Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Replace the Vuvuzelas with Alpine Cow Bells

Well, yodell me crazy.  It happened in the last game of the first round.

Switzerland finally delivered the first big upset of the World Cup by scalping Spain.  And what an upset.  After being outshot, out passed, out thought and out played, all game they nicked a scrambled goal that would have made Jose Mourinho and Sam Allardyce proud.  Spain now know how Arsenal feel in most games against less skilled opposition.

Gelson Fernandes pounced on a bouncing loose ball in the area after Eren Derdiyok drove into the area,  and tried rounding Iker Casillas, in the Spanish goal.  He fell acrobatically and the ball fell to Fernandes who fired towards the net.  Gerard Pique intercepted and the ball broke for Fernandes again who stroked it home.  Lucky perhaps, but a gutsy play by Derdiyok. 


Later on Derdiyok came close again as he dribbled in from the left side stepped Pique and Puyol before drilling his shot off the post.


Spain, to be fair, created a plethora of chances and would normally have put a couple away.  The closest they came was a Xabi Alonso shot that cannoned of the crossbar.

Spain should still go through, while Switzerland kept up in the race for qualification by keeping up with rivals Chile.  This was Switzerland's fifth consecutive clean sheet going back to their opening game against France in 2006.

Full highlights:

---

South American dark horses Chile, were somewhat convincing in a win over Honduras.

Chile kept possession, worked the ball out wide and were lucky to get a goal when a cross from Mauricio Isla was deflected in off by Honduran defender Maynor Figueroa onto the boot of Chilean forward Jean Beausejour.



Honduras created little so Chile was more or less in control throughout.  Playmaker Jorge Valdivia was an ever present danger and stamped his claim as one of the better central midfielders of the tournament so far.

Late on, Waldo Ponce was absolutely robbed when he headed a cross that Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares kept out somehow in what has become the save of the tournament so far.


Full Highlights:

---

The first game of the second round of round robin matches kicked off with the afternoon/late game between Uruguay and South Africa.

After looking like absolute garbage in the first game against France, Uruguay looked much more confident and in control this time round.

South Africa threatened little and the La Celeste took control with a long distance scorcher from Diego Forlan.


Forlan then added a second when an offside Luis Suarez was adjudged to have been felled by Bafana Bafana keeper Itumeleng Khune.  Truth is that Suarez jumped over him and as he did so Khune, who slid out, touched his trailing leg.  Rubbish decision.  Forlan stepped up and sent the penalty into the roof of the net.

A third goal came in stoppage time when a cross from Suarez was touched home by Alvaro Perreira in a finish that was more clumsy than confident.

Fernando Muslera picked up his second straight shutout.

Full highlights:


No comments:

Post a Comment