World Cup 03/07 – Argentina Go Home Crying

Argentina	0	vs.	4	Germany
–		MotM = Bastian SCHWEINSTEIGER (GER)	Thomas MÜLLER 3’ Miroslav KLOSE 68’ 89’ Arne FRIEDRICH 74’
Quarter-Finals		Ref = Ravshan IRMATOV (UZB)	Cape Town

GERMANY utterly destroyed much fancied Argentina to reach the last four for the 12^th time in their history.

They threw down the gauntlet after just three minutes when Thomas Müller headed home from a free kick. Argentina went up a couple of gears and started to apply some pressure. But this was only after Miroslav Klose put an easy (for him) chance over the bar. Argentina did get the ball in the net in the first half, but it was rightly (this time) ruled out for offside.

In first 20 minutes of the second half you got a sense that an Argentina goal was coming at any moment. But two tap-ins in six minutes from Klose and Arne Friedrich stunned the watching millions as Germany went 3-0 up, ripping the soul out of Argentina.

Klose scored his second of the game late on after a fantastic counter attack, to take his World Cup finals tally to 14.

Zakumi: “This puts him joint-second on the all time list with fellow German Gerd Müller.”

P92: “And just one behind the all time leading scorer, Ronaldo of Brazil.”

Paraguay	0	vs.	1	Spain
–		MotM = Andrés INIESTA (ESP)	David VILLA 83’
Quarter-Finals		Ref = Carlos BATRES (GUA)	Johannesburg – JEP

THE reigning European Champions (Spain) made it into the last four for the first time since 1950 after a narrow win over Paraguay.

The game was a stalemate for the first hour, with Paraguay content to hold Spain who in turn just couldn’t break the South Americans down. Paraguay’s Nelson Valdez did get the ball in the Spanish net in the first half but his effort was ruled out because his team-mate Óscar Cardozo was offside.

But a rather dull game was lit up on the hour mark when Paraguay were awarded a penalty. Cardozo, the man who’s penalty knocked-out Japan stepped up to take what was now the most important kick of his career. But Spain’s captain, Iker Casillas caught the spot-kick.

Spain immediately went up the other end of the field and they were given a penalty. So, up stepped XABI ALONSO who scored from 12yds and put his side in the lead. However the referee told him he had to take it again because some of his team-mates had run into the penalty area before he kicked the ball.

ALONSO re-composed himself and took the penalty again, only to see it saved by Paraguay’s captain Justo Villar. The ball rebounded off of him and there was a mass melee for the ball in which Spain’s Cesc Fábregas was taken out by Villar. This was yet another penalty, but this time the ref didn’t give it.

TV viewers were then shown a replay of Cardozo’s saved penalty. It showed Spanish players running into the box before he had kicked the ball, but he didn’t get to retake his penalty. Strange that.

Spain slowly started to wind up through the gears in the latter half of the game. They didn’t want to go to extra-time.

With just seven minutes to go, Spain’s PEDRO had a shot at goal which rebounded off the post…and straight into the path of the in-form David Villa. He smashed the ball at the goal and his shot hit both posts and went in. This was his fifth goal of this World Cup, and puts him at the top of the scoring charts.

Paraguay almost scored near the end, but Casillas again made the save.

Zakumi: “Did your Grandparents enjoy the match?”

P92: “They liked the chaos of the penalties, but I’d rather they saw the Argentina vs. Germany game instead.”

World Cup 02/07 – Netherlands & Uruguay Roll Back The Years

Netherlands	2	vs.	1	Brazil
Wesley SNEIJDER 53′ 68’		MotM = Wesley SNEIJDER (NED)	ROBINHO 10’
Quarter-Finals		Ref = Yuichi NISHIMURA (JAP)	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elizabeth

 THE NETHERLANDS made it into their first World Cup Semi-Final since 1998 after coming from behind to beat five-times World Champions Brazil.

Brazil raced out of the starting blocks and cut the Dutch open. They had a goal disallowed after eight minutes, but just two minutes later ROBINHO ran through a gap in the Dutch defence and scored. KAKÁ almost made it 2-0 after 30 minutes, but a monster save from Maarten Stekelenburg kept his side in the game.

The Dutch came alive in the second half (once again) thanks to the efforts of ‘Man of the Match’ Wesley Sneijder. He put a long ball into the Brazilian box and keeper JÚLIO CÉSAR missed the ball as it came off of FELIPE MELO’s head. Sneijder was given the goal by F.I.F.A.

Sneijder scored his second goal 15 minutes later. Dirk Kuyt flicked the ball on from an Arjen Robben corner and Sneijder headed home to put the Netherlands 2-1 up with just over 20 minutes to play.

Brazil’s fight back had the wind taken out of it when FELIPE MELO stamped on Arjen Robben and was sent straight off.

More chances came to either side but none were taken, and Port Elizabeth is being painted orange as you read this.

Zakumi: “Brazil will now have to wait until they host the 2014 tournament for their next finals match.”

P92: “It is still possible to have a Netherlands vs. Germany final. They hate each other.”

Zakumi: “The exact same thing can be said for Uruguay and Argentina.”

P92: “At the moment yes.”

Uruguay	1	vs.(AET)	1	Ghana
Diego FORLÁN 55’		MotM = Diego FORLÁN (URU)	Sulley MUNTARI 45+2’
Quarter-Finals		Ref = Olegário BENQUERENÇA (POR)	Johannesburg – JSC

FORMER double World Champions Uruguay made it into their first World Cup Semi-Final since 1970 after they beat the last remaining African team, Ghana, in a highly eventful match.

Uruguay dominated the first 30 minutes of the match, and it was only then that Ghana decided to wake up. They created some good chances for themselves, but in injury time at the end of the first half it looked like it would be 0-0.

Until Sulley Muntari unleashed a curling 35yd strike which found the back of the Uruguayan net.

The South American side started the second half like a wounded animal. Just ten minutes after the restart Diego Forlán smashed his free kick straight into the Ghana goal. 1-1.

Uruguay continued to have all of the best of the second half chances but they failed to take any of them, so we went to extra-time.

The first 20 minutes of extra-time went by with no real chances that stick in the mind, but from then on Ghana suddenly found another gear and went for the win.

In the very last minute of extra-time Ghana took a free kick on the edge of the box. Stephen Appiah’s shot was blocked by Luis Suárez on the line, and then he blocked Dominic Adiyiah’s shot with his hands when he could easily have used his head. He was sent straight off.

The resulting penalty was taken by twice spot-kick scorer in this World Cup, Asamoah Gyan. It was the 121^st minute of the match and would be the last kick of the match. He could send an African team into the last four of a World Cup for the first time, and on African soil as well. But he went for power instead of placement and hit the bar. And we went to penalties.

Uruguay	4	P.S.O.	2	Ghana
Diego FORLÁN	√	1	√	Asamoah GYAN
Mauricio VICTORINO	√	2	√	Stephen APPIAH
Andrés SCOTTI	√	3	X	John MENSAH
Maximiliano PEREIRA	X	4	X	Dominic ADIYIAH
Sebastián ABREU	√	5	–	–

ASAMOAH GYAN showed great courage by taking Ghana’s first penalty and scoring it to level the shootout at 1-1. John Mensah saw his penalty saved, Maximiliano Pereira blasted his over, and Dominic Adiyiah had his vital penalty saved.

Sebastián Abreu won the match with a cheeky chip, and Uruguay set up a Semi-Final with the Netherlands.

Zakumi: “Fantastic game, but why did Gyan go for power!”

P92: “Heat of the moment.”

Today’s games are:

• Argentina vs. Germany, BBC 1 15:00
• Paraguay vs. Spain, BBC 1 19:30 

World Cup 2010 – The Quarter-Finals

THIS is how the line-up for the Quarter-Finals of the 2010 World Cup.

Netherlands	vs.	Brazil
Uruguay	vs.	Ghana
Argentina	vs.	Germany
Paraguay	vs.	Spain

 

Netherlands and Brazil have played each other three times in the World Cup. The Dutch won 2-0 in 1974, Brazil won 3-2 in 1994, and again 4:2 on penalties after the scores were level at 1-1 A.E.T. in 1998.

Uruguay have never played Ghana in the World Cup finals. In fact they have never ever met in an international match.

Argentina and Germany have played five games against one another at the World Cup finals. In 1958 West Germany won 3-1 and in 1966 they played out a 0-0 draw. In 1986 and 1990 they contested the Final itself. Argentina won in ’86 3-2, while West Germany took the ’90 title with a 1-0 win. The latter final saw the first two Final red cards (both for Argentina) in what is regarded as the worst-ever final. A unified Germany beat Argentina 4:2 on penalties (1-1 A.E.T.) four years ago in Berlin. The game finished in a riot and saw unused Argentine substitute Leandro Cufré sent off after the match was over.

Paraguay and Spain have met twice before. In 1998 they played out a 0-0 draw, and in 2002 Spain won 3-1.

Zakumi: “Argentina vs. Germany is defiantly tie of the round.”

P92: “Hopefully everything that matters will be done on the pitch this time, and we’ll have no bad decisions as well.”

Tomorrow’s games are:

• Netherlands vs. Brazil, ITV 15:00
• Uruguay vs. Ghana, ITV 19:30

World Cup 29/06 – Paraguay Are Spot On

Paraguay	0	vs.(AET)	0	Japan
–		MotM = Keisuke HONDA (JAP)	–
Last 16		Ref = Frank DE BLEECKERE (BEL)	Tshwane / Pretoria

NEITHER side had previously made it into the last eight of a World Cup before this game, and they were both very nervous.

The fear of losing outweighed the will to win, and the game lacked chances all the way through. The best of these sparse chances came at around 20 minutes in. Paraguay had a shot bundled off the line, then Japan hit the bar with the next attack and that was it.

So the match meandered towards the first Penalty Shootout in this World Cup.

Paraguay	5	P.S.O.	3	Japan
Édgar BARRETO	√	1	√	Yasuhito ENDŌ
Lucas BARRIOS	√	2	√	Makoto HASEBE
Cristian RIVEROS	√	3	X	Yūichi KOMANO
Nelson VALDEZ	√	4	√	Keisuke HONDA
Óscar CARDOZO	√	5	–	–

JAPAN’S Yūichi Komano hit the bar with the sixth penalty of the shootout after all the others had been scored, handing the advantage to Paraguay. The next two penalties were scored as well, and it was left to Óscar Cardozo to score the winner and send Paraguay into the last eight for the very first time.

Zakumi: “It’s a good thing we have penalties now. I don’t think I could have taken watching the replay.”

P92: “It was a dull game, but remember both sides had such a lot to lose.”  

Spain	1	vs.	0	Portugal
David VILLA 63’		MotM = XAVI (ESP)	–
Last 16		Ref = Héctor BALDASSI (ARG)	Cape Town

THIS was the first ever Iberian derby to take place in the World Cup finals.

The first half saw both sides trying to pull each other out of position and then catch them out in defence. Portugal looked the more comfortable and settled side in the first 45 minutes, with Spain’s keeper and capitan Iker Casillas giving a poor first half performance compared to his own extremely high standards, and getting lucky on a few occasions.

The second half started much the same, and the European Champions (Spain) seemed to have run out of ideas. But they came close to scoring on the hour mark and just three minutes later David Villa toe-poked the ball over Portugal’s keeper EDUARDO after he stopped his first shot.

Portugal’s RICARDO COSTA was sent off near the end of the match. I think he was yet another victim of a player conning the referee, and personally I’m getting sick of it.

Zakumi: “Well that’s it for the Last 16, and we get a couple of days off.”

P92: “I’ll have the Quarter-Final line-ups for you tomorrow.” 

World Cup 28/06 – Netherlands & Brazil Sail Into Last Eight

Netherlands	2	vs.	1	Slovakia
Arjen ROBBEN 18’ Wesley SNEIJDER 84’		MotM = Arjen ROBBEN (NED)	Róbert VITTEK 90+4P’
Last 16		Ref = Alberto UNDIANO (ESP)	Durban

BOTH sides started this game quickly and had a couple of good scoring chances between them in the opening quarter of an hour.

But Arjen Robben (who came back from injury against Cameroon) scored a brilliant solo goal to put the Dutch 1-0 up.

However, Slovakia showed the kind of determination that led them to victory over now outgoing World Champions Italy. They pressurised the Dutch and kept them honest throughout the match.

With the scores still at 1-0 Netherlands, both keepers made excellent saves to deny a bigger lead and a level score line. Slovak keeper Ján Mucha blocked a close range shot with his nose to keep his side in the game.

Unfortunately he was at fault for the Netherlands’ second goal. He came to the edge of this area to punch the ball away after a quick Dutch free kick, but the Netherland’s Dirk Kuyt beat him to the ball and squared it to Wesley Sneijder who side footed the ball home for 2-0.

Slovakia won a penalty in the last minute, and the man who scored two goals against Italy, Róbert Vittek, converted the spot kick with the very last kick of the game.

Zakumi: “Slovakia have done really well in their first World Cup as an independent nation, and should make it into Euro 2012.”

P92: “But the Netherlands still look as if they haven’t got into top gear yet.”

Zakumi: “They are not the finished article at the moment.”

P92: “At the moment, you’re right.”

Brazil	3	vs.	0	Chile
JUAN 35’ LUÍS FABIANO 38’ ROBINHO 59’		MotM = ROBINHO (BRA)	–
Last 16		Ref = Howard WEBB (ENG)	Johannesburg – JEP

THE first half an hour saw Brazil and Chile cancel each others’ chances out in what was a really entertaining and intriguing match.

Brazil’s first goal came from a very British football league corner. The big defender JUAN out jumped everyone around him and directed a bullet header into the roof of the Chilean net.

Brazil’s second goal came just three minutes later and the game seemed over. LUÍS FABIANO did well to keep his head as he took the ball past the keeper and rolled the ball into the goal. The game was all but confirmed as a Brazil win when ROBINHO made it 3-0 just around the hour mark. But Chile went down fighting, trying to score right up until the final whistle.

The English officials: Howard Webb (ref), Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann (linesmen) had a third brilliant game, and must surely be the hot tip to referee the final.

Zakumi: “Brazil into the last eight again.”

P92: “They could play Ghana in the semis if they both win their quarter-finals.”

Zakumi: “Oh I’d love to see that.”

P92: “So would everybody else accept the Dutch and Uruguay.”

Today’s games are:

• Paraguay vs. Japan, ITV 15:00
• Spain vs. Portugal, BBC 1 19:30

World Cup 2010 – The Last 16

HERE we have the matches for the Last 16 round of the 2010 World Cup

Uruguay	vs.	South Korea
U.S.A.	vs.	Ghana
Germany	vs.	ENGLAND
Argentina	vs.	Mexico
Netherlands	vs.	Slovakia
Brazil	vs.	Chile
Paraguay	vs.	Japan
Spain	vs.	Portugal

Spain vs. Portugal and Brazil vs. Chile are the big derby matches.

Argentina vs. Mexico is a grudge match from four years ago. Argentina won 2-1 AET.

Germany vs. England…well need I explain?

Zakumi: “Here we go. Knock-out football.”

P92: “Oh yes. And remember, from now on if you lose…you go out.”

Today’s games are:

• Uruguay vs. South Korea, ITV 15:00
• U.S.A. vs. Ghana, ITV 19:30

World Cup 24/06 – Defending Champions Italy Crash Out

Slovakia	3	vs.	2	Italy
Róbert VITTEK 25’ 73’ Kamil KOPÚNEK 89’		MotM = Róbert VITTEK (SLK)	Antonio DI NATALE 81’ Fabio QUAGLIARELLA 90+2’
Group F		Ref = Howard WEBB (ENG)	Johannesburg – JEP

 

Paraguay	0	vs.	0	New Zealand
–		MotM = Roque SANTA CRUZ (PAR)	–
Group F		Ref = Yuichi NISHIMURA (JAP)	Polokwane

 

Group F
Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	PTS
1	Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
2	Slovakia	3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
3	New Zealand	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
4	Italy	3	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2

ITALY – the defending World Champions – are sent crashing out of the tournament, finishing bottom of a group I thought they would win with ease. But they played so poorly that they didn’t really deserve to have the title of reigning champions. The 2010 Italy team have become the fourth team in history to be eliminated in the group stage as World Champions. The others are: the 1950 Italy team, the 1966 Brazil team and the 2002 France team. It is also the first time that both of the previous finalists – in this case Italy and France – have been knocked out in the groups. The fact that both of these two finished bottom of their groups shows just how much has changed in four years. In France’s case their manner, in Italy’s case the age of their players.

New Zealand can go home with their heads’ held high. They stayed undefeated in the group, scored two goals and led Italy in their South African adventure. They’ve shown that at times they can play football just as well as they can play Rugby and Cricket.

I thought Paraguay would advance, but not as group winners, and that Slovakia would come third. But yet again I was wrong and we have yet another unexpected team in the last 16. Slovakia played brilliantly against Italy in their 3-2 over them, and if I were the winner of Group E I wouldn’t be expecting and easy match.

Zakumi: “Neither would I. France and Italy out as well as finishing bottom of their groups! LOL!”

P92: “Epic fail!”

Denmark	1	vs.	3	Japan
Jon Dahl TOMASSON 81’		MotM = Keisuke HONDA (JAP)	Keisuke HONDA 17’ Yasuhito ENDŌ 30’ Shinji OKAZAKI 87’
Group E		Ref = Jerome DAMON (RSA)	Rustenburg

 

 

Cameroon	1	vs.	2	Netherlands
Samuel ETO’O 65P’		MotM = Robin VAN PERSIE (NED)	Robin VAN PERSIE 36’ Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR 83’
Group E		Ref = Pablo POZO (CHI)	Cape Town

 

Group E
Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	PTS
1	Netherlands	3	3	0	0	5	1	+4	9
2	Japan	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	6
3	Denmark	3	1	0	2	3	6	-3	3
4	Cameroon	3	0	0	3	2	5	-3	0

NO surprise to see the Dutch topping this group with ease (no disrespect to the other teams).

I was however surprised to see Japan making it into the last 16 for the first time on foreign soil. They played wonderfully against Denmark after they lucked a win against Cameroon.

Denmark looked like a good side at times. But they were totally outplayed by Japan and if they had have gotten into the last 16; I don’t think that they would have won.

Cameroon were just another team that didn’t turn up, which is a shame because that means yet another African team has fallen in round one.

Zakumi: “Japan have proved they are deadly at free kicks, so watch out Paraguay when you play them on Tuesday.”

P92: “If they play like they did against Denmark they could give the established order a real headache.”

Zakumi: “What’s ‘established order’ at this World Cup?

P92: “Touché.”

Today’s games are:

• Portugal vs. Brazil (The game I’ve most been looking forward to), BBC 1 15:00
• North Korea vs. Côte d’Ivoire, BBC 3 15:00
• Chile vs. Spain, ITV 1 or 4 19:30
• Switzerland vs. Honduras, ITV 1 or 4 19:30

World Cup 23/06 – England to Meet Germany in Round 2

Slovenia	0	vs.	1	England
–		MotM = Jermain DEFOE (ENG)	Jermain DEFOE 23’
Group C		Ref = Wolfgang STARK (GER)	Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elizabeth

 

U.S.A.	1	vs.	0	Algeria
Landon DONOVAN 90+1’		MotM = Landon DONOVAN (USA)	–
Group C		Ref = Frank DE BLEECKERE (BEL)	Tshwane / Pretoria

 

Group C
Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	PTS
1	U.S.A.	3	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
2	England	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	5
3	Slovenia	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
4	Algeria	3	0	1	2	0	2	-2	1

I PREDICTED that England would win this group with seven or nine points to our name. How wrong was I? The United States top the group – deservedly – on the number of goals they scored. The States were admittedly the best team over the course of the whole group.

England played so much better against Slovenia than they did against the U.S.A. and Algeria, but a last minute goal for America against Algeria means that we finished second, and will play the winner of Group D.

Its heart break for little Slovenia however. They would have gone through with England if not for that very late America goal. They stunned America in their game against them, but luck wasn’t on their side.

Algeria fizzle out of the World Cup without scoring a goal and had their captain sent off in their last game. But they did deserve to be in South Africa. They beat thrice in a row African Champions Egypt in a one match play-off to earn their place.

Zakumi: “Well at least one of us got into the last 16.”

P92: “England nearly gave me a heart attack…again.”

Zakumi: “If it was 2-0 England it would have been a lot more comfortable to watch.”

P92: “That readers is coming from a South African.”

Zakumi: “Since I’m doing this with you, England are my second team.”

P92: “Great to hear that.”

Ghana	0	vs.	1	Germany
–		MotM = Mesut ÖZIL (GER)	Mesut ÖZIL 60’
Group D		Ref = Carlos SIMON (BRA)	Johannesburg – JSC

 

Australia	2	vs.	1	Serbia
Tim CAHILL 69’ Brett HOLMAN 73’		MotM = Tim CAHILL (AUS)	Marko PANTELIĆ 84’
Group D		Ref = Jorge LARRIONDA (URU)	Nelspruit

 

Group D
Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	PTS
1	Germany	3	2	0	1	5	1	+4	6
2	Ghana	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	Australia	3	1	1	1	3	6	-3	4
4	Serbia	3	1	0	2	2	3	-1	3

  

GERMANY advance as group winners and will now play England at Mangaung / Bloemfontein on June 27.

The Germans did well in this group, but their loss to Serbia who finished forth really stands out. This and their 4-0 mauling of Australia. It looks like England need to catch Germany on a bad day like they had against Serbia.

Ghana need to be able to score in open play if they want to beat the U.S.A. in their last 16 game. Both of their goals came from the penalty spot, and when they played against Australia when the Aussies had ten men they didn’t impress me.

Australia and Serbia never really (to me) looked like they would get out of this group. But if Australia didn’t have a man sent off against Ghana and Serbia scored more against Germany it may have been very different.

Zakumi: “So, England will play Germany again.”

P92: “They’re just another team we must beat. Just because it’s Germany everyone gets all jumpy.”

Zakumi: “Germany’s big rivals are in fact the Dutch, and as a result the Germans don’t care about the 1966 final.”

P92: “Nope. Their big win was against the Netherlands in the 1974 final.”

Tomorrow’s games are:

• Paraguay vs. New Zealand, ITV 1 or 4 15:00
• Slovakia vs. Italy, ITV 1 or 4 15:00
• Cameroon vs. Netherlands, BBC 1 19:30
• Denmark vs. Japan, BBC 3 19:30 

 

 

 

World Cup 20/06 – New Zealand Show Italy Up At Football Instead of Rugby

Slovakia	0	vs.	2	Paraguay
–		MotM = Enrique VERA (PAR)	Enrique VERA 27’ Cristian RIVEROS 86’
Group F		Ref = Eddy MAILLET (SEY)	Mangaung / Bloemfontein

PARAGUAY thoroughly deserved their 2-0 victory, along with almost certain qualification to the last 16. Slovakia on the other hand never looked like scoring, and now must beat defending champions Italy to have any hope of advancing to the knock-out stage.

Zakumi: “Yet another strong performance by a South American team there.”

P92: “It saddens me to say this but it really does look like the trophy is going to the southern hemisphere again.”

Italy	1	vs.	1	New Zealand
Vincenzo IAQUINTA 29P’		MotM = Daniele DE ROSSI (ITA)	Shane SMELTZ 7’
Group F		Ref = Carlos BATRES (GUA)	Nelspruit

IF you thought New Zealand drawing against Slovakia was a big shock, well take a look at this! The All Whites drew against and led the reigning World Champions Italy. Smeltz’s early goal looked offside, and it wasn’t clear to me looking at the replays if the ball hit an Italian defender or not. But the goal stood. Italy went on the attack for the rest of the game and hit the post soon after they went behind. They did try to get Rory Fallon sent off midway through the first half and their penalty was not a penalty in my eyes, so one iffy goal each evened it up. New Zealand had the world on edge late in the second half when they almost won the game, but the remarkable thing is, is that after two games each in this group New Zealand can still go through and Italy can still go out.  

Zakumi: “Yet another shock! What is going wrong with the big European teams?”

P92: “If I knew that I’d tell you.”

Brazil	3	vs.	1	Côte d’Ivoire
LUÍS FABIANO 25’ 50’ ELANO 62’		MotM = LUÍS FABIANO (BRA)	Didier DROGBA 79’
Group G		Ref = Stéphane LANNOY (FRA)	Johannesburg – JSC

BRAZIL’S first goal really opened up what was turning into a rather dull game. LUÍS FABIANO scored the goal from a tight angle leaving the Côte d’Ivoire keeper stunned. I though his second goal was good enough to be compared to Pelé’s iconic goal in the 1958 final. But the replays showed me that he handled the ball twice. Just call him Henry. After ELANO scored Brazil’s third goal the game seemed over, but the Ivorian icon that is Didier Drogba scored a bullet header to make it 3-1. The game had been blighted by players pretending to be injured, and this came to a head right at the end. Kaká had been booked a few minutes earlier, and he and Kader Keita accidently collided. Keita then went down like he’d been shot and Kaká was ridiculously sent off for violent conduct.

Zakumi: “FIFA have got to stop players acting like this.”

P92: “I know. It makes me sick seeing top level footballers cheating like they did in this game.”    

Tomorrow’s games are:

• Portugal vs. North Korea, BBC 1 12:30 (A repeat of one of the best games in 1966)
• Chile vs. Switzerland, BBC 1 15:00
• Spain vs. Honduras, ITV 19:30

World Cup 19/06 – Netherlands Into Last 16

Netherlands	1	vs.	0	Japan
Wesley SNEIJDER 53’		MotM = Wesley SNEIJDER (NED)	–
Group E		Ref = Héctor BALDASSI (ARG)	Durban

THE Dutch were frustrated by Japan in a rather boring first half. It was almost like watching England. But two different teams came back out for the second half. The Netherlands took the lead after just eight second half minutes thanks to a combination of a powerful Wesley Sneijder shot and a goalkeeping blunder from Eiji Kawashima. This woke Japan up even more so and both teams had numerous chances to score. But the men in orange hung on for their second win of the tournament.

Zakumi: “A tip for any teams playing the Netherlands later in the competition. Hit them hard in the first 15 minutes to wake them up and or shock them.”

P92: “Sound advice.”

Ghana	1	vs.	1	Australia
Asamoah GYAN 25P’		MotM = Asamoah GYAN (GHA)	Brett HOLMAN 11’
Group D		Ref = Roberto ROSETTI (ITA)	Rustenburg

AUSTRALIA started the match the stronger team and took the lead after Brett Holman was the first player to react to the Ghanaian keeper, Richard Kingson spilling the ball from a free kick. However they lost their momentum after Harry Kewell was sent straight off for handballing on the line, preventing a certain Ghana goal. For the second game running, Asamoah Gyan converted the resultant spot kick. Now you’d expect Ghana to press for the win because of their man advantage plus the fact that Germany lost to Serbia, but you’d be wrong. It was Australia who dominated the chances in the second half, playing with real guts and determination. John Pantsil of Ghana received a nasty looking blood injury after his head collided with two other players’ heads – one Australian and one Ghanaian. That was in the very last minute of added on time and the last action of the match. Both sides begrudgingly settling for a draw in the end.

Zakumi: “The African teams in this World Cup need to improve. Who knows when it will come back to Africa?”

P92: “You think African sides have pressure in 2010. I feel sorry for the South American sides in 2014 when Brazil of all countries hosts the World Cup.”

Cameroon	1	vs.	2	Denmark
Samuel ETO’O 10’		MotM = Daniel AGGER (DEN)	Nicklas BENDTNER 33’ Dennis ROMMEDAHL 61’
Group E		Ref = Jorge LARRIONDA (URU)	Tshwane / Pretoria

THIS was another great game of football to watch. The first two goals of the match were the result of one team cutting the other open. Cameroon passed the ball well and quickly after a Danish defensive mistake, whereas the Danes used a long ball to undo the African outfit. Dennis Rommedahl’s winning goal was an individual master class. The skill of the teams and most of the players ranged from world class to school boy, making it a fantastic Saturday night in front of the TV.

Zakumi: “This result means that Cameroon are the first team to go out.”

P92: “The Netherlands are also the first team to advance to the last 16.”

Tomorrow’s games are:

• Slovakia vs. Paraguay, BBC 1 12:30
• Italy vs. New Zealand, ITV 15:00
• Brazil vs. Côte d’Ivoire, BBC 1 19:30