World Cup Quarterfinal 4: Spain v. Paraguay

This looks the easiest pick of the quarters. Spain haven't blown anyone out of the water yet, and you always feel that they could, so this might be it. On the other hand, Paraguay have had a very respectable campaign so far and haven't shipped goals (they've allowed 3 in 4 games).

Quarterfinal Game 4 - Paraguay v. Spain

11:30am on Saturday morning.

I don't have any time to write this, argh. Spain will dominate like they did against Chile and Portugal. They're getting it done, and finally doing it with style and a small amount of ease. Paraguay aren't as good at the back as Portugal but will be more adventurous.

2-0 to Spain.

EDIT: fudge that. I'm going for 3-0 or 3-1.

World Cup Day 19 results: Another day, another call for replay

Day Nineteen

prediction: Paraguay 2-1 Japan - "this could be a cracker"

result: Paraguay 0-0 Japan after extra time, Paraguay win 5-3 on penalties

Holy was I wrong. In the early game Paraguay and Japan played to a 0-0 draw, after extra time even, and then Paraguay won on penalties. Say what you will about the unfairness, the this and the that; the penalties were nearly the only instance of tension in the game. This was a dull affair, and if Japan feel aggrieved after going out, they should also feel slightly ashamed of barely ever attacking and boring us to tears. It was not, as I had hoped, a cracker.

What it was was a brilliant example of how to defend well as a team. After an exciting game against Denmark, Japan's coach must have decided that he couldn't risk getting behind a goal and they reverted to their defensive shell. Only a swerving shot and misjudgment by their keeper beat them when they employed this tactic against the Dutch. I'd rather forget this match than continue writing about it. No pictures.

prediction: Spain 1-0 Portugal - "Fewer goals than one might expect"

result: Spain 1-0 Portugal

I really feel like I got this one bang on. Here's what I wrote:

"Will Torres finally score? I don't think so. Luckily for Spain David Villa is on fire and Iniesta is back to good health. Portuguese left-back could expose the spaces Sergio Ramos leaves on the right side of Spain's backline. Ronaldo ... hasn't performed at anywhere near his best."

And this was exactly it. David Villa scored after a nice move (but was he offside?), Iniesta was a key player, even more so than Xavi (the best player in the world, Rob), and most of Portugal's chances came from the attacking play of Coentrão, their left-back (who has been a revelation this tournament). Ronaldo was ineffective as usual, though that's more the fault of the manager, as he barely had any support or service.

Looks close, but he is offside in this shot. Nearly impossible to pick up at speed. And I'm okay with that.

Spain controlled the play for the most part, while Portugal soaked up pressure and looked to hit on the counter. They came close a few times, but Spain deserved a win after dominating possession, shots and chances. Keeper Eduardo kept Portugal in this.

Xavi and Iniesta dominated the midfield as expected, but with Villa out wide left and Torres struggling, at times Spain looked like they lacked options in the box.

Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente looked good coming on for Torres; del Bosque won't consider starting him next match but he should. Torres looked a bit better in the first 20 minutes but then faded.

Well done to Spain. They should beat Paraguay, and will likely face Germany in the Semi-final.

World Cup Day 19 predictions: Will Ronaldo cry when Spain beat Portugal?

I think he will, actually. He's a pretty passionate fellow.

From a relatively easy day to call today we move on to a much harder day, with Spain facing Iberian rivals Portugal and Paraguay hosting Japan. Either could be dynamite matches: Spain-Portugal has the potential to be either wild or dull, depending on Spain's tactics, and Paraguay-Japan should be exciting if a bit sloppy.

World Cup Day 15 results

Day Fifteen results

prediction: Portugal 1-2 Brazil - "Brazil are resting some players"

result: Portugal 0-0 Brazil

What a boring game. Portugal had the most to play for and had the best chances, but this was over before it began.

prediction: North Korea 0-1 Cote d'Ivoire - "It would be nice for Cote d'Ivoire to have a good showing"

result: North Korea 0-3 Cote d'Ivoire (this match review says 1-3, not sure why)

Well done to the Ivorians, but you have to feel for the poor North Koreans. It's entirely possible that they will face punishment back home and might not be allowed to play international matches for a while.

prediction: Chile 1-2 Spain - "Spain need to attack, need to get goals"

result: Chile 1-2 Spain

Spain looked good, finally, and should be a formidable foe in the next round. Chile were unfortunate to have a player sent off, because they looked likely to score, and indeed managed to early in the second half while a player down. Both teams were going through with the result below, and played out the last ten minutes without any effort.

prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Honduras - "I have a feeling this will be boring"

result: Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

I thought this might happen, but I was really hoping someone would score to liven things up. First half highlights were a couple of shots. Switzerland go home with a famous win against Spain, Honduras go home without scoring a goal.

World Cup refs

Interested in reading an informed and relatively unbiased opinion on the reffing at the World Cup? On the Referees page of the World Cup blog every game is critiqued, usually with relevant pictures. Do you think Italy's offside goal should have counted? Read here. What about that phantom call in the US-Slovenia match that negated a winning goal for the Yanks? Check this.

It's so much nicer to read this compared to ranting on other blogs. The decisions are treated fairly and the entire game is looked at rather than every call on an individual basis.

World Cup Days 14 (Italy are out!) and 15 (Boring Brazil?)

See ya later, suckas.

A little behind the times over here, so some retroactive predictions:

Day Fourteen

prediction: Italy 1-0 Slovakia

result: Italy 2-3 Slovakia

I was so happy to be wrong on this one. Good riddance to boring, crap Italy. How is it that the only time they look good and score is in the last half of their last group game? They still looked old and at times lazy, but at least they showed some passion near the end. On the first of Slovakia's goals, however, the Italian defence looked asleep, and it only got worse, as they didn't react or anticipate the cross on the second goal and completely failed to pick up the runner on the third. Maybe picking the starting Juventus backline (3 of 4, anyway) wasn't the best idea, considering they finished 7th in Serie A and conceded 56 goals over a 38-game season, including 7 in their last 3 matches.

Well done to Slovakia, who were so much better than their last game against Paraguay and could be a spoiler in the Round of 16.

prediction: Paraguay 2-0 New Zealand

result: Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

New Zealand didn't register a shot all game, and apparently their keeper did very well. Paraguay comfortably go through, while New Zealand had a respectable showing, not losing a game.

prediction: Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands

result: Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands

Netherlands cruised to an easy win in the end; Cameroon attacked and did show some intent, though they never really looked like winning. Robin van Persie finally scored, and Robben came on and set up a goal.

prediction: Denmark 1-1 Japan

result: Denmark 1-3 Japan

Finally Japan show some solid attacking intent. Brilliant goals from two freekicks.

And back up to speed:

Day Fifteen (results posted here)

prediction: Portugal 1-2 Brazil

result: Nothing too exciting so far.

Brazil are resting some players, and Dunga seems happy to have his team be careful and not give up anything at the back. Portugal are solid at the back, as usual, and haven't had much threatening possession. UPDATE: 61st minute, Portugal should have scored.

prediction: North Korea 0-1 Cote d'Ivoire

result:

It would be nice for Cote d'Ivoire to have a good showing; a decent result and the North Korean players may avoid the workfarms. Both team are virtually eliminated, so should have nothing to lose.

prediction: Chile 1-2 Spain

result:

Spain need to win, while Chile are almost assured of going through. Spain need to attack, need to get goals, but Chile will be dangerous hitting them on the counter.

prediction: Switzerland 1-1 Honduras

result:

It should be an exciting match, as Switzerland could go through. But I have a feeling this will be boring. I'm hoping for goals, but this could just as easily be 0-0.

World Cup Day 11: Will today be the day all the results make sense?

Day Eleven predictions - on my way to a .500 record?

Portugal 1-0 North Korea

North Korea put in a stellar performance against Brazil. Playing Portugal may be a letdown. Portugal aren't Brazil, but they're still quite good.

Chile 2-0 Switzerland

Switzerland can't keep it up forever. Chile deserved more goals in their opener.

Spain 2-0 Honduras

Spain will score goals at the World Cup. Just depends on how soon that happens, and if they change their tactics. Honduras won't be as organized as the Swiss.

I think I'm 13 and 16 on the tournament so far. With these three correct guesses, I'll be back to .500; I've only got all three right once, though, so I don't like my chances.

World Cup: Has the rest of the world caught up to Europe?

The collective record of the best European teams at this World Cup so far is dreadful:

Team - W-D-L

France: 0-1-1

England: 0-2-0

Germany: 1-0-1

Netherlands 2-0-0

Italy: 0-2-0

Portugal: 0-1-0

Spain: 0-0-1

for a combined record of 3 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses. If you consider that neither of the Netherlands' wins have been convincing, you're left with one solid win from 12 matches. This could be seen as a crisis of continental proportions.

What it is is boring. Only Germany in their first match (and maybe the Dutch in theirs) were adventurous and attacked with skill, flair and intent. Other than that it's been boring, boring football from Europe's leading football powers.

I wonder if it hasn't become more about minimizing the damage to a team's reputation than anything else. It is so damaging to lose that teams don't venture forward in numbers, or they try to control the game as much as possible, with possession more important than chances on net.

Most of these teams still have good chances of going through to the Round of 16. France are almost certainly going home and the Dutch are already through. With wins in their next matches England, Italy and Germany will progress. Portugal and Spain have only played one each, so it's harder to judge, but both could struggle.

It would be interesting to compare this to other World Cups. My memory of team records isn't great, so I don't know if this is an anomaly or if it happens every World Cup. What is obvious is that teams like Paraguay, Mexico and Chile seem to have narrowed the distance between themselves and the traditional European footballing powers. Depending on how the next few games go, we might even be talking about how they have been surpassed.

World Cup Day Five results, and more!

Doesn't really deserve an exclamation mark, sorry.

Results

Slovakia 1-1 New Zealand

me: Slovakia 2-0 New Zealand. Wrong result, wrong score. Boo. New Zealand scored in the 93rd minute to get the point. Not surprisingly, this apparently wasn't a great match. I'm not even going to bother watching highlights.

Portugal 0-0 Cote d'Ivoire

me: Portugal 1-0 Cote d'Ivoire. Wrong result, half-wrong score. Portugal looked annoyed, Ronaldo called foul after foul against the Ivorians, and there were very few real scoring attempts. Note to Portugal: lofting high balls to Liedson, your sole striker who stands at 5'9", is maybe not the best tactic. The Ivorians played well, creating some chances, and if they play this well against Brazil, they could get a result.

Brazil 2-1 North Korea

me: Brazil 3-0 North Korea. Right result, wrong score. Well done to the North Koreans. I'm so impressed I'm starting a new series called North Korea at the World Cup. They held the Brazilians at bay for the first half, only to be undone by a stunning goal from Maicon and then a wonderful pass from Robinho to Elano, who passed beautifully into the net (goal on that linked clip). Disappointing for the Brazilians, who were expected to win handily, though as anyone who has studied this North Korean team will tell you, the South Americans should have expected a tight defensive performance.

Tidbits

I really don't like Ronaldo. As my friend so eloquently wrote: "Can someone please punch Cristiano Ronaldo in the face? I'll pay money." He really just inspires the worst in some fans. He whines, he complains, and he plays like he deserves to get what he wants. He wasn't even the best player on the pitch this morning; that honour goes to Gervinho, who caused problem after problem for the Portuguese. This is him and his hair, for your enjoyment:

World Cup Days Four and Five: results, Kim Jong-Il, and predictions for tomorrow

Day Four Results
Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
me: Netherlands 2-0 Denmark. Right result, right score. In our early game, the Dutch needed an own goal to get into the match before a late Kuyt goal settled things. Robben is injured and didn't make an appearance, the Danes were well organized and threatened at times though they never really tested Stekelenburg in the Dutch goal. It wasn't a convincing performance from the Dutch, and they'll have to kick it up a notch before the knock-out rounds.

Japan 1-0 Cameroon
me: Japan 0-1 Cameroon. Wrong result, wrong score. Full credit to the hard-working Japanese. They played the Cameroon forwards off the pitch. Star striker Samuel Eto'o barely saw the ball, though I would argue he was played out of position on the right. At times it looked like there was only one player in the Cameroon midfield, probably a function of a poorly organized 4-3-3. This result means Denmark have to step it up against both these teams if they want to go through.

Italy 1-1 Paraguay
me: Italy 1-0 Paraguay. Wrong result, half-wrong score. Paraguay defended well and except for one goalkeeper error may have won this. They looked a threat going forward at times (though only had the one shot on net) and will be happy with the point. Italy, again, disappointed. They always look like they think they shouldn't have to work very hard to win. Their squad lacks creativity, and it showed as they struggled to break Paraguay down. Di Natale should start (he was the leading scorer in Italy's Serie A this season), and they really need Pirlo in the midfield directing traffic. Newcomer Riccardo Montolivo did well and De Rossi was as impressive as usual, but they missed some creativity.

Day Five predictions

Slovakia beat New Zealand 2-0.

No one is getting up for this early match. Slovakia may surprise if neither Italy nor Paraguay take control of Group F.

Portugal beat Cote d'Ivoire 1-0.

Cote d'Ivoire are no pushovers, and this could easily be a draw or a win for them, but Portugal have too much quality, and a stellar defensive record, to not get out of this group.

Brazil beat North Korea 3-0.

Will this be the easiest result to call the whole tournament? NK are such an unknown entity that it would almost be fun to predict a result for them. Sorry, Kim, not this time. Better luck at the ol' nuclear intimidation thing.

Did you know...

that North Korea featured at World Cup 1966, and made it to the quarter-finals? The World Cup finals only had 16 teams then; they were drawn in a tough group with the Soviets, Italy and Chile. They beat Italy 1-0 to make it through the group stage, Italy having lost to the Soviets earlier. They lost 5-3 to Eusebio's Portugal in the first knock-out, with Eusebio scoring 4 to bring Portugal back from 3-0 down. Nothing to be ashamed of. So, underestimate this Korean team at your peril, Brazil.

Feel like showing your support with a vintage 1966 North Korea shirt? Look no further than The Old Fashioned Football Shirt company, or TOFFS.*

Italy are old. Or bored with the group stage already.

That's the rumour heading into the tourney. And they showed it today, for the first half anyway. That or they're so cocky they don't think they should have to run. This, of course, is an overstatement. Simone Pepe was everywhere today, De Rossi cleaned up in the middle, Montolivo roamed the midfield, and Iaquinta switched flanks seemingly for fun.

But at times they stood around, happy to let someone else do the running. Against a fast attacking side they could be exposed.

*Thanks to Chris LaRoche, Korean expert, for the tip.