Germany On The Wrong Side Of Bad Refereeing, Americans Fight Back For Draw, Toothless England Held

Game 21: Germany 0-1 Serbia

So far the officiating of the matches by the referees have been generally good. Not many bad decisions that changed a course of a game. But this game was one of the worst performances by a referee I've ever seen. 7 yellow cards and 1 red card. The red card was absolute nonsense - it was just a foul. It was not even a dangerous tackle or a cynical one. A few, if not most, of the yellow cards shown to players were also just that - normal fouls that didn't warrant a card at all. Serbia took advantage of an extra player but Germany should really have drawn the game had they converted a penalty they had. Germany meet Ghana in their last group match and they would have to win if they are to progress. Serbia meet the Aussies next and have a great chance of progressing since Australia don't look good enough to score goals let alone win games. Man of the Match: Neven Subotic (excellent at the back where he made some crucial tackles and interceptions to thwart the German offence)

Game 22: Slovenia 2-2 USA

Another great game. Slovenia were very good in the first half while the USA were simply atrocious at times. The Europeans had a deserved 2-0 lead going into halftime and really should have sealed the game in the second half. Having said that, the Americans were very, very good in the second half and fought back valiantly to cancel out the 2 goal deficit. They perhaps should have won the game had the referee not disallow a goal for a foul which a lot of people don't agree with, including me. But well, what's a World Cup without bad decisions from referees, eh? Slovenia meet England and only need a draw to qualify while USA meet Algeria in a match they have to win. Man of the Match: Michael Bradley (this award could have gone to a Slovenian player, but the American's tenacity and desire to go forward from midfield paid off as he scored the important equaliser)

Game 23: England 0-0 Algeria

Perhaps the most disappointing performance from England under Fabio Capello's management. Absolutely poor. Wayne Rooney was rubbish compared to what he's been doing at his club while the midfield had no bite at all and showed a lack of desire to win the game. Algeria actually played well considering they were written off before the game and so many people expected them to get trashed. They had a few half chances themselves, were tactically astute and well organized at the back. If they had a a forward who is more composed and stronger, they probably would have caused more problems for England. The Three Lions meet Slovenia and if they continue with this sort of performance, they are out of the World Cup for sure. Algeria play USA and qualification is out of their hands even if they win. So, most likely, Algeria are going to be eliminated. Man of the Match: Nadir Belhadj (very good down Algeria's left flank as he showed pace and some skill to cause trouble for the English defence and was solid at the back when called upon)