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Game 3: South Korea 2-0 GreeceHonestly, I'm surprised to see this result. Predicted a draw but South Korea showed Greece what younger legs can bring to the team. Dreadful defending led to South Korea's first goal from a set-piece while a bad error gifted the Koreans a second and in truth it could have been a bigger margin. But from what I saw, the Greeks look weary and I don't see them being a threat in the tournament at all. How I predicted them to progress to the second round is beyond me. Don't see them beating the Nigerians next up especially when they have not scored a goal in the World Cup. Man of the Match: Park Chu-YoungGame 4: Argentina 1-0 NigeriaAll eyes were on Argentina and Lionel Messi to see how they would perform in this tournament and in my opinion they were solid enough and deserved their win. Their attacks were very fluent and the Special One really performed in national colours this time. Had it not been for Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama's saves, Messi could have had a hat-trick and Argentina might have won by 4 or 5 goals in truth. Nigeria had decent half chances of their own but they were quite simply outplayed by Argentina who never really got out of second gear. That being said, Argentina would have to be at their best against the Koreans next if they are to confirm their place in the second round. Man of the Match: Vincent EnyeamaGame 5: England 1-1 USABy far the most entertaining match of the tournament so far. A lot of chances for both teams to score but in the end, this was probably a fair result but I guess USA would be the happier of both teams. I doubted England's starting lineup with Emile Heskey starting but to me, he played well but really should have scored the opportunity he had in the second half. Steven Gerrard got England off to a great start but the Americans controlled the game after that. And as the title of this post suggests, English goalkeepers and silly errors just go hand-in-hand. Robert Green is now the scapegoat in the English press for making a simple save into a very embarrassing error. Very poor goalkeeping from Clint Dempsey's shot. On the other hand, Tim Howard's handling very good throughout the match and did his job perfectly when he needed to. England really need to improve offensively AND defensively for their next game against Algeria while the Americans must keep up their solid defence against Slovenia next because they have enough talent upfront to score goals. Man of the Match: Tim Howard
Game 1: South Africa 1-1 MexicoSouth Africa got off to a decent start with a draw against a slightly fancied Mexico. Mexico got off to a good start with Giovanni Dos Santos their most dangerous player in the first half an hour. Mexico dominated play in the beginning but then fizzled out towards the end of the first half. South Africa impressed in the second half especially through counter attacks and went ahead through Siphiwe Tshabalala's superb strike into the top corner. They went on to miss 2 good chances before bad defending led to Rafael Marquez's equaliser. South Africa nearly snatched a win in the end but Katlego Mphela's effort on the 90th minute was unlucky to hit the outside of Mexico's goalpost. Decent result for the hosts but not a favourable one for Mexico as they face the French next. Man of the Match: Giovanni Dos SantosGame 2: Uruguay 0-0 FranceA drab draw in the end and in my opinion a very poor performance from the 2006 finalists. Played at a very slow pace especially in the second half. Franck Ribery had a very disappointing game by his standards. Uruguay organized their defence pretty well and Diego Forlan looked good throughout the match. Had a man sent off towards the end but managed to hold on for the draw. France need to do a whole lot better against Mexico if they are to progress to the next round while Uruguay need to find that killer instinct in their final attacking third of the field if they are to beat the hosts next. Man of the Match: Diego Forlan
No, no. It's not that kind of fever that makes you lose appetite, increases your body temperature and ensures you are bedridden for at least a day. No. I'm talking about this kind of fever.
Yeah, World Cup fever! It only happens once every 4 years. I'm excited! How can any football fan not be excited about the World Cup anyway? It's where the best footballers come and play their hearts out for a month to win the most important tournament in the football world. (Please ignore Jose Mourinho's comments about UEFA Champions League being more important than the World Cup. He's just talking nonsense.) So, this is the time where most, if not all, football fans will come up with their own list of favourites that would be champions come mid-July. So, here's my top 5 for this year's World Cup.
1. Spain
No doubt my favourite team to win this year. They are the current European champions, ranked number 2 in the world and have only lost once in their last 47 matches while winning 44 of them. That's a crazy record to bring to South Africa. They, in my opinion, play the best style of football currently and have one of the deadliest strike partnerships in David Villa and Fernando Torres. Add Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso who are all supplying the passes for them and you have a superb offensive team. Players to watch: Villa, Torres, Xavi.
2. Argentina
If you want a team that will definitely score goals, this is it. Here's Argentina's strikers' list: Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Diego Milito, and Martin Palermo. For the 2009-2010 season, Messi (47), Higuain (29), Tevez (29), Aguero (20), Milito (30), and Palermo (16) have combined for 181 goals. That's 30 goals on average per player! With that kind of attacking force to go with an easier side of the World Cup draw, I expect them to at least reach the semi-finals. Players to watch: Messi, Tevez.3. Brazil
Yeah, I know what they say about current coach Dunga turning Brazil into a defensive team. I don't really think so. Now, they are a team with style AND substance. In qualifying, they are the top scorers and conceded the least amount of goals. So there's no way Brazil are a defensive team. With Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, and Robinho, Brazil have a superstar in each main position of the team and with them being the current number 1 in the world, I doubt they'll falter before the semi-finals too. The only reason that they are my 3rd favourites is because they are in a really tough group with Ivory Coast and Portugal and are on the tougher side of the draw. Players to watch: Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano.
4. Germany
They are THE underrated team among the favourites. Here's a fact: Since the 1982 World Cup, they have been champions once, runners-up three times, third-placed once and quarter-finalists twice. That's an amazing track record. They have a tricky group with Serbia, Ghana, and Australia but I'm sure they'll make it through topping it. Defence has always been solid and offense has steadily improved throughout the years. Semi-finals at best. Slight chance of meeting England in the Second Round and if they do, I still think Germany will beat them. Players to watch: Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philip Lahm.5. Netherlands
Netherlands always impress me before a major tournament starts and end up disappointing me in the end. So, I hope that's not the case this year. They have one of the best teams in terms of talent. Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie, Ibrahim Affelay, and Rafael van der Vaart have the potential to rip defences apart with their creativity and lethal finishing. Again, they have impressed in pre-tournament friendlies and I hope they continue playing like they are right now. Quarter-finals at least. And if ever they meet Italy, I want them to rip Italy apart this time. Players to watch: Robben, Sneijder, van Persie.
p.s I DON'T want France to pass the Second Round no matter what. They never deserved a place in South Africa this year anyway. England, Portugal, and Italy come next after my top 5.
