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World Cup Watching
No surprises as the 3rd round of group play began in groups A and B. The teams we expected to see win and advance to the round of 16 did so. And a one-time favourite that looked on the verge of self destruction succumbed, to the grief of some and the amusement of others.
June 22, 2010
Uruguay played Mexico with both only needing a tie to go through. It's to Uruguay's credit that they actually played for the win, and their defense is sufficiently formidable to make them a worrisome opponent to any of the other teams. Mexico actually had a substantial advantage in terms of time of possession but seldom to any real purpose: they only had 2 shots on goal for the match. Still, they held it close, which proved to be significant.
Meanwhile, France faced off with host nation South Africa. A team seemingly at war with itself, France serves as a classic example of talent not always equaling performance. Their first game was dismal, lacking any offensive spark, and the team then descended into a squabbling morass. As our Canadian commentators said, "South Africa might be out of their depth, but the French are out of their minds." So no, it did not come as a surprise when they lost. Both teams had the slimmest chance at going through, needing a win and then a loss by Mexico plus a shift in their favour of the goal differential. South Africa played its heart out to satisfy the first part of the equation, but couldn't quite score enough to make it through. Still, beating one of the great football nations must be a source of pride to them. Besides, it means they don't have to face Argentina in the next round - that honour now falls to Mexico.
Over in group B, Nigeria and South Korea battled in a good match with lots of opportunities by both teams. It may best be remembered though for a miss by Nigeria's Yakuba on what should have been the easiest of goals. He got his opportunity for redemption only minutes later when Nigeria was awarded a penalty kick and this time he made it count to tie the game at 2-2. And that's where the game finished, meaning South Korea advance.
Last but far from least, Argentina completed its perfect performance in group play with a 2-0 win against Greece. The score makes it sound like a reasonably competitive match, which was true only in the most limited sense. Argentina completely and utterly dominated play, but the match was held close until the 77th minute because the Greek goalie put on a splendid performance with 10 stops, not to mention all the shots that just missed. Argentina finally broke through and joy erupted on the Argentine bench. I find myself actually liking Maradona for the first time - he's just so desperately happy when his team does well. He may or may not be much of a coach, but so far he hasn't needed to be. This team has talent to burn.
June 22, 2010
Uruguay played Mexico with both only needing a tie to go through. It's to Uruguay's credit that they actually played for the win, and their defense is sufficiently formidable to make them a worrisome opponent to any of the other teams. Mexico actually had a substantial advantage in terms of time of possession but seldom to any real purpose: they only had 2 shots on goal for the match. Still, they held it close, which proved to be significant.
Meanwhile, France faced off with host nation South Africa. A team seemingly at war with itself, France serves as a classic example of talent not always equaling performance. Their first game was dismal, lacking any offensive spark, and the team then descended into a squabbling morass. As our Canadian commentators said, "South Africa might be out of their depth, but the French are out of their minds." So no, it did not come as a surprise when they lost. Both teams had the slimmest chance at going through, needing a win and then a loss by Mexico plus a shift in their favour of the goal differential. South Africa played its heart out to satisfy the first part of the equation, but couldn't quite score enough to make it through. Still, beating one of the great football nations must be a source of pride to them. Besides, it means they don't have to face Argentina in the next round - that honour now falls to Mexico.
Over in group B, Nigeria and South Korea battled in a good match with lots of opportunities by both teams. It may best be remembered though for a miss by Nigeria's Yakuba on what should have been the easiest of goals. He got his opportunity for redemption only minutes later when Nigeria was awarded a penalty kick and this time he made it count to tie the game at 2-2. And that's where the game finished, meaning South Korea advance.
Last but far from least, Argentina completed its perfect performance in group play with a 2-0 win against Greece. The score makes it sound like a reasonably competitive match, which was true only in the most limited sense. Argentina completely and utterly dominated play, but the match was held close until the 77th minute because the Greek goalie put on a splendid performance with 10 stops, not to mention all the shots that just missed. Argentina finally broke through and joy erupted on the Argentine bench. I find myself actually liking Maradona for the first time - he's just so desperately happy when his team does well. He may or may not be much of a coach, but so far he hasn't needed to be. This team has talent to burn.
| Table A Standings | ||||||
| Team (FIFA rank) | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Points |
| Uruguay (16) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Mexico (17) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| South Africa (83) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| France (9) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Group B Standings | ||||||
| Team (FIFA rank) | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Points |
| Argentina (7) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| Korea Republic (47) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Greece (13) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Nigeria (21) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |