Oranje Slog for Win, Japan Show Resilience, and Azzurri Well Held

Game 9: Netherlands 2-0 Denmark

One of my top 5 picks got off to a rather sluggish start in my opinion. The scoreline is flattering as the Dutch didn't show much of their true class they showed in warm-up friendlies but the clean sheet was a sign that they are defending better than usual. Having said that, the Danes didn't threaten much while going forward. Arjen Robben was clearly missed as the Netherlands never played a high tempo throughout the match and Robin van Persie was off form today. Wesley Sneijder's precise pass in the lead-up to their second goal was a cameo of what the Dutch are truly capable of, though. Netherlands need to improve offensively against Japan next while Denmark would need to do much much better overall against Cameroon. Man of the Match: Nigel de Jong (rather lucky that he didn't get sent off with a bad tackle in the first half but was solid as rock in midfield to keep the Danes at bay)

Game 10: Japan 1-0 Cameroon

Honestly, I didn't see this one coming. Japan were in very poor form just before the World Cup while Cameroon were, in my opinion, the second best African team after Ivory Coast at this tournament. The game lacked chances and Japan took advantage of what was handed to them. Poor defending led Cameroon to concede six minutes before halftime. Japan then used pure determination and grit to hold on to their lead as Cameroon found it difficult to break down the Blue Samurai defence. In the end, Cameroon coach Paul le Guen's decision to start superstar striker Samuel Eto'o on the right flank proved a gamble that didn't pay off as he struggled to get going in the game while Alexander Song's absence in midfield was clearly missed as Cameroon lacked the bite that was needed. Japan would need to show the same resiliency against the Dutch if they are to realise their target of progressing to the Second Round while Cameroon would have to come up with better tactics in a must-win game against the Danes next. Man of the Match: Yuki Nakazawa (showed composure and organized the Japanese defence very well)

Game 11: Italy 1-1 Paraguay

A fairly even match and I'm pretty sure Paraguay would be the happier of the 2 sides as Italy were thwarted after piling some pressure on the South Americans towards the end. Despite all the talk about the Italian squad as "old" and fielding a few veterans today, Italy showed fairly high tempo at the beginning of the game but lacked the cutting edge when it mattered. Paraguay took the lead against the run of play and defended very well after that but a goalkeeping error (again!) gave the Italians the equaliser. Defensively, both teams were very good and both goals were due to rare defensive lapses. The 2006 champions would need to be better offensively in their next match against New Zealand but if they maintain the same level of play like today, I think they'll beat the All Whites pretty comfortably. Paraguay, meanwhile, would have to be more adventurous if they are to get maximum points against Slovakia in their next match. Man of the Match: Fabio Cannavaro (partly to blame for Paraguay's goal but still had the pace to stop strikers despite being 36 years old, tackled cleanly as always and read Paraguay's passes very well throughout the match)