Honduras dreamed of a first appearance in the last 16 at their third World Cup but they head home with a consolation prize that only underscores their limitations: a lone goal in three outings.
France coach Didier Deschamps gave players who missed their opening two games the chance to shine on Wednesday but they failed to do that in a 0-0 draw against 10-man Ecuador who went out of the World Cup.
A rampant Switzerland reached the World Cup knockout stage and will locks horns with Argentina in the last 16 after a superb Xherdan Shaqiri hat-trick gave them a 3-0 win over Honduras on Wednesday.
A second-string France side clinched top spot in World Cup Group E while Ecuador, who had captain Antonio Valencia harshly sent off, were eliminated after a sprightly 0-0 draw at the Maracana stadium on Wednesday.
Switzerland suffered terribly as they secured a second round spot by beating Honduras 3-0 in the final World Cup Group E match in very sticky conditions, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said.
Algeria's coach Vahid Halilhodzic kicks the ball during the 2014 World Cup Group H soccer match between South Korea and Algeria at the Beira Rio stadium in Porto Alegre June 22, 2014. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj Jun 25 2014
Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri (23) celebrates with a teammate after scoring against Honduras for his hat-trick during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match at the Amazonia arena in Manaus June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andres Stapff Jun 25 2014
South Korea's national soccer player Park Chu-Young controls the ball durng his team's final practice before their match against Algeria at the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre June 21, 2014. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj Jun 25 2014
France's Laurent Koscielny (R) fights for the ball with Ecuador's Michael Arroyo during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Jun 25 2014
Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri (L, face obscured) celebrates his goal with his teammates during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against Honduras at the Amazonia arena in Manaus June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Jun 25 2014
France's Paul Pogba (C) reacts after missing a scoring opportunity during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against Ecuador at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares Jun 25 2014
Switzerland's coach Ottmar Hitzfeld reacts during the 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against Honduras at the Amazonia arena in Manaus June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler Jun 25 2014
France's coach Didier Deschamps (R) talks with team player Blaise Matuidi during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against Ecuador at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Jun 25 2014
Ecuador's coach Reinaldo Rueda reacts during their 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against France at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Jun 25 2014
REFILE - CORRECTING SPELLING OF FIRST NAME United States national soccer team head coach Juergen Klinsmann smiles while answering a question during a news conference at the Pernambuco arena in Recife June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Jun 25 2014
Belgium's national soccer player Vincent Kompany listens during a news conference at the Maracana stadium in Rio De Janeiro, June 21, 2014. REUTERS/Tony Gentile Jun 25 2014
Group G comes down to one game. America and Germany will play one another for a chance to win the group and play in the knockout round. Latinpost.com previews this must-see matchup.
Group E of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has been competitive as expected with France leading the way. Both Honduras and Switzerland have a chance to advance to this year's knockout round. Latin Post.com breaks down the possibilities and previews the game.
Japan's Yoshito Okubo reacts after losing their 2014 World Cup Group C soccer match to Colombia at the Pantanal arena in Cuiaba June 24, 2014. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez Jun 24 2014
