With 11 games played in this World Cup thanks to 3 perfect demonstrations we now have a new test question for U-8 youth goalkeepers on "how not to goalkeep":
a-) England goalkeeper Robert Green (England vs. USA)
b-) Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchin (Algeria vs. Slovenia)
c-) Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar (Italy vs. Paraguay)
d-) all of the above
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A superb header from Gabriel Heinze and some real brilliance from Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who constantly kept Lionel Messi from putting the ball into the net, saw Argentina beat Nigeria only 1-0 - despite their dominance throughout the match at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. The Nigerians showed to much respect to Messi and his teammates and being disappointed of conceding an early goal ‘forced’ the Super Eagles to ‘sit back’ for some time.
A determined and impressive South Korea beating a bad defending Greece 2-0 in Port Elizabeth was a sign that the S. Koreans actually are a serious side to qualify for the knock-out stages in Group B.
A disastrous mistake by England goalkeeper Robert Green enables the USA to share the points thanks to a 1-1 draw at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. England, in general, were the better side, but could not overcome a solid US defense in the second half - especially AC Milan central defender Oguchi Onyewu, who, by the way had not played a 90-minute game for seven months. Instead of starting with a ‘holding midfielder’, Fabio Capello relied on Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard - two attacking midfielders who lack defensive and ‘organizing’ play. Picking two players of similar talent did not seem to be a wise choice. Also taking-off ‘half asleep’ James Milner and replacing him with Sean Wright-Phillips (he had no significant impact) instead of Joe Cole who is great in unlocking tight defenses was another mistake in my opinion. England should be fine to advance to Stage 2.
The Socceroos never had a slight chance against the so far ‘best looking team' in the World Cup – Germany – at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Sending off Tim Cahill with a straight red card was apparently a ‘harsh’ decision by the referee, however, it would not have made a difference … the Germans simply did what they wanted (4-0)! They had fun and totally enjoyed their play.
Ghana became the first African team of the 2010 World Cup to win a match by practically ‘forcing’ the Serbians back in midfield at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Thswane/Pretoria. Aleksandar Lukovic’s unnecessary second yellow card and Zdravko Kuzmanovic’s stupid handball in the penalty box awarded the Black Stars with a 1-0 win. Serbia will face Germany in their second appearance and can not afford to lose. Good luck Nemanja Vidic!
The Danish side has the doubtful ‘honor’ of scoring the first own goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup playing the 'Oranje' at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. An own goal by Simon Poulsen and a tap-in by Dirk Kuyt provided a deserved 2-0 win for the Dutch team.
Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein/Mangaung saw counter-attacking Japan beat Cameroon 1-0 in so far the worst game but most surprising result of the tournament. This was the first win for Japan on foreign soil in a World Cup match. With the Netherlands being a favorite in Group E, it remains to be seen what the later consequences of this loss will be for Cameroon.
Italy vs. Paraguay (1-1) – an unenthusiastic encounter until the 39th minute when Paraguay scored off of a free kick, heading the ball past Gianluigi Buffon to take the lead … with Paraguay not registering another shot on goal after taking the lead, Ginliugi Buffon suffering from a hamstring injury, and Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar demonstrating a great model on “how not to goalkeep” the ball when trying to punch it out on a corner, the defending World Cup Champions – the Azzurri – despite dominating most of the game and controlling the ball, could not really create serious chances.
"The first 90 minutes are the most important"
