ANKARA
Brazil and Mexico advanced from 2014 FIFA World Cup Group A to knock-out stage after defeating Cameroon and Croatia respectively on Monday.
A comfortable 4-1 win over Cameroon saw Brazil finish the group stage at the top and poised for a clash with Group B runners-up Chile in the second round.
Brazil's star forward Neymar opened the scoring for his team by tapping the ball into the net in the 17th minute; 1-0. The goal marked the 100th goal of the tournament in Brazil's 100th FIFA World Cup match in its history.
In the 26th minute Cameroon equalised the level when their defender Joel Matip found the net in close range; 1-1. Confident Brazil took the lead again when Neymar scored his brace in the 35th minute; 2-1.
Only four minutes into the second half, Brazil's forward Fred pounced the ball near Cameroon's penalty box and increased the gap to two; 3-1.
Through the last minutes of the game, Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho put the ball in the back of the net when he entered the box; 4-1.
Meanwhile in Recife, Mexico defeated Croatia 3-1 thanks to goals scored in the second half.
Mexico's opener came from experienced defender Rafael Marquez in the 72nd minute; 1-0. Three minutes later, left winger Andres Guardado doubled the score; 2-0.
Red-hot Mexico clinched the victory when their forward Javier Hernandez, also known as "Chicarito," scored his team's third goal in the 82nd minute; 3-0.
In final minutes, Croatia scored a consolation goal with midfielder Ivan Perisic and this goal determined the result of the game: 3-1.
After the triumph against Croatia, Mexico qualified for Round of 16 in 2014 FIFA World Cup, ready to face the Netherlands who won the Group B.
Monday's Group A results are as follows:
Cameroon 1 Brazil 4
Croatia 1 Mexico 3
Standings in Group A are as follows:
| Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
| Brazil |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
7 |
| Mexico |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
| Croatia |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
| Cameroon |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
0
|
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