World Cup Fever!!!

First Match of the Cup (Group A)
South Africa 1 : Mexico 1. On the whole, I was surprised by this result. Mexico should have won it 1 -2 but they had an early goal disallowed. When Tshabalala (did I get the name correct?) scored in the 73rd minute, I thought that South Africa had the game in the bag. Then Mexico equalised just minutes from time. (For the record, I watched most of the matches)

Group A Match 2
Uruguay 0 : France 0. What the... This was not supposed to happen. France was supposed to romp home with a stunning display of football that would have us on our feet. What actually happened was that France really REALLY missed the atacking power of Thierry Henry and looked weak. Uruguay must be laughing their heads off.

Group B Match 1
Argentina 1 : Nigeria 0. A deserved win for Argentina, thought they should have scored a lot more, and Lionel Messi should have also got a hat-trick, if not for the acrobatics of the Vincent Enyeama. Though Argentina showed themselves to be match winners throughout the whole 90 minutes, it is noteworthy of Nigeria that they managed to stop Argentina from scoring on many separate occasions. Though Enyeama deserved most of the credit, his team was not completely hopeless either.

Group B Match 2
S.Korea 2 : Greece 0. A worthy performance from S.Korea, possibly indicating that they might repeat the success of 2002, where they made it all the way to the semi-finals. Greece were far too defensive as opposed to S.Korea, who dominated the game. Greece lost the ball far too easily and S.Korea capitalised on this mistake to deliver.

Group C Match 1
England 1 : USA 1. I am speechless. Seriously. England could have won the game with Gerrard's 7th minute strike but Mr Robert Green got it into his head to let the ball in after saving it. If you cared to watch that match, or the match highlights, you would have seen that it was effectively an own goal. If Fabio Capello doesn't drop Green, English supporters (myself included) will be seeing red instead. Speaking from a more objective perspective however, USA probably deserved the draw. They managed to shut down Wayne Rooney, one of the world's best strikers, and ultimately prevented him from doing much. Job well done USA, better luck next time England.

Group C Match 2
Algeria 0 : Slovenia 1. Yawn. What a boring match. I almost fell asleep last night while watching this match and it wasn't even 9 p.m. for crying out loud. Both teams played so defensive it was a miracle for them to attack. Algeria had 10 players in their own half for what seems like most of the game, while Slovenia were only slightly better. Then again, what can you hope to do when you run into the opposing half and get marked by 3 people? Then Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent on and almost immediately received a yellow card. Wow. As if that was not enough, 15 minutes later he was sent off for a deliberate handball. Slovenia capitalized and sealed the match.

Group D Match 1
Germany 4 : Australia 0. An impressive display by the German side, proving that they are serious contenders for the World Cup this year, as always. The Socceroos were outclassed all the way, although they tried their best. The Germans were just too fast, too creative for the Aussies.

Group D Match 2
Ghana 1 : Serbia 0. Serbia deserved a draw, but a stupid mistake by midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic denied them the point. Now, Ghana and Germany are joint first at the top of their group. Australia and Serbia have to win or lose it all. Though it is early to determine who will go through, Germany are the favourites to top Group D.

That's all for the 3 days of action in South Africa. Personally, I support England and the draw against USA was disappointing. England deserved a win and would have got it too, if not for Mister Green. Slovenia unfortunately capitalised on Green's mistake to top Group C with 3 points. Disappointing.

Still, England will probably top Group C as the remaining games against Algeria and Slovenia should be cake. They are both defensive sides, and with the like of Rooney and Gerrard, England should secure the full 6 points from both games. Which means that we'll be through to the knockout stages along with the USA. Which means that we get another shot at them again (Assuming that they are good enough =D)! Hope that England make it to the Finals this year and lift the Cup that they deserve! Keep your fingers crossed!