FIFA World Cup 2010: match schedules and results

Well it’s finally here – the FIFA 2010 World Cup started on June 11, 2010 and the first game produced one of the most stunning goals you’re likely to see in a tournament. Hopefully as the tournament progresses, we’ll see some highly competitive and interesting games that are full of skill and sportsmanship.

The FIFA 2010 tournament is a prestigious even and is one of the most watched sporting events in the world – so far, the tournament has been a little subdued, but I fully expect to see the passion and the skill surface as we move towards key games in the tournament.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the World. With 32 teams competing for the ultimate accolade of World Champions, it’s shaping up to be one of the best tournaments ever.

Spain enter the tournament as favorites, followed closely by the superb Brazil team. However, The Netherlands, Argentina, England and Italy can also claim to have decent chances of reaching the final. In fact, there are probably at least fifteen teams that have the potential to win the tournament, and because of this it is one of the hardest tournaments to predict.

Below you will find a full schedule of all the matches – the schedule will be updated as the games are played. Additionally, you will also find analysis of all of the groups and the relevant tables, that will also be updated.

South Africa are the hosts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup but it’s highly unlikely that they will progress beyond the group stages as they have a tough group with the experienced World Cup teams of France and Mexico. France are the favorites to win the group, and Mexico should finish second – however, Uruguay and South Africa may have something to say about this. South Africa had decent results against both Spain and Brazil recently and have shown they are not scared to play football against more illustrious opponents; Uruguay have a great football heritage and although they have a young team they won’t be walkovers.

My tip: Winners: France; Runner-up: Mexico

06/11/10 While the host nation has won over 75% of the opening games in a FIFA World Cup, no one truly expected South Africa to win their game. However, after soaking up 40 minutes of pressure in the first half, they showed signs of life in the second half and really caused problems in Mexico’s area.

The after 54 minutes they produced one of the most stunning opening goals of the World Cup in history, setting up what would be a very tense final half hour for Mexico. Despite constant pressure, South Africa had several chances to extend their lead, but in the 77^th minute Mexico leveled the game.

Mexico were the better team, although they looked uncomfortable against the break and cross, they will be disappointed they didn’t take their chances. South Africa were dynamic on the break and nearly scored three – they will probably also be unhappy with the result.

The second game in the group was a bit of a dire event with Uruguay defending very well against a lacklustre France attack. Both sides didn't look that great in attack and overalll Uruguay will be very happy with their result. This really sets up the group and almost makes it a knock-out event as a win will probably guarantee a place in the next round.

06/16/2010 The real World Cup started today and as South Africa and Uruguay kicked off you could sense a little more urgency as both teams realized that results are important. The game was pretty even initially with both teams looking a little tentative in attack, but Uruguay slowly began to apply pressure and there were a few signs that the South Africa defense might give way.

A few harsh yellow cards didn’t help South Africa as they seemed to fall back off the ball allowing Uruguay to control the tempo of the game. It wasn’t a surprise when Uruguay took the lead, and the contest essentially was over once the South African goalie was sent off.

South Africa will be happy with the way they played in the tournament so far, and have nothing to lose against France in their final game. Uruguay are looking quietly dangerous and are very comfortable with the ball, they will not be an easy team to face in the final 16.

06/17/10 In the second match France and Mexico really played entertaining football, with plenty of chances on goal – it seems that the dour performances of the first week are all in the past now as the real contest to qualify for the round of sixteen is on, and teams are looking for wins. Both sides created chances, but Mexico perhaps looked better for the first 45 minutes.

You have to say that France looked devoid of ideas, and with the talent they have in their team its amazing that they really didn’t create clear cut chances. Mexico always looked dangerous on the break and finally got the second goal. This is a well deserved win for Mexico who are well organized and look very dangerous in attack – perhaps they could be the surprise team of the tournament – I note that this is the first time they’ve ever beaten France. France were a major disappointment again, and really don’t deserve to make it to the last 16.

You really have to think that France will not qualify now – they need a result in the Mexico v Uruguay game, and my money’s on a 0-0 draw, allowing both Mexico and Uruguay to qualify.

06/22/2010 I have to say that the World Cup is one of the most amazing and often unpredictable tournaments on the Earth. While many, including myself, expected a dull 0-0 game between Mexico and Uruguay, no one mentioned it to the teams and the game was very pulsating and vibrant, with both teams intent on playing attractive football. In the other game, South Africa also hadn’t read the script as they surged into a 2-0 lead against a French side in disarray. The pulsating first 45 minutes set up a fantastic climax to this group. Mexico go into the last 45 minutes in the driving seat, with a better goal difference, but with France down to ten men, and South Africa with the nation behind them, anything can happen.

Well South Africa can definitely hold their heads high; they tried their best, and had their chances in the second half but couldn’t get that elusive third goal and eventually let in a goal that seemed to deflate them and ultimately sent them out of the tournament. As for France, well at least they scored a goal in the tournament, and they looked more organized in this half, but they really were disjointed and never looked like winning.

Mexico were very disappointing and could easily have slipped out of the tournament here – they were uninspired and really didn’t look like leveling this game. Uruguay are worthy winners of the group and they will fancy their chances in the tournament with this assured and quality performance.

Argentina were very inconsistent in qualifying but definitely have the pedigree to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. With a relatively easy qualifying group they should move forward to the round of sixteen with no problems. The runner-up position is harder to predict – Nigeria are probably the favorites to go through with Argentina as they have a lot of world class players, however Greece are no walk-overs and Korea Republic will want to challenge for a quarter final place at least.

My tip: Winners: Argentina; Runner-Up: Korea Republic.

06/12/2010 The Korea Republic produce a very good workmanlike performance to underline their credentials in this group. They didn't have any trouble with Greece, and will be very happy with this performance. Greece probably should start packing now as their performance was pretty bad - if they continue to play like this then they will not score a goal, let alone get to the round of sixteen. Thoroughly well deserved victory for Korea.

In the second game of the group Argentina showed the World that they have forgotten about the near disastrous qualifying tournament and played with skill, determination controlling most of the game. Their only worry will be that they did not score more goals, although they will be happy to see Messi create so many chances. Nigeria were poor, making many elementary mistakes, and not really challenging the Argentinean defense. Playing like this, they will be unlikely to qualify for the round of sixteen.

06/17/2010 Argentina continued to show their pedigree for success as they controlled the game from the kickoff in the first half. They dominated possession against South Korea and looked like they could score at any time. They cruised to a 2-0 lead, but then showed perhaps a chink in the armor with a mistake in defense that led to a goal for South Korea. The one thing you’ll say for South Korea is that they never gave up; they continued to battle and seemed happy to let Argentina have the ball, relying on errors and breakaways to create a few chances themselves.

This goal transformed the game and South Korea came out looking far more confident and pressed for an equalizer – the Argentinean defense certainly looks a little weak and this will be a major worry for Maradonna. Argentina slowly imposed their will again though and finally sealed the game with a third goal, and shortly after a fourth. South Korea may still qualify from the group, and Argentina looked assured of a place in the Round of Sixteen. Maradonna does have some worries though, particularly their susceptibility to the break, but overall they are one of the better teams in the tournament so far.

06/17/2010 In the second game today Greece looked like they were going to be the first team to exit the World Cup as their pedestrian style of play really didn’t show the world the talent they actually have. Nigeria, playing with a little more direction dominated the game and opened the scoring. Neither side looked that confident until a game changing sending off occurred. Sani Kaita had a moment of madness that could have cost Nigeria their place in the round of sixteen and certainly was a lifeline to Greece.

Greece bought on another attacker and pressed for goals, being rewarded with an equalizer just before half time. Greece continued to push in the second half, although Nigeria also went looking for the winning goal and should have taken the lead. However the extra man was a little too much for Nigeria and Greece scored a deserved second goal, even though it came from a goal keeping error.

Nigeria can still qualify by beating South Korea and hoping that Argentina beat Greece, but on today’s performance they will probably struggle against South Korea. I’d make South Korea favorites to qualify.

06/22/2010 Well once again the World Cup got lively with an early goal in the Nigeria v South Korea game – South Korea, while playing well gave away a goal to Nigeria and setup the match well. In the Greece v Argentina game, it looked as if Greece arrived with ten defenders looking for a draw and a 1-0 victory to Nigeria that would see them through to the next round.

The Nigeria v South Korea game was exciting and pulsating with plenty of attacking football from both sides.  Despite Nigeria’s dominance, South Korea kept pegging away and due to a lack of concentration Nigeria gave up their advantage and soon found themselves 2-1 down. Meanwhile, Greece really showed no attacking intent at all; they have managed to stifle Argentina though, and suddenly Argentina are beginning to look a little ordinary as they fail to breakdown the Greece defense.

Amazingly Nigeria fought back, still hoping for a win and a result in the Argentina v Greece game to set up an exciting last twenty minutes of drama. And the drama kept on coming as Argentina finally broke the deadlock and scored – South Korea continue to attack though, knowing that a goal for Nigeria would send Nigeria through – the excitement and drama was amazing! Meanwhile, Argentina scored again, effectively eliminating Greece as South Korea did their best to slow the game and waste some time! Despite Nigeria pressing hard at the end and nearly getting a surprise winner, it wasn’t going to be and on the balance of it, South Korea probably just about deserved the draw. Greece were disappointing and really gave themselves no chance of qualifying while Nigeria should be proud of the pulsating display – after all the drama finished, Argentina qualified with a perfect record and South Korea just did enough to qualify in second place!

England will want to prove that the excellent qualifying performance was not a fluke and that they have the skill and the team spirit to get to at least the semi finals. England should win this group although their opening game against a very solid USA team will be key to their success. Slovenia and Algeria should not be that competitive in this group, although both sides are competent and perhaps can spoil the party for the USA or England.

My tip: Winners: England; Runner-Up: USA

06/12/2010 The USA performed very well against England and thoroughly deserved their draw. While a goalkeeping error perhaps cost England the win, you have to say that they only performed average, with the first half being particularly poor. They did improve in the second half and had plenty of chances, but overall they will be happy to get the point based on their overall performance. The USA really managed to dominate the mid field in the first half and made it difficult for England to gain any fluency. Both teams should still qualify for the round of sixteen, but based on this performance many will ask the question whether England can go any further.

06/13/2010 This group has suddenly become the tale of two goalies group - both Algeria and Slovenia played tight competant football with both teams willing to attack and looking solid in defense. Both England and the USA will not be too worried about progressiing further, although Slovenia will fancy getting a draw against both and will hope to move to the next round.

I still see the US and England qualifying at this stage.

06/18/2010 Well what a shocking first half from the USA who really sat back against Slovenia and looked very poor in defense. As soon as they went a goal down, they upped their game and really looked like scoring; that’s when Slovenia showed how good they are on counter attack. What impressed me was the Slovenia came to this game to attack and didn’t seem to want to settle for a draw!

At half time you felt that USA were down and out, but suddenly Landon Donovan burst through and hammered the ball into the back of the net – the goalie actually flinched as it zipped past his head! USA had a new urgency as soon as they stepped back on the pitch, and Slovenia really were shaken, however they also continued to attack not happy to sit back on a lead, and thus the game became very pulsating and exciting. Slovenia took control of the game for a while as the USA struggled to retain possession, but the US did look dangerous in attack. As the USA fought hard they finally got the goal they deserved, and later in a pulsating last fifteen minutes had a goal disallowed - they will feel that they were hard done by, but I’d say that a draw was probably a fair result. The USA must now hope that England beat Slovenia in the final game, or England lose to both Algeria and Slovenia. There are so many different avenues that the US have to qualify that it is hard to list them! I have to say that this was one of the top games of the tournament so far; end to end quality attacking, a great comeback by the USA and perhaps a controversial decision to deny the US the win!

The second game was dire in comparison. What is it with England? They showed so much promise in qualification and they have looked average at best. Algeria controlled this game, with more penetration and a desire to win the ball. Midfield was terrible for England and they simply didn’t compete – they had a couple of chances, but to be honest a win would have been too good for England. Algeria contained England well, and really looked like breaking England’s defense at times. Based on the performances though, it’s likely we’ll see USA and Slovenia qualifying next week – England simply have to win their game against Slovenia to progress, and on this performance they’ll be back in England early.

06/23/2010 On a nervous day for England and the USA, with qualification in the balance, both the USA and England team looked tentative to start with. In the opening 10 minutes of England’s game against Slovenia, Slovenia looked dangerous and really did well to create chances against a wary England defense. Slowly England gained control, for once competing for the ball and gaining a foothold in midfield and the goal that came was inevitable as England applied the pressure.

Meanwhile, in the USA v Algeria, the USA can again count themselves unfortunate as they had another goal disallowed – and again it looked like a legitimate goal. Algeria actually looked the better of the two teams early on.

England seemed to gain confidence from the early chance and began to play with a surety we haven’t seen so far, creating quite a few goal scoring chances. Slovenia started to press realizing that with a USA win they could now be going out of the tournament, thus a few gaps started to appear in midfield for England.

You also begin to wonder if it’s not going to be USAs day as Altidore misses an easy chance from six yards out.

England will be satisfied with their first half and will want to consolidate and increase their lead; the USA will be disappointed at half time and will need another special performance in the second half if they want to move through to the next round.

England continued to press in the second half, their performance much improved, and they really looked dangerous in attack – Slovenia did create some chances on the break but never really threatened to score. Rooney began to look more and more dangerous and this will please the English fans – the only worry for England is that they didn’t get an early goal , despite chances and hitting the post, and therefore applied some unnecessary pressure on themselves.

Meanwhile, USA continue to press and again must rue their luck as they hit the post – you wonder if they’ll score at this point – with 30 minutes to go, there’s still a lot to play for. Slovenia began to throw men forward and created some dangerous moments for the England team, but aside from one frantic minute they really didn’t look like scoring.

With twenty minutes to go the USA started to pile the pressure on to get the goal that would see them through to the next round – you have to be honest, Algeria never really looked like scoring.

A worry for England though as Wayne Rooney , who was limping, is replaced by Cole. The last few minutes of both games were frantic, with Slovenia pushing England back, but England finally secured the ball and played out the last two minutes in the Slovenian half. As the final whistle blew, the astonishing news of a USA goal came through, breaking the Slovenian hearts who had their toes in the round of sixteen. After another exciting 90 minutes, USA finish top of the group and England finish second!

On paper this is one of the toughest groups in the world cup. Germany are the favorites but they will not be happy at the prospect of facing the other teams in this group. Ghana are an impressive side whose skill on the ball is superb; there’s no doubt that they have a great chance of qualifying. Serbia surprisingly won their group, forcing France into a playoff game and are not easy to beat. The weakest team is arguably Australia, although they are a strong and stubborn team.

My tip: Winners: Ghana; Runner-up: Germany.

06/13/2010 While Ghana started off well, both sides struggled to find a little fluency and it's becoming evident that the ball is causing some problems for players as they try and adapt to the bounciness - Ghana scored from the penalty after a bizarre incident, and while Serbia had been down to 10 men they were looking the better team prior to the goal. Serbia will be dissapointed not to have gained at least a point.

It looks like that at this stage of the competition, the teams that master the extra bounce of the ball may well go far in the tournament - the errors in Group C look a little less glaring due to this unexpected bounce.

In the second game Germany lit up the World Cup with a 4-0 demolition of Australia. With precision and style the young German team really exposed the Australian defense and always looked like scoring goals. Australia had their chances and will rue a few bad misses, and Germany may be a little worried; when Australia spread the ball wide, the German defense did look a little weak. Overall Germany will be very happy with the result and will gain in confidence throughout the tournament, they are looking good for at least a QF place.

06/18/2010 One comment I have made previously is that I felt the German team may be a little to young and lack experience especially if they were to go a goal down. Well after a fairly average first hour, the only highlights being a multitude of yellow cards, Klose, already on a yellow card made a sloppy tackle and was sent off for a second yellow card; probably a little harsh.

Almost immediately, Serbia went up the other end and scored a very good goal. Prior to this both teams were playing pretty well and the game looked pretty balanced. After the goal, you may have thought that Germany would simply fold, but they took the game to Serbia. The game became very dynamic, with both teams having excellent chances and Germany even missed a penalty.

On the balance of it Serbia will be disappointed that they couldn’t score more goals; they had plenty of chances but didn’t seem to have that cutting edge! Despite the setback, Germany will probably be quite happy with this result – they showed they can still play great football despite being a man down and this will only give them confidence going forward.

07/23/2010 What makes the final games of this group interesting is the fact that all four teams could still qualify for the round of sixteen. Germany started off well against Ghana, not wanting to rely on other results to go through and looked good in attack – however, Ghana also played some attractive football initially, and both teams had some chances early on.

Australia and Serbia, also both with a chance of qualifying played some open football, with Serbia being mostly dominant although they looked a little suspect on the break. Serbia really may rue some of their chances, for as it stands coming up to half time, they are going out of the tournament.

Amazingly, with the amount of chances created in both games, it’s a wonder how there were no goals scored with in the first half hour. And while Serbia are dominant in their game, there’s little between Ghana and Germany. Could there be more drama on the way – if Germany draw and Serbia win (or Australia for that matter!), the German team will be on their way home! Both England and USA will be watching with interest wondering which of the four teams they’ll be facing in the round of sixteen. (I note that at half time, even though there are no goals, I fully expect Germany to pull out a last minute goal just as it looked like they were on their way out of the cup!).

Ghana opened up the second half in an attacking mood and really may rue not converting some of their early chances. Germany slowly came back into the game and got the important goal – now the game should open up! Ghana are still in a position to go through, assuming Serbia don’t score and Germany don’t score anymore, but they will not want to sit back and rely on that – and they almost level straight away!

Amazingly the plot thickens as Australia, who started to come back into the game against Serbia, open the scoring. This is good for Ghana, giving them a large goal advantage against Australia – but if Germany score one or two more, and Australia score another, it gets interesting!!! Serbia will be shocked by the goal as they dominated the first half, and really should have been comfortably winning – what an intriguing last 20 minutes it will be in this group – there’s still so much that could happen!

Whoooaa – this is amazingly exciting as Australia get a second – 15 minutes to go and Australia are making a charge for the round of sixteen! You have to say that the ‘so-called’ minnows of the tournament have really shown a lot of bottle – both South Africa and Australia deserve a lot of credit for their hearty performances. With ten minutes to go, Ghana attempt to up the tempo and create some chances against Germany – as it stands they are through, but they will not want to rely on Serbia to keep them in the World Cup.

Oh and there’s one more twist – Serbia, not content to lie down and die, get a goal back – with five minutes to go, an equalizing goal would send them through as they have scored more goals than Ghana and would have the same goal difference – wow what can happen now? That’s probably then end of the Australian challenge though! This really is incredibly exciting – Serbia have a goal disallowed for offside – and probably just about right – that would have sent them through!

Well despite the late drama, Germany and Ghana are through – both will not be happy with their performances and England and USA will definitely take heart for the next round. What an exciting evening, and I look forward with anticipation to England v Germany and USA v Ghana.

Kudos to all for teams for making it an exciting evening!

This group is another difficult group with four very good football teams. The Netherlands are the stand out team, and their quality and experience should see them moving to the latter stages of the cup. Cameroon are an enigma; highly talented and skillful, they have a lot of experience in large competitions and had a solid qualifying campaign. Denmark are another side that can play some football – they are a very tight and skillful side and will be hard to break down. Japan are a young and exciting side that may not have the experience, but certainly have the desire to progress to the round of sixteen. Out of all the groups, this is the hardest to predict.

My tip: Winners: Netherlands; Runner-up: Denmark

06-14-2010 In another tense opening game both teams seemed nervous and made far too many errors. While the Netherlands looked more dangerous in attack, the free flowing attacking game that was expected didn’t develop and the game became more of a chess match as both sides waited for the other to make an error – and it was through one of these errors that the Netherlands took the lead just after half time.

Both sides will be unhappy with their performance; The Netherlands really didn’t show the talent they have and while they won comfortably, they really will want to perform better – they did well in the last ten minutes and will gain confidence from this. Denmark made far too many defensive errors and had The Netherlands have been more clinical then they could have won far easier. Denmark did cause a few problems, but The Netherlands will be happy with their defense.

Denmark will take heart from the second game though; both Japan and Cameroon didn’t play that well and Cameroon’s Eto was almost nonexistent! Both sides did play neat football, with some decent passing but really didn’t threaten to light up the tournament with limited action for each goal-keeper.

The Japan team was well organized, but will have to show a little more if they want to get further in the tournament – the Cameroon side seemed to lack the cutting edge that is required at this level, and with the likes of Eto in their team, that was a major disappointment.

 06/24/2010 well the Netherlands and Cameroon game was actually better than I thought, considering there really wasn't anything to play for - Cameroon started to look good for a change and one wonders what would have happened if they had played this well throughout the tournament. The Netherlands again controlled the game, looking well organized; they are slowly gaining confidence and while they have done nothing special, they really haven't looked like losing - although they did let in their first goal of the tournament.

Japan taught Denmark a lesson in football. Playing very fast attacking football they dominated Denmark and never really looked in trouble - they've improved over the tournament and are now looking like a team that could go far - they are talented and fast and this could be key in the next round. Denmark were just out-played byt Japan, and while they had glimpses of class they generally just looked average.

Italy, the current FIFA World Champions should be favorites to qualify in this group. However, Paraguay were impressive in qualifying and certainly will relish the challenge of taking on the World Champions. Slovakia, while not highly ranked surprised many by winning a very tough qualifying group – they proved that they have a quality side that can compete with the best of them. New Zealand could perhaps surprise a few teams – their direct approach can unsettle skillful sides and they could produce a shock result or two. If any group is going to produce a shock I think it is this one. (I had to pick one big team to go out, and I just have a feeling that Italy will be over confident and under-estimate their opposition).

My Tip: Winners: Paraguay; Runner-Up: Slovakia

06/14/2010

The first half of the Italy v Paraguay game was mostly a torrid affair as both teams struggled a little with the rain and at times found the surface extremely slippery and fast –it was mostly a midfield battle and not much in terms of excitement or chances happened – however Paraguay did produce one of the better goals of the tournament so far and went into half time with a surprise lead.

The second half was better, with both sides creating chances; this tournament is certainly going to be known as the tournament of the goalies as another goalie gifts a goal, this time to Italy – that’s the fourth in my book! Italy pressed towards the end and started to look good as Paraguay seemed to deflate a little after letting in the goal – overall a draw was probably a fair result.

06-15-2010 If the results in a soccer team were based on heart then New Zealand would have won this game easily. They showed great team work and showed that a team can overcome the odds and play very well despite being heavily un-favored. Slovakia were comfortable for most of the game though, and while they did look a little suspect once NZ got the ball wide, they mainly controlled the game from mid-field and never really looked like losing. Amazingly, NZ secured a point in the last minute, NZ have proved that they are here to play, and there still could be some surprises in this group. Slovakia will be disappointed to lose the win, whereas NZ will be ecstatic!

06/20/2010 With Paraguay getting a comfortable yet perhaps unispiring result against a Slovakian side that seemed bereft of ideas, the group remains wide open after a stunning defensive performance from New Zealand as they drew with World Champions Italy. Italy probably will qualify, but Slovakia wll definately take heart form the stunning New Zealand performance. This is probably one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history and NZ truly deserve the accolades.

07/24/10 Well as we start yet another intriguing final couple of matches in group f, there’s a possibility that if no one scores a goal in either game, New Zealand and Italy would draw lots to see who goes through – not a great way to go out of a world cup eh! And straight away Italy signal their intentions of going for the win with an attacking move! Yet again all four teams can qualify so we should see a lot of attacking football.

Slovakia start well holding most of the early possession against Italy looking to push forward and get a result – Italy look a little out of it as they struggle to get the ball. Similar start for Paraguay against New Zealand, although no real chances for Paraguay.

It’s surprising how poor Italy are looking early on – they simply cannot retain the ball and Slovakia are slowly building up the pressure. New Zealand are coming into their game a little. So far both games are a little dour. We’re seeing part of the bad side of football in the Uruguay NZ game. NZ are defending very well, using their physical side to keep Uruguay at bay – sadly Uruguay are trying to use this and seem intent on falling over at every opportunity trying to get free kicks, yellow cards and sending offs. The referee needs to give some cards to the Uruguay team before this gets out of hand.

Meanwhile, slowly Italy are retaining the ball and gaining in confidence – still a poor game though, although you sense Italy are waking up a little – only for them to make a huge mistake and give away a very soft goal! Wow – drama starting early!

In both games you wouldn’t really think that there’s a round of sixteen place at stake – not really any invention or intent from all four sides –hopefully the second half in each game will provide more attacking and hopefully more goals!

As the second half starts we are seeing more action in both games as NZ and Italy press forward, realizing they have 45 minutes left to save their skins! Italy begin to look a little better but still not playing with the authority of a World Champion.

Not much to say about Paraguay v NZ – simply dismal game. The Slovakia Italy game isn’t much better, although there does seem to be a new urgency from the Italy as they see a chance cleared off the line (now there’s one to talk about if Italy go out – hard to tell if it actually crossed the line!).

The game is really opening up now as Italy press forward leaving gaps for Slovakia to exploit! Meanwhile it looks NZ are running out of steam and their campaign could be coming to an end – courageous stuff though and KUDOS to the NZ team for playing their hearts out!

As the last twenty minutes progress, you wonder if Slovakia will rue their missed chances – they could have been two or three goals up! And as I wrote that, it looks like Slovakia have sealed Italy’s fate as they get the important second goal! Or have they? Suddenly the World Champions show up and begin to play the sort of football we expect from them – they suddenly look dynamic and dangerous and quickly get back into the game! Soon after they have another goal disallowed, although this time it was a great decision – suddenly at the other end, the Italian team fall asleep and let in a very soft goal – that me be it then! No, Italy storm back, and probably with the best goal give themselves another chance! And with the last attack of the match Slovakia hold out and manage to take the ball away from Pepe’s feet to save a goal – what a finale, and that’s Italy out of the World Cup! Sadly for NZ, the goal wouldn’t come, and they leave the world cup with their heads held high having been unbeaten!

What drama – and I hate to say it, but I forecast Italy would fall at this stage!

The real question in the 2010 FIFA World Cup is who will play Brazil in the final; Brazil are hot favorites to go all the way and with a solid defense and mighty attack not many will argue the point. However, this isn’t an easy group; Portugal are a very talented side and and although they only just scraped into the tournament, they will be very hard to beat. Côte d'Ivoire produced some stunning form in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and they look even stronger now – there’s no doubt that on their day they can cause problems for most teams in the tournament. Korea DPR are probably just glad to be in South Africa; it’s highly unlikely that they will progress to the round of sixteen, but they will be hoping to emulate the heroes of 1966 who made it to the quarter finals.

My tip: Winners: Brazil; Runner-Up: Côte d'Ivoire

06/15/2010 Aside from a couple of really close chances from both sides, the only thing of real interest in the first half was the Mexican Wave. Like many games in the World Cup so far, the defenses have stifled any chances quickly and it’s slowly becoming a tournament about defense. The second half was much better with the Ivory Coast looking pretty good in attack and defensively holding one of the best teams in the world to a few shots. Overall a draw was probably a fair result, with the Ivory Coast probably just shading it.

In the second game, it’s actually quite refreshing to see an under-dog go for a result, and there’s no doubt that North Korea looked lively at times and did cause Brazil some problems in defense. North Korea, absent from International competition for so long, showed that they are worthy of their berth in the FIFA 2010 World Cup and produced some attractive attacking football and were very well organized. Brazil were solid, having much of the ball and creating plenty of chances though, and showed some of the skills they were famous for, but they did find it difficult to break through the tough North Korean defense in the first half, and their build-up was very slow.

It continued much the same until a stunning piece of skill by Maicon broke the deadlock; considering the fact that Brazil had 14 shots up to this point, you always felt it was coming. Brazil continued to attack, perhaps weary of letting in a late equalizer, and with over 75% of the ball will perhaps be a little disappointed with the score line – although Brazil looked good, you wonder how well they will perform against the likes of Germany or Argentina. This was a valiant effort by North Korea and for 55 minutes did contain Brazil. It should be noted however that Brazil did score two of the best goals of the tournament so far – should we be worried? Many teams will take heart that North Korea scored a consolation goal - and what a great goal it was. Out of the five best goals in the tournament so far, three were scored in this game.

06/20/10 Brazil continue to show flashes of brilliance, but other than that are playing solid comfortable football - they don't look too great, but they are winning their games without having to change gear and really play hard - I expect them to improve and be really hard to beat. The Ivory Coast were really dissapointing - they seemed to lack speed and initiative, and really didn't show any of the skills they have - they will find it difficult to progress further.

06/21/2010 It looks like we finally have a firm favorite for the World Cup – out of all the teams I’ve seen, Portugal have looked the most comfortable on the ball, have looked incredibly assured and have really lived up to their skill level and produced a stunning performance to destroy North Korea. You have to feel sorry for North Korea – after their excellent performance against Brazil they will feel shell shocked.

This wasn’t particularly a bad performance by North Korea it was simply a stunning performance by a team hitting their peak at the right time, and on the evidence of this performance most teams are going to struggle to keep up with Portugal.

Spain are currently ranked number one in the world and are the European Champions. They are the deserving favorites to take home the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy. Alongside them are three good sides who will compete for the runner-up spot. Chile performed well in qualification and overshadowed their more illustrious neighbors Argentina. Switzerland are the type of team you don’t want to meet in the knock out side. They are hard working, industrious and hard to beat – they have a very young side who really has nothing to lose. Honduras probably won’t progress out of the group stage, but with a few talented players they won’t be easy to beat and potentially could cause a shock or two.

My tip: Winner: Spain; Runner-up: Switzerland.

06/16/2010

This Chile Honduras game was one of the most pulsating games of the World Cup 2010 tournament so far with both sides willing to attack. Chile looked most likely to score in the first half and took a deserved lead, while Honduras looked very good on the break and had several decent chances themselves. The Chile defense managed to keep Honduras’s chances down to long range efforts.

The second half was dominated by Chile as they created numerous chances – Honduras can thank their goal keeper for his superb display, he certainly kept them in the game. Chile will be a little worried that with all their dominance they only scored one goal. One of the better games of the tournament so far, although the referee was a little too eager to give yellow cards.

In the second game Spain dominated possession in the first half and looked very comfortable and in control with the ball. However Switzerland were very well organized in the back and did well to keep the Spanish out for the first 45 minutes.

Switzerland, having weathered the storm in the first half came out and were more aggressive; this culminated in a goal. Spain were far more subdued up until this point and seemed to be happy to settle players in midfield. They still had the majority of possession and shots, but the cutting edge seemed lacking and many of their shots on goal were from distance. As the game progressed Spain created more and more and were lucky not to go further behind when Switzerland broke.

Spain will be absolutely stunned with this result; with the amount of possession and shots they had you would have expected them to win easily, but they just didn’t look sharp enough – Switzerland by contrast, who had little ball and few shots gave Spain a lesson on how to take chances. Spain now face a nervous few weeks and will not be happy to have to try and break down Chile.

This has to go down as one of the biggest shocks in World Cup competition for a long time

06/21/2010 The Switzerland Chile game was really one about the yellow cards - with a man sent off Switzerland were always going to find it difficult, and although they managed to stay goal-less for most of the game, the Chilean team eventually broke down the excellent Swiss defense and got the winner. Chile have quietly won both games in their group without really to do much - they look good in attack, but at times seemed at a loss for ideas as they tried to break the Swiss defense down. Switzerland played well in defense, and broke the world record during the game for the longest time in World Cup competition without conceding a goal. They'll be dissapoitned with the result and now will possibly find it difficult to qualify, with goal difference potentially being the deciding factor.