World Cup Round of 16 - Spain Falters Again (Spain 1 - France 3)

Boy, am I glad there's no World Cup for the next couple of days. Staying up till 5am almost every night is taking it's toil on me. Despite this game being a well played and somewhat exciting game, I almost fell asleep midway in the first half. Had to wash my face numerous times to stay awake.

It was a pretty darn good game between the Spaniards and the French. Both teams started off scrappy but soon found their rhythm. It was pleasing to the eye that both teams went all out for the win, not wasting time dicking around in midfield or waiting for openings. Both teams came to win, and took the bull by the horns.

Although goalmouth action was at a premium, there was plenty of delightful passing in and around the penalty area to make this a spectacle. Spain had taken the lead via a David Villa penalty midway in the first half, and France equalised before the break with Franck Ribery springing the offside trap to score.

Both teams looked headed for extra time at 1-1, when Patrick Veira, headed in a goal in the 83rd minutes to send the French estatic. Zidane sealed the victory in injury time with a wonderful solo goal, sending the Spanish for yet another disappointing World Cup.

For some inexplicable reason, Spain always manages to kick themselves in the arse when it matters. I thought this Spainish side would have been different, given the way they have played and the players in the squad. There seems to be quality all around, and this looks to be one of the mentally toughest Spanish sides ever assembled. Yet for all their promise, the Spanish have failed to deliver on the big stage yet again.

World Cup Round of 16 - Ghana Beaten Comprehensively by Champions (Brazil 3 - Ghana 0)

This one went for 3 goals, just as predicted. Well, you would think I would have made a killing tonight. As luck would have it (my luck anyway), the guy who usually contacts me with the odds, just had a baby, so he's too busy to entertain me on a day when I actually need him. I'm destined not to make any money out of this World Cup.

Anyway I caught the game at Holland kopitiam with Cow, and have to say the babe factor is fantastic. Kinda hard to concentrate on the game with eye candy all around.

Brazil started the game brightly and scored thru Ronaldo in the 5th minute, making him the all time highest goal scorer in the World Cup. I'm sure that would be the headlines in tomorrow's papers all over the world.

Ghana, without talisman, Micheal Essien, then took over the game. They had possession and chances but were unable to finish. They lacked that special player to create that little bit of magic. Just as the half was going to end with a goal lead for Brazil, Adriano sprung from an offside position.....TWICE....to put Brazil two up.

I'm really believing that someone up there wants Brazil to win this entire tournament. You've gotta be a blind man not to see Adriano in an offside position before he put the ball in the net. In fact he was offside when the move leading the goal started. The last couple of games have seen some horrendous refereeing, although this time it was the freaking linesman's fault.

In the second half, the Ghanaians picked up where they left off, and continued intense pressure on the Brazilian goal but continued to disappoint upfront. By midway in the second half, it felt to me that Brazil was just toying with the Ghanaians, daring them to come at them. It also felt like the Brazilians could counter attack and score anytime they wanted to.

Then with 10 minutes left, Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan was sent off for a simulation offense. This is what puzzles me again. Sure Gyan fell over, but he didn't protest or suggest he was fouled. He looked clumsy and tripped. I don't understand this rule at all. Seems to me that even if a striker trips and falls on his own accord, it would be a foul and a yellow card offense, regardless of his intention. Probably the rule wasn't meant to be carried out this way, but it seems the referees and FIFA, especially, have a distinct lack of common sense when it comes to laying down rules.

Of course with just 10 men left and two goals down, Brazil exploited their man advantage and scored another goal through Ze Roberto. They probably could have had more as they toyed with the Ghanaians in the last few minutes.

Well, with decisions going Brazil's way and the quality of their players, I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil wins the cup easily. So far there haven't been any major upsets in this tournament, which makes for some exciting mouthwatering games coming up in the quarters. Personally I prefer to see some underdogs go thru, like in the last World Cup.

World Cup Round of 16 - Thank God for Penalties (AET Switzerland 0 - Ukraine 0) *Ukraine wins 3-0 on Penalties

I'm seriously glad they have penalty shootouts. There is of course some serious debate on if penalties are a fair way to settle football matches, but in this case, they are necessary. Both teams could play till the next World Cup in South Africa 2010 but neither would score a single goal.

Hell, even in the penalty shootouts, Switzerland couldn't score a single one to save their lives. They become the first team to leave the World Cup without conceding a single goal. Strange but true.

For the entire game, both teams showed alot of hardwork, but there was a lack of inspiration in both sets of players. There was plenty of endeavor, but no goals for all the effort put into the game. As the commentator said midway thru the second half, there was plenty of prespiration and no inspiration.

The closest both teams came to scoring was midway in the first half, when Schevchenko hit the crossbar with a header, and Frei also hitting the other crossbar with a freekick, just minutes after. After that, it was always going to be a dull stalemate.

In the end Ukraine prevailed in the penalty shootouts to set up a date with the Italians. It's probably going to be yet another dull game with both defences taking centre stage.

What's interesting to note so far in the 6 knockout games is that no game has been able to beat the 2.5 goals handicap. Every single game has 2 or fewer goals. Maybe it's time for the next one featuring Brazil and Ghana to break the duck. Maybe it's time for me to put a punt on it, since I've been avoiding betting on individual games.

World Cup Round of 16 - Totti's Winner (Italy 1 - Australia 0)

I was really looking forward to this match. Looking forward to see how the adventurous Australians would take on the traditionally defence minded Italians. I was so keen to keep alert during this game that I took a nap before the game started so I would be able to keep my full concentration throughout the game.

Then everything went wrong. For some reason my alarm did not ring. Well, actually it did, but I slept right thru it. Damnit. By the time I woke up and managed to get the feed to the game on my pc, over 90 minutes had gone by. I did however manage to catch the penalty. I missed how it happened, but I didn't miss Totti powering it home to give Italy the slender win.

So, there you have it. Italy won this game by one goal, with one man down. Yawn....I think I'm going back to sleep and wake up to catch the other game.

World Cup Round of 16 - Portugese Wins Ugly Game (Portugal 1 - Holland 0)

What an awful showcase for the beautiful game! 4 red cards and so many yellow cards that I lost count. Quite frankly I don't blame Russian referee Valentin Ivanoc for flashing them. It was a hard game to referee and the amount of horrible tackles, blatant cheating and acts of poor behaviour and sportsmanship by grown men made it a nightmare for him.

The game started tentative for both teams in the early exchanges, with neither being overly advanturous, committing ment forward. It wasn't till the 23rd minute that Deco crossed the ball from the right side to find Pauleta at the edge of the penalty box, who delightfully laid it in the path of an on rushing Maniche. The Chelsea man skipped pass a challenge and rifled in a wonderfully struck goal past Van Der Sar. It remained that way till the final whistle.

At the end of the half, Costinha was sent off for receiving a yellow card the second time, reducing the Portugese to 10 men in the second half. Why he struck out his hand to touch the ball is anyone's guess. It was a stupid foul and he deserved to be sent off, if not for the foul, then for his stupidity.

In the beginning of the second half, Cocu then struck the underside of the bar in some penalty area confusion. But that's probably where all the entertainment ended and the cynicism started.

The referee started branding the yellow cards in quick succession on numerous occasions as the game got increasingly ugly with minor skirmishes threatening to boil over into full fledge fist fights.

Figo was lucky to get away with only a yellow when he headbutted Van Bommel in the first incident on the hour. Then a couple of minutes later, Boulahouz was sent off elbowing Figo, which had both benches emptying out and almost confronting on the pitch.

Because the ball was kicked out of play by a Portugese player to allow treatment to Figo, the Portugese had expected the ball to be returned to them in a gesture of sportsmanship. Unfortunately, Heitinga, who had just got on the pitch decided to take on the unwary Portugese defence, prompting Deco to cut him down. It sparked yet another round of rowdiness, and a flurry of yellow cards from the referee.

Then Deco became the third player to be sent off. Why? I do not know, and I didn't care. By this time I was just waiting for the fist fight that looked likely to occur. If the game wasn't going to give me entertaining football, at least it should compensate with a Royal Rumble.

The Dutch poured forward, throwing everything they had, including the proverbial kitchen sink at the Portugese, but simple could not find that elusive goal to bring on extra time. And in a very lengthy injury time, Van Bronkhorst, got himself booked and sent off. Well, if the score could not be levelled, at least the teams were.

After this encounter, the only winner from this game was England. The English couldn't have been happier from this result (except extra time). They would face an exhausted and probably badly bruised Portugese team, who will be missing Deco and Costinha to suspension, especially Deco who has been intrumental for the Portugese. They would probably be missing Ronaldo as well, who was substituted early in the game due to what looks like a bad injury.

Maybe this could be England's year afterall. What they can't make up in skill, they surely look likely to make up in luck. Maybe time to make a trip down to Singapore Pools to place a small bet on them winning this damn thing.

World Cup Round of 16 - Unconvincing England Wins (England 1 - Ecuador 0)

Thank God I was catching this game at Queens with Cow, Matt and Pok, if not I would have gone to sleep at half time.

England won this game on the hour mark with a piece of freekick magic from Beckham to save Eriksson's blushes in yet another terrible display of soccer from the English.

Ecuador rarely threatened the England goal except in the first quarter hour when a horrible Terry header gifted the ball to Carlos Tonerio to face Robinson one on one. Only Ashley Cole's timely intervention deflected the ball onto the crossbar to save England from going one behind early.

Ecuador didn't deserve to win this game. They showed no urgency after going a goal behind, playing the ball around without purpose. Unfortunately, both teams lacked ideas, passion and imagination. Even with a victory, I doubt England would make it far in the tournament unless Eriksson changes his conservative tactics.

I don't understand why he put Rooney upfront alone without any support, and it was terribly obvious he was stranded up there with neither Beckham, Gerrard nor Lampard able to find him. To make matters worse, England was so devoid of ideas, they constantly pumped the ball over the Ecuador defence, hoping Rooney could latch on to it.

Against a poor Ecuador coach, Eriksson could have at least showed some adventure, but instead chose to play it save. He could at least have Crouch on at some point in the game, or played Lennon, whose pace could have troubled Ecuador.

And towards the dying minutes of the game, the disgusting English played keep ball at the opposition corner flag and I utterly hate teams that do that. Good thing for the English, Eriksson is leaving after this World Cup. He's been a 4 million pounds a year worth of rubbish for a team that promised so much and yet produced so little in terms of entertainment.

Round of 16 - Worthy Extra Time Winner (Argentina 2 - Mexico 1)

Two things happened in this game that I didn't expect in my wildest dreams.

1. Mexico showing the rest of the world how to stop Argentina.
2. Argentina boring the living shit out of me.

The game started with a bang. Mexico shoved the reputation of the Argentines right out of the window when the referee blew for the start of the game. They attacked with purpose and determination and were rewarded when Marquez scored early in the 5th minute giving the Mexicans an surprise lead.

The Argentines then replied 5 minutes later with what looked like an own goal from Borgetti. Replays from every angle showed that he probably touched the ball last before it flew in beyond Sanchez. However, I think Crespo claimed it. Hopefully FIFA will be reviewing the replays tomorrow and decide who to 'award' the goal to.

Regardless of what the press is going to print in the next couple of hours, the game became pretty damn boring after that 10 minutes of flurry. Mexico was disciplined in defence, cutting out the passing lanes fast and springing the offside trap effectively. They showed that the way to counter the Argentine fluid passing was to outpace them and outwork them. However not every team would be able to do that though.

When the Mexicans did counter, they were dangerous in the air with Borgetti, practically giving Heinze fits.

I couldn't understand why Pekerman didn't bring Tevez or Messi on earlier in the second half, leaving it till late to bring them on. With the way Mexico was defending, it would make sense to bring on dribblers to run at their defenders since, neither the long ball nor passing was going to break it down. Their eventual substitutions did open up the Mexican defence. At the end of normal time, smart passing allowed Messi to put the ball in the net, but was disallowed by the referee for offside. The replays showed otherwise.

Anyway the score was 1-1 at full time and it became the first game to go into extra time. I was expecting more of the same rubbish until Maxi Rodriguez stepped up to the plate to score a goal worthy to win any game. Words will not do justice to the goal he scored. It was a goal of the highest quality and it took a bloody 88 minutes to happen, since the last goal scored.

Argentina eventually won the game 2-1. I'm personally hoping for the sake of my wallet (placed a huge bet on them to win the tournament), they perform up to their usual standards against the much improved Germans. I'm also feeling apprehensive that the Argentines could have peaked abit too soon. Or even worse, today's game would be mimicked by every team who plays them from now on.

Round of 16 - Luka Podolski's Early Goals see Germany Thru to the Quarters (Germany 2 - Sweden 0)

Germany, the firm favourites in this game, went thru easily without much of a fight from a terrible Swedish performance.

The game started with a blast with Isaksson saving brilliantly off the feet of Klose, but the ball went loose. Podolski was the first to react and passed the ball into the empty net in the 3rd minute of play. 7 minutes later, Klose bisected the Swedish defence with a thru ball right to the feet of Podolski who slammed home his second of the game.

The Swedes were honestly non-existent in midfield. Ballack and company had all the time in the world to make passes without being harrassed much. The only Swedish danger came from long balls but neither Larsson nor Ibrahimovic could find a teammate or the net.

Things didn't get any better for the Swede when in the 35th minute, Teddy Lucic was sent off for a second bookable offence. I thought the decision looked a little harsh but it somewhat turned to Sweden's advantage. It broke the momentum of the German onslaught on the Swedish goal.

Early in the second half, the Swedes were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty. However, a dramatic comeback was not on the cards as Larsson shot hard and high over the bar, completely deflating the Swedes.

At this point in time, I decided to switch off the computer and catch a couple of hours of sleep before meeting the Cow at Rideout Garden to catch the Argentina game live.

The game did end at 2-0, and I'm glad I didn't miss much. To be frank, the Germans have impressed me alot in this tournament. I wasn't expecting them to get this good this fast. I'm going to have a hard time rooting for them in the next game if they face my personal favourites, Argentina.

World Cup Group G - France Scrapes Thru Along With Switzerland.

France 2 - Togo 0

France needed a 2-0 victory to advance to the second round and they did just enough. For half the game it look as if it wouldn't happen. France showed attacked with purpose but simply couldn't get a goal in the first half. Most of the best chances fell to a poor David Trezequet who either couldn't find the target or found the keeper. On the occasion where he found the net, he was flagged offside.

It took birthday boy, Patrick Vieira to open the scoring for the French in the 55th minute with a superb turn and shoot. After that, it seemed the burden had been lifted for the French team and they added to the score with anHenry goal minutes later. Although there were no more goals in the game, the French spirit seemed lifted. They had ensured a passage to the last 16.

The next game for the French would be a tough one as they face a surprisingly mentally strong Spanish team. And what makes it really interesting is that the winners of that game will face the winners of the Brazil - Ghana game in the quarters. Mouthwatering games coming up!

Switzerland 2 - South Korea 0

The fightback kings of the competition finally couldn't find a goal in this game. In the previous 2 games, the South Koreans came back from a goal down to win and draw against Togo and France, respectively. This time their luck deserted them against a disciplined Swiss side.

Switzerland scored in the 23rd minute via a header from Philip Senderos from a freekick. The header left Senderos and the Korean defender with bloody heads. In all honestly, the Koreans have themselves to blame for the goal. Giving freekicks in dangerous areas time and time again will get you punished eventually.

Given the kind of fighting spirit the South Koreans have shown in both the previous and this World Cup, it was not surprising that the Koreans gave it their all practically camping in the Swiss half for most parts of the game, except for the occasional Swiss counter attack. But they were let down by poor finishing and even poorer tactics. For some inexplicable reason, they kept pumping long balls into the Swiss penalty area and hoping their shorter players would get to the ball.

Then a moment of controversy in the 77th minute, Frei, who was flagged offside by the linesman, skipped past the keeper and scored. The referee allowed the goal to stand. I frankly have no idea why that goal stood, but I suspect the ball must have deflected to him by a Korean defender. I can't think of another reason why the offside was overruled.

The result meant that the South Koreans are out of the World Cup. This also means that there are no Asian teams left in the competition (unless you include the Australians who are under the Asian FA now).

World Cup Group H - Ukraine Joins Spain

Saudi Arabia 0 - Spain 1

Blooger.com seems to be acting up tonight. I just got back from Biopolis after watching this game with Cow and Matt and couldn't log on for bout 20 mins. Also saw God there with his colleagues catching the game as well.

Saudi Arabia regained some pride in this last game in the group. For most of the first half, it looked like the Spanish armada was going to rip a hole so large in the Saudi defence that it would make the Titanic sink in seconds.

Thanks to goalkeeper Zaid, who made some incredible saves to keep the Saudis in the game. The Spanish scored with a header from Juanito to give the Spaniards a one goal advantage going into the break.

The second half started out the same fashion as the first with the Spanish once again threatening to run away with the game, but no finding the scoring touch. Midway thru the half, the Saudis brought on Al Hawsawi who changed the complexion of the game completely. He added pace, energy and enthusiasm. The Saudis practically camped in the Spanish half for most parts of the second part of the second half and almost came close to scoring on a couple of occasions.

I had expected the Saudis to fold after their first half performance but they performed well, especially in the second half. Alot could also have been to the heat tiring the Spaniards by then. I still maintain that the Saudis need to start allowing their players to play overseas to gain the much needed exposure to play against the best in Europe.

Ukraine 1 - Tunisia 0

I didn't and couldn't catch this match, but it was probably an expected win for the Ukraine, especially with Tunisia down to 10 men by the end of the first half. What was disappointing was that they had to rely on a penalty to secure their place in the next round.

World Cup Group F - Australia Goes Thru After a Thriller

Japan 1 - Brazil 4

I lost my internet feed while Brazil was 3-1 up, probably just as well so I could concentrate on the other game on TV. And my word, what a game (I meant the Cro - Aus game).

Anyway, Japan took the lead in this game, probably against the run of play, after Kawaguchi had made at least 3 brilliant saves from Robinho and Kaka. Then on the half hour they shocked the cup holders with a superbly crafted goal, created by Brazilian born, Alex, and smashed into the net by Keiji Tamada.

Brazil, to say the least were shell shocked. For the rest of the first half it looked like they were just trying to get to terms with the scoreline. Luckily for them, the Japanese defence fell asleep and Ronaldo headed in a simple header with the last touch of the half.

In the second half, Brazil seemed to have regained their composure and their pedigree shone thru with superb goals from Lyon playmaker, Juninho and Gilberto. After that my connection completely went bonkers and I missed the rest of the game. Ronaldo did score a goal towards the end of the game though.

Croatia 2 - Australia 2

This has to be the best game in the tournament so far, bar none! It was a see-saw battle that eventually ended up in a draw, with Australia scraping thru by the skin of their teeth. If you have to catch a replay of any game played so far, you've gotta watch this one.

Croatia started brightly and after 2 minutes, smashed home a freekick beyond the outstretched arms of replacement keeper Zeljko Kalac. From then on, all....and I mean ALL the possession went to Australia. The Socceroos knew they had at least draw to have a chance of advancing and threw practically everything including the kitchen sink at the Croatian defence. It was wave after wave of Australian attack and they finally got a penalty due to a stupid handball in the box by Stjepan Tomas. Up stepped Craig Moore, the unlikiest hero of the moment.

After the goal it was the Croatians turn to beseige the Australian goal. The half ended 1-1, but the seige continued into the second half. Replacement goalkeeper then fumbled a long range effort from Nico Kovac in the 55th minute and the ball bobbled behind Kalac into the goal. It's the most bizarre goal scored so far in this World Cup. If there was a hole in the ground, both Guus Hiddink and Kalac would have crawled into it. Definitely a strange decision to drop Mark Schwarzer for this game.

Anyway, if you thought the wave of Australian attack in the first half was intense, the ferocity of the attacks were at least tenfold after that goal. The Croatian defence was stretched to the limits for most of the half, with both keeper and defenders having to clear their lines, every couple of minutes.

On the 79th minute, Kewell received a flick on and rammed the ball home to once again restore parity to the game. However on the TV replays, he did look offside, but the goal stood.

Then the game took a turn for the bizarre again. In quick succession, Simic of Croatia and Emerton of Australia were given their marching orders for second bookable offenses. As Australia weathered the last gasp Croatian storm, Josip Simunic was given a second yellow card, but referee Graham Poll did not flick the red card. It seemed that Poll had probably forgotten that he had flashed Simunic the yellow earlier in the game. And to make things triply complicated, Poll flashed him a third yellow card after the final whistle had blown and flashed the red card at long last. This is probably the first time I've seen a player get 3 yellow cards and get sent off after the game.

In any case, this was a thrilling game. Of course the incidents on the pitch at the death made this game so much watchable. It's a shame one of these teams had to leave the tournament at this stage. Australia now meets the craft of the Italians in the next round. I'm definitely looking forward to this game! Hopefully it's half as exciting as this one.

World Cup Group E - Italy and Ghana Advance

Czech Republic 0 - Italy 2

The Czech Republic needed a win to confirm a place in the last 16, but couldn't muster enough against the favourites Italy. They were forced to rush Milan Baros into the starting lineup after losing Koller to injury and Lokvenc to suspension.

Early in the first half, Italy was forced to make a substitution to replace the injured Nesta with Materazzi, and it was a change that literally changed the game. Materazzi scored with a header after less than 10 minutes on the pitch to give the Italians the lead.

The Czechs pushed forward looking for the equaliser, but found Cannavaro a man mountain in defence. He was everywhere and practically stopped any Czech advance. At the end of the half, Jan Polak rushed in recklessly with a 2 footed challenge on an Italian player, leaving the referee with no other choice than to send him off.

In the second half, the Czech once again found Cannavaro impossible to beat. And when they did bypass him with long shots, they found Buffon in exquisite form. In the end, as the Czechs pushed forward, they were caught out when substitute, Inzaghi, beat the offside trap and scored a second goal for the Italians to confirm what was in the end an easy victory.

Being one goal and one man down by half time proved too much of a mountain for the Czechs. They were simply no match for a tactically superior Italian team. Looking back, they could and should have performed better in the game against Ghana.

Ghana 2 - USA 1

This was a game of mistakes. Both sides knew they needed to win this game to have any chance of qualifying, and the game started with both sides showing urgency. In the 22nd minute, Claudio Reyna, who had such a good tournament, gave the ball away in a dangerous area, allowing Dramani a one on one situation with Kasey Keller, which he put away with ease. Advantage Ghana.

Then in the 43rd minute, it was the Ghanian defence's turn to make a boo boo. They sloppily gave away the ball in defence, resulting in Beasley's cross for Dempsey to equalise easily.

And just when I thought there couldn't be anymore mistakes in this half, referee Markus Merk commited the worst mistake of them all. He awarded Ghana a penalty in the injury time of the first half for what looked on the TV to be absolutely nothing. The Ghanians accepted the gift gleefully and scored via captain, Appiah. The Americans must have been the most unlucky team in this tournament. They were undone by some incredibly dubious sending offs in the last game against the Italians and were again undone by yet another incredible decision today.

After half time, USA came out with all guns blazing, and were denied by a combination of poor finishing, good goalkeeping, the post and some timely defensive intervention. The Ghanians on the other hand were a handful on the counter and threatened to increase the lead on numerous occasions.

But ultimately, the first half score stood, sending the luckless Americans home. Ghana now probably faces tournament favourites Brazil in the second round. Judging from how the second round brackets are filling up, Ghana could possibly be Brazil's toughest opponents until the finals.

World Cup Group C - Argentina Takes Group C in Goalless Draw

Holland 0 - Argentina 0

Argentina and Holland played to a goalless draw to meet Mexico and Portugal respectively in the next round.

It was not an exciting match by any means but there was plenty of quality play throughout the game. It was a game based on tactics rather than shear excitement, with both sides showing enough to justify their place in the next round. Of course Argentina had already proven their pedigree in the previous couple of games.

Both sides fielded mostly reserves and Argentina still had superb players like Messi and Tevez, with Riquelme pulling the strings in the centre of the pitch. The trio were a joy to watch, even though I still dislike Riquelme after that Champions League semi-final showing against Arsenal.

A draw was probably the fairest result as neither team deserved to lose this game. The Argentine passing was at times patient and deliberate, carving out openings at the appropriate times while the Dutch defence was disciplined and soaked up whatever was thrown at them. Credit to the Dutch, they also had their moments in attack, but rarely bothered the Argentine keeper.

From what I've seen in all three of their matches, both teams should have enough quality to beat their opponents in the next round.

Ivory Coast 3 - Serbia & Montenegro 2

Wow, this looked like an exciting match with S&M going 2-0 and Ivory Coast coming back to win it 3-2. Unfortunately I was unable to catch this game.

World Cup Group D - Mexico Joins Portugal in the Last 16

Portugal 2 - Mexico 1


Missed both the Portugal goals, but caught the Fonseca header. Mexico missed a chance to draw level and confirm their place in the last 16 with a penalty but Omar Bravo, the hero of the first game shot over the crossbar to condemn Mexico to their first defeat in this World Cup.

The game was rough and physical. The Mexicans pushed hard for the equaliser the entire second half, and some of their passing in the Portugese penalty area was beautiful. Unfortunately they had Luis Perez sent off with a second yellow card for simulation on the hour. I thought the referee got it completely wrong. True Perez fell easily, but to his credit he did not ask for a penalty. The sending off took some of the steam out of the Mexicans.

By the 80th minute, news of favourable news from the other match must have filtered to the Mexican players. Well, either that or they were visibly tiring, as the pace slowed down considerably, and both teams played to a 2-1 scoreline.

Both teams seem to be in for a hard time having to face either Argentina or Holland in the next round. I doubt either one will make it to the semi finals with the standard of play on display today. Portugal at least rested a couple of key players like Ronaldo and Deco, however if they persist on playing the utterly useless Simao, the chances of them moving beyond the last 16 would be a stretch.

Iran 1 - Angola 1

Poor Angola. Midway thru the second half, when they were one nil up, there was actually a chance things could turn out in their favour if they scored another one and the Portguese scored another against Mexico. Unfortunately it was not to be. Angola leaves the World Cup with their heads held high, having performed credibly in this competition. Credit to Iran too, for having played thru a squad decimated by injuries.

World Cup Group B - England Avoids Germany

Sweden 1 - England 2

This seriously sucks donkey balls. I had initially wanted to watch the Paraguay and Trinidad & Tabago game but the feed was so bad I could hardly see the players, let alone the ball.

So I switched to the England game, dreading yet another boring game by them, but was rewarded by a superb Joe Cole goal. It looked abit of a fluke though, but a beautiful fluke. The game was, as expected rather dull, with both sides lacking any attacking flair, taking long shots from outside the penalty area.

During half time, everything fell apart...literally. All of a sudden, my internet connection dropped and I couldn't get the feed back. Now I really feel stupid for not subscribing to cable, even though the prices are ridiculous. I seriously hope the internet connection picks up in the next few days, especially when the next round begins over the weekend.

As for the scores, I'm reduced to watching the scores on livescore.com. England and Sweden played to a 2-2 draw on what looked like an exciting ending with 2 goals scored in the last 5 minutes. Marcus Allback had equalised after the break to level the scores. Steven Gerrard gave England in the 85th minute only for Larsson to level the scores on the 90th minute.

The draw means England wins the group avoiding the hosts in the next round. Sweden also advances to the next round, facing Germany in the last 16.

Paraguay 2 - Trinidad & Tobago 0

The results here didn't matter. Paraguay was already eliminated, and the results in the other group meant that regardless of a win here for T&T, they would have joined Paraguay anyway. At least the South Americans restored some pride with a win to take home.

World Cup Group A - Germany Tops Group with Convincing Win

Germany 3 - Ecuador 0

I was constantly switching channels between this game and the other group A game that was played concurrently. The great thing was that Starhub showed this one and RTM 1 played the other. The unfortunate thing is that I only have one TV in the room, so spent much of the time switching channels.

As a result, I missed ALL the goals....for BOTH matches. Considering the number of goals scored by all 4 teams, what are the odds of that happening?!?!

Anyway Germany won this game comfortably. From what I saw, Ecuador didn't seem interested to play this game. They were content to let the Germans mount attack after attack, while they soaked in the carnival atmosphere. After the 3rd German goal, I almost felt it could've been a landslide victory (shades of 8-0 against the Saudis) and the Ecuador players wouldn't have cared. I suppose they were already celebrating the fact they have qualified.

Costa Rica 1 - Poland 2

Stark contrast comparing this game with the other. For 2 teams that have already been eliminated, this was an enthralling game with both sides going for the jugular. Costa Rica scored thru what looked like a deflected freekick from the replays that I saw, wrongfooting the Polish keeper. Poland were sluggish up to that point, as if they were feeling sorry for themselves. The Coasta Rican goal somehow galvanised them and woke them up from their slumber.

The Poles attacked with purposed and were duely rewarded with a headed goal by Bosacki from a corner. In the second half, he added a second header from another corner. It was Bosaki's first goals for his country. The momentum swung to and fro between the teams but there were no further goals.

For all their promise, Poland yet again disappointed their fans, but they did show that Polish football is well and alive in this game. Maybe they would return a more resolute side after the disappointments of the last and this World Cup.

A little trivia, Shamsul officiated his third match of the World Cup and did a good job despite handing out a whooping 10 yellow cards. Chances are, based on his performance, he might get a chance to referee another game.

World Cup Group H - Spain Suffers a Scare But Advances to the Last 16 (Spain 3 - Tunisia 1)

For large parts of the first half, my ISP and computer conspired to deny me viewing pleasure of this game. For some inexplicable reason either the ISP connection failed (fuck Singnet) or the computer decided to hang at the most inappropriate time.

At least I caught the Tunisian goal scored by Mnari. It was a well taken goal on a second bite of the cherry after Casillas had made a good save from his first effort. Couldn't catch the rest of the action until the second half due to the problems mentioned above.

In the second half, I had the feeling that Tunisia was going to pull off one of the biggest upsets in this tournament. It was too early for Spain to screw up, but considering their record in major competitions, it wasn't that hard to imagine.

But that was not to be. In a span of 4 mins midway thru the second half, Spain turned the tables around with goals from Raul and Torres. Torres went on to score a penalty to bring his total tally in the competition after 2 games to 3, making him the outright top scorer so far in the tournament.

Spain has confirmed it's place in the last 16. Chances are coach Luis Aragones will be tinkering with the squad in the next game to give some of the other members of the squad a chance to perform and soak in the experience of playing in the World Cup. Or at least that was what was reported in the press.

World Cup Group H - Ukraine Forgets Spanish Defeat (Saudi Arabia 0 - Ukraine 4)

This was a comprehensive victory. The Ukrainians were a class above the Saudis. They gave the Saudis the same lesson in soccer that was given to them by the Spaniards a week back.

Right from kickoff, they exploited the Saudi weakness to handle corners and Rusol headed the ball home from their second corner after 4 minutes into the game. The Saudis were never an attacking threat in the entire game. Ukraine attacked with purpose and determination and were rewarded by a superb long range effort from Serhiy Rebrov that left the Saudi keeper wrong footed.

Right from the kick off in the second half, the new Chelsea striker, Schevchenko added a third with another header. Ukraine by then were toying with the Saudis, who were frankly pretty much a disgrace. And towards the end of the game, the player of the game, Schevchenko unselfishly passed the ball to Kalinichenko to strike the ball into an open net to round off the scoring for the day.

The final scoreline probably flattered Saudi Arabia. Ukraine probably should have scored more, but their dominance was plain for all to see. In fact midway thru the second half, the Saudis were already playing not to concede more. With this result, the Ukrainians not only have erased the humilating defeat by the Spaniards, but also erased their goal deficit. If they continue playing the way they played today, their chances of a top 16 appearance seems sure.

The Saudis are probably doomed since they play a well-organised Spain in the final group match. The Saudis are big players in Asian soccer but everytime they come to the World Cup, they tend to fuck up pretty badly (remember a 8-0 thrashing by Germany in 02). It's about time the Saudis start sending their players overseas to gain more experience, rather than just playing in their domestic leagues. Look at the Japanese and the South Koreans. They send they players to European teams to gain exposure and their squads are now more equiped to play against strong European teams.

World Cup Group G - Good Riddance to Disgusting Togo (Togo 0 - Switzerland 2)

I'm glad this result turned out this way. The antics of the Togolese players disgusts me. For those of you who are unaware, the Togolese players had threatened to walk out of the World Cup tournament if they were not promised a king's ransom in wages to play for their country. Mind you, many of these are professional players playing in some of the biggest profesional leagues of the world, and already earning many times the salaries of their fellow countrymen.

As for the game, Switzerland started the game full of endeavor, signalling their intent to win this game. They got their reward on the 16th minute with a well crafted goal that Alexander Frei placed into the net. After that they seemed to sit back allowing Togo back into the game. Kader Mohammed was Togo's main threat, eluding the Swiss defence on numberous occasions, but failing to find the net nor beat the keeper.

The second half started the same way the as the first, with Switzerland taking the early iniative to push forward, but failing to score. It wasn't till late in the second half that Barnetta sealed the victory with a sweetly struck goal.

The result means Togo are out of the World Cup. They still have a game to play against the French, but whether they turn up for that game remains to be seen.

World Cup Group G - France Disappoints (France 1 - South Korea 1)

I didn't catch this match, but from the results, it seems either France is no longer the France we know or South Korea is proving to be a strong soccer nation. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

France is visibly a shadow of the team that won the World Cup in 98. In fact they have not been playing impressive soccer since Euro 2000.

South Korea hasn't been lighting up the Asian stage, but they have that grit in them, and are proving that the last World Cup semi-final showing is no flash in the pan. While they look likely to advance from this group, what remains to be seen is how far they will go on in the competition.

As a fellow Asian, I'd be rooting for South Korea....Be The Reds!

World Cup Group F - Champions Advance (Brazil 2 - Australia 0)

I'd make this short and sweet mainly cause I'm literally exhausted having spent over 4 hours on a bus around Singapore this afternoon. Moreover sleeping at 6am everyday is taking it's toil.

Brazil wins this one 2-0 in yet another very uninspiring performance. The truth was that Australia looked like the more threatening team the entire game.

Adriano scored in the 50th minute but never looked comfortable with the Australians punting the ball up into the penalty box. It wasn't until the 90th minute that Fred scored the second goal while the Australians were pushing for the equalising goal.

I doubt Brazil will retain the World Cup this time round. Something seems to be lacking in this team.

As for the next match, I don't think I have the energy to stay up to catch the game.

World Cup Group F - Disappointing Draw for Both Sides (Japan 0 - Croatia 0)

Good thing the feed I had stopped somewhere in the first half, it was a painful match to watch. Both sides needed to win this game but neither could.

Croatia missed a number of good chances, hardly troubling Kawaguchi. Japan on the other hand resorted to taking long shots which were easily collected by Pletikosa.

Croatia also missed a penalty in the first half, which of course I missed due to a drop in signal. I only managed to restore the feed at the end of the half.

After a good showing against Brazil, I expected Croatia to win this one, but it wasn't to be. Perhaps the weather played a part in the way both teams played. Unless Croatia can beat Australia, it seems unlikely they will go through. Japan has a harder task at hand. They need to beat World Champions Brazil to have any hope of qualifying.

World Cup Group E - Referee Marrs Game (Italy 1 - USA 1)

I can't believe this amateur of a referee can referee a game of such magnitude. Jorge Larrionda from Uruguay is a clown and should never referee another game, let alone a World Cup game ever again.

The game started brightly with USA practically parked in the Italian side. Although goalmouth chances were few and far between, they were ferocious in their tackles and that set the pace for the rest of the game. However it was the Italians who scored first against the run of play with a superb header from Gilardino.

Then the Italians' game turned on it's head in a space of 60 seconds. Firstly, they scored an own goal from Zaccardo, then De Rossi stupidly elbowed Brian McBride, leaving him with a bloodied head. The referee correctly sent De Rossi for an early shower.

That's when the referee went totally haywire. He then went on to sent 2 American players off, either side of the half. Both were incredible decisions. The first was a straight red for Mastroeni for a bad tackle. Reckon it was a bad tackle, but it should not have warrented a red card. It was his first infringement in the game and at worst should've been a yellow card.

At the start of the second half, he produced a second red card for Eddie Pope for another tackle. The replays showed that Pope had actually gotten the ball in a fair manner. The referee totally lost the plot and spoilt what was to be an interesting game.

With a 10-9 advantage, you would think the Italians would have romped away to victory, or at least seal an easy win. But that wasn't to be. They played without any energy, and to be frank, given their pedigree probably didn't even deserve to draw this game. The Americans, on the other hand, played like their lives depended on it. They even had a goal disallowed for an offside which looked somewhat dubious at first glance, coz the player involved didn't really look like interferring with play. But it's debatable given the fact he did lift his legs, when the ball was shot. The assistant referee probably got that one right.

Kasey Keller also did make a couple of outstanding saves against the Italians.

I can't believe I actually placed a small bet on the Italians winning this game. They looked lethargic and a step slower than USA, who were fighting for their World Cup lives. What's worse, I placed another small bet on the Italians winning the whole damn competition. From the looks of this dismal performance, they may even have a problem playing an already depleted Czech Republic.

Whatever the case is, this group has definitely opened up and every team now has a chance of qualifying to the last 16.

World Cup Group E - Ghana Gives Africa the First Win (Czech Republic 0 - Ghana 2)

What a game! This game had everything, goals, a penalty, a missed penalty, superb goalkeeping and brilliant attacking play. There was never a dull moment in this match as both teams pushed forward for goals, resulting in a football spectacle. For most parts of the game it looks like a boxing match, each side taking turns to throw punches at the opponent. In the end the Czechs were the ones who fell.

Right from the start whistle, the Ghanians signalled their intent by pushing forward and scoring a wonderful goal via their 20 year old striker Asamoah. He controlled a cross from his teammate, turned and shot the ball past Peter Cech, giving Ghana their first goal of the tournament inside 2 minutes.

The Czechs without striker Jan Koller, were a shadow of the team that beat USA by 3 goals. For the entire first half, both Rosicky and Nedved were superbly marshalled by the Ghanian back four. Both teams were taking long shots and rarely threatened to make either keepers work.

In the second half, the tempo of the game increased tenfold. The Czechs know they had to get at least a point from this fixture, pushed forward for more purpose. Their attacking play was fluid, but were matched by a stout Ghanian defence. Without Koller nor Baros leading the Czech attack, the Ghanians found it easy to cut the supply to Lokvenc, who was playing up front alone.

On the other side of the pitch, the Ghanian counter was swift and pierced the practically non-existent Czech defence time and time again. The Czech defence wasn't just caught napping, they were in a coma! It had gotten so bad that Ujfalusi was sent off in an incident that I didn't catch. I was watching from a peer to peer connection from the internet and the visuals were not clear. In any case, a penalty was awarded and Asamoah stepped up only to ram the ball into the post, to the relief of the Czechs.

Things however did not improve for the Czechs. Their defence was still nowhere to be found and the Ghanians ripped it apart everytime they went forward. Had it not been for Peter Czech's superb performance, this game could easily have had a rugby-like scoreline.

In the 82th minute, the irresistible Ghanians were not to be denied. They, yet again tore the Czech defence to ribbons and Sully Muntari powered home a goal from close range, finally giving the Ghanians the second goal that they have been threatening to score. It probably could've been more had they not been so overly enthusuastic in going forward and getting flagged for offside.

Now the Czechs have an uphill task of facing Italy and probably have to win that game to move to the last 16. Whatever the result in the Italy - USA game, this should be a really interesting group to watch.

World Cup Group D - Portugal Makes it to the Next Round (Portugal 2 - Iran 0)

Portugal makes it to the second round to set up a mouth watering match in the second round against either Argentina or Holland.

After a dull first half of dominating the ball, Portugal awoke in the middle of the second half to score a beautiful long range shot from Deco, who recovered from injury to start this game. The Iranians up to that point had kept the Portugese at bay for most periods of the game, where the only threat came from Ronaldo.

Although the Portugese were easily the better side, they never really looked like a side that was going to score many goals. In the 80th minute, the Iranians conceded a penalty and Ronaldo stepped up to score, effectively sealing victory for the Portugese, not that it was ever in doubt.

The 2-0 scoreline was just about right, condering Portugal dominated most of the game and the team that went for the victory. Iran were toothless upfront and had missed their all time top scorer, Ali Daei.

In any case the Portugese haven't shown me enough that they would beat either Argentina or Holland. Maybe they would play better against Mexico without the pressure of having to try so hard to qualify for the knockout stages.

World Cup Group D - Mexico Fails to Beat Joao Ricardo (Mexico 0 - Angola 0)

I kinda fell asleep during the first half while watching the game with one eye opened in the first half. It's been a tiring day, after catching the Argentina game earlier at Biopolis with Cow and Matt. Then coming home to change a new set of clothes, type my report on the game and then off to Queens to catch the Holland game with Cow. Thank god he rented a car.

Anyway from what I saw with that one eye, the Mexicans were off the blocks pretty early in the game but failed to score. The Angolans then crept back into the game after the opening few minutes of pressure.

However in the second half (watched with both eyes opened), Mexico threatened and had numerous chances foiled by the brilliant performance of Joao Ricardo, the Angolan keeper. He stopped Franco's chip and Bravo's one on one chance. And when he did slip, literally, Bravo could only force the ball against the post. This has been the best performance by a keeper in this tournament so far.

Angola, on the other hand, threatened when they moved forward but failed to produce anything noteworthy. After Macanga was sent off at around the 80th minute for Angola for a stupid handball, the Mexicans poured forward looking for the elusive goal to see them thru to the next round. It was wave after wave of Mexican attack, but the organised Angolan defence and Ricardo held firm, repeling the Mexican wave. For their efforts, the Angolans managed a scoreless draw to keep their hopes alive.

Just a little bit of trivial, this is the second match officiated by Singaporean referee, Shamsul Maidin.

World Cup Group C - Dutch Do Just Enough (Holland 2 - Ivory Coast 1)

So much for this group being the toughest in the tournament. Everything was settled in two games.

After the first 25 minutes of the game, I honestly thought the Dutch would run away in this game. Ivory Coast started tentatively had quite honestly weren't that good until they were 2-0 down. Then it looked like someone turned a switch. They started to press the Dutch defence and were rewarded for their persistence in the 38th minute with a sweet sole goal by Bakari Kone. The end of the first half was brilliantly entertaining with both sides genuinely going for the goal. The pace was pulsating and it was the kind of half you'd dread to end.

In the second half, Ivory Coast piled on the attacks but rarely threatened Van der Sar. In truth the Elephants played like typical Africans. They movement forward was laboured and too indivdual for my liking. There were many times they had the opportunity to push the ball into good positions with passes but the players on the ball just had to hold on to it too long, losing the impetus.

However they continued to press forward and pressured the Dutch defence throughout the entire second half, especially the dying minutes of game. But sadly, they never did look like scoring despite their good individual play. Moreover their corners and freekicks were wasteful. If you have a big, intimidating guy like Drogba in the centre, the last thing you want is to waste your corner kicks.

To be fair to the Dutch, they too played their part in the entertainment of the game. There was never a point, especially in the dying minutes of the game, to play for time. They were always looking to score that third goal. It was a game played in the right spirit. Unfortunately one of these two good sides had to go home.

In the end, goals from Van Persie and Ruud were enough to see the Dutch through to the second round, despite a spirited display by the Elephants.

I personally don't like the result. It means that another group would have meaningless games to play in the final games of the group stages. Let's hope the rest of the games produce some results that wouldn't result in the same scenerio. At the very least it would produce games where teams would have something to play for.

World Cup Group C - Awesome Argentina! (Argentina 6 - Serbia & Montenegro 0)

What an AWESOME display of football! I was left speechless at the end of the game. Argentina are undoubtedly the best team in the tournament so far.

By the half they were cruising with a 3 goal lead, highlighted by an absolutely brilliant team goal by Cambiasso. Their passing and movement without the ball was simply divine. Quite frankly it wasn't that Serbia & Monenegro played badly, they just weren't in the same planet in terms of individual skills and team coordination. Argentina gave them a footballing lesson, that even the spectators probably wouldn't forget in a long long time.

S&M didn't make things any easier for themselves when Kezman was probably harshly sent off by the referee mid way thru the second half. Argentina then brought on the messiahs Tevez and Messi. They have such an incredible squad of players that Tevez and Messi started from the bench. Surely the envy of every team in the tournament.

Tevez scored and outrageous individual goal after Crespo had put Argentina 4-0 up. And shortly before the final whistle, Messi rounded up the scoring by sloting the through ball by Tevez beneath the legs of a desperate Jevric.

Argentina must now surely be the tournament favourites to lift the World Cup. I can't and haven't see any team that can play as confidently on and off the ball as them. The best part is that they make lots of short passes that is not only effective, but pleasing to the eye as well. This is easily the most entertaining team. But as we all probably know, every team needs abit of luck to win the World Cup. My only worry is does Argentina have what it takes to get it done, especially against the better European sides.

In the meantime, let's all celebrate Argentina's progression to the next round, barring some unlikely results.

World Cup Group B - Late Goal Saves Swedish Blushes (Sweden 1 - Paraguay 0)

Every single game thus far in the second round of games in the group stages has produced late late goals, not that the Swedes are complaining. And neither am I. As long as there are goals, I'm happy.

For most parts of this game, neither team looked like scoring. Sweden for all their scoring prowess up front with Larsson, Ibrahimovic and Allback, were unable to breech the Paraguay defence, until the 88th minute. Allback came the closest around the 60th minute with a lob, only to have the Paraguay defence clear it off the line.

Paraguay on the other hand were reduced to taking pot shots from outside the penalty box which hardly troubled Isaksson. They were pretty ineffective as an attacking force, but were resolute in defence, keeping the Swedish forwards at bay.

Towards the last 15 minutes, the Swedes were visibly tiring as Paraguay started to come forward. As luck would have it, Ljungberg scored in the 88th minute to send the South Americans home. I had almost believed that Sweden would not score a single goal in this World Cup.

As it stands, Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago have all to play for in the last group games, which should make the games interesting to watch. So far there still hasn't been any outright upsets. I'm hoping for some surprises, or else this World Cup is going to be one of the more boring ones.

World Cup Group B - England Makes it to the Second Round (England 2 - Trinidad & Tobago 0)

Well, for 83 minutes it looked like England was heading for a draw. In fact it was probably what they deserved for playing yet another game of dull, unimaginative soccer.

The English hardly troubled Hyslop's goal for most parts of the game. And when they did, their shots were tame and straight at Hyslop. Far cry from the way the Swedish had attacked the Trinidad & Tabago's goal.

The after a dismal first half, the English brought on Rooney and Lennon to shape things up in the 58th minute but nothing really changed. When they had the chances, it fell to Lampard who continued shooting it right at Hyslop. Rooney in truth looked tentative going into the game. He was shying away from contact, probably under the advise of the England physios.

The goal came from Crouch (funny name for a man so tall), a header from Beckham's cross. Minutes later in injury time, Gerrard rifled home a screamer from outside the box.

With this win, England has confirmed their place in the second round. Remember the winners of this Group face the runner-up in Group A. So England either faces Ecuador or Germany, and you can bet they would be doing everything in their power to avoid the hosts.

Something I can't understand about Eriksson is why he persists playing Gerrard in that defensive midfield role. He should let Gerrard play in a role that he's comfortable with at club level. Of course that would mean someone has to play the defensive midfield role. I suppose the only problem is that Lampard can't effectively play there. Maybe it's time to experiment with Carrick in that role, since England has already qualified.

World Cup Group A - Ecuador Cruises to the Second Round (Ecuador 3 - Costa Rica 0)

I didn't pay much attention to the game after Ecuador went into the lead in the first half. From what I did see, Costa Rica was pretty much toothless. Most of the attacking play came from Ecuador.

In the second half, Costa Rica probably knew that they had to throw everything forward or they would be going home together with the Poles. They made a conserted effort to make a game out of it, but Delgardo's brilliant goal effectively ended all hopes. To add insult to injury, Ecuador scored a third in the dying minutes of the game to seal a comprehensive victory.

It was a sad end for the Costa Ricans who showed so much endeavor and strength against Germany in the previous game. They were not able to lift themselves from that defeat.

Ecuador now meets the other co-leaders in the group Germany for the rights to be outright Group A winners.

World Cup Group A - Poland the First Team to Return Home (German 1 - Poland 0)

What a game! This is probably one of the most exciting games of the World Cup so far. Both teams had shaken off opening day jitters and were desperate to win this one.

The Poles had the lion's share of possession in the first half but couldn't trouble Lehmann, while the German strikes were more precise, but couldn't beat Boruc at the other end. The pace of the game was incredibly fast and the speed at which the Poles passed the ball was breath-taking.

Just when you thought the game couldn't get any faster, it picked up in the second half. This time it was the Germans who did most of the threatening. They were determined to win this one to advance to the second round. However it was until Sobolewski was sent off in the 75th min that the Germans really started putting the pressure on the Polish goal.* They forced a double point blank save from Boruc and hit the crossbar twice in a span of a couple of seconds near the end of the game. I honestly thought the 10 men Poles had held the German advance, but it wasn't to be.

Right at the stroke of full time, German substitute David Odonkor whipped a cross for the other subsitute, Oliver Neuville, to slide the ball past Boruc and into the net. It was a result the Poles hardly deserved for the way they brought the game to the hosts. To be fair, the Germans created the better chances the entire game.

So the Germans advance to the next round and the luckless Poles are sent packing their bags. At least they only have a short 6 hr drive back to Poland. If Ecuador beats Costa Rica, the final game between the Poles and the Costa Ricans is academic. Both teams would have nothing to play for but pride.

* (I'm tempted to put some WWII analogies here, but I come from a lameass country which sues bloggers for insensitive remarks)

World Cup - Opening Games in the Group Stages

Ok, I’ve taken a pretty long break from this blog. If you’ve noticed, it looks different. I’ve added some subscription feeds in the past few days and of course some advertising to line my pockets.

As everyone knows we’re in the midst of the World Cup fever. I’ve planned to catch every single match and write a short review, but of course this is the typical Man proposes and God disposes scenario. I’ve not been able to do what I planned to do, well, not entirely anyway.

In any case, here’s what I saw in the first round of matches in the group stages. The matches have been played in a truely friendly fashion, with the referees having a relatively easy time, with only 3 red cards and a penalty to show, albeit a dubious penalty. This is probably one of the most friendly World Cups in modern time.

And there were no surprise results. All the favourites did what was expected of them.

Group A

Germany 4 – Costa Rica 2

Germany – Looks like a pretty good team, unfortunately looks suspect at the back. I mean they allowed Wanchope to score 2 goals, both on one to one chances. The Germans used to have some pretty mean defence, but this team seems to lack it. This is the best team in this World Cup group.

Costa Rica – Probably not going to be a factor in this competition, but they are definitely not the whipping boy from their performance in the first game. Would be interesting to see how they perform against the luckless Poland or Ecuador.

Poland 0 – Ecuador 2

Poland – How unlucky can a team get? They practically did everything but simply couldn’t put the ball between the posts. Looks like it’s going to be a tough climb for them in order to make it to the second round. Well, their form of not winning a game from the last World Cup has continued, and looks set to continue since they are facing Germany in the next game.

Ecuador - They proved that they are no pushovers. It was a gutsy win against the Pols. They should have enough to beat Costa Rica in the next game and proceed to the second round.

Group B

England 1 - Paraguay 0

England - Screw the English. It was a laboured and boring game. They scored a fluke own goal. There was no attack apart from the occasional strike from Lampard. How England missed Rooney! It doesn’t help that they have a donkey of a coach in Eriksson who sent Defoe home in favour of a 17 year old boy who hasn’t even played for his club. Perhaps it’s just retribution that Theo Wilcott is injured. Anyway the English should make it to the second round, however I don’t see them being a big player to win the World Cup, unless someone steps up (hint: Rooney).

Paraguay - Looks like the weakest team from South America. I personally don’t think they would make an impact should they make it to the second round. However the results in the other games in this group going in their favour, they may well make it.

Sweden 0 - Trinidad & Tobago 0

Sweden - I couldn’t really see this match, since all I got was a blurred TV screen while trying to tune to SCTV (an Indonesian channel). Anyway it ended up a nil all draw, so I didn’t really miss much

Trinidad & Tobago – They are supposed to be the whipping boys in this group, but have done well to draw their more illustrious opponents. This result makes the fight for second in the group interesting.

Group C

Argentina 2 – Ivory Coast 1

Argentina – This is probably the toughest groups to be in. Every one of the teams in this group is capable of going far in the competition. Argentina had a slight scare when they allowed Ivory Coast to score one goal. However they are an accomplished team, and should be one of the favourite to lift the World Cup.

Ivory Coast – Typical African team. Plenty of skill, but not enough team work. At seems to me that they lack another accomplished striker to partner Drogba. They were totally reliant on him to deliver the goods. So far in the first group, they are the best African representatives, too bad they are in a really tough group.

Holland 1 – Serbia & Montenegro 0

Holland – They are a one man team. All their attacking play came from Robben. The other players did nothing much that could be considered praiseworthy. Should Robben get injured, they are pretty much screwed. Ruud has brought his club form to the World Cup, so don’t expect much from him.

Serbia & Montenegro – They came into the competition with the meanest defence, conceding only one goal (an own goal) in the qualifiers. And from this game you can see why. They close down on their opponents really quickly and scarcely allow the Dutch any breathing room in the midfield. However, they lack the creative spark going forward, despite having good players like Kezman and Milosevic playing up front. They are going to have a hard time playing against the Argentines or the Elephants.

Group D

Mexico 3 – Iran 1

Mexico – The game was an interesting game. Both the teams were pretty equal in strength, however Mexico just seemed more clinical towards the end of the game. Should be interesting to see who ends up second in this group.

Iran – They are certainly no pushovers despite losing the first game. They gave Mexico a good run. Had they had a full squad of players to choose from, things might have been different. Chances of them advancing to the next round are pretty slim, unless some of their players make a miraculous recovery.

Portugal 1 – Angola 0

Portugal – They started this game with a bang and ended with a whimper. Once Christiano Ronaldo left the pitch, they looked lost going forward. Like Holland, they look like a one man team. Remains to be seen if they can overcome this.

Angola – Another African team. Looks like all African teams seem to have really skilful players but can’t play as a team. A little trivial here, their goalie shares the same name, Ricardo, as the Portuguese keeper. He’s also without a club, and has been training on his own for the past year in preparation for the World Cup.

Group E

Czech Republic 3 – USA 0

Czech Republic – They are one of my personal favourites to win this World Cup, and they played like they were good enough for it. They were efficient and were threatening whenever they went forward. The only worrying thing with the team is that they have no strikers. Baros is injured, and so is Koller. I waiting to see if they can recover before placing a nice bet on them.

USA – Unfortunately they didn’t live up to their billing as the 5th best soccer nation in the FIFA rankings. The Czechs were simply too good for them. They showed that they can play a good game, but simply weren’t good enough to make any impact.

Italy 2 – Ghana 0

Italy – Another team that is in my radar. They have what it seems to be one of the most complete teams in the competition. They looked good in all departments, with world class players at every position. Pirlo in particular impressed this game. I’ve not rated him highly, especially after watching his pathetic performances with AC Milan, both in their domestic league and the Champions League. Looks like he’s been saving himself for the World Cup all along.

Ghana – Disappointing showing from them. They had good players but again with all these African teams, they simply cannot play a team game. Too much individual showboating and too little passing. It seems they can’t seem to understand the team concept or most of the players play in Europe and have very little time to gel.

Group F

Australia 3 – Japan 1

Australia – They looked to be defeated in this game until Tim Cahill came on. He single-handedly changed the game to their favour. Guus Hiddink is a genius, as proven in the last World Cup with South Korea. He put in Cahill after the Japanese had given their all, and Cahill ran riot.

Japan – Disappointing in the matter that they lost. They put in a lot of hard, honest work, but were simply unable to stop the irresistible force name Tim Cahill. Looks like it’s going to be an uphill task to make it to the next round.

Brazil 1 – Croatia 0

Brazil – Not impressed with them at all. They were tipped to be the bookmarkers favourite, but failed to live up to expectation. Ronaldo looks really ‘heavy’ (I’m too polite to call him fat). They only managed to score one goal against Croatia and were relatively lucky not to have conceded in the second half. I don’t see them winning the World Cup. I do, however, hope they thrash Australia and Japan. It would boost the odds of the other teams I’m going to bet on.

Croatia – You would think that after trailing by a goal at the half, they would pack up and save their energy in the second half. But they didn’t. After a poor first half performance, they turned up the heat in the second half and gave Brazil a mighty scare. Whether they would proceed to the second round depends largely on the Kovac brothers and Prso. These players are probably going to be the difference makers for this team.

Group G

South Korea 2 – Togo 1

South Korea – The indomitable spirit of the Koreans live on! They were down 1 at half time and came back to win this game, with a little luck with the sending off of a Togo defender. Take nothing away from the Koreans, they were worth their victory. I don’t know what possessed me to take Togo in my fantasy league!

Togo – Typical African team. The theme seems to keep playing itself over and over again this first rounds of game. No point harping on it.

France 0 –Switzerland 0

France – Something’s seriously wrong with the French. They seem to have lost their mojo after winning the previous European Cup. Perhaps they are relying on too many old players like Zidane, or perhaps their young players are simply not good enough. Whatever the case is, the French golden age is officially over. Henry, as usual, hasn’t and doesn’t perform on the big stage.

Switzerland – They were the better team by a far margin. Every time they had the ball and moving forward, they always caused the French problems. Would be interesting to see if they proceed to the next round. They should cause some of the bigger named teams some problems.

Group H

Spain 4 – Ukraine 0

Spain – Are Spain going to screw up after such an emphatic win? I’m betting on them screwing up at some point in this competition. They performance in this game was probably the best and most comprehensive I’ve seen so far in the World Cup. But we all know what the Spanish are capable of. They’ve always performed well in the group stages and completely self-destruct in the knock-out stages. I personally hope they do well, but my money isn’t going to be on them.

Ukraine – They look totally clueless. No ideas up front and Shevchenko looks like a lost puppy up front. If they carry on playing like this, there’s no way in hell they are going to beat the Saudis or Tunisia.

Tunisia 2 – Saudi Arabia 2

Tunisia – This was the first score draw in the competition. Tunisia didn’t impress at all. Had it not been an injury time goal from Jaidi, they could and should have lost this game.

Saudi Arabia – After a boring first half, the Saudis gave it a good account of themselves and had the lead until the dying seconds of the game. Unfortunately they are facing two European teams in their next two games. They are going to need a lot of luck to make it to the next round.