Matchday 8 25/Jun/09

Dani Alves saved the day for the five-times World Cup winners in a thrilling night at Johannesburg. For times the Brazilian side was so pressured and so out of shape that the recurrent and energic African team nearly scored twice. The Bafana Bafana and their supporters must be proud at the way they got out of the tournament: few teams can play at such a high tempo and resilience against Dunga's men.
Next stop for the Brazilians is Bob Bradley and his team in the great final. Certainly the previous match in the group stage set a standard but, regarding the Americans, one never knows if they are really imposing a threat or a current danger. Still, the final of the tournament will clear all expectations since the Americans are the second ever team from CONCACAF to qualify to the final match; obviously second to Mexico.



South Africa v. Brazil 0-1







Ramires and Gaxa, within fifteen minutes, set the high tempo of the highly-rated match between the organisers and the Brazilians. The Bafana Bafana attacks were cheerful and lively among many attempts from the wings. Offside chances by Robinho and Luis Fabiano were denied by headers from Booth. Mokoena nearly scored from a set piece as the south American defense stood wide open to let the African solely head.
While the Brazilians created several chances, the home team exposed the opposition in a quite unexpected way. Certainly things were supposed to get better for them, but the half whistle denied more attempts, such as Julio Cesar's deviation in the 43th minute. Kaká shot and Pienaar's response ended the fist part.







Julio Cesar's reflexes were becoming a factor to Brazil's game. The defense led by Lucio was inevitably mistaken in many chances that Modise spawned from the midfield. Whilst for large parts of the match the Africans kept possession and distance from each of the sectors from the midfield towards the forward, the south Americans retained any attempt.
With three minutes to finish the game, Alves stunner silenced the Ellis Park; a perfectly taken freekick from the left part of the box, in a 20m distance, shocked Khune's goal. There was no way to stop the terrible driver as it drove further from the sight of the keeper.
The eventual late lead gave the Brazilians a suffered yet, valuable ticket to face the Americans in the final. The host's dreams were shattered as Alves and company celebrated from the distance in a match that, if South Africa would have prove their chances effective, in any case the battle could have been even more harder for Dunga's boys.

Matchday 7 24/Jun/09

It seemed a rather strange and familiar sight, at the same time for Mexican fans to watch the stuporous defeat of Spain. I say defeat of Spain and not US win due to a simple relation which Raúl Sarmiento made today throughout the transmission of the match here on the other side of the Atlantic: "Más error de España que acierto de EU" [more of a mistake from Spain than a US hit]. The same story over the past ten years of Mexican defeats on US soil was repeated again, just that the victim this time was La Madre Patria. I agree that the Americans are in the finals for a few shots of luck and a lesser part of talent in a strange mix. Just the group stage, let alone, the entire display at the tournament, confirm my position.

And it is as equally strange and unfamiliar the scoresheet as the game. Paco Villa's words couldn't do more than summarise it for us: "Esta historia ya me la sé, cambien los nombres" [I already know this story, just swap names]. As if it were a question of pronouns in a pre-established formula the Spanish team lost today against a lucky yet strangely talented American side. What stroke me the most is the fact that, tomorrow, we will see the second best attraction of the tournament: Kaká.

Again, in Soccernet, the fanatical comparisons and understated, fairly analytical responses, took just minutes to go online. Again we will see what happens in this rather strange tournament. But remember dear reader, that the state of the current American team, achieved by their performance, could give them a higher rank in the FIFA chart, thus giving them a top seed in the World Cup. Strangely enough, Mexico went in that same process four years ago, and in that sense it could be stated that the Mexican team is way too far from the American side. Just remember Germany's 2006 Confederations Cup.



Spain v. USA 0-2




A storming beginning from the Spanish side saw a couple of deflected shots from Cesc and a Torres, to edge the Americans in the first minutes. Even when the possession was exchanged throughout large parts of the game the Americans lost many balls as well as poor challenges in the midfield. Their defense was the landmark and probably what saw them through, aside form Demspey's overall performance.
The unexpected lead came after a really flaw-plagued Spanish marking; Demspey set Altidore who shot cross Casillas who, despite the effort, could not deviate the powerful driver. Again Spain went all to attack and created some plays not just worth of a goal, but of prize: Ramos chance at 42th as well as an innumerable amount of passes by Cesc.







The typical case-scenario for the American team was perfectly sorted out with the Spanish siege beginning as close as the 53th minute. Shots from Villa, Riera, Xabi Alonso, Ramos and Cesc went all either wide, to Howard's hands or to the woodwork. It was as if there was no way to score for the EURO champions since no other team in the world could have created ten clear chances of goal in five minutes.
Bradley's son was another central defender and with the OCNCACAF team playing the part of a tricky stand off team, the second lead came in the seventy fourth minute. Dempsey's goal was a little gift from the Spanish poor defending, particularly of Ramos. It was clearly obvious that a set of defensive mistakes led the Americans to a strange, rather ludicrous win.

Matchday 6 21/Jun/09

With things settled in the Group A of the Confederations Cup, the difficult and struggled results appeared to be one of that dreamy utopian Mexican scenarios when, suddenly, three teams could qualify due to a bizarre combination of results. The Americans won in an outstanding match against the Pharaohs while Brazil faced the world champions in their second clash this year, with the previous one played at the Emirates.
The clashes for the semifinals will eventually see the hosts play against the Brazilians and the Americans against the Spanish. It should be interesting to see how things develop and maybe a little surprise could be hatched since anybody, and I mean ANYBODY, could win this wretched, yet fascinating tournament.



Italy v. Brazil 0-3




And yet again the Brazilians showed the class and the finish as in the first half of the commented match at the Emirates. In Tshwane the south Americans gave a class of style, and above all, of how a properly counter-attack works. It all began with several chances wasted; Ramires' shot in the 7th, Kaká chance at 13th to name a few.
The rhythm being all too rushed mainly by the Brazilians, with many affordable options well entered into the match. It was not until seven minutes before the break that the machinery led by Kaká began to roll. Three consecutive goals came from Luis Fabiano in two occasions and Dossenna making an own goal. The match was pretty much finished before the half time whistle, it just took seven minutes of inspiration from the three forwards to see the end of it.

For the next half not much could be taken to analyse. Gilardino's introduction and Simone Pepe shot were among the most dangerous plays from the World Cup holders. With De Rossi and Rossi making some long-distance attempts the match ended. Dossenna's final wide shot just exemplified the horrid state of the European team. Much should Lippi work on to, it will be a hard task no to get this sort of performances in the last phase in UEFA qualifiers.



Egypt v. USA 0-3




Simultaneously, in Rustenburg, the Americans achieved the miracle. Impressively the 'Yanks' pulled out an impressive, yet troubled display, after not having won in the tournament. Goal difference and a combination of results were the key for the Americans to dream of a semifinal against Spain.
With that same luck, the American defense nearly gave a goal when the Egyptians had a clear chance in side the box: three shots and four rebounds. Bradley's men, full of tribulations and mishaps, took the initiative when Davies scored to give the lead and hope for the semifinal dream. Only Lord knows how and why the striker scored when El Hadary's contribution to save the goal was beyond waggish.
The Pharaohs attempted incompetently to regain possession and the Americans, as usually, gave nearly 80% of possession reaching the 30th minute. This in order to accomplish their lethal counter attacks. Strangely enough the African champions accomplished several shots, all wide.

The following forty five minutes, were among the most enthralling and mercurial of the tournament (Jesus, among so many, I can't really choose one!). Fifteen minutes after the beginning, the son of the US national team, scored when Landon Donovan set him from the left wing. The 'American dream' was about to come true, and with news coming from Tshwane, Bradley was relieved to hear of the Italian defeat. The following minutes were tougher for the 'visiting' side than for the Pharaohs, due to the fact that the pressure relied on one more goal against them.
Talking about statistics, Salcedo was making the numbers when Dempsey headed to give the Americans their first semifinal in the Confederations Cup.
From dismal, horrid and awful the north Americans turned to magnifique with a grotesque scenario in the next match against the European champions.

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Matchday 4

The second day of activites in the B group of the Confederations Cup in South Africa threw some exciting results, both strangely unequal and unfair. One could have expected a much better display by the Americans than the one made today and the other one, the stunner in which the Pharaohs won over the current World Cup holders. There is quite a strange and bizarre set of things happening as we speak because nobody could have guessed from the beginning such a difficult match for the Italians or such a trash from the Brazilians.



USA v. Brazil 0-3 18/Jun/09




Again in Pretoria, the Brazilians gave a class of set pieces to the American side. It is obvious that there was more to be expected from the CONCACAF qualified team but the aerial skill of the South Americans won over the physically fit opposition. Few glances of the brilliancy imposed on the Egyptians as a couple of days ago surfaced the weakeness against a clear daft and limp "home" team.

Ten minutes after the first lead the second came after a clear mistake by the American defense in which Beasley lost possession to give Kaká and Robinho a chance, that the City man did not spoil. The truth is that the whole American team was completely unstabilised and distracted and it was not just Beasley's mistake but a defense disrupture.
American defenders lost it completely running like headless chickens to and fro. In this interval the Brazilians had at least three chacnes to extend their lead, all in counter produced by Kaká. Half time whistle was more of a relief for the CONCACAF representatives as the worst part of the storm wa yet to come well into the second half.


After some approaches in the first minutes it was Maicon who secured the win with a wall with Kaká and Ramires. Before that Kljestan was sentoff due to a dirty tackle on Ramires. Now that the match was more than finished the Americans took the liberty to attack at will, just to be stopped by the defensive wall led by Lucio and Juan. A final gasp attempt by Casey on woodwork was among hte main participations of the Americans on Julio Cesar's goal.




Egypt v. Italy 1-0 18/Jun/09




On the other hand the Pharaohs stunned the tournament giving the Italians a well-deserved one-goal win at Ellis Park. The first attempts obviously came from the propositive World Champions in the form of wide shots by Zambrotta, Rossi and Pirlo. While the main attempts were made by the Italian side and the African one struggled with Zidan's injury, the efforts by Rabbou started to take effect. And it was excatly in that same save by Buffon that in the preceding corner Mohamed Homos scored when a completely childish Italian defence waited for the ball.


The beginning if the second half saw the push of the Italians for the equaliser. In the 53th minute Iaquinta missed the opportunity of the match after a very poor inividual technique ball control in front of El Hadary. Pirlo's wide freekick and Iaquinta shot were among the many efforts realised by the now fully-attacking European team. By the 78th minute El Hadary was the main reason because Egypt's goal was still clean. With the siege beginning to wore off, the effects of a solid defending were the only stand the brilliant and superb Egypt keeper. Even with six minutes added in injury the Pharaohs won the game, against all odds.