Oi Ronaldo, get back in defence like the other ten !!!TUESDAY 29th JUNE
The last day of 2nd round matches saw Japan play Paraguay and an Iberian Derby game between Spain and Portugal. As a rule, the knockout matches had been more open than then group games but Paraguay v Japan was not. If it was a Subbuteo match (look it up if you’re under 30) then both teams would have been lined up in their own half, the ball put on the centre spot and then no one was allowed to flick a player at the ball for 90 minutes. Talk about bloody boring. Paraguay to be fair were trying to play the football but Japan looked the more dangerous when they broke out and Matsui crashed a great shot against the bar before Honda shanked a left footed shot wide when he rally should have passed it. The Subbuteo didn’t improve in the 2nd half and if ever a game was destined for penalties, this was it. Fast forward to the end of extra time and at 3-2 to Paraguay, the Japanese left back Komono, hit the bar before Cardozo slotted in the winning pen. Even the penalty shoot-out was boring with no keeper getting anywhere near making a save. It was a shame for Japan who played some great stuff against Denmark but instead of being liberated by the knockout phase, they just got unadventurous and it kind of served them right a bit.
Spain were on fire at the start v Portugal with Torres and Villa twice going close, only to be denied by Eduardo in the Portuguese goal. Master tactician Carlos Queiroz had gone with his tried and tested 6-3-(thirty yards)-Ronaldo formation and the pattern of the game was set. Spain would have all the possession and try to play their way through a massed defence and when they failed, Portugal would break and try to get Ronaldo on the ball and hope he’d do something spectacular. The referee was brilliant in the first half as any time a player went down in any way theatrically, he didn’t give it. It was really funny seeing Ronaldo getting booted everywhere and not being given any free-kicks. It was all Spain but Villa was playing wide left and not seeing much of the ball and Torres was having a shocker – clearly not fit and not confident in his own ability to go past people, much like Wayne Rooney. Portugal’s breaks brought a couple of chances as Casillas looked dodgy when he spooned a long shot up into the air and just about recovered before the lump Almeida headed in. Casillas had another brown trousers moment a few minutes later when Ronaldo’s free kick moved seven different ways before bouncing off his chest and falling to safety. Half time 0-0.
You knew that the second half was going to continue along the same pattern unless someone did something and it really came down to the managers. On the hour mark, Del Bosque took off the ineffective Torres and replaced him with Llorente and Quieroz, in a show of tactical wizardry, took off Almeida, the only player giving Ronaldo any support. Within seconds, Llorente had a free header when he connected with a Ramos cross but again, Eduardo saved and the Villa fired narrowly wide after linking up with the new arrival. The bustling substitute had upset the Portuguese defence in exactly the same way as Emile Heskey doesn’t and then another flowing passing move – Iniesta into Xavi, little back heel to Villa, shoots, saved by Eduardo, back to Villa, chips the rebound in off the bar. Brilliant finish.
Of course, then Portugal had to play and they created absolutely sod all for the rest of the match and all that happened was that as they committed men forwards, Spain had more space and were always the more likely to score with Sergio Ramos going to closest, forcing another brilliant save out of Eduardo. Portugal had some decent performers with the keeper and Contrao, the left back standing out but creatively, they were bankrupt. They managed to get a man sent off in the last minute for a flailing arm at Capdevila (who is a big girls blouse) and that was it for Portugal and good riddance. It reminded me of England’s 2002 exit when we had half an hour against Brazil, 2-1 down against 10 men and didn’t manage a shot. We didn’t even have a go and nor did Portugal today. They were playing for penalties from the first minute and had no game plan for when they conceded. I hope Queiroz (like Capello) has a decent watertight contract because when you have talented players and totally fail to get the best out of them and you are in charge of a major football nation, then it usually only ends one way.
Well, let’s revisit my Round 2 predictions in true ‘Lawro on the BBC’ fashion. My predictions in brackets.
Uruguay 2 South Korea 1 (Uruguay 2-0 – pretty close)
Ghana 2 USA 1 aet (Ghana on pens after a 1-1 – pretty close again)
Holland 2 Slovakia 1 (Holland by 2 or more – last minute pen did for me)
Brazil 3 Chile 1 (Brazil just – OK, it was comfortable)
Argentina 3 Mexico 1 (Argentina 3-0, bloody consolation goal!)
Germany 4 England 1 (2-1 to England – patriotic stupidity exposed!!!)
Paraguay 0 Japan 0, 5-3 on pens (Japan 1-0, wrong…)
Spain 1 Portugal 0 (Spot on!!!, I said Portugal would be really cagey… and lose)
Now to the Quarters:-
Uruguay to beat Ghana 2-1 as Ghana have a couple of suspensions at the back and I back Suarez and Forlan to be just too much for Ghana. Could well go to extra time and deep down, I hope I’m wrong here and Ghana go through.
Brazil to beat Holland 2-0 as I just can’t see Holland defending well enough to stay in the game. Mr Stekelenberg could be in for a busy game as the Brazilians look very good when they have their full side out, which of course, they will have in this game.
Argentina to beat Germany 2-0. Like with Holland v Brazil, I can’t see the European side defending well enough to stop the South Americans scoring. The German defence looks dodgy when got at and you can be sure that Tevez, Messi and Higuain will get to it. You can also be sure that Argentina won’t defend like England did.
Spain to beat Paraguay 1-0 in a similar game to Spain v Portugal, right down to David Villa scoring the winner.
So, my predicted semi finals are Uruguay v Brazil and Argentina v Spain.
Oh yeah, England in the news again and Sepp Blatter has said sorry to us for Frank’s disallowed goal. Bit late for that you snivelling fuck though I suppose we may now get awarded 2018 out of sympathy.
It was further over than that, you wanker !!! And finally, Some England perspective from Ireland, oddly enough. Have a look at this from Roy Keane, especially the bit near the end when he goes through the list of England players and tells you how many of them had a good season in the Premiership last year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8773716.stm
Here's a very good atricle from the Irish Times, especially the bit about Thomas Mueller
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0629/1224273557820.html
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