Shocks Galore - Day 14 Round-Up

Well that was a turn for the books!

We actually began today with the culmination of Group F - yeah, I know, confusing, but hey, what Sepp Blatter wants, he gets. With matches between Slovakia and Italy, and Paraguay vs. New Zealand, it was certainly going to be a bumpy ride. One was very dull, one was the best of the tournament. Can you guess which one?! We had a dull 0-0 draw between Paraguay and New Zealand, but wow, the other game was incredible. Robert Vittek put one goal in for Slovakia in the 25th minute, and then scored again in the 73rd minute to give them a shock 2-0 lead. Antonio Di Natale pulled one back for Italy with 10 minutes to go, and it began to look an even better possibility that Italy would go through... Fabio Quagliarella scored a fabulous goal, for it to only be ruled out for offside. But Kamil Kopunek scored a further goal for Slovakia, and it killed the game... Or did it? Qualiarella then scored properly in 2 minutes of injury time, before having a strike scraped off the line with seconds to go. The game finished 3-2, which means Paraguay are group winners, with Slovakia going through as runners-up, and Italy, reigning world champions, finishing bottom of their group... For the highlights of Paraguay vs. New Zealand, click here, and for Slovakia vs. Italy, click here.

That meant that Group E finished off the second week, and finished off the third games. Matches between Denmark and Japan, and Cameroon and the Netherlands would decide who would follow Holland into the next round. It was first blood to Japan, after two absolutely stunning free kicks from Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo, and then the Netherlands went ahead through a brilliant goal from Robin van Persie. It stayed like that after the break, but after 65 minutes, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon equalised through a penalty. Then, with 10 minutes to go, Jon Dahl Tomasson pulled a goal back for Denmark, before Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored another goal for Holland in the other game. The last goal of the day was from Japan, with Shinji Okazaki scoring a goal brilliantly teed up by Honda. He's gotta be a big player next season. It meant the Netherlands finished top, with Japan going through as runners up. To watch the highlights, click here for Denmark vs. Japan, and here for Cameroon vs. Netherlands.

Blunder-ful - Day 9 Round-Up

A day to forget if you're a national team goalkeeper....

Netherlands vs. Japan started off today's proceedings, and it finished 1-0. I'll get that bit out the way... Wesley Sneijder's beast of a shot in the 52nd minute was flapped at by Eiji Kawashima, and he pushed it into the bottom corner of the net. Admittedly, it was going in, and it was very powerful, but it still should have gone over the crossbar. Have been very impressed with Japan so far - they actually seem a classic equal attacking, equal defending team. It also meant that the Netherlands qualified for the knockout round, due to the result in the final game of the day. If you wish to see the highlights, click here.

Our next game was Ghana vs. Australia, and it was split straight down the middle. The first half was action packed, and was brilliant; second, not so. We began it all with a goal from Brett Holman after Ghanaian keeper Richard Kingson scooped and spilled a simple free kick, and played it into the path of Holman. We then had a bit of 'controversy', when Harry Kewell handled the ball on the line, and was sent off. He was adamant it wasn't a red card, but in my eyes, it certainly was. You can't leave you arm in the way of the ball, and claim its 'ball to hand'. Pillock. Anyway, the resulting penalty was converted by Asamoah Gyan, who has now scored two penalties for Ghana in this World Cup. Classy, really, considering Ghana have only scored two goals. The highlights can be found here.

Finally, the last game of the day was Cameroon vs. Denmark. Cameroon came in to the game with the whole of Africa on their shoulders, and it looked like it was going to be their day, when Samuel Eto'o put the ball in the net after some poor defending by the Danish. They then relaxed a bit, and Cameroon can't relax, and it led to a Danish goal, which many are saying is the best of the tournament yet. A 63-yard ball from Simon Kjaer from the halfway line to the corner flag, to Dennis Rommedahl, who then slid the ball inch-perfectly towards Nicklas Bendtner, who slid the ball in. Rommedahl then got a goal for himself when he curled one in after creating an opening for himself - beautiful stuff. The game finished 2-1, which means that Cameroon are out, the Netherlands are qualified, and Denmark and Japan have it all to play for. And guess who play each other next.... To watch the highlights, click here. 

Adam Misses All - Day 4 Round-Up

Now school began again today. Couldn't have been a worse day, but we had to go back. And that means I missed all the football. So what you'll be reading below will be exactly what you can watch if you want to, by clicking on the highlight links. Simple, really.

The first game was the lunchtime kick-off - Netherlands vs. Denmark. What a freaky game! Sat down to watch the highlights, and there were only 3 minutes of them, so I assumed it would be crap, but I was very wrong. Nicklas Bendtner missed some sitters in the first half, and the freakiest own goal this season gave Holland the lead, after Simon Poulsen headed the ball against Daniel Agger's back for it to trickle in. The second goal, late in the second half, was good, as Dirk Kuyt follows up the ball and slides it home. Damian and I discussed the game before kick off, and we disagreed with the choice of playing Kuyt from the start, but we were proved wrong, which is always a good thing! Wesley Sneijder seemed to be everywhere as well, and I think he could be key. Still, 2-0 will set them up well. For the highlights, click here.

Next up was Japan vs. Cameroon. Now it was the story of two of the best teams of the tournament - kit wise of course. Cameroon in yellow with red pinstripes, and Japan in blue with white trim. That's about as good as it gets. The odd bit of flair and skill from Cameroon was nice to see, and broke up a dire game between the two. Japan took the lead towards the end of the first half thanks to a defensive error and a brilliant bit of instinct from Keisuke Honda, and then decided the best way to win the game was to put 10 men behind the ball. Everything from then onwards was Cameroon, but it wasn't enough, and the game finished 1-0. To watch the highlights, click here.

That finished off Group E, and that meant the last game of the day was the start of Group F - Italy vs. Paraguay. Now normally, this would have 'drubbing' written all over it, but with the selection within the squads, people thought a little differently. Paraguay took a shock lead thanks to a header from a corner by Antolin Alcarez, but this was cancelled out in the second half thanks to a bit of stupid goalkeeping, and Daniele De Rossi slots the ball home. From there, it was all Italy, but their old squad couldn't do anything more, and the game finished 1-1. To see the highlights (I wouldn't bother...), click here.

That was Day 4, and I think this may now be the trend for the next few days......

Group E - Cameroon

Having not qualified in 2006, Cameroon will want to do themselves proud this time around. At least this time their kit passes the test - in 2002, FIFA told them to change it, as it was a vest....

They will hope that Samuel Eto'o will increase his top goalscorer record, and that the defence can pull together. It could eventually lead to a big finish for them.

Capital City: Yaounde

Captain: Samuel Eto'o
Manager: Paul Le Guen
Star Man: Jean Makoun - could prove to be a star this time around. At 27, he's no ripe fruit, but what a midfielder. Absolutely class, and could steal himself a move to England. 
Group Games: Cameroon (14th June); Denmark (19th June); Netherlands (24th June)
Adam's Prediction: Can see them being one of the surprise packages in South Africa. With a 'home crowd' behind them, who knows what they can do? 2nd in Group E.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N'Dy Assembe (Valenciennes), Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor) 

Defenders: Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur), Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor) 

Midfielders: Achille Emana (Real Betis), Enoh Eyong (Ajax Amsterdam), Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern), Joel Matip (Schalke 04), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song (Arsenal) 

Forwards: Vincent Aboubacar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Moting (Nuremburg), Stephane Mbia (Marseille, France), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Achille Webo (Real Mallorca)

Group E - Japan

The 45th best team in the world are looking to score their first win at the World Cup since the second game of 2002, against Tunisia. No Tunisia this time around, but Japan are in a bit of a pickle.

Were they in any other group, they might stand a chance of coming 3rd. They're that good.

Capital City: Tokyo
Captain: Makoto Hasebe
Manager: Takeshi Okada
Star Man: Shinji Okazaki - the little striker leads the front line for Japan this year around. Having scored 16 goals in his past 28 international games, he could really ignite the team, and I'm sure a lot of people agree that he could indeed be on the verge of a life-changing cup competition.
Group Games: Cameroon (14th June); Netherlands (19th June); Denmark (24th June)
Adam's Prediction: With a little bit of luck, may indeed scrape a draw, but don't hold your breath. 4th in Group E.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata) 

Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers) 

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg/Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow/Russia), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble/France) 

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuhito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania/Italy)

Group E - Denmark

Ah, the Danish. Had a couple of the best players ever to have walked the earth, and have they done anything? Nope. Oh, bar Euro '92.

Will that change? No, I don't think it will. Having seen some poor performances in friendlies, they really don't seem to be pushing very hard to go about winning the thing. But we've had plenty of surprises.

Capital City: Copenhagen
Captain: Jon Dahl Tomasson
Manager: Morten Olsen
Star Man: Simon Kjaer - the young defender made a big impression at Plaermo last season - so much so that he's the talk of Man United, Arsenal and Barcelona. So why is a defender the star man? Well, should he play well, he could carry the team, like Philipp Lahm did in 2006. Lets hope so.
Group Games: Netherlands (14th June); Cameroon (19th June); Japan (24th June)
Adam's Prediction: I'm sorry, but I just can't see it. With better teams in the group, they won't go further than they already are. 3rd in Group E.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City), Stephan Andersen (Brondby), Jesper Christiansen (FC Copenhagen) 

Defenders: William Kvist (FC Copenhagen), Simon Kjaer (Palermo), Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn Rovers), Per Kroldup (Fiorentina), Daniel Agger (Liverpool), Patrick Mtigliga (Malaga), Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar) 

Midfielders: Martin Jorgensen (AGF Aarhus), Christian Poulsen (Juventus), Jakob Poulsen (AGF Aarhus), Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax Amsterdam), Thomas Kahlenberg (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Enevoldsen (FC Groningen), Christian Eriksen (Ajax Amsterdam), Mikkel Beckmann (Randers), Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen), Jesper Gronkjaer (FC Copenhagen) 

Forwards: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Feyenoord), Soren Larsen (Toulouse), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal)

Group E - The Netherlands

I prefer Holland if I'm honest. The Netherlands are the best team never to have won a World Cup. If you ever get the chance, watch how good they were in the '70's - what a team. Total Football.

Their squad this year is, overall, one of the best teams in the competition. With a combination of firepower and blockade defending, they really could be going places this time around. As ever though, every team suffers injuries, and with Arjen Robben already out of their first game, every Dutchman will be crossing their fingers.

Capital City: Amsterdam
Captain: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Manager: Burt van Marwijk
Star Man: Wesley Sneijder - the midfield maestro is another one who is coming into the World Cup on the back of a Treble with Inetr Milan, and his record shows how good he is. Having helped the Dutch go through the whole of qualifying with a 100% record, Sneijder could prove the difference should they put themselves in the right position.
Group Games: Denmark (14th June); Japan (19th June); Cameroon (24th June)
Adam's Prediction: Could it finally be their year? I think they have a big chance, but with the potential of a big quarter final against Brazil, they'll really have to hold their nerve. 1st in Group E.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Sander Boschker (FC Twente), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)

Defender: Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (HSV), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Andre Ooijer (PSV)

Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (AZ), Wesley Sneijder (Inter), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Ibrahim Afellay (PSV)

Forwards: Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Eljero Elia (HSV), Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)