June 11.
Cultured Gesture.
Mexico goalkeeper, Oswaldo Sanchez, lost his father on Thursday, the day before the tournament started. Iran showed tremendous goodwill and hospitality in presenting him with a bouquet of flowers during the team introductions. It is gestures like this that bring a tear to the eye. They reinforce in us the basic goodwill that should permeate most of international football. Thereafter the Iranian captain presented the Mexican captain with an elaborate handmade wall carpet, framed in wood and featuring flags of both nations. International sport is often a celebration of different cultures, this reminded us of its power.
In the game between Sweden and Trinidad, after a collision between Freddrie Ljungberg and Shaka Hislop, both the Swedish striker and the Trini goalie reached out their hands and shook - displaying a commendable lack of malice. Once again - excellent gesture. Small things like this go a long way.
The game itself was largely predictable, Iran are a tidy team with a genuine midfield in Ali Karimi and Mahdavikia, Mexico are consistent performers at international tournaments boasting a solid core of nippy players who are both versatile and technically proficient.
Mexico took the lead from a corner, scoring one of those goals that seem effortless on TV but impossible to orchestrate on the training field. Iran returned the favour with Golmohammadi rifling the ball into the roof of the net after a goalmouth scramble. However, after that Iran faded, their defence crumbled and Mexico scored 2 beautiful textbook goals.
One was a simple flick on, past the defence as Bravo tapped one into the left corner. Sliderule pass, simple finish, Saviola would have been proud. The other was a classic headed goal, high cross, neck twisting header, top right corner. Game, set and match. On a day when other matches were dour 1-0 affairs, this game resembled the opening day, fresh, open attacking football.
Endnotes:
Sport and politics should be kept separate - demonstrations against the Iranian president today were totally irrelevent.
Mexico's scorer of the 3rd goal, Zinha, is a naturalised Brazillian.
Mexico 3 - Bravo 2, Zinha
Iran 1 - Golmohammadi
Dour Portugal.
Any country that has a machete in its flag, is bound to raise some eyebrows. Angola especially fit this bill, having surprised everyone with their qualification. Against their old colonial masters, one expected a rout and it so very nearly was.
In Jamba, their right centre half, they surely have one of the worst players in the tournament. He is slow, tentative and completely tactically inept. Within the first minute, he let Pauleta beat him to an early through ball, from which the PSG man almost scored. Scarcely 10 minutes later, the snail that is Luis Figo beat him to an exact replica of a through ball (this time Jamba had a 5 yard headstart) and the Inter player passed for Pauleta to finally tap in.
You got a sickening feeling in the stomach that Angola were going to be humiliated, their defence being cut open by an attack resembling the weapon displayed on their flag, their midfield unprofessional, their attack absent.
Yet, somehow, Angola came back into the game. Slowly, steadily they asserted themselves and began to string some passes together. Akwa and Mateus even tested Ricardo in the Portugese goal with some rasping long range drives. Akwa in particular was a little over ambitious in his spectacular bicycle kick, connecting with a high cross from Mendonca on the right, sending the ball over the crossbar.
Portugal continued to attack, Ronaldo and Pauleta hitting the post and just going wide respectively, but the game slowly settled into a hatchet job in midfield. eventually Portugal won a narrow victory and Angola, though hilariously unprofessional at times, were never completely humbled.
If Akwa's overhead kick had been a little lower, perhaps the game could have been so different...
Endnotes:
Good to see both sets of fans dancing together after the game - let the celebrations begin !
On ths heady weekend of sport (too much TV for yours truly), Nadal defended his French Open title against World No.1 Roger Federer, Alonso won his first British GP and India finished on 588 before reducing the Windies to 65/3. Watch this space.....
Portugal 1 - Pauleta
Angola 0
Cultured Gesture.
Mexico goalkeeper, Oswaldo Sanchez, lost his father on Thursday, the day before the tournament started. Iran showed tremendous goodwill and hospitality in presenting him with a bouquet of flowers during the team introductions. It is gestures like this that bring a tear to the eye. They reinforce in us the basic goodwill that should permeate most of international football. Thereafter the Iranian captain presented the Mexican captain with an elaborate handmade wall carpet, framed in wood and featuring flags of both nations. International sport is often a celebration of different cultures, this reminded us of its power.
In the game between Sweden and Trinidad, after a collision between Freddrie Ljungberg and Shaka Hislop, both the Swedish striker and the Trini goalie reached out their hands and shook - displaying a commendable lack of malice. Once again - excellent gesture. Small things like this go a long way.
The game itself was largely predictable, Iran are a tidy team with a genuine midfield in Ali Karimi and Mahdavikia, Mexico are consistent performers at international tournaments boasting a solid core of nippy players who are both versatile and technically proficient.
Mexico took the lead from a corner, scoring one of those goals that seem effortless on TV but impossible to orchestrate on the training field. Iran returned the favour with Golmohammadi rifling the ball into the roof of the net after a goalmouth scramble. However, after that Iran faded, their defence crumbled and Mexico scored 2 beautiful textbook goals.
One was a simple flick on, past the defence as Bravo tapped one into the left corner. Sliderule pass, simple finish, Saviola would have been proud. The other was a classic headed goal, high cross, neck twisting header, top right corner. Game, set and match. On a day when other matches were dour 1-0 affairs, this game resembled the opening day, fresh, open attacking football.
Endnotes:
Sport and politics should be kept separate - demonstrations against the Iranian president today were totally irrelevent.
Mexico's scorer of the 3rd goal, Zinha, is a naturalised Brazillian.
Mexico 3 - Bravo 2, Zinha
Iran 1 - Golmohammadi
Dour Portugal.
Any country that has a machete in its flag, is bound to raise some eyebrows. Angola especially fit this bill, having surprised everyone with their qualification. Against their old colonial masters, one expected a rout and it so very nearly was.
In Jamba, their right centre half, they surely have one of the worst players in the tournament. He is slow, tentative and completely tactically inept. Within the first minute, he let Pauleta beat him to an early through ball, from which the PSG man almost scored. Scarcely 10 minutes later, the snail that is Luis Figo beat him to an exact replica of a through ball (this time Jamba had a 5 yard headstart) and the Inter player passed for Pauleta to finally tap in.
You got a sickening feeling in the stomach that Angola were going to be humiliated, their defence being cut open by an attack resembling the weapon displayed on their flag, their midfield unprofessional, their attack absent.
Yet, somehow, Angola came back into the game. Slowly, steadily they asserted themselves and began to string some passes together. Akwa and Mateus even tested Ricardo in the Portugese goal with some rasping long range drives. Akwa in particular was a little over ambitious in his spectacular bicycle kick, connecting with a high cross from Mendonca on the right, sending the ball over the crossbar.
Portugal continued to attack, Ronaldo and Pauleta hitting the post and just going wide respectively, but the game slowly settled into a hatchet job in midfield. eventually Portugal won a narrow victory and Angola, though hilariously unprofessional at times, were never completely humbled.
If Akwa's overhead kick had been a little lower, perhaps the game could have been so different...
Endnotes:
Good to see both sets of fans dancing together after the game - let the celebrations begin !
On ths heady weekend of sport (too much TV for yours truly), Nadal defended his French Open title against World No.1 Roger Federer, Alonso won his first British GP and India finished on 588 before reducing the Windies to 65/3. Watch this space.....
Portugal 1 - Pauleta
Angola 0
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