All Whites Deny Slovaks At The Death, Bore Draw Between Ivorians and Portuguese, Samba Boys Edge Past Spirited North Koreans

Game 12: New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia

What can I say? Slovakia played it tactically wrong. Went into the lead deservedly in the 50th minute and by that time looked good for the win as New Zealand barely looked like scoring. Then they started to ease off and instead of looking for that killer second goal, they opted to sit on their lead - and it backfired badly. The All Whites managed to score in the dying moments of the game thanks to some lacklustre defending by the Slovaks. This just makes Slovakia's chances to progress from the group stages much slimmer. Had they won, Italy and Paraguay would have to beat them to progress. New Zealand, honestly, don't look good enough to contain either Italy or Paraguay and I expect them to lose their next match against Italy. Slovakia, meanwhile, would rue their costly mistake today and it would be interesting to see how they respond against Paraguay in what could be a case of whoever wins that match would most probably qualify for the Second Round. Man of the Match: Vladimir Weiss (looked extremely good while dribbling and played some well measured passes to trouble the New Zealand defence)

Game 13: Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal

This game was a huge disappointment. I had predicted this game to be a high scoring draw. Cristiano Ronaldo's shot that hit the post in the 11th minute only gave false hope that it would be an end-to-end game. Ronaldo, as I expected, didn't perform well and was largely anonymous throughout the game. The Ivorians controlled the game in midfield but failed to produce any clear-cut chances while Portugal never looked anywhere near the team that finished fourth in 2006. Both teams would need to drastically improve. Ivory Coast meet the Samba Boys next while Portugal meet North Korea in a game they must win as they face the Brazilians in their last game. Man of the Match: Gervinho (proved the only player that provided some spark when having the ball at his feet in a match that was excruciatingly frustrating for fans to watch)

Game 14: Brazil 2-1 North Korea

Wow! Not wow for Brazil but wow for the minnows of the World Cup. Absolutely amazing defensive performance in the first half to frustrate the Samba Boys. Very organized, disciplined, spirited, and determined display from the team that was an unknown quantity before the tournament started. Striker Jong Tae-Se, who promised to score in every game, was a real handful and looked like the Asian version of Carlos Tevez - hardworking, strong, and holds up the ball well. Brazil looked frustrated before Maicon opened the scoring with his "strike". He'll definitely claim he meant to shoot it from that tight angle but I think he wanted to cross. Certainly looked spectacular, though. Robinho was excellent throughout and was Brazil's best player but at least Ji Yun-Nam got a memorable story to tell his kids that he scored in the World Cup against the mighty Brazil. Brazil would need to step up their game against Ivory Coast while North Korea would be happy to display the same kind of performance as they did today against Portugal. Man of the Match: Robinho (had a few chances himself, got an assist for the second goal, and Brazil looked dangerous whenever he gets the ball in the final third)