World Cup 2014: 25 of the best photos from Brazil

[ilscuro]

Here's a selection of the 25 photo's, see source for the full 25.



James Rodríguez's volley for Colombia against Uruguay was arguably the goal of the tournament and this vibrant photo neatly captures the drama of it. I like the pose of the keeper, mid-air, desperately cocking his head backwards to see the ball drop into the net, and the way the outfield players are all entirely static but for Rodríguez (thereby drawing your eye to him). There were plenty of great shots of the moment he connected with the ball, but there's something about seeing his awesome strike drop over the line which seems more exciting



A World Cup in Brazil was always going to mean one thing: colour. This shot makes the most of it, exploiting the divide between the two sets of fans from Brazil and Mexico during their group encounter. It's a simple, long-lens shot made by a photographer who knew the value in turning his attention away from the pitch



Yacine Brahimi of Algeria was very nearly dispossessed of his shorts by Philipp Lahm of Germany during their last-16 match. I like the outrageous nature of the foul and the fact that all we can see of Lahm is his grasping hand. It smacks of desperation



This is a fantastic, offbeat picture of dejection. It conveys the disappointment of being knocked out of the World Cup just as effectively as the more familiar photos of players sinking to their knees and wiping away tears. It's a shot of Vincent Kompany heading back to the changing rooms after Belgium's 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Argentina at Estadio Nacional. The weathered concrete steps add considerable bleakness to the image



Lionel Messi's second-half goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the group stages was a delight to watch. The calamity behind him in this photograph is the sole reason for selecting it, but that's reason enough in my book. It just sums up the goal perfectly and, more than that, is conveys Messi's ability to embarrass defenders



The crop makes this image intriguing. Admittedly it's hard to know quite how much it was cropped in post-production, but the effect is great. Bacary Sagna of France looks like he's about to be poleaxed by an Ecuador player, though it could just be an optical illusion. It makes me think of the photograph of Nigel de Jong crashing his studs into the chest of Xabi Alonso during the 2010 World Cup final



Arjen Robben's histrionics against Mexico in their last-16 encounter would have you believe he's been whacked around the back of the head with a shovel. Behind him, Rafael Márquez pleads his innocence, but replays showed there was some contact between the two players. Enough for a penalty? Perhaps not. Either way, Robben's swan-dive is caught nicely in this photograph
Diving twat



If I was to pick my favourite photograph from the World Cup, then, oddly, this might just be it. It's a shot of Mexico's coach Miguel Herrera celebrating with his goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa against Croatia at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife. Technically it's a country mile from being perfect: it's a tight crop of a much wider frame meaning the overall image-quality is poor, and the player behind Herrera is mildly distracting. But it doesn't matter. The child-like joy shown by Herrera overrides all of that, in my opinion. There's something comical about his facial expression and his hunched shoulders which elicits a smile every time I see it. I just think it's a brilliant moment and an apt reminder of a colourful World Cup

Source

[dannoble82]

Is it me or does it look like the player in the last one is giving him a tug ??