forgiveness. We are responsible but also the first ones to feel the pain.”

Brazil 2014: Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel believes Nigeria are on the right track

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel believes Nigeria are on the right track to build on their success as African champions at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles have played in five of the past six World Cups but after reaching the second round in 1994 and 1998, have taken just two points from their past six matches in the finals.

They come into the tournament on a high, however, after winning last year’s Africa Cup of Nations and boasting the likes of Mikel, his Chelsea team-mate Victor Moses and forward Emmanuel Emenike.

“This is my first World Cup,” Mikel said after a training session in Campinas. “I want to make sure we achieve something coming here. We don’t just want to come and make up the numbers, we want to do well.

“I have to make sure I lead by example. We are all driving in the same direction. We all know what we want and hopefully we will have a good tournament.”

Why Defending champions Spain crushed to a 1-5 defeat against Netherlands

Stunning goals from Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben fired the Netherlands to a 5-1 demolition of Spain who endured a miserable start to their World Cup defence in a pulsating Group B game on Friday. In complete contrast to the tetchy World Cup final between the sides in 2010 which Spain won 1-0, the Dutch took sweet revenge with a vibrant display capped off by two goals each for Van Persie and Robben and one by defender Stefan de Vrij.

"I certainly didn't expect this result but I did expect us to score in the way we did," Dutch coach Louis van Gaal told reporters. "Spain were always going to come at us and we catch them on the counter. My players did it perfectly. It's far better than we ever expected," Dutch coach Louis van Gaal told reporters.

Rising tensions in Ukraine as NATO ships arrive in Lithuania

A group of NATO ships has arrived in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to “ensure regional security,” the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense has said. Russia has already voiced its concern over the “unprecedented” buildup of NATO forces in the region.

The group is composed of 4 minesweeping ships from Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Estonia as well as one supply vessel. The ships will take part in intensive military drills, stopping off at various ports in the region. They will also participate in operation “Open Sprit” deactivating underwater explosives.

Manchester United dismiss Louis van Gaal deal reports

Manchester United have dismissed press reports in the Netherlands that the club had agreed a three-year deal with Louis van Gaal for him to replace the sacked David Moyes as coach.

Popular broadsheet De Telegraaf said on Saturday that "the national coach (Van Gaal) late last (Friday) night reached a deal with the top British club," to take over as manager after the World Cup.

"The man who's the absolute No 1 to replace axed coach David Moyes will immediately take up the job when the Dutch Eleven is knocked out of the World Cup in Brazil," the paper added.

Van Gaal, 62, who has been on holiday at his villa in Portugal's Algarve "has been in talks with Ed Woodward, lawyer for club owners the Glazer brothers for a multi-year, multi-million contract," it said, without citing any sources.

But United, who have put veteran player Ryan Giggs in charge until the end of the season, quickly denied the reports.

Missing Plane: Names of passengers on boards released

Malaysia Airlines holds a press conference at CITIC Hotel Beijing

Names of the passengers on board the airline has been released. Next of  kin of all the passengers on board might have been contacted .

A very long oil slick of 12-mile spotted between Malaysia and Vietnam on Saturday afternoon is thought to be the first sign that a missing Malaysia Airlines flight went down in the waters between southernmost Vietnam and northern Malaysia, Vietnam’s director of civil aviation has hinted.