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[Tetsuo_Shima]

Argentina 1 - 0 Nigeria

Argentina win by a small margin, although they had Nigeria under the thumb for most of the game. The Argentines looked slightly unsettled up front; Messi was his usual fleet-footed, influential self, and Di Maria offered an injection of pace on the left-hand side, but Tevez was the weak link in the front line. He looked a little lost on the ball, unsure of where his fellow players were, and frequently ran into trouble.
Nigeria found it hard to pass the ball around, and couldn't close down Argentina's midfield passing game. In the end, all that stopped them from being overrun was the man 'twixt the sticks - Enyeama.

The first 'big game' of the tournament takes place later on, between a confident England and an up-and-coming USA.

 

[BiG D]

The argentine back looked just as unsure... Organization problems all around, really.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

England 1 - 1 U.S.A.

What an entertaining match this was, end to end stuff from start to finish!

England scored about 5 minutes into the game, with Gerrard collecting a pass from Heskey on the edge of the six-yard box and slotting it past Howard. However, USA soon got into the swing of things and started to show the world what they're really made of.
A lot of solid, no-nonsense stuff from the Americans was enough to prove to the English that they are no longer a walk-over, and constant pressure turned to glory when a shot from Dempsey (after a great bit of on-the-ball skill, I might add) slithered out of Green's gloves and into the back of England's net.

The second half began with a spell of dominance from the Americans, who - with the skillful Donovan and rapid Findley - looked in with a real chance of scoring a winner. However, England managed to turn the tide late on and deliver their own, ultimately fruitless, onslaught against an American defence who looked organised and disciplined.

Key players were Landon Donovan, playing for the USA, who impressed with his intelligent passing and lethal free kicks, and Frank Lampard for England. Wayne Rooney was a passenger for much of the game, owing mostly to the lack of service recieved from his midfield. Findley, an American forward, had an incredible turn of pace and energy.

The big question on the minds of the England fans will be of their goalkeeper, Green. Will Fabio Capello show faith in him, despite his horrendous error which cost them the victory? Should Joe Hart or David James been given preferential selection? (Tetsuo's answer: Joe Hart, all the way).

Anyway, tomorrow brings the second match from Group C and the start of the matches from Group D.

 

[thatbloke]

If he wasn't gonna play James in Goal then Hart is a better keeper than Green and should have gotten the nod ahead of him

 

[T-Bone]

[America's] constant pressure turned to glory when a shot from Dempsey (after a great bit of on-the-ball skill, I might add) slithered out of Green's gloves and into the back of England's net.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Algeria 0 - 1 Slovenia

A poor game, neither side could show any sign of organisation and composure in their build-ups or passing game. Crossing and long balls were woeful, and, for the second time already in Group C, a dreadful goalkeeping blunder has cost a team dearly. Algeria's keeper, Chaouchi, allowed a simple shot from Slovenia's Robert Koren to slip past him and into the corner of the net.

I expected a lot better from Algeria, and to be fair Bougherra and Bel-Hadj showed signs of promise, but attacks broke down so very easily in Slovenia's third of the pitch that their chances were severely limited. It didn't help when Algeria's substitute forward Ghezzal (normally an industrious and moderately effective player) is sent off for deliberate hand-ball 15 minutes after coming on the pitch.

Hopefully the next two games will be entertaining enough to make up for - Serbia v Ghana and Germany v Australia, in that order.

and that is hilarious Tbone

 

[Macca]

I always noticed a similarity between Haven and Kim Jong Il, it's a conspiracy i tell you!

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Serbia 0 - 1 Ghana

Ghana come out on top, owing to a penalty kick conceded by Serbia's Kuzmanovic for a deliberate hand-ball inside the penalty box. Ghana enjoyed dominance for most of the match, which Serbia's big stars Stankovic, Ivanovic and Vidic failed to get a hold of.

Today's main game - Germany v Australia - follows later on at 7.30

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Germany 4 - 0 Australia

An excellent game from start to finish, the well-oiled German machine completely over-ran Australia even before they lost Tim Cahill in the second half. Australia did have their chances, a couple of good ones very early on in the game, but Germany's organisation was second to none.
Every attack was employed with smooth efficiency, and I can't remember a single slack German pass. Ozil was an unstoppable lightning bolt down the left, and Lahm constanty pushed forward from the rear. Add to that the fact that four out of Germany's five attackers scored a goal (Podolski, Klose, Mueller and Cacau) and you would have to say that they are looking like a force to be reckoned with.
Each of the four goals were expertly worked, explosive sequences of play with short, sharp and flowing passes. Truly a joy to watch. Especially when you have a fiver on ze German's to win the competition Looking good for Twisto!

The only low point in the match was Tim Cahill's sending off, which was harsh, unneccesary, and killed the game completely for Australia.

More games continue tomorrow, namely Denmark v Netherlands, Japan v Cameroon and the former champions Italy v Paraguay.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Denmark 0 - 2 Netherlands

Missed due to work, but saw some brief highlights on BBC and it looked very much like the Netherlands were in control of the game (as expected). Especially after Poulsen lost the plot and headed the ball into the back of his own net. Kuyt added to the scoring, tapping in from a Van Persie rebound to make it 2-0 for the Dutchmen.

Japan 1 - 0 Cameroon

Japan effectively controlled the match from start to finish, and passed their way around what was a lacklustre performance by the Indomitable Lions. Keisuke Honda scored the only goal of the match, expertly controlling a cross to the back post and coolly slotting past the Cameroon goalkeeper. The last 10 minutes of the game were extremely tense, as the sleeping lion of Cameroon finally roused itself into some semblance of urgency and constantly pressurised the Japanese defence.
What it spells out is that Japan, originally the underdogs of Group E, have put themselves in a position where they can scrape through to the knockout stages if they can at least get a draw against the Dutch and take something off of Denmark. Cameroon face an uphill struggle to contend and virtually have to come out victorious against Denmark to ensure any chance of qualification.

Italy, the former world champions, face Paraguay in tonight's big game.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Italy 1 - 1 Paraguay

Italy can only settle for a draw in a game which must have frustrated them no end. Although Italy stuck to the formula which has brought them success in the past, using their solid backline to build up structured attacks, Paraguay's rapid and unpredictable passing game prevented them from building up a head of steam.
Paraguay themselves were, in my opinion, excellent in the first half. Their tireless chasing of the ball and constant movement were the perfect antithesis to Italy's dug-in rearguard. That's not to say they were perfect; far from the structured rigidity of Germany's attacks, Paraguay's could be described as erratic and over-enthusiastic. Frequently they would find their legs acting faster than their minds could keep up, hitting passes without thinking or lunging into tackles with zealous intent. It made for an extremely exciting game, though.

Paraguay's goal was the result of a dubious free-kick decision, but it was a very well taken curling outswinger by Torres and finished off with a thumping header from Alacaraz.
Italy's was the latest in a long line of goalkeeping errors this tournament. The Paraguyan goalkeeper ran off his line to punch an Italian corner, misjudged it completely and allowed it to fall for Daniele De Rossi who volleyed it into the back of the net.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

New Zealand 1 - 1 Slovakia

Slovakia score early in the second half, but a 93rd minute equaliser from New Zealand secured a draw between the two sides.

Ivory Coast 0 - 0 Portugal

A poor Portugal found themselves up against a defensive Ivory Coast. The fact that Portugal had 2 chances on goal (well, one and a half) kind of summed up a match which was cardboard dull, despite the promise of greatness beforehand.

Brazil play Kim Jong-Il's finest tonight at 7.30, which will hopefully end up in something decisive.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Brazil 2 - 1 North Korea

What an exciting game that was! All expectations were on a Brazilian rout of the Koreans - apparently the whipping boys of Group G. What we got was an honorable fight all the way to the end, with the Brazilians having to battle for every scrap of territory!

A nil-nil draw at halftime, the first half was a very open affair, where the Brazilian's did find the odd break but couldn't punch through the concrete 5-man wall of defence. At the other end of the pitch the Korean's were finding almost as many chances, often catching Brazil's experienced fullbacks Lucio and Maicon unawares with a hi-tempo passing game. The Korean's weren't afraid to take on the Brazilian's face-to-face either, frequently trying (and succeeding) to beat their markers with confident, skillful dribbling.

Although looking like they might at least hold on for a draw, the Koreans finally succumbed to the blue-and-yellow war machine when a lively Robinho launched a big long-ball switch from the left hand side of the pitch all the way over to Maicon steaming down the right flank. A rather fortuitous toe-poke saw him squeeze the ball past the Korean keeper from a very shallow angle (virtually on the Korean by-line).
That goal seemed to break the spirit of the Koreans slightly, and the Brazilians started to get into their stride. Robinho, already effective at moving and creating chances in the first half, slotted a wonderfully weighted pass clean through the Korean defence onto a timely Elano, who finished neatly with a side-footed shot going across the keeper to bag a second.

To their credit, the Korean's never gave up on the cause and managed to bag themselves a consolation goal right on 90 minutes when their midfielder, Ji Yun-Nam, dashed into the Brazilian penalty box with a diagonal run and struck the ball sweetly past Julio Cesar.

It has to be said that a few players in the Brazilian side looked a little lacklustre - Luis Fabiano and Kaka in particular - which was costing them in front of goal. Robinho put in an industrious shift, however, and created virtually all of the Brazilian chances (and set up two goals). Elano also looked dangerous, managing to work nicely in tandem with Robinho to get on the end of his wonderful passes. It's a shame that not all of their players were operating on the same wavelength, but be assured that if they do manage to iron out their problems - watch out!

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Honduras 0 - 1 Chile

Spain 0 - 1 Switzerland

South Africa 0 - 3 Uruguay

---

Argentina 4 - 1 South Korea

Greece 2 - 1 Nigeria

France 0 - 2 Mexico

I was planning on doing more post-match rundowns, but lack of time and incandescent anger at Spain and France being beaten mean I'm just going to go to bed and cry.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

An update on the scores so far:

18/6

Germany 0 - 1 Serbia

Slovenia 2 - 2 USA

England 0 - 0 Algeria

19/6

Netherlands 1 - 0 Japan

Ghana 1 - 1 Australia

Cameroon 1 - 2 Denmark

20/6

Slovakia 0 - 2 Paraguay

Italy 1 - 1 New Zealand

Brazil 3 - 1 Ivory Coast

21/6

Portugal 7 - 0 North Korea

Chile 1 - 0 Switzerland

Spain 2 - 0 Honduras

Today

Mexico 0 - 1 Uruguay

France 1 - 2 South Africa

So, Mexico and Uruguay progress from Group A to face the first and second placed teams from Group B, respectively. Group B will come to a conclusion tonight as Argentina face Greece and Nigeria have it out with South Korea; every team has a chance to qualify!

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Tonight

Greece 0 - 2 Argentina

Greece, knowing that if Nigeria won the other game they would require only a draw to progress, set themselves up in a rock-solid defensive formation, with the Argentinian key-player Messi being harassed by a man-marker. It seemed to be working out for them, especially since Nigeria were looking like scoring late in the second half, but the Argentinian full-back Demichelis managed to rifle a close-range shot into the roof of the Greek net to force them into some offensive action. It was soon followed up by a goal from the sixth-choice Argentinian striker, Palermo, who managed to sweep a rebounded Messi shot into the net to make the score 2-0 to the Argentinians.

Nigeria 2 - 2 South Korea

Nigeria took an early lead with Uche finishing off a nicely timed cross from Odiah, but South Korea hit back twice, including a well-placed free kick (shock!), to take them into the lead. A late penalty, converted by Yakubu, brought Nigeria level once more, but they were unable to take advantage of their numerous goal-scoring opportunities and the game ended a 2-2 draw.

So, Uruguay from Group A will face South Korea from Group B, and Mexico from Group A will face Argentina from Group B.

Tomorrow will see the final games from groups C and D - will England make it through against Slovenia? Will Germany rediscover their incredible form from their first match? Who can say!