ENGLAND suffered the worst defeat in their World Cup finals history, losing 4-1 to old rivals Germany to go out in the Second Round in Bloemfontein.
The Three Lions' back four - Ashley Cole, John Terry, Matthew Upson and Glen Johnson - were pulled apart by the pacy German forwards with Mehut Ozil pulling the strings.
On 20 minutes, Miroslav Klose helped himself to his 50th international goal - more than any Englishman in history - when he stole in ahead of Terry and Upson from an innocous goal kick.
And it was deservedly 2-0 shortly afterwards when a neat passing move ended with Lukas Podolski in space in the England right-back area.
Podolski took a poor touch but he had so much time that he was able to adjust his position and fire through goalkeeper David James' legs.
But, if this was to be a bad day for England, it would also be a disastrous one for governing body FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter has repeatedly rejected calls for goal-line technology to be introduced, arguing ludicrously that it would be too expensive for the world's richest sport.
England had somehow got back into the match at 2-1 on 40 minutes when Upson went briefly from zero to hero by heading in a short corner.
Then, a minute later, Frank Lampard crashed a shot off the underside of the bar which went well over the goal-line for what should have been 2-2.
Unfortunately for Blatter, the Uruguayan referee and his myopic linesman compatriot failed to see the clear goal, leaving the England players understandably incensed.
But, for Germany, this was sweet revenge for England's disputed third goal in the 1966 Final.
And, despite feeling that they should have been level at the interval, England had been second best for much of the opening period.
The gulf between an ageing England squad and a vibrant Germany team showed again in the second half.
Lampard hit the bar again in a brief rally after half-time but, when Thomas Mueller beat the woeful Gareth Barry for pace to score twice in three minutes on the counter, it was time to take down the bunting.
Unsurprisingly, the highly-paid England coach Fabio Capello blamed the defeat on that disgraceful refereeing call but the Italian and his 23 man squad could do with looking closer to home first.
This World Cup as a whole was an awful effort from England. Poor in the 1-1 draw against the United States, Capello's men somehow got even worse in the 0-0 stalemate with Algeria.
England gained a reprieve by qualifying for the last 16 with a 1-0 against Slovenia, a country with 2m people.
But a failure to get a second goal against the Slovenians meant England finished second behind United States in Group C.
It was likely that the Three Lions would have had to beat Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil to win the tournament.
Exposed in defence and useless in attack, it was sadly not a surprise that England failed to clear the first of these hurdles.
Their neandethal style of play with the long-ball constantly pumped towards Emile Heskey deserved nothing more.
Wayne Rooney was a peripheral figure throughout and he has now failed to score a single goal at a major tournament finals since 2004.
On the other hand, aided by a generous defence, Germany scored more goals in Bloemfontein than England managed all the way through the tournament.
The wheat has been sorted from the chaff. The real World Cup starts here.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
26/06 Uruguay 2-1 South Korea
26/06 United States 1-2 Ghana (after extra time)
27/06 Germany 4-1 England
27/06 Argentina 3-1 Mexico
28/06 Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
28/06 Brazil 3-0 Chile
29/06 Paraguay 0-0 Japan (Paraguay won 5-3 on pens)
29/06 Spain 1-0 Portugal
Quarter Finals: Uruguay v Ghana, Germany v Argentina, Netherlands v Brazil, Paraguay v Spain
SOUTH AMERICAN teams have dominated the first World Cup on African soil so far with four of the five teams progressing to the last eight.
Six-time winners Brazil produced their best performance of the tournament so far to dispose of Chile, the only South Americans to fail to make it to the Quarter Finals.
It was a cruel case of history repeating itself for the Chileans who went down to a third defeat to Brazil in the World Cup finals.
La Roja had previously lost to Brazil 4-1 in the Second Round in 1998 and 4-2 in the Semi Finals in 1962.
Brazil had also won 3-0 and 4-2 in the two qualifiers for World Cup 2010, and Chile could provide no answer once again to another inspired performance in Johannesburg.
Nevertheless, the first goal was preventable - it was utter simplicity as Juan headed in a corner on 34 minutes to give Dunga's men the lead.
But, from then, Brazil relaxed and were soon 2-0 up when Luis Fabiano scored his fourth goal of the finals at the end of a neat passing move.
Robinho added a third after the break with a strike from the edge of the box as Brazil began to justify their favourites tag. They are now as short as 5/2 with most bookmakers.
Despite that, Argentina have probably been the best team to watch at the World Cup so far. La Albiceleste have had the most shots in the tournament and have scored the most goals.
Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 in a repeat of their Second Round fixture from four years ago to set up another repeat fixture from World Cup 2006 - against Germany in the Quarter Finals.
Germany won that match on penalties having scored a late equaliser in normal time but the Argentines look well-placed for revenge after Carlos Tevez's double in Johannesburg.
Nevertheless, Tevez's first goal on 25 minutes should not have been allowed, the Manchester City man having prodded home Lionel Messi's through-ball from a clear offside position.
It was an unbelievable missed call from the linesman as Tevez was ahead of every Mexican player when Messi threaded the ball.
The mistake came just hours after England had been denied a clear goal against Germany, and it completed a terrible day for FIFA and Sepp Blatter.
Mexico were shaken by the opener and, perhaps unsurprisingly, were 2-0 just minutes later when Gonzalo Higuain hit his fourth of the tournament after a defensive error.
And the contest was over just seven minutes into the second half when Tevez hit a glorious strike to make it 3-0.
New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left but it was nothing more than mere consolation and El Tri have now gone out of each of the last five World Cup finals in the last 16.
Uruguay and Paraguay are the other South Americans still in the hunt after their Second Round wins over Asian pair South Korea and Japan.
Luis Suarez scored on eight minutes and 80 minutes as Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1 to reach their first World Cup Quarter Final since 1970.
It was a heart-breaking defeat for the Koreans who spent much of the game chasing after Suarez's early strike.
The pressure from 2002 semi finalists finally seemed to have paid off when Bolton Wanderers' Lee Chung-Yong headed in a free-kick from close range on 68 minutes.
But a belting strike from Suarez left little time for another South Korean response and ensured two-time winners Uruguay could turn back the clock.
By contrast, Paraguay have a modest World Cup history and have reached the Quarter Finals for the first time ever after beating Japan on penalties.
The Japanese had never gone beyond the Second Round stage either and so this was a tense tie with few chances which finished 0-0.
With Paraguay taking first, all five penalties had been converted when Yuichi Komano stepped up but he fired his spot-kick over the bar.
Nelson Valdez made it 4-2 to the Paraguayans before Keisuke Honda kept Japan hopes alive. Oscar Cardozo ensured it was a brief stay of execution and Paraguay progress to meet Spain.
The Spanish will have seen little to worry them from their South American opponents having produced their best performance of the World Cup to beat neighbours Portugal 1-0.
David Villa scored the only goal of the match on 63 minutes but it was the least the Euro 2008 winners deserved.
Portugal had set out to contain Spain but relied on goalkeeper Eduardo to save brilliantly from Fernando Llorente, Sergio Ramos and Villa before the breakthrough.
The best Portuguese chances fell to Hugo Almeida either side of half-time. First, Almeida put an easy header wide before he was considerably less fortunate to see a looping effort spin past the post.
However, that was all Portugal had to offer and, while Fernando Torres' troubles continued - he was withdrawn on the hour for Llorente - Spain march on...
... And so do Ghana as the African continent's last representative at the first African World Cup after a 2-1 win over United States in extra time.
The Black Stars became only the third African country to reach the last eight after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 with that win over the Americans.
And victory over Uruguay would mean they would be the first ever team from Africa to reach the Semi Finals.
Ghana started well against USA and Kevin-Prince Boateng's early goal led to a succession of chances in the first half.
The Ghanaians failed to extend their advantage and looked set to pay for their profligacy when the Americans produced a much-improved second half performance.
Bob Bradley's men got a deserved equaliser when Landon Donovan scored from the spot after Jonathan Mensah's clumsy tackle on Clint Dempsey but neither team could find a winner in 90 minutes.
Just three minutes into extra time, Ghana struck another early blow as Asamoah Gyan showed great composure to control a long-ball before producing a sweet strike for his third goal of the finals.
The goal left the Americans shell-shocked and they were unable to raise much of a response until late on but Ghana survived without too much panic.
Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 after goals from Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder gave them a fourth World Cup finals win out of four.
The victory was more comfortable than the score suggests with the Oranje able to control the match and hold Slovakia off at arm's length after Robben's 18th-minute low strike from outside the box.
Miroslav Stoch and Robert Vittek had chances early in the second half to equalise but Maarten Stekelenburg produced two top-drawer saves and the match swung back in the Dutch's favour.
A quick free-kick played in Dirk Kuyt on the left and he beat the advancing Slovakian keeper Jan Mucha to set up Wesley Sneijder for the easiest of goals with six minutes left.
Despite a lack of time left in the game, the Dutch could have extended their lead further before Vittek scored a penalty with literally the last kick of the game after Stekelenburg's foul on him.
Wednesday 30 June 2010
World Cup 2010: First Round fallers and failures
GROUP A
South Africa
Bafana Bafana became the first ever World Cup hosts to fail to make it out of the first group stage but left the tournament with their heads held high after a 2-1 win against France. Sipihwe Tshabalala provided one of the moments of the World Cup with a raking strike into the top corner for a 1-0 lead in the opening game against Mexico. But poor defending meant the Mexicans levelled late on and South Africa's World Cup had taken a turn for the worse. A poor 3-0 defeat to the best team in the group, Uruguay, left Bafana Bafana on the brink. But an excellent first half performance with goals from Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela against France gave the South Africans a 2-0 lead and an outside chance of qualifying. However, even that hope was extinguished when France pulled one back with 20 minutes left.
France
Les Bleus suffered a miserable campaign with a clueless coach and a mutinous squad of players, going out bottom of the group for the second time in the last three World Cups. Despite an appearance in the World Cup Final in 2006, head coach Raymond Domenech has rarely impressed and France were also first round fallers two years ago in Euro 2008. This time, Domenech showed himself up tactically by keeping Florent Malouda on the bench and playing Franck Ribery through the middle with Andre-Pierre Gignac out wide in the dreadful 0-0 draw with Uruguay. Matters got worse in the second match as Domenech infuriated supporters by making like-for-like changes as Mexico strolled away with an easy 2-0 win. In the aftermath, it emerged that Nicolas Anelka had been sent home for insulting Domenech at half time and then the squad went on strike in support of the Chelsea striker. Skipper Patrice Evra was dropped for the final match after a public row with a fitness coach and a hopelessly disjointed French team were two behind by half time against South Africa. France's only goal, a neat move finished by Malouda, reduced arrears and showed what might have been if there had been any semblance of unity in the squad.
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
22/06 France 1-2 South Africa
GROUP B
Greece
This was a tournament of firsts for Greece - they scored their first goal and won their first points at the fourth attempt having previously played three games in World Cup 1994. But most neutral observers will be glad Otto Rehhagel's men were restricted to three matches in this year's tournament. An utterly terrible performance, devoid of any attacking ideas, actually got off lightly with just a 2-0 defeat against the inventive South Koreans in the first group game. The second match against Nigeria also proved a struggle early on for Greece until Sani Kaita got himself sent off. Greece took control of a World Cup finals match for the first time ever and Dimitrios Salpingidis took the honour of Greece's first ever World Cup finals goal just before half time before Vasileios Torisidis hit a second-half winner. Sadly, in the final match against Argentina, the Greeks returned to type. Even when needing a result to progress, a dour performance submitted weakly to a 2-0 defeat to the South Americans.
Nigeria
The fallout from Nigeria's elimination has been more significant than any other country. The team face expulsion from FIFA if Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan continues to call for the national team to be suspended after another poor finals performance. Of course, it could have all been so different if Aiyegbeni Yakubu had not missed inexplicably inside the six-yard box late on in the final group match against South Korea. And, even before then, the Super Eagles had largely been architects of their own downfall. Having only lost 1-0 to an onslaught from Argentina - in which goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was repeatedly impressive against Lionel Messi - Nigeria took an early lead against Greece and controlled the opening 20 minutes. Then, Sani Kaita got himself stupidly sent off for kicking out and the match swung in Greece's favour, meaning Nigeria needed to beat Korea to qualify.
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
22/06 Greece 0-2 Argentina
GROUP C
Slovenia
Slovenia somehow botched what looked an almost certain place in the last 16 at half time in their second match against the United States. Having already disposed of Algeria 1-0 thanks to Robert Koren's late goal, Slovenia started the match against the Americans like a steam-train with Valter Birsa in particularly impressive form. Birsa opened the scoring on 13 minutes before Zlatan Ljubijankic added a second just before half time. But the Americans came back in the second period, Landon Donovan reducing arrears almost immediately before Michael Bradley equalised with eight minutes left. Even then, there was still time for the Americans to have a goal harshly ruled out and, having suffered that comeback, the Slovenians put in a timid performance against England to lose 1-0. Still, for a population of little more than 2m, this was an effort to be proud of, and showed great improvement on their first World Cup finals attempt in 2002 when they lost all three games.
Algeria
Algeria were more organised and more disciplined than expected but they carried hardly any goal threat, and were eliminated from their first World Cup finals for 24 years without scoring. In the first match against Slovenia, the Desert Foxes' attempts to stifle the game failed when Robert Koren scored late on. But, in the second match, Algeria were aided by a woeful England performance and earned a famous 0-0 draw. Another creditable 0-0 draw against United States looked likely in the final group game until Landon Donovan struck deep into stoppage time.
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia 0-1 England
23/06 United States 1-0 Algeria
GROUP D
Australia
An ageing Australia squad improved as the group stages progressed but were always facing an uphill struggle after a disastrous opening match in which their best player, Tim Cahill, was harshly sent off. Indeed, the resulting 4-0 defeat to Germany was ultimately what cost the Socceroos given its terminal effect on their goal difference though the Aussies bounced back to earn a 1-1 draw with Ghana. It could have been a victory after Brett Holman's early goal but Harry Kewell's hand ball on the line meant Pim Verbeek's men were down to ten men for a second match in a row and Asamoah Gyan struck home the penalty. Goals from Cahill and Holman in the second half finally gave the Aussies victory - but even this 2-1 success over Serbia was tinged with controversy after Cahill's handball should have given away another penalty.
Serbia
Serbia cried foul play after they were denied a penalty in their final match against Australia after Tim Cahill's handball which, if it had been scored, would have been enough to take the Serbs through to the last 16. It is takes some effort to beat Germany yet still finish bottom of the group but that is exactly what Serbia have managed and the truth is that they had left themselves with too much to do in that last match, falling two goals behind to the Aussies in the second half. Raddy Antic's men had opened with a costly late defeat to Ghana, losing 1-0 to Asamoah Gyan's penalty after a brainless handball by Zdravko Kuzmanovic. And, in the next game, after Miroslav Klose had been sent off and Serbia had taken the lead through Milan Jovanovic, Nemanja Vidic gave away another penalty for handball. Lukas Podolski missed and the Serbians looked in good shape to progress but the loss to Australia dumped them out in bottom place for the second World Cup in a row.
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana 0-1 Germany
23/06 Australia 2-1 Serbia
GROUP E
Denmark
The Danes can blame the defence for their early exit from this World Cup after they conceded six goals in their three group games. It all started so well for Denmark when they walked off the pitch at half time against Netherlands at 0-0 but, within seconds of the restart, they were 1-0 down after a comical own goal caused by Simon Poulsen's wayward header which went in off Daniel Agger. From that point onwards, the Danes were always heading for defeat and Dirk Kuyt added a second late on for the Dutch. In the second match, matters at the back had not improved and Samuel Eto'o benefited from a sloppy pass by Christian Poulsen to score after 10 minutes. But, in an open match of numerous chances for both teams, the Danes recovered to record ther first ever come-from-behind World Cup finals win through goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Dennis Rommedahl. Predictably, it was the defence which let Denmark down in the all-or-nothing clash with Japan who scored two free-kicks in the first half an hour. Jon Dahl Tomasson belatedly gave Morten Olsen's men some hope but Shinji Okazaki scored a late third for Japan to ensure Denmark were out.
Cameroon
The Indomitable Lions failed to live up to their nickname, becoming the first of the 32 teams to be knocked out of the tournament after defeats to Japan and Denmark before a third loss to Netherlands left them without any points. Cameroon paid the price for taking a cautious approach in their first match against Japan though Keisuke Honda's goal just before half time was against the run of play. Things looked up early in the second match against Denmark when Samuel Eto'o capitalised on a defensive error but Paul Le Guen's men missed a hatful of chances while Nicklas Bendtner and Dennis Rommedahl converted theirs for the Danes. The final group game against Netherlands was effectively a dead rubber, won 2-1 by the Dutch late on through a goal by Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Earlier, Netherlands had taken the lead through Robin van Persie before Eto'o scored a penalty to equaliser midway through the second half. Eto'o was the only player to score for Cameroon in this finals and they have still to go past the group stage of any World Cup since 1990 when they famously reached the Quarter Finals.
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark 1-3 Japan
24/06 Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands
GROUP F
New Zealand
Unbeaten and undaunted, New Zealand's second appearance at a World Cup finals was perhaps this summer's most unlikely success. The All Whites began slowly against Slovakia but a last minute headed equaliser by Winston Reid put a completely different complexion on their campaign. It was not a surprise to see NZ start with a much better tempo in the second match against defending champions Italy and Shane Smeltz stabbed home a free-kick after just seven minutes though replays showed he was offside. Italy were level on 30 minutes and the All Whites braced themselves for a succession of Italian chances in the second half. But heavy pressure never materialised and NZ could have even won the game at the end when Chris Wood put his shot just wide of the post. It was a credit to New Zealand's effort that they remained in with a chance of progress right until the last minute of the group stage but a 0-0 draw against Paraguay, the best team in the group, was not enough.
Italy
Before the tournament began, I wrote on this blog that Italy "would have struggled to have hand-picked a friendlier group" but the Azzurri made a complete mess of their trophy defence against Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. The warning signs were there against the Paraguayans who took a first-half lead through Antolin Alcaraz before Daniele de Rossi equalised in a much-improved second half performance from Italy. The improvement was not carried through against minnows New Zealand and, although the All Whites' early goal should have been called offside, Italy struggled to make much impression against an organised and committed defence. Even after Vincenzo Iaquinta slotted away a soft penalty on 30 minutes, Italy failed to build up a head of steam and a draw was the deserved result. Marcello Lippi knew that only victory would do in the final group match against Slovakia but the Azzurri's creaking defence could not cope with Robert Vittek who scored a goal in each half for a 2-0 lead. Antonio di Natale pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left but Kamil Kopunek scored on the break to make it 3-1. In stoppage time, Fabio Quagliarella curled a stunning strike into the top corner for 3-2 but defeat had left Italy embarrassingly bottom.
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia 3-2 Italy
24/06 Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand
GROUP G
Ivory Coast
The ultra-cautious approach adopted by Sven Goran Eriksson, as seen by England fans in the past decade, cost the Ivorians a chance of progressing ahead of Portugal. In a dreadful opening match, Portugal looked vulnerable but Eriksson's men settled for a 0-0 draw even after the introduction of the recovering Didier Drogba midway through the second half. The draw was always likely to favour the Portuguese who faced North Korea next while Ivory Coast played Brazil - and the day after the Brazilians had beaten the Ivorians 3-1, Portugal hit seven past the hapless Koreans. This gave Ivory Coast an almighty task of overhauling a goal difference of nine against North Korea and, although they managed an easy 3-0 win through goals from Yaya Toure, Koffi Ndri Romaric and Saloman Kalou, it was never going to be enough. In fact, any victory would have been rendered irrelevant by the 0-0 draw in a tempestuous affair between Brazil and Portugal.
North Korea
The North Koreans naivety on the big stage was exposed for all to see, including the people in Pyongyang, as Portugal smashed six second-half goals past them in a 7-0 win. It had all started relatively well for the Koreans against Brazil in their first match in which they did not disgrace themselves, losing just 2-1. Jong Tae-Se led the line brilliantly, Ji Yun-Nam scored a famous consolation goal in the last minute and the North Korean defence had only been undone earlier by a bit of magic from Brazil right-back Maicon and an Elano goal. The good performance in the first game convinced the Korean authorities to broadcast the second match against Portugal live and the viewers were rewarded with another tight half as Portugal went in just 1-0 up. But the Koreans' defence had begun to open up towards the end of the first period and it completely fell apart in the second half, shipping six further goals as Cristiano Ronaldo hit his first Portugal goal in two years. The clearly shell-shocked Koreans conceded two early goals in their final group match against Ivory Coast, Yaya Toure and Koffi Ndri Romaric making it 2-0 inside 20 minutes - and there should have been more. But the Koreans recovered some composure and defensive solidity displayed against Brazil to concede only once more in the second half. If nothing else, the North Koreans earned a lot of respect for their sense of fair play, picking up just two bookings - both against Portugal - in their three matches.
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal 0-0 Brazil
25/06 North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast
GROUP H
Switzerland
The stunning 1-0 win over Spain in their first group match suggested Switzerland could be one of the shock teams of the tournament under the experienced Ottmar Hitzfeld. But that victory over the Euro 2008 winners was based on solid defending and a scrappy goal by Gelson Fernandes, and the Swiss struggled when asked to force the issue themselves. The 1-0 defeat to Chile was bad enough - Mark Gonzalez hit a late winner for the Chileans after the Swiss had Valon Behrami sent off by officious referee Khalil Al Ghamdi who booked nine other players. But the 0-0 stalemate with Honduras was unforgivable when any two-goal victory would have been enough. A campaign that promised much ended up delivering little - that Fernandes strike against Spain was Switzerland's only goal of the tournament.
Honduras
Los Catrachos could not mix it up with the big boys having qualified for their first World Cup finals since 1982, failing the score a single goal. In their first match, the Hondurans were undone by Jean Beausejour's first half goal and there was little sign of a response. In the second game, Honduras faced a Spain side still stinging from that shock defeat to the Swiss and the 2-0 win was the least that the wasteful Spanish deserved. At least in the final group match, Honduras' defence earned their first World Cup 2010 point in a 0-0 draw against Switzerland. But the attack again failed to shine and the front pairing of Carlos Pavon and David Suazo were disappointing.
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile 1-2 Spain
25/06 Switzerland 0-0 Honduras
South Africa
Bafana Bafana became the first ever World Cup hosts to fail to make it out of the first group stage but left the tournament with their heads held high after a 2-1 win against France. Sipihwe Tshabalala provided one of the moments of the World Cup with a raking strike into the top corner for a 1-0 lead in the opening game against Mexico. But poor defending meant the Mexicans levelled late on and South Africa's World Cup had taken a turn for the worse. A poor 3-0 defeat to the best team in the group, Uruguay, left Bafana Bafana on the brink. But an excellent first half performance with goals from Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela against France gave the South Africans a 2-0 lead and an outside chance of qualifying. However, even that hope was extinguished when France pulled one back with 20 minutes left.
France
Les Bleus suffered a miserable campaign with a clueless coach and a mutinous squad of players, going out bottom of the group for the second time in the last three World Cups. Despite an appearance in the World Cup Final in 2006, head coach Raymond Domenech has rarely impressed and France were also first round fallers two years ago in Euro 2008. This time, Domenech showed himself up tactically by keeping Florent Malouda on the bench and playing Franck Ribery through the middle with Andre-Pierre Gignac out wide in the dreadful 0-0 draw with Uruguay. Matters got worse in the second match as Domenech infuriated supporters by making like-for-like changes as Mexico strolled away with an easy 2-0 win. In the aftermath, it emerged that Nicolas Anelka had been sent home for insulting Domenech at half time and then the squad went on strike in support of the Chelsea striker. Skipper Patrice Evra was dropped for the final match after a public row with a fitness coach and a hopelessly disjointed French team were two behind by half time against South Africa. France's only goal, a neat move finished by Malouda, reduced arrears and showed what might have been if there had been any semblance of unity in the squad.
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
22/06 France 1-2 South Africa
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| URUGUAY | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| MEXICO | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| FRANCE | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
GROUP B
Greece
This was a tournament of firsts for Greece - they scored their first goal and won their first points at the fourth attempt having previously played three games in World Cup 1994. But most neutral observers will be glad Otto Rehhagel's men were restricted to three matches in this year's tournament. An utterly terrible performance, devoid of any attacking ideas, actually got off lightly with just a 2-0 defeat against the inventive South Koreans in the first group game. The second match against Nigeria also proved a struggle early on for Greece until Sani Kaita got himself sent off. Greece took control of a World Cup finals match for the first time ever and Dimitrios Salpingidis took the honour of Greece's first ever World Cup finals goal just before half time before Vasileios Torisidis hit a second-half winner. Sadly, in the final match against Argentina, the Greeks returned to type. Even when needing a result to progress, a dour performance submitted weakly to a 2-0 defeat to the South Americans.
Nigeria
The fallout from Nigeria's elimination has been more significant than any other country. The team face expulsion from FIFA if Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan continues to call for the national team to be suspended after another poor finals performance. Of course, it could have all been so different if Aiyegbeni Yakubu had not missed inexplicably inside the six-yard box late on in the final group match against South Korea. And, even before then, the Super Eagles had largely been architects of their own downfall. Having only lost 1-0 to an onslaught from Argentina - in which goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was repeatedly impressive against Lionel Messi - Nigeria took an early lead against Greece and controlled the opening 20 minutes. Then, Sani Kaita got himself stupidly sent off for kicking out and the match swung in Greece's favour, meaning Nigeria needed to beat Korea to qualify.
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
22/06 Greece 0-2 Argentina
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| ARGENTINA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| SOUTH KOREA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| GREECE | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| NIGERIA | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
GROUP C
Slovenia
Slovenia somehow botched what looked an almost certain place in the last 16 at half time in their second match against the United States. Having already disposed of Algeria 1-0 thanks to Robert Koren's late goal, Slovenia started the match against the Americans like a steam-train with Valter Birsa in particularly impressive form. Birsa opened the scoring on 13 minutes before Zlatan Ljubijankic added a second just before half time. But the Americans came back in the second period, Landon Donovan reducing arrears almost immediately before Michael Bradley equalised with eight minutes left. Even then, there was still time for the Americans to have a goal harshly ruled out and, having suffered that comeback, the Slovenians put in a timid performance against England to lose 1-0. Still, for a population of little more than 2m, this was an effort to be proud of, and showed great improvement on their first World Cup finals attempt in 2002 when they lost all three games.
Algeria
Algeria were more organised and more disciplined than expected but they carried hardly any goal threat, and were eliminated from their first World Cup finals for 24 years without scoring. In the first match against Slovenia, the Desert Foxes' attempts to stifle the game failed when Robert Koren scored late on. But, in the second match, Algeria were aided by a woeful England performance and earned a famous 0-0 draw. Another creditable 0-0 draw against United States looked likely in the final group game until Landon Donovan struck deep into stoppage time.
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia 0-1 England
23/06 United States 1-0 Algeria
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| UNITED STATES | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| ENGLAND | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| SLOVENIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| ALGERIA | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
GROUP D
Australia
An ageing Australia squad improved as the group stages progressed but were always facing an uphill struggle after a disastrous opening match in which their best player, Tim Cahill, was harshly sent off. Indeed, the resulting 4-0 defeat to Germany was ultimately what cost the Socceroos given its terminal effect on their goal difference though the Aussies bounced back to earn a 1-1 draw with Ghana. It could have been a victory after Brett Holman's early goal but Harry Kewell's hand ball on the line meant Pim Verbeek's men were down to ten men for a second match in a row and Asamoah Gyan struck home the penalty. Goals from Cahill and Holman in the second half finally gave the Aussies victory - but even this 2-1 success over Serbia was tinged with controversy after Cahill's handball should have given away another penalty.
Serbia
Serbia cried foul play after they were denied a penalty in their final match against Australia after Tim Cahill's handball which, if it had been scored, would have been enough to take the Serbs through to the last 16. It is takes some effort to beat Germany yet still finish bottom of the group but that is exactly what Serbia have managed and the truth is that they had left themselves with too much to do in that last match, falling two goals behind to the Aussies in the second half. Raddy Antic's men had opened with a costly late defeat to Ghana, losing 1-0 to Asamoah Gyan's penalty after a brainless handball by Zdravko Kuzmanovic. And, in the next game, after Miroslav Klose had been sent off and Serbia had taken the lead through Milan Jovanovic, Nemanja Vidic gave away another penalty for handball. Lukas Podolski missed and the Serbians looked in good shape to progress but the loss to Australia dumped them out in bottom place for the second World Cup in a row.
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana 0-1 Germany
23/06 Australia 2-1 Serbia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| GERMANY | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| GHANA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| AUSTRALIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| SERBIA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
GROUP E
Denmark
The Danes can blame the defence for their early exit from this World Cup after they conceded six goals in their three group games. It all started so well for Denmark when they walked off the pitch at half time against Netherlands at 0-0 but, within seconds of the restart, they were 1-0 down after a comical own goal caused by Simon Poulsen's wayward header which went in off Daniel Agger. From that point onwards, the Danes were always heading for defeat and Dirk Kuyt added a second late on for the Dutch. In the second match, matters at the back had not improved and Samuel Eto'o benefited from a sloppy pass by Christian Poulsen to score after 10 minutes. But, in an open match of numerous chances for both teams, the Danes recovered to record ther first ever come-from-behind World Cup finals win through goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Dennis Rommedahl. Predictably, it was the defence which let Denmark down in the all-or-nothing clash with Japan who scored two free-kicks in the first half an hour. Jon Dahl Tomasson belatedly gave Morten Olsen's men some hope but Shinji Okazaki scored a late third for Japan to ensure Denmark were out.
Cameroon
The Indomitable Lions failed to live up to their nickname, becoming the first of the 32 teams to be knocked out of the tournament after defeats to Japan and Denmark before a third loss to Netherlands left them without any points. Cameroon paid the price for taking a cautious approach in their first match against Japan though Keisuke Honda's goal just before half time was against the run of play. Things looked up early in the second match against Denmark when Samuel Eto'o capitalised on a defensive error but Paul Le Guen's men missed a hatful of chances while Nicklas Bendtner and Dennis Rommedahl converted theirs for the Danes. The final group game against Netherlands was effectively a dead rubber, won 2-1 by the Dutch late on through a goal by Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Earlier, Netherlands had taken the lead through Robin van Persie before Eto'o scored a penalty to equaliser midway through the second half. Eto'o was the only player to score for Cameroon in this finals and they have still to go past the group stage of any World Cup since 1990 when they famously reached the Quarter Finals.
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark 1-3 Japan
24/06 Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| NETHERLANDS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| JAPAN | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| DENMARK | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| CAMEROON | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
GROUP F
New Zealand
Unbeaten and undaunted, New Zealand's second appearance at a World Cup finals was perhaps this summer's most unlikely success. The All Whites began slowly against Slovakia but a last minute headed equaliser by Winston Reid put a completely different complexion on their campaign. It was not a surprise to see NZ start with a much better tempo in the second match against defending champions Italy and Shane Smeltz stabbed home a free-kick after just seven minutes though replays showed he was offside. Italy were level on 30 minutes and the All Whites braced themselves for a succession of Italian chances in the second half. But heavy pressure never materialised and NZ could have even won the game at the end when Chris Wood put his shot just wide of the post. It was a credit to New Zealand's effort that they remained in with a chance of progress right until the last minute of the group stage but a 0-0 draw against Paraguay, the best team in the group, was not enough.
Italy
Before the tournament began, I wrote on this blog that Italy "would have struggled to have hand-picked a friendlier group" but the Azzurri made a complete mess of their trophy defence against Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. The warning signs were there against the Paraguayans who took a first-half lead through Antolin Alcaraz before Daniele de Rossi equalised in a much-improved second half performance from Italy. The improvement was not carried through against minnows New Zealand and, although the All Whites' early goal should have been called offside, Italy struggled to make much impression against an organised and committed defence. Even after Vincenzo Iaquinta slotted away a soft penalty on 30 minutes, Italy failed to build up a head of steam and a draw was the deserved result. Marcello Lippi knew that only victory would do in the final group match against Slovakia but the Azzurri's creaking defence could not cope with Robert Vittek who scored a goal in each half for a 2-0 lead. Antonio di Natale pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left but Kamil Kopunek scored on the break to make it 3-1. In stoppage time, Fabio Quagliarella curled a stunning strike into the top corner for 3-2 but defeat had left Italy embarrassingly bottom.
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia 3-2 Italy
24/06 Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| PARAGUAY | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| SLOVAKIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| ITALY | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
GROUP G
Ivory Coast
The ultra-cautious approach adopted by Sven Goran Eriksson, as seen by England fans in the past decade, cost the Ivorians a chance of progressing ahead of Portugal. In a dreadful opening match, Portugal looked vulnerable but Eriksson's men settled for a 0-0 draw even after the introduction of the recovering Didier Drogba midway through the second half. The draw was always likely to favour the Portuguese who faced North Korea next while Ivory Coast played Brazil - and the day after the Brazilians had beaten the Ivorians 3-1, Portugal hit seven past the hapless Koreans. This gave Ivory Coast an almighty task of overhauling a goal difference of nine against North Korea and, although they managed an easy 3-0 win through goals from Yaya Toure, Koffi Ndri Romaric and Saloman Kalou, it was never going to be enough. In fact, any victory would have been rendered irrelevant by the 0-0 draw in a tempestuous affair between Brazil and Portugal.
North Korea
The North Koreans naivety on the big stage was exposed for all to see, including the people in Pyongyang, as Portugal smashed six second-half goals past them in a 7-0 win. It had all started relatively well for the Koreans against Brazil in their first match in which they did not disgrace themselves, losing just 2-1. Jong Tae-Se led the line brilliantly, Ji Yun-Nam scored a famous consolation goal in the last minute and the North Korean defence had only been undone earlier by a bit of magic from Brazil right-back Maicon and an Elano goal. The good performance in the first game convinced the Korean authorities to broadcast the second match against Portugal live and the viewers were rewarded with another tight half as Portugal went in just 1-0 up. But the Koreans' defence had begun to open up towards the end of the first period and it completely fell apart in the second half, shipping six further goals as Cristiano Ronaldo hit his first Portugal goal in two years. The clearly shell-shocked Koreans conceded two early goals in their final group match against Ivory Coast, Yaya Toure and Koffi Ndri Romaric making it 2-0 inside 20 minutes - and there should have been more. But the Koreans recovered some composure and defensive solidity displayed against Brazil to concede only once more in the second half. If nothing else, the North Koreans earned a lot of respect for their sense of fair play, picking up just two bookings - both against Portugal - in their three matches.
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal 0-0 Brazil
25/06 North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| BRAZIL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| PORTUGAL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| IVORY COAST | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| NORTH KOREA | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
GROUP H
Switzerland
The stunning 1-0 win over Spain in their first group match suggested Switzerland could be one of the shock teams of the tournament under the experienced Ottmar Hitzfeld. But that victory over the Euro 2008 winners was based on solid defending and a scrappy goal by Gelson Fernandes, and the Swiss struggled when asked to force the issue themselves. The 1-0 defeat to Chile was bad enough - Mark Gonzalez hit a late winner for the Chileans after the Swiss had Valon Behrami sent off by officious referee Khalil Al Ghamdi who booked nine other players. But the 0-0 stalemate with Honduras was unforgivable when any two-goal victory would have been enough. A campaign that promised much ended up delivering little - that Fernandes strike against Spain was Switzerland's only goal of the tournament.
Honduras
Los Catrachos could not mix it up with the big boys having qualified for their first World Cup finals since 1982, failing the score a single goal. In their first match, the Hondurans were undone by Jean Beausejour's first half goal and there was little sign of a response. In the second game, Honduras faced a Spain side still stinging from that shock defeat to the Swiss and the 2-0 win was the least that the wasteful Spanish deserved. At least in the final group match, Honduras' defence earned their first World Cup 2010 point in a 0-0 draw against Switzerland. But the attack again failed to shine and the front pairing of Carlos Pavon and David Suazo were disappointing.
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile 1-2 Spain
25/06 Switzerland 0-0 Honduras
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| SPAIN | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| CHILE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| SWITZERLAND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| HONDURAS | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Glastonbury hits 40
THE ANNUAL pilgrimage to Pilton Farm in Somerset takes place this week as Glastonbury Festival celebrates its 40th birthday.
Gorillaz, Muse and Stevie Wonder will headline the Pyramid Stage after U2 were forced to pull out due to Bono having surgery on his spine.
Bono's misfortune is Damon Albarn's gain and the Gorillaz front man gets top billing at Glasto for a second time in a row, having played an emotional set with Blur to close the festival in 2009.
But Glastonbury has rarely been just about the headliners as proven in October when tickets sold out within a day without the line-up having been announced.
As it happens, Aussie octogenarian Rolf Harris opens the Pyramid Stage on Friday after attracting a huge crowd last year when playing the Jazz World Stage, now called West Holts.
That stage name is not the only change this year with the site bigger than ever following the creation of three new late-night areas due to popular demand.
And in a welcome re-think, the Leftfield Stage is back. It looks set to make a big impression on its return, especially on Saturday night when fans of shouty political folk-punk will flock to see successive sets by Frank Turner and Billy Bragg.
Elsewhere, folk with a more indie feel will be provided by Stornoway on Saturday and Turin Brakes in the Acoustic Tent near the always-impressive Red Flag Real Ale bar on Friday.
I would also love to see another set of folk musicians currently making a big leap into the mainstream - Mumford & Sons. But they face an almighty clash on Friday night with Florence and the Machine who I have yet to see live.
However, there are certain acts for whom the decision is rather easier for myself.
The aforementioned Frank Turner, the bizarre sound of The Flaming Lips, 90s legends The Lightning Seeds, and The Kinks' frontman Ray Davies - complete with gospel choir - are top of my own must-see list for this year.
Added to those, the Sunday night sets of Faithless and Stevie Wonder on Pyramid will round off what promises to be a glorious weekend very nicely.
Glorious is certainly what is being promised in terms of the weather for this year with Glastonbury expected to bask in bright sunshine and temperature of around 21 degrees.
Perhaps, for once, there is a good chance that the plastic ponchos and the infamous wellies can be packed away without being used.
But other, more enjoyable traditional Glastonbury pursuits - Brother's Cider on the first night, Spicy Cider from the Cider Bus, sitting at the Stone Circle - are sure to continue.
Tony Benn's Sunday afternoon speech is another fine tradition. Famously, the former Labour MP for Chesterfield said on retiring that he was "leaving Parliament to spend more time doing politics".
A man of real principle, Mr Benn is a worthwhile pause for reflection in a often hectic weekend.
On the other hand, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg - who organisers hope will still turn up - may get a less than generous welcome.
Although, I suspect, both his attendance and his reception will depend on the contents of the coalition government's emergency budget.
But that particular issue is for another time. For now, I am off to enjoy myself and spend the next few days forgetting about the outside world - except, perhaps, the World Cup.
ESSENTIAL LINKS
*Official Glastonbury Festival website
*BBC Glastonbury Festival website
*The Guardian Glastonbury Festival website
*Halvin's Clashfinder 2010
*Glastonbury Festival map
*E-festivals message board for Glastonbury
*BBC weather for BA4 (Wells nr Glastonbury)
Gorillaz, Muse and Stevie Wonder will headline the Pyramid Stage after U2 were forced to pull out due to Bono having surgery on his spine.
Bono's misfortune is Damon Albarn's gain and the Gorillaz front man gets top billing at Glasto for a second time in a row, having played an emotional set with Blur to close the festival in 2009.
But Glastonbury has rarely been just about the headliners as proven in October when tickets sold out within a day without the line-up having been announced.
As it happens, Aussie octogenarian Rolf Harris opens the Pyramid Stage on Friday after attracting a huge crowd last year when playing the Jazz World Stage, now called West Holts.
That stage name is not the only change this year with the site bigger than ever following the creation of three new late-night areas due to popular demand.
And in a welcome re-think, the Leftfield Stage is back. It looks set to make a big impression on its return, especially on Saturday night when fans of shouty political folk-punk will flock to see successive sets by Frank Turner and Billy Bragg.
Elsewhere, folk with a more indie feel will be provided by Stornoway on Saturday and Turin Brakes in the Acoustic Tent near the always-impressive Red Flag Real Ale bar on Friday.
I would also love to see another set of folk musicians currently making a big leap into the mainstream - Mumford & Sons. But they face an almighty clash on Friday night with Florence and the Machine who I have yet to see live.
However, there are certain acts for whom the decision is rather easier for myself.
The aforementioned Frank Turner, the bizarre sound of The Flaming Lips, 90s legends The Lightning Seeds, and The Kinks' frontman Ray Davies - complete with gospel choir - are top of my own must-see list for this year.
Added to those, the Sunday night sets of Faithless and Stevie Wonder on Pyramid will round off what promises to be a glorious weekend very nicely.
Glorious is certainly what is being promised in terms of the weather for this year with Glastonbury expected to bask in bright sunshine and temperature of around 21 degrees.
Perhaps, for once, there is a good chance that the plastic ponchos and the infamous wellies can be packed away without being used.
But other, more enjoyable traditional Glastonbury pursuits - Brother's Cider on the first night, Spicy Cider from the Cider Bus, sitting at the Stone Circle - are sure to continue.
Tony Benn's Sunday afternoon speech is another fine tradition. Famously, the former Labour MP for Chesterfield said on retiring that he was "leaving Parliament to spend more time doing politics".
A man of real principle, Mr Benn is a worthwhile pause for reflection in a often hectic weekend.
On the other hand, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg - who organisers hope will still turn up - may get a less than generous welcome.
Although, I suspect, both his attendance and his reception will depend on the contents of the coalition government's emergency budget.
But that particular issue is for another time. For now, I am off to enjoy myself and spend the next few days forgetting about the outside world - except, perhaps, the World Cup.
ESSENTIAL LINKS
*Official Glastonbury Festival website
*BBC Glastonbury Festival website
*The Guardian Glastonbury Festival website
*Halvin's Clashfinder 2010
*Glastonbury Festival map
*E-festivals message board for Glastonbury
*BBC weather for BA4 (Wells nr Glastonbury)
Monday 21 June 2010
World Cup 2010: England on the brink after Algeria stalemate
ENGLAND face possible World Cup elimination at the first hurdle after a dire 0-0 draw with Algeria in the second set of group matches on Friday.
The humiliating stalemate in Cape Town means Fabio Capello's men will likely need to beat Group C leaders Slovenia in the final group game.
Though they are level on two points with United States, the Americans are currently above the Three Lions on goals scored after their 2-2 draw with the Slovenians.
The build-up to Wednesday's crucial encounter has hardly been ideal with ex-captain John Terry suggesting in a press conference that Capello needs to change his tactics.
Terry spoke publicly of a team meeting being held to clear the air between the players and the backroom staff and he effectively called for the introduction of Joe Cole into the midfield.
Needless to say, Capello was not impressed with the comments from Terry, denying a clear the air meeting took place and referring to the fact that the Chelsea man spoke publicly as a "big mistake".
At least Capello can console himself with the fact that he has not had to deal with a full-scale mutiny, like French coach Raymond Domenech has.
Despite leading Les Bleus to the World Cup Final four years ago, Domenech has rarely impressed during his reign and he has already confirmed he will leave the national team after the tournament.
In the latest disappointing episode, France suffered a poor 2-0 defeat to Mexico on Thursday to leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
But it is the news that striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home early for insulting Domenech at half time which has really rocked the camp.
The French squad came out in support of Anelka and refused to train on Sunday while captain Patrice Evra had a heated argument with a fitness coach - all caught on camera.
A French Federation chief has resigned and the press are less than impressed with The Parisien stating, "To have the worst soccer team at the World Cup was already unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable."
On the field, France must beat hosts South Africa and hope to turn around a four-goal deficit to Mexico or a five-goal deficit to Group A leaders Uruguay.
A draw between Mexico and Uruguay will make irrelevant any result in the France-South Africa fixture.
South Africa are in a similar predicament to France but with an even worse goal difference again after they suffered a major hit in a bad 3-0 loss to Uruguay in Pretoria.
Group B continues to be dominated by Argentina who beat South Korea 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain.
Two early goals looked to have sent La Albiceleste to a comfortable win before a defensive rick allowed the Koreans to pull a goal back on the stroke of half time.
But Higuain found plenty of time and space to slot in two second half goals meaning Diego Maradona's men require just one more point to progress to the Second Round as group winners.
South Korea's loss means the runners-up spot is less clear-cut, though the Asians remain favourites to qualify with Argentina.
Nevertheless, the South Koreans remain vulnerable to a two-goal victory for Nigeria which will mean the Africans go through if Greece also fail to beat Argentina.
The Greeks earned their first-ever World Cup win by coming from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 after the Super Eagles lost control of the game when Sani Kaita was sent off.
But a final group fixture against Argentina means that the odds are against Greece extending their World Cup adventure any further.
In Group D, Serbia produced a major shock to beat ten-man Germany who missed a penalty had Miroslav Klose sent off after half an hour.
Milan Jovanovic scored the only goal of the game shortly afterwards but, despite a numerical deficit, the Germans pushed hard for an equaliser in the second period.
A golden chance duly arrived but Lukas Podolski, who missed numerous other chances, saw his soft penalty easily saved. It was Germany's first penalty miss in the World Cup outside of a shoot-out since 1974.
In the other match, Ghana went top of the group with a point against Australia who bounced back from their 4-0 mauling by Germany in this 1-1 draw.
The Socceroos took an early lead but when Harry Kewell's hand ball on the line prevented a goal, the men from Down Under were down to ten men for a second match in a row.
Asamoah Gyan converted his second penalty of the tournament but with the Ghanaians facing Germany last, the Africans could have done with a win.
It is much more clear-cut in Group E with Netherlands becoming the first team to qualify for the Second Round after their 1-0 win over Japan, Sneijder scoring a beautiful winner.
Cameroon were the first team to be knocked out despite taking the lead in an open and entertaining encounter with Denmark.
Neither defence looked particularly strong in the first half but the Indomitable Lions failed to build on a gift of an early goal for Samuel Eto'o and the Danes hit back.
Dennis Rommedahl scored the winner, and made the other goal, in a 2-1 win which still leaves Morten Olsen's men needing to beat Japan in the final group game to go through.
A draw is enough for the Japanese to join the Dutch in the last 16 thanks to their superior goal difference. Netherlands are expected to top the group, requiring just a point against Cameroon to do so.
Meanwhile, New Zealand pulled off the most extraordinary result in their football history by holding defending champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in Group F on Sunday.
Shane Smeltz gave the All Whites an early lead but Italy were level on 29 minutes when Vincenzo Iaquinta converted a penalty after a shirt pull on Daniele de Rossi.
But the Kiwis held firm and a second half onslaught from the Azzurri never really materialised.
In fact, West Brom's Chris Wood went close to making this an incredible victory but he rolled his shot just past the post.
Earlier, Paraguay had taken control of the group with a comfortable 2-0 win over Slovakia who have not had the best of times in their debut World Cup finals appearance.
In the final matches, Paraguay are expected to seal top spot against New Zealand with Italy still likely to qualify with a result against Slovakia despite taking just two points so far.
Portugal have seemingly killed off the challenge of Ivory Coast with a 7-0 mauling of North Korea in Group G after a silky second half display.
After a tight first half which ended just 1-0 to Portugal, the North Korean defence collapsed in the second period as three quick goals gave the Portuguese a handsome lead.
They further improved their goal difference with three late goals, including a first at this World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo who lashed home a right-foot strike after inadvertently juggling the ball on his neck.
Portugal now enjoy a healthy goal difference of +7, nine goals better than that of their rivals Ivory Coast who lost 3-1 to Brazil in what ended up as an ill-tempered match.
Luis Fabiano scored twice and Elano once as Brazil sealed their place in the Second Round with a 3-0 lead just past the hour mark.
Didier Drogba headed a consolation before the game turned nasty with the Ivorians not slow to pull out of challenges and Brazil players making the most of any fouls.
It was surprising then that a Brazilian was shown red when Kaka was sent off after an innocuous challenge.
But he was the victim of some terrible play acting by Abdelkader Keita and the incident left a sour taste on what had been a decent victory for the six-time winners.
Group H remains the most intriguing of all the groups after Switzerland's shock win over Spain in the first set of matches and just five goals in the four games so far.
Chile beat the Swiss 1-0 to go top of the group but they could yet be unlucky and finish on six points but still miss out.
La Roja face Spain in their final group game, with the Euro 2008 champions having got themselves back into the tournament with a 2-0 win over Honduras.
The Spanish missed a hatful of chances for a greater margin of victory but David Villa scored twice to mean that any win against Chile would be enough for Spain to qualify.
Switzerland could also yet make it ahead of Chile by improving their goal difference with a few goals against Honduras. The Hondurans have just the slimmest chance themselves, needing to beat the Swiss well and hope Chile beat Spain.
WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After two matches
GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico v Uruguay
22/06 France v South Africa
GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria v South Korea
22/06 Greece v Argentina
GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia v England
23/06 United States v Algeria
GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana v Germany
23/06 Australia v Serbia
GROUP E
Netherlands progress to the Second Round
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark v Japan
24/06 Cameroon v Netherlands
GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia v Italy
24/06 Paraguay v New Zealand
GROUP G
Brazil progress to the Second Round
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal v Brazil
25/06 North Korea v Ivory Coast
GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile v Spain
25/06 Switzerland v Honduras
SCORERS
3 Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
2 Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Tiago (Portugal), David Villa (Spain)
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Lee Chung-Yong (South Korea), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Dimitris Salpingidis (Greece), Vasileios Torosidis (Greece), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico), Milan Jovanovic (Serbia), Valter Birsa (Slovenia), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Slovenia), Landon Donovan (USA), Michael Bradley (USA), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Brett Holman (Australia), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark), Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark), Enrique Vera (Paraguay), Crisitian Riveros (Paraguay), Shane Smeltz (New Zealand), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Raul Meireles (Portugal), Simao (Portugal), Hugo Almeida (Portugal), Liedson (Portugal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Mark Gonzalez (Chile)
2 own goals Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands, Park Chu-Young (South Korea) for Argentina
RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Itumeleng Khune (South Africa) v Uruguay
Sani Kaita (Nigeria) v Greece
Miroslav Klose (Germany) v Serbia
Harry Kewell (Australia) v Ghana
Kaka (Brazil) v Ivory Coast
Valon Behrami (Switzerland) v Chile
The humiliating stalemate in Cape Town means Fabio Capello's men will likely need to beat Group C leaders Slovenia in the final group game.
Though they are level on two points with United States, the Americans are currently above the Three Lions on goals scored after their 2-2 draw with the Slovenians.
The build-up to Wednesday's crucial encounter has hardly been ideal with ex-captain John Terry suggesting in a press conference that Capello needs to change his tactics.
Terry spoke publicly of a team meeting being held to clear the air between the players and the backroom staff and he effectively called for the introduction of Joe Cole into the midfield.
Needless to say, Capello was not impressed with the comments from Terry, denying a clear the air meeting took place and referring to the fact that the Chelsea man spoke publicly as a "big mistake".
At least Capello can console himself with the fact that he has not had to deal with a full-scale mutiny, like French coach Raymond Domenech has.
Despite leading Les Bleus to the World Cup Final four years ago, Domenech has rarely impressed during his reign and he has already confirmed he will leave the national team after the tournament.
In the latest disappointing episode, France suffered a poor 2-0 defeat to Mexico on Thursday to leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
But it is the news that striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home early for insulting Domenech at half time which has really rocked the camp.
The French squad came out in support of Anelka and refused to train on Sunday while captain Patrice Evra had a heated argument with a fitness coach - all caught on camera.
A French Federation chief has resigned and the press are less than impressed with The Parisien stating, "To have the worst soccer team at the World Cup was already unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable."
On the field, France must beat hosts South Africa and hope to turn around a four-goal deficit to Mexico or a five-goal deficit to Group A leaders Uruguay.
A draw between Mexico and Uruguay will make irrelevant any result in the France-South Africa fixture.
South Africa are in a similar predicament to France but with an even worse goal difference again after they suffered a major hit in a bad 3-0 loss to Uruguay in Pretoria.
Group B continues to be dominated by Argentina who beat South Korea 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain.
Two early goals looked to have sent La Albiceleste to a comfortable win before a defensive rick allowed the Koreans to pull a goal back on the stroke of half time.
But Higuain found plenty of time and space to slot in two second half goals meaning Diego Maradona's men require just one more point to progress to the Second Round as group winners.
South Korea's loss means the runners-up spot is less clear-cut, though the Asians remain favourites to qualify with Argentina.
Nevertheless, the South Koreans remain vulnerable to a two-goal victory for Nigeria which will mean the Africans go through if Greece also fail to beat Argentina.
The Greeks earned their first-ever World Cup win by coming from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 after the Super Eagles lost control of the game when Sani Kaita was sent off.
But a final group fixture against Argentina means that the odds are against Greece extending their World Cup adventure any further.
In Group D, Serbia produced a major shock to beat ten-man Germany who missed a penalty had Miroslav Klose sent off after half an hour.
Milan Jovanovic scored the only goal of the game shortly afterwards but, despite a numerical deficit, the Germans pushed hard for an equaliser in the second period.
A golden chance duly arrived but Lukas Podolski, who missed numerous other chances, saw his soft penalty easily saved. It was Germany's first penalty miss in the World Cup outside of a shoot-out since 1974.
In the other match, Ghana went top of the group with a point against Australia who bounced back from their 4-0 mauling by Germany in this 1-1 draw.
The Socceroos took an early lead but when Harry Kewell's hand ball on the line prevented a goal, the men from Down Under were down to ten men for a second match in a row.
Asamoah Gyan converted his second penalty of the tournament but with the Ghanaians facing Germany last, the Africans could have done with a win.
It is much more clear-cut in Group E with Netherlands becoming the first team to qualify for the Second Round after their 1-0 win over Japan, Sneijder scoring a beautiful winner.
Cameroon were the first team to be knocked out despite taking the lead in an open and entertaining encounter with Denmark.
Neither defence looked particularly strong in the first half but the Indomitable Lions failed to build on a gift of an early goal for Samuel Eto'o and the Danes hit back.
Dennis Rommedahl scored the winner, and made the other goal, in a 2-1 win which still leaves Morten Olsen's men needing to beat Japan in the final group game to go through.
A draw is enough for the Japanese to join the Dutch in the last 16 thanks to their superior goal difference. Netherlands are expected to top the group, requiring just a point against Cameroon to do so.
Meanwhile, New Zealand pulled off the most extraordinary result in their football history by holding defending champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in Group F on Sunday.
Shane Smeltz gave the All Whites an early lead but Italy were level on 29 minutes when Vincenzo Iaquinta converted a penalty after a shirt pull on Daniele de Rossi.
But the Kiwis held firm and a second half onslaught from the Azzurri never really materialised.
In fact, West Brom's Chris Wood went close to making this an incredible victory but he rolled his shot just past the post.
Earlier, Paraguay had taken control of the group with a comfortable 2-0 win over Slovakia who have not had the best of times in their debut World Cup finals appearance.
In the final matches, Paraguay are expected to seal top spot against New Zealand with Italy still likely to qualify with a result against Slovakia despite taking just two points so far.
Portugal have seemingly killed off the challenge of Ivory Coast with a 7-0 mauling of North Korea in Group G after a silky second half display.
After a tight first half which ended just 1-0 to Portugal, the North Korean defence collapsed in the second period as three quick goals gave the Portuguese a handsome lead.
They further improved their goal difference with three late goals, including a first at this World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo who lashed home a right-foot strike after inadvertently juggling the ball on his neck.
Portugal now enjoy a healthy goal difference of +7, nine goals better than that of their rivals Ivory Coast who lost 3-1 to Brazil in what ended up as an ill-tempered match.
Luis Fabiano scored twice and Elano once as Brazil sealed their place in the Second Round with a 3-0 lead just past the hour mark.
Didier Drogba headed a consolation before the game turned nasty with the Ivorians not slow to pull out of challenges and Brazil players making the most of any fouls.
It was surprising then that a Brazilian was shown red when Kaka was sent off after an innocuous challenge.
But he was the victim of some terrible play acting by Abdelkader Keita and the incident left a sour taste on what had been a decent victory for the six-time winners.
Group H remains the most intriguing of all the groups after Switzerland's shock win over Spain in the first set of matches and just five goals in the four games so far.
Chile beat the Swiss 1-0 to go top of the group but they could yet be unlucky and finish on six points but still miss out.
La Roja face Spain in their final group game, with the Euro 2008 champions having got themselves back into the tournament with a 2-0 win over Honduras.
The Spanish missed a hatful of chances for a greater margin of victory but David Villa scored twice to mean that any win against Chile would be enough for Spain to qualify.
Switzerland could also yet make it ahead of Chile by improving their goal difference with a few goals against Honduras. The Hondurans have just the slimmest chance themselves, needing to beat the Swiss well and hope Chile beat Spain.
WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After two matches
GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico v Uruguay
22/06 France v South Africa
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| URUGUAY | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| MEXICO | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| FRANCE | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria v South Korea
22/06 Greece v Argentina
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| ARGENTINA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| SOUTH KOREA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| NIGERIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| GREECE | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia v England
23/06 United States v Algeria
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| SLOVENIA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| UNITED STATES | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| ENGLAND | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| ALGERIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana v Germany
23/06 Australia v Serbia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| GHANA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| GERMANY | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| SERBIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| AUSTRALIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
GROUP E
Netherlands progress to the Second Round
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark v Japan
24/06 Cameroon v Netherlands
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| NETHERLANDS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| JAPAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| DENMARK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| CAMEROON | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia v Italy
24/06 Paraguay v New Zealand
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| PARAGUAY | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| ITALY | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| SLOVAKIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
GROUP G
Brazil progress to the Second Round
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal v Brazil
25/06 North Korea v Ivory Coast
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| BRAZIL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| PORTUGAL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| IVORY COAST | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| NORTH KOREA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile v Spain
25/06 Switzerland v Honduras
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| CHILE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| SPAIN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| SWITZERLAND | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| HONDURAS | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
SCORERS
3 Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
2 Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Tiago (Portugal), David Villa (Spain)
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Lee Chung-Yong (South Korea), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Dimitris Salpingidis (Greece), Vasileios Torosidis (Greece), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico), Milan Jovanovic (Serbia), Valter Birsa (Slovenia), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Slovenia), Landon Donovan (USA), Michael Bradley (USA), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Brett Holman (Australia), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark), Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark), Enrique Vera (Paraguay), Crisitian Riveros (Paraguay), Shane Smeltz (New Zealand), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Raul Meireles (Portugal), Simao (Portugal), Hugo Almeida (Portugal), Liedson (Portugal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Mark Gonzalez (Chile)
2 own goals Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands, Park Chu-Young (South Korea) for Argentina
RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Itumeleng Khune (South Africa) v Uruguay
Sani Kaita (Nigeria) v Greece
Miroslav Klose (Germany) v Serbia
Harry Kewell (Australia) v Ghana
Kaka (Brazil) v Ivory Coast
Valon Behrami (Switzerland) v Chile
Wednesday 16 June 2010
World Cup 2010: Swiss shock Spain after slow start to tournament
SWITZERLAND stunned favourites Spain with a 1-0 win in Group H on a dramatic day as World Cup 2010 belatedly threated to take off.
Former Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal early in the second half though the Swiss went close to adding a second, only for Eren Derdiyok to hit a post.
Despite those chances, Euro 2008 champions Spain controlled possession in vast periods of the game but struggled to make the breakthrough.
Switzerland's victory was a testament to Ottmar Hitzfeld's tactics but this is a tournament in which a defensive set-up has been rewarded far too regularly.
After 17 matches, the average goals per game is just 1.64, the lowest in World Cup history, and well short of the averages in 2002 (2.52) and 2006 (2.29).
The new Adidas Jabulani ball has caused some consternation and it does appear to be too light with countless overhit passes and free-kicks regularly floated over the bar.
But the cagey nature of the teams is a greater factor in the lack of goals so far.
And the poverty of goalmouth action has meant this World Cup has not had many magic moments to feast on.
It all started so well when Sipihwe Tshabalala smashed in a stunning strike for the hosts South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the opening match against Mexico.
But poor marking by Bafana Bafana's defence let in Rafael Marquez for a late Mexican equaliser.
Elsewhere, New Zealand gained their first ever World Cup point with a dramatic equaliser from Winston Reid in the last minute of stoppage time against Slovakia.
And North Korea managed a moral victory against Brazil, even going as far as scoring a consolation goal in a 2-1 loss which never threatened to turn into the expected massacre.
Only Germany helped improve the goal average with a ruthless 4-0 thrashing of Australia who were hampered by Tim Cahill's sending off, one of five red cards in the tournament so far.
Otherwise, most of the major nations disappointed in an underwhelming start to Africa's first ever World Cup finals.
England began their campaign with a laboured 1-1 draw against the United States despite Steven Gerrard's fourth-minute opener.
Fabio Capello's men were largely untroubled until an absolute howler by Robert Green from Clint Dempsey's speculative shot gifted an equaliser to the Americans just before half time.
Chances fell to Emile Heskey and Aaron Lennon in the second half but England struggled to make a second breakthrough against a workmanlike American side.
Defending world champions Italy also had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Paraguay.
Indeed, the Paraguayans took a first-half lead when Wigan Athletic's Antolin Alcaraz headed in a corner after taking advantage of unusually slack Italian defending.
But Marcello Lippi's team were much improved in the second half and Daniele de Rossi's header earned the Azzuri a deserved point.
France played out a stultifying 0-0 draw with Uruguay but even that match was not as bad as the much-anticipated clash between Portugal and Ivory Coast.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post with a classy long-range strike but that was as close as it got in a game more accurately summed up by an Ivory Coast corner deep into stoppage time.
With little chance of losing, the Ivorians still opted to take the corner short and secure a point which was wildly celebrated on full-time. It was a nadir of the negativity in this World Cup.
At least some credit can go to the likes of South Korea and Argentina in Group B for their attacking intentions.
The Koreans won 2-0 but it could have been more against a woeful Greece team while Argentina were restricted to a 1-0 win by Nigeria through Gabriel Heinze's header.
On another day, Lionel Messi could have had a hat-trick and he showed throughout why he is considered the best in the world, but Super Eagles keeper Vincent Enyeama was equal to all of his efforts.
Netherlands have also started well, beating Denmark 2-0, while Chile deserve plaudits for using their enterprising 3-3-1-3 formation in a 1-0 win over Honduras.
Africa's only win so far in this World Cup came courtesy of Asamoah Gyan's penalty for Ghana who beat Serbia 1-0.
Slovenia beat Algeria for their first-ever World Cup finals victory, while Japan beat Cameroon for their first finals win on foreign soil. Both of those games were also 1-0.
WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After one match
Click here for up-to-date World Cup stats.
GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
GROUP E
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
GROUP G
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
SCORERS
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland)
1 own goal Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands
RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Former Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal early in the second half though the Swiss went close to adding a second, only for Eren Derdiyok to hit a post.
Despite those chances, Euro 2008 champions Spain controlled possession in vast periods of the game but struggled to make the breakthrough.
Switzerland's victory was a testament to Ottmar Hitzfeld's tactics but this is a tournament in which a defensive set-up has been rewarded far too regularly.
After 17 matches, the average goals per game is just 1.64, the lowest in World Cup history, and well short of the averages in 2002 (2.52) and 2006 (2.29).
The new Adidas Jabulani ball has caused some consternation and it does appear to be too light with countless overhit passes and free-kicks regularly floated over the bar.
But the cagey nature of the teams is a greater factor in the lack of goals so far.
And the poverty of goalmouth action has meant this World Cup has not had many magic moments to feast on.
It all started so well when Sipihwe Tshabalala smashed in a stunning strike for the hosts South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the opening match against Mexico.
But poor marking by Bafana Bafana's defence let in Rafael Marquez for a late Mexican equaliser.
Elsewhere, New Zealand gained their first ever World Cup point with a dramatic equaliser from Winston Reid in the last minute of stoppage time against Slovakia.
And North Korea managed a moral victory against Brazil, even going as far as scoring a consolation goal in a 2-1 loss which never threatened to turn into the expected massacre.
Only Germany helped improve the goal average with a ruthless 4-0 thrashing of Australia who were hampered by Tim Cahill's sending off, one of five red cards in the tournament so far.
Otherwise, most of the major nations disappointed in an underwhelming start to Africa's first ever World Cup finals.
England began their campaign with a laboured 1-1 draw against the United States despite Steven Gerrard's fourth-minute opener.
Fabio Capello's men were largely untroubled until an absolute howler by Robert Green from Clint Dempsey's speculative shot gifted an equaliser to the Americans just before half time.
Chances fell to Emile Heskey and Aaron Lennon in the second half but England struggled to make a second breakthrough against a workmanlike American side.
Defending world champions Italy also had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Paraguay.
Indeed, the Paraguayans took a first-half lead when Wigan Athletic's Antolin Alcaraz headed in a corner after taking advantage of unusually slack Italian defending.
But Marcello Lippi's team were much improved in the second half and Daniele de Rossi's header earned the Azzuri a deserved point.
France played out a stultifying 0-0 draw with Uruguay but even that match was not as bad as the much-anticipated clash between Portugal and Ivory Coast.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post with a classy long-range strike but that was as close as it got in a game more accurately summed up by an Ivory Coast corner deep into stoppage time.
With little chance of losing, the Ivorians still opted to take the corner short and secure a point which was wildly celebrated on full-time. It was a nadir of the negativity in this World Cup.
At least some credit can go to the likes of South Korea and Argentina in Group B for their attacking intentions.
The Koreans won 2-0 but it could have been more against a woeful Greece team while Argentina were restricted to a 1-0 win by Nigeria through Gabriel Heinze's header.
On another day, Lionel Messi could have had a hat-trick and he showed throughout why he is considered the best in the world, but Super Eagles keeper Vincent Enyeama was equal to all of his efforts.
Netherlands have also started well, beating Denmark 2-0, while Chile deserve plaudits for using their enterprising 3-3-1-3 formation in a 1-0 win over Honduras.
Africa's only win so far in this World Cup came courtesy of Asamoah Gyan's penalty for Ghana who beat Serbia 1-0.
Slovenia beat Algeria for their first-ever World Cup finals victory, while Japan beat Cameroon for their first finals win on foreign soil. Both of those games were also 1-0.
WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After one match
Click here for up-to-date World Cup stats.
GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| MEXICO | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| FRANCE | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| URUGUAY | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| SOUTH KOREA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| ARGENTINA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| NIGERIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GREECE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| SLOVENIA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| ENGLAND | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| UNITED STATES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ALGERIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| GERMANY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| GHANA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| SERBIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AUSTRALIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
GROUP E
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| NETHERLANDS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| JAPAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| CAMEROON | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DENMARK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| ITALY | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PARAGUAY | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SLOVAKIA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
GROUP G
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| BRAZIL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| IVORY COAST | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| PORTUGAL | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| NORTH KOREA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| CHILE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| SWITZERLAND | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| HONDURAS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SPAIN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
SCORERS
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland)
1 own goal Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands
RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Saturday 12 June 2010
If...
Some words of inspiration for Fabio Capello's Three Lions tonight, accompanied by Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance.
If-
by Rudyard Kipling (1910)
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Friday 11 June 2010
World Cup 2010: Group Stage
GROUP A
Uruguay and Mexico progress to the Second Round
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
22/06 France 1-2 South Africa
GROUP B
Argentina and South Korea progress to the Second Round
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
22/06 Greece 0-2 Argentina
GROUP C
United States and England progress to the Second Round
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia 0-1 England
23/06 United States 1-0 Algeria
GROUP D
Germany and Ghana progress to the Second Round
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana 0-1 Germany
23/06 Australia 2-1 Serbia
GROUP E
Netherlands and Japan progress to the Second Round
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark 1-3 Japan
24/06 Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands
GROUP F
Paraguay and Slovakia progress to the Second Round
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia 3-2 Italy
24/06 Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand
GROUP G
Brazil and Portugal progress to the Second Round
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal 0-0 Brazil
25/06 North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast
GROUP H
Spain and Chile progress to the Second Round
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile 1-2 Spain
25/06 Switzerland 0-0 Honduras
Uruguay and Mexico progress to the Second Round
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
22/06 France 1-2 South Africa
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| URUGUAY | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| MEXICO | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| FRANCE | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
GROUP B
Argentina and South Korea progress to the Second Round
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
22/06 Greece 0-2 Argentina
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| ARGENTINA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| SOUTH KOREA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| GREECE | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| NIGERIA | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
GROUP C
United States and England progress to the Second Round
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia 0-1 England
23/06 United States 1-0 Algeria
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| UNITED STATES | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| ENGLAND | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| SLOVENIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| ALGERIA | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
GROUP D
Germany and Ghana progress to the Second Round
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana 0-1 Germany
23/06 Australia 2-1 Serbia
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| GERMANY | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| GHANA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| AUSTRALIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| SERBIA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
GROUP E
Netherlands and Japan progress to the Second Round
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark 1-3 Japan
24/06 Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| NETHERLANDS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| JAPAN | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| DENMARK | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| CAMEROON | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
GROUP F
Paraguay and Slovakia progress to the Second Round
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia 3-2 Italy
24/06 Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| PARAGUAY | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| SLOVAKIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| ITALY | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
GROUP G
Brazil and Portugal progress to the Second Round
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal 0-0 Brazil
25/06 North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| BRAZIL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| PORTUGAL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| IVORY COAST | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| NORTH KOREA | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
GROUP H
Spain and Chile progress to the Second Round
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile 1-2 Spain
25/06 Switzerland 0-0 Honduras
| W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| SPAIN | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| CHILE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| SWITZERLAND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| HONDURAS | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Thursday 10 June 2010
World Cup 2010: Group A
URUGUAY + FRANCE + MEXICO + SOUTH AFRICA
Fixtures:
ITV Fri June 11 South Africa v Mexico Johannesburg 15.00
BBC Fri June 11 Uruguay v France Cape Town 19.30
BBC Wed June 16 South Africa v Uruguay Pretoria 19.30
BBC Thu June 17 France v Mexico Polokwane 19.30
ITV Tue June 22 Mexico v Uruguay Rustenburg 15.00
ITV Tue June 22 France v South Africa Bloemfontein 15.00
URUGUAY
Coach: Oscar Tabarez (since 2006)
FIFA World ranking: 16
World Cup best: Winners in 1930 and 1950
Last appearance: 2002 - First Round
How they qualified: Uruguay were the last of the 32 countries to qualify for the World Cup finals, beating Costa Rica 2-1 on aggregate in a Playoff after finishing in fifth place in the South American Qualifying Group. Diego Lugano gave the Uruguayans a priceless 1-0 away win in the first leg and Tabarez's men doubled their lead when Sebastien Abreu scored with 20 minutes of the second leg remaining. The Costa Ricans pulled a goal back to set up a grandstand finish but Uruguay held on to qualify for just their second finals in 20 years. Earlier, Uruguay had blown the chance of automatic qualification, losing at home on the final day against their great rivals Argentina who took fourth place instead. It meant La Celeste had lost all of their games against Argentina and Brazil.
Premier League picks: Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan will lead the line for Uruguay along with Luis Suarez of Ajax. Since his struggles at United, Forlan has improved immensely as a player and scored the winning goal in the Europa League final for Atletico Madrid this season, breaking Fulham hearts. The majority of the squad is European-based with only two of the 23 men playing in the Uruguayan league - back-up goalkeeper Martin Silva of Defensor and Egidio Arevalo-Rios of Penarol. Full squad.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Uruguay have qualified for the World Cup finals just twice in the last 20 years - and it is 40 years since La Celeste enjoyed a truly great World Cup when they reached the semi finals in 1970. Despite struggling in qualifying, and having to go through a playoff for a third time in a row, this Uruguay squad has the potential to make up for lost time. And, with none of the teams in Group A firing on all cylinders, the partnership between Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez should prove significant if Suarez's Ajax team mate Nicolas Lodeiro can provide the service.
FRANCE
Coach: Raymond Domenech (since 2004)
FIFA World ranking: 9
World Cup best: Winners in 1998
Last appearance: 2006 - Runners-up
How they qualified: France qualified in the most controversial circumstances of all the finalists, beating Republic of Ireland 2-1 on aggregate in a UEFA Playoff. The tie looked straightforward for the French after Nicolas Anelka gave them a 1-0 win in the first leg in Dublin but Raymond Domenech's men conceded that advantage within the first half of the second leg when Robbie Keane scored. The match went to a period of extra time which Les Bleus dominated but they struggled to find a breakthrough until Thierry Henry blatantly controlled the ball with his hand before crossing for a simple finish for William Gallas. The Irish protested and, afterwards, even requested to FIFA for the second leg to be replayed but their appeal fell on deaf ears. France had been forced into a playoff after finishing second behind Serbia in UEFA Qualifying Group Seven.
Premier League picks: Four Arsenal players have made it into the final French squad of 23. Defenders William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are joined in the squad by midfielder Abou Diaby. Chelsea are represented by winger Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka while Manchester United's Patrice Evra should slot in at left-back. Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry will lead the line with Anelka, despite an inconsistent season at Barcelona, and they will expect to be supplied by Malouda and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery. 11 of the squad play in the French First Division. Full squad.
Prediction: Second Round
The nature of France's qualification left a bitter taste in the mouth, winning them few friends, and meaning that there are plenty of observers just waiting for them to fall flat on their faces. Given a tougher group, that may well have happened but Les Bleus have enough about them to get out of Group A and should avoid an early exit a la 2002. Still, though, the French have yet to find any sort of form, losing 1-0 to China in a warm-up and a place in the latter stages would be a surprise.
MEXICO
Coach: Javier Aguirre (since 2009)
FIFA World ranking: 17
World Cup best: Quarter Finals in 1970 and 1986
Last appearance: 2006 - Second Round
How they qualified: Javier Aguirre stepped in to save a Mexico qualifying campaign that was falling apart at the seams under Sven Goran Eriksson. A slight slump at the end of the semi final qualifying round of a draw and two losses carried on into the final CONCACAF Qualifying Group as the Mexicans began with three losses in their first four games. A 2-1 loss to El Salvador proved to be the final straw for the Swede Eriksson and Aguirre - who was in charge of Mexico at World Cup 2002 - arrived to turn it around. That he duly did, and five straight wins lifted El Tri from a vulnerable fifth place to a comfortable second behind the United States.
Premier League picks: New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez will feature in this year's finals for Mexico while fellow strikers Carlos Vela, of Arsenal, and Guillermo Franco, of West Ham United, have also made the cut. Otherwise, Aguirre has selected a lot of home-based talent with no fewer than 13 of the 23 men from the Mexican top division. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
For a nation of football lovers with a population of over 100m people, Mexico's World Cup record is definitely one of dire underachievement. In 13 finals appearances, they have played in the Quarter Finals just twice, in 1970 and 1986. On both of those occasions, they had the advantage of hosting the tournament, stepping in to save the 1986 finals after an earthquake meant Colombia had to withdraw. Mexico also have the unwelcome record of most losses at the World Cup finals with 22 from 45 games altogether. That record could get worse again this time after El Tri suffered a poor set of fixtures in the World Cup draw. First up, Javier Aguirre's men must tame the fired-up hosts in the tournament curtain-raiser and then, in match two, they face France. By the time, Mexico meet Uruguay, there could be little to play for.
SOUTH AFRICA
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira (since 2009)
FIFA World ranking: 83
World Cup best: First Round in 1998 and 2002
Last appearance: 2002
How they qualified: South Africa qualified automatically as hosts after beating other bids from Morocco and Egypt, having narrowly lost against Germany in the vote to stage World Cup 2006. It is a good job South Africa have had a bye to the finals because they would not have made it on their own merits. That was proven when Bafana Bafana still had to enter the qualifying draw as the African qualifiers doubled up as preliminaries for the 2010 African Nations Cup. South Africa failed even to make it to the final round, losing at the previous group stage, meaning they were absent from the continental championships earlier this year.
Premier League picks: Overweight West Ham striker Benni McCarthy has been left out of the South Africa squad despite being his country's all-time leading scorer. That leaves just three players from last season's Premier League - Aaron Mokoena of Portsmouth, Fulham reserve Kagisho Dikgacoi and Everton's Steven Pienaar who will bear the burden of his country's hopes in a squad inexperienced on the international stage. Remarkably, 16 of the squad play their club football in South Africa. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
For the first time in years, South Africa have hit a bit of form - Bafana Bafana enter the World Cup on a high after an unbeaten run of 12 games. But, looking closer at the record, the matches appear to have largely been hand-picked in an attempt to boost the squad's fragile confidence. Although recent wins against Colombia and Denmark are encouraging, victories over Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Thailand and Guatemala will be of little help when the finals action begins. South Africa remain a woefully limited squad, ranked behind Albania and Panama, and utterly reliant on Steven Pienaar to produce anything worthwhile. Their unbeaten streak is a case of too little, too late and Parreira's men look set to make unwanted history by becoming the first hosts who fail to make it through the group.
FULL PREDICTION
Final: Brazil v Spain
Semi Finals: Brazil v England, Spain v Argentina
Quarter Finals: Brazil v Netherlands, England v Uruguay, Spain v Italy, Argentina v Germany
Second Round: Uruguay v South Korea, Argentina v France, England v Serbia, Germany v United States, Netherlands v Paraguay, Italy v Denmark, Brazil v Chile, Spain v Ivory Coast
First Round fallers: Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, Greece, Slovenia, Algeria, Australia, Ghana, Cameroon, Japan, Slovakia, New Zealand, Portugal, North Korea, Switzerland, Honduras
Fixtures:
ITV Fri June 11 South Africa v Mexico Johannesburg 15.00
BBC Fri June 11 Uruguay v France Cape Town 19.30
BBC Wed June 16 South Africa v Uruguay Pretoria 19.30
BBC Thu June 17 France v Mexico Polokwane 19.30
ITV Tue June 22 Mexico v Uruguay Rustenburg 15.00
ITV Tue June 22 France v South Africa Bloemfontein 15.00
URUGUAY
Coach: Oscar Tabarez (since 2006)
FIFA World ranking: 16
World Cup best: Winners in 1930 and 1950
Last appearance: 2002 - First Round
How they qualified: Uruguay were the last of the 32 countries to qualify for the World Cup finals, beating Costa Rica 2-1 on aggregate in a Playoff after finishing in fifth place in the South American Qualifying Group. Diego Lugano gave the Uruguayans a priceless 1-0 away win in the first leg and Tabarez's men doubled their lead when Sebastien Abreu scored with 20 minutes of the second leg remaining. The Costa Ricans pulled a goal back to set up a grandstand finish but Uruguay held on to qualify for just their second finals in 20 years. Earlier, Uruguay had blown the chance of automatic qualification, losing at home on the final day against their great rivals Argentina who took fourth place instead. It meant La Celeste had lost all of their games against Argentina and Brazil.
Premier League picks: Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan will lead the line for Uruguay along with Luis Suarez of Ajax. Since his struggles at United, Forlan has improved immensely as a player and scored the winning goal in the Europa League final for Atletico Madrid this season, breaking Fulham hearts. The majority of the squad is European-based with only two of the 23 men playing in the Uruguayan league - back-up goalkeeper Martin Silva of Defensor and Egidio Arevalo-Rios of Penarol. Full squad.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Uruguay have qualified for the World Cup finals just twice in the last 20 years - and it is 40 years since La Celeste enjoyed a truly great World Cup when they reached the semi finals in 1970. Despite struggling in qualifying, and having to go through a playoff for a third time in a row, this Uruguay squad has the potential to make up for lost time. And, with none of the teams in Group A firing on all cylinders, the partnership between Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez should prove significant if Suarez's Ajax team mate Nicolas Lodeiro can provide the service.
FRANCE
Coach: Raymond Domenech (since 2004)
FIFA World ranking: 9
World Cup best: Winners in 1998
Last appearance: 2006 - Runners-up
How they qualified: France qualified in the most controversial circumstances of all the finalists, beating Republic of Ireland 2-1 on aggregate in a UEFA Playoff. The tie looked straightforward for the French after Nicolas Anelka gave them a 1-0 win in the first leg in Dublin but Raymond Domenech's men conceded that advantage within the first half of the second leg when Robbie Keane scored. The match went to a period of extra time which Les Bleus dominated but they struggled to find a breakthrough until Thierry Henry blatantly controlled the ball with his hand before crossing for a simple finish for William Gallas. The Irish protested and, afterwards, even requested to FIFA for the second leg to be replayed but their appeal fell on deaf ears. France had been forced into a playoff after finishing second behind Serbia in UEFA Qualifying Group Seven.
Premier League picks: Four Arsenal players have made it into the final French squad of 23. Defenders William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are joined in the squad by midfielder Abou Diaby. Chelsea are represented by winger Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka while Manchester United's Patrice Evra should slot in at left-back. Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry will lead the line with Anelka, despite an inconsistent season at Barcelona, and they will expect to be supplied by Malouda and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery. 11 of the squad play in the French First Division. Full squad.
Prediction: Second Round
The nature of France's qualification left a bitter taste in the mouth, winning them few friends, and meaning that there are plenty of observers just waiting for them to fall flat on their faces. Given a tougher group, that may well have happened but Les Bleus have enough about them to get out of Group A and should avoid an early exit a la 2002. Still, though, the French have yet to find any sort of form, losing 1-0 to China in a warm-up and a place in the latter stages would be a surprise.
MEXICO
Coach: Javier Aguirre (since 2009)
FIFA World ranking: 17
World Cup best: Quarter Finals in 1970 and 1986
Last appearance: 2006 - Second Round
How they qualified: Javier Aguirre stepped in to save a Mexico qualifying campaign that was falling apart at the seams under Sven Goran Eriksson. A slight slump at the end of the semi final qualifying round of a draw and two losses carried on into the final CONCACAF Qualifying Group as the Mexicans began with three losses in their first four games. A 2-1 loss to El Salvador proved to be the final straw for the Swede Eriksson and Aguirre - who was in charge of Mexico at World Cup 2002 - arrived to turn it around. That he duly did, and five straight wins lifted El Tri from a vulnerable fifth place to a comfortable second behind the United States.
Premier League picks: New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez will feature in this year's finals for Mexico while fellow strikers Carlos Vela, of Arsenal, and Guillermo Franco, of West Ham United, have also made the cut. Otherwise, Aguirre has selected a lot of home-based talent with no fewer than 13 of the 23 men from the Mexican top division. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
For a nation of football lovers with a population of over 100m people, Mexico's World Cup record is definitely one of dire underachievement. In 13 finals appearances, they have played in the Quarter Finals just twice, in 1970 and 1986. On both of those occasions, they had the advantage of hosting the tournament, stepping in to save the 1986 finals after an earthquake meant Colombia had to withdraw. Mexico also have the unwelcome record of most losses at the World Cup finals with 22 from 45 games altogether. That record could get worse again this time after El Tri suffered a poor set of fixtures in the World Cup draw. First up, Javier Aguirre's men must tame the fired-up hosts in the tournament curtain-raiser and then, in match two, they face France. By the time, Mexico meet Uruguay, there could be little to play for.
SOUTH AFRICA
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira (since 2009)
FIFA World ranking: 83
World Cup best: First Round in 1998 and 2002
Last appearance: 2002
How they qualified: South Africa qualified automatically as hosts after beating other bids from Morocco and Egypt, having narrowly lost against Germany in the vote to stage World Cup 2006. It is a good job South Africa have had a bye to the finals because they would not have made it on their own merits. That was proven when Bafana Bafana still had to enter the qualifying draw as the African qualifiers doubled up as preliminaries for the 2010 African Nations Cup. South Africa failed even to make it to the final round, losing at the previous group stage, meaning they were absent from the continental championships earlier this year.
Premier League picks: Overweight West Ham striker Benni McCarthy has been left out of the South Africa squad despite being his country's all-time leading scorer. That leaves just three players from last season's Premier League - Aaron Mokoena of Portsmouth, Fulham reserve Kagisho Dikgacoi and Everton's Steven Pienaar who will bear the burden of his country's hopes in a squad inexperienced on the international stage. Remarkably, 16 of the squad play their club football in South Africa. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
For the first time in years, South Africa have hit a bit of form - Bafana Bafana enter the World Cup on a high after an unbeaten run of 12 games. But, looking closer at the record, the matches appear to have largely been hand-picked in an attempt to boost the squad's fragile confidence. Although recent wins against Colombia and Denmark are encouraging, victories over Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Thailand and Guatemala will be of little help when the finals action begins. South Africa remain a woefully limited squad, ranked behind Albania and Panama, and utterly reliant on Steven Pienaar to produce anything worthwhile. Their unbeaten streak is a case of too little, too late and Parreira's men look set to make unwanted history by becoming the first hosts who fail to make it through the group.
FULL PREDICTION
Final: Brazil v Spain
Semi Finals: Brazil v England, Spain v Argentina
Quarter Finals: Brazil v Netherlands, England v Uruguay, Spain v Italy, Argentina v Germany
Second Round: Uruguay v South Korea, Argentina v France, England v Serbia, Germany v United States, Netherlands v Paraguay, Italy v Denmark, Brazil v Chile, Spain v Ivory Coast
First Round fallers: Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, Greece, Slovenia, Algeria, Australia, Ghana, Cameroon, Japan, Slovakia, New Zealand, Portugal, North Korea, Switzerland, Honduras
Wednesday 9 June 2010
World Cup 2010: Group B
ARGENTINA + SOUTH KOREA + NIGERIA + GREECE
Fixtures:
ITV Sat June 12 South Korea v Greece Port Elizabeth 12.30
BBC Sat June 12 Argentina v Nigeria Ellis Park 15.00
ITV Thu June 17 Argentina v South Korea Johannesburg 12.30
BBC Thu June 17 Greece v Nigeria Bloemfontein 15.00
BBC Tue June 22 Nigeria v South Korea Durban 19.30
BBC Tue June 22 Greece v Argentina Polokwane 19.30
ARGENTINA
Coach: Diego Maradona (since 2008)
FIFA World ranking: 7
World Cup best: Winners in 1978 and 1986
Last appearance: 2006 - Quarter Finals
How they qualified: Argentina endured a torturous campaign in the South American Qualifying Group and it looked a real possibility that they would miss out on a World Cup finals for the first time since 1970, or that they would have to contest a playoff at best. It all started sweetly enough with three straight wins, but there were then just another three wins (and six defeats) in the next 13 games, a run which included embarrassing losses to Bolivia (6-1) and at home against Brazil (3-1). But the Argentines just pulled through with successive victories against Peru and Uruguay in the final two matches.
Premier League picks: Argentina's midfield is awash with Premier League talent as Liverpool pair Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez take their place alongside Newcastle's Jonas Gutierrez. Manchester City's Carlos Tevez has also made it into the 23 but he is not a favourite of Diego Maradona and seems unlikely to displace Lionel Messi any time soon. Messi's presence also means Internazionale's Champions League Final hero Diego Milito is unlikely to start. Gutierrez's Newcastle team mate, defender Fabricio Coloccini, failed to make the cut. Full squad. Prediction: Semi Finals
There will be no team at the finals more enigmatic than Argentina. Having struggled almost all the way through qualifying, there was a sense of relief in Buenos Aires last November simply for the fact that the Albiceleste had made it. But a promising draw in December changed all that and it is a bullish Argentine team which will take to the field in South Africa. With Lionel Messi in their team, they have every right to be confident but his effectiveness - and Argentina's hopes - will rely on how Diego Maradona deploys him. Messi struggled in the 4-4-2 system used in the qualifiers but he could be as lethal as Maradona the player in 1986 if Maradona the coach selects a Barcelona-style 4-3-3.
SOUTH KOREA
Coach: Huh Jung-Moo (since 2007)
FIFA World ranking: 47
World Cup best: Semi Finals in 2002
Last appearance: 2006 - First Round
How they qualified: South Korea qualified for the finals with two games to spare, achieving an unbeaten record of four wins and four draws in final Asian Qualifying Group B though they were barely tested in a weak section. The South Koreans started well, achieving a 1-1 draw in North Korea before successive wins against the United Arab Emirates at home and Saudi Arabia away. This was followed by a 1-1 draw in Iran and then a big 1-0 home win over North Korea. The 2-0 away win at the UAE meant Huh Jung-Moo's men were able to relax in their final two games, home draws against the Saudis and Iran.
Premier League picks: Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung will be the big British-based star on show in a South Korea shirt but Bolton Wanderer's Lee Chung-Yong and Celtic's Ki Sung-Yong have also made it into the final 23. Former Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-Guk is in the squad, having missed out in 2002 and 2006, the latter because of injury, despite another injury this time. Including Lee, there are no fewer than 16 players based in Korea, Japan and China. Full squad.
Prediction: Second Round
South Korea will hope to evoke the spirit of 2002 as they aim to make it through the group stages of an abroad World Cup for the first time at the seventh attempt. And, while they may not now have Guus Hiddink or a nation of fantastical support with them like they did eight years ago, they do have Greece and Nigeria in their group. They have previously had to face Argentina and Italy (in 1986), Spain and Uruguay (in 1990), Germany and Spain (in 1994), Netherlands and Mexico (in 1998), and Switzerland and France (in 2006). So, it would be fair to say that Greece and Nigeria represent the Koreans' best ever chance of making the last 16 in a World Cup abroad. Huh Jung-Moo certainly hopes so. He becomes the first Korean to take charge of the national team at a World Cup since 1998 when Cha Bum-Kun was sacked after losing the first two games.
NIGERIA
Coach: Lars Lagerback (since February 2010)
FIFA World ranking: 21
World Cup best: Second Round in 1994 and 1998
Last appearance: 2002 - First Round
How they qualified: Nigeria were thankful to Mozambique for ensuring that they did not miss out on a second successive World Cup finals. Though the Super Eagles finished unbeaten in final African Qualifying Group B, three draws meant they had fallen behind Tunisia in the table going into the last game. All the Tunisians needed to do was beat Mozambique but they were beaten by a single goal seven minutes from time. In the meantime, Nigeria looked like they could still miss out - they were heading for another draw, this time against Kenya, when Obafemi Martins scored a goal nine minutes to make the score 3-2.
Premier League picks: Veteran Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu, now aged 33, is a surprise choice by Swedish coach Lars Lagerback. Kanu is back-up to Everton's Aiyegbeni Yakubu and former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins. Yakubu's team-mate Josef Yobo has made it into the 23 but Victor Anichebe misses out. There were meant to be four other Premier League players in the squad but Jon Obi Mikel joins fellow Chelsea midfielders Michael Ballack and Michael Essien on the sidelines with injury. The other three to make it in the squad are Daniel Shittu of Bolton, Dickson Etuhu of Fulham and Kanu's Pompey team mate John Utaka. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
The World Cup draw would have brought back happy memories to Nigeria fans after being pitted against Argentina and Greece, just like in 1994. Of course, in their mid-1990s heyday, Nigeria were the best team on the continent, winning Olympic gold in 1996 and reaching the knockout stages of consecutive World Cups. But those days are long gone now and Shaibu Amodu will have felt a different sense of deja vu after he was ditched as coach just months before the finals, just as he was before World Cup 2002. It did not work then and, unless former Sweden coach Lars Lagerback has instilled discipline into the defence in double-quick time, it will not work this time either.
GREECE
Coach: Otto Rehhagel (since 2001)
FIFA World ranking: 13
World Cup best: First Round in 1994
Last appearance: 1994
How they qualified: Greece qualified in an instantly-recognisable style, grinding out a 1-0 aggregate win over Ukraine in a UEFA Playoff. A 0-0 draw in Athens had made Ukraine the favourites but the Greeks' defence held out in the second leg in Kiev and Dimitris Salpigdis scored the only goal of the tie on 31 minutes. Earlier, Greece had disappointed, finishing in second place in UEFA Qualifying Group Two behind Switzerland. It was the least that was expected, given that they finished ahead of Latvia, Israel, Luxembourg and Moldova.
Premier League picks: Liverpool defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Celtic forward Georgios Samaras are the only two British-based players in a squad dominated by home-based talents. 14 of the 23 men ply their trade in Greece with eight from champions Panathinaikos including playoff hero Dimitris Salpigdis. But, for their goals, the Greeks be will looking to Euro 2004 hero Angelos Charisteas and Fanis Gekas, who got 10 in the qualifiers. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
Greece arrive at only their second World Cup finals without bearing many gifts. Euro 2004 winning coach Otto Rehhegal is still in charge, and it shows. Of course, their wholly unexpected tournament win in 2004 was well-deserved but the style in which it was accomplished left a lot to be desired and there were fears that other teams would replicate the Greeks' series of one-nils to win a tournament. Since then, Spain have won Euro 2008 with some wonderful attacking displays and - more pertinently for Hellas - other teams, even Switzerland, have started to work them out. Ukraine could not manage it in the playoffs but ultra-defensive football will not get Greece far in this group.
Fixtures:
ITV Sat June 12 South Korea v Greece Port Elizabeth 12.30
BBC Sat June 12 Argentina v Nigeria Ellis Park 15.00
ITV Thu June 17 Argentina v South Korea Johannesburg 12.30
BBC Thu June 17 Greece v Nigeria Bloemfontein 15.00
BBC Tue June 22 Nigeria v South Korea Durban 19.30
BBC Tue June 22 Greece v Argentina Polokwane 19.30
ARGENTINA
Coach: Diego Maradona (since 2008)
FIFA World ranking: 7
World Cup best: Winners in 1978 and 1986
Last appearance: 2006 - Quarter Finals
How they qualified: Argentina endured a torturous campaign in the South American Qualifying Group and it looked a real possibility that they would miss out on a World Cup finals for the first time since 1970, or that they would have to contest a playoff at best. It all started sweetly enough with three straight wins, but there were then just another three wins (and six defeats) in the next 13 games, a run which included embarrassing losses to Bolivia (6-1) and at home against Brazil (3-1). But the Argentines just pulled through with successive victories against Peru and Uruguay in the final two matches.
Premier League picks: Argentina's midfield is awash with Premier League talent as Liverpool pair Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez take their place alongside Newcastle's Jonas Gutierrez. Manchester City's Carlos Tevez has also made it into the 23 but he is not a favourite of Diego Maradona and seems unlikely to displace Lionel Messi any time soon. Messi's presence also means Internazionale's Champions League Final hero Diego Milito is unlikely to start. Gutierrez's Newcastle team mate, defender Fabricio Coloccini, failed to make the cut. Full squad. Prediction: Semi Finals
There will be no team at the finals more enigmatic than Argentina. Having struggled almost all the way through qualifying, there was a sense of relief in Buenos Aires last November simply for the fact that the Albiceleste had made it. But a promising draw in December changed all that and it is a bullish Argentine team which will take to the field in South Africa. With Lionel Messi in their team, they have every right to be confident but his effectiveness - and Argentina's hopes - will rely on how Diego Maradona deploys him. Messi struggled in the 4-4-2 system used in the qualifiers but he could be as lethal as Maradona the player in 1986 if Maradona the coach selects a Barcelona-style 4-3-3.
SOUTH KOREA
Coach: Huh Jung-Moo (since 2007)
FIFA World ranking: 47
World Cup best: Semi Finals in 2002
Last appearance: 2006 - First Round
How they qualified: South Korea qualified for the finals with two games to spare, achieving an unbeaten record of four wins and four draws in final Asian Qualifying Group B though they were barely tested in a weak section. The South Koreans started well, achieving a 1-1 draw in North Korea before successive wins against the United Arab Emirates at home and Saudi Arabia away. This was followed by a 1-1 draw in Iran and then a big 1-0 home win over North Korea. The 2-0 away win at the UAE meant Huh Jung-Moo's men were able to relax in their final two games, home draws against the Saudis and Iran.
Premier League picks: Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung will be the big British-based star on show in a South Korea shirt but Bolton Wanderer's Lee Chung-Yong and Celtic's Ki Sung-Yong have also made it into the final 23. Former Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-Guk is in the squad, having missed out in 2002 and 2006, the latter because of injury, despite another injury this time. Including Lee, there are no fewer than 16 players based in Korea, Japan and China. Full squad.
Prediction: Second Round
South Korea will hope to evoke the spirit of 2002 as they aim to make it through the group stages of an abroad World Cup for the first time at the seventh attempt. And, while they may not now have Guus Hiddink or a nation of fantastical support with them like they did eight years ago, they do have Greece and Nigeria in their group. They have previously had to face Argentina and Italy (in 1986), Spain and Uruguay (in 1990), Germany and Spain (in 1994), Netherlands and Mexico (in 1998), and Switzerland and France (in 2006). So, it would be fair to say that Greece and Nigeria represent the Koreans' best ever chance of making the last 16 in a World Cup abroad. Huh Jung-Moo certainly hopes so. He becomes the first Korean to take charge of the national team at a World Cup since 1998 when Cha Bum-Kun was sacked after losing the first two games.
NIGERIA
Coach: Lars Lagerback (since February 2010)
FIFA World ranking: 21
World Cup best: Second Round in 1994 and 1998
Last appearance: 2002 - First Round
How they qualified: Nigeria were thankful to Mozambique for ensuring that they did not miss out on a second successive World Cup finals. Though the Super Eagles finished unbeaten in final African Qualifying Group B, three draws meant they had fallen behind Tunisia in the table going into the last game. All the Tunisians needed to do was beat Mozambique but they were beaten by a single goal seven minutes from time. In the meantime, Nigeria looked like they could still miss out - they were heading for another draw, this time against Kenya, when Obafemi Martins scored a goal nine minutes to make the score 3-2.
Premier League picks: Veteran Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu, now aged 33, is a surprise choice by Swedish coach Lars Lagerback. Kanu is back-up to Everton's Aiyegbeni Yakubu and former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins. Yakubu's team-mate Josef Yobo has made it into the 23 but Victor Anichebe misses out. There were meant to be four other Premier League players in the squad but Jon Obi Mikel joins fellow Chelsea midfielders Michael Ballack and Michael Essien on the sidelines with injury. The other three to make it in the squad are Daniel Shittu of Bolton, Dickson Etuhu of Fulham and Kanu's Pompey team mate John Utaka. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
The World Cup draw would have brought back happy memories to Nigeria fans after being pitted against Argentina and Greece, just like in 1994. Of course, in their mid-1990s heyday, Nigeria were the best team on the continent, winning Olympic gold in 1996 and reaching the knockout stages of consecutive World Cups. But those days are long gone now and Shaibu Amodu will have felt a different sense of deja vu after he was ditched as coach just months before the finals, just as he was before World Cup 2002. It did not work then and, unless former Sweden coach Lars Lagerback has instilled discipline into the defence in double-quick time, it will not work this time either.
GREECE
Coach: Otto Rehhagel (since 2001)
FIFA World ranking: 13
World Cup best: First Round in 1994
Last appearance: 1994
How they qualified: Greece qualified in an instantly-recognisable style, grinding out a 1-0 aggregate win over Ukraine in a UEFA Playoff. A 0-0 draw in Athens had made Ukraine the favourites but the Greeks' defence held out in the second leg in Kiev and Dimitris Salpigdis scored the only goal of the tie on 31 minutes. Earlier, Greece had disappointed, finishing in second place in UEFA Qualifying Group Two behind Switzerland. It was the least that was expected, given that they finished ahead of Latvia, Israel, Luxembourg and Moldova.
Premier League picks: Liverpool defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Celtic forward Georgios Samaras are the only two British-based players in a squad dominated by home-based talents. 14 of the 23 men ply their trade in Greece with eight from champions Panathinaikos including playoff hero Dimitris Salpigdis. But, for their goals, the Greeks be will looking to Euro 2004 hero Angelos Charisteas and Fanis Gekas, who got 10 in the qualifiers. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
Greece arrive at only their second World Cup finals without bearing many gifts. Euro 2004 winning coach Otto Rehhegal is still in charge, and it shows. Of course, their wholly unexpected tournament win in 2004 was well-deserved but the style in which it was accomplished left a lot to be desired and there were fears that other teams would replicate the Greeks' series of one-nils to win a tournament. Since then, Spain have won Euro 2008 with some wonderful attacking displays and - more pertinently for Hellas - other teams, even Switzerland, have started to work them out. Ukraine could not manage it in the playoffs but ultra-defensive football will not get Greece far in this group.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)