Day 30 - BRONZE METTLE
Germany outduels a memorable Uruguay team to finish in 3rd place at the 2010 World Cup.

July 10, 2010
by Dan Krier


Germany 3 - Uruguay 2

For the second straight World Cup tournament, Germany took home the 3rd place trophy, this time winning Saturday’s consolation game against Uruguay in comeback fashion by the score of 3-2.

Playing in constant rainfall in the southern city of Port Elizabeth, the contest featured wide-open football for the full 90 minutes with neither team having much to lose.

Absent from the match with flu-like symptoms was German forward Miroslav Klose, who fans were hoping to see break the record for all-time goals scored, something he would have done had he played and scored two. So without their 32 year-old star, the Germans featured a relatively-new lineup, one that performed exactly the same as the old formation did…successfully.

Thankfully, the match was anything but boring, with goals coming early and often. First it was Germany striking with a 19th minute rope of a shot from 35 yards away by Bastian Schweinsteiger, the ball thumping off the chest of Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera for a wide-open rebound score by Thomas Mueller and a 1-0 Germany lead.

For the 20 year-old Mueller, it was his fifth goal of the 2010 World Cup, something that will surely bring him the honor of Best Young Player of the tournament.

Back came Uruguay in the 28th minute, when Edinson Cavani took a pass from Luis Suarez up the left side on a break-away and sent in a toe-poke grounder for his first goal of the 2010 World Cup and a 1-1 tie, where things stayed until halftime.

Not too far into the second half, the never-say-die Uruguayans found more wizardry from the foot of Diego Forlan, who cooked up a legendary sideways volley that bounced hard into the turf before skidding past helpless German goalie Hans-Jorg Butt for a 2-1 Uruguay lead and Forlan’s fifth goal of the World Cup.

But sadly for the lone South American team left standing, Germany’s best trait is scoring goals, and just five minutes later in the 56th minute, a long cross from right to left from Jerome Boateng swung through traffic and was headed in by Marcell Jansen for the 2-2 tie. It was a highly unlikely combination during open play being that both men are defenders.

From that point on, the Germans seemed to be in command, finally putting away their adversaries in the 83rd minute on a corner kick that bounced through the box before being headed into the top-right corner of the net by 23 year-old midfielder Sami Khedira for his first-ever goal for his country and the 3-2 lead.

As the match reached its final seconds, Diego Forlan had an opportunity to tie things up with a 20-yard free kick, but his shot on goal deflected off the top left of the crossbar, ending the game and a wondrous run for Uruguay, a team that far exceeded expectations in every way possible. Congrats to them, and also to the Germans, who proved once again that they are one of the best football-playing countries in the world year after year after year.

———————————-

Day 26 - ORANJE CRUSH
Holland appears marked for glory in reaching their third-ever World Cup Final.

July 6, 2010
by Dan Krier

Netherlands 3 - Uruguay 2

Sometimes the path to greatness is riddled with its share of ups & downs. Other times, it’s smooth sailing from square one.

The latter case represents the way in which the Netherlands national football team have reached the 2010 World Cup Final, this last step completed with a rather dominant 3-2 victory over a never-say-die Uruguay side that overachieved from the moment they got to South Africa.

And truly, this game was par for the course for the Dutch, who entered the World Cup rolling on the heels of a perfect 8 wins out of 8 in 2010 UEFA World Cup Qualifying, scoring a total of 17 goals in those games while yielding only 2. They then strode through the 2010 preliminary round with a perfect three wins and nine points, winning Group E after just two matches were completed.

Next came a 2-1 triumph over a crafty Slovakian squad that had upset Italy just days before, followed by an astounding comeback victory over world #1 Brazil in the quarterfinal round. Clearly stated, the Netherlands’ success is no accident.

So the Men of Oranje took their show to Cape Town on Tuesday night, facing off against a Uruguay team depleted of two of its stars, one due to injury (for Diego Lugano) and the other for suspension because of a Red Card (for Luis Suarez). In many ways this game should have been a rout, but Uruguay were too tough to get pushed around, and made one hell of an effort from start to finish.

The game began with Holland on the attack right away, and just as things started to settle in, Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst unleashed a pulsing sonic boom of a shot that rang true in the 18th minute for a 1-0 Netherlands lead. It was just the sixth-ever goal for the defensive back in 105 career games for his country.

With the goal, Uruguay had no choice. They had to push forward to equalize, and so they tried. But the feel of the game was in hand, and everyone knew this was going to be a Dutch victory. Except Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan striker, who had spent the last month of the World Cup bending shots like a knuckleball from a Major League pitcher, put his left foot to a liner in the 41st minute that beat goalie Maarten Stekelenburg for the 1-1 tie. Relief for Uruguay, fear for the Netherlands.

So back and forth it went for the next half hour of play, no one quite sure of the outcome. But the Dutch began to build, coming close on several occasions when finally, in the 70th minute, secret agent Wesley Sneijder got a shot to glance off a defenders shin, pinballing past goalie Fernando Muslera for the 2-1 regained lead. It was Sneijder’s fifth goal of the tournament, the most by any player thus far (along with David Villa of Spain). Relief for everyone in Holland. It was surely going to be an All-European Final.

And sure enough, just 3 minutes later, a wonderful left-to-right cross from Dirk Kuyt connected perfectly with Arjen Robben, who put the game away with a world-class header, making the score 3-1 Netherlands.

Uruguay’s Maxi Periera netted a very late left-foot goal two minutes into final stoppage time to pull Uruguay within one at 3-2, but even with a couple tense final moments it was too little and too late, so Netherlands move on to their first World Cup Final since 1978. Very very deserved for the players from Holland, who have exhibited fantastic teamwork for over a dozen games in a row. They’re going to be hard to beat on Sunday.

—————————

Uruguay vs. Netherlands

What can you say about this one? Nobody in the world outside of these two countries would have picked either of these teams to reach the 2010 World Cup semifinals, yet here they both are. I’m shocked, but it’s a pleasant surprise since both squads have earned the right to be exactly where they are.

Who has the advantage? Really, I’m not so sure. It could go either way. Or could it?

Advantage-wise, it’s almost comical to bring up the fact that Uruguay is a 2-time Champ, being that their last Cup title came 60 years ago. Netherlands, on the same sad side of the coin, come in off very little recent success as well, having made the finals in both 1974 and 1978, losing both in pretty ugly fashion.

And truthfully, with full rosters on both sides, I would be predicting a 1-1 regulation tie with PKs to decide things. But this match will be far from even due to the two monumental losses that Uruguay will be forced to endure.

One huge void will be star striker Luis Suarez, whose hand ball on the goal line versus Ghana is the reason they’re still alive, but the RED CARD assessed for the do-or-die infraction is accompanied by a mandatory suspension for Tuesday’s game, so no Suarez, who has scored 3 goals in the 2010 World Cup. The other loss is on the opposite side of the field, where anchoring defensive back Diego Lugano is out with a knee injury. As those two go, so go Uruguay, even with rock star Diego Forlan around to cause havoc for Holland.

Therefore, on the back of newly-minted world superstar Wesley Sneijder (who scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Brazil), I look for Netherlands to roll to a victory and their 3rd ever finals appearance on July 11th. Uruguay will still be pleased to reach the third-place game on July 10th.

DK Pick: Netherlands 2 - Uruguay 0

——————

Germany vs. Spain

Frankly, Spain have been a bore all tournament.

They began things by losing to Switzerland, went on to get a rather narrow 2-goal victory over a massively overmatched Honduras, then finished group play with a sleepwalking 2-1 win over a Chile team that didn’t need a victory to move on out of group play.

Then the Spaniards knocked off the perennially-anemic Portuguese by the thrilling (no!) tally of 1-0, a riotous score that was recreated four days later against puttering Paraguay. ZZZzzzzzzzz!!!

Germany has been the polar opposite of this in every way. Creative, inventive, exhilarating team play has rocketed the young side to the semifinals in the most dominant way possible. Consider this: The Germans’ combined scores in their last wins over England & Argentina add up to 8-1. Immmmmpressive.

Yes, Germany will be without young gun Thomas Mueller, who will be prohibited from playing in Wednesday’s match due to a 1-game suspension for two tournament-accrued yellow cards, but that doesn’t mean Miroslav Klose won’t be racking up more goals in his absence. Look for Klose to break the all-time goals scored record with two against Spain, then watch him add even more in the 2010 World Cup Final, pitting Netherlands vs. Germany on July 11th.

DK Pick: Germany 3 - Spain 1

——————

Day 16 - DEAD & GHANA
Americans can’t come back twice in one game as Ghana goes on to the quarterfinals. Uruguay continues to impress in win over South Korea.

June 26, 2010
by Dan Krier


Ghana 2 - USA 1

The USA had made a habit of falling behind early before coming back in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and again they accomplished this feat on Saturday night.

Unfortunately for the team, they committed the sin of surrendering a second goal in the beginning stages of extra time, falling to Ghana 2-1 in a Round of 16 match held in Rustenburg.

Yes, it was yet another case of deja vu (yes…it was ANOTHER case of deja vu) for the boys in red, white, & blue, who today saw midfielder Ricardo Clark give a ball away at midfield that was quickly converted into Ghana’s first goal, just 5 minutes into the match.

The steal off Clark’s foot was immediately passed to a motoring Kevin-Prince Boateng, who burnt through the American defensive unit and fired a low grounder that smoked its way around US goalie Tim Howard and into the back left side of the net for the 1-0 lead.

It was the exact last thing the Americans could afford to do, yet well in line with what fans had come to expect.

But on the other side of this coin is the customary comebacks by Uncle Sam’s Army, and today was no different in that respect either. The US battled hard throughout the first half to regain their composure, turning the tide early in the second half by coming out of the lockers with confidence and a determination to get even.

They did just that on a 62nd-minute penalty kick by Landon Donovan, who scored his third goal of the tournament after Clint Dempsey was upended illegally in the penalty box on what was the sixth or seventh American charge toward the Ghanaian goal in a just-over ten-minute span.

The remainder of the second half saw several opportunities for the USA to get a go-ahead goal, but nothing materialized and the game headed into the mandatory 30-minute extra period.

Ghana only needed two and a half of those minutes, because in the 93rd, striker Asamoah Gyan controlled a long bounder and shouldered his way into the American box before connecting on a wonderful left-foot liner that shaved off whatever stubble was left on Howard’s scalp, the game 2-1 with grim reality setting in for the USA.

This time there was no extra comeback, and Ghana did well to control posession and stall whenever possible to make it to the final whistle.

With the win, Ghana will move on to face upstart Uruguay in the quarterfinals on July 2nd. The USA will head home to ponder what could have been, but really, there can be no huge complaints. The team made it out of the group stage, and did their country proud in the process. Perhaps next time around, the issues with early goal giveaways will be resolved.

If not, there will be more of the same heartbreak.

—-

Uruguay 2 - South Korea 1

You can start calling him “Super” Suarez.

Uruguay’s scorching forward Luis Suarez netted both goals with his fantastic right foot Saturday afternoon in Port Elizabeth, putting Uruguay back on the world soccer map as his team held on to defeat a dogged South Korea 2-1 Saturday in a wet windy downpour.

Diego Forlan played a prominent role for the third straight match, assisting on the game’s first goal with a snaking cross from left to right that burned a trail behind the last defenders, evading South Korean goalkeeper Sung-Ryong Jung but making its way right to Suarez, who popped in the tight-angle shot for a 1-0 Uruguay lead. Beautiful execution on both ends.

The game quickly made its way to the second half with the same score, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion to mark the Uruguayans down for the quarterfinals. But South Korea had other ideas, scoring on a bouncing ball that was headed in amongst great defensive confusion by Chung-Yong Lee in the 68th minute for the 1-1 tie.

That’s when the rain began to fall in sheets, and that’s when Uruguay took the game back under their command.

In the 80th minute, Suarez gained control of the ball at the outer left corner of the penalty area, cutting back and unleashing an impossible bender that looked like a baseball curveball, hooking left and down before finding the back of the net for his second goal of the game and a 2-1 Uruguay lead.

The 1930 & 1950 World Cup Champions are back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1970, and it’s no fluke. They have a very real ability to move even farther thanks to the superior play by forwards Forlan and Suarez.

Respect to South Korea, who can’t be sad about making it out of group play for just the second time in team history.


—————————

Day 12 - MOVING ON UP
The preliminary stage of the World Cup officially ends for Groups A & B as four teams secure spots in the Knockout Round of 16.

June 22, 2010
by Dan Krier

GROUP A:

Uruguay 1 - Mexico 0

In a game where both teams could afford to play cautiously, Uruguay triumphed for their second win of the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Mexico.

Each side came into the match with 4 points in Group A standings, which was a comfort considering they had both earned a significant +/- goal differential on their other group foes, South Africa & France.

That said, it was no surprise to see a 0-0 tally on the scoreboard deep into first-half action. As it turned out, Uruguay was just biding its time waiting for the right moment to strike, which came in the 43th minute right before the break.

On the scoring play, star-powered Diego Forlan dribbled adeptly up the right side, distributing a quick pass to fellow forward Edinson Cavani, who made football look far too easy by crossing an unbelievably accurate pass right to the head of 23 year-old teammate Luis Suarez, who slotted the goal without hesitation.

1-0 Uruguay, a score that would stick for the remainder of the match.

Impressive play all around for the 1930 and 1950 World Cup Champions. They move on to the knockout bracket for the first time since 1990, when the Cup was held in Italy. Mexico also qualifies for the next round, making it there for the fifth consecutive time.

—-

South Africa 2 - France 1

The boys of Bafana Bafana supplied the home fans with something real to cheer about Tuesday in Bloemfontein, scoring twice before holding on to win their matchup against France 2-1.

Unfortunately for the host nation, South Africa was unable to overtake Mexico in Group A standings, finishing tied with 4 points, but behind the Mexicans in terms of goal differential. Their 3-goal loss to Uruguay last Wednesday is what did them in.

Scores came on a shoulder-smack disguised as a header by defensive back Bongani Khumalo in the 20th minute (off a sharp cross by game-one goal scorer Siphiwe Tshabalala), and by striker Katlego Mphela in the 37th minute on a botched defensive clearance by France.

The French’s Yoann Gourcuff was penalized with a RED CARD in the 25th minute for a high elbow during a header attempt in the box, nothing dirty, but rough enough to get him removed from the match. To their credit, the remaining 10 Frenchmen played hard, and scored a man-down goal in the 70th minute when Franck Ribery hit Florent Malouda with a clever pass on the break.

But it was far too little and much too late.

With the loss, France officially wins the award for most disappointing team of the 2010 World Cup. You know you’ve had an ugly tournament when your best accomplishment was a scoreless draw. Triste.

The French will spend the next 4 years trying to clone Zinedine Zidane.

—-

GROUP B:

Argentina 2 - Greece 0

Argentina and Greece kept the pot on simmer Tuesday night as the two sides engaged in a more than tepid contest, with the Greeks determined to stay in their shell, turning away dozens of Argentinian scoring chances hoping to come away with a scoreless tie.

Not the best strategy in the world, being that defender Martin Demichelis scored a 78th minute goal on a corner kick double-timer, where his header was blocked by his own teammate before he kicked in the game-winner to the joy of outspoken head coach Diego Maradona.

36 year-old Martin Palermo added the team’s second goal on a rebound of a Lionel Messi miss, giving the Argentinians a 2-0 win for their third win of the World Cup.

With the result, Argentina easily finished Group B in first place with 9 points, clearly proving their worth in the dominant process. They were barely exposed defensively and it’s amazing they didn’t win their games by bigger margins.

So Maradona has accomplished Part One of what he has set out to do for his country in 2010. This much was expected, though. Can he do more is the question. I would be shocked if Argentina doesn’t win at least two games in the knockout stage. They’re that talented.

—-

South Korea 2 - Nigeria 2

Who was going to come out of Group B besides Argentina?

To the horror of the South Koreans, Nigeria tallied an early goal on a defensive lapse in the 12th minute, when Korean fullback Du-Ri Cha fell asleep during a tough run up the right sideline by Nigerian defenseman Chidi Odiah.

Odiah bullied his way to the goal line before sending a cross towards the goal that was knocked home by Kalu Uche, his second goal of the World Cup, giving Nigeria the 1-0 lead right off the bat.

But South Korea did their nation proud on Tuesday with a well-fought comeback, notching a 38th minute score on a wonderful free-kick curler from left to right by Sung-Yong Ki, whose pass landed right on the head of a cutting Jung-Soo Lee, tying the score 1-1.

The second half saw a goal by each side as well, with the Koreans scoring on a nicely-shielded free kick by Chu-Young Park in the 49th minute, Nigeria benefiting from a penalty kick by Yakubu Aiyegbeni in the 69th minute.

In the end, it was enough to give South Korea a date against Uruguay on Saturday, their second time moving past the preliminary round and first since 2002. Hard work by Nigeria, but 2010 will be remembered as the year that could have been.

—-

ROUND OF 16 MATCHUPS:

URUGUAY VS. SOUTH KOREA - Sat June 26th
ARGENTINA VS. MEXICO - Sun June 27th

—————————

Day 6 - SWISS BULLFIGHTERS, SPANISH BULL
Switzerland springs monumental upset of reigning European Champs; Chile books 1-0 win; host South Africa on the ropes after 3-0 loss.

June 16, 2010
by Dan Krier

Switzerland 1 - Spain 0

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t even a consideration.

Switzerland cashed in on a rare scoring opportunity Wednesday evening, thwarting a sterile Spanish side for a 1-0 stunner in front of over 62,000 fans.

Let’s get started with some statistics. Spain came into the match on a majestic roll, finishing European World Cup qualifying 10-0 (that’s 10 games, 10 wins), and had won (WON…not tied) 45 of their previous 48 international matches. More importantly, Switzerland, as a nation, had NEVER notched a victory over the Spanish in the history of its football-playing life. Never. In 18 previous matches not once.

Today, all that changed.

The Swiss played as an organized unit all game long, concentrating their efforts on the defensive end of the field, knowing Spain was very well going to control the ball for 75 to 80% of the match. And that they did, passing back and forth and back and forth, around and around for most of the game.

Unfortunately for the Spaniards, there was no venom in their bite, and the men of La Furia Roja spent the entire first half shelling Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio to no avail, the score remaining tied 0-0 at the break.

2nd half play began very much on the same path, with Spain passing in and out, out and in, winning balls back at will, keeping the Swiss back on their heels, outshooting them at one point 14-1.

But only one statistic matters in the end, and in the 52nd minute, a long goal kick took a fortunate deflection off a Spanish defender, landing right at the toe of sprinting Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok.

Derdiyok carried the ball directly at Spain’s goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, who collided with the forward, sending him head over heels, leaving a car-wreck of Spanish defenders to tumble along with the ball.

Thankfully for Switzerland, African-born left midfielder Gelson Fernandes stayed on his feet and was able to touch the ball ever so slightly into the back of the net, a miraculous goal that gave the Swiss an unbelievable 1-0 lead. Fernandes couldn’t believe his good fortune.

Even a late substitution by world star Fernando Torres couldn’t save his side. Spain’s best chance was a 20-yard rocket off the boot of Xabi Alonso that hit the crossbar and bounded back out of danger in the games 70th minute.

Great play from Spain, but the spoils go to the team that earned it, Switzerland now leading the way in Group H. A well-deserved win for a team that played with resolve and capitalized on the one mistake their opponents couldn’t afford to make.

—-

Chile 1 - Honduras 0

Chile displayed a calm, aggressive demeanor throughout the entire 90-minute match Wednesday morning, outclassing an overmatched Honduran side that was fortunate to be in South Africa in the first place.

Utilizing swift passes and agile ball-control, the Chileans mounted a first-half charge down the right sideline which started after a Honduran giveaway on an unguarded throw-in.

On the play, in the game’s 34th-minute, the ball was tossed right to the feet of Chilean midfielder Carlos Carmona about 40 yards out. He soon worked it front and center before tapping it to teammate Matias Fernandez, who placed it at the foot of helping defender Mauricio Isla as he charged towards the right goal line. Then it was a bit of luck, albeit deservedly handed out by the soccer gods.

Isla crossed the sharp pass directly in front of the goal mouth, where it took several blink-of-the-eye deflections, pinballing off the left hip of midfielder Jean Beausejour into the goal for a 1-0 Chilean lead.

Respect to Beausejour, who waved off teammate praise after the score, grinning coyly, knowing it was more “right place at the right time” than beautiful craftsmanship. But it was in the books, and Beausejour will surely carry the accomplishment with him for a lifetime.

The game’s second half was a tad bit boring, Honduras never mounting much of anything other than long clearance balls. In the 64th minute, Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares made the play of the match for his team, saving a crossed header that went off the forehead of Chilean defender Waldo Ponce, who watched the save with utter disbelief. That was his moment. No sir, said Villadarez.

All in all it was a dominating win for Chile, who now sit atop Group H with 3 points, tied with Switzerland of all people. What a shock! What a World Cup.

—-

Uruguay 3 - South Africa 0

Wednesday’s action concluded with host nation South Africa taking the field against Uruguay in a continuation of Group A exploits that began last Friday.

Both teams entered with 1 point apiece in the standings thanks to previous ties versus Mexico & France. Therefore, a winner here would surely propel that team towards the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Fortunately for Uruguay, they are equipped with one of the world’s top scorers, and soon-to-be worldwide sensation Diego Forlan. The crafty striker netted two goals, one in each half, the first coming off a fortuitous deflection, the second via an 80th-minute penalty kick after a bit of controversy.

In the 74th minute, with Bafana Bafana working hard to tie the match, Uruguay benefited from an unexpected ricochet that sent the ball directly into the goal box just when the South African defense was pushing forward. Goalie Itumeleng Khune was forced to trip the attacker, an instant red card that will cost Khune his team’s final preliminary match versus France next week. Bad luck, and a sad way to go out.

Uruguay added a meaningless goal in final stoppage time for the 3-0 victory, and they now look to take first place overall in this group with a win against Mexico next Tuesday.

———————