A Nation... Celebrates?! - Day 13 Round-Up

I did expect to finish that title with 'mourns', but alas!

Group C were the earlier kick-offs today, with the division culminating with Slovenia vs. England, and USA vs. Algeria. With the former three teams needing a point to finish top of the group, it was all a bit too close to call. With England all over Slovenia, it was only a matter of time, and Jermain Defoe duly delivered in the 22nd minute to give them a 1-0 lead. At that point, it meant England qualified as winners, with Slovenia runners up. One goal in either game could knock one of those teams out of those positions and pull the USA in. And we waited. And waited. And waited. And nails were ripped off left right and centre, and then the whistle blew for the England game. Victory at last, and a progression to the round of 16.But what's this? At the same time as the whistle blew, the USA took the lead through a Landon Donovan slot-in. It broke Slovenian hearts, and meant the USA go through as winners, and England are group runners-up. To watch the Slovenia vs. England highlights, click here, and to watch the USA vs. Algeria highlights, click here.

Then we had Group D, with games between Ghana vs. Germany, and Australia vs. Serbia. With any of the teams still able to qualify as group winners, everything was still to play for. Both games were all level until half time, and then, in the 60th minute, Mesut Ozil put Germany ahead to consolidate their position at the top of the group. Tim Cahill made it the same scoreline for Australia, and Brett Holman added another for the Socceroos with 15 minutes to go. Things looked a bit scary for Ghana, but it was too little too late for Serbia, after Marko Pantelic pulled one back with 5 minutes of normal time to play. It means that Germany go through to the second round as group winners, and Ghana scrape past by the skin of their teeth as runners up. To watch the highlights, click here for Ghana vs. Germany, and here for Australia vs. Serbia.

Best One, Worst One - Day 8 Round-Up

Well, that was a day and a half!

We began at lunchtime with Germany vs. Serbia, and that was some game... We began with what looked like a very strong German team, and quite a weak Serbian team. The Serbians were naturally defensive, and Germans attacking (no WWII accusations intended...), and that looked to be how it would go. But it was completely different, and Milan Jovanovic put the ball in the German net in the 33rd minute. Miroslav Klose then got himself a second yellow for a stupid tackle, and Germany had to finish the game with 10 men. Plenty of woodwork hitting then went on, and when Nemanja Vidic conceded a penalty, things looked to become equal again. Lukas Podolski then missed the penalty, and the game finished as we were, at 1-0. If you want to see the highlights, click here.

The next game was Slovenia vs. USA, and it just got better. Best game of the tournament so far. Slovenia took the lead in the 13th minute with an absolute belter from Valter Birsa, and then Zlatan Ljubijankic made it 2-0. Half time obviously went well for the USA, and Landon Donovan pulled one back through rocketing the ball into the roof of the net, and then, with 10 minutes to go, Michael Bradley, scores the decisive goal. Maurice Edu then had a goal disallowed, wrongly, and they were rightfully annoyed. Still, the ref was a bit trigger happy with his cards, and a couple of the players will miss the next game. If you want the highlights, they are found here.

Our final game today was England vs. Algeria. By a living mile, the worst game I've seen of the tournament. England just lacked absolutely everything - no attacking power, no decent tackles, nothing. It was just so so poor. David James hardly had to make a save, so it wasn't like Algeria were all over us, but there was no-one to take charge - Gerrard was abysmal, and even Rooney was poor. Waz summed it up with this - 'Nice to see your home fans booing you'. It leaves every team in Group C on 2 points, so everything is to play for next Wednesday. If you want to watch what very few highlights there were, click here.

Tale of Two Halves - Day 3 Round-Up

And it really was. We went from one extreme to another in just a few hours. And it was well worth the wait.

First up today was Algeria vs. Slovenia, to finish off the first round of games in Group B. It was like watching paint dry. The game was boring, slow and repetitive, and it looked like no-one would score until Robert Koren popped up with little over 10 minutes to go. Dull. Dull. Dull. If you really, really want to waste 5 minutes of your life, and watch just how dull this game was, then click here.

Then we had Serbia vs. Ghana to launch Group C, and that was just like a party. Having an African nation actually play well, unlike Algeria earlier, made the whole continent go mad. And that was before the goal. Asamoah Gyan converted a penalty with 5 minutes to go to give Ghana an opening game win, and they now set themselves up for a big tournament. To watch highlights of this one, and I advise you at least watch the brilliant goal, click here.

And the final game of Day 3 was that between Germany and Australia, and what an absolutely stunning game. The first half was the best half of football I've watched in the last year. Ozil is the best player seen so far, and with Australia playing very poorly, they conceded two very classy goals. Second half was a little more open, and with a correct piece of refereeing, sending Tim Cahill off killed the game with it. The third goal was a one-man effort, and then Cacau slotted one in with 20 minutes to go. It just seamed effortless for them to walk this game. With the game finishing 4-0, Germany now look like the team to beat. To watch the highlights, and please do, because it was just brilliant, click here.

And today was the first time ever that every game of the day involved a red card. Weird how things like that go, int it? Let's hope that's the lot for now though.

Outstanding Attacking - Day 2 Round-Up

Having now watched 5 out of the 64 games, we're beginning to get a bit of a feel for how its all going. And how attacking was today?!

First game of today was the Korea Republic against Greece,and it was a brilliant display by the Asian team. They showed that they really have recovered the form of the 2002 semi-finalists, and it was actually a very enjoyable game to watch - makes a change when it involves Greece. Highlights are found here.


Next up on the roster was Argentina vs. Nigeria, and it was the best game so far. First half was absolutely stunning - haven't seen a game of football like that in a while. Messi's jinking runs and Tevez's brute force matched perfectly, and the lack of defence for both teams were only uncovered fully in the last 10 minutes. The passing was brilliant too, and it bodes well for the next month. You can watch the highlights here.

Finally, we had England vs. USA. What a really poor game. When Gerrard put the ball in the net within 10 minutes, I thought we were on our way. But no, however we did it, we let the USA come back, and eventually ended up drawing 1-1, thanks to an absolute blunder from Robert Green. If I were Capello, I'd have pulled him off at half time, and let him know it wasn't acceptable. Second half was a little better, but we brought on slower players and brought the pace of the game right down, making Wayne Rooney a very unhappy bunny. Still, if you want to watch the highlights, click here.

Group C - Slovenia

Not many nations have actually qualified and not expected to. Slovenia are one of those teams. Having only qualified for one previous World Cup - in 2002 - and never won a World Cup game, they are there for a bit of fun. Almost like Greece were in 2004.......

Captain City: Ljubljana

Captain: Robert Koren
Manager: Matjaz Kek
Star Man: Valter Birsa - I'll be honest, its hard to find a star man. But Birsa plays in France, is young, energetic and really can score goals. He's one to watch.
Group Games: Algeria (13th June); USA (18th June); England (23rd June)
Adam's Prediction: May very well end up with a point, if they draw with Algeria. But they'll be going there to enjoy themselves. 4th in Group C.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic (Udinese), Jasmin Handanovic (Mantova), Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam) 

Defenders: Bojan Jokic (Chievo Verona), Marko Suler (Ghent), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble), Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv Moscow), Matej Mavric (Koblenz), Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Cologne), Suad Filekovic (Maribor) 

Midfielders: Andraz Kirm (Wisla Krakow), Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Rene Krhin (Inter Milan), Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem), Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa), Valter Birsa (Auxerre) 

Forwards: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne), Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Ghent), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional), Tim Matavz (Groningen)

Group C - Algeria

Put Algeria in any other group, and they'd be laughing their heads off. But they're in Group C - and they're not happy.

Algeria, who qualify for the World Cup for the first time since Mexico '86, have set themselves the target of the knockout stages. If something catastrophic happens, they will. But England and USA are safe as houses to go through.

Capital City: Algiers

Captain: Yazid Mansouri
Manager: Rabah Saadane
Star Man: Karim Matmour - the forward could prove a lot to the coach in training, and that's why I think he could end up as star man. If he starts, he seems to inject a lot of pace and positivity into the team, and it works. Well.
Group Games: Slovenia (13th June); England (18th June); USA (23rd June)
Adam's Prediction: Could actually do relatively well, but I don't think it will be good enough. 3rd in Group C.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Lounes Gaouaoui (ASO Chlef), Faouzi Chaouchi (Entente Setif), Rais M Bolhi (Slavia Sofia, Bulgaria) 

Defenders: Abdelkader Laifaoui (Entente Setif), Madjid Bougherra (Rangers, Scotland), Carl Medjani (Ajaccio, France), Rafik Halliche (Nacional Madeira, Portugal), Anther Yahia (Bochum, Germany), Habib Belaid (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France), Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth, England), Djamel Mesbah (Lecce, Italy) 

Midfielders: Hassan Yebda (Portsmouth, England), Medhi Lacen (Racing Santander, Spain), Yazid Mansouri (Lorient, France), Adlene Guedioura (on loan at Wolverhampton, England from Charleroi, Belgium), Riad Boudebouz (Sochaux, France), Djamel Abdoun (Nantes, France), Fouad Kadir (Valenciennes, France), Karim Ziani (Wolfsburg, Germany), Karim Matmour (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany) 

Strikers: Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena, Italy), Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens, Greece), Rafik Saifi (Istres, France)

Group C - USA

The team that have hosted the World Cup, and still not conquered football. 'Soccer' remains the 3rd biggest sport in the States, but the tide is slowly turning, and manager Bob Bradley really is turning the fortunes of the team around.

The USA squad are, in fact, incredibly attacking. Quick pace, attacking mentality, and a strong defence could make games against the team very difficult.

Capital City: Washington DC
Captain: Carlos Bocanegra
Manager: Bob Bradley
Star Man: Michael Bradley - the coach's son has gone from zero to hero in a matter of months. Now an integral member of the team, he is reminiscent of a young Paul Scholes - a man whose passing accuracy leads the team and could prove to become the man who makes the crucial difference.
Group Games: England (12th June); Slovenia (18th June); Algeria (23rd June)
Adam's Prediction: Will win against Slovenia and Algeria, but lose to England. Runners up in the group, but to lose in the second round. 2nd in Group C.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves) 

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham) 

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (unattached), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jose Torres (Pachuca)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla)

Group C - England

44 years of hurt, and finally, FINALLY, England have a fighting chance of doing vaguely well in the tournament. With a new manager, a new-look team and a new energy around the squad, England could actually go on and do something in this year's competition.

The only problem seems to be fitness. The starting XI is very strong, but should anyone get injured, there isn't a replacement of the same calibre waiting to take his place. It could work against us, and if the teams notice this, targetting could start to occur.

Capital City: London

Captain: Rio Ferdinand
Manager: Fabio Capello
Star Man: Wayne Rooney - Wayne holds 65 million hearts on his shoulders this summer. The team's talisman is the darling of English football, and with him, England are Lions. Without him, they are mere cubs.
Group Games: USA (12th June); Algeria (18th June); Slovenia (23rd June)
Adam's Prediction: Will win every group game, and then the second round. Then scrape through their quarter and suffer heartache again in the semis. 1st in Group C.

Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham) 

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa) 

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) 

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)