first round of matches (group G) results.
Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
on paper, it was supposed to be a great match, with the world's most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo versus Didier Drogba, one of the most lethal strikers ever. the match was boring, simple as that. nothing much to report about. OVERALL - it was a waste of my 90 minutes. i was better off watching paint dry or grass grow.
Brazil 2-1 Korea DPR
Brazil: the World Cup's highest-ranked team. Korea DPR: the World Cup's lowest-ranked team. but despite being 'mysterious', Korea DPR are actually rater highly rated! coaches of other teams who have come up against the 'Chollima' have regarded the defenders as being 'tireless' and players as strong. so how did they fare against 5-time champions Brazil? they held Brazil to a 0-0 draw in the first half. but in the second half, Korea DPR 's defence finally was breached, and Brazil finally overcame their slow start to take the lead through Maicon. his goal has got to be one of the best in this tournament, in my opinion. Elano added a second late on. despite Brazil leading by two goals to nil, Korea DPR never gave up. they got a late consolation goal through Ji Yun-nam. OVERALL - Brazil made a meal of what was supposed to be a stroll in the park for them. Korea DPR might have lost, but at least they gave some fight.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
a point to prove
here are the results from the first round matches of Group F.
New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
Slovakia, who were making their World Cup debut as an independent nation, looked set to top the group when Robert Vittek met a diagonal cross by Stanislav Sestak and scored with a powerful header from 10 meters. the weather conditions in the stadium were cold and windy. Slovakia had more chances, but New Zealand's good organisation enabled them to stay in contention. towards the end it looked bleak for the All Whites as time was ticking away until an innocent looking cross was swung into the Slovak penalty area and up popped defender Winston Reid, who rose the highest to score the equaliser. OVERALL - disappointing result for Slovakia. they should have defended better and not have allowed NZ to get the stoppage-time goal. credit to NZ for persevering till the end.
Italy 1-1 Paraguay
Paraguay, who defeated Brazil and Argentina in qualifying, surprisingly held reigning world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw. the Paraguayans took the lead through Antolin Alcaraz in the 39th minute. but despite that opening goal, Paraguay made repeated errors in set pieces, squandered their chances, and gifting Italy their equaliser. Italy, meanwhile, levelled in the 63rd minute when a Simone Pepe corner sailed past goalkeeper Justo Villar's flailing fist and Daniele De Rossi stuck out a foot to steer the ball into the empty net. OVERALL - the reigning world champions should play better. credit to Paraguay for making things tough for Italy early on in the match.
New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
Slovakia, who were making their World Cup debut as an independent nation, looked set to top the group when Robert Vittek met a diagonal cross by Stanislav Sestak and scored with a powerful header from 10 meters. the weather conditions in the stadium were cold and windy. Slovakia had more chances, but New Zealand's good organisation enabled them to stay in contention. towards the end it looked bleak for the All Whites as time was ticking away until an innocent looking cross was swung into the Slovak penalty area and up popped defender Winston Reid, who rose the highest to score the equaliser. OVERALL - disappointing result for Slovakia. they should have defended better and not have allowed NZ to get the stoppage-time goal. credit to NZ for persevering till the end.
Italy 1-1 Paraguay
Paraguay, who defeated Brazil and Argentina in qualifying, surprisingly held reigning world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw. the Paraguayans took the lead through Antolin Alcaraz in the 39th minute. but despite that opening goal, Paraguay made repeated errors in set pieces, squandered their chances, and gifting Italy their equaliser. Italy, meanwhile, levelled in the 63rd minute when a Simone Pepe corner sailed past goalkeeper Justo Villar's flailing fist and Daniele De Rossi stuck out a foot to steer the ball into the empty net. OVERALL - the reigning world champions should play better. credit to Paraguay for making things tough for Italy early on in the match.
more pain for Danes; joy for Japan
here are the results from the first round matches of Group E.
Holland 2-0 Denmark
it wasnt the prettiest of football matches, but Holland held on for a fortuitous win over Denmark. it began drearily like all the other first round matches: long balls, strong defending, and keeping possession of the ball for long periods. but the deadlock was finally broken by guess what? an own goal. Robin van Persie left Dane goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson stranded away from the goalmouth and crossed the ball, only for Simon Poulsen's header to hit team-mate Daniel Agger's back and dribble into the unguarded Danish goal. the Danes tried to find the equaliser, but when Dirk Kuyt made the game safe for the Dutch by slamming home his 85th minute effort, the Danish players looked tired and wished the referee would blow the final whistle ASAP. OVERALL - not the most convincing performance by Holland, but the determination was there. Denmark need to give a good showing in their next few matches to show that they deserve to go through to the last 16.
Japan 1-0 Cameroon
ah, Japan. serial underachievers on the international stage. somehow coach Takeshi Okada strangely insisted his side can make it to the semi-finals, but recent performances have shown that his Japan side are not capable of scoring goals and defending well. will his team improve and prove him right, or will Japan fail to get through to the last 16 and make him eat his words? well, this first game against Cameroon was not exactly the easiest match, but if Okada can boast of making it to the semis, he must surely have the tactics to counter the African side that includes players like Samuel Eto'o and Alex Song. true enough, Japan's defenders roughed it out and held back attacks from Cameroon and were rewarded for their hard work when, in the 39th minute, Keisuke Honda smashed home a near range shot to score the only goal in the match. in the second half though, it was dominated by Cameroon, but they just could not prise open the tough-as-nails Japanese defence. OVERALL - a good showing by Japan to prove their doubters wrong. it was their first victory on foreign soil. Cameroon need to be more cohesive in attack.
Holland 2-0 Denmark
it wasnt the prettiest of football matches, but Holland held on for a fortuitous win over Denmark. it began drearily like all the other first round matches: long balls, strong defending, and keeping possession of the ball for long periods. but the deadlock was finally broken by guess what? an own goal. Robin van Persie left Dane goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson stranded away from the goalmouth and crossed the ball, only for Simon Poulsen's header to hit team-mate Daniel Agger's back and dribble into the unguarded Danish goal. the Danes tried to find the equaliser, but when Dirk Kuyt made the game safe for the Dutch by slamming home his 85th minute effort, the Danish players looked tired and wished the referee would blow the final whistle ASAP. OVERALL - not the most convincing performance by Holland, but the determination was there. Denmark need to give a good showing in their next few matches to show that they deserve to go through to the last 16.
Japan 1-0 Cameroon
ah, Japan. serial underachievers on the international stage. somehow coach Takeshi Okada strangely insisted his side can make it to the semi-finals, but recent performances have shown that his Japan side are not capable of scoring goals and defending well. will his team improve and prove him right, or will Japan fail to get through to the last 16 and make him eat his words? well, this first game against Cameroon was not exactly the easiest match, but if Okada can boast of making it to the semis, he must surely have the tactics to counter the African side that includes players like Samuel Eto'o and Alex Song. true enough, Japan's defenders roughed it out and held back attacks from Cameroon and were rewarded for their hard work when, in the 39th minute, Keisuke Honda smashed home a near range shot to score the only goal in the match. in the second half though, it was dominated by Cameroon, but they just could not prise open the tough-as-nails Japanese defence. OVERALL - a good showing by Japan to prove their doubters wrong. it was their first victory on foreign soil. Cameroon need to be more cohesive in attack.
complaints = Serbia and celebrations = Germany
here are the results of the Group D first round matches.
Serbia 0-1 Ghana
vuvuzelas. THAT is the name of the loud object that the Serbian players claim made them lose control of the World Cup ball, loss of concentration, and the main focal point: they blame the vuvuzelas for making them give away the 'stupid' penalty that cost them the game. well, at least that's what the players think. but coach Radomir Antic had a different gripe. he claims that what turned the game was the 'harsh' dismissal of Aleksandar Lukovic in the 74th minute. nine minutes after that setback, substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic's raised arm struck a ball hit across the area to give away the penalty that put Ghana ahead. the penalty was coolly converted by Asamoah Gyan. whatever the case may be, Serbia weren't setting the football world alight, and they paid the price for poor football. OVERALL - could have been better. Serbia need to up their game in order to make it to the last 16.
Germany 4-0 Australia
''Australia not the banchmark. there will be more difficult opponents to play. so this was a good warm-up. we will be happy about this win.'' that is what Germany coach Joachim Loew has told his players after the match. whether the Aussies take that comment as an insult is another thing. back to the match, Australia were totally outclassed by a relatively youthful German squad. in fact, it is Germany's youngest squad for three-quarters of a century. either way, the fans didnt have to wait long for the goals to start coming. Lukas Podolski opened the scoring in the 8th minute, the second by Miroslav Klose(26), the third by Thomas Mueller(68), and rounded off by Cacau(70). it was just a beautiful display by Germany. Australia, on the other hand, were just underwhelmed. the defence was exposed and when going forward, there was a lack of creativity or ideas. talk about rubbing more salt into the wounds: Australia were forced to play with 10 men for the last half hour after Tim Cahill got his marching orders for a horrific tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger. OVERALL - superb display by Germany. they are the first team in this tournament to score more than two goals in one game. disappointing display by Australia. more was expected from them, but they let their fans down with that shambolic display.
Serbia 0-1 Ghana
vuvuzelas. THAT is the name of the loud object that the Serbian players claim made them lose control of the World Cup ball, loss of concentration, and the main focal point: they blame the vuvuzelas for making them give away the 'stupid' penalty that cost them the game. well, at least that's what the players think. but coach Radomir Antic had a different gripe. he claims that what turned the game was the 'harsh' dismissal of Aleksandar Lukovic in the 74th minute. nine minutes after that setback, substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic's raised arm struck a ball hit across the area to give away the penalty that put Ghana ahead. the penalty was coolly converted by Asamoah Gyan. whatever the case may be, Serbia weren't setting the football world alight, and they paid the price for poor football. OVERALL - could have been better. Serbia need to up their game in order to make it to the last 16.
Germany 4-0 Australia
''Australia not the banchmark. there will be more difficult opponents to play. so this was a good warm-up. we will be happy about this win.'' that is what Germany coach Joachim Loew has told his players after the match. whether the Aussies take that comment as an insult is another thing. back to the match, Australia were totally outclassed by a relatively youthful German squad. in fact, it is Germany's youngest squad for three-quarters of a century. either way, the fans didnt have to wait long for the goals to start coming. Lukas Podolski opened the scoring in the 8th minute, the second by Miroslav Klose(26), the third by Thomas Mueller(68), and rounded off by Cacau(70). it was just a beautiful display by Germany. Australia, on the other hand, were just underwhelmed. the defence was exposed and when going forward, there was a lack of creativity or ideas. talk about rubbing more salt into the wounds: Australia were forced to play with 10 men for the last half hour after Tim Cahill got his marching orders for a horrific tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger. OVERALL - superb display by Germany. they are the first team in this tournament to score more than two goals in one game. disappointing display by Australia. more was expected from them, but they let their fans down with that shambolic display.
Hand of Clod(s)
sorry for the late update on results from the World Cup! have been down with flu, so recuperating is more important! hehe. okay, here are the results from the first round games played in Group C.
England 1-1 USA
the hype surrounding this team has been huge, and if anyone expected England to win the World Cup anytime soon, this year couldn't have been a better time. under the strict coaching of 'Don' Fabio Capello, the team have been disciplined and compact in playing style. the first match between England and the USA was supposed to be a sure-win match, but sadly, despite a breeze in the qualifying rounds en route to the 2010 World Cup, England were lucky not to lose the first game. surprisingly, 'Captain Marvel' Steven Gerrard put the Three Lions ahead in the 4th minute with a sublime strike past Tim Howard. England were then cruising and preserving their slender lead till USA striker Clint Dempsey unleashed a 'soft' strike at goal in the 40th minute. England 'keeper Robert Green was expected to catch that ball, and instead let it slip out of his hands and let it roll into the back of the net. this said, it definitely goes down as one of the worst goalkeeping howlers of the World Cup of all time. after that incident, England had a few chances to try winning the game but none took their chances well. OVERALL - it was a disappointing game. more was expected of England, yet they let their fans down time and time again. more improvement must be done if they are to win the trophy since 1966. but credit to USA too, for defending brilliantly, and also shackling talismanic England striker Wayne Rooney for most periods of the match.
Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
what are the chances of two teams in the same group committing a similar goalkeeping error? i could hardly believe it too, but that's exactly what happened to Algerian goalie Faouzi Chaouchi. Algeria had just been reduced to 10 men when Chaouchi fumbled a harmless looking 79th minute shot from Slovenia captain Robert Koren, allowing the ball to squirt through his arms into the bottom left hand corner of his net. six minutes earlier Algeria substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent off for handball having already been booked. the attacking midfielder was only on the pitch for 15 minutes. both teams struggled with them much-criticized Adidas Jabulani ball, but Slovenia hung on for a fortuitous win. OVERALL - scrappy playing from both teams. shame about the howler. if not, Algeria could have gotten a point.
England 1-1 USA
the hype surrounding this team has been huge, and if anyone expected England to win the World Cup anytime soon, this year couldn't have been a better time. under the strict coaching of 'Don' Fabio Capello, the team have been disciplined and compact in playing style. the first match between England and the USA was supposed to be a sure-win match, but sadly, despite a breeze in the qualifying rounds en route to the 2010 World Cup, England were lucky not to lose the first game. surprisingly, 'Captain Marvel' Steven Gerrard put the Three Lions ahead in the 4th minute with a sublime strike past Tim Howard. England were then cruising and preserving their slender lead till USA striker Clint Dempsey unleashed a 'soft' strike at goal in the 40th minute. England 'keeper Robert Green was expected to catch that ball, and instead let it slip out of his hands and let it roll into the back of the net. this said, it definitely goes down as one of the worst goalkeeping howlers of the World Cup of all time. after that incident, England had a few chances to try winning the game but none took their chances well. OVERALL - it was a disappointing game. more was expected of England, yet they let their fans down time and time again. more improvement must be done if they are to win the trophy since 1966. but credit to USA too, for defending brilliantly, and also shackling talismanic England striker Wayne Rooney for most periods of the match.
Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
what are the chances of two teams in the same group committing a similar goalkeeping error? i could hardly believe it too, but that's exactly what happened to Algerian goalie Faouzi Chaouchi. Algeria had just been reduced to 10 men when Chaouchi fumbled a harmless looking 79th minute shot from Slovenia captain Robert Koren, allowing the ball to squirt through his arms into the bottom left hand corner of his net. six minutes earlier Algeria substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent off for handball having already been booked. the attacking midfielder was only on the pitch for 15 minutes. both teams struggled with them much-criticized Adidas Jabulani ball, but Slovenia hung on for a fortuitous win. OVERALL - scrappy playing from both teams. shame about the howler. if not, Algeria could have gotten a point.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
2010 World Cup in South Africa
yay! the World Cup is finally here! after four years of waiting, the biggest show on Earth is on! sorry that this post comes two days after the opening matches, but what the heck! i have been busy, and finally i have the time to blog about it. here are my comments on the earlier matches:
(Group A)
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
the hosts South Africa took on Mexico in the first match of the 2010 WC. the match was few and far between, but despite Mexico's stunning amount of possession, they only drew 1-1. to rate SA, they played poorly in the first few minutes of the game, but surprisingly they took the lead through Siphiwe Tshabalala. they were on course for a shock win until poor defending allowed Rafael Marquez to equalize for Mexico late on in the match. SA did have two chances to win the match, but the chances were spurned by poor finishing. OVERALL - it was a good performance by both teams. not bad, but not good either.
France 0-0 Uruguay
in the second match, France wasted the chance to kill off Uruguay despite Uruguay being reduced to ten men in the latter stages of the match. nothing impressive from this match, save for brilliant performances by Frenchmen Yoann Gourcuff and goalie Hugo Lloris. despite the sending off of Nicolas Lodeiro, France just didnt take the slew of glorious chances to seal a late win. OVERALL - it was a dour match.
(Group B)
South Korea 2-0 Greece
South Korea played brilliantly once the whistle blew, and were rewarded when Lee Jung-soo volleyed home Ki Sung-yueng's free-kick with the Greek defenders only watching on helplessly. Greece tried in vain to get the equaliser, only to be dealt with a sucker punch with Park Ji-Sung taking full advantage of a defender's mistake to slot home SK's second goal and seal the three points. OVERALL - Greece were second best, and SK was top class.
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Diego Maradona relished this match, as it was his first game in charge of Argentina at the World Cup. Lionel Messi finally showed that he can perform on the international stage as well as he does with his club when he struck terror into the heart of the Nigerian defence time and time again, but was unlucky not to score a goal. the winner came from a header by Gabriel Heinze in the sixth minute. Nigeria had chances of their own, but somehow wasted them all. Kalu Uche was the biggest culprit, lashing the ball over the bar when he was unmarked inside the box. OVERALL - a good showing by Argentina that they are finally worthy to challenge for the trophy.
more results will be posted as i continue blogging about the tournament.
(Group A)
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
the hosts South Africa took on Mexico in the first match of the 2010 WC. the match was few and far between, but despite Mexico's stunning amount of possession, they only drew 1-1. to rate SA, they played poorly in the first few minutes of the game, but surprisingly they took the lead through Siphiwe Tshabalala. they were on course for a shock win until poor defending allowed Rafael Marquez to equalize for Mexico late on in the match. SA did have two chances to win the match, but the chances were spurned by poor finishing. OVERALL - it was a good performance by both teams. not bad, but not good either.
France 0-0 Uruguay
in the second match, France wasted the chance to kill off Uruguay despite Uruguay being reduced to ten men in the latter stages of the match. nothing impressive from this match, save for brilliant performances by Frenchmen Yoann Gourcuff and goalie Hugo Lloris. despite the sending off of Nicolas Lodeiro, France just didnt take the slew of glorious chances to seal a late win. OVERALL - it was a dour match.
(Group B)
South Korea 2-0 Greece
South Korea played brilliantly once the whistle blew, and were rewarded when Lee Jung-soo volleyed home Ki Sung-yueng's free-kick with the Greek defenders only watching on helplessly. Greece tried in vain to get the equaliser, only to be dealt with a sucker punch with Park Ji-Sung taking full advantage of a defender's mistake to slot home SK's second goal and seal the three points. OVERALL - Greece were second best, and SK was top class.
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Diego Maradona relished this match, as it was his first game in charge of Argentina at the World Cup. Lionel Messi finally showed that he can perform on the international stage as well as he does with his club when he struck terror into the heart of the Nigerian defence time and time again, but was unlucky not to score a goal. the winner came from a header by Gabriel Heinze in the sixth minute. Nigeria had chances of their own, but somehow wasted them all. Kalu Uche was the biggest culprit, lashing the ball over the bar when he was unmarked inside the box. OVERALL - a good showing by Argentina that they are finally worthy to challenge for the trophy.
more results will be posted as i continue blogging about the tournament.
Friday, June 11, 2010
BRRRRR.....!!!!!!!
why such a topic? it was because i just returned back from Melbourne, Australia. and boy, was it COLD! the strong cold winds just kept blowing in my face! i was not used to such a super cold weather, so i didnt really like the cold weather. on a brighter note, the trip was totally exciting! it was my first time overseas, so it was definitely exciting. i stayed in my uncle's apartment, which was just a short walk to the city. i visited many places and was just exposed to the 'gwai lo' culture. the most interesting highlight was getting to meet up with Alicia. my my my, she has definitely grown taller! ha! it was great seeing her again. mmmhmm...what else? oh yes, i did go for the Great Ocean Drive, which is a long and windy journey past cliffs and mountains, and boy was that interesting! i even visited a small town called Warrnambool! the scenery around the grassy plains and farms were very beautiful.
overall it was a great experience, and i really enjoyed my stay there. thank God for protecting me and my family while overseas. :)
overall it was a great experience, and i really enjoyed my stay there. thank God for protecting me and my family while overseas. :)
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