2nd Round Preview: Paraguay v Japan 29/6/10

This should be a close match between the South American, free-flowing football from Paraguay and the Asian, hard-working spirit from Japan. I'm not really too sure why but I'm predicting Paraguay to win 3-2, very hopeful I know. But Paraguay have the attacking talent and Japan are lethal from set-pieces so who knows what will happen.

Juanderful: Brazil 3-0 Chile 28/6/10

Brazil line-up: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio (c), Juan, Bastos, Gilberto, Luis Fabiano (Nilmar, 76'), Kaka (Kleberson, 81'), Robinho (G.Melo, 85'), Alves, Ramires
Chile line-up: Bravo (c), Fuentes, Isla (Millar, 62'), Contreras (Valdivia, HT), Carmona, Sanchez, Vidal, Suazo, Gonzalez (Tello, HT), Beausejour, Jara

Brazil cruise through to the quarter finals to set up a tie against Holland for a place in the semis. Chile very little throughout the match and Brazil used some more of that samba magic to please all spectators. Chile hadn't beaten Brazil for something like forty years and despite having the most possession in the opening fifteen minutes, Brazil always looked more potent in attacks. Luis Fabiano looked lively but failed to connect with his opening shot and Gilberto forced a fine save from Bravo when he fired one from the distance. The opener was coming and everyone could sense it, it arrived just under 35 minutes from a corner; Juan climbing highest in the box to connect with Maicon's corner and head past the on-rushing Bravo. Chile could hardly get their breath back before finding themselves 2-0 down; Brazil playing a lovely counter-attack with, unsurprisingly, Robinho at the helm of it. He played a ball into Kaka, who looked much more lively in this game than throughout the tournament so far, Kaka then played an inch perfect through ball into the path of Sevilla's Luis Fabiano who rounded the keeper before slotting into the empty net. The effort on target from Chile in the first half came from Humberto Suazo but his edge of the box shot failed to make Julio Cesar sweat.

As shown in the group phase Marcelo Bielsa wasn't afraid to change his team at half-time, making a double change at half-time Chile were throwing all their attacking options onto the pitch. But they failed to make much impact as Brazil played a hugely compacted defence and looked to create via the counter-attack. This is something Holland are going to have to be creative with and keep the pitch as wide as possible. Brazil's third and probably their best came from their counter-attacking threat; Ramires broke from midfield and skilfully went past two Chileans before rolling the ball into Robinho who curled his shot neatly into the corner beating Bravo all ends up. With the game over and the pressure off Chile, they started to create some decent chances with Brazil now in party mood. However both Suazo and substitute Valdivia failed to find the net and Chile went home without scoring, but they reflect on a very successful qualifying campaign and a very successful World Cup overall for themselves.

2nd Round Preview: Brazil v Chile 28/6/10

Although Chile have looked very good against the likes of Switzerland and most surprisingly Spain, I don't think they will have enough to stop Brazil. Brazil have looked omnipotent going forward with Robinho and Luis Fabiano and Juan and Lucio have looked formidable in defence. However Michel Bastos may struggle to deal with Chile's Alexis Sanchez which could get Chile a consolation in a 3-1 defeat.

Sneijdshow: Holland 2-1 Slovakia 28/6/10

Holland line-up: Stekelenburg, Van Der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronkhorst (c), Van Bommel, Kuyt, De Jong, Van Perise (Huntelaar, 80'), Sneijder (Afellay, 92'), Robben (Elia, 71')
Slovakia line-up: Mucha, Pekarik, Skrtel, Zabavnik (Jakubko, 88'), Weiss, Vittek, Stoch, Durica, Hamsik (c) (Sapara, 87'), Jendrisek (Kopunek, 71'), Kucka

Holland make a date with the quarter finals with a yet another below par performance. Holland were very much comfortable throughout with a few scares but Holland did what they had to do without any exuberance. Jendrisek, however, had the opening shot but it wasn't struck well and it sailed over the bar. The opening chances for Holland came from Van Persie and their best player of the tournament Wesley Sneijder. Eighteen minutes into the match returning Arjen Robben opened his account for the tournament; latching onto a long ball down the wing Robben was able to cut inside, thanks to Van Persie's decoy run out wide, and Robben placed it into the bottom corner giving Mucha no chance at his near post. Van Persie hasn't sparkled yet in this World Cup but for all his great positional runs and clever channel play he lacked the final finish that could have put Holland more ahead at half-time.

The second half continued in the same vain and Robben was looking menacing again, with almost a carbon copy of the goal. Van Persie found yet more space as the defence just couldn't pick him up, he squared the ball to Robben who was again allowed to cut inside of the defence where he fired another shot, only to kept out by the fingertips of Mucha. Mucha somehow kept Mathijsen out from the resulting corner as Mathijsen wrapped his foot round the delivery, Mucha saved it with his face as he clearly knew nothing about it. It took almost seventy minutes but Slovakia then started to play football and attack the Dutch defence. Stoch forced a great fingertips save from Stekelenburg before Vittek missed a couple of wonderful one-on-one chances as Slovakia found holes in the defence. Holland knew they needed a second goal to wrap the game up and with Robben now resting on the bench they had to look to their other predators. They found their second goal with five minutes to go to make sure they were going to the quarter finals; Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt found Wesley Sneijder with a low cross allowing Sneijder to just slot the ball home into an empty net after Mucha failed to deal with the long ball through to Kuyt in the first place. Although the result was finalised the game wasn't completely over as Slovakia managed to find a consolation goal; Stekelenburg brought Vittek down in the box, forcing a penalty from the referee and it was Vittek who stepped up and slotted calmly into the corner to end Slovakia's World Cup with a goal.

2nd Round Preview: Holland v Slovakia 28/6/10

It should be Holland v Brazil in the quarter finals as Holland should be fine against Slovakia. Slovakia did well to get here with their heroic display against Italy but they won't be going any further. Holland haven't hit top gear yet so hopefully we'll see it here, I think they will win 3-0.

Mexxed Up: Argentina 3-1 Mexico 27/6/10

Argentina line-up: Romero, Demichelis, Burdisso, Heinze, Di Maria (Gutierrez, 79'), Higuain, Messi, Tevez (Veron, 69'), Mascherano (c), Otamendi, Rodriguez (Pastore, 87')
Mexico line-up: Perez, Rodriguez, Salcido, Marquez (c), Osorio, Torrado, Hernandez, Juarez, Dos Santos, Guardado (Franco, 61'), Bautista (Barrera, HT)

Argentina, in the end, cruise past Mexico but it could well have a been a different story if the linesman hadn't have made a crucial mistake, the second of the day for people to start calling for goal-line technology. However Mexico did start the game on top and could have 1-0 ahead very early but Salcido's ambitious shot hit the crossbar as it had Romero well beaten. Guardado also had a glorious opportunity for Mexico but his shot just fizzed wide of the post denying Mexico the lead. Messi played a vital role in Argentina's win despite still not scoring in this tournament, his desperation for a goal showed when he tried a delightful chip after another jazzy run but Perez found it easy enough to save. Argentina's opener came after the chance looked to have gone; Tevez had over-ran the ball into the arms of the sprawling Perez who ended up spilling the ball to the feet of Messi, who played another little chip towards the goal where Tevez was on hand to head home. However replays showed that Tevez was clearly offside and Mexico had a great appeal towards the officials. To make matters worse for the Italian officials replays were shown on the big screen inside the ground where they could see for themselves they had made a mistake but not being allowed to use the replay evidence the goal had to stand and Argentina had their controversial opener. From there it was Argentina in full control as Mexico's defence looked shell shocked. Osorio completely lost his head when he played a nice little pass straight into the feet of Higuain on the edge of the box, Higuain accepted the gift by rounding Perez and slotting into the empty net to double Argentina's lead. From here it seemed inconceivable for Mexico to find a way back in this match and Higuain should have put it beyond all doubt before half-time but his header was off target with the goal gaping for him.

However just six minutes into the second half Tevez got his second and Argentina's third to put the result beyond all doubt. If his first was controversial his second was brilliant, he got a bit of luck when a pass from Tevez as blocked and pushed into the space Tevez was approaching before lashing a shot 25 yards from goal into the top corner for a breathtaking finish by the Manchester City man. Although the game seemed up Mexico didn't think so and kept attacking with venom and desire. Their hard work paid off with 19 minutes left on the clock thanks to a piece of ingenuity from Manchester United-bound Javier Hernandez; he turned Demichelis with considerable ease before skilfully placing the ball onto his left foot to smash it home from seven yards. Something exciting to look forward to for Manchester United fans like me! However it was only a consolation as Mexico bowed out yet again to Argentina who will face Germany in the same round as they did four years ago.

Something To Cheer About For England

England may not be well represented in football at the moment but at least we still have a decent cricketing side. Yesterday England managed to beat Australia by 1 wicket and with three balls in hand in the third ODI played at Old Trafford. This means England win the Natwest ODI series as they now lead 3-0 overall.

Australia batted first and were going strong with an opening partnership of 75 in 14 overs. They were looking on course for around 240 which was a little under par at 4 an over. However with Swann claiming four wickets and Anderson three Australia were all out for 212 after 46 overs. The highlight in the batting came from Watson who managed 61 before being caught out. England started off a little shaky with a quick exit for Kieswetter. Struass and Pietersen shared a fifty partnership before Peitersen was dismissed for 27. England continued to look strong as Strauss fired 87 after Collingwood was dismissed for forty. Victory looked imminent even with the departure of Strauss but any Englishman will know England never do things the easy way. This lead England from 185-4 to 203-9 and Australia nearly nicked the victory. With eight runs required in the last over with one wicket remaining Tim Bresnan fired two boundaries to see England just manage to sneak home.

Vettel Reigns Supreme In Valencia

Sebastian Vettel led the Valencia Grand Prix from start to finish as he now claims third spot in the overall Drivers Championship. There were incidents from the start as the cars entered the first couple of corners second placed Mark Webber had somehow dropped to ninth already spelling the start of a disastrous day for him. Jarno Trulli of Lotus also lost out as he sustained damage that would put him three laps down on everybody else. Lewis Hamilton thought his race might've been over when he radioed in to say that he and Vettel and contacted and he could now feel vibrations but it turned out fine for him.





Mark Webber's race went from bad to worse as he pitted early on to make use of the soft tyres. As he was making his way back up to the grid he was faced with overtaking Heikki Kovalainen of Lotus. Webber somehow managed to over slipstream Kovalainen's car resulting in Webber driving up the back of Kovalainen's car before taking off and somersaulting before bouncing back on the track and crashing into the tyre wall. Miraculously Webber jumped out of the car unhurt whereas the car had little left of it, Kovalainen also had to retire at this point. This lead to a safety car and everyone decided now was a good time to pit, which it was unless you're Michael Schumacher who capped off his weekend by pitting in and then being made to wait in the pit lane before rejoining the pack at the back and finishing his race off in terms of getting points.

Controversy surrounded the safety car as Lewis Hamilton seemed to have overtook the safety car which meant he could gain a huge lead over Ferrari rivals Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa who were clearly unhappy as Hamilton was able to coast to a second place finish. The stewards did award Hamilton a drive through penalty and to Alonso's disgust it changed nothing to Hamilton's position, a crime should punished and Hamilton got away with it. However some were not so lucky as a post-race steward's inquiry judged Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichelo, Nico Hulkenberg (who later retired i the race anyway), Vitaly Petrov, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Buemi, Pedro De La Rosa, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil to have broke the speed limit during the safety and were awarded five second penalties which only really affected two drivers; Alonso was promoted to eighth with Buemi dropping to ninth and De La Rosa dropped out of the points as Rosberg was promoted to tenth. In a separate incident Timo Glock was awarded a twenty penalty for ignoring blue flags but again it didn't really matter for him as he finished out of the points.

So the result of the Formula 1 Valencia Grand Prix looks like this: 1. Vettel (Reb Bull), 2. Hamilton (McLaren), 3. Button (McLaren), 4. Barichello (Williams), 5. Kubica (Renault), 6. Sutil (Force India), 7. Koboyashi (Sauber), 8. Alonso (Ferrari), 9. Buemi (Toro Rosso), 10. Rosberg (Mercedes), 11. Massa (Ferrari), 12. De La Rosa (Sauber), 13. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 14. Petrov (Renault), 15. Schumacher (Mercedes), 16. Liuzzi (Force India), 17. Di Grassi (Virgin), 18. Chandhok (HRT Cosworth), 19. Glock (Virgin), 20. Senna (HRT Cosworth), 21. Trulli (Lotus) Retired: Hulkenberg (Williams), Kovalainen (Lotus), Webber (Red Bull)

This result leaves Hamilton still first in the drivers championship on 127 with just a six point ahead of McLaren teammate Button. Vettel now leap-frogs Red Bull teammate Webber into third with 115 points as Webber has 103. Alonso sits fifth with 98 points so isn't out of it just yet but it's not looking good for the two-time world champion. As for the Constructors Championship McLaren have a thirty point lead over Red Bull going into the next Grand Prix which is at Silverstone.

2nd Round Preview: Argentina v Mexico 27/6/10

A repeat of the 2nd round match in Germany four years ago, Argentina won 2-1 after extra time thanks to Maxi Rodriguez wonder goal. If Argentina progress they will face Germany in the quarter finals which they did four years ago and lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw. I sense a bit of deja vu as I think Argentina will overcome Mexico again in tightly fought contest again with a 2-1 win.

Mullered: Germany 4-1 England 27/6/10

Germany line-up: Neuer, Lahm (c), Friedrich, Mertesacker, Boateng, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil (Kiessling, 83'), Muller (Gomez, 72') , Klose (Trochowski, 72'), Podolski
England line-up: James, Johnson (Wright-Phillips, 87'), Terry, Upson, A.Cole, Milner (J.Cole, 64'), Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Rooney, Defoe (Heskey, 71')

Another World Cup, another poor showing and a right royal thrashing at the hands of Germany. England weren't good enough and poor in every part of the field and deserved to lose. Germany were on the front foot from the start with Ozil continuously opening up England's defence and both Podolski and Muller had great chances to put them level. England couldn't pass the ball or even defend well in the opening encounters of the first half. This lead to Germany's first goal on twenty minutes; Neuer providing a huge goal kick which found Miroslav Klose, he managed to muscle in behind both Terry and Upson before coolly finishing past James. Barry had the only shot by this time for England and that was hit straight at Neuer and Khedira found Klose at the other end who should have had his second and Germany's second but James managed to save. Just after the half hour mark Germany had doubled their lead with yet another defence splitting pass from Muller into the path of Podolski who looked to have taken too hard a touch but still managed to slot past James and England's exit was looking imminent. However England suddenly found how to play football and began to push Germany back and got one back in the 37th minute; Lampard played a short corner to Gerrard who crossed into the box to find Upson on hand to head past the flailing Neuer, who should have stayed on his line, and suddenly England had a chance of salvaging it. Lampard should have been celebrating an equaliser when his shot rattled the underside of the bar and bounced over the line before bouncing back into play, but the Uruguayan officials somehow managed to claim it wasn't a goal and Germany kept their lead.

With England having the momentum before half-time you would have thought they could have kept that in the second half but apart from Lampard hitting the crossbar early on, England were back to playing their early first half game and were duly punished. With England trying to look for that equaliser they left their already questionable defence rather bare and were caught on the equaliser twice. First Lampard hit a free-kick straight at the wall and Germany cleared to Ozil who could Terry for pace all week long and charged down the wing before squaring to Muller who tapped it into the empty net for game over. Surely after that someone would realise that Ozil was much too fast for the defence and get someone pacy from England to look after him? Well actually no as Germany countered again and Ozil was given the ball own the wing again and this time beat Barry for pace, which isn't difficult, and again he squared to Muller who again tapped it in, spelling a 4-1 defeat, the worst defeat in a World Cup for England and this was our best team since 1966! Hardly.

2nd Round Preview: Germany v England 27/6/10

There is no way England are going to win this one, we're not good enough and haven't been from day one. Germany played fantastic against Australia but slipped up against Serbia and didn't play great against Ghana but Germany are still going to be comfortable winners of this one, I think it will be 2-0.

We're Ghana Play Uruguay: USA 1-2 Ghana AET 26/6/10

USA line-up: Howard, Bocanegra (c), Bradley, Cherundolo, Dempsey, Donovan, Bornstein, Clark (Edu, 31'), DeMerit, Altidore (Gomez, 91'), Findley (Feilhaber, HT)
Ghana line-up: Kingson, Sarpei (Addy, 73'), Gyan, Pantsil, Mensah (c), Annan, Inkoom (Muntari, 113'), Jonathan, Ayew, Asamoah, Boateng (Appiah, 78')

USA crash out with a poor performance against Ghana, Ghana keep flying the flag for Africa as they set up a quarter final tie against Uruguay. But it did need extra time to sort the winner out of this close match which Ghana deserved to win. Ghana set their stall out in the first five minutes as did USA with Clark making a mistake and giving the ball away to the lively Kevin Prince-Boateng who fired the past Howard into the corner to give Ghana the lead. This remained the story of the first half as USA just couldn't keep hold of the ball nor threaten the Ghanaian defence. The only notable attack USA had came from Sunderland's John Mensah's mistake as he lost out to Fulham's Clint Dempsey, who played Findley into a one-on-one situation where he should have scored but Kingson's big left foot kept Ghana ahead.

Bob Bradley has already shown he is quick to change things when they aren't going right and brought Benny Feilhaber into the fray at half-time, this was his second sub as Clark was replaced by Edu in the first half because he just couldn't adapt to the game. USA played a lot better in the second half and were arguably the better team as they searched for an equaliser. Donovan yet again was pulling the strings and linked nicely with Altidore who fed Feilhaber into a similar one-on-one situation to Findley's and the same outcome occurred with Kingson pulling off another vital save. USA were to achieve their deserved equaliser when Dempsey surged into the box only to be brought down by Mensah for a stone wall penalty. USA's talisman Landon Donovan stepped up and guided his kick just off the post and into the back of the net. From here USA began to dominate a little bit and Kingson had to pull off more vital saves to keep Ghana level both Altidore and Bradley failed to beat the Wigan Athletic keeper.

This led to extra time and again Ghana became the better team as USA failed to regain their momentum. Within three minutes of the extra time Ghana were ahead again thanks to Asamoah Gyan who scored his third goal in tournament, his first from open play. USA began to look a tired and weary team and started to play the long ball into the Ghana penalty area but it was the African Black Stars who were going through to the quarter finals.

2nd Round Preview: USA v Ghana 26/6/10

After USA just about managed to sneakily win Group C they face a Ghana team who lack goals unless they're from the spot. So unless USA concede a penalty I can't see Ghana scoring and USA will book their spot against Uruguay for a shot at the Semi-finals with, I'm predicting, a 2-0 win with Donovan and Dempsey pulling the strings.

SuperSuar: Uruguay 2-1 South Korea 26/6/10

Uruguay line-up: Muslera, Lugano (c), Godin (Victorino, HT), Fucile, Cavani, Suarez (Fernandez, 84'), Forlan, A.Pereira (Lodeiro, 74'), Perez, M.Pereira, Arevalo
South Korea line-up: S.R.Jung, Y.H.Cho, J.S.Park (c), J.W.Kim, C.Y.Park, Y.P.Lee, J.S.Kim (D.G.Lee, 61'), J.S.Lee, S.Y.Ki (K.H.Yeom, 85'), D.R.Cha

Uruguay progress to the quarter finals with a great chance of a final four finish thanks to a mixture of poor defending and Luis Suarez brilliance. South Korea started brightly with Park Ji Sung making a typical nuisance of himself, just minutes into the game the Koreans could have been 1-0 ahead after Park Chu-Young fired a curling free-kick against the post. But football is a cruel game and they found themselves 1-0 down just seconds later; Diego Forlan creating room down the wing to fire a low cross around the six yard box, no defenders nor the keeper got to it and an unmarked Luis Suarez came in from the other side and tucked the ball away. Again South Korea's defence failing to answer their critics and they now needed to dig deep to find a way back. The goal however seemed all Uruguay wanted from the match and looked intent on defending for the remainder as they allowed South Korea to attack but they couldn't find a way through the stubborn defence. Both Parks were looking equally dangerous and Cha Du-Ri fired a couple of long range efforts over the bar.

The heavens opened in the second half as the pitched looked to quicken which in theory would suit the Uruguayans more. Suarez nearly made South Korea pay the price for yet more slack defending by intercepting a poor pass, but Suarez could fire a tame shot at Jung. Again both Parks were looking dangerous and forced the Uruguay defence to be anxious with Muslera forced into action on numerous occasions. Their persistence paid off as South Korea found their equaliser just under twenty minutes from time; Ki fired a free-kick into the box and Lugano's attempted clearing header fell to Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong who made no mistake from close range. This fired the Uruguayans back into attacking mode and they looked the most likely to find a second, Suarez had a couple of great chances but failed to grab his and Uruguay's second. Ten minutes from time and it was Suarez to put Uruguay back into the lead as Forlan's corner fell to him on the edge of the box, he turned a defender before curling a beautiful shot onto the inside of the post and into the side of the net for his second goal, one of the best goals of the tournament. Former Middlesbrough striker, substitute Lee Dong-Gook had a glorious opportunity to level the scores once more in the final minutes as he went one-on-one with Muslera, but he scuffed his shot and it hit the inside of Muslera's legs which killed the speed of the ball and allowed Lugano to clear his lines and make sure Uruguay progress to the Quarter Finals.

2nd Round Preview: Uruguay v South Korea 26/6/10

This should be a close start to the knockout rounds, Uruguay haven't really been tested defensively thus far and the work ethic of South Korea should be a good test for Muslera and the back four in front of him. South Korea's problem however is their defence who look very disorganised and Forlan and Suarez should be able to take full advantage. Overall I think Uruguay will edge it with a 2-1 victory over the Koreans who have looked very promising and if they can find a solid defender or two for the future they could be a real threat for the next World Cup.

Red Bull Dominate Valencia 26/6/10

The Formula 1 Valencia Grand Prix was tipped to be a hard fought one for the Red Bull team to gain provisional pole but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber managed to get a Red Bull one-two for tomorrow's Grand Prix. Vettel was fastest in the early morning practice session but it was Renault's Robert Kubica who got the fastest time in Q1. The main drama was Michael Schumacher, who looked out of his depth in Valencia, he managed to pull of a last lap that secured his place in Q2 at BMW Sauber's Koboyashi's expense. Lotus' Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen filled positions 19 and 20. Virgin's Di Grassi and Timo Glock finished in 21st and 22nd this being the first time the Italian debutant qualified ahead of his German teammate. The Cosworth duo, Chandhok and Senna rounded off the casualties of Q1 with the new constructors still finding their feet on the Formula 1 stage.

Q2 saw Sebastian Vettel grab the quickest lap but tenths of a second separated the top six in Q2. Both Toro Rosso's exited at this stage with Buemi finishing 11th and Jaime Alguesuari 17th for tomorrow's race. Koboyashi's Sauber teammate Pedro De La Rosa managed to qualify in 16th with the suffering Michael Schumacher in 15th. The Force India duo will fill the 13th and 14th places on the grid with Adrian Sutil just edging Liuzzi with Schuamacher's Mercedes' teammate Nico Rosberg qualifying in 12th.

Q3 saw a straight out fight between the Red Bulls, McLarens, Ferrari's and Kubica's Renault for the top places on the grid for tomorrow. Unsurprisingly Kubica's teammate Petrov finished 1oth behind the two Williams drivers, Rubens Barrichello (winner of last year's race) and Hulkenburg. Jenson Button could only manage a disappointing seventh as he looked really under the pace after two second places in the last two races. The formula 1 commentators tipped Kubica to 'upset the applecart' but he managed to qualify sixth behind the main contenders. The two Ferrari's just missed out on a top three spot with home hero Fernando Alonso finishing ahead of Felipe Massa in fourth. Winner of the last two races Lewis Hamilton could only manage third as the Red Bulls defied the critics and claimed their fourth one-two in qualification this season, with Vettel edging out Webber who seemed disappointed in himself as he wants to be the man in pole for tomorrow's race, which has limited overtaking on the Spanish street circuit.

Swiss On Their Knees: Switzerland 0-0 Honduras 25/6/10

Switzerland line-up: Benaglio, Lichsteiner, Von Bergen, Huggel (Shaqiri, 78'), Barnetta, Inler (c), Nkufo (Frei, 69'), Grichting, Fernandes (Yakin, HT), Ziegler, Derdiyok
Honduras line-up: Valladares (c), Chavez, Figueroa, Bernardez, Thomas, Nunez (Martinez, 67'), W.Palacios, J.Palacios (Welcome, 78'), Suazo (Turcios, 87'), Sabillon, Alvarez

Switzerland had a great chance to go through to the next round at Chile's expense but couldn't muster up a win against Honduras who failed to even score in the tournament. Neither team looked impressive in the opening encounters but it would be Switzerland who woke up first with decent chances for Barnetta who failed to find the target on numerous times but looked the most dangerous for the Swiss. Honduras made it easy for Switzerland as they lacked shape and looked to have no leadership from Valladares, this allowed Switzerland to attack but they over over played and lost the ball or failed to make Valladares work. Derdiyok was another big culprit in fluffing chances not just in this game but throughout the tournament and they would be left to rue them chances, Nkufo also had chances in this game to break the deadlock but he also made mountains out of molehills in terms of shooting.

The second half didn't really go much better but Honduras thankfully thought they would arrive and begin to play football, they managed to carve a great chance for themselves but Suazo missed the easiest chance of the match as he headed wide. Again Derdiyok missed chances at the other end but Switzerland looked to have a more of an attacking threat with the half-time introduction of Hakan Yakin. Suazo had another great chance and this time got his attempt on target with Benaglio making a brilliant save to deny Honduras the lead, they were creating more attacks as Switzerland desperately searched for that elusive goal which left them open to counter attacks. However both teams continued their woeful shooting with both sets of players wasting glorious opportunities which lead to the 0-0 draw putting both teams out.

Spanish Estrada: Chile 1-2 Spain 25/6/10

Chile line-up: Bravo (c), Ponce, Isla, Snachez (Orellana, 65'), Vidal, Valdivia (Millar, HT), Gonzalez (Paredes, HT), Estrada, Beausejour, Medel, Jara
Spain line-up: Casillas (c), Pique, Puyol, Iniesta, Villa, Xavi, Torres (Fabregas, 55'), Capdevila, Alonso (Martinez, 73'), Ramos, Busquets

With these two Latino teams in contention to not just progress but to also win the group it looked to be a very attacking game with a lot of flair. But it began in a somewhat surprise fashion; Chile were on top for most of the first half with Alexis Sanchez very skillful and dangerous. Meanwhile Andres Iniesta made sure everyone was aware of his comeback with a brilliant performance in midfield. The first chance actually fell for Liverpool's Torres but he looked unhappy all game and duly missed his opportunity. Ex-Liverpool player Mark Gonzalez had an even better chance at the other end but also failed to hit the target. For the first twenty minutes Chile dominated possession and Spain were just looking to catch them on the break with Beausejour also impressing for the Chileans. But just under 25 minutes into the match Spain took a surprise lead with a goal out of the blue; Torres was chasing a loose ball twenty five yards from goal and for some unknown reason goalkeeper Bravo came rushing out to tackle Torres, the ball trickled to David Villa who curled his shot into the empty net for his tenth goal in international competitions. This was a huge blow for Chile but they still looked the better team until ten minutes before half time Spain struck the hammer blow, a beautifully crafted move started by Alonso who then fed David Villa who squared the ball back for Iniesta who planted the ball into the bottom corner. Worse was to follow for Chile as during that swift move Estrada looked to have inadvertently tripped Torres on the edge of the box as their paths crossed, however the referee deemed it deliberate and gave Estrada his second yellow card and thus sent him off.

Chile's coach Bielsa looked to shuffle his pack at half-time with a double substitution and ten man Chile were back in the game two minutes after the restart. One of the substitutes Rodrigo Millar struck the shot which deflected off Pique's back and looped over Casillas to make it 2-1. But unfortunately for Chile their man disadvantage seemed to affect them as they were unable to cut Spain open and produce decent chances, only a few half-chances which Paredes failed to connect with. Spain made sure they bossed the tempo of the game and just dominated possession from there on in and Villa should have put the game beyond Chile but he somehow messed the chances up and Spain went through with the 2-1 win and face their Iberian counterparts Portugal in a tasty looking 2nd round match. As for Chile, Switzerland's inability to win against Honduras secured a place in the 2nd round for the Chileans with an even tastier all South American tie with Brazil.

Final Group Games: Group H

The winner between Spain and Chile is guaranteed to be through and the other will depend on Switzerland's result. If Spain won, they would go through along with either Chile or Switzerland depending on goal difference with all three on six points. If Honduras win or get a draw then Chile would progress with Spain. If Chile win then they get maximum points and if Switzerland win or draw then they would knock Spain out, if Honduras managed a draw it would go on goal difference between the three of them. If Spain and Chile get a draw then Chile progress with Switzerland if they win, Spain if Switzerland draw (because of Spain's better goal difference) or if Honduras win. I think Spain will win the group with a 2-0 victory over Chile and Chile will progress with them as I think Switzerland and Honduras will finish 1-1 in a cagey affair.

Coasting Out: North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast 25/6/10

North Korea line-up: M.G.Ri, J.H.Cha, J.I.Ri, N.C.Pak, K.C.Ri, Y.N.Ji, T.S.Jong, Y.J.Hong (c), I.G.Mun (K.C.Choe, 67'), C.J.Pak, Y.H.An
Ivory Coast line-up: Barry, Boka, K.Toure, Zokora, Tiote, Gervinho (Dindane, 64'), Drogba (c), Romaric (Doumbia, 79'), Keita (Kalou, 64'), Y.Toure, Eboue



Ivory Coast bowed out of the group of death with a comfortable victory over North Korea. A ten goal swing was never on the cards but the Africans wanted to give the home continent something to celebrate. The Elephants did come out all guns blazing possibly looking for that near impossible goal tally and Keita forced a save out of Ri. Gervinho, who was granted his first World Cup start, impressed and looked dangerous throughout but his ball across the box failed to find any support to slide the ball into the empty net. Boka picked up an assist three minutes later when he played a perfect through ball to Yaya Toure on the edge of the box and he slotted the ball into the corner to give the Ivorians the lead. Romaric nearly doubled their advantage but his shot scraped the outside of the post and went wide. He made up for that by giving Ivory Coast a 2-0 lead thanks to a Drogba masterclass; he managed to hold the ball up before skillfully turning and smacking the ball against the underside of the ball, it bounced out and Romaric was on hand to finish calmly. North Korea's attacking outlet came from one of the surprise players of the tournament in Jong Tae Se, they also looked dangerous from free-kicks but they couldn't find a goal.

North Korea found their feet in the second half and kept hold of possession a lot better and Jong Tae Se continued to threaten for the Koreans. Drogba misguided two headers to miss out on getting Ivory Coast's third and with the Elephants looking for all out attack Jong Tae Se again could have had a goal or two if it weren't for some last ditch defending. Substitute Salomon Kalou notched Ivory Coast's third eight minutes from time with a header from Boka's cross but by that stage everything was settled if it weren't already.

Por Draw: Portugal 0-0 Brazil 25/6/10

Portugal line-up: Eduardo, Alves, Duda (Simao, 54'), Carvalho, Ronaldo, Danny, Pepe (Mendes, 64'), Meireles (Veloso, 84'), Tiago, Costa, Coentrao
Brazil line-up: Juilo Cesar, Maicon, Lucio (c), Juan, Melo (Josue, 44'), Bastos, Gilberto, Luis Fabiano (Grafite, 85'), Alves, Baptista (Ramires, 82'), Nilmar

The Samba beat really wasn't made today in a really poor match that was marred by a first half of yellow cards. Neither team played for the win as Brazil were already through and Portugal needed a point to guarantee their progress which was practically guaranteed already. Brazil set the standard of the game with non-penetrative play and long range shooting which didn't trouble anyone. As for Portugal Ronaldo was playing the lone front man and was very frustrated throughout the match as he received little service and was continually marked by the defence. The only real attacking threat for Portugal came from their left side with Coentrao and Meireles providing a couple of half-decent crosses. the clear cut chance of the game came from Brazil as Nilmar found space in the box before firing against the upright. The first half consisted of seven yellow cards for various offences including diving, late tackles, handball and asking for others to be booked, to be able to list offences really doesn't shed good light onto the game does it?

The second half didn't really fire up either but more space was created as players tired. Ronaldo therefore benefited as he could play off Lucio and forced him into some last ditch defending. Meireles should have won the game for Portugal who somehow fired wide from seven yards and the game petered out from there.

Final Group Games: Group G

This group is very much over despite it being mathematically possible for Ivory Coast to cause an upset. Brazil are already through and North Korea are already out so neither of them have anything to play for really. After Portugal's 7-0 demolition job over North Korea, Ivory Coast need a ten goal swing to go through which is very unlikely to happen and if Portugal get a point then it doesn't matter anyhow. I think Portugal will get that point with a rather hopeful 2-2 display against Brazil while Ivory Coast get a comfortable 3-0 win over North Korea.

Top Klaas: Holland 2-1 Cameroon 24/6/10

Holland line-up: Stekelenburg, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronkhorst (c), Van Bommel, Kuyt (Elia, 66'), De Jong, Van Persie (Huntelaar, 59'), Sneijder, Boulahrouz, Van Der Vaart (Robben, 73')
Cameroon line-up: Souleymanou, Nkoulou (R.Song, 73'), Nguemo, Geremi, Eto'o (c), Makoun, Bong (Aboubakar, 56'), Choupo Moting (Idrissou, 72'), Chedjou, Mbia

Holland take all nine points in the group stage without really hitting top gear as sorry Cameroon bounce out without a point. This game may have been a dead rubber but it still was very entertaining as both teams looked for the win. Cameroon probably played their best game despite losing and had the first notable attacks, Chedjou forced Stekelenburg into action. But Holland soon found possession and started to dominate terms in the game, Van Persie should have put Holland ahead after Van Bronkhorst played a superb ball through but Souleymanou dealt with the tame shot rather easily. Van Der Vaart was the next in line to test Souleymanou with a curling free-kick but the keeper was up to the task. Kuyt also should have scored but he blazed an effort wide but everyone could sense a goal was coming. Five minutes later Holland got that goal with a cutting edge move, Kuyt found Van Der Vaart who threaded the ball through to Van Persie who then coolly nutmegged the goalkeeper as the ball slid into the net.

Holland continued to dominate in the second half and Van Persie should have had a second but Souleymanou made sure he wasn't going to beaten one-on-one again. This was to be his last installment as he was replaced by Huntelaar, this break in play seemed to change the pattern and Cameroon were suddenly the team dominating possession. Eto'o, Nguemo and Makoun were all stopped by a combination of Holland's rigid defence and good stops from Stekelenburg. Cameroon did find an equaliser but it was from the penalty spot; Van Der Vaart was judged to have handled the ball and Samuel Eto'o stepped up to put Cameroon level, the stadium erupted for the African contingent. The crowd got even louder firstly by Robben's introduction by Bert Van Maarwijk but then by history making Rigobert Song who replaced Nkoulou. Both of whom were involved in Holland's second goal as Robben proved to quick and skillful for Song and fired a shot that smashed against the post, which rebounded into the path of Huntelaar who made no mistake and gave Holland their 100% success rate in the group.

Endof The Road For Denmark: Denmark 1-3 Japan 24/6/10

Denmark line-up: Soensen, C.Poulsen, Agger, Jacobsen, Tomasson (c), Jorgensen (J.Poulsen, 34'), Bendtner, Kahlenberg (Eriksen, 63'), Kroldrup (Larsen, 56'), S.Poulsen, Rommedahl
Japan line-up: Kawashima, Abe, Komano, Tulio, Nagatomo, Endo (Inamoto, 91'), Matsui (Okazaki, 74'), Okubo (Konno, 88'), Hasebe (c), Honda, Nakazawa

Japan get the better of Denmark in their do or die match meaning Japan progress to a match up against Paraguay. Even though Japan knew a draw would be enough for them they looked most attacking the first half, Sorensen was forced into action early on to prevent Japan taking an early lead. However Denmark did create chances early on with Tomasson blazing a shot wide of Kawashima's goal. The breakthrough came in the 17th minute direct from a free-kick; Honda striking from 30 yards to find the top left-hand corner giving Sorensen no chance. Denmark began to press for the equaliser and Tomasson could have achieved it but Kawashima pulled of a great parry to prevent it. Japan were two up on the half hour mark from another free-kick; this time five yards closer and Endo emulated Honda's success with a great placement into the bottom corner past Sorensen's diving body. Denmark made an early substitute to try and change the losing midfield battle and Denmark tried to give Japan a taste of their own medicine but Jakob Poulsen's free-kick was easily smothered by Kawashima. Japan still looked for more goals and Sorensen was tested by Komano effort that he had to punch over the bar.

The second half continued in the same vain and Denmark struggled from yet another testing free-kick; Sorensen mad a mess of Endo's strike but managed to put it onto the post and away to safety. Denmark continued creating half-chances but nothing of real quality to get one back for the Danes and Japan looked very dangerous on the counter attack. Again Tomasson failed to take advantage of great opportunities but just about managed to redeem himself somewhat nine minutes from time; Agger was fouled in the box and Tomasson stepped up to take the penalty, it was saved by Kawashima but Tomasson managed to convert the rebound but it was too little too late. That goal meant Tomasson had equalled Poul Nielsen's all time goal scoring record of 52 goals at international level. there was still time for Japan to get a third, Honda provided some fancy footwork to provide a killer pass beating both Sorensen and Rommedahl leaving substitute Okazaki with a tap in into the empty net.

Paraguay Win The Group: Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand 24/6/10

Paraguay line-up: Villar, Morel, Caniza (c), J.Caceres, Cardozo (Barrios, 66'), Santa Cruz, Vera, Da Silva, V.Caceres, Riveros, Valdez (Benitez, 67')
New Zealand line-up: Paston, Lochhead, Reid, Vicelich, Nelsen (c), Elliot, Smeltz, Killen (Brockie, 79'), Bertos, Fallon (Wood, 69'), Smith

Paraguay win the group as New Zealand exit without losing a game, which has to be seen as great progress for the Oceania minnows. It wasn't a great game by any means as New Zealand played their naturally defensive game and Paraguay looked to be playing for that draw, most likely to avoid injuries or unnecessary suspensions. The best chances of the first half came from set pieces as both teams came close from free-kicks otherwise the game was just a midfield battle with the only notable shot from open play coming from Caniza.

A win for New Zealand would spell progress to the knockout rounds for the first time in their history and looked more positive in the second half. Elliot looked to put the Kiwis ahead just after half-time but almost had too much space to contemplate his shot which ended up going wide. The first corner of the match remarkably didn't arrive until the 62nd minute but Riveros was prevented from scoring by a good save from Paston. Paston did well to keep New Zealand level as Paraguay looked for that unlikely winner but he was definitely made to sweat in the final quarter as Paraguay went on the onslaught. But it still finished 0-0 giving Paraguay top spot and New Zealand a commendable unbeaten third place.

Weissly Done: Italy 2-3 Slovakia 24/6/10

Slovakia line-up: Mucha, Pekarik, Skrtel, Zabavnik, Strba (Kopunek, 87'), Vittek (Sestak, 92'), Stoch, Durica, Hamsik (c), Jendrisek (Petras, 94'), Kucka
Italy line-up: Marchetti, Criscito (Maggio, HT), Chiellini, Cannavaro (c), De Rossi, Pepe, Gattuso (Quagliarella, HT), Iaquinta, Di Natale, Zambrotta, Montolivo (Pirlo, 56')

Italy crash out after Vladimir Weiss' Slovakia beat them in a very entertaining match. This World Cup has already had a lot of shock results and even though Italy have played poor this campaign this result is another shock. Slovakia knew only a win would do whereas Italy could still progress with a draw in certain circumstances. Slovakia came out the better and were looking for that first goal straight from the whistle, Vittek and Hamsik were causing problems for the defence but couldn't find the net. Italy did give Slovakia the lead in the 25th minute when De Rossi played an awful pass which was intercepted by Jendrisek who played the ball to Slovakia's best player of the game Vittek and he put Slovakia 1-0 ahead. As with their previous games Italy lacked fire-power and despite some decent opportunities they couldn't gain that equaliser. As I said after the New Zealand game Gattuso would make a great change for the team offering Lippi the chance to play three attacking midfielders without any defensive worries, as predicted Gattuso played very well in midfield trying to stop Slovakia playing in the centre of the park. Slovakia ended the first half with more shots that needed good saves from deputising Marchetti to keep the score 1-0 at half-time.

Lippi changed the team at half-time introducing Maggio and Quagliarelli into the fray. But replacing Gattuso brought worries into the defensive side as the changes didn't bring any inspired creativity that a certain Camoranesi would have done. The Italian fans found something to be cheerful about as Pirlo came on as Lippi's third and final roll of the dice. Pirlo did bring some inspiration and Italy looked a little more dangerous though still woeful up front. Italy paid the price for their devastating lack of finishing when Vittek fired Slovakia 2-0 ahead with quarter of an hour left to play. What a quater of an hour that turned out to be as Italy now stepped up another gear and even found their shooting boots; Di Natale could have had a hat-trick if he was decent in front of goal but he did manage to pull Italy back into the game ten minutes from time. But Italy's hopes of progressing were well and truly fading when Kopunek scored just before stoppage time. The four minutes of stoppage were made to be entertaining when Quagliarelli fired Italy with a chance of nicking something. However there wasn't enough time left and Italy were made to rue their missed chances as they exit the tournament leaving their World Cup Champions title behind them.

Final Group Games: Group F

Paraguay are in the driving seat and it looks to be them plus one, but they still could go out with defeat to New Zealand. If Paraguay win then they're through along with the winner of Italy against Slovakia, if it's a draw then Italy progress. If New Zealand get a draw then Paraguay will still progress along with the winner of Italy and Slovakia, it it's a draw then it will go down on goals scored between Italy and New Zealand. If New Zealand beat Paraguay then they will go through with Italy if they win but it will go on goals difference between Slovakia and Paraguay if Slovakia win, Paraguay will go through if Italy and Slovakia draw.

I think Paraguay will beat New Zealand 2-1 to spell their progress and New Zealand's exit. Before the World Cup I predicted Italy to win 4-0 but their lack of fire-power diminishes that prediction, but Italy should win and just about progress.

Final Group Games: Group E

With Holland already through and Cameroon already out this group is nearly sorted. Japan and Denmark know they must win their win or bust face off but Japan will go through if it ends as a draw. I think Holland will cruise past Cameroon and win the group with a 100% record with a 3-0 win. I think Japan will progress with a 2-1 win over Denmark but it should be a close match.

Krassed Out: Australia 2-1 Serbia 23/6/10

Australia line-up: Schwarzer, Neill (c), Cahill, Culina, Beauchamp, Emerton, Wilkshere (Garcia, 82'), Kennedy, Valeri (Chipperfield, 66'), Carney, Bresciano (Holamn, 66')
Serbia line-up: Stojkovic, Vidic, Ivanovic, Stankovic (c), Lukovic, Jovanovic, Zigic (Pantelic, 67'), Obradovic, Krasic (Tosic, 62'), Ninkovic, Kuzmanovic (Lazovic, 77')

It was do or die time for both of these nations and despite winning, Australia's 4-0 defeat came back to haunt them as they crashed out on goal difference. Serbia just needed to draw based on the Ghana result but they just couldn't find that edge. Both teams looked sharp and looked for the offensive straight away, Milos Krasic looked his most dangerous down the wing for Serbia and Schwarzer had to be on hand to keep the young Serb out. Krasic then looked to turn his talent to providing and Kuzmanovic wasted a good opportunity as he fired wide. Schwarzer again had to prevent Ivanovic from scoring again provided by CSKA Moscow's Krasic. Krasic's direct opponent seemed the targeted area for Serbia and Ivanovic also pressed the Aussie full-back and playing in crosses of his own. Serbia thought they found the lead but Krasic was ruled out for offside, but it was very marginal and could have even been onside, this may have been the fatal blow for Serbia. Australia's best player was undoubtedly Tim Cahill and he had the best Australian chance of the half but again it came to nothing.

With Australia on the back foot in the first half, Pim Veerbek musn't have been happy with his players and Australia responded with a much better second half. They decided to adopt a shoot on site policy with long range shots making an impact on Stojkovic but he could just about keep them out. That was until Tim Cahill registered with a trademark headed goal followed by his trademark corner flag celebration. Serbia came and attacked with venom but were inevitably caught on the counter and found themselves 2-0 down; Holman found possession on half-way before firing another long-range effort, but this one found the corner of net and Australia were hoping for Germany to score again against Ghana or indeed for themselves to get two more against Serbia. However that wasn't to be and Serbia were soon the ones who were snapping at Ghana's heels, former Manchester United winger Zoran Tosic made immediate impact from the bench and smashed a shot which Schwarzer helplessly palmed into the path of another substitute, Pantelic who slotted Serbia back in contention. Pantelic had a wonderful chance to level it and put Serbia through at Ghana's expense but he managed to miscue his shot horribly and Serbia were going home with Australia.