The Cup From The Couch

Since it is the World Cup, and since I am undeniably a fan of football at this level, I thought while the tournament was on, I'd periodically give you my thoughts as they occur to me from my perch on the Couch. I can't claim that my musings will constitute "expert" opinion, either on the game in general or on the tournament in particular (and anyway, who could possibly know more than Les Murray?); I can't even claim that the matches I comment on will in any sense be important or vital to the outcome of World Cup 2010. But they will be games I have actually watched, so my ignorance will at least be "informed" ignorance...

South Africa 1 vs Mexico 1

The stand out feature of this match was the amazing foot-speed of the South African players, and their ability to disorient the Mexican defence and charge forward into attack, either from the wings or through the centre. The Mexicans were clearly the more experienced and skillful team, a fact reflected by their near dominance of possession in the 1st half; indeed, South Africa can thank the amazing atheletic skills of their goal-keeper for the fact that they weren't 2-nil down after the first 40 minutes. But then a sea-change came over the match: for the last five minutes of the 1st half, and for the first 25 minutes of the 2nd half, the South Africans ran rings around their more fancied opponents, breaking from deep within their own defence to regularly harry the Mexican goal. It was an inevitability when the South Africans slotted home the first goal of the match (and tournament); what was less expected was the Mexican equaliser against the run of play (due almost entirely to sloppy South African defence) and the return of the game to a more even keel. The last stanza of the match was a thrilling battle of skill against elan, in which both teams squandered opportunities to score the winner. In the end, a 1-1 draw reflected a just result to what was a cracking start to the tournament.

South Korea 2 vs Greece 0

In this match, Greece was cut to pieces by the precision passing of the South Koreans, who frequently threaded the needle of two or three apparently immobile Greek players in order to find a team-mate and retain possession. While the Greeks opted for long-range aerial delivery into their forward zone, the South Koreans displayed a cohesive integration of defence, midfield, and offence to switch the ball from deep within their own zone into the teeth of the Greek goal, playing with a fluidity that made their opponents look sluggish and out of form. Despite the fact that the Greeks had the best opportunity to open the scoring, from the 5 minute mark onwards, South Korea dominated, patiently retaining possession before launching lightning attacks down and across both flanks. The Greeks frankly looked flat-footed and lacking in match fitness, while the South Koreans visibly gained in confidence as the game progressed. Greece did manage to salvage some pride in the last 20 minutes of the match by threatening the South Korean goal as their opponents tired; but their numerous assaults proved fruitless, while the South Koreans were only prevented from extending their lead by the vicissitudes of fortune. Like the South Africa-Mexico contest, this was a match in which the underdogs upstaged their more highly credentialed rivals.

Serbia 0 v Ghana 1

This was a gritty arm-wrestle of a match, occassionally illuminated by moments of excitement, in which the momentum swung between two seemingly equally matched teams. The Ghanaians controlled most of the first half without really threatening the Serbian goal; their opponents then grabbed the initiative in the latter stages of the half and troubled Ghana's defence with a series of set-pieces squandered by poor finishing. The Ghanaian offensives, while exciting at times, tended to have a quality of sameness, relying mostly on dashes down the wings finished by long-range crosses into the centre. After half time, the momentum once again swung in Ghana's favour, but they were unable to convert a series of opportunities, two of which went close to breaking the deadlock. Against the run of play, Serbia almost scored twice in moves that opened up Ghana's defence; but these chances likewise failed to result in a goal. Interest was injected into the game in the 73rd minute when a Serbian defender received a 2nd yellow card and thus earned a send off; Ghana now found themselves one player to the good over their opponents. Yet it was the Serbs who siezed the initiative, forcing two terrific saves from the Ghanaian goalkeeper in the most exciting passage of play in the match. The denoument, when it came, took everyone by surprise: a Serb defender was called for handball in the penalty box (which, despite protestations to the contrary, was a spot-on call by the ref), which in turn produced a faultless penalty kick that put Ghana in the lead. The Ghanaians almost scored again in injury time as Serbia appeared to give up the game for lost. In the end, it was victory for Ghana; but a nil-all draw would have been a more accurate reflection of a match that, while interesting at times, never really climbed the heights.

Talk to you soon,

BB