FIFA World Cup 2010

[Allamagan]

Nune, Spain is good site balse haddii dh**sadu x**r ku noqon they can easily finish top of this group. All depends on their performances in group stages, however, I am not convinced they can go that length to win world cup.

 

Re. Maicon's goal well it was pure luck. banooniga dhexda inuu soo dhigo lee rabay mise waaba ku xarootay. Why did he cry? because he wasn't expecting, his goal celebrations never he been seen crying b4, like he did today. Period!

 

lol@Dunga's dress, I think Brazilian tabloids will grill him for that. He looked like he shopped at a local charity shop. Anway, this group no doubt Brazil will definitely go thru, but who will follow it? me think either Ivory Coast or North Korea. Portugal, I tell ya they wont/cant make it, sorry!

[Jacaylbaro]

Ivery Coast is good ,, they can make it to the next round i guess. They showed a talent yesterday.

[Oz]

Teams have to start going for points now.There's no more excuses of caution in the first game. Hopefully we'll see a winner in the South Africa - Uruguay match, it would be nice for South Africa to win and give themselves a massive chance of qualifying. I'll also be cheering for Mexico day after tomorrow.

 

I had yesterday was another disappointment, how long can we keep 'hoping' for a good day of football at a World Cup? Hopefully Spain will.

 

Again! didnt watch any matches yesterday, but tonight? gotta watch my eSpania go ran over the Swits, and the last two days the matches looked a little odd.

 

I just want a team to really throw of the shackles of the first game and launch themselves at their cagey opponents. Come on Spain.

 

 

Viva Espana!!!!!

[N.O.R.F]

It has been boring. Today will be no different.

[Abtigiis]

Brazil will beat Ivory Coast.

 

Norf, so tell me if you didn't see flair last night? The score lies sometimes but North Korea were superb. Kaka and Fabiano didn't shw up, but that is the beauty of Brazil. Each day one shines. Robinho is quality and if Fabiano didn't up his game against IC, Nilmar could take his place. The lapse of concentration at the last minute which allowed NK to score is a blessing in disguise. Better happen now than at the knock-out stage.

 

It is known one of the major criticisms against Dunga is that his team finds breaking teams that pack the defence difficult. Because his game plan is for counter-attack. Brazil played better than I thought. I thought they will not run much but seek goals from set-pieces and corners. The precision of passing and motivation was excellent from Brazil last night. The Jabulani ball looks as if made for them.

 

Bring Ivory Coast to the butchery next. With ill-discipline at the back, they will concede many free-kicks and word is that Alves may start in place of the disappointing Elano.

 

Who said this is the group of Death? Brazil to win the group wth nine points.

 

Credit to North Korea who played the game of their life. If they can repeat that against the other teams, they will qualify. Already their coach said it is Brazil and North Korea who will go to the next round.

 

By the way, I was moved by the People's Rooney (NK's number 9) who cried for his national anthem. This player is not even a North Korean. He is from the South and he lives in Japan. But his mother loves North Korea's way of life so much that she asked him to play for them. He is a very good player.

[N.O.R.F]

Waakukaa. You're asking me if I saw flair? War I saw Brazil vs North Korea . A team Bazil only broke down when their midfield got tired.

 

Ask me if I saw flair when you play against a team who can actually keep the ball better.

 

Nothing impressive about their performance apart from their perseverance.

 

Holes in the defence which better opposition will make the most of. Great goal by them by the way. Wuxu waabiyay the whole Brazil defence and the keeper is on the floor before he took the shot

[NGONGE]

A&T, I think Brazil will struggle to beat Ivory Coast (judging by last night's games that is).

 

With Sven Goran Eriksson at the helm, the Ivory Coast have become much more defensive than they usually are. In yesterday's game for example, they played on the counter attack and (yes Norf) kept eleven men behind the ball at all times. Now, if Brazil could not cope with little old North Korea, how in the world are they going to cope with the big bullies of the Ivory Coast? Add to that the fact that when Ivory Coast do counter attack they actually have much better players to do so with.

 

Marka, A&T, if Brazil don't up their game and work rate I really don't see them beating the Ivory Coast. Though I can see them beating Portugal.

[N.O.R.F]

NK will beat Portugal judging by last nights game.

 

As for IC having 11 behind the ball, I really don't know how you could say that but vision express have a sale on

 

Brazil will beat IC because they know how to win free kicks and penalties. IC can't play with a brain and make stup*d needless tackles in dangerous areas.

[NGONGE]

^^ Here goes vision express!

 

 

Kubbada baro.

[Abtigiis]

Fine Ngonge, let us wait and see. Brazil will struggle beating any team in the World Cup, because all teams up their games against them. So, the struggle part is not my worry. The days when one team runs over other is over in international football.

 

If Ivory Coast plays defensivelyas you say, I agree Brazil will struggle but will find goals from set-pieces. But I expect Ivory Coast to open up a little bit more than Korea and all that we need those spaces. I am confident Brasil will prevail on the day.

 

I am slightly concerned by what has now become a trend. Brazil takes time to get into games. In all their matches for the last six months, they tend to raise their pace after the 30-minute mark and usually play well in the second half.

 

Ivory Coast will concede free-kicks and possibly even Penalty. I count on that.

 

Again, what Norf seems to get confused about is the meaning of having a good defence. He thinks a good defence is one that never allows any goals to go past it. Well, this is football and that is unnatural. Brazil' defence was solid through-out last night. They lost concentration around the end of the game, but didn't give much clear chances to Korea. Against Ivory Coast, they are likely to give away chances, but overall will do a good job.

 

The only reason Brazil struggled last night was because KaKa's role was missing. if he doesn't play well against Ivory coast, I think Dunga will go for Plan B, which is to unleash the Beast (Julio Baptista) and make adjustments in the midfield so that Alves is accomodated.

 

In fact, Brazil might get a better fight from portugal because of the history.

 

Go the Selecao!

[NGONGE]

Norf, here is more:

 

Ivory Coast and Portugal kept their beautiful games under wraps as the World Cup's "Group of Death" got off to a stalemate.

 

Not even the world's most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo, or the second-half introduction of Chelsea's Didier Drogba could spark the contest into life.

 

Real Madrid forward Ronaldo, who joined the La Liga side for £80 million last summer, came closest to breaking the deadlock with a free-kick that struck the post.

 

But Sven-Goran Eriksson's Elephants held firm to earn a share of the points ahead of their matches with Brazil and North Korea.

 

 

REACTION:

Although the match saw few chances for either side, Eriksson felt his team should have snatched all three points from the encounter.

 

He told ITV1: "Portugal is a good team but I'm not completely happy with one point but it is one point.

 

"It was a good game. Tactically, no-one wants to lose. Ronaldo had a good chance for them but we also had some good chances and half chances."

 

The Swedish manager was in charge of England at the 2006 World Cup when Portugal won on penalties. And the 62-year-old was keen to avoid another defeat to the Portuguese.

 

He added: "I think we were organised all 90 minutes. It's a point, it would be better with three, but we played well and handled it well.

 

"Both teams played like they didn't want to take big chances and lose. If you start to attack frantically against Portugal, they will kill you."

 

Portugal midfielder Ronaldo bemoaned the Ivory Coast's tactics and accused them of spoiling the match.

 

He told RTP1: "We knew the Ivory Coast would not attack much and would stay at the back more. They were afraid of us in the first half.

 

"In the second half they got their game a bit more loose, but we played well and did not win only because we did not have any luck."m

 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The decision not to start Drogba could have implied the Ivory Coast were playing for a draw but they did make the early running, although Ronaldo had the first effort with a dipping effort that hit the woodwork.

 

Eriksson's plan to thwart Portugal's attacking threat worked wonders but his tactics did make for a dull match.

 

At times the Ivorian system saw the Africans with all 11 players in their own half, allowing Portugal to keep possession, albeit away from the danger area.

 

Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou should have done better with his chance in the second half but planted his shot straight at Eduardo, while his opposite number, Boubacar Barry, pulled off a stop to deny Liedson.

 

WHAT IT MEANS:

The group is wide open with Brazil and the unknown quantity of North Korea still to play both these sides.

 

Portugal can be stifled by the right system. Eriksson would have gone into this match with memories of England's defeat to Portugal at the 2006 World Cup on his mind. At the time, the Swede opted for a 4-4-2 system but here he changed his tactics to try and prevent a defeat.

 

Portugal have been tipped as outsiders to win the World Cup, but on this evidence they looked decidedly ordinary, particularly up front.

 

Source

[NGONGE]

Ma wada?

 

Queiroz blasts Ivory Coast gameplan

Carlos Queiroz has blasted Ivory Coast's approach to the game in their goalless draw during the Group G opening match.

 

"We wanted to win the match, but as you saw, this was a game between two favourites, a very hard encounter. The Ivory Coast did not want to take control at the start, they were just at the back defending, trying to launch counter-attacks," he told RTP 1 after the match.

 

"We tried to attack but it is always hard against a team that do not try to take control of the match. In the second half we exchanged passes faster, we grew on the pitch, but it is always hard to play against a team that were always waiting for a mistake to score."

 

Despite being upset over their opponents' tactics, the Portugal coach is happy with the point earned but believes his side have to step up in their next game against North Korea.

 

"In the second match, the teams will have to take more risks.

 

"We got a point against one of the favourites, now we have to win the next match," he concluded.

 

Portugal take on North Korea next on 21 June and round off their group fixtures against Brazil on 25 June.

[N.O.R.F]

Good defence

 

What is this about Robbie Earle getting the sack? The best 2nd commentator on TV he was.

[Abtigiis]

Quiroz is exaggerating things. Yes, IC were defensive but were also attacking. In fact, they had created more chances than Portugal.

[N.O.R.F]

Thats what I hate about southern Europeans. They complain when they don't get their own way. The ref was good (they have all been good) and didn't give free kickes everytime some one goes down like they do in south Europe.

 

Portugal had no options and it was obvious. Quiroz is just pre-empting what th media were going to report (that portugal were cr*p).