France v. Mexico 0-2 17/Jun/10

Second Round, Fourth Game, Group A, Day 7. (20 of 64)


Hernández edges past Lloris, in clear offside.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]


In Peter Mokaba, and with a hungry nation back at home, the Mexican side comprehensively edged a torn, battered and childish French team. Even when the display of Chicharito is being hailed here in Mexico as the uttermost football value of the recent years, the truth is that Aguirre's team beat a side that is in complete chaos, to say the least. The frenzy media has taken their time to cover up the French deception with lauds of glory as if we have already achieved something extra special in the history of the World Cup.

Hernández goal had a little history about it but all in all, it was in offside (of course that any French who complains would be taken in short time to Henry's antics). Despite the different reactions from the media here in my country, the Mexican team has a fairly good advantage in reaching the following stage. Obviously that still has to be decided when the tied-in-points countries face each other at Rustenburg on the 22nd. Zonal Marking's piece is remarkable, especially with the Mexican analysis.



Gourcuff and Gignac gutted.
[Photo: AFP via Telegraph]


Despite the hectic start by the Mexican forward all chances went out wide, beginning with Vela's in the 8th minute. Franco made a couple of dribbles and found himself in shooting position against Lloris -the ball went wide off the mark. Mexico's superiority was proved by Salcido, whose shot warned Lloris again. It seemed a delightful start, such as the one in Soccer City some days ago but the problem remained in putting the bloody ball in the back of the net.

Salcido's incursions were the most dangerous approach the team could offer in the first half but as if this was another Arsenal match, the impatient Mexican supporters back at home requested a lead before the break. Also, as if it were another Arsenal match, Carlos Vela went out injured; he was substituted by Pablo Barrera in the 31st. The very last minutes of the first part saw a particularly offensive French team -Ribery led the attack but time was up.



Blanco scores the second from the spot.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]


As Gignac entered replacing Anelka, the Mexicans continued their pursuit just to encounter a revamped French squad. Malouda's shot was palmed by Pérez in the 56th. The time for another Mexican substitution arrived when Hernández came in for the booked Juárez. The problem began when the French attacks were more constant and deadlier. As the match wore and Blanco came in, in the 62nd, the cameo of Johannesburg was looming in the air.

Fortunately for the "visitors" Hernández pushed the defence and got himself in a pretty decent position to score -offside- and went past Lloris to slot it. One-nil and everybody was predicting Mexico as the newest football super power. The French team pressed with the little morale they already had; their desperate attacks left huge gaps in the defence and in one of those occasions Barrera edged two defenders and went down, although with some contact, with a weak challenge by Abidal. With ten minutes to end, the penalty kick was converted by Blanco and the match was pretty much over.

Greece v. Nigeria 2-1 17/Jun/10

Second Round, Fourth Game, Group B, Day 7. (19 of 64)


The Greeks overcame one-goal disadvantage.
[Photo: Reuters via Telegraph]


Although matematically speaking the Nigerians still have certain chance of going through the next stage, their hopes seem well and buried, most probably because of their torrid way of playing. Today in the Free State Stadium we witnessed an entertaining game that only saw some amusing parts in Kaita's red card.

Despite the terrific perfomance in the first minutes from the Africans, the former EURO champions managed to beat their opposition and took advantage of their defensive frailties after the sent off. It seemed as if the building that the Nigerians raised with effort, after scoring in the 16th minute, little by little fell apart with each storie encountering a terrible faith in the fall.



Uche scores the first.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]


The game started quite positively for Lagerback's team since Obi Mikel took advantage of a free kick that was derived from a yellow card challenge on Papastathopoulos. It was the fifteen minute and Uche deviated the ball to have the lead. The nervy defending was of course a great part of the advantage. The Greeks took with philosphy the booking and were expectant in their own half. The captain Karagounis, always eager to get a shot from long range, took an opportunity and smashed it against the head of Yobo. What followed was a Pepe-esque style of mental rambling in the part of Kaita -he got the red card due to a stamp.

With nearly an hour to go, the Africans would have to work in the ten-men figure. Then on, it took some time for the Greeks to accomodate themselves as they hit twice in the last minutes of the first half. Samaras tried to flicked a rebound in the box -the effort was marvelously cleared off the line by Haruna. Salpingidis found the late equaliser when a fierce shot found Haruna's foot and went in.


In the opening minutes of the next half Tzorvas made an outstanding effort to prevent the second goal from the Nigerians when he palmed away an Uche cross in the 46th minute. Then the Greeks comenced their slow attack. One conclusion of that was that Gekas failed to poke the ball, in the 59th minute; what followed was a speedy counter which ended in the uneffective and misfiring feet of Yakubu.

Ten minutes after, Enyema saved again another chance to keep his teams' hopes alive. Unfortunately for the Nigerians Enyema's luck ran out when he made a mistake and Torosidis took the lead again in the 77th. Yakubu had a coupole of chances, none which were fully converted. Karagounis again took another shot and the story for Eneyema repeated itself. With ten minutes to go the costly mistake saw the poor African team going out of the World Cup too soon.

Argentina v. South Korea 4-1 17/Jun/10

Second Round, Third Game, Group B, Day 7. (18 of 64)


Hat-tricker Higuaín on the spot.
[Photo: EPA via Telegraph]


Three goals from the Madrid forward seemed to be enough to oust a naïve team of South Korea. Even when they knew of what they were capable of against Greece in the first game, Jung Moo's men were unable to repeat the feat due to the fact that the gigantic (metaphorically speaking) and scoreless playmaker Lionel Messi played an influential part in all goals this evening at Soccer City. In the first game of the day one could have expected so much from the wretched and slow Argentinian defence; even when a goal conceded seems to give them no difference at all it could prove worth for future opponents in the following phase.

The already-qualified Americans will face Greece in the last day of competition in group C at Polokwane in the 22nd. One must expect the inclusion of a B team, in the search for the perfection of nine points while the Koreans must deploy all their effective arsenal to reach the following stage.



Messi tries to lob.
[Photo: AP via Telegraph]


During large chunks of the game Messi tried to either assist or grab a goal. In one of this instances he won a freekick through which Argentina took the lead. Strangely the offensive threat poised by the Argentinians in that particular set up was quite weak nevertheless the deflection provoked by Chung Young costed the Koreans the goal. Probably the Koreans did not plan suffering the lead in that way.

Things did not look quite positive for Jung Moo's team since many of the mistakes that led to that free kick were exploited by the talent of that Barcelona player. Again, Argentina's 10 was participant in the second goal: Maxi crossed after a quick corner and Burdisso deflected the ball to find a lonely and eager Higuaín, who did not miss, in the 33th minute. Di Maria had an outstanding effort saved by Ryong just minutes before the Korean goal.

A minute before the break Chung Yong made amends to give his team a glimmer of hope which turned out to be a vast, grand kick in the following half. The goal was the sole fault of Demichelis who failed to control the ball; although the rest is history the slow reaction from the defence was a surprise to some.


In the next part Ryon Jung became a factor for the Korean team since many of his saves, such as an Higuaín and a Tévez shot, prevented Messi and others to score. Before the third goal, certainly due to the offensive prowess the Koreans enjoyed from the 60th minute onwards, Maradona's pupils had a troublesome period in which Hun Yeom missed a clear chance against Romero.

The following minutes, from the 75th, were a feast for Messi, when he and Kun combined to give the Barcelona striker a clear shot on goal that hit the post. Marksman Higuaín was there to put it in as the Argentinians led by two goals. A similar play gave them the three-goal lead in which Agüero set Higuaín who headed without hesitation. Another great run by the Atlético forwards in the final minutes nearly broadened the panorama, since the Koreans eagerly tried to score in the other end.

South Africa v. Uruguay 0-3 16/Jun/10

Second Round, Third Game, Group A, Day 6. (17 of 64)


Pereira heading the third.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]


Today at Pretoria, in his second game, Forlán moved his team one step closer to the qualification as they beat the hosts with a three-goal advantage. The great moment of the Atlético forward was assured when Khune was sent off. Throughout the match the inexistant team of South Africa showed us their real face after that astonishing game against México. This step gives the Uruguayans the upperhand with a game in hand and knowing the result the Mexicans are pushed to get three points in their next encounter against France. Forlán and his minions face the Mexicans at Rustenburg in the 22nd and that same day the locals will try to beat France in Bloemfontein.



Pienaar can't get too close.
[Photo: EPA via Daily Mail]


Massimo Busacca started the game and immediately the 9.1 surround sound supported by the annoying, ever-present vuvuzelas came into the audience and broadcast. As early as the 8th minute, Suárez and Forlán combined to make a decent opportunity that ended in a wide shot over the bar. In several fronts the Uruguayan team dominated, largely in the flanks where Fucile's prowess was beginning to worry Parreira.

Near the 24th, Forlán got away with the opportunity to score and found the back of Mokoena; the deflected shot impressed more than two in the stadium and gave the lead to the visitors. Immediately afterwards Tavárez commanded the full attack of his forces and in the subsequent minutes Suárez had some decent opportunities, mainly with his shot in the side-netting.



Forlán on the spot.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]


It seemed a matter of minutes before Uruguay scored their second; Suárez run riot in his side as he fell in the box after an alleged penalty. South Africa's response was an M'phela header. There was not much of an action in the second part as each side looked carefully for their chances, specially the South Africans. The second of the night was courtesy of Forlán as he converted the penalty kick. The foul that led to the punishment was at times difficult to spot, but the slight contact made by Khune was worth the decision.

With ten minutes to go, Pienaar was subbed to bring the replacement keeper Josephs. Already in injury time, Forlán -the mastermind of the tournament so far- crossed to the wing for Suárez who later set Pererira to have the three-goal advantage. The flaws and lack of efficiency from the Africans showed the true nature of their footballing capabilities: what Mexico barely managed to pull out, the Uruguayans did with comfort and class.

Spain v. Switzerland 0-1 16/Jun/10

First Round, Second Game, Group H, Day 6. (16 of 64)


Offside? Certainly an idiotic defending.
[Photo: Getty Images via Daily Mail]


"The strange thing is though, that the more you look back on the Spain v Switzerland match, the less surprising the result appears" wrote Phil Ball when the shock of a first-game loss still surprises people around the globe when the all-conquering EURO Champions could not break the difficult deadlock that the World Cup debutant Ottmar Hitzfield built.

It seems that without the talismanic Alexander Frei the Swiss could make that no-goal stance into another landmark as they took that statistic to 484 minutes without conceding in the World Cup after the last goalless draw against Ukraine four years ago. Zonal Marking -the newest site for tactic junkies- has the final verdict: "Apologies to Switzerland fans, but the story here is not merely that the favourites were beaten, it’s that the favourites played absolutely awfully."

Throughout the game we saw some reminiscence of that last year's Confederations match against the US. It was effective defending, I think, rather than brilliant and we tend to forget what is effective in football since Barcelona has commanded us to do it. El País called them "too baroque"; I cannot agree more.



Fernandes going mental.
[Photo: Getty Images via Telegraph]


There appeared to be an urgent necessity for the Spanish team to go all the way forward and score with the first play. Of course it didn't happened as the match was in the good ol' list of stalemates at this World Cup. Xavi led some of his attacks as he pushed deeper with some through balls. Despite the effort and resistance from the "visitors" Piqué's position was wide off as he got to set Ramos on the right wing. The Madrid right-back played quick, escaped two defenders and shot wide in the 17th minute.

The match appeared more lively as in two minutes the clearer chances were made: for the Spaniards, Piqué took a shot as he found himself inside the box -Benaglio eventually saved it. The retaliation was on part of Ziegler, who had an opportunity with a freekick. It was a poor and weak effort as the EURO Champions began their full prowl for the victory. The siege was beginning to take some physical struggles and the EURO hosts as Senderos had to come out injured. The current panorama was dim in the light of a defeat.



Another shot of the goal.
[Photo: Mirror Football]


Again the Spanish got advantage of the full power of their offensive force, nonetheless, it was a lucky ball that gave the Swiss the lead. Derdiyok got a chance to go forward and eventually got pounded by Piqué. Then the Barcelona defender got back as Gelson found the ball and the series of strange and bizarre efforts from keeping the ball away on part of Casillas were worthless. The Swiss took the lead with an astonishing goal that was derived from the lack of positioning by the Spanish centre-halves.

Obviously after the stunners, Del Bosque ordered a full attacking deployment. Minutes later, with the substitutions being made, there were obviously some changes on the attacking order; Torres and Navas looked to bring some fresh legs onto the field. Despite the lack of form of the Liverpool man, the impact was immediate while Alonso could have equalised things when his shot went straight into the crossbar. When Iniesta came out injured, one could sense that feeling of dismay in the morale of the Spanish team.

The resilient defence was subject to heavy bombardment well into the last minutes. Three improvised centre-halves were not enough to stop the advances and the figure of Benaglio was vital for Hitzfield's aspirations. The urgency to put the ball in the box was countered with the calm of Switzerland's keeper to not play the ball.

Honduras v. Chile 0-1 16/Jun/10

First Round, First Game, Group H, Day 6. (15 of 64)


An Americanista scoring.
[Photo: AP via Daily Mail]


In the opening match of the Spanish-speaking group, the Chileans rose victorious in a quasi entertaining game. For the South Americans the score might have been bigger but their lack of options on attack were sound. On the other side Rueda's men got themselves in a difficult position since they have to literally go and beat the European champions in the following match at Johannesburg.

Another concerning problem for the CONCACAF team is the lack of mobility and fitness some players showed. Despite the tactically perfect offensive display Bielsa's men deployed, there is room for improvement in that department. The Chileans will face Switzerland at Port Elizabeth, as we are left pending with Spain's result today.



Palacios chasing.
[Photo: Getty Images via Daily Mail]


As the official FIFA match report cleared: "For Chile, it was a victory exactly 48 years in the making – the South Americans had not won a FIFA World Cup match since defeating Yugoslavia in the match for third place on home soil on this very day in 1962." But in reality it took us by no surprise waiting this time for the Chileans to find a gift in the back of the net. Before the lead, Bielsa's team took some advantage through his tactical mastermind. Possession and positioning were the key concepts for the model to work properly.

The match had its equilibrium: where the Chileans attacked, Rueda's men chased and quickly managed to weave some build-ups that ended in fierce rapid strikes. Fernández was the main threat as well as the incursions of Isla. In one of those runs, he crossed to find the unlucky leg of Mendoza, while the deflection went into Beausejour's knee. The strange goal was a solid reward for Bielsa.

In the following half it was the surprise in the very last minutes that could have given the Honduras team an equaliser, but before that, nearly through thirty minutes La Roja had all possession and control. Even when in the official match report (as quoted above) said the "home team" had effective counterattacks, it was only in the first half were the rapid succession of passes led to a good offensive display. Notwithstanding the fact that Rueda's men tried in the final minutes, it seemed very unlikely to me that a distraction could lead them to an equaliser.