footballspectator

Spain’s failure at a major tournament is one of those things we can all rely on. Following the uncharacteristic 4-0 drubbing of the Ukraine, the Spanish press was filled with articles and comments from football experts assuring fans that this time it was different. Apparently tonight’s opponents had admitted that Spain were going to make it to the final, come what may, as had Michael Ballack according to Marca.

Tonight, however the euphoria almost evaporated as Spain struggled to beat Tunisia. Trailing to an early goal from Mnari, Spain only managed to turn the match around in the last 15 minutes following the introduction of Fabregas and Raul. Raul got the equaliser and the vastly overrated Fernando Torres got the other two. His first came from a great pass from Fabregas and a poor decision from goalie Boumnijel. His second was a badly struck penalty which squirmed into the net somehow.

The final score flatters the Spaniards and no doubt Marca will continue to whip up the hysteria. Tunisia are hardly a superpower. Spain to win the World Cup? Dream on…

Togo have enjoyed a roller coaster of a World Cup so far. First their coach quit and then decided to come back. Next the players threatened not to play against the Swiss today and only had a last minute change of heart following the intervention of FIFA. Yet today the Togolese somehow managed to put all the turmoil behind them and put in a rousing performance against Switzerland. Unfortunately it was not enough as they went down 2-0 following goals from Frei and Barnetta. Togo would be right to feel aggrieved however, having been denied a clear penalty when Muller stuck out his leg to stop Adebayor with the score still at 1-0 to the Swiss. The result means that France need to win their last match against Togo 2-0 to qualify.

After the first matches in Group E, most people would have thought that the Czechs, so vibrant against the USA would brush Ghana aside. Instead the Ghanaians dominated from start to finish. Asamoah Gyan’s 2nd minute strike appeared to fill the Black Stars with confidence and they started to produce some flowing football, with Petr Cech forced to make some big saves to keep the Czechs in it.

Things got worse for the Czechs in the second half Ujfalusi gave away a penalty for a foul on Amoah for which he was sent off. Asamoah Gyan’s effort hit the post and Czechs continued to have hope. However as they pressed for an equaliser they left massive holes at the back which the Ghanaians should have exploited. Instead, they came up against a wall  called Petr Cech. Eventually they managed to get through, as Udinese’s Sulley Muntari smashed his shot into the roof of the net.

Without Jan Koller or Milan Baros, the Czechs are struggling. Lokvenc did nothing and it was obvious that star players Nedved and Rosicky had no confidence in him. The Czechs will now have to beat Italy in their last match to ensure qualification, something which looks unlikely in the absence of their first choice forward line.

Highlights below..

Angola won their first ever point at the World Cup after holding heavily fancied Mexico to a 0-0 draw in the evening kick-off. The hero for the Angolans was unemployed goalkeeper Joao Ricardo who pulled off a string of unbelievable saves to keep out the Mexicans. One save in particular from Marquez’s long-range second half thunderbolt was unbelievable. Mexico must be disappointed as they had more than enough chances, but poor finishing, especially from Guille Franco cost them.

The result means that if Iran draw with Portugal today, then both qualification places will be up for grabs going into the final round of matches.

The Dutch beat the Ivory Coast in Stuttgart 2-1 to ensure qualification to the last 16. Holland now play Argentina to decide who tops the group and must be glad that they do not have to win to progress given the form that Argentina have displayed.

Robin van Persie opened the scoring with a great free kick which he powered into the top left hand corner. Ruud van Nistelrooy doubled the lead shortly afterwards. But the Ivorians never give up. Didier Zokora’s long range effort cannoned off the bar before Bakari Kone, an impressive substitute in the first game, scored an excellent solo goal to reduce the deficit at half-time. The Ivorians pushed the Dutch hard in the second half and needed Van Persie’s clearance on the line to keep out Drogba’s header.
Holland looked good going forward, but with Robben once again way too selfish could not increase their lead. However their defence struggled to cope with the direct running and ability of the Ivorians. The Ivory Coast must be the unluckiest side in the tournament. They have played extremely well in their first two matches but the draw did them no favours. Hopefully, they will get the win they deserve against S&M.

Marcelo Lippi’s players managed to put the recent Italian scandal out of their minds to beat a competitive Ghana 2-0 in Hannover in tonight’s match. Ghana started strongly but the Italians quickly got into the game and seemed to cause havoc everytime they crossed with Ghana goalie Kingson looking decidedly shaky. Having said that Kingson saved well from Gilardino and cannot be faulted for Italy’s opener. Pirlo was given enough time to have a cappuccino and read a copy of La Gazzetta before deciding where to direct his shot which took a slight deflection as it came through a mass of bodies to nestle in the bottom right hand corner of Ghana’s net.
Italy’s refreshingly attacking approach in the first half gave way to the more traditional style of sitting back in the second (especially following the withdrawal of Totti as a precaution), but Ghana struggled to break the Italians down. Their forward line was static in the extreme. The Black Stars lacked width and seemed to rely almost exclusively on their star midfield duo of Essien and Appiah to do all the shooting.

Meanwhile Kingson quickly turned from villain to hero, saving well from Gilardino and Perrotta and even catching a couple of crosses. Italy eventually made it 2-0 when a terrible back-pass from Roma’s Samuel Kuffour was gleefully latched onto by Iaquinta who made no mistake and celebrated with a tears of joy normally reserved for the victory in the final rather the opening group game.

The Italians are many people’s dark horses and if they play as they did in the first half they have a good chance. However, it will be interesting to see how they will fare against a team which actually has a forward line. The Czechs will not be so generous.

When your coach resigns 4 days before the biggest tournament in your country’s history things must be going badly wrong. But then things see to have been going wrong ever since Togo qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time. Otto Pfister’s resignation came in the wake of a long running dispute over bonuses. The players had refused to play unless they were each paid appearance bonuses of £100,000, win bonuses of £20,000 and £10,000 per draw. When the Togo FA refused to clear these, the players boycotted training sessions and it was at this point that Pfister decided he had had enough and quit.

This is not the first time that such a dispute has arisen. Back in January a similar row almost resulted in Togo not participating in the African Nations Cup. While the dispute was eventually resolved, it badly affected Togo’s performances and they crashed out of the tournament with scoring a goal.

It’s understandable that players look for and deserve reward for achieving success, especially when they come from one of the poorest countries in the world. They also have the right to feel angry when promises are not delivered. At the same time, the opportunity to play in a World Cup should provide enough motivation even if it is for free. The Togolese players should derive enough satisfaction from the joy the are giving their long suffering compatriots by representing them on a world stage. Further if it is finances they are concerned about, what better way to secure their futures than by catching the eye at a major tournament and securing a lucrative transfer. Refusing to play over money leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.