Portugal 2-0 Iran
A fascinating encounter eventually won by a Portugese side we should expect more from as the world cup progresses.
Portugal created a reasonable number of opportunities and always looked the better side. Brazilian born Deco was inspirational in the middle of the park, and Ronaldo and Figo showed their trickery, although none managed to give Pauleta the incisive ball he required to open the scoring. Ronaldo was particularly ebullient, shooting from a few narrow angles but ultimately having to wait for a late second half penalty for him to open his account. Despite their superiority it wasn't until the 62nd minute when Deco scored a long range strike to put Portugal in the lead. Miguel also had a good game at left back.
Iran proved a difficult opponent for Portugal, Mirzapour having a cracking game in goal and also threatening sporadically through the likes of Nekounam and Mahdavikia. Golmohammadi did though commit the needless foul that allowed Ronaldo to take the penalty and ensure the 3 points.
Ghana 2-0 Czech Republic
A hugely entertaining game that keeps Group E well and truly alive. There was enough incident in this 1 game to suggest we had just witnessed 3 football matches!
Ghana were extremely impressive perhaps gaining confidence from opening the scoring in the first couple of minutes as Gyan controlled Appiah's throughball beautifully before firing home. Essien and Appiah were instrumental in midfield both in negating the threat of Nedved and Rosicky and in creating goalscoring opportunities themselves. Amoah, Gyan and Mustari all had plenty of efforts on goal and it could have been an avalanche. Finally Muntari got the second goal which ensured victory slamming an unstoppable shot from 12 yards out. Gyan's penalty came at a cost, not only did he hit the post having beaten Cech, he was also booked for previously taking the penalty without the referee's permission. His booking, and also Muntari's mean that they will be suspended for the crucial final game against the US. As both were major players in this game this is potentially a big blow that Ghana will have to recover from.
Czech Republic were not afforded space to play their own game as the main creative thrust from Rosicky and Nedved were missing as Ghana made life difficult for them. Petr Cech was amazing in goal, justifying claims that he is the best in the world. Had he not had such a blinder a 4 or 5 goal loss would not have been unrealistic! Part of their lack of expertise upfront can be explained (though not excused) by the lack of Koller and Baros due to injury, and with this expected to continue until at least the knock-out stage, and with Locvenc also suspended for the final group match against Italy, Bruckner will certainly have some problems. Poborsky will have to step up, and no doubt Stajner will come in for a rare start. It is unfair to simply berate the Czech side however as they contributed to a very entertaining affair, indeed having a few chances of their own, including Nedved scoring only to be called offside at the beginning of the second half. Ujfalusi's red card for conceding the penalty added to the gloom. The Czechs, despite injuries and suspensions, will still have a team capable of beating Italy as the last group game looms as all important.
Italy 1-1 USA
A crazy match packed with incident, leaving group E as probably the widest open group, all 4 teams with at least some sort of realistic chance of qualifying.
Italy: Started slowly and looked to have done the typical Italian thing of scoring against the run of play as Gillardino headed in Pirlo's precision cross. However they then had an uncharacteristic few moments of madness as first Zaccardo turned a relatively innocuous ball into his own net whilst slicing a clearance, followed by a disgraceful elbow from De Rossi resulting in a red card. Whilst having to play the last 10 mins of the first half at a numerical disadvantage, reds to Mastroeni at the end of the first half and Pope at the start of the second gave them a one man advantage to exploit in the second period. Exploit they were unable to as although they pressed Italy looked second best overall.
USA: started the game clearly looking to avenge their abject showing in the first match, Convey blazing over the top early, and Donovan slicing wide. Their equaliser was naturally a lucky break given that it was an own goal, they then however pressed the self destruct button as Mastroeni was red carded for a reckless two footed lunge before Pope was given his marching orders for a second yellow card. The decision to send of Mastroeni was technically correct as that is the punishment for a two footed challenge but it was the kind of tackle I've seen quite a few people get away with. It was perhaps a tad harsh but the US can have few complaints about it. Pope's second yellow was rather harsh as it was the kind of challenge that often gets away with conceding just the free kick, and compared with some of the unpunished challenges in this game it was undeserving of the card. However again, it was a rather rash tackle that Pope should not have attacked in the way he did. In the cauldron of a world cup game it's difficult to balance commitment with overzealousness however. Donovan had an excellent game as he attacked and defended with ferocity, and Convey played very well on the left. DaMarcus Beasley must have thought he'd struck the winner however others in the penalty area were adjudged to have been offside.
Group E is a wonderful group, and perhaps more worthy of the name 'group of death' than group C, the group generally thought of in this way. The final games in the group will certainly be full of passion and intrigue!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Argentina awesome, Ivory Coast unlucky, Angolans claim point!
Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro
A breathtaking display of 'total football'!
Argentina were awe inspiring. They passed with such precision and movement, and they looked for the most part out of this world. The finishing, the dribbling, the passing and even the defending were mind numbingly fantastic. Yes I do like the superlative but that display deserves it. I might not like Maradona or the Argentina football team doing well in general but hats off when magnificence strikes, and strike by god it did! Cambiasso's goal was one of the best team goals ever at a world cup. 24 passes finally set up by Crespo's delightful backheel, the clips will be shown over and over again. Tevez's goal was outrageous, and Messi came on to no averse injury reaction, even contriving a goal for his troubles! It may also have gone unnoticed but goalkeeper Abbondanzieri appeared impressive as well. Ominous signs but one golden game for the Argies doth not a world cup make!
Serbia & Montenegro were outclassed. They had men behind the ball but didn't pressurise the Argentinians enough. Upfront they appeared fairly clueless as well. After a great qualifying campaign, conceding only one and finishing top of a tough group Serbia will be disappointed, however it's always hard facing the might of Argentina and Holland. Kezman let frustrations get the better of him as a wild lunge resulted in a red card for him.
Holland 2-1 Ivory Coast
An end to end encounter that could have gone either way.
Holland scored two excellent goals early on. Van Persie's free kick was a thunderous bullet, and Van Nistlerooy finished well after nice build up work from the team. From this point on Holland were generally under the cosh, attempting to thwart the talented Ivorians at every turn. Van Persie had an outstanding game, not only dangerous in attack his defending was also crucial at times. His overall game eclipsing the always impressive Arjen Robben (who incidentally became the first player at this world cup to be deservedly booked for diving, or simulation as it is wont to be known). In defence Holland looked better than expected, but as Van Basten noted after the game that the Ivory Coast were so good Holland had no option but to defend in the second half. Will this finally be Holland's year? Van Basten's youth policy could pay off, no longer wanting the likes of Davids, Kluivert and Seedorf it is up to this hugely talented youth brigade to bring the Jules Rimet trophy home.
Ivory Coast will be bitterly disappointed. Probably the best African team at the World Cup they found themselves in the so called 'group of death', facing Argentina and Holland in their first two fixtures. What other nation can claim such a difficult start? Had they swapped places with an Angola, Togo or Tunisia I would have expected their progression. Instead they had an amazingly difficult start in which their very talented team narrowly suffered defeats at the hands of Argentina and Holland, both by scores of 2-1. In this game they created a high number of opportunities but as in the previous game were left rueing their wastefulness as well as being foiled by a confident Van der Sar. They had a good penalty appeal turned down on 12 minutes and Bakari Kone scored a sublime long range effort on 38 minutes to give Holland a nervy final 52 minutes. Their inspirational captain Drogba picked up a yellow card leaving him suspended for the final match, which could have been crucial had Ivory Coast picked up at least a point from the game. Zakora slammed a shot into the woodwork, but other shots were prevented by blocks and poor efforts going wide or tamely to Van der Sar. Overall Ivory coast dominated the attacking in the second half but were unable to score. Their defence was also at fault for Van Nistlerooy's goal as they left him unmarked to narrowly beat offside and slot home. All in all most of the team demonstrated that they were very good players: Zakora, Kone, Toure X 2 etc, but ultimately to no avail.
Mexico 0-0 Angola
An intriguing contest that ended up with the country whose life expectancy is only 37, getting their first ever world cup finals point.
Mexico had numerous chances to seal the game but without their injured talismanic striker Borgetti the team forgot how to find the net. Early in the first half and late in the second proved to be their best periods of the match, ultimately though a goal was elusive. Fonseca, Marquez, Bravo and Franco all had good opportunities but a combination of the woodwork, top class keeping and lame efforts culminated in leaving them scoreless and their fans frustrated. Mexico still have a good chance of making the last 16 but one expects if they do achieve this they will do their usual trick of progressing no further.
Angola defended resolutely throughout the game with goalkeeper Ricardo having a marvellous game. In the first half they also had some good chances usually instigated by the very useful Figueiredo. In the second half they were reduced to a limited number of efforts produced on the break as their main aim was defending their goal with all their might. And achieve this they did as little Angola managed the unthinkable. They have only conceded 1 goal from 2 games against Portugal and Mexico and should they beat Iran in their final game will give themselves a fighting chance of making the last 16!
A breathtaking display of 'total football'!
Argentina were awe inspiring. They passed with such precision and movement, and they looked for the most part out of this world. The finishing, the dribbling, the passing and even the defending were mind numbingly fantastic. Yes I do like the superlative but that display deserves it. I might not like Maradona or the Argentina football team doing well in general but hats off when magnificence strikes, and strike by god it did! Cambiasso's goal was one of the best team goals ever at a world cup. 24 passes finally set up by Crespo's delightful backheel, the clips will be shown over and over again. Tevez's goal was outrageous, and Messi came on to no averse injury reaction, even contriving a goal for his troubles! It may also have gone unnoticed but goalkeeper Abbondanzieri appeared impressive as well. Ominous signs but one golden game for the Argies doth not a world cup make!
Serbia & Montenegro were outclassed. They had men behind the ball but didn't pressurise the Argentinians enough. Upfront they appeared fairly clueless as well. After a great qualifying campaign, conceding only one and finishing top of a tough group Serbia will be disappointed, however it's always hard facing the might of Argentina and Holland. Kezman let frustrations get the better of him as a wild lunge resulted in a red card for him.
Holland 2-1 Ivory Coast
An end to end encounter that could have gone either way.
Holland scored two excellent goals early on. Van Persie's free kick was a thunderous bullet, and Van Nistlerooy finished well after nice build up work from the team. From this point on Holland were generally under the cosh, attempting to thwart the talented Ivorians at every turn. Van Persie had an outstanding game, not only dangerous in attack his defending was also crucial at times. His overall game eclipsing the always impressive Arjen Robben (who incidentally became the first player at this world cup to be deservedly booked for diving, or simulation as it is wont to be known). In defence Holland looked better than expected, but as Van Basten noted after the game that the Ivory Coast were so good Holland had no option but to defend in the second half. Will this finally be Holland's year? Van Basten's youth policy could pay off, no longer wanting the likes of Davids, Kluivert and Seedorf it is up to this hugely talented youth brigade to bring the Jules Rimet trophy home.
Ivory Coast will be bitterly disappointed. Probably the best African team at the World Cup they found themselves in the so called 'group of death', facing Argentina and Holland in their first two fixtures. What other nation can claim such a difficult start? Had they swapped places with an Angola, Togo or Tunisia I would have expected their progression. Instead they had an amazingly difficult start in which their very talented team narrowly suffered defeats at the hands of Argentina and Holland, both by scores of 2-1. In this game they created a high number of opportunities but as in the previous game were left rueing their wastefulness as well as being foiled by a confident Van der Sar. They had a good penalty appeal turned down on 12 minutes and Bakari Kone scored a sublime long range effort on 38 minutes to give Holland a nervy final 52 minutes. Their inspirational captain Drogba picked up a yellow card leaving him suspended for the final match, which could have been crucial had Ivory Coast picked up at least a point from the game. Zakora slammed a shot into the woodwork, but other shots were prevented by blocks and poor efforts going wide or tamely to Van der Sar. Overall Ivory coast dominated the attacking in the second half but were unable to score. Their defence was also at fault for Van Nistlerooy's goal as they left him unmarked to narrowly beat offside and slot home. All in all most of the team demonstrated that they were very good players: Zakora, Kone, Toure X 2 etc, but ultimately to no avail.
Mexico 0-0 Angola
An intriguing contest that ended up with the country whose life expectancy is only 37, getting their first ever world cup finals point.
Mexico had numerous chances to seal the game but without their injured talismanic striker Borgetti the team forgot how to find the net. Early in the first half and late in the second proved to be their best periods of the match, ultimately though a goal was elusive. Fonseca, Marquez, Bravo and Franco all had good opportunities but a combination of the woodwork, top class keeping and lame efforts culminated in leaving them scoreless and their fans frustrated. Mexico still have a good chance of making the last 16 but one expects if they do achieve this they will do their usual trick of progressing no further.
Angola defended resolutely throughout the game with goalkeeper Ricardo having a marvellous game. In the first half they also had some good chances usually instigated by the very useful Figueiredo. In the second half they were reduced to a limited number of efforts produced on the break as their main aim was defending their goal with all their might. And achieve this they did as little Angola managed the unthinkable. They have only conceded 1 goal from 2 games against Portugal and Mexico and should they beat Iran in their final game will give themselves a fighting chance of making the last 16!
Ecuador delirium!
Ecuador 3-0 Costa Rica
A comfortable victory as Ecuador continues to impress.
Ecuador were very convincing. They moved the ball out nicely to the flanks, played with a lot of fluidity and caused many problems for Costa Rica. Valencia looked good moving forward and Tenorio, Delgado and Kaviedas took their goals very well. Hurtado and Espinoza were exceptional at the back. Ecuador are fast being the surprise team of the tournament and whilst Poland and Costa Rica are not of the ilk of a Holland or an Argentina these are pleasing signs for the team. An aggregate of 5-0 to the good compares very favourably with Germany’s goal difference of 5-2 after facing the same teams, and a draw against the hosts will allow them to qualify in 1st place. There will be a huge party in Ecuador as it is an historic day as Ecuador qualify for the last 16 for the first time in their history!
Costa Rica: A disappointing effort from Los Ticos who looked quite a bit weaker than when they played Germany (although perhaps this is more down to how well their opposition played against them?). The main threat of Wanchope never really materialised and few opportunities presented themselves. Saborio’s curled shot which struck the bar could have changed the match situation, but over all Costa Rica go home unhappy. Porras did well in goal.
England 2-0 T&T
A frustrating game in some ways, but the result was a fair reflection in the end.
England attacked a lot, created plenty of chances, but were never totally in control, and could quite easily have suffered embarrassment at the hands of their lowly opposition. Lampard and Crouch were particularly wasteful with Lampard converting 0/8 shots and Crouch 1/7. Lampard’s efforts were either weak or skyward, Crouch had one big blooper attempting a volley in acres of space that troubled the corner flag more than the goal. Owen looked off the pace again, and it was up to the introduction of Rooney and Lennon to rouse the team from their slumber. It was important for Rooney to get half an hour under his belt to build up match fitness, and he certainly looked hungry. Lennon, as I suspected he would, looked terrific with electrifying pace and combining well in tandem with Beckham down the right. In the last few minutes Crouch put his poor efforts behind him to power in a header from Beckham’s cross, and Gerrard let fly with a 30 yard screamer, handing England passage to the round of 16. A brilliant performance from Terry in defence including one amazing clearing kick, and a highly impressive 90 minutes from Gerrard in the middle of the park.
T&T played an obviously defensive game, hoping to hold on for a 0-0 draw or perhaps sneak the win. Yorke marshalled his troups well as they continually kept almost everyone behind the ball, and hunted the ball down in packs. T&T had a couple of against the run of play efforts which could easily have handed them a shock lead, but in the end they were worn down.
Sweden 1-0 Paraguay.
A close and at times drab affair that was settled in the dying stages.
Sweden had an excellent opening 15 minutes but their charge died away for much of the rest of the game, until finally coming to life again towards the end of the match. Kallstom, Ibrahimovic, ljunberg, Larsson and Wilhelmsson were inconsistently dangerous, but overall Sweden found Paraguay difficult to break down. Sweden also had to weather the Paraguay storm as they looked to secure themselves the win. Allback came oh so close to winning it at the end with a fine chip that had too little acceleration on it, Ljunberg though got the winner with a fine header. Sweden then have an excellent chance of making it through to the second round.
Paraguay looked good at times through the likes of Valdez, Santa Cruz and Nunez. Paraguay served notice that they wanted the win with some committed and rugged defending, Bobadilla also made a couple of key saves in goal. In the end though, and probably deservedly so, with no points on the board, they have been eliminated from WC 06!
A comfortable victory as Ecuador continues to impress.
Ecuador were very convincing. They moved the ball out nicely to the flanks, played with a lot of fluidity and caused many problems for Costa Rica. Valencia looked good moving forward and Tenorio, Delgado and Kaviedas took their goals very well. Hurtado and Espinoza were exceptional at the back. Ecuador are fast being the surprise team of the tournament and whilst Poland and Costa Rica are not of the ilk of a Holland or an Argentina these are pleasing signs for the team. An aggregate of 5-0 to the good compares very favourably with Germany’s goal difference of 5-2 after facing the same teams, and a draw against the hosts will allow them to qualify in 1st place. There will be a huge party in Ecuador as it is an historic day as Ecuador qualify for the last 16 for the first time in their history!
Costa Rica: A disappointing effort from Los Ticos who looked quite a bit weaker than when they played Germany (although perhaps this is more down to how well their opposition played against them?). The main threat of Wanchope never really materialised and few opportunities presented themselves. Saborio’s curled shot which struck the bar could have changed the match situation, but over all Costa Rica go home unhappy. Porras did well in goal.
England 2-0 T&T
A frustrating game in some ways, but the result was a fair reflection in the end.
England attacked a lot, created plenty of chances, but were never totally in control, and could quite easily have suffered embarrassment at the hands of their lowly opposition. Lampard and Crouch were particularly wasteful with Lampard converting 0/8 shots and Crouch 1/7. Lampard’s efforts were either weak or skyward, Crouch had one big blooper attempting a volley in acres of space that troubled the corner flag more than the goal. Owen looked off the pace again, and it was up to the introduction of Rooney and Lennon to rouse the team from their slumber. It was important for Rooney to get half an hour under his belt to build up match fitness, and he certainly looked hungry. Lennon, as I suspected he would, looked terrific with electrifying pace and combining well in tandem with Beckham down the right. In the last few minutes Crouch put his poor efforts behind him to power in a header from Beckham’s cross, and Gerrard let fly with a 30 yard screamer, handing England passage to the round of 16. A brilliant performance from Terry in defence including one amazing clearing kick, and a highly impressive 90 minutes from Gerrard in the middle of the park.
T&T played an obviously defensive game, hoping to hold on for a 0-0 draw or perhaps sneak the win. Yorke marshalled his troups well as they continually kept almost everyone behind the ball, and hunted the ball down in packs. T&T had a couple of against the run of play efforts which could easily have handed them a shock lead, but in the end they were worn down.
Sweden 1-0 Paraguay.
A close and at times drab affair that was settled in the dying stages.
Sweden had an excellent opening 15 minutes but their charge died away for much of the rest of the game, until finally coming to life again towards the end of the match. Kallstom, Ibrahimovic, ljunberg, Larsson and Wilhelmsson were inconsistently dangerous, but overall Sweden found Paraguay difficult to break down. Sweden also had to weather the Paraguay storm as they looked to secure themselves the win. Allback came oh so close to winning it at the end with a fine chip that had too little acceleration on it, Ljunberg though got the winner with a fine header. Sweden then have an excellent chance of making it through to the second round.
Paraguay looked good at times through the likes of Valdez, Santa Cruz and Nunez. Paraguay served notice that they wanted the win with some committed and rugged defending, Bobadilla also made a couple of key saves in goal. In the end though, and probably deservedly so, with no points on the board, they have been eliminated from WC 06!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Variety is the spice of the world cup!
Spain 4-0 Ukraine
An entertaining, one sided affair which made a statement about Spain's intentions, however in a way the final result could be described as slightly flattering.
Spain in general played with positive intent, and looked very good rampaging forward, the midfield in particular. The first three goals all however had an element of luck. Alonso's early goal squeezed between goalkeeper and defender when perhaps it should have been dealt with better, Villa's freekick was deflected to totally wrongfoot the goalkeeper and the third should never have been a penalty. The fourth however was a wonderful team goal delightfully finished by Torres. The win for Spain was never in doubt, and even if some of the goals appeared slightly lucky they were always comfortable, and were excellent throughout the park.
Ukraine were disappointing. Going forward balls lacked precision and crosses were woeful. Shevchenko had little chance to demonstrate why he is so highly rated as his teammates were unable to forge any decent opportunities for him. Yet neither did he really help himself! Voronin looked the most dangerous going forward. The red card for Vashchuk was an appalling decision which killed off any chance for a comeback, not only having to play with 10 men for almost the entire second half, but also with Villa putting away the resulting penalty 3-0 at that point was a mountain to climb. Perhaps the heat was a factor, but a must improve rating is clear.
Tunisia 2-2 Saudi Arabia.
Was I the only person in New Zealand to watch this game live? How anyone can decide not to see a world cup game simply because it involves two teams not expected to make much impression is beyond me! There is something wonderful about sitting down to a game between two closely matched countries for whom you only know about 3 of the players on the pitch before it starts. This is the magic of the world cup. And this is the chance to see if people's badmouthing is simply a result of ignorance, or an accurate reflection of the teams respective games.
Tunisia: Looked dominant in the first half and were deserving of their half time lead. Jaziri's acrobatic opening goal taken with exceptional finesse was well deserved from a player full of strong jinking running and a pleasure to watch. The second half performance was weak as Tunisia sat back on their lead but a never say die attitude saw Jaidi salvage a point. In general the team were physically strong, good on set pieces, but rather naive at times.
Saudi Arabia. After a poor first half they finally showed why they finished ahead of Korea in their qualifying pool. Their play was pacy and scored two very well taken goals from veteran Al Kahtani and record goalscorer and super sub Al Jaber. It was well deserved as Saudi Arabia showed off their attacking prowess, with Noor in particular coming into his own in the second half. Their defending was rather poor at times though as poor marking and clearing enabled Tunisia to score twice.
A draw was a fair result.
Germany 1-0 Poland
Germany have a winning mentality and a great attitude which says you should never write them off at any point.
Germany: attacked well, Ballack making inroads for them, but their shooting radar went a bit awry. Klose could have had a number of goals but was thwarted on a number of occasions by Boruc and his own below par efforts alike. Their defensive performance however was much improved. Klinsmann must be noted for his game changing substitutions as both subs combined for the winning goal. Speedy Odonkor sending in a low cross for Neuville to finish with ease. Unlucky to hit the crossbar twice within seconds Germany finally got themselves the win.
Poland performed better than they had in their opening game as they were passionate, vibrant and constantly looking for goalscoring opportunities. Not enough presented themselves though as the final ball often let them down. Boruc was sensational in goal. Sobolewski let his team down with a needless sending off for a second yellow for shirt pulling, and from this moment on the German attacking intensified. Two world cups in a row Poland have been eliminated after losing their first two games.
An entertaining, one sided affair which made a statement about Spain's intentions, however in a way the final result could be described as slightly flattering.
Spain in general played with positive intent, and looked very good rampaging forward, the midfield in particular. The first three goals all however had an element of luck. Alonso's early goal squeezed between goalkeeper and defender when perhaps it should have been dealt with better, Villa's freekick was deflected to totally wrongfoot the goalkeeper and the third should never have been a penalty. The fourth however was a wonderful team goal delightfully finished by Torres. The win for Spain was never in doubt, and even if some of the goals appeared slightly lucky they were always comfortable, and were excellent throughout the park.
Ukraine were disappointing. Going forward balls lacked precision and crosses were woeful. Shevchenko had little chance to demonstrate why he is so highly rated as his teammates were unable to forge any decent opportunities for him. Yet neither did he really help himself! Voronin looked the most dangerous going forward. The red card for Vashchuk was an appalling decision which killed off any chance for a comeback, not only having to play with 10 men for almost the entire second half, but also with Villa putting away the resulting penalty 3-0 at that point was a mountain to climb. Perhaps the heat was a factor, but a must improve rating is clear.
Tunisia 2-2 Saudi Arabia.
Was I the only person in New Zealand to watch this game live? How anyone can decide not to see a world cup game simply because it involves two teams not expected to make much impression is beyond me! There is something wonderful about sitting down to a game between two closely matched countries for whom you only know about 3 of the players on the pitch before it starts. This is the magic of the world cup. And this is the chance to see if people's badmouthing is simply a result of ignorance, or an accurate reflection of the teams respective games.
Tunisia: Looked dominant in the first half and were deserving of their half time lead. Jaziri's acrobatic opening goal taken with exceptional finesse was well deserved from a player full of strong jinking running and a pleasure to watch. The second half performance was weak as Tunisia sat back on their lead but a never say die attitude saw Jaidi salvage a point. In general the team were physically strong, good on set pieces, but rather naive at times.
Saudi Arabia. After a poor first half they finally showed why they finished ahead of Korea in their qualifying pool. Their play was pacy and scored two very well taken goals from veteran Al Kahtani and record goalscorer and super sub Al Jaber. It was well deserved as Saudi Arabia showed off their attacking prowess, with Noor in particular coming into his own in the second half. Their defending was rather poor at times though as poor marking and clearing enabled Tunisia to score twice.
A draw was a fair result.
Germany 1-0 Poland
Germany have a winning mentality and a great attitude which says you should never write them off at any point.
Germany: attacked well, Ballack making inroads for them, but their shooting radar went a bit awry. Klose could have had a number of goals but was thwarted on a number of occasions by Boruc and his own below par efforts alike. Their defensive performance however was much improved. Klinsmann must be noted for his game changing substitutions as both subs combined for the winning goal. Speedy Odonkor sending in a low cross for Neuville to finish with ease. Unlucky to hit the crossbar twice within seconds Germany finally got themselves the win.
Poland performed better than they had in their opening game as they were passionate, vibrant and constantly looking for goalscoring opportunities. Not enough presented themselves though as the final ball often let them down. Boruc was sensational in goal. Sobolewski let his team down with a needless sending off for a second yellow for shirt pulling, and from this moment on the German attacking intensified. Two world cups in a row Poland have been eliminated after losing their first two games.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Matchday 5
South Korea 2-1 Togo
A close game in which Togo put their pay disputes and coaching problems behind them to almost record a shock victory, unfortunately only to be undone in the end. The voodoo magic obviously didn't help them enough!
South Korea: A disappointing effort for much of the game from the Koreans. Having punched above their weight in the last world cup they have a weaker squad and no Guus Hiddink this time around. They also had a reasonably poor qualifying campaign to finish behind Saudi Arabia, and for the first half at least, it showed against the lowest ranking world cup team. Their play was disjointed and second best until Abalo was rightfully given a second yellow card and Lee Chun-Soo planted a very nice free kick to equalise. Korea then started to show some nice play, attacking with some real purpose, most of which was instigated by the impressive Ahn Jung-Hwan. Hwan fittingly scored the winning goal although the effort had an element of luck as the ball deviated wickedly after a deflection.
Togo: Played with some very good technical ability, employing some neat play, and were certainly not overawed by the occasion. Mohamed Kader was their best player expertly controlling the ball off his thigh between two defenders and finishing with aplomb for the opening goal. Kader created some other opportunities with his nifty footwork and generally did a good job. Adebayor didn't really live up to his billing as Togo's main player. Another to shine though was Senaya. Togo can consider themselves unlucky to not at least have a point from this fixture.
France 0-0 Switzerland
A reasonably dour match at times, having become familiar with each other during qualifying in which they recorded two draws in their two games it was perhaps unsurprising that they negated each other again. A point was a fair result.
France: Looked quite useful at times, Zidane showing he is still the ultimate master of the beautiful game with some of his play, deceptively simple and yet awe inspiring. Henry continued his trait of being bettter for club than country, Barthez toned down his eccentricities to have a solid game and Sagnol had a top match at fullback. France had limited opportunities due to limited creative spark, but what they did have were two clearcut chances that ended with disappointment.
Switzerland: Played effectively without really shining. Senderos and Magnini in particular did well in defence and they had one exceptional opportunity which was the best chance of the game. Barnetta's free kick may have got the faintest of touches although it appeared to evade everyone ending up hitting the post, Barthez stranded and left with no chance. In the ensuing melee Frei had the goal at his mercy but the ball never really sat up for him and the opportunity was lost.
Brazil 1-0 Croatia
Much has been made of the fact that Brazil did not blow away their opposition but they got the win and should improve as the tournament progresses.
Brazil showed off some of their samba with flashing efforts from the likes of Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho, and a reasonable amount of their traditional flair, however the good stuff came in patches rather than a consistent effort. Kaka's goal was both deserved and excellent, and will no doubt prove to be a major player in Brazil's cause. Dida was exceptional in goal, however he had to be as the Brazilian defence allowed too many chances to fall Croatia's way: Lucio and Juan finding themselves in poor positions regularly and being outmuscled too often. Ronaldo and Adriano had poor games upfront with the insertion of Robinho into the play resulting in greater fluidity.
Croatia played very well and were unlucky not to secure at least a point from the game. Prso was strong and effective, and on more than one occasion they threatened the Brazil goal with some neat interplay and sharp shooting. Defensively Croatia also looked quite sound, stymieing many of Brazil's forays forward, including good work from the keeper Pletikosa. A win over Japan is a must to keep pace with Australia.
A close game in which Togo put their pay disputes and coaching problems behind them to almost record a shock victory, unfortunately only to be undone in the end. The voodoo magic obviously didn't help them enough!
South Korea: A disappointing effort for much of the game from the Koreans. Having punched above their weight in the last world cup they have a weaker squad and no Guus Hiddink this time around. They also had a reasonably poor qualifying campaign to finish behind Saudi Arabia, and for the first half at least, it showed against the lowest ranking world cup team. Their play was disjointed and second best until Abalo was rightfully given a second yellow card and Lee Chun-Soo planted a very nice free kick to equalise. Korea then started to show some nice play, attacking with some real purpose, most of which was instigated by the impressive Ahn Jung-Hwan. Hwan fittingly scored the winning goal although the effort had an element of luck as the ball deviated wickedly after a deflection.
Togo: Played with some very good technical ability, employing some neat play, and were certainly not overawed by the occasion. Mohamed Kader was their best player expertly controlling the ball off his thigh between two defenders and finishing with aplomb for the opening goal. Kader created some other opportunities with his nifty footwork and generally did a good job. Adebayor didn't really live up to his billing as Togo's main player. Another to shine though was Senaya. Togo can consider themselves unlucky to not at least have a point from this fixture.
France 0-0 Switzerland
A reasonably dour match at times, having become familiar with each other during qualifying in which they recorded two draws in their two games it was perhaps unsurprising that they negated each other again. A point was a fair result.
France: Looked quite useful at times, Zidane showing he is still the ultimate master of the beautiful game with some of his play, deceptively simple and yet awe inspiring. Henry continued his trait of being bettter for club than country, Barthez toned down his eccentricities to have a solid game and Sagnol had a top match at fullback. France had limited opportunities due to limited creative spark, but what they did have were two clearcut chances that ended with disappointment.
Switzerland: Played effectively without really shining. Senderos and Magnini in particular did well in defence and they had one exceptional opportunity which was the best chance of the game. Barnetta's free kick may have got the faintest of touches although it appeared to evade everyone ending up hitting the post, Barthez stranded and left with no chance. In the ensuing melee Frei had the goal at his mercy but the ball never really sat up for him and the opportunity was lost.
Brazil 1-0 Croatia
Much has been made of the fact that Brazil did not blow away their opposition but they got the win and should improve as the tournament progresses.
Brazil showed off some of their samba with flashing efforts from the likes of Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho, and a reasonable amount of their traditional flair, however the good stuff came in patches rather than a consistent effort. Kaka's goal was both deserved and excellent, and will no doubt prove to be a major player in Brazil's cause. Dida was exceptional in goal, however he had to be as the Brazilian defence allowed too many chances to fall Croatia's way: Lucio and Juan finding themselves in poor positions regularly and being outmuscled too often. Ronaldo and Adriano had poor games upfront with the insertion of Robinho into the play resulting in greater fluidity.
Croatia played very well and were unlucky not to secure at least a point from the game. Prso was strong and effective, and on more than one occasion they threatened the Brazil goal with some neat interplay and sharp shooting. Defensively Croatia also looked quite sound, stymieing many of Brazil's forays forward, including good work from the keeper Pletikosa. A win over Japan is a must to keep pace with Australia.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
The day of Australia.
June 12th. Match Day 4. The day of the midfielder: each game was won thanks to goal or goals usually of a top quality by a certain midfielder. It was also a day when referee's came a little more under the spotlight.
Australia 3-1 Japan.
The Aussies made a lot of noise in the crowd, the game was a good one, but largely frustrating at times. As someone hoping for an Aussie win, I certainly made a lot of noise when they achieved their remarkable turnaround.
Australia played with purpose, determination, and a fairly direct type of game. The early exchanges favoured them and they had a few good opportunities. Mark Viduka showed the kind of form that helped Leeds United make the semifinals of the Champions League back in 2001. He had a good double effort saved, and set up Bresciano with a delightful, perfectly weighted flick, Bresciano's finish typified much of his efforts throughout the game: harmless and lacking power. His general game was ok but his finishing was disappointing. Throughout the game Viduka looked to put in a tremendous amount of effort in comparison with the lazy way he often comes across. Australia were unlucky to be behind given how well they had been playing, and the goal itself arrived in a controversial fashion. Nakamura's floated ball evaded everyone, however Schwarzer appeared to have been impeded. Nothing was given, and it appeared a bit of injustice had been done. Most of the match was evenly contested. As Australia went searching desperately for the equaliser they also left quite a few holes at the back. The comeback was the most exciting few moments of the world cup thus far. With about 5 mins remaining midfielder Cahill slammed home in a goalmouth scramble only to pull off a 20 yard screamer a couple of minutes later to send the Aussies into dreamland. A clinical 3rd from another substitute Aloisi wrapped up the points. Cahill had been introduced to the game with less than 40 minutes to go and now would sit atop the standings of most goals per minute on the pitch, if anyone bothered to create one. The commentator had noted at the start that he wasn't playing due to injury but other sources indicate the choice to have him on the bench had been partly tactical. Hiddink had been rewarded for some brave substitutions, some may have been critical at his decision to leave Kewell on for the whole 90 despite him appearing jaded however I agreed with him, he is the kind of guy who can turn a match even when not fully fit. As for other players Wilkshire is not really good enough to be at the world cup (hence why he plys his trade for Bristol City!), and Schwarzer made a hash at one point coming out to make a header, only for it to fall in the path of the oncoming striker. Luckily a goal did not eventuate. Cahill was obviously inspirational when he came on, and Kewell looked good on the infrequent times he got involved.
Japan played with a patient build up, enjoying keeping the ball on the ground and passing well. Nakamura was particularly impressive. Kawaguchi the keeper made several fine stops but in the end had three put past him. Brazilian left back Alex had a good game, as most of the team did. They were however guilty of missing a reasonable number of good chances to put the result beyond doubt. This stuffed them up in the end. Zico will have to get their confidence back up ready for the next game.
Czech Republic 3-0 US.
A game whose likely result quickly became apparent.
Czech Republic were at times sublime. Rosicky was the undoubted star of the show, Arsenal fans will certainly be happy to have signed him! A blistering goal to put the Czechs two up could be the goal of the tournament, and his finish for the third also magnificent. Apart from slamming the crossbar once he also passed with precision and flair, and gave a real masterclass. Koller finished nicely for the first goal, however he came off shortly before halftime amid fears he may have done his hamstring and be out for the rest of the tournament. Czech was solid in goal, Nedved was impressive and all in all the Czech Republic demonstrated that they could be a real force at the world cup. They had less possession but what they did have they made count.
The US by contrast were largely pedestrian and predictable. The main problem was that their crosses were inaccurate and incomplete, and their play in the final third rather lacking at times. They had no answer to the Czech machine. However as we all know - goals change games, and had Reyna's outstanding shot sneaked in off the post instead of rebounding from it, a different game may have ensued. Johnson made a few inroads when he came on off the bench, and there were a few positives, but generally a must do better will be resounding round their ears.
Italy 2-0 Ghana.
A slightly flattering scoreline but probably the right result.
Italy were solid if not spectacular. They created a number of opportunities but often found it quite difficult to cope with the speed of Ghana in attack. Luca Toni was desperately unlucky to see a shot smash into the underside of the crossbar. The goal when it came was delightful. Pirlo produced a low drive into the bottom right hand corner after receiving the ball from a short corner. The renowned defence of Italy stood up to the task but not without a few nervy moments.
Ghana played well attacking with great verve, however many of the shots were from outside the area, and all of them had seemed to leave their shooting boots behind. Essien had a number of shots, none of them troubling Buffon. However their general build up play was good. Kingston in goal seemed incapable of dealing with the high ball often coming out to meet it and missing completely, however he was on real form in the one on one's. And Pappoe, presented with a marvellous opportunity, squandered it. Kuffour made a crucial mistake in the dying stages leaving Iaquinta to finish with ease. However Ghana should be encouraged by some of their play. Essien and Appiah were strong in the middle of the park, but no-one seemed to know how to score.
It seems that many of the unfancied teams are a little like Ghana: play well, shoot averagely, and have the tendency to make costly defensive errors. Perhaps this is a lack of experience.
Australia 3-1 Japan.
The Aussies made a lot of noise in the crowd, the game was a good one, but largely frustrating at times. As someone hoping for an Aussie win, I certainly made a lot of noise when they achieved their remarkable turnaround.
Australia played with purpose, determination, and a fairly direct type of game. The early exchanges favoured them and they had a few good opportunities. Mark Viduka showed the kind of form that helped Leeds United make the semifinals of the Champions League back in 2001. He had a good double effort saved, and set up Bresciano with a delightful, perfectly weighted flick, Bresciano's finish typified much of his efforts throughout the game: harmless and lacking power. His general game was ok but his finishing was disappointing. Throughout the game Viduka looked to put in a tremendous amount of effort in comparison with the lazy way he often comes across. Australia were unlucky to be behind given how well they had been playing, and the goal itself arrived in a controversial fashion. Nakamura's floated ball evaded everyone, however Schwarzer appeared to have been impeded. Nothing was given, and it appeared a bit of injustice had been done. Most of the match was evenly contested. As Australia went searching desperately for the equaliser they also left quite a few holes at the back. The comeback was the most exciting few moments of the world cup thus far. With about 5 mins remaining midfielder Cahill slammed home in a goalmouth scramble only to pull off a 20 yard screamer a couple of minutes later to send the Aussies into dreamland. A clinical 3rd from another substitute Aloisi wrapped up the points. Cahill had been introduced to the game with less than 40 minutes to go and now would sit atop the standings of most goals per minute on the pitch, if anyone bothered to create one. The commentator had noted at the start that he wasn't playing due to injury but other sources indicate the choice to have him on the bench had been partly tactical. Hiddink had been rewarded for some brave substitutions, some may have been critical at his decision to leave Kewell on for the whole 90 despite him appearing jaded however I agreed with him, he is the kind of guy who can turn a match even when not fully fit. As for other players Wilkshire is not really good enough to be at the world cup (hence why he plys his trade for Bristol City!), and Schwarzer made a hash at one point coming out to make a header, only for it to fall in the path of the oncoming striker. Luckily a goal did not eventuate. Cahill was obviously inspirational when he came on, and Kewell looked good on the infrequent times he got involved.
Japan played with a patient build up, enjoying keeping the ball on the ground and passing well. Nakamura was particularly impressive. Kawaguchi the keeper made several fine stops but in the end had three put past him. Brazilian left back Alex had a good game, as most of the team did. They were however guilty of missing a reasonable number of good chances to put the result beyond doubt. This stuffed them up in the end. Zico will have to get their confidence back up ready for the next game.
Czech Republic 3-0 US.
A game whose likely result quickly became apparent.
Czech Republic were at times sublime. Rosicky was the undoubted star of the show, Arsenal fans will certainly be happy to have signed him! A blistering goal to put the Czechs two up could be the goal of the tournament, and his finish for the third also magnificent. Apart from slamming the crossbar once he also passed with precision and flair, and gave a real masterclass. Koller finished nicely for the first goal, however he came off shortly before halftime amid fears he may have done his hamstring and be out for the rest of the tournament. Czech was solid in goal, Nedved was impressive and all in all the Czech Republic demonstrated that they could be a real force at the world cup. They had less possession but what they did have they made count.
The US by contrast were largely pedestrian and predictable. The main problem was that their crosses were inaccurate and incomplete, and their play in the final third rather lacking at times. They had no answer to the Czech machine. However as we all know - goals change games, and had Reyna's outstanding shot sneaked in off the post instead of rebounding from it, a different game may have ensued. Johnson made a few inroads when he came on off the bench, and there were a few positives, but generally a must do better will be resounding round their ears.
Italy 2-0 Ghana.
A slightly flattering scoreline but probably the right result.
Italy were solid if not spectacular. They created a number of opportunities but often found it quite difficult to cope with the speed of Ghana in attack. Luca Toni was desperately unlucky to see a shot smash into the underside of the crossbar. The goal when it came was delightful. Pirlo produced a low drive into the bottom right hand corner after receiving the ball from a short corner. The renowned defence of Italy stood up to the task but not without a few nervy moments.
Ghana played well attacking with great verve, however many of the shots were from outside the area, and all of them had seemed to leave their shooting boots behind. Essien had a number of shots, none of them troubling Buffon. However their general build up play was good. Kingston in goal seemed incapable of dealing with the high ball often coming out to meet it and missing completely, however he was on real form in the one on one's. And Pappoe, presented with a marvellous opportunity, squandered it. Kuffour made a crucial mistake in the dying stages leaving Iaquinta to finish with ease. However Ghana should be encouraged by some of their play. Essien and Appiah were strong in the middle of the park, but no-one seemed to know how to score.
It seems that many of the unfancied teams are a little like Ghana: play well, shoot averagely, and have the tendency to make costly defensive errors. Perhaps this is a lack of experience.
Monday, June 12, 2006
The referee's so far.
Refs so far have been fairly reasonable, a few questionable decisions but on the whole these have been minor. A couple of yellow cards brandished a little too harshly also eg Gerrard and Ronaldo. Good to see them cracking down on time wasting offences though. As usual some problems with offsides but nothing that has really mattered. Watch this space however, there are bound to be some bad calls sometime.
The worst ref has probably been Rodriguez who took charge of the england game. He made some 'interesting' decisions against Peter Crouch, and at times some 'interesting' decisions all round. But still wasn't a performance worth whinging about too much.
The worst ref has probably been Rodriguez who took charge of the england game. He made some 'interesting' decisions against Peter Crouch, and at times some 'interesting' decisions all round. But still wasn't a performance worth whinging about too much.
The next 3 games
Holland 1-0 Serbia and Montenegro
A good game that lived up to its stereotype: The attacking prowess of the Dutch up against the mean defence of S & M. Holland looked outstanding going forward at times, Arjen Robben was quite brilliant, scoring an excellent goal after a nice through ball from Van Persie, his dribbling and creativity a joy to behold. A good performance going forward from the Dutch. S & M showed off their defensive skills well, however on going behind it was very difficult to see where an equaliser was coming from. Their free kick execution was poor, Milosevic's shooting was average and Kezman never really lived up to his billing.
Mexico 3-1 Iran
A highly absorbing contest in which Iran really played their part. Mexico generally looked quite good, and Bravo was quite clinical with his finishing. Sanchez in goal did well, on an emotional day for him so soon after his father's death. A bit of a worry to see Borgetti limping off though. Marquez was instrumental also. Iran seemed really at home, attacking well and really contributing to the game, demonstrating they are not simply the easy beats many would expect.
Portugal 1-0 Angola
A closely fought affair much to many's surprise. Portugal could have so easily opened the scoring after only 16 seconds, Pauleta's shot drifting narrowly past the post. Angola didn't heed the warning and a matter of a couple of minutes later Figo speedily rounded the defender and crossed for prolific goalscorer Pauleta to open his account. Cue expectations for a goal rout. However this did not eventuate, Portugal had a few more reasonable attacks in the first half but were very defensive in the second half - Ronaldo seemingly very angry to be subbed as Scolari shored his side up defensively. Their fans gave them a rollicking but ultimately 3 points is 3 points. Angola had a shaky start but after 20 minutes or so came into the game. They tended however to be reduced to long range efforts. Their second half showing was even better, and had they found an equaliser it wouldn't have been undeserved. Group D may not be as straightforward as initially thought, although expect Portugal and Mexico to march on in the end.
A good game that lived up to its stereotype: The attacking prowess of the Dutch up against the mean defence of S & M. Holland looked outstanding going forward at times, Arjen Robben was quite brilliant, scoring an excellent goal after a nice through ball from Van Persie, his dribbling and creativity a joy to behold. A good performance going forward from the Dutch. S & M showed off their defensive skills well, however on going behind it was very difficult to see where an equaliser was coming from. Their free kick execution was poor, Milosevic's shooting was average and Kezman never really lived up to his billing.
Mexico 3-1 Iran
A highly absorbing contest in which Iran really played their part. Mexico generally looked quite good, and Bravo was quite clinical with his finishing. Sanchez in goal did well, on an emotional day for him so soon after his father's death. A bit of a worry to see Borgetti limping off though. Marquez was instrumental also. Iran seemed really at home, attacking well and really contributing to the game, demonstrating they are not simply the easy beats many would expect.
Portugal 1-0 Angola
A closely fought affair much to many's surprise. Portugal could have so easily opened the scoring after only 16 seconds, Pauleta's shot drifting narrowly past the post. Angola didn't heed the warning and a matter of a couple of minutes later Figo speedily rounded the defender and crossed for prolific goalscorer Pauleta to open his account. Cue expectations for a goal rout. However this did not eventuate, Portugal had a few more reasonable attacks in the first half but were very defensive in the second half - Ronaldo seemingly very angry to be subbed as Scolari shored his side up defensively. Their fans gave them a rollicking but ultimately 3 points is 3 points. Angola had a shaky start but after 20 minutes or so came into the game. They tended however to be reduced to long range efforts. Their second half showing was even better, and had they found an equaliser it wouldn't have been undeserved. Group D may not be as straightforward as initially thought, although expect Portugal and Mexico to march on in the end.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
First 5 games.
Yes I have started a rudimentary blog, gonna write a few notes about each world cup game. Who knows it may blossom into more.
Games so far (yes I have watched all of them!):
Germany 4-2 Costa Rica
A very exciting start to the tournament, an unusually open match for an opening game although Costa Rica tend to be involved in high scoring affairs (see Brazil 5-2 Costa Rica at 02). Germany were very exciting going forward, Lahm had a top game, Schweinsteiger also really showed his class - what a perfect ball for Klose to score the second goal. Frings 4th a potential goal of the tournament and all in all very exciting going forward. Defence though was decidedly dodgy, their backline was too flat and their man marking non existent at times. Seems a recipe for scoring and conceding many! Costa Rica had the effective game plan of threading the ball through for Wanchope to finish which paid dividends on 2 occasions. Germans did manage to employ the offside trap effectively at times to stop this becoming an all too common occurrence. Very good finishing from Wanchope, I particularly enjoyed the clinical outside of the boot finish for the second goal. Overall quite far behind the Germans but never out of the game. Some very dodgy defending at times, giving the ball away in crucial areas.
Ecuador 2-0 Poland
Happy to see this result eventuate, for some reason it's nice to see Ecuador do well, and Poland look miserable! Poland had a lot of possession and passed the ball well (as expected) but lacked the incisiveness and penetration to finish off the moves. Ecuador played a very comfortable game, and proved they don't need to be at altitude to win. Two goals from nice moves, and some generally pleasing play in both attack and defence. Not as much of an upset as the media is making it out to be.
England 1-0 Paraguay
The worst game of the tournament (out of 5 viewed so far). England grabbed an early goal to settle the nerves thanks to Beckham making a habit of whipping in dangerous free kicks. The first half showed England on top but unable to add to the goal tally. The second half saw England wilt (under the heat?) and generally not do very well, allowing Paraguay back into the game. Joe Cole was my man of the match although Beckham and Lampard also did well. Worrying signs from Ashley Cole, Terry and Neville. Up front is a worry with Owen lacking something at the moment, Crouch doing OK but unable to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Interesting subs from Sven: Downing on for Owen? Hargreaves on for Cole? Although Downing did ok the substitutions were strange. Very defensive subs with Paraguay looking unlikely to score. 4-5-1 that left Crouch too isolated. Wanted the introduction of Lennon from my mind, to break the shackles and be full of running. Paraguay didn't look very flash particularly in the first 20 minutes. Still managed to give England a few scary moments.
Sweden 0-0 T & T
Very enjoyable game. Sweden constantly looked dangerous but were unable to find the goal that could have started an avalanche. Ibrahimovic a constant threat. Their 3 main assets of Ibrahimovic, Ljunberg and Larsson flattered to deceive on the whole. T & T. Full of passion and committed defending typified by an unusually defensive performance from Dwight Yorke. Coped admirably playing with 10 men for pretty much all of the second half and could even have grabbed the unlikeliest of winners. The crowd were in full voice, and the players who tend to ply their trade in the lower leagues did their reputations no harm.
Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast
An entertaining game that unfortunately finished with the wrong result, and Maradona going nuts in the stands. Argentina showed that they could make the most of their chances, taking a slightly undeserved 2-0 half-time lead given they were on the back foot most of the half. Riquelme had a great game in the middle of the park, showing creativity particularly the through ball for Saviola's goal. Ayala had a great game in defence. Could be a real threat at the world cup. Ivory Coast played some quite sublime stuff at times inspired by moments of individual brilliance in the middle of the park, particularly from Zakora and Dindane. However numerous chances were wasted, especially from Kalou blasting wide a couple of times. Keita missed a golden opportunity to level it to 1-1. Shortly after it was 2-0 and the chances of a comeback were diminishing. Drogba had a passionate game upfront and was rewarded with a goal with about 10 minutes to go. But the equaliser never came. A good showing from the team suggests they could give the Dutch a few problems.
Games so far (yes I have watched all of them!):
Germany 4-2 Costa Rica
A very exciting start to the tournament, an unusually open match for an opening game although Costa Rica tend to be involved in high scoring affairs (see Brazil 5-2 Costa Rica at 02). Germany were very exciting going forward, Lahm had a top game, Schweinsteiger also really showed his class - what a perfect ball for Klose to score the second goal. Frings 4th a potential goal of the tournament and all in all very exciting going forward. Defence though was decidedly dodgy, their backline was too flat and their man marking non existent at times. Seems a recipe for scoring and conceding many! Costa Rica had the effective game plan of threading the ball through for Wanchope to finish which paid dividends on 2 occasions. Germans did manage to employ the offside trap effectively at times to stop this becoming an all too common occurrence. Very good finishing from Wanchope, I particularly enjoyed the clinical outside of the boot finish for the second goal. Overall quite far behind the Germans but never out of the game. Some very dodgy defending at times, giving the ball away in crucial areas.
Ecuador 2-0 Poland
Happy to see this result eventuate, for some reason it's nice to see Ecuador do well, and Poland look miserable! Poland had a lot of possession and passed the ball well (as expected) but lacked the incisiveness and penetration to finish off the moves. Ecuador played a very comfortable game, and proved they don't need to be at altitude to win. Two goals from nice moves, and some generally pleasing play in both attack and defence. Not as much of an upset as the media is making it out to be.
England 1-0 Paraguay
The worst game of the tournament (out of 5 viewed so far). England grabbed an early goal to settle the nerves thanks to Beckham making a habit of whipping in dangerous free kicks. The first half showed England on top but unable to add to the goal tally. The second half saw England wilt (under the heat?) and generally not do very well, allowing Paraguay back into the game. Joe Cole was my man of the match although Beckham and Lampard also did well. Worrying signs from Ashley Cole, Terry and Neville. Up front is a worry with Owen lacking something at the moment, Crouch doing OK but unable to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Interesting subs from Sven: Downing on for Owen? Hargreaves on for Cole? Although Downing did ok the substitutions were strange. Very defensive subs with Paraguay looking unlikely to score. 4-5-1 that left Crouch too isolated. Wanted the introduction of Lennon from my mind, to break the shackles and be full of running. Paraguay didn't look very flash particularly in the first 20 minutes. Still managed to give England a few scary moments.
Sweden 0-0 T & T
Very enjoyable game. Sweden constantly looked dangerous but were unable to find the goal that could have started an avalanche. Ibrahimovic a constant threat. Their 3 main assets of Ibrahimovic, Ljunberg and Larsson flattered to deceive on the whole. T & T. Full of passion and committed defending typified by an unusually defensive performance from Dwight Yorke. Coped admirably playing with 10 men for pretty much all of the second half and could even have grabbed the unlikeliest of winners. The crowd were in full voice, and the players who tend to ply their trade in the lower leagues did their reputations no harm.
Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast
An entertaining game that unfortunately finished with the wrong result, and Maradona going nuts in the stands. Argentina showed that they could make the most of their chances, taking a slightly undeserved 2-0 half-time lead given they were on the back foot most of the half. Riquelme had a great game in the middle of the park, showing creativity particularly the through ball for Saviola's goal. Ayala had a great game in defence. Could be a real threat at the world cup. Ivory Coast played some quite sublime stuff at times inspired by moments of individual brilliance in the middle of the park, particularly from Zakora and Dindane. However numerous chances were wasted, especially from Kalou blasting wide a couple of times. Keita missed a golden opportunity to level it to 1-1. Shortly after it was 2-0 and the chances of a comeback were diminishing. Drogba had a passionate game upfront and was rewarded with a goal with about 10 minutes to go. But the equaliser never came. A good showing from the team suggests they could give the Dutch a few problems.
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