So, another four last 16 places are decided, and another two fixtures arranged. First up today was Group F, featuring World Champions Italy. And the games didn't half throw up a bit of a shock. Paraguay held the advantage in this group, with 4 points, ahead of Italy and New Zealand, both on 2, and Slovakia on 1. This meant that Paraguay only needed a point to top the group, unless Italy won by a fair few goals. And Paraguay were in no danger of giving up the solitary point needed in a fairly tedious match in which the All Whites, playing in All Black, failed to manage a single shot on target. This meant that New Zealand could still technically make it through (assuming the Italy-Slovakia match had been later) if that game finished in a 0-0 draw, and even then lots would have to be drawn. Unfortunately for New Zealand, no such luck. Robert Vittek scored in the 25th minute and added another 15 minutes into the second half, before a goal from Di Natale gave the reigning champions hope. However, they were well and trully sunk when Kopunek scored with a minute to go, and even though Quagliarella scored a fine goal in injury time, it was not enough to stop Italy being only the fourth reigning champions in history to go out at the group stage, and propelled Slovakia into the last 16 of their first ever World Cup.
Group E was much closer to being decided. Games were contested between Cameroon, already out, and Holland, already through, as well as Japan and Denmark, both of whom could go through. The Holland-Cameroon affair wasn't hugely exciting due to both sides already knowing their fate, but the Dutch were still determined to maintain a 100% record, which they managed courtesy of goals from Robin Van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar either side of a Samuel Eto'o penalty. The other game, however, was far more exciting, with both Japan and Denmark knowing that they could progress with a victory. It was Japan who got the better start. Having waited so long for a free-kick to be scored at this world cup, we have now had 3, with 2 brilliant first half efforts from Honda and Endo, before Jon Dahl Tomasson pulled a goal back for Denmark. Japans victory, though, was completed 3 minutes from time with a goal from Okazaki to set up a last 16 clash with Paraguay, while Holland will face Slovakia.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 15- 25/06/10
Portugal 2-3 Brazil
This should make for a really entertaining game between two of the best sides in the world. Brazil are already through, but will be without the suspended Kaka, and Portugal showed against North Korea that they have no shortage of goals in them. For me, though, Brazil just have the edge on them.
North Korea 0-1 Ivory Coast
Let's face it, North Korea haven't been brilliant this tournament. They showed glimpses in their previous games, but following their 7-0 pummeling from Portugal they won't exactly be brimming with confidence, and the Ivory coast (or, to put it more specifically, Didier Drogba), should just about have the edge on them.
Switzerland 2-0 Honduras
Switzerland defended brilliantly in their previous two games, and faced a pummeling from Chile in a game which could have been oh so different if they had finished with 11 men. They should have the ability to see off a Honduras side who have really shown no ability in this World Cup.
Chile 0-2 Spain
Chile have produced two really good performances in their previous games, but should be no match for the European champions. Spain will be desparate for the win which would put them top of the group, and undoubtedly have the ability to get it. They should see of Chile, but the South Americans won't go down without a fight.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
World Cup Day 13- 23/06/10
Today saw the conclusion of probably the two most open groups in the World Cup this year. In both Group C and Group D, all four teams could potentially progress if results went their way.
First up was Group C. England faced Slovenia, while the USA were up against Algeria. For England, it had been a hugely disappointing campaign so far, with two poor performances in draws with the USA and Algeria. Slovenia had been much better, having beaten Algeria and almost beaten the USA, who came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. Today was a far better performance from England, helped in no small part to the return to fitness of James Milner, who was outstanding, and the withdrawal of Emile Heskey, who had been poor all World Cup, and all of the last World Cup, and at Euro 2004, and at the 2002 World Cup and... you get the idea. England got the ball rolling after 22 minutes when a superb cross from Milner found the run of Defoe, who guided it into the back of the net. From then on, England never really looked like conceding, and up until the last few minutes produced a composed and ensured performance before nerves set in towards the end. But, they managed to hold on for the win which took them through to the last 16. The celebrations after the game were tinted slightly, though, by the news that Landon Donovan had scored a last-gasp winner for the USA, meaning it was the Americans who went through as group winners.
To find out who England and the USA would face in the last 16, we had to wait until 7:30 when Germany took on Ghana and Australia faced Serbia. The Germany match was a hugely entertaining, end to end affair, and really should have had more than one goal. But when the goal did come, it was well worth waiting for, as Mesut Ozil flicked the ball up on the edge of the box and hit a beautiful swerving volley into the corner. The goal was enough to give Germany the win they needed to top the group, but Ghana's position could still be under threat, as Serbia could finish second with a win over Australia. As it was, it didn't go as planned for the Serbians. We had to wait until the 69th minute for a goal in this one, when Tim Cahill rose well to head in a cross from the right. 5 minutes later, it was two, as Brett Holman was allowed far too much space to stride forward and fire in a shot from at least 30 yards. But, the Australian dream of scoring the 4 goals needed for progression was well and trully killed off when Marco Pantelic pounced on a Mark Schwarzer error to give Serbia hope. But it wasn't to be, and Ghana progressed through with Germany, to set up Germany v England and USA v Ghana.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 14- 24/06/10
Paraguay 2-1 New Zealand
Make no mistake about it, New Zealand have fought hard this world cup and won't go down without a fight. However, Paraguay have just had that little bit more class so far, so should be able to sneak this one.
Slovakia 0-2 Italy
The World Champions have struggled so far this competition, but generally Slovakia have been poor, so Italy should be able to do what it takes and get the victory to take them through, allbeit in second place as long as Paraguay win.
Denmark 1-1 Japan
Here are two teams who have shown some very good ability this World Cup, but have also blown hot and cold a little bit. For me, this is just too close to call, but it should make for some pretty exciting stuff.
Cameroon 0-3 Holland
Not a hard one to predict. Holland have, at times, been brilliant. Cameroon have, all the time, been rank rotten. Not too difficult a win for the Dutch.
First up was Group C. England faced Slovenia, while the USA were up against Algeria. For England, it had been a hugely disappointing campaign so far, with two poor performances in draws with the USA and Algeria. Slovenia had been much better, having beaten Algeria and almost beaten the USA, who came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. Today was a far better performance from England, helped in no small part to the return to fitness of James Milner, who was outstanding, and the withdrawal of Emile Heskey, who had been poor all World Cup, and all of the last World Cup, and at Euro 2004, and at the 2002 World Cup and... you get the idea. England got the ball rolling after 22 minutes when a superb cross from Milner found the run of Defoe, who guided it into the back of the net. From then on, England never really looked like conceding, and up until the last few minutes produced a composed and ensured performance before nerves set in towards the end. But, they managed to hold on for the win which took them through to the last 16. The celebrations after the game were tinted slightly, though, by the news that Landon Donovan had scored a last-gasp winner for the USA, meaning it was the Americans who went through as group winners.
To find out who England and the USA would face in the last 16, we had to wait until 7:30 when Germany took on Ghana and Australia faced Serbia. The Germany match was a hugely entertaining, end to end affair, and really should have had more than one goal. But when the goal did come, it was well worth waiting for, as Mesut Ozil flicked the ball up on the edge of the box and hit a beautiful swerving volley into the corner. The goal was enough to give Germany the win they needed to top the group, but Ghana's position could still be under threat, as Serbia could finish second with a win over Australia. As it was, it didn't go as planned for the Serbians. We had to wait until the 69th minute for a goal in this one, when Tim Cahill rose well to head in a cross from the right. 5 minutes later, it was two, as Brett Holman was allowed far too much space to stride forward and fire in a shot from at least 30 yards. But, the Australian dream of scoring the 4 goals needed for progression was well and trully killed off when Marco Pantelic pounced on a Mark Schwarzer error to give Serbia hope. But it wasn't to be, and Ghana progressed through with Germany, to set up Germany v England and USA v Ghana.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 14- 24/06/10
Paraguay 2-1 New Zealand
Make no mistake about it, New Zealand have fought hard this world cup and won't go down without a fight. However, Paraguay have just had that little bit more class so far, so should be able to sneak this one.
Slovakia 0-2 Italy
The World Champions have struggled so far this competition, but generally Slovakia have been poor, so Italy should be able to do what it takes and get the victory to take them through, allbeit in second place as long as Paraguay win.
Denmark 1-1 Japan
Here are two teams who have shown some very good ability this World Cup, but have also blown hot and cold a little bit. For me, this is just too close to call, but it should make for some pretty exciting stuff.
Cameroon 0-3 Holland
Not a hard one to predict. Holland have, at times, been brilliant. Cameroon have, all the time, been rank rotten. Not too difficult a win for the Dutch.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
World Cup Day 12- 22/06/10
We're now getting to that exciting stage of the World Cup- the group stage is coming to an end. At the same time, it's a frustrating stage, as there are 4 games a day, the two from the same group being staged at the same time, making it impossible to watch every game. But there was no shortage of excitement today, as the first 2 groups drew to their conclusions.
First, Group A. Two things we could be pretty sure about were that Uruguay would go through and France would go out. Though it was possible for these things not to happen, for Uruguay to go out would require defeat by Mexico and victory for either France or South Africa by a margin significant enough to overturn the Uruguian goal difference. In order for France to progress, they would need to win and hope against a draw in the other match. As it was, the results were almost predictable. The Uruguay-Mexico encounter really had a feel of a game where both sides knew that a draw would be enough. As it was, Uruguay managed to steal victory thanks to a header from Luis Suarez. This sparked jubilation from South Africa fans at their match against France. The French were as poor as they had been all tournament, going 2-0 down in the first half before having Yohann Gourcuff sent off in yet another absurd refereeing decision, the third since Sunday. As it was, the French managed to steal a goal through a Florent Malouda tap in in the second half, and with the South Africa team tiring big time, it was a goal which effectively killed off their world cup dreams. So Uruguay were the first group winners as this years World Cup, with Mexico following them into the last 16 in second place.
The two sides respective opponents would be decided in the 7:30 kick offs from Group B. Argentina, already effectively through, entertained a Greece side which had been poor all tournament. Up until the the 77th minute, it was the most one sided 0-0 you could possible hope for. Romero didn't have a thing to do in the Argentina goal, but Greece were content to sit back, defend, and go for a draw. Even when Demechelis fired home after a goal-mouth scramble from a corner kick, the Greeks didn't show any real intent, and their misery was compounded in the final minute of regulation time when a Lionel Messi shot after a wonderful run cannoned back off the post and into the path of 36 year old Martin Palermo, who took great delight in slotting home. Elsewhere in the group, Nigeria took on South Korea, with both sides still in with a chance of progression. Nigeria's hopes of progression were boosted when Uche gave them the lead after just 12 minutes, but goals from Lee Jung-Soo and Park Chu-Young either side of half time gave Korea the advantage. Then, 20 minutes into the second half, came the moment. The miss of the World Cup. And not just the miss of the 2010 World Cup, actually THE miss of THE World Cup ever. Yakubu found space inside the box, the ball was squared to him, he was 2 yards out, the keeper was nowhere, all he had to do was sidefoot it home, and he somehow put it wide. I don't know if he was aiming for the corner, though it certainly looked like it, but it was completely unneccessary. He had the whole goal to aim at and still missed. Chris Iwelumos miss for Scotland against Norway even put shame to it. However, the Everton striker made amends a few minutes later, stroking home a penalty after Chinedu Obasi was fouled by Kim Nam-Il. Nigeria were level, but they needed a win to go through, and unfortunately for them, they didn't get it, and became the 3rd African team to go out of the African World Cup. So, the first Last 16 fixtures are decided, and they will be Uruguay v South Korea and Argentina v Mexico.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 13- 23/06/10
USA 2-0 Algeria
America have shown some decent form in this World Cup, but they lack a bit of cutting edge in the final third. By contrast, Algeria really don't have the attacking capability to pose any threat to any defence, really. The USA should win, and that'll be enough to take them through to the last 16.
England 1-1 Slovenia
For me, Slovenia have been the best team in group C so far, and the reason is that they play well as a unit. England completely fail in that department. World class players England may have, but the Rooneys, Lampards and Gerrards are used to playing with other world class players like Drogba, Torres and Giggs, and unfortunately the likes of Lennon, Heskey and Barry are just not up to that standard. England run out of ideas when they attack, and that lack of teamwork could cost them dear, as a 1-1 draw would put them out of the competition regardless of the score in the USA match.
Australia 1-1 Serbia
Australia battled far better against Ghana than they did against Australia, so clearly have the potential to cause problems to some of the smaller teams in the competition. Serbia were poor against Ghana but good against Germany. However, the reason for them not losing to Germany was because of their opposition going down to 10 men; a very real possibility against Australia.
Ghana 1-2 Germany
Ghana have showed some class in the tournament, but their power and creativity in midfield should be no match for the Germans. Make no mistake about it, Germany will miss the suspended Miroslav Klose, but should still have the class to overcome the Ghaneans.
First, Group A. Two things we could be pretty sure about were that Uruguay would go through and France would go out. Though it was possible for these things not to happen, for Uruguay to go out would require defeat by Mexico and victory for either France or South Africa by a margin significant enough to overturn the Uruguian goal difference. In order for France to progress, they would need to win and hope against a draw in the other match. As it was, the results were almost predictable. The Uruguay-Mexico encounter really had a feel of a game where both sides knew that a draw would be enough. As it was, Uruguay managed to steal victory thanks to a header from Luis Suarez. This sparked jubilation from South Africa fans at their match against France. The French were as poor as they had been all tournament, going 2-0 down in the first half before having Yohann Gourcuff sent off in yet another absurd refereeing decision, the third since Sunday. As it was, the French managed to steal a goal through a Florent Malouda tap in in the second half, and with the South Africa team tiring big time, it was a goal which effectively killed off their world cup dreams. So Uruguay were the first group winners as this years World Cup, with Mexico following them into the last 16 in second place.
The two sides respective opponents would be decided in the 7:30 kick offs from Group B. Argentina, already effectively through, entertained a Greece side which had been poor all tournament. Up until the the 77th minute, it was the most one sided 0-0 you could possible hope for. Romero didn't have a thing to do in the Argentina goal, but Greece were content to sit back, defend, and go for a draw. Even when Demechelis fired home after a goal-mouth scramble from a corner kick, the Greeks didn't show any real intent, and their misery was compounded in the final minute of regulation time when a Lionel Messi shot after a wonderful run cannoned back off the post and into the path of 36 year old Martin Palermo, who took great delight in slotting home. Elsewhere in the group, Nigeria took on South Korea, with both sides still in with a chance of progression. Nigeria's hopes of progression were boosted when Uche gave them the lead after just 12 minutes, but goals from Lee Jung-Soo and Park Chu-Young either side of half time gave Korea the advantage. Then, 20 minutes into the second half, came the moment. The miss of the World Cup. And not just the miss of the 2010 World Cup, actually THE miss of THE World Cup ever. Yakubu found space inside the box, the ball was squared to him, he was 2 yards out, the keeper was nowhere, all he had to do was sidefoot it home, and he somehow put it wide. I don't know if he was aiming for the corner, though it certainly looked like it, but it was completely unneccessary. He had the whole goal to aim at and still missed. Chris Iwelumos miss for Scotland against Norway even put shame to it. However, the Everton striker made amends a few minutes later, stroking home a penalty after Chinedu Obasi was fouled by Kim Nam-Il. Nigeria were level, but they needed a win to go through, and unfortunately for them, they didn't get it, and became the 3rd African team to go out of the African World Cup. So, the first Last 16 fixtures are decided, and they will be Uruguay v South Korea and Argentina v Mexico.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 13- 23/06/10
USA 2-0 Algeria
America have shown some decent form in this World Cup, but they lack a bit of cutting edge in the final third. By contrast, Algeria really don't have the attacking capability to pose any threat to any defence, really. The USA should win, and that'll be enough to take them through to the last 16.
England 1-1 Slovenia
For me, Slovenia have been the best team in group C so far, and the reason is that they play well as a unit. England completely fail in that department. World class players England may have, but the Rooneys, Lampards and Gerrards are used to playing with other world class players like Drogba, Torres and Giggs, and unfortunately the likes of Lennon, Heskey and Barry are just not up to that standard. England run out of ideas when they attack, and that lack of teamwork could cost them dear, as a 1-1 draw would put them out of the competition regardless of the score in the USA match.
Australia 1-1 Serbia
Australia battled far better against Ghana than they did against Australia, so clearly have the potential to cause problems to some of the smaller teams in the competition. Serbia were poor against Ghana but good against Germany. However, the reason for them not losing to Germany was because of their opposition going down to 10 men; a very real possibility against Australia.
Ghana 1-2 Germany
Ghana have showed some class in the tournament, but their power and creativity in midfield should be no match for the Germans. Make no mistake about it, Germany will miss the suspended Miroslav Klose, but should still have the class to overcome the Ghaneans.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
World Cup Day 10- 20/06/10
So, we have had another interesting and contraversial day at the World Cup. But today was also a day of as many stories off the pitch as on it. There seems to be crisis in the England and France squads, with Wayne Rooney apologising for his outburst after England's dismal 0-0 draw with Algeria and Fabio Capello stating that he will quit if England don't make it past the group stages. More was happening in the French camp though. It had been known for a while that there had been unrest among the squad, which escallated when Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the squad after a spat with Raymond Domenech. This lead to a revolt from the French players, who refused to train. This is disasterous, not only for the French team, who are now almost certain not to qualify from group A, but for French football in general, particularly after the resignation of FFF managing director Jean-Louis Valentin. Serves them right for cheating their way to the world cup. This would never have happened with Ireland, I mean they never have dressing room bust ups or players getting kicked out of the squad.
On the field, the action was almost as exciting. Paraguay greatly increased their chances of making it through to the last 16 with a fine 2-0 win over Slovakia. They opened the scoring after 27 minutes through a great finish by Vera, before securing victory 4 minutes from time thanks to a goal from Riveros, who slammed it home into the corner brilliently from 18 yards. Elsewhere in the group, New Zealand pulled off one of the greatest results in their history with a 1-1 draw with holders Italy. The Kiwis took the lead after just 6 minutes when Italy again failed to deal with a ball into the box and Shane Smeltz tapped home. There was a hint of offside, the only question being whether or not Winston Reid flicked the ball on. From what I can see, there was no flick on, but others believe an Italy defender may have got the last touch; in both cases Smeltz is onside. From then on, it was all Italy, and they were rewarded after almost half an hour when Tommy Smith navely pulled down Daniele De Rossi in the box and Vincenzo Iaquinta slotted home the resultant penalty. Italy continued to press, but New Zealand defended magnificently, with captain Ryan Nelson giving a man of the match performance, Tommy Smith recovering from conceding a penalty to play brilliently and goalkeeper Mark Paston pulled off a string of great saves. The days results mean Paraguay are in poll position for qualification on 4 points, with New Zealand and Italy both on two and Slovakia on 1. Paraguay now just need a point against New Zealand to secure qualification, though a defeat may still mean qualification if Slovakia and Italy draw. As for the World champions, a draw for them would put them through if Paraguay beat New Zealand. However, a draw in that match could potentially see New Zealand go through on goals scored.
The other game of the day was in group G between Brazil and the Ivory Coast. The game was much more exciting than the previous Ivory Coast match against Portugal, and Brazil started to show the sort of form which won them the 2002 World Cup. They took the lead after 25 minutes when Luis Fabiano smashed home a superb through ball from Kaka. His second goal was even better when, 7 minutes after half time, he scored the goal of the world cup so far. He controlled the ball with 3 Ivory Coast players around him, flicked the ball over one, then over the next, before chesting it down and volleying it into the corner. Brazil added a third 20 minutes from time, with Elano slotting home Kaka's cutback, before Didier Drogba headed a consolation from Yaya Toure's cross. The drama wasn't over yet though, as a disgraceful display of cheating from Abdelkader Keita earned Kaka a second yellow card. The Ivorian accidentally ran into Kaka, whose arm hit his chest, yet he went down clutching his face. It means Kaka will miss Brazils final group game against Portugal, but it won't make much difference as this win means they will definitely progress to the last 16.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 11- 21/06/10
Portugal 1-0 North Korea
It was a poor display from Portugal against Ivory Coast, but North Korea probably won't provide such a stern test. It still won't be an easy win though, as the Asian side really pushed Brazil, but I can see the Portugese just edging this one.
Chile 0-2 Switzerland
The Swiss will be brimming with confidence following their 1-0 win over Spain, while Chile will still be relishing their 1-0 victory over Honduras. Switzerland were very much defensive against the Spaniards, which is understandable given their pedigree, but Chile really don't have the same kind of quality to pose many problems to Switzerland, who should win this comfortably.
Spain 3-0 Honduras
Spain are reeling from their shock 1-0 defeat against Switzerland, but Honduras don't have anything like the kind of quality that the Swiss do. Whether Honduras go for the same open style of play they did against Chile or go more defensive against a much better team remains to be seen, but whichever happens, Spain should have the quality to dispose of them comfortably.
On the field, the action was almost as exciting. Paraguay greatly increased their chances of making it through to the last 16 with a fine 2-0 win over Slovakia. They opened the scoring after 27 minutes through a great finish by Vera, before securing victory 4 minutes from time thanks to a goal from Riveros, who slammed it home into the corner brilliently from 18 yards. Elsewhere in the group, New Zealand pulled off one of the greatest results in their history with a 1-1 draw with holders Italy. The Kiwis took the lead after just 6 minutes when Italy again failed to deal with a ball into the box and Shane Smeltz tapped home. There was a hint of offside, the only question being whether or not Winston Reid flicked the ball on. From what I can see, there was no flick on, but others believe an Italy defender may have got the last touch; in both cases Smeltz is onside. From then on, it was all Italy, and they were rewarded after almost half an hour when Tommy Smith navely pulled down Daniele De Rossi in the box and Vincenzo Iaquinta slotted home the resultant penalty. Italy continued to press, but New Zealand defended magnificently, with captain Ryan Nelson giving a man of the match performance, Tommy Smith recovering from conceding a penalty to play brilliently and goalkeeper Mark Paston pulled off a string of great saves. The days results mean Paraguay are in poll position for qualification on 4 points, with New Zealand and Italy both on two and Slovakia on 1. Paraguay now just need a point against New Zealand to secure qualification, though a defeat may still mean qualification if Slovakia and Italy draw. As for the World champions, a draw for them would put them through if Paraguay beat New Zealand. However, a draw in that match could potentially see New Zealand go through on goals scored.
The other game of the day was in group G between Brazil and the Ivory Coast. The game was much more exciting than the previous Ivory Coast match against Portugal, and Brazil started to show the sort of form which won them the 2002 World Cup. They took the lead after 25 minutes when Luis Fabiano smashed home a superb through ball from Kaka. His second goal was even better when, 7 minutes after half time, he scored the goal of the world cup so far. He controlled the ball with 3 Ivory Coast players around him, flicked the ball over one, then over the next, before chesting it down and volleying it into the corner. Brazil added a third 20 minutes from time, with Elano slotting home Kaka's cutback, before Didier Drogba headed a consolation from Yaya Toure's cross. The drama wasn't over yet though, as a disgraceful display of cheating from Abdelkader Keita earned Kaka a second yellow card. The Ivorian accidentally ran into Kaka, whose arm hit his chest, yet he went down clutching his face. It means Kaka will miss Brazils final group game against Portugal, but it won't make much difference as this win means they will definitely progress to the last 16.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 11- 21/06/10
Portugal 1-0 North Korea
It was a poor display from Portugal against Ivory Coast, but North Korea probably won't provide such a stern test. It still won't be an easy win though, as the Asian side really pushed Brazil, but I can see the Portugese just edging this one.
Chile 0-2 Switzerland
The Swiss will be brimming with confidence following their 1-0 win over Spain, while Chile will still be relishing their 1-0 victory over Honduras. Switzerland were very much defensive against the Spaniards, which is understandable given their pedigree, but Chile really don't have the same kind of quality to pose many problems to Switzerland, who should win this comfortably.
Spain 3-0 Honduras
Spain are reeling from their shock 1-0 defeat against Switzerland, but Honduras don't have anything like the kind of quality that the Swiss do. Whether Honduras go for the same open style of play they did against Chile or go more defensive against a much better team remains to be seen, but whichever happens, Spain should have the quality to dispose of them comfortably.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
World Cup Day 9- 19/06/10
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the games today. However we are now at the stage where I can really talk about which teams will or won't progress from their groups. So that's what I'm going to do.
Cameroon are out, and Holland are through. These are the first two group standings to be officially confirmed today. The maximum Cameroon can get is 3 points. Denmark play Japan in the final group match. A draw sees both teams finish ahead of Cameroon on 4 points. A win for either team will see them finish on 6. Since Holland already have 6 points, any scenario will still see Cameroon finish below second. Holland are already through, and will probably top the group, since they would need to lose to Cameroon and have either Japan or Denmark beat the other in order not to. Even if this did happen, whichever team won the game would need to win by a few goals, as they would only be able to progress on goal difference. From what I have seen, both sides deserved their fate. I was able to catch some of the Holland game, and they were failry impressive. Japan did a good job of closing down their attacking play, but it was still an assured performance from the Dutch, though they desparately need to realise that Sneijder cannot play in the same side as Van der Vaart, and as long as Robben is unavailable, Elia should replace Van der Vaart. As for Cameroon, they are just poor. Paul Le Guen is a bad manager, as we know, and displayed a great tactical ineptitude in the opening game. Let's face it; Cameroon are a one man team, and if Eto'o doesn't play at his best, they have no chance.
The other game from today was from Group D, as Australia played Ghana. I didn't think Australia had much chance in this one, after their 4-0 thumping by Germany and the loss of talisman Tim Cahill. They lost another key player today in Harry Kewel, dismissed in the first half. But credit to the Aussies, they held on for a decent 1-1 draw which really does open up group D. Australia probably needed a win to have much chance of qualification, but they at least have a point, while the other 3 sides have 3. I'm backing Germany to at least draw with Ghana in the final match and Serbia to beat Australia, which would put the Serbs through as group winners and see Ghana going through second. However, a German victory is a big possibility, and that would see them top the group unless Serbia can really thrash Australia. So Ghana really have it all to do, and Australia need to win and hope Ghana win. Still all to play for.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 10- 20/06/10
Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
Paraguay played well against Italy and showed that they could well be the team to beat from this group. Slovakia didn't play badly against New Zealand, but did seem to struggle, so probably shouldn't hold out too much hope of getting a result against a much better Paraguay side.
Italy 3-0 New Zealand
Italy struggled in their opening game against Paraguay, but didn't really seem allowed to play and were a bit cagey. I put this down to the old 'opening game syndrome', where nerves are very much present and teams care far more about not losing than they do about winning. There should be none of that here though, and the Italians should dispose of a fairly weak New Zealand team.
Brazil 2-1 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast suffered big time from Opening Game Syndrome, making for a very dull match against Portugal. Hopefully this one will be different. There's no doubt that the Ivory Coast are a class outfit, so shoul take the game to Brazil, but Brazil move the ball around much better than Portugal, so should carve out more chances and put themselves in a good position to progress from the Group of Death.
Cameroon are out, and Holland are through. These are the first two group standings to be officially confirmed today. The maximum Cameroon can get is 3 points. Denmark play Japan in the final group match. A draw sees both teams finish ahead of Cameroon on 4 points. A win for either team will see them finish on 6. Since Holland already have 6 points, any scenario will still see Cameroon finish below second. Holland are already through, and will probably top the group, since they would need to lose to Cameroon and have either Japan or Denmark beat the other in order not to. Even if this did happen, whichever team won the game would need to win by a few goals, as they would only be able to progress on goal difference. From what I have seen, both sides deserved their fate. I was able to catch some of the Holland game, and they were failry impressive. Japan did a good job of closing down their attacking play, but it was still an assured performance from the Dutch, though they desparately need to realise that Sneijder cannot play in the same side as Van der Vaart, and as long as Robben is unavailable, Elia should replace Van der Vaart. As for Cameroon, they are just poor. Paul Le Guen is a bad manager, as we know, and displayed a great tactical ineptitude in the opening game. Let's face it; Cameroon are a one man team, and if Eto'o doesn't play at his best, they have no chance.
The other game from today was from Group D, as Australia played Ghana. I didn't think Australia had much chance in this one, after their 4-0 thumping by Germany and the loss of talisman Tim Cahill. They lost another key player today in Harry Kewel, dismissed in the first half. But credit to the Aussies, they held on for a decent 1-1 draw which really does open up group D. Australia probably needed a win to have much chance of qualification, but they at least have a point, while the other 3 sides have 3. I'm backing Germany to at least draw with Ghana in the final match and Serbia to beat Australia, which would put the Serbs through as group winners and see Ghana going through second. However, a German victory is a big possibility, and that would see them top the group unless Serbia can really thrash Australia. So Ghana really have it all to do, and Australia need to win and hope Ghana win. Still all to play for.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 10- 20/06/10
Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
Paraguay played well against Italy and showed that they could well be the team to beat from this group. Slovakia didn't play badly against New Zealand, but did seem to struggle, so probably shouldn't hold out too much hope of getting a result against a much better Paraguay side.
Italy 3-0 New Zealand
Italy struggled in their opening game against Paraguay, but didn't really seem allowed to play and were a bit cagey. I put this down to the old 'opening game syndrome', where nerves are very much present and teams care far more about not losing than they do about winning. There should be none of that here though, and the Italians should dispose of a fairly weak New Zealand team.
Brazil 2-1 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast suffered big time from Opening Game Syndrome, making for a very dull match against Portugal. Hopefully this one will be different. There's no doubt that the Ivory Coast are a class outfit, so shoul take the game to Brazil, but Brazil move the ball around much better than Portugal, so should carve out more chances and put themselves in a good position to progress from the Group of Death.
Friday, 18 June 2010
World Cup Day 8- 18/06/10
We're getting to that exciting stage now where teams know what they have to do, and are willing to play open, expansive football in an attempt to win games. Since each team played their first round of fixtures, games have got noticeably more exciting, and today was no different.
After Germany's victory over Australia, I along with many others expected a comprehensive victory over Serbia today. The game started fairly openly with chances from both sides. But one single decision changed the game; the absurd decision to send off Miroslav Klose after 37 minutes. Klose received his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards, the second of which was soft at best, the first of which was frankly ridiculous. Barely a minute later, Serbia took the lead. The goal was poorly defended in a similar manner of Japans goal against Cameroon. The ball came in, two defenders jumped for the same ball and missed, Zigic headed it back across and Jovanovic exploited the space left by the other centre back to give Serbia the lead. The second half was all Germany, and they really should have drawn level, with Podolski missing about 5 decent chances, including a penalty. The result blows group D wide open, though I'm still backing Germany and Ghana for first and second, though it will very much depend on the Ghana vs Australia match.
The most exciting match by a long way today was between the USA and Slovenia. Slovenia gained their first ever world cup victory over Algeria last Sunday, and so were high on confidence, while America put on a good showing against England. The first half was fairly even, though wass shaped by a trully brilliant strike form the impressive Birsa after 14 minutes. 3 minutes before half time, Slovenia doubled their advantage with a goal from Zlatan Ljubijankic . But credit to the USA, they really took the game to their opponents in the second half, and were rewarded with goals from Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley. They should have got a winner late on, but Maurice Edu's goal was inexplicably disallowed due to pushing as a free kick was played into the box. Group C is now also wide open, and for me is too close to call, particularly after Englands result in the evening. They put in a dismal performance against Algeria, again showing some intelligence going forwards but failing to find any sort of a finish. Balls into the box from the wingers were poor, and the full backs are still a bit of an issue. With Steven Gerrard playing on the right, Ashley Cole didn't forray forward as much, instead dropping back as cover for Gerrard, limiting England's attacking options. Glen Johnson is good going forwards, but poor defensively. Because Liverpool don't play with any real width, Johnson is used as almost a utility winger, so when playing for England he gets caught out of position far too much. England now need to win against Slovenia, as a draw would give England 3 points, putting Slovenia through, and the 3 lions would then need to rely on America drawing with at least 2 fewer goals than them.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 9- 19/06/10
Holland 2-0 Japan
Japan played well in their opening fixture, but the Dutch should just prove to be too much for them. If Holland play well, they can beat anyone in the world. If not, they could probably still beat a weaker team like Japan.
Ghana 2-0 Australia
Australia will miss the influence of Tim Cahill big time, and a lack of his creativity plus the power that Ghana have in midfield should give the Africans a relatively comfortable victory in this one.
Cameroon 1-1 Denmark
These are two very evenly matched teams, and if they both play to their best it could be an interesting match up. What is crucial however, is that Cameroon play with Samuel Eto'o as a centre forward rather than a right midfielder as they did in the last match, and that Denmark do not let their heads go down if they concede the first goal. This is the game which could potentially decide who goes through with Holland.
After Germany's victory over Australia, I along with many others expected a comprehensive victory over Serbia today. The game started fairly openly with chances from both sides. But one single decision changed the game; the absurd decision to send off Miroslav Klose after 37 minutes. Klose received his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards, the second of which was soft at best, the first of which was frankly ridiculous. Barely a minute later, Serbia took the lead. The goal was poorly defended in a similar manner of Japans goal against Cameroon. The ball came in, two defenders jumped for the same ball and missed, Zigic headed it back across and Jovanovic exploited the space left by the other centre back to give Serbia the lead. The second half was all Germany, and they really should have drawn level, with Podolski missing about 5 decent chances, including a penalty. The result blows group D wide open, though I'm still backing Germany and Ghana for first and second, though it will very much depend on the Ghana vs Australia match.
The most exciting match by a long way today was between the USA and Slovenia. Slovenia gained their first ever world cup victory over Algeria last Sunday, and so were high on confidence, while America put on a good showing against England. The first half was fairly even, though wass shaped by a trully brilliant strike form the impressive Birsa after 14 minutes. 3 minutes before half time, Slovenia doubled their advantage with a goal from Zlatan Ljubijankic . But credit to the USA, they really took the game to their opponents in the second half, and were rewarded with goals from Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley. They should have got a winner late on, but Maurice Edu's goal was inexplicably disallowed due to pushing as a free kick was played into the box. Group C is now also wide open, and for me is too close to call, particularly after Englands result in the evening. They put in a dismal performance against Algeria, again showing some intelligence going forwards but failing to find any sort of a finish. Balls into the box from the wingers were poor, and the full backs are still a bit of an issue. With Steven Gerrard playing on the right, Ashley Cole didn't forray forward as much, instead dropping back as cover for Gerrard, limiting England's attacking options. Glen Johnson is good going forwards, but poor defensively. Because Liverpool don't play with any real width, Johnson is used as almost a utility winger, so when playing for England he gets caught out of position far too much. England now need to win against Slovenia, as a draw would give England 3 points, putting Slovenia through, and the 3 lions would then need to rely on America drawing with at least 2 fewer goals than them.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 9- 19/06/10
Holland 2-0 Japan
Japan played well in their opening fixture, but the Dutch should just prove to be too much for them. If Holland play well, they can beat anyone in the world. If not, they could probably still beat a weaker team like Japan.
Ghana 2-0 Australia
Australia will miss the influence of Tim Cahill big time, and a lack of his creativity plus the power that Ghana have in midfield should give the Africans a relatively comfortable victory in this one.
Cameroon 1-1 Denmark
These are two very evenly matched teams, and if they both play to their best it could be an interesting match up. What is crucial however, is that Cameroon play with Samuel Eto'o as a centre forward rather than a right midfielder as they did in the last match, and that Denmark do not let their heads go down if they concede the first goal. This is the game which could potentially decide who goes through with Holland.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
World Cup Day 7- 17/06/10
I knew the competition would get more exciting after the first round of fixtures. Teams were far more defensive in their first games, more concerned with not losing than they were with winning. The second games are different though. Teams have already found their feet in the competition, they know what they need to do to improve and they play to win. We've become accustomed at the world cup so far to seeing around 4-5 goals on a 3 game day. In todays 3 games, we saw a totalof 10 goals, including a thriller in the early kick off.
That thriller was between Argentina and South Korea. Both sides were high on confidence after winning their opening games, and the match was played at a lively tempo. Argentina took the lead after a quarter of an hour, with Lionel Messi's free-kick coming off Park Chu-Yong and into the Korea net. 18 minutes later it was 2, as Gonzalo Higuain was left unmarked at the back post to head in a simple goal. The first half was scrappy at times, and Korea played fairly well and were rewarded on the stroke of half time in a similar manner to their second against Greece. This time it was hesitancy from Demichelis which let in Lee-Chung Yong to give Korea hope. The second half, however, was a different story. The Argentinians were a different class as they steamrollered their opponents, with Higuain adding two more to complete his hat-trick and round off an impressive 4-1 victory, which in truth could have been a bit more.
I'm really starting to fancy Argentina for the competition. Messi wasn't even on his best form today and the team was still a joy to watch. Tevez can cause problems to any defence, Messi is, well, Messi, Higuain is the most deadly finisher in the world, and their shaky defence won't get called upon too often because if their opponents do manage to break down their attacks, they'll still have Mascherano to try and get through. And on top of all that, they have Sergio Aguero, who came off the bench today and deserved a goal, and Diego Milito, a world class striker who still hasn't played at the world cup.
The other match in group B today was between Greece and Nigeria, both of whom needed a win after losing their opening game. Nigeria started as far the better side, with the Greek defence looking as vulnerable as it had against South Korea. This weakness showed on 16 minutes when a free kick from a wide area from Uche eluded everyone and sailed into the back of the Greek net. Nigeria, however, shot themselves in the foot when Kaita was foolishly sent off for kicking out at Torosidis, even though replays showed minimal contact and some disgraceful play-acting from the Greek.. What this did do was give the Greeks momentum, and they were rewarded just before half time when Salpingidis' shot took a big deflection of Haruna and found its way into the back of the net. In the second half, Greece produced an even better performance, playing the sort of attack-minded football which has been sadly missing from this world cup. 20 minutes from the end, they got their reward, when Torosidis pounced on an error from the otherwise reliable Enyeama.
First of all, let me come out and say that Torosidis is a cheat and a disgrace. Kaita raised his foot, yes, but the only contact, if any, was a stud slightly skimming the side of Torosidis' thigh, with the Greek going down holding his groin as if he had been shot there. You had to feel sorry for Kaita as well, who had played well and exited the pitch in tears. On that note, back to the football. Argentina are through, or as good as. The only way for them not to progress would be for them to lose to Greece (unlikely) and for South Korea to beat Nigeria. On top of that, the scores would have to be such that both sides raised their goal difference above Argentina's, which seems highly unlikely seeing as the South Americans have a goal difference of 4, with South Korea and Greece both being on -1. Argentina really are a team to behold, and their attack would frighten any defence in the world. If they can keep the pressure on the opposition, they can beat anyone. Their only concern is the defence, and in particular Demichelis, who has always looked suspect and gifted Korea their goal today. Nevertheless, barring a miraculous turn of events, Argentina will progress as group winners and look likely to face Mexico in the next round. I'm sure we all remember that match 4 years ago, when Maxi Rodriguez scored a trully sensational extra-time winner.
The days final match was in group A between France and Mexico. It started in a similar manner to the previous French match, though didi pick up and was more exciting. The first half was fairly even, without too much in the way of clear cut chances. However, once again, France coach Raymond Domenech once again showing tactical ineptitude by persisting with the ineffective Govou and Toulalan, and not even bringing Theirry Henry off the bench this time. France were punished in the 64th minute with a goal from new Manchester UTD signing Javier Hernandez, who just (and I mean only just) beat the offside trap to run clear and calmly round Lloris to give Mexico the lead. From then, Mexico were never really in danger of losing. Their victory was complete with 10 minutes left, Pablo Barrera being fouled in the box by Eric Abidal and veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco slotting home the penalty. It capped a trully dismal display from the French, and all I can say is... serves you right, Ireland would have been far more entertaining. France now have to beat South Africa and hope someone wins between Uruguay and Mexico, and even then they would be relying on goal difference and would only finish second, which would almost certainly mean a meeting with Argentina in the second round.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 8- 18/06/10
Germany 3-0 Serbia
Many people predicted a good tournament for Serbia this year, but against Ghana they really showed a lack of cutting edge, and Germany will provide an even sterner test. The 2006 hosts are on top form after their 4-0 thumping of Australia, and should overrun the Serbians in much the same way.
Slovenia 1-2 USA
Neither side showed a huge amount of quality in their opening fixture, so this game isn't likely to be a goal-fest. Slovenia were certianly better than Algeria in their opening game, so won't be any pushovers, but America just have the edge on quality, both of players and the way they play the game, so should get the 3 points here.
England 2-0 Algeria
It was a poor display from England against the USA, likewise from Algeria against Slovenia. But England are undoubtedly a better team, and rumour has it that Fabio Capello will be altering his tactics for this one and including Gareth Barry in the starting 11, allowing Steven Gerrard a more attacking role. That could just be the tactical switch which wins this game for England.
That thriller was between Argentina and South Korea. Both sides were high on confidence after winning their opening games, and the match was played at a lively tempo. Argentina took the lead after a quarter of an hour, with Lionel Messi's free-kick coming off Park Chu-Yong and into the Korea net. 18 minutes later it was 2, as Gonzalo Higuain was left unmarked at the back post to head in a simple goal. The first half was scrappy at times, and Korea played fairly well and were rewarded on the stroke of half time in a similar manner to their second against Greece. This time it was hesitancy from Demichelis which let in Lee-Chung Yong to give Korea hope. The second half, however, was a different story. The Argentinians were a different class as they steamrollered their opponents, with Higuain adding two more to complete his hat-trick and round off an impressive 4-1 victory, which in truth could have been a bit more.
I'm really starting to fancy Argentina for the competition. Messi wasn't even on his best form today and the team was still a joy to watch. Tevez can cause problems to any defence, Messi is, well, Messi, Higuain is the most deadly finisher in the world, and their shaky defence won't get called upon too often because if their opponents do manage to break down their attacks, they'll still have Mascherano to try and get through. And on top of all that, they have Sergio Aguero, who came off the bench today and deserved a goal, and Diego Milito, a world class striker who still hasn't played at the world cup.
The other match in group B today was between Greece and Nigeria, both of whom needed a win after losing their opening game. Nigeria started as far the better side, with the Greek defence looking as vulnerable as it had against South Korea. This weakness showed on 16 minutes when a free kick from a wide area from Uche eluded everyone and sailed into the back of the Greek net. Nigeria, however, shot themselves in the foot when Kaita was foolishly sent off for kicking out at Torosidis, even though replays showed minimal contact and some disgraceful play-acting from the Greek.. What this did do was give the Greeks momentum, and they were rewarded just before half time when Salpingidis' shot took a big deflection of Haruna and found its way into the back of the net. In the second half, Greece produced an even better performance, playing the sort of attack-minded football which has been sadly missing from this world cup. 20 minutes from the end, they got their reward, when Torosidis pounced on an error from the otherwise reliable Enyeama.
First of all, let me come out and say that Torosidis is a cheat and a disgrace. Kaita raised his foot, yes, but the only contact, if any, was a stud slightly skimming the side of Torosidis' thigh, with the Greek going down holding his groin as if he had been shot there. You had to feel sorry for Kaita as well, who had played well and exited the pitch in tears. On that note, back to the football. Argentina are through, or as good as. The only way for them not to progress would be for them to lose to Greece (unlikely) and for South Korea to beat Nigeria. On top of that, the scores would have to be such that both sides raised their goal difference above Argentina's, which seems highly unlikely seeing as the South Americans have a goal difference of 4, with South Korea and Greece both being on -1. Argentina really are a team to behold, and their attack would frighten any defence in the world. If they can keep the pressure on the opposition, they can beat anyone. Their only concern is the defence, and in particular Demichelis, who has always looked suspect and gifted Korea their goal today. Nevertheless, barring a miraculous turn of events, Argentina will progress as group winners and look likely to face Mexico in the next round. I'm sure we all remember that match 4 years ago, when Maxi Rodriguez scored a trully sensational extra-time winner.
The days final match was in group A between France and Mexico. It started in a similar manner to the previous French match, though didi pick up and was more exciting. The first half was fairly even, without too much in the way of clear cut chances. However, once again, France coach Raymond Domenech once again showing tactical ineptitude by persisting with the ineffective Govou and Toulalan, and not even bringing Theirry Henry off the bench this time. France were punished in the 64th minute with a goal from new Manchester UTD signing Javier Hernandez, who just (and I mean only just) beat the offside trap to run clear and calmly round Lloris to give Mexico the lead. From then, Mexico were never really in danger of losing. Their victory was complete with 10 minutes left, Pablo Barrera being fouled in the box by Eric Abidal and veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco slotting home the penalty. It capped a trully dismal display from the French, and all I can say is... serves you right, Ireland would have been far more entertaining. France now have to beat South Africa and hope someone wins between Uruguay and Mexico, and even then they would be relying on goal difference and would only finish second, which would almost certainly mean a meeting with Argentina in the second round.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 8- 18/06/10
Germany 3-0 Serbia
Many people predicted a good tournament for Serbia this year, but against Ghana they really showed a lack of cutting edge, and Germany will provide an even sterner test. The 2006 hosts are on top form after their 4-0 thumping of Australia, and should overrun the Serbians in much the same way.
Slovenia 1-2 USA
Neither side showed a huge amount of quality in their opening fixture, so this game isn't likely to be a goal-fest. Slovenia were certianly better than Algeria in their opening game, so won't be any pushovers, but America just have the edge on quality, both of players and the way they play the game, so should get the 3 points here.
England 2-0 Algeria
It was a poor display from England against the USA, likewise from Algeria against Slovenia. But England are undoubtedly a better team, and rumour has it that Fabio Capello will be altering his tactics for this one and including Gareth Barry in the starting 11, allowing Steven Gerrard a more attacking role. That could just be the tactical switch which wins this game for England.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
World Cup Day 6- 16/06/10
I'll be honest. I only got to see one game today, Spain v Switzerland. I do unfortunately have other commitments, largely school, so I'll comment on what I know of the games today.
From what I hear, Honduras v Chile was a surprisingly open and entertaining game. I think because neither have particularly high world cup hopes and because they are both small teams, they felt that they were both able to play attacking football, and try to win rather than try to avoid defeat. The goal came for Chile in the first half, and from what I hear it was no more than they deserved. Honduras will finish bottom of the group, there seems little doubt about that. Based on later events of the day, Chile will also be going home early.
Spain v Switzerland. What a shocker. I predicted fast, free-flowing football and a fantastic performance from the Spaniards. For parts of the game, that's what we got. Spain really moved the ball around well, and I doubt there are 3 men on earth who can pick a pass better than Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Alonso. Unfortunately, Switzerland set out their stall to play a form of football which basically should be illegal; anti-football. More content with not losing and trying to stifle their more illustrious opponents, they put men behind the ball and invited the pressure. I don't think anyone was quite expecting the outcome though. The first thing the Spanish defence had to do happened after 52 minutes, when Puyol and Pique failed to deal with a long ball downfield, Casillas spilled a shot and Fernandes slotted home from close range. From then on, Switzerland really defended. Spain really piled on the pressure, coming close on several occasions, but Switzerland were organised at the back and defended well. Up against Chile and Honduras, Switzerland should really have no problem. They showed today that their defence is good enough, and they should be able to attack sufficiently for the remaining group games as well. As for Spain, I think they showed that they are a very, very good side, and if they are allowed to play then they will be a force to be reconed with. All they need to worry about is bigger and better teams setting out their stall in the same way as the Swiss did. But against bigger teams, who feel that they might have a chance of beating Spain, we should be thoroughly entertained.
I feel sorry for South Africa. In the first game, I thought the hosts played really well, but they seem to have been run over by Uruguay this evening. It seems to me that the South Americans showed what a force they have when Suarez and Forlan play well together. Continue like that and they should progress from the group. South Africa will have to hope that France will have 'another one of those tournaments' and that their poor showing against Uruguay will turn out to have been more than a minor blip. The best the host nation can hope for is a draw between France and Mexico, to defeat the French and hope Uruguay can beat Mexico. They can now only finish second though, so their chances of continuing the trend of host nations doing well is rather slim.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 7- 17/06/10
Argentina 2-0 South Korea
South Korea gave a decent performance against a weak Greek side in their opening game, but shouldn't get any such joy against the Argentinians. Messi was on form in the opening game aganist Nigeria, and the South Americans were unlucky to only win by one goal. They should have a fairly comfortable run in against their opponents tomorrow.
Greece 0-1 Nigeria
These two sides were both poor in their opening matches, but Nigeria managed to hold Argentina to only a 1-0 win, while Greece conceded 2 against the much less illustrious South Korea. From what I've seen so far, Greece have one of the worst defences in the tournament, which could well cost them against Nigeria.
France 1-0 Mexico
France got their team selection totally wrong in the opening game, but they undoubtedly have the quality to beat anyone in the group. Start with Malouda and Henry against Mexico and they should just prove to be too much.
From what I hear, Honduras v Chile was a surprisingly open and entertaining game. I think because neither have particularly high world cup hopes and because they are both small teams, they felt that they were both able to play attacking football, and try to win rather than try to avoid defeat. The goal came for Chile in the first half, and from what I hear it was no more than they deserved. Honduras will finish bottom of the group, there seems little doubt about that. Based on later events of the day, Chile will also be going home early.
Spain v Switzerland. What a shocker. I predicted fast, free-flowing football and a fantastic performance from the Spaniards. For parts of the game, that's what we got. Spain really moved the ball around well, and I doubt there are 3 men on earth who can pick a pass better than Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Alonso. Unfortunately, Switzerland set out their stall to play a form of football which basically should be illegal; anti-football. More content with not losing and trying to stifle their more illustrious opponents, they put men behind the ball and invited the pressure. I don't think anyone was quite expecting the outcome though. The first thing the Spanish defence had to do happened after 52 minutes, when Puyol and Pique failed to deal with a long ball downfield, Casillas spilled a shot and Fernandes slotted home from close range. From then on, Switzerland really defended. Spain really piled on the pressure, coming close on several occasions, but Switzerland were organised at the back and defended well. Up against Chile and Honduras, Switzerland should really have no problem. They showed today that their defence is good enough, and they should be able to attack sufficiently for the remaining group games as well. As for Spain, I think they showed that they are a very, very good side, and if they are allowed to play then they will be a force to be reconed with. All they need to worry about is bigger and better teams setting out their stall in the same way as the Swiss did. But against bigger teams, who feel that they might have a chance of beating Spain, we should be thoroughly entertained.
I feel sorry for South Africa. In the first game, I thought the hosts played really well, but they seem to have been run over by Uruguay this evening. It seems to me that the South Americans showed what a force they have when Suarez and Forlan play well together. Continue like that and they should progress from the group. South Africa will have to hope that France will have 'another one of those tournaments' and that their poor showing against Uruguay will turn out to have been more than a minor blip. The best the host nation can hope for is a draw between France and Mexico, to defeat the French and hope Uruguay can beat Mexico. They can now only finish second though, so their chances of continuing the trend of host nations doing well is rather slim.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 7- 17/06/10
Argentina 2-0 South Korea
South Korea gave a decent performance against a weak Greek side in their opening game, but shouldn't get any such joy against the Argentinians. Messi was on form in the opening game aganist Nigeria, and the South Americans were unlucky to only win by one goal. They should have a fairly comfortable run in against their opponents tomorrow.
Greece 0-1 Nigeria
These two sides were both poor in their opening matches, but Nigeria managed to hold Argentina to only a 1-0 win, while Greece conceded 2 against the much less illustrious South Korea. From what I've seen so far, Greece have one of the worst defences in the tournament, which could well cost them against Nigeria.
France 1-0 Mexico
France got their team selection totally wrong in the opening game, but they undoubtedly have the quality to beat anyone in the group. Start with Malouda and Henry against Mexico and they should just prove to be too much.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
I never thought I'd be saying this, but I think the world cup has been a bit disappointing so far. Today saw a total of 4 goals in the 3 games, with a very boring 0-0 draw in what I thought would be the most exciting. I also started to realise why there have been so many complaints about the new Jabulani ball. The amount of times we've seen shots skyed over the bar or sail wide is ridiculous. For me, the ball is simply too light, so players get too much lift on it, or it gets caught slightly by the wind.
The first game of the day was between New Zealand and Slovakia, both competing in their first world cup finals. I'll admit I wasn't holding out high hopes for this one, but based on previous events of the day it was actually quite good entertainment value. Not too much in the way of chances, but both sides passed the ball well and showed some good defensive play. It's hard to tell whether Slovakia deserved their goal, play was fairly evenly balanced. It was a well taken goal though, with Robert Vittek glancing in a terrific Stanislav Sestak cross. Credit to New Zealand though, they battled hard and really played well, never giving up until the very end, when Winston Reid, who may have been at fault for Vittek's goal, got a free header in at the back post and equalized. I don't hold out much hope for either of these teams making it through to the next round, but they play some decent stuff at times. Both did well when up against a team of a similar standard, but I fear they may be out of their depth when it comes to facing Italy and maybe even Paraguay.
I'm not even sure I can be bothered to talk about the Ivory Coast v Portugal match. It was what you might call a snooze-fest. With the exception of an early moment of Cristiano Ronaldo brilliance which resulted in him crashing a shot off the post, there was little in the way of entertainment value. It seemed that Portugal were more concerned with not losing than they were with winning, so stuck to a more defensive style of play. The same could be said of the Ivory Coast, although their defensive set up was probably more down to their attacking options being limited by Didier Drogba starting on the bench after breaking his arm almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully these two will open up and play some more attacking football for the next two games, because they are both quality sides who have the ability to cause problems to any defence.
The final game of the day was between Brazil and North Korea, and the first half was quite similar to the Portugal match. Fortunately, however, the same certainly could not be said of the second half, which came to life 10 minutes into the second half. Brazilian right-back Maicon scored the goal of the tournament so far, sprinting onto a reverse pass and bending a fantastic shot into the corner from almost on the goal line for a goal that was almost remeniscant of Roberto Carlos' goal for Real Madrid against Tenerifé back in 1998. From there, Brazil continued to push forwards, and were rewarded after 72 minutes when Elano latched onto a great through ball from Robinho and slotted the ball home for 2-0. Credit to Korea for not giving in though, they battled through obvious fatigue and were rewarded 2 minutes from time as Ji Yun-nam fired home to restore some Korean pride. The Korean gameplan seemed to be a catenaccio style plan, with the Asian side seeming content to try and stifle Brazil's creative influence on the game and hope to catch them on the break. That unfortunately broke down after Maicon's goal, and they showed from then that they really don't have the attacking ability to progress in the tournament. As for Brazil, they showed what they are made of in the second half. They were suppressed by Korea in the first, but when they are allowed to play, trust me they will play, and will be extremely difficult to beat.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 6- 16/06/10
Honduras 0-0 Chile
In my opinion, the two worst teams in the tournament. 'Nuff said. Two poor sides with no real quality, shouldn't make for a brilliant match. Still, I've only been right once so far...
Spain 4-1 Switzerland
Spain are many people's favourites for the tournament, and it's easy to see why. They have probably the best midfield in the world, playing either a 4-4-2 with Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso and Silva, or a 4-5-1 with Fabregas coming in as well. Ahead of that is one of the best attacks in the world, with David Villa on his own in the 4-5-1 or partnered by Fernando Torres in the 4-4-2. Defensive vulnerability (which they don't really have much of) may see them lose the odd goal, but overall it should be a fairly comfortable win. Hopefully this time I'll be right when I say that.
South Africa 1-0 Uraguay
As we come to the end of the first round of fixtures, we start again with the hosts in the evening. South Africa will be buoyed by their performance in the second half of their game against Mexico, and should perform well in front of their home fans. Uruguay rely heavily on Forlan and Suarez, the latter performing poorly against France meaning Forlans workload was doubled. If that continues, then the first ever world cup champions could be in trouble.
The first game of the day was between New Zealand and Slovakia, both competing in their first world cup finals. I'll admit I wasn't holding out high hopes for this one, but based on previous events of the day it was actually quite good entertainment value. Not too much in the way of chances, but both sides passed the ball well and showed some good defensive play. It's hard to tell whether Slovakia deserved their goal, play was fairly evenly balanced. It was a well taken goal though, with Robert Vittek glancing in a terrific Stanislav Sestak cross. Credit to New Zealand though, they battled hard and really played well, never giving up until the very end, when Winston Reid, who may have been at fault for Vittek's goal, got a free header in at the back post and equalized. I don't hold out much hope for either of these teams making it through to the next round, but they play some decent stuff at times. Both did well when up against a team of a similar standard, but I fear they may be out of their depth when it comes to facing Italy and maybe even Paraguay.
I'm not even sure I can be bothered to talk about the Ivory Coast v Portugal match. It was what you might call a snooze-fest. With the exception of an early moment of Cristiano Ronaldo brilliance which resulted in him crashing a shot off the post, there was little in the way of entertainment value. It seemed that Portugal were more concerned with not losing than they were with winning, so stuck to a more defensive style of play. The same could be said of the Ivory Coast, although their defensive set up was probably more down to their attacking options being limited by Didier Drogba starting on the bench after breaking his arm almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully these two will open up and play some more attacking football for the next two games, because they are both quality sides who have the ability to cause problems to any defence.
The final game of the day was between Brazil and North Korea, and the first half was quite similar to the Portugal match. Fortunately, however, the same certainly could not be said of the second half, which came to life 10 minutes into the second half. Brazilian right-back Maicon scored the goal of the tournament so far, sprinting onto a reverse pass and bending a fantastic shot into the corner from almost on the goal line for a goal that was almost remeniscant of Roberto Carlos' goal for Real Madrid against Tenerifé back in 1998. From there, Brazil continued to push forwards, and were rewarded after 72 minutes when Elano latched onto a great through ball from Robinho and slotted the ball home for 2-0. Credit to Korea for not giving in though, they battled through obvious fatigue and were rewarded 2 minutes from time as Ji Yun-nam fired home to restore some Korean pride. The Korean gameplan seemed to be a catenaccio style plan, with the Asian side seeming content to try and stifle Brazil's creative influence on the game and hope to catch them on the break. That unfortunately broke down after Maicon's goal, and they showed from then that they really don't have the attacking ability to progress in the tournament. As for Brazil, they showed what they are made of in the second half. They were suppressed by Korea in the first, but when they are allowed to play, trust me they will play, and will be extremely difficult to beat.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 6- 16/06/10
Honduras 0-0 Chile
In my opinion, the two worst teams in the tournament. 'Nuff said. Two poor sides with no real quality, shouldn't make for a brilliant match. Still, I've only been right once so far...
Spain 4-1 Switzerland
Spain are many people's favourites for the tournament, and it's easy to see why. They have probably the best midfield in the world, playing either a 4-4-2 with Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso and Silva, or a 4-5-1 with Fabregas coming in as well. Ahead of that is one of the best attacks in the world, with David Villa on his own in the 4-5-1 or partnered by Fernando Torres in the 4-4-2. Defensive vulnerability (which they don't really have much of) may see them lose the odd goal, but overall it should be a fairly comfortable win. Hopefully this time I'll be right when I say that.
South Africa 1-0 Uraguay
As we come to the end of the first round of fixtures, we start again with the hosts in the evening. South Africa will be buoyed by their performance in the second half of their game against Mexico, and should perform well in front of their home fans. Uruguay rely heavily on Forlan and Suarez, the latter performing poorly against France meaning Forlans workload was doubled. If that continues, then the first ever world cup champions could be in trouble.
Monday, 14 June 2010
World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Another day, another 3 games. More surprises, more moments of brilliance and a lot more poor defending.
But before we get onto the games themselves, some good news emerged today when we were told that world cup authorities would NOT be banning vuvuzelas from games. Hooray for atmosphere and host nation tradition!
The first game of Day 4 featured my pick for the tournament, Holland, against Denmark. I think it's fair to say the Dutch really missed Arjan Robben. Rafael Van Der Vaart was drafted in as a replacement, but he is by no means a natural winger, and his similarity to Wesley Sneijder restricted the creative inflluence both of them were allowed on the game as they tried to do the same job. The Danes did well to stifle their opponents in the first period, making for an evenly matched game with a lot of possesion and tackling in midfield, but a lack of the free-flowing passing which we have become so accustomed to seeing from the Dutch during qualifying.
The second half, however, was a different story altogether. Denmark crumbled, starting with conceding a goal 50 seconds after the restart. Robbin Van Persie swung in a cross which Simon Poulson attempted to clear, only for his header to loop into the corner off Daniel Agger's back. From then on, the momentum was with Holland. The withdrawal of Nicklas Bendtner, who was replaced by Beckmann 17 minutes into the second half, didn't help, as the Danes were now very limited in their attacking options. The moment which, for me, really allowed the Dutch to play the free-flowing football we have become accustomed to, was the decision to bring on Elia in place of Van Der Vaart. Elia introduced some pace and trickery down the left which had been so lacking previously in the game, allowing Sneijder to fulfill his creative potential. Elia had a great game and deserved a goal, which he came very close to with 5 minutes remaining. He was put through on goal by a wonderful pass from Sneijder, and when his shot rebounded off the post, it allowed Dirk Kuyt to slot home a second for Holland and secure a victory which, on the basis of the second half at least, was very much deserved. Once Holland get Robben back, it should help them to play like that throughout the competition. And if they do that, believe you me, they will go very far.
The days 3 o'clock kick off was between Japan, who had never won a world cup match on foreign soil, and Cameroon, who had never lost an opening game at the world cup. This match, as much as anything else, demonstrated Cameroon boss Paul Le Guen's complete lack of tactical awareness. The Indomitable Lions went with a strike force of Webo alongside 21 year old Choupo-Moting, meaning Samuel Eto'o was deployed in a wide right position. This was all very well to try out, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't working, so Le Guen should have changed it. Things got worse when Cameroon conceded a cheap goal. The right back, whose name escapes me, was dragged into the middle. He and Stephan Mbia jumped for the same ball, both missed, and allowed Honda to exploit the space where the right back should have been and fire home.
Cameroon found some urgency towards the end, rattling the bar with a fantastic 30 yard strike, but ultimately failed to find a goal. You have to feel that had Eto'o been used in his favoured position as a centre forward, the result could have been oh so different. While Le Guen's in charge, I don't hold out much hope for Cameroon. If Le Guen gets his tactics right, they may have a chance against Denmark. If not, they may well finish fourth. As for Japan, they played better than I expected. They move the ball around well, but again I don't see them as having much chance of progression. They will be slightly outclassed by Denmark and Holland.
I must confess, I wasn't able to watch the Italy v Paraguay match, so I'll just comment on the goals, which I saw. More extremely poor defending in evidence, Alcaraz being allowed to rise unchallenged between two defenders to open the scoring. No Paraguay defender even attempted to clear Pepe's corner before Villar completely missed it, allowin De Rossi an easy goal. Italy aren't what they were, but should still have the class to make it through to the next stage, and will be far better once Pirlo returns. From what I hear, Paraguay played a good match today, and were good on the ball, so they should be able to make the last 16 ahead of New Zealand and Slovakia.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
New Zealand 1-0 Slovakia
Neither of these sides have any world cup pedigree, both appearing in their first finals. Neither will have the quality to progress to the next stage, but with the New Zealand strike force of Fallon and Killen, they should be able to just edge out the Slovakians.
Ivory Coast 1-3 Portugal
This should be a great match. Portugal have the obvious quality of Ronaldo, along with the likes of Deco and Simao, so should be just better than the Ivory Coast. Didier Drogba is a doubt for the elephants, and I would go so far as to say that they have no chance without him. They do however have good cover in Kalou and Doumbia, so will be no pushovers.
Brazil 3-0 North Korea
I only see this match going one way. Brazil are still one of the best sides in the world, and North Korea will almost definitely finish bottom of the Group of Death. Players like Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano in attack, along with Lucio, Maicon and Alves at the back mean this should be a fairly comfortable victory for the 5 times winners.
But before we get onto the games themselves, some good news emerged today when we were told that world cup authorities would NOT be banning vuvuzelas from games. Hooray for atmosphere and host nation tradition!
The first game of Day 4 featured my pick for the tournament, Holland, against Denmark. I think it's fair to say the Dutch really missed Arjan Robben. Rafael Van Der Vaart was drafted in as a replacement, but he is by no means a natural winger, and his similarity to Wesley Sneijder restricted the creative inflluence both of them were allowed on the game as they tried to do the same job. The Danes did well to stifle their opponents in the first period, making for an evenly matched game with a lot of possesion and tackling in midfield, but a lack of the free-flowing passing which we have become so accustomed to seeing from the Dutch during qualifying.
The second half, however, was a different story altogether. Denmark crumbled, starting with conceding a goal 50 seconds after the restart. Robbin Van Persie swung in a cross which Simon Poulson attempted to clear, only for his header to loop into the corner off Daniel Agger's back. From then on, the momentum was with Holland. The withdrawal of Nicklas Bendtner, who was replaced by Beckmann 17 minutes into the second half, didn't help, as the Danes were now very limited in their attacking options. The moment which, for me, really allowed the Dutch to play the free-flowing football we have become accustomed to, was the decision to bring on Elia in place of Van Der Vaart. Elia introduced some pace and trickery down the left which had been so lacking previously in the game, allowing Sneijder to fulfill his creative potential. Elia had a great game and deserved a goal, which he came very close to with 5 minutes remaining. He was put through on goal by a wonderful pass from Sneijder, and when his shot rebounded off the post, it allowed Dirk Kuyt to slot home a second for Holland and secure a victory which, on the basis of the second half at least, was very much deserved. Once Holland get Robben back, it should help them to play like that throughout the competition. And if they do that, believe you me, they will go very far.
The days 3 o'clock kick off was between Japan, who had never won a world cup match on foreign soil, and Cameroon, who had never lost an opening game at the world cup. This match, as much as anything else, demonstrated Cameroon boss Paul Le Guen's complete lack of tactical awareness. The Indomitable Lions went with a strike force of Webo alongside 21 year old Choupo-Moting, meaning Samuel Eto'o was deployed in a wide right position. This was all very well to try out, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't working, so Le Guen should have changed it. Things got worse when Cameroon conceded a cheap goal. The right back, whose name escapes me, was dragged into the middle. He and Stephan Mbia jumped for the same ball, both missed, and allowed Honda to exploit the space where the right back should have been and fire home.
Cameroon found some urgency towards the end, rattling the bar with a fantastic 30 yard strike, but ultimately failed to find a goal. You have to feel that had Eto'o been used in his favoured position as a centre forward, the result could have been oh so different. While Le Guen's in charge, I don't hold out much hope for Cameroon. If Le Guen gets his tactics right, they may have a chance against Denmark. If not, they may well finish fourth. As for Japan, they played better than I expected. They move the ball around well, but again I don't see them as having much chance of progression. They will be slightly outclassed by Denmark and Holland.
I must confess, I wasn't able to watch the Italy v Paraguay match, so I'll just comment on the goals, which I saw. More extremely poor defending in evidence, Alcaraz being allowed to rise unchallenged between two defenders to open the scoring. No Paraguay defender even attempted to clear Pepe's corner before Villar completely missed it, allowin De Rossi an easy goal. Italy aren't what they were, but should still have the class to make it through to the next stage, and will be far better once Pirlo returns. From what I hear, Paraguay played a good match today, and were good on the ball, so they should be able to make the last 16 ahead of New Zealand and Slovakia.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
New Zealand 1-0 Slovakia
Neither of these sides have any world cup pedigree, both appearing in their first finals. Neither will have the quality to progress to the next stage, but with the New Zealand strike force of Fallon and Killen, they should be able to just edge out the Slovakians.
Ivory Coast 1-3 Portugal
This should be a great match. Portugal have the obvious quality of Ronaldo, along with the likes of Deco and Simao, so should be just better than the Ivory Coast. Didier Drogba is a doubt for the elephants, and I would go so far as to say that they have no chance without him. They do however have good cover in Kalou and Doumbia, so will be no pushovers.
Brazil 3-0 North Korea
I only see this match going one way. Brazil are still one of the best sides in the world, and North Korea will almost definitely finish bottom of the Group of Death. Players like Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano in attack, along with Lucio, Maicon and Alves at the back mean this should be a fairly comfortable victory for the 5 times winners.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
At about 5:00pm this afternoon, I was mentally preparing this blog, talking about how it had been a disappointing day, and so far a disappointing lack of goals in the tournament. I think it's fair to say that's all changed now. Dayt 3 also saw a red card in each of the 3 games,with an element of controversy behind at least one.
But before we get onto the exciting stuff, let's get the more boring game out of the way first. Algeria v Slovenia was never going to be a huge thriller, but I think we all expected a lot more than what we got for the first game of Day 3. Algeria's only serious attempt was a Belhadj freekick early on which Slovenia goalkeeper Handanovic did well to tip over the crossbar.
It took around 72 minutes for us to all get wakened up, as substitute of 15 minutes Abdelkader Ghezzal recieved his second yellow card. There could be no complaints about either booking, the first coming seconds after Ghezzal came on as a sub, for shirt pulling. The second, barely a quarter of an hour later was, not for the last time in the day, a trully stupid handball. Diving for a cross, Ghezzal for some reason stuck his arm out, and promptly recieved his marching orders.
That decision may well have cost Algeria, as 7 minutes later Robert Koren's tame shot somehow crept through the arms of Faouzi Chaouchi and into the Algeria net, for what proved to be the winning goal.
I think it's fair to say that neither England nor the USA have anything to fear from these two. Neither side showed any real cutting edge, and the error from Chaouchi will make England feel much better about having Rob Green. England's main concern now should be their failure to beat the Americans, as topping the group could be vital to England's world cup hopes. Should the USA come top, England would likely play Germany in the last 16. Beat them, and Argentina would probably lie in wait in the quarters. If England somehow stop Messi and co., it will be Spain in the semis, barring a major shock in a previous round for the Spaniards. And if England somehow make it through to the final, it will most likely be against Brazil. Even if none of these four teams are able to win their groups or make it through the next rounds, the likes of Portugal and Holland will stand in England's way instead.
Away from Group C, Ghana became the third African nation to kick off their world cup campaign. I predicted a 3-2 win for the Ghaneans here, and while I may have been a way off on the amount of goals, I was certainly accurate on entertainment value. The two sides contested a terrific match, with Ghana's strength in midfield just about outplaying a Serbian side for whom it seems almost a requirement to have a surname ending in 'vic' in order to play for them. It was an open, end to end match, played at a frantic pace, though both sides seemed to lack a final ball at times. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan hit the post in a second half in which Ghana were far the better side, with the Serbs trying desperately to feed 6ft 8" striker Nikola Zigic, who failed to make the most of the few clear-cut chances he was given. With just over 15 minutes of the game remaining, we saw the second red card of the day, as Aleksandar Lukovic recieved a second yellow for hauling down Gyan. Though initially it was unclear what his first booking was for, it later emerged that he had fouled Boateng shortly after coming on, an indident not noticed by TV cameras due to the referee playing a good advantage.
With 5 minute remaining, we had the second stupid handball of the day. Serbian substitute Kuzmanovic punched away a cross which didn't appear to be heading to anyone in a white shirt, and Asamoah Gyan confidently slotted home to finally give an African nation a victory at the African world cup.
Group D is a very tough group, with all four sides boasting strong sqauds. I have no doubt that Germany will top it, and on todays evidence it looks like Ghana will come second. They are a very physical side, and use that to their advantage to deny their opponents much in the way of serious possesion in midfield. With the likes of Gyan, who had a fantastic game today, leading the line, I think Ghana will be a tough team to beat and may well be the strongest of the African nations at this years competition.
By far the most exciting game of the day was contested between Germany and Australia. In my predictions for today, I said that Australia had a good defence, but may be let down by their attack. I was completely wrong, as the Aussie defence fell to pieces, allowing far to much space to Podolski, Klose, Mueller and Cacau as Germany romped to a 4-0 win. Germany coach Joachim Loew certainly proved a point today as well. With much debate going on over who he should play as his front 3, and Loew then being criticised for his final selection, the German team certainly answered those critics as all three strikers scored. No sooner had the third, Mueller, scored, another, Cacau, was introduced. No sooner had Cacau come on, he added a fourth to complete the rout.
The first German goal came after just 8 minutes. Thomas Mueller's drilled cross fell behind Klose, but no-one in the Australian defence picked up Podolski's far post run, and he slammed home the opening goal. Less than 20 minutes later it was 2, with Miroslav Klose continuing his fantastic world cup goalscoring rate by heading home Philip Lahm's fantastic cross. The defence was again at fault here, with Klose being allowed to run between two Australian defenders and head past Schwazer, who had commited himself to a punch he just wasn't going to make.
Ten minutes into the second half saw one of the worst refereeing decisions of the tournament so far. Tim Cahill went in hard on Bastien Schweinsteiger and was dismissed by referee Marco Rodriguez. Cahil was late, yes, but it was not a malicious tackle, it wasn't two-footed, it wasn't in the air and it wasn't studs up. Bookable, yes, sending off, no chance.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Germany added a third. Thomas Mueller twisted and turned on the edge of the box before firing a great shot into Mark Schwazers far post. More poor tackling on show from the Socceroos. It got worse just two minutes later when Cacau, barely on the field for a minute, was left unmarked in front of goal and latched onto the instrumental man-of-the-match Ozil's cut back.
I think Germany's hopes of winning the tournament may have now increased. Ozil was simply superb in midfield, Klose and Podolski have fantastic goalscoring records at the world cup, and th midfield was simply dominant today. As for Australia, their tournament is as good as over. Not just because of the lack of ability to mark at the back, but because of the woeful decision to send off Tim Cahill. The game was already beyond the Aussies, who were 2-0 down at the time, but Cahill will now miss the remaining group games, which could cost his country dearly.
Off the pitch, a major issue emerged today, when it was announced that South Africa would consider banning vuvuzelas. This is an outrage. The vuvuzelas create a fantastic atmosphere, there is nothing worse than a quiet football stadium. Players are complaining about not being able to communicate on the pitch, but to be honest they should be used to noisy stadiums, and if they're not then there's something wrong. Aside from that, the horns are a symbol of the host nation. Take them away and you take away the main factor in the match which reminds us that this is South Africa's world cup. This is the world cup which shows once and for all that football is more than 'just a game'. Let the hosts have their vuvuzelas. It's a symbol of who they are; a country that loves its football.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Denmark 0-3 Holland
For me, the Dutch are the strongest team at the world cup. Not only are they blessed with players like Robben and Snjieder, who set the Champions League alight this year, but they work extremely well as a unit and make the most of the creativity which they are so blessed with. There's no doubt they'll defeat the Danes. The question is, how much by?
Japan 2-1 Cameroon
Japan showed against England that they are a good side, and are not to be underestimated. Shunsuke Nakamura is still one of the best freekick takers around, so Japan should prove to be too much for Cameroon. Don't rule the African's out completely though...
Italy 3-0 Paraguay
Italy certainly aren't as strong as they were when they became World Champions four years ago, but they are still one of the strongest sides in the tournament. With a ruthless defence featuring 2006 world player of the year Cannavaro, a midfield bossed by the tough-tackling Gattuso, the creative force of De Rossi providing ammo to the likes of Gilardino, they should be able to outclass the South Americans.
But before we get onto the exciting stuff, let's get the more boring game out of the way first. Algeria v Slovenia was never going to be a huge thriller, but I think we all expected a lot more than what we got for the first game of Day 3. Algeria's only serious attempt was a Belhadj freekick early on which Slovenia goalkeeper Handanovic did well to tip over the crossbar.
It took around 72 minutes for us to all get wakened up, as substitute of 15 minutes Abdelkader Ghezzal recieved his second yellow card. There could be no complaints about either booking, the first coming seconds after Ghezzal came on as a sub, for shirt pulling. The second, barely a quarter of an hour later was, not for the last time in the day, a trully stupid handball. Diving for a cross, Ghezzal for some reason stuck his arm out, and promptly recieved his marching orders.
That decision may well have cost Algeria, as 7 minutes later Robert Koren's tame shot somehow crept through the arms of Faouzi Chaouchi and into the Algeria net, for what proved to be the winning goal.
I think it's fair to say that neither England nor the USA have anything to fear from these two. Neither side showed any real cutting edge, and the error from Chaouchi will make England feel much better about having Rob Green. England's main concern now should be their failure to beat the Americans, as topping the group could be vital to England's world cup hopes. Should the USA come top, England would likely play Germany in the last 16. Beat them, and Argentina would probably lie in wait in the quarters. If England somehow stop Messi and co., it will be Spain in the semis, barring a major shock in a previous round for the Spaniards. And if England somehow make it through to the final, it will most likely be against Brazil. Even if none of these four teams are able to win their groups or make it through the next rounds, the likes of Portugal and Holland will stand in England's way instead.
Away from Group C, Ghana became the third African nation to kick off their world cup campaign. I predicted a 3-2 win for the Ghaneans here, and while I may have been a way off on the amount of goals, I was certainly accurate on entertainment value. The two sides contested a terrific match, with Ghana's strength in midfield just about outplaying a Serbian side for whom it seems almost a requirement to have a surname ending in 'vic' in order to play for them. It was an open, end to end match, played at a frantic pace, though both sides seemed to lack a final ball at times. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan hit the post in a second half in which Ghana were far the better side, with the Serbs trying desperately to feed 6ft 8" striker Nikola Zigic, who failed to make the most of the few clear-cut chances he was given. With just over 15 minutes of the game remaining, we saw the second red card of the day, as Aleksandar Lukovic recieved a second yellow for hauling down Gyan. Though initially it was unclear what his first booking was for, it later emerged that he had fouled Boateng shortly after coming on, an indident not noticed by TV cameras due to the referee playing a good advantage.
With 5 minute remaining, we had the second stupid handball of the day. Serbian substitute Kuzmanovic punched away a cross which didn't appear to be heading to anyone in a white shirt, and Asamoah Gyan confidently slotted home to finally give an African nation a victory at the African world cup.
Group D is a very tough group, with all four sides boasting strong sqauds. I have no doubt that Germany will top it, and on todays evidence it looks like Ghana will come second. They are a very physical side, and use that to their advantage to deny their opponents much in the way of serious possesion in midfield. With the likes of Gyan, who had a fantastic game today, leading the line, I think Ghana will be a tough team to beat and may well be the strongest of the African nations at this years competition.
By far the most exciting game of the day was contested between Germany and Australia. In my predictions for today, I said that Australia had a good defence, but may be let down by their attack. I was completely wrong, as the Aussie defence fell to pieces, allowing far to much space to Podolski, Klose, Mueller and Cacau as Germany romped to a 4-0 win. Germany coach Joachim Loew certainly proved a point today as well. With much debate going on over who he should play as his front 3, and Loew then being criticised for his final selection, the German team certainly answered those critics as all three strikers scored. No sooner had the third, Mueller, scored, another, Cacau, was introduced. No sooner had Cacau come on, he added a fourth to complete the rout.
The first German goal came after just 8 minutes. Thomas Mueller's drilled cross fell behind Klose, but no-one in the Australian defence picked up Podolski's far post run, and he slammed home the opening goal. Less than 20 minutes later it was 2, with Miroslav Klose continuing his fantastic world cup goalscoring rate by heading home Philip Lahm's fantastic cross. The defence was again at fault here, with Klose being allowed to run between two Australian defenders and head past Schwazer, who had commited himself to a punch he just wasn't going to make.
Ten minutes into the second half saw one of the worst refereeing decisions of the tournament so far. Tim Cahill went in hard on Bastien Schweinsteiger and was dismissed by referee Marco Rodriguez. Cahil was late, yes, but it was not a malicious tackle, it wasn't two-footed, it wasn't in the air and it wasn't studs up. Bookable, yes, sending off, no chance.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Germany added a third. Thomas Mueller twisted and turned on the edge of the box before firing a great shot into Mark Schwazers far post. More poor tackling on show from the Socceroos. It got worse just two minutes later when Cacau, barely on the field for a minute, was left unmarked in front of goal and latched onto the instrumental man-of-the-match Ozil's cut back.
I think Germany's hopes of winning the tournament may have now increased. Ozil was simply superb in midfield, Klose and Podolski have fantastic goalscoring records at the world cup, and th midfield was simply dominant today. As for Australia, their tournament is as good as over. Not just because of the lack of ability to mark at the back, but because of the woeful decision to send off Tim Cahill. The game was already beyond the Aussies, who were 2-0 down at the time, but Cahill will now miss the remaining group games, which could cost his country dearly.
Off the pitch, a major issue emerged today, when it was announced that South Africa would consider banning vuvuzelas. This is an outrage. The vuvuzelas create a fantastic atmosphere, there is nothing worse than a quiet football stadium. Players are complaining about not being able to communicate on the pitch, but to be honest they should be used to noisy stadiums, and if they're not then there's something wrong. Aside from that, the horns are a symbol of the host nation. Take them away and you take away the main factor in the match which reminds us that this is South Africa's world cup. This is the world cup which shows once and for all that football is more than 'just a game'. Let the hosts have their vuvuzelas. It's a symbol of who they are; a country that loves its football.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Denmark 0-3 Holland
For me, the Dutch are the strongest team at the world cup. Not only are they blessed with players like Robben and Snjieder, who set the Champions League alight this year, but they work extremely well as a unit and make the most of the creativity which they are so blessed with. There's no doubt they'll defeat the Danes. The question is, how much by?
Japan 2-1 Cameroon
Japan showed against England that they are a good side, and are not to be underestimated. Shunsuke Nakamura is still one of the best freekick takers around, so Japan should prove to be too much for Cameroon. Don't rule the African's out completely though...
Italy 3-0 Paraguay
Italy certainly aren't as strong as they were when they became World Champions four years ago, but they are still one of the strongest sides in the tournament. With a ruthless defence featuring 2006 world player of the year Cannavaro, a midfield bossed by the tough-tackling Gattuso, the creative force of De Rossi providing ammo to the likes of Gilardino, they should be able to outclass the South Americans.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
World Cup Day 2- 12/06/10
Poor, poor Rob Green. You have to feel for the guy. The debate had gone on for so long about who should start in goal for England's opening world cup game, Green (rightfully in my opinion) eventually got the nod. It was all going so well, with England successfully closing down the USA players and forcing them to resort to shots from distance. However, for one such shot from Clint Dempsey, Green failed to behind the ball, and could only palm the shot into the net.
Green can't be totally to blame for England's poor 1-1 draw with their transatlantic friends. After making a bright start, with Steven Gerrard slotting home inside 4 minutes, England played poorley. The reason for Emile Heskey's inclusion in the squad continues to elude me, particularly with Darren Bent scoring over 20 goals last season with worse players around him, in comparison to Heskey's 3. Save for a touch into the path of Steven Gerrard to set up the opening goal, Heskey did nothing. The main reason for his inclusion was due to his power and aerial ability, but even that deserted him today. He got beaten far too often in the air, gave away numerous free kicks trying to win the ball back, got caught offside a lot and missed 2 sitters. The bright side for Heskey is that he was hardly any worse than much of his England team-mates today. Rooney was completely ineffective in attack, with the exception of a long range shot which almost found its way into the top corner. Lampard likewise, his only meaningful contribution being to sting the palms of Tim Howard with a long range effort. Milner did nothing apart from get himself booked for two rash challenges, and was substituted after half an hour. The two wingers who finished the game, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were also fairly inconspicuous, with Lennon once again lacking a final ball and Wright-Phillips providing a couple of relatively decent crosses, but never really troubling the USA defence. Capello will need to re-adjust his front line if he wants England to do well in the tournament, and the team will really have to step it up for their remaining group games against Algeria and Slovenia.
Earlier in the day, South Korea defeted Greece 2-0. Once again in the World Cup, some shoddy defending was on show, as Lee Jung-Soo was allowed to run unchallenged to the back post and fire home Ki Sung-Yueng's excellent free-kick. More defensive errors allowed Park Ji-Sung to double Korea's lead on 52 minutes, as Loukas Vyntra's poor touch allowed the Man UTD midfielder in to score goal 2. I had expected Greece to improve on their dismal performance at their last World Cup finals, but on the basis of today's performance I wouldn't bet against them once again leaving with no points, and no goals.
Else where in group B, group favourites Argentina defeated Nigeria 1-0 in a result which was kind to the second African nation to play in the tournament. Yet more poor defending was in evidence here, with no-one picking up Gabriel Heinze's run onto a Juan Sebastian Veron corner on 6 minutes. Argentina had many chances throughout the game, and more often than not it was Lionel Messi who was at the heart of it. Even when he wasn't gliding past players with ease, he was contributing by opening up space for his team-mates, with Nigeria requiring at least 3 men to mark him. This meant there was more space for Tevez and Higuain to exploit and run in at goal. As long as Messi plays well and the finishing ablility shown by Tevez and Higuain for their respective clubs doesn't desert them, Argentina could go very far in this competition.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
Algeria 1-0 Slovenia
Two of the smaller teams at this years World Cup, shouldn't make for an overly interesting game. Slovenia are known for their poor performances in international tournaments though, and Algeria's decent performance at the Africa Cup of Nations means they should just about edge this one.
Serbia 2-3 Ghana
This should be an entertaining and well-matched game. Serbia have a strong sqaud this year and a good defence, helped in no small part by the defensive martialling of Man UTDs Nemanja Vidic. Ghana will be without their talisman Michael Essien, which could cost them overall in the tournament, but I still think that the likes of Muntari and Appiah will help the Ghaneans to just about take all three points in this one.
Germany 2-0 Australia
The Socceroos have a decent squad and should prove to be no pushovers to anyone at this years tournament. If the defence plays well, then the Aussies are in with a chance of beating anyone at the tournament. However, I feel that they are too weak in attack. Tim Cahill is an injury doubt and Harry Kewell is far past his best, so I don't feel that they are overly likely to take anything from a Germany team which is still one of the best in the world.
Green can't be totally to blame for England's poor 1-1 draw with their transatlantic friends. After making a bright start, with Steven Gerrard slotting home inside 4 minutes, England played poorley. The reason for Emile Heskey's inclusion in the squad continues to elude me, particularly with Darren Bent scoring over 20 goals last season with worse players around him, in comparison to Heskey's 3. Save for a touch into the path of Steven Gerrard to set up the opening goal, Heskey did nothing. The main reason for his inclusion was due to his power and aerial ability, but even that deserted him today. He got beaten far too often in the air, gave away numerous free kicks trying to win the ball back, got caught offside a lot and missed 2 sitters. The bright side for Heskey is that he was hardly any worse than much of his England team-mates today. Rooney was completely ineffective in attack, with the exception of a long range shot which almost found its way into the top corner. Lampard likewise, his only meaningful contribution being to sting the palms of Tim Howard with a long range effort. Milner did nothing apart from get himself booked for two rash challenges, and was substituted after half an hour. The two wingers who finished the game, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were also fairly inconspicuous, with Lennon once again lacking a final ball and Wright-Phillips providing a couple of relatively decent crosses, but never really troubling the USA defence. Capello will need to re-adjust his front line if he wants England to do well in the tournament, and the team will really have to step it up for their remaining group games against Algeria and Slovenia.
Earlier in the day, South Korea defeted Greece 2-0. Once again in the World Cup, some shoddy defending was on show, as Lee Jung-Soo was allowed to run unchallenged to the back post and fire home Ki Sung-Yueng's excellent free-kick. More defensive errors allowed Park Ji-Sung to double Korea's lead on 52 minutes, as Loukas Vyntra's poor touch allowed the Man UTD midfielder in to score goal 2. I had expected Greece to improve on their dismal performance at their last World Cup finals, but on the basis of today's performance I wouldn't bet against them once again leaving with no points, and no goals.
Else where in group B, group favourites Argentina defeated Nigeria 1-0 in a result which was kind to the second African nation to play in the tournament. Yet more poor defending was in evidence here, with no-one picking up Gabriel Heinze's run onto a Juan Sebastian Veron corner on 6 minutes. Argentina had many chances throughout the game, and more often than not it was Lionel Messi who was at the heart of it. Even when he wasn't gliding past players with ease, he was contributing by opening up space for his team-mates, with Nigeria requiring at least 3 men to mark him. This meant there was more space for Tevez and Higuain to exploit and run in at goal. As long as Messi plays well and the finishing ablility shown by Tevez and Higuain for their respective clubs doesn't desert them, Argentina could go very far in this competition.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
Algeria 1-0 Slovenia
Two of the smaller teams at this years World Cup, shouldn't make for an overly interesting game. Slovenia are known for their poor performances in international tournaments though, and Algeria's decent performance at the Africa Cup of Nations means they should just about edge this one.
Serbia 2-3 Ghana
This should be an entertaining and well-matched game. Serbia have a strong sqaud this year and a good defence, helped in no small part by the defensive martialling of Man UTDs Nemanja Vidic. Ghana will be without their talisman Michael Essien, which could cost them overall in the tournament, but I still think that the likes of Muntari and Appiah will help the Ghaneans to just about take all three points in this one.
Germany 2-0 Australia
The Socceroos have a decent squad and should prove to be no pushovers to anyone at this years tournament. If the defence plays well, then the Aussies are in with a chance of beating anyone at the tournament. However, I feel that they are too weak in attack. Tim Cahill is an injury doubt and Harry Kewell is far past his best, so I don't feel that they are overly likely to take anything from a Germany team which is still one of the best in the world.
Friday, 11 June 2010
World Cup 2010 Day 1- 11/06/10
So, South Africa 2010 has officially begun. After a wonderful opening ceremony, the Bafana Bafana kicked off Africa's first ever world cup with their game against Mexico at the incredibly Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Day 1 of the tournament is over and already we've had some great entertainment, some shocking defending, a fantastic goal, passionate fans, a red card and an appalling refereeing performance.
Opening ceremonies are not something I generally take a huge interest in. Be it world cup or olympics, I usually lose interest after about 15 minutes. In fact, my only lasting memory of an opening ceremony was of a huge novelty goal falling apart after Diana Ross sliced a 'penalty' from about 4 yards in a miss which Chris Waddle would have been ashamed of. This time, however, I was quite captivated with the array of culture on display as well as the South African people's incredible passion for football. Anyone who can watch that opening ceremony and still claim that football is 'just a game' and 'doesn't matter' needs their head examined.
Even before the kick off, the opening fixture between South Africa and Mexico lived up to its billing. The sight of the SA players singing and dancing in the tunnel before coming out reminded me of stories of the mighty Celtic team having a sing song in the tunnel before the 1967 European cup final when they became the first team in Europe to win the European cup.
The entertainment on the pitch was even better. Within just 3 minutes the Bafana Bafana defence had a scare when goalkeeper Khune spilled a cross which landed at the feet of Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos, only for Aaron Mokena to make the block. It was the start of a period of first half dominance from Mexico, who had the ball in the back of the net later on, only for Arsenal striker Carlos Vela to be flagged offside.
However, the hopes of, not just a country, not just a continent, but quite possibly every non-Mexican in the world were with South Africa, and they started the second half brightly, before the stadium really came to life after 55 minutes. Siphiwe Tshabalala latched onto a fine pass in behind the Mexico defence and fired home a blistering left footed shot into the top corner. The Bafana Bafana then came to life, and could have gone 2 ahead 15 minutes later when Siboniso Gaxa ran in on goal, but he couldn't get the ball out of his feet and Perez was able to make the block.
With 12 minutes remaining, the South Africa defence (as I predicted, I might add) let them down again. Andres Guardado picked up a short corner, and his cross found Rafael Marquez, one of 3 Mexicans in and around the 6 yard box, all being marked by Aaron Mokena. The Mexican skipper was allowed to set himself before firing the ball in the back of the net. South Africa might have won it in the last minute of regulation time, but Katlego Mphela could only hit the post from a tight angle.
So some great entertainment in the opening game, although the hosts will have to sort out their defence if they are to progress in the competition. No player in the opposition penalty area should be allowed to take a touch & set himself before finishing when the ball's come in from a short corner. Goalkeeper Khune looks a bit suspect as well, he got lucky in the first half when Vela's goal was ruled out, completely flapping at a cross, it was only because there was only 1 South Africa player on the line that Vela was offside. Still, the host nation have reached the semi-finals of the last two world cups, and with the backing the Rainbow nation have, it seems possible that they could go far.
Unfortunately, there was no such entertainment in the second match, between Uruguay and France. As with their group stage game at the 2002 world cup, it was pretty much your standard, boring 0-0 draw. The game was only really noteworthy for the tournaments first red card, and for some poor refereeing and managerial decisions. Japanese ref Nishimura had a nightmare, stopping the game for every little push, every player going to ground, almost any time there was contact between two players. He also produced a string of soft yellow cards, one of which proved costly for Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro. There was no doubt that his second booking was very much deserved, but his first was extremely soft. There were also some bizare decisions from France coach Raymond Dominech waiting until the 71st minute to make a much needed substitution. Thierry Henry was brought on, but for the lively Nicolas Anelka rather than his ineffective strike partner Sydney Govou. Another odd substitution 5 minutes later saw Florent Malouda replace Yoann Gourcuff, despite the fact that he had been France's biggest creative threat from set pieces, and Jeremy Toulalan had done nothing in France's midfield.
Uruguay didn't put up a great show, with France having most of the possesion and chances. Diego Forlan looked lively, but Luis Suarez didn't look up to the job. Overall, if Suarez can perform in the next game, Forlan will not have to do all the work and the duo could provide a formidable attack. If not, then the first ever world cup winners could find themselves going home after the first round, again.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 2, 12/06/10:
South Korea 1-2 Greece
Ok, I'll admit at this point that I don't know a huge amount about either South Korea of Greece (or, to give them their full name, Euro 2004 winners Greece.) However, it seems to me that South Korea will rely far too much on Ji-Sung Park as their source of creativity, and may find themselves exposed at the back. Greece are hardly the most solid side defensively either, but with Liverpool's Soti Kyrgiakos providing a tough barrier in central defence and the great Georgios Samaras leading the line, Greece might just prove too strong for the 2002 co-hosts.
Argentina 2-0 Nigeria
A much easier game to predict here. Nigeria traditionally don't perform well at world cups, and although Argentina hardly displayed world-beating form during the qualifiers, they do have a certain little gem known as Lionel Messi. Messi is the best player on the planet by a long way, and in my opinion better than Argentina coach & legend Diego Maradona ever was. If Messi plays well, he could destroy any side on his own. Even if he doesn't, a poor performance by his standard is a decent one by pretty much anyone else's, and Argentina still have the likes of Teves and Higuain to rely on. Should be a fairly comfortable win for the South Americans.
England 2-1 USA
This is the one which everyone here in England has been talking about. As a proud Scotsman, I will of course be cheering on America, who are a good side and may just be underestimated. However, the England team will know Landon Donovan from his loan spell at Everton, and David Beckham may have given them tips on how to deal with him after they played together at LA Galaxy (though Becks is more likely to have begged the players to break Donovans legs at all costs). America's attack is a force to be reconed with, and the England defense could look vulnerable, with Terry and King not used to playing alongside each other, and the choice of goalkeepers being the inexperienced Joe Hart, Rob Green, who has been criticised for his lack of communication with defenders, and David 'Calamity' James ('Nuff said). Overall though, the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Defoe, Lennon, Milner, (not Heskey), should prove too much for a weak American defence, and the three lions should just edge it.
Opening ceremonies are not something I generally take a huge interest in. Be it world cup or olympics, I usually lose interest after about 15 minutes. In fact, my only lasting memory of an opening ceremony was of a huge novelty goal falling apart after Diana Ross sliced a 'penalty' from about 4 yards in a miss which Chris Waddle would have been ashamed of. This time, however, I was quite captivated with the array of culture on display as well as the South African people's incredible passion for football. Anyone who can watch that opening ceremony and still claim that football is 'just a game' and 'doesn't matter' needs their head examined.
Even before the kick off, the opening fixture between South Africa and Mexico lived up to its billing. The sight of the SA players singing and dancing in the tunnel before coming out reminded me of stories of the mighty Celtic team having a sing song in the tunnel before the 1967 European cup final when they became the first team in Europe to win the European cup.
The entertainment on the pitch was even better. Within just 3 minutes the Bafana Bafana defence had a scare when goalkeeper Khune spilled a cross which landed at the feet of Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos, only for Aaron Mokena to make the block. It was the start of a period of first half dominance from Mexico, who had the ball in the back of the net later on, only for Arsenal striker Carlos Vela to be flagged offside.
However, the hopes of, not just a country, not just a continent, but quite possibly every non-Mexican in the world were with South Africa, and they started the second half brightly, before the stadium really came to life after 55 minutes. Siphiwe Tshabalala latched onto a fine pass in behind the Mexico defence and fired home a blistering left footed shot into the top corner. The Bafana Bafana then came to life, and could have gone 2 ahead 15 minutes later when Siboniso Gaxa ran in on goal, but he couldn't get the ball out of his feet and Perez was able to make the block.
With 12 minutes remaining, the South Africa defence (as I predicted, I might add) let them down again. Andres Guardado picked up a short corner, and his cross found Rafael Marquez, one of 3 Mexicans in and around the 6 yard box, all being marked by Aaron Mokena. The Mexican skipper was allowed to set himself before firing the ball in the back of the net. South Africa might have won it in the last minute of regulation time, but Katlego Mphela could only hit the post from a tight angle.
So some great entertainment in the opening game, although the hosts will have to sort out their defence if they are to progress in the competition. No player in the opposition penalty area should be allowed to take a touch & set himself before finishing when the ball's come in from a short corner. Goalkeeper Khune looks a bit suspect as well, he got lucky in the first half when Vela's goal was ruled out, completely flapping at a cross, it was only because there was only 1 South Africa player on the line that Vela was offside. Still, the host nation have reached the semi-finals of the last two world cups, and with the backing the Rainbow nation have, it seems possible that they could go far.
Unfortunately, there was no such entertainment in the second match, between Uruguay and France. As with their group stage game at the 2002 world cup, it was pretty much your standard, boring 0-0 draw. The game was only really noteworthy for the tournaments first red card, and for some poor refereeing and managerial decisions. Japanese ref Nishimura had a nightmare, stopping the game for every little push, every player going to ground, almost any time there was contact between two players. He also produced a string of soft yellow cards, one of which proved costly for Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro. There was no doubt that his second booking was very much deserved, but his first was extremely soft. There were also some bizare decisions from France coach Raymond Dominech waiting until the 71st minute to make a much needed substitution. Thierry Henry was brought on, but for the lively Nicolas Anelka rather than his ineffective strike partner Sydney Govou. Another odd substitution 5 minutes later saw Florent Malouda replace Yoann Gourcuff, despite the fact that he had been France's biggest creative threat from set pieces, and Jeremy Toulalan had done nothing in France's midfield.
Uruguay didn't put up a great show, with France having most of the possesion and chances. Diego Forlan looked lively, but Luis Suarez didn't look up to the job. Overall, if Suarez can perform in the next game, Forlan will not have to do all the work and the duo could provide a formidable attack. If not, then the first ever world cup winners could find themselves going home after the first round, again.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 2, 12/06/10:
South Korea 1-2 Greece
Ok, I'll admit at this point that I don't know a huge amount about either South Korea of Greece (or, to give them their full name, Euro 2004 winners Greece.) However, it seems to me that South Korea will rely far too much on Ji-Sung Park as their source of creativity, and may find themselves exposed at the back. Greece are hardly the most solid side defensively either, but with Liverpool's Soti Kyrgiakos providing a tough barrier in central defence and the great Georgios Samaras leading the line, Greece might just prove too strong for the 2002 co-hosts.
Argentina 2-0 Nigeria
A much easier game to predict here. Nigeria traditionally don't perform well at world cups, and although Argentina hardly displayed world-beating form during the qualifiers, they do have a certain little gem known as Lionel Messi. Messi is the best player on the planet by a long way, and in my opinion better than Argentina coach & legend Diego Maradona ever was. If Messi plays well, he could destroy any side on his own. Even if he doesn't, a poor performance by his standard is a decent one by pretty much anyone else's, and Argentina still have the likes of Teves and Higuain to rely on. Should be a fairly comfortable win for the South Americans.
England 2-1 USA
This is the one which everyone here in England has been talking about. As a proud Scotsman, I will of course be cheering on America, who are a good side and may just be underestimated. However, the England team will know Landon Donovan from his loan spell at Everton, and David Beckham may have given them tips on how to deal with him after they played together at LA Galaxy (though Becks is more likely to have begged the players to break Donovans legs at all costs). America's attack is a force to be reconed with, and the England defense could look vulnerable, with Terry and King not used to playing alongside each other, and the choice of goalkeepers being the inexperienced Joe Hart, Rob Green, who has been criticised for his lack of communication with defenders, and David 'Calamity' James ('Nuff said). Overall though, the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Defoe, Lennon, Milner, (not Heskey), should prove too much for a weak American defence, and the three lions should just edge it.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
World Cup Blogs
Ok ok ok... I know I said I would be updating this blog regularly and it wouldn't be all football related BUT... I've had AS exams recently which has taken up a lot of my time, and haven't really come up with and ideas on what to blog about.
That all changes now though, because tomorrow (well, today actually, it's currently 1:02 am) marks the start of the 2010 WORLD CUP! To anyone who knows me, you will know that as a huge football fan, this is quite a big thing.
So here's what I'm going to do. Every day, I'll be posting a blog about the days world cup goings on, with brief overviews on what's happened in each match, any controversies or notable moments, off the field incidents and my predictions on the next days fixtures.
So without further ado, my predictions for World Cup Day 1, 11/06/10:
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
South Africa will be looking to get off to a good start in front of their own fans, but may rely too much on Stephen Pienar as their source of creativity. Mexico are a far more defense minded team, which may well make for a low scoring team, but SA's weak defence means I'm going to go for a draw in this one.
Uruguay 1-3 France
The last time these two met in the world cup, it ended in a boring 0-0 draw, with both sides crashing out of the tournament in the group stages, and both failing to score a single goal. There shoudl be no such boredom this time around though. Uruguay have a powerful attack with two world class strikers in Forlan and Suarez, but for me, France will just be too strong with the likes of Henry, Benzima, Anelka and Ribery. It should be a terrific match up though.
Feel free to post your own World Cup predictions in a comment below!
That all changes now though, because tomorrow (well, today actually, it's currently 1:02 am) marks the start of the 2010 WORLD CUP! To anyone who knows me, you will know that as a huge football fan, this is quite a big thing.
So here's what I'm going to do. Every day, I'll be posting a blog about the days world cup goings on, with brief overviews on what's happened in each match, any controversies or notable moments, off the field incidents and my predictions on the next days fixtures.
So without further ado, my predictions for World Cup Day 1, 11/06/10:
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
South Africa will be looking to get off to a good start in front of their own fans, but may rely too much on Stephen Pienar as their source of creativity. Mexico are a far more defense minded team, which may well make for a low scoring team, but SA's weak defence means I'm going to go for a draw in this one.
Uruguay 1-3 France
The last time these two met in the world cup, it ended in a boring 0-0 draw, with both sides crashing out of the tournament in the group stages, and both failing to score a single goal. There shoudl be no such boredom this time around though. Uruguay have a powerful attack with two world class strikers in Forlan and Suarez, but for me, France will just be too strong with the likes of Henry, Benzima, Anelka and Ribery. It should be a terrific match up though.
Feel free to post your own World Cup predictions in a comment below!
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