Thursday, June 24, 2010
Match 41
Johannesburg – JEP
Slovakia 3 – 2 Italy
Place watched: Johnnys Tavern, Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO
As this match begins, Italy has a tenuous hold on the 2nd place position, and a berth in the second round. They would surely turn on the jets and do what had to be done.
The match began and Italy looks old and slow. Their sluggish play opens the door for Slovakia to score in the 25th minute. For sure the Azzurri will shake themselves out of their slump and exert their will on this match.
They didn’t.
The Slovakians expanded their lead to 2 – 0 in the 73rd minute. Only then did Italy play with a sense of urgency. They countered with a goal in the 81st minute, and continued to pressure the Slovakian goal. Against the run of play, the Slovaks score again. That would surely be the nail in the Italian coffin.
But Italy didn’t believe it was the end. An incredible goal scored by 2nd half sub Fabio Quagliarella gave them additional hope. Again and again they attacked the Slovakian goal. A near chance in the 95th minute was their last gasp. Slovakia was through and Italy was not…
Match 42
Polokwane
Paraguay 0 – 0 New Zealand
Place watched: Johnnys Tavern, Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO
The other match in Group F featured the surprise leaders, Paraguay, versus the Oceania champion, New Zealand. Before the tournament began, no one gave the Kiwis any shot, but they entered this game with a real chance to advance. If Italy won, as expected, and New Zealand could eke out a draw with Paraguay, the Kiwis would advance over the Slovaks on goal differential.
When all was said and done, New Zealand did their part, but the Italians let them down. The draw was a fair result, and the Kiwis had played well in this tournament.
Match 43
Rustenburg
Denmark 1 – 3 Japan
Place watched: Basement TV after getting home from the airport
My family was flying back from a trip to Washington state so I was going to miss the first part of these matches. My other dilemma was which game to watch once I did get home. I solved that by recording the other match and watching this one.
This match had plenty of action. The second half was just beginning and Japan was up by two goals. Conventional wisdom would dictate the team with the lead to sit on the ball and make their opponents chase the play. Japanese wisdom dictated otherwise. They continued to attack the Danish goal and produced a 3rd goal that was beautiful. Their last goal came just minutes after the Danes had cut the lead in half. Japan was through at the expense of the Danes.
This has not been a kind Cup to European teams. I wonder if FIFA will take away a qualification spot like they have done to other conferences after poor showings…
Match 44
Cape Town
Cameroon 1 – 2 Netherlands
Place watched: Tape delay – Living room, Olathe, KS
This match proved to be highly entertaining. Both teams were in a position that the result was not as important as previous games… for opposite reasons. Cameroon had been eliminated from the tournament, while Holland had already booked their ticket.
The Dutch team had not rested their stars, which was somewhat surprising, but also made a bit of sense. This team has not been impressive. They have taken care of business, of course, but they were not playing like the team everyone expected to see. Perhaps Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk hoped one more match with the starters would help get the team where it would need to be in the coming rounds.
It worked for the most part, as the game was wide open with action taking place all over the field. The other beneficial thing to van Marwijk was the inclusion of Arjen Robben, Holland's greatest offensive threat, in the 73rd minute. Robben was coming off an injury and really showed well. This can only be a good thing for the Dutch!
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