A Look Ahead To Tomorrow's Final...

Holland vs. Spain.

The venue was decided months before.

The teams were decided in mid-week.

The referee was chosen a few days ago.

The stage is set.

One of these teams will become world champions in a little under 48 hours.

One of these teams will make history for their nation by becoming the 8th different world champion to lift the Jules Rimet trophy.

One question remains: who will it be?

Paul the psychic octopus has opted for Germany's conquerors Spain. So far, this tournament he has predicted every single one of Germany's results correct. But does this psychic octopus only get the German results right?

Mani the Singaporean parakeet on the other hand, has gone for the Dutch. This is turning out to be the battle of the psychic animals by the looks of it.

But what about the battle between the two teams? Here's my view, for what it's worth:

Holland: we've said it before, so we'll say it again. Clearly not the same side as we've seen in previous tournaments. Play a different kind of football, that is evidently working for them - they are 25 games unbeaten. May not be easy on the eye, but ultimately get the job done. Clinical, effective and pragmatic. Sneijder has been a major force for them so far in the tournament. He could be the one to pull it out of the bag again, and get the golden goal that wins it. De Jong and van Bommel need to be on alert. They are the insurance policy for the Oranjes in front of their back four. Have to offer protection against Spain's superior midfield domination. Robben likes to cut in on his left-foot from the right and could be a potential threat to Joan Capdevila - the only first-team Spanish player not to play for Madrid or Barcelona. More service needs to be delivered to van Persie and Kuyt - both are capable of keeping a hold off the ball and running at defenders to create chances. We've seen Holland comeback from conceding a goal, or going a goal down and winning - calm, cool and collected, they won't be too fazed if they don't get the early lead. Have the ability to apply strong pressure, work well as a team in going forward, squeeze the ball into tight areas and are always dangerous until the final whistle. They are also great when they have to defend leads - some might say cautious, but they get pretty much all men at the back. Dogged and resilient in tracking back and clearing the ball. It will be particularly difficult for Spain to try and score in the last few minutes, if the Dutch are leading. They must be careful in their tackling and so on. I read that Holland have committed the most fouls this tournament, so they have to be on their best behaviour to avoid getting sent off because it could change the game (à la Zidane). Bert van Marwijk has his team under control so it will now be down to the players to do the talking on the pitch.

Spain: much more pleasing to watch with their passing game. However, shouldn't get too bogged down in their passing that they miss opportunities and chances to score. Spain have been the most passing side of the tournament. But that should come as no surprise. They totally dominate the midfield, particularly with the likes of Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi. The 4 top players who have passed the most so far are Spaniards. Xavi is no.1 in that list with a whopping 464 passes. And it's no wonder. When he's having a good game, Spain are having a good game, making Spain less of a team and more reliant on individual talents to see them through. Nevertheless, all players should be on form tomorrow in their first-ever final. Whilst not on proper goal-scoring form as we saw in the Euros, Spain have been clinical too. Winning 1-0 in their last three games on the trot. Have a tendency of passing a lot, creating many chances and scoring late on before seeing out the win. We have not yet seen a Spain side come from a losing scoreline to win. Germany couldn't do it, but if Holland get an early lead then it will be interesting to see Spain's reaction. Spain are good at stifling the opposition, and starving them off possession so we shall see how long it takes for Holland to crack open the Spanish side. Spain have got to be more efficient and clinical though in front of goal. If they were less wasteful they would have got more than only 7 out of 103 shots into the back of the net. That amount of shots is the most for this tournament, so they definitely have something going forward. Largely due to starman David Villa. Strike partner Torres has been out of form, like many big names in this tournament so far, that's probably why they've only scored 7. Doubts over whether he will start - probably not, instead Pedro will most likely go on in his place. Talent all over the pitch, particularly midfield. Busquets is the insurance policy in front off the back four, has been untroubled so far. Not short of intelligent players, but need to be less selfish so that they can kill off the games (Pedro - against Germany, for example). Ramos, Pique and Puyol like to get upfield during the game, particularly Ramos down the right - could cause problems, if Holland break on the counter and they are short of cover at the back. Managed to deal quite effectively with Germany's counter-attacking style though, so will be looking to do much the same tomorrow. Alonso likes to shoot from range so Stekelenburg needs to be alert at all times. Spain might try to expose the weaknesses of Holland's keeper, who made a mistake against Uruguay, allowing them back into the game.

Believe it or not but Holland and Spain have never clashed before in either a Euro game or a World Cup game. Spain have always been hindered at the quarter-finals stage whereas Holland have never been able to beat the host nation in the finals, losing 2 out of 2 finals matches.

For England fans, we can be happy in the knowledge, that we WILL be represented in the final after all, as Howard Webb and his two assistants have been chosen to be the official referees in the game. A bittersweet decision, after England were kicked out off the competition over a poor refereeing decision. Speaking off, FIFA have announced that this will be the last tournament without technology. A bit late for England now and it will be interesting to see whether any controversial decisions occur tomorrow to make them regret their resistance to video technology even more. For the fairness of the game, and for the sake of the officials, let's hope not. Howard Webb has already officiated at the UEFA CL final last season, so should have no real nerves at doing the same in tomorrow's game. At least now three Englishmen will receive world cup medals, so we're not that useless after all. In all seriousness, the refereeing from the English officials has been spot-on. Darren Cann has been correct in all the offside decisions he has made, even the tight ones and Howard Webb has been no pushover, particularly when it came to players diving. I wish them the best of luck tomorrow.

Before the WC began, I chose a team to support in 'reserve', should England go out of the competition early and should my 'reserve' team still be in with a chance. That 'reserve' team? Holland.

Also before the WC began, I did one of those office sweepstake predictions chart plotting the whole thing based on recent results, form and so on. The team I predicted to win? Spain.

So: will it be three-times lucky for the Dutch? Or will 'beginner's' luck prevail for the Spanish?

More importantly, who will win in the battle of the psychic animals?

My prediction? Do I go with Paul or Mani?

Well: my heart says the Dutch, but my head says the Spanish.

Oranje Is The Colour...!

Holland have made it to their third final after a 32-year wait following their victory over the only South American team left remaining in the competition. Holland's win means that for the second successive tournament, we will have another European champion in what was predicted to be a year for the South Americans to savour. Uruguay's controversial win over Ghana has been debated to death for the past week and the South American team (minus Suarez) were out to prove their worth against a Dutch side that has been more clinical than classy in the way they have played their football.

Both sides were desperate for a place in the final - it is said that the worst defeat you can suffer is in the semi-final: you are so close but yet so far. This probably explains why the two teams started off so tentatively, unwilling to really get out of their area and careful when it came to defending. It looked like we were going to see two teams sitting tight for the majority of the game and only really trying to score from things like set pieces. It certainly started off that way, although Dirk Kuyt had a really good chance which he wasted by firing over the crossbar. The Dutch had started off the brighter though and were the side more willing to attempt to go forward.

Their patient play worked though as they took the lead on 18 minutes, with the unlikely veteran left-back and captain of the side, Giovanni van Bronckhorst slamming home a shot from 35-yards out into the corner. It was a strike that really came out of nowhere. He was able to assess his options, create some space and then absolutely lash it home. No one from Uruguay closed him down and the Dutch were 1-0 up. It was a spectacular effort, that the keeper couldn't do much about. It was kind of difficult to see where Uruguay might get their goals from. Forlan was not really in the game and he was far too upfield, when normally he'd playing a bit deeper, in behind Suarez. It was clear that they were missing him, as he cheered on from the stands. However, thanks to a shaky moment from the Dutch keeper, Stekelenburg Uruguay got themselves level.

Forlan had possession of the ball in midfield, and again, similarly to GvB had time and space to pick out his shot, without any of the Dutch players attempting to close him down. Stekelenburg was well placed to make the save and even got one hand to it but could not force it out and saw it land at the back of his net. It was a bit of a shock for the Dutch, who before the goal, had not really produced anything that would have doubled their lead. Uruguay were back in the game and the scores were level once again as we entered half-time.

Stekelenburg also started off the second-half a bit shakily too, when he misjudged Cavani's attempt to shoot. Had Cavani been a little braver he would have been able to chip the keeper, instead he chose to pass to Pereira who saw his goalbound effort cleared by the tireless GvB, who seemed to be everywhere on the pitch. However, Stekelenburg managed to regain his composure and made a good save from a free-kick taken by who else, but Forlan. Van Marwijk had made a positive substitution by bringing on van der Vaart for the ineffective De Zeeuw and he had a good shot on target which was cleared by Muslera. Robben could have made it 2 with the rebound, but didn't realise that he had more time than he first thought and blasted it over.

There wasn't much happening from both sides until the Dutch eventually got their second in the 70th minute. Both sides were playing like they did when the game commenced - they lacked bite and the Dutch, in particular were pretty slow at counter-attacking. There was a lot of possession being lost in midfield and it was hard to tell where the game would take us next. Where it took us was another great goal from Wesley Sneijder. He latched on to the ball out on the left hand side, after some good build-up play and went for the goal from distance. There was a question about the positioning of Robin van Persie, who appeared to be just offside. At first it had looked like it had got a touch off him but replays showed that the ball deflected off Maxi Pereira before rolling into the net. The deflection clearly confused the keeper, who had been decent until then.

Within 3 minutes, it looked like the Dutch had won the game and would definitely be heading for Sunday's showdown at Soccer City stadium in Jo'burg to face the victor's of tonight's game. Dirk Kuyt again crossed in from the left and found Robben, who rose clear of Godin to head home the third goal of the night. It was a straightforward goal and a firm header with the keeper rooted to the spot. It looked as though the Dutch were out of sight, as they tried to see the rest of the game out, by keeping possession of the ball, passing and making their opponents work really hard to have any chance of mounting a comeback. Uruguay were looking tired and Robben nearly made it 4 for the Oranje Army, but miscued his attempt on goal.

But the game wasn't over as Uruguay somehow got themselves a goal back in the second minute of injury time. Diego Forlan had been taken off by this time but it was from a free-kick that they got the ball. Maxi Pereira made amends for his earlier deflection, by running onto the ball from the free-kick, skipping past Elia, and firing into the net. The Dutch were furious with themselves for getting so complacent and careless and the last few minutes resulted in a scurry of activity in the Dutch penalty area. However, they were able to resist the pressure, with all men back in the box helping to defend and were relieved to hear the referee's whistle blow for full-time.

Uruguay have had a fantastic run up to this point in the competition. They were total outsiders, to even reach the semis, but they have proven their critics wrong and advanced further than their fellow South Americans. At the end of the day, they weren't able to do enough to break down this Dutch side, that have been unbeaten for 25 matches now. Brazil couldn't do it, and now Uruguay couldn't either, although they came mighty close. Who knows, perhaps if Suarez had been on the pitch, things might have been a bit different after all. Forlan has had a brilliant season and now a brilliant tournament too. They will now go on and play the losers of tonight's game in the 3rd/4th play-off on Saturday evening in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium.

As for the Dutch...well they do it once again. They make it count when it matters most. They might not have had the best performance, or matched the style of the teams of '74 and '78 but they have got themselves to the final on the back of this massively impressive unbeaten run. The question is: will it last? Have they got enough to beat either Spain or Germany in the final and win the World Cup for the first time in their history or will they fall short (once again) at the final hurdle? Well, I guess the answer to that lies with the footballing gods and we must wait and see, but know this: they certainly have a chance. They wouldn't be in the final, if they didn't. They have a few defensive frailties, particularly with the young keeper and need to find a way of getting Robben involved in the game a bit more. They also need to be less complacent and try and kill the game off - finish of the chances they get - Germany are very good at doing this. They also need to make sure their key players are fit and well enough come Sunday and that they make the best use of the extra 24 hours they get. Whether that will be enough to take them to victory in the final, will be revealed later, but they sure as hell will go for it. They will no doubt know the history of previous 'total' Dutch sides, they will know that they are a different Dutch team to those of years gone by but they will also know that this is their best chance in a long, long time to put those World Cup demons to rest.

I think, should they come up against Spain in the final, it will suit the Dutch better and they will have a better chance at beating them, than Germany. Having said that a Germany-Holland final will make for good viewing because of the great footballing animosity and rivalry between these 2 sides. It's anybody's game at the end of the day, and we shall be seeing who will join the Oranje Army in the final, tonight, when we see a repeat of the Euro 2008 final. The question is, will the final result be a repeat of the result we saw 2 years ago, as Paul the psychic octopus appears to think it will be? Only time will tell...except I can't wait!!

Half Time Oranjes Do The Trick As Brazil Get Beat!

That's right. Brazil have been knocked out of the World Cup in the quarterfinal stage as the Oranje Army go marching on, on, on! Never thought I would be saying that so soon. Most people expected to see Brazil in the final and perhaps picking up their sixth trophy but the Netherlands made sure that it wasn't to be the Brazilian's year as they produced an amazing comeback after initially going 1-0 down.

A game of two halves - it's one of the most-used clichés in football, but this game was the personification of that cliché. In the first half we saw a Brazil side comfortable in possession, able to pass the ball around easily and effectively, rattling the Dutch defence with every ball forward, keen to get going and generally the stronger of the two sides on the pitch. Robinho scored his second goal of the tournament with only 10 minutes gone, and suddenly it looked like it might be a long afternoon for the Dutch, who I think were largely shocked at conceding so early. I don't think that they were expecting the Brazilians to do that so early on, and I reckon they were expecting the game, at least in the early stages, to be a lot more tighter than it was.

The goal, was conjured via pure simplicity but finished with a bit of Samba flair. Felipe Melo was able to loft a long ball as he found himself in space, when Andre Oojer, starting his first game for the Dutch, and Jonny Heitinga failed to close him down. Robinho timed his run perfectly before slotting the ball in with his right foot. It was a sensational goal from straight down the middle, and the first the Dutch have conceded from open play, in this tournament. Previously, the Dutch had only conceded twice but were totally undone here. Oojer had been called up to the side very late on after Mathijsen had limped off in the warm-up and he was given quite the run-around in the first half as Brazil continued to dominate.

The Dutch did try to respond but it was really difficult for them to penetrate the Brazilian defence as it was rock solid in the first half. They were well drilled, well organised and quick to track back and get onto the ball once they had lost possession. You felt the only way the Dutch could come back into it was if there was a set-piece that they could make the best use of or perhaps a mistake. And this is indeed what did happen in the second half. The first half was a largely fractious affair with plenty of silly fouls and niggly tackles that saw the ref produce a few yellow cards. Players from both sides kept fouling their opposition provoking a stop-start atmosphere to the game. This suited the Brazilians more though, because it meant they were able to break up any rhythm the Dutch might have tried to create and it allowed them to go back and organise themselves. For the Dutch, it was impossible for them to conjure up any real fluency or connectivity in their play because the ref kept blowing his whistle.

It was also really difficult for star-man Robben to get himself into the game. We know that when he plays out on the right, he likes to cut inside and run at defenders before creating space and a good position to shoot from range. However, it all became a bit too predictable as not only did the Brazilians cut off most of the supply to the right but everytime Robben got the ball, the Brazilians knew what he was going to do and were able to block him each time he tried to shoot. Robben was just taking three touches too many to control the ball, giving the Brazilians time to gather and there were like 4 or 5 blocking his shots proving a frustrating first 45 minutes for the Bayern Munich player.

I think for the Brazilians, they all thought that it was looking easy from here on in. The Dutch were unable to find some kind of inspiration to evade the Brazilian defence and the Brazilians were pressing forward to get their second, which they almost did, had it not been for the magnificent saves of Stekelenburg. In fairness, the Dutch keeper hasn't had too much to do in their previous games, compared to this game, and he showed that he was alert to the danger and kept the Netherlands still in with a chance. First he saved from Kaka, whose shot was most definitely curling into the top corner of the net. Had Kaka just put a bit more power into it, then maybe it would have been too difficult for Stekelenburg to get any fingertips too, but it was a fine save nonetheless. And, then Stekelenburg also palmed away Maicon's shot which was also on its way in.

I don't know what kind of oranjes the Dutch boys ate at half-time, but they certainly did the trick as the Dutch got themselves back in the game with only 8 minutes gone off the second-half. It was a flukey-ish goal that shocked the Dutch themselves, as much as it did the Brazilians. I was right in thinking it would take a set-piece or mistake or something for the Oranje Army to get themselves back in it, as Robben took a short free-kick passing the ball out to Sneijder, who whipped the ball into a dangerous area and so it nudge of Felipe Melo's head and bounce into the back of the net, with Julio Cezar looking on in utter dismay. The Dutch had found a way back in and for the second time they had scored via an own-goal. Interestingly, that was the first ever own-goal to be scored by a Brazilian in any World Cup competition. What a record to break.

The Dutch knew they were now in with a serious chance and grasped the opportunity with both hands. The goal came at exactly the right moment - a good response, early in the second half that unsettled the Brazilians, whom defence I had just been praising at half-time and breathed new life and energy into the Dutch play. At half-time I was thinking that this Brazil team could seriously go all the way and win - they were looking great upfront as always, but their defence was sharp too - when you have both bits of play sorted, coupled with a great goalkeeper, well, you're 90% of the way there right?

Brazil launched themselves forward once more to restore their lead and Kaka again came close, sending the ball just wide. But, it was the Dutch that found themselves in the lead for the very first time in the game after yet another set-piece created chaos in the Brazilian back-line. This time the ball came in from a corner which Kuyt flicked on to Wesley Sneijder, who made no mistake in claiming the goal this time, as it came off his head and nestled into the net. It was pure joy and elation for the Dutch and their fans, as they realised that they were 20 minutes away from knocking out one of the tournament's favourites and advancing to the semis with another win under their belt.

The Brazilians then went into panic mode and then total meltdown, as those 20 minutes of madness cost them their place in the next round. The Samba boys (and girls) of Brazil are known for their chilled attitude...relaxing on Copacabana beach...not getting bogged down by the stresses of life, but Brazil's attitude was far from chilled, as they completely lost their cool as they tried in vain to get that second goal. They were frustrated and fouls were happening all over the pitch, which clearly was of no help to their cause. What was of even less help was Felipe Melo getting sent off for stamping on Robben after Robben had been awarded a free-kick. It was cynical and it was stupid and he deserved a red. What madness - your team are trying to score another goal, so how does it help them by you getting sent off? This Brazilian team were looking less and less like the one we saw in almost complete control in the first-half as they threw everything forward to score and left themselves totally open at the back.

In fact, the Dutch could have scored three or four and totally killed the game off instead of making us wait for a bit of a nervy end to what was otherwise a thrilling second-half. In the end, the Dutch did enough to hang on and defend for all their might to get the win that sees their unbeaten run stretch to 24 games. A massive victory for the Oranje army after a stunning fightback and they will now feel that this could finally be their year. As for the Brazilians, well their dream ends here, and the next time we see them play in the World Cup will be in their very own country...

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Only a few short hours after their defeat, the Brazilian coach Dunga accepted "full responsibility" for Brazil's exit from the tournament and has said that he will resign as manager, after failing to reach the semis both in 2010 and 2006. Dunga is not the only coach to tender his resignation - several other managers have done the same following their respective exits from the competition. One of the only managers whose sides have exited early and failed to live up to expectations, but still with a job? Well, Fabio Capello of course.

Danes Undone By Stunning Free-Kicks As Japan Drive On...

Japan have made it through to the last 16 for the first time ever on foreign soil after a comfortable 3-1 win over Denmark yesterday, sending yet another European team crashing out of the competition. Denmark had to win yesterday if they wanted to join Holland in the last 16, but Japan could go through with just a draw. However, it was evident that Japan were not going to set out for a draw, they were there for the killing.

Previously criticised for being far too defensive and rigid in their shape and style of play, and accused of "anti-football", the Japanese completely changed their tactics against a fairly predictable Danish side, who had battled to victory over Cameroon, after going a goal down. From the off, the Japanese were far more eager to get forward, they were fresh, fit, a lot more physical and ran riot with the Danish defence.

They were troubling Denmark with their passing and movement and their ability to keep running and running. Denmark were unable to get good service down to Bendtner who was largely absent in the first half. Denmark did have a few chances in the first and second half, most of them falling to the captain, Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was unable to put them away. Their closest chance came right in the opening stages, when his shot missed the goal by mere inches. Tomasson, who needed two goals to break the all-time Danish goalscoring record has been stuck on 51 goals for the last two years, and it looked like much wasn't going to change in this game either.

For Japan, it was Grenoble's Matsui that looked lively down the wings and his shot was saved by Stoke's Thomas Sorensen. 17 minutes into the game, Japan were awarded a free kick some 30 yards out. Both Honda and Endo were standing over the ball poised to strike, whilst Sorensen arranged his wall. In almost a Ronaldo-esque fashion, Honda stood over the ball, took a long run-up and absolutely smashed the ball up over the wall and into the back of the net, passing a shocked Sorensen on the way in. Sorensen had stayed rooted to the spot and should have done much, much better. He appeared to move a little to the left, before realising the ball was coming to his right and by then it was too late for him to get a hand to it. If he had been in the right place, he would have seen it coming and been able to save it. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic goal from a striker that has really impressed so far in the tournament.

And minutes later, it was from another free kick that Japan doubled their lead. This time it was Yasuhito Endo, and it was far more closer to the goal, and in a more central position. Everyone watching, was thinking surely not...they can't possibly score from another free kick can they? But to the horror of the bemused Danes, they did, and what a spectacular strike. The ball curved just enough past the wall and past Sorensen before landing perfectly in the net. Hah, so much for the rubbish, hard-to-control, Jabulani ball eh?! It's probably because no one else knows quite how to control it like the Japanese. There's been a real shortage of goals from free-kicks...even the master Ronaldo, and Drogba have been unable to find the back of the net with them, but the Japanese had scored two in quick succession.

They nearly got themselves a third goal with Endo, just before the break but Sorensen was equal to it. It was Endo again who got the best chance for Japan, in the early part of the second-half, from yet another set-piece, and Sorensen nearly gifted them their third by dropping the ball back on to the frame of the goal. Now that would really have been game over for the Danes.

As it happened, the Danes almost got back into the game, with yet another miss from Tomasson and Larsen's volley hitting the bar. They got their chance to make it 2-1 when Daniel Agger was pushed in the box by the Japanese captain, Hasebe. Tomasson stepped up to take it, and after all his misses during the game, I half-feared he was going to miss the penalty and all. And...he did...but then followed up the rebound and got the Danes back into the tie with 10 odd minutes left. He nearly missed from the rebound too! But it was too little, too late for the Danes to try and score 3 goals and not concede any at the same time. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened as Morten Olsen threw on practically every attacking player he had leaving only 3 defenders at the back...and why not? If you're going to go out, you may as well do so having tried everything you possibly could.

It was that man Honda again, breaking on the counter, and weaving his way easily past the Danish defence, getting close to Sorensen and waiting for him to commit, before unselfishly passing it through to Okazaki to get their well deserved third goal. Had the game ended 2-1, it would have been a flattering scoreline to the Danes, because on the face of it all, Japan were deserved winners and will now go through to face Paraguay. Japan were too strong for the Danes, who finished third after Cameroon failed to pick up any points from any of their group games, losing 2-1 to the Dutch who topped the group with 9/9 points. Incidentally, Paul Le Guen, has announced today that he has quit his job as Cameroon boss after their poor showing in the tournament.

We have seen Paraguay playing really well so far in the tournament, but if this Japan team can play anything like they did against Denmark, then a possible quarter-final place beckons...

The Future's Bright...

The Netherlands are the first team to have sealed qualification to the next round of the tournament, with the opportunity to rest some of their players in the last group game, which will just be regarded as a formality, after Denmark's win over Cameroon confirmed their place. The game against Cameroon is pretty much meaningless, as Cameroon became the first team to exit the World Cup. It was a sad goodbye to the African side who failed to pick up a point in either of their two matches.

However, the game between Japan and Denmark will be one to watch as the two will be battling it out for second place. Japan did well in their victory over Cameroon, and were hoping to use the same tactics and formation to defeat the Dutch. Whilst it wasn't a great performance from Holland, it was enough to see out the Japanese, who really made the game difficult for the Oranjes.

The Dutch were the more dominant in possession, but were frustratingly stifled by a Japanese side brimming in confidence after their victory against Cameroon. To their credit they did well in preventing the Dutch team from getting into the box and getting their shots away on target. In fact, Holland were reduced to shooting in from distance with the heavily criticised Jabulani ball. And just like in the Cameroon game, Japan were not content with just sitting back, but ventured forward in the hope of stealing a goal. They weren't far off either, but the Dutch defence and keeper just did enough.

The breakthrough came for Holland early on in the second half when Robin van Persie was able to get hold of the ball in the box and pass it through to Inter's Wesley Sneijder who lashed the ball at the Japanese goal. It looked like Kawashima was going to save it, but it somehow slipped off his palms and wound its way into the back of the net. It was another so-called "Jabulani moment" with the ball claiming yet another victim. The goal forced Japan to abandon Plan A, and go for Plan B - i.e. attack. They got close with Okazaki but the ball was fired over, and as they pushed forward, they were inevitably left open at the back, with Dutch sub, Ibrahim Afellay unable to add to the scoreline after two clear chances. The one goal was enough in the end as the Dutch went top of their group, but by no means have we seen the best out of them yet. Remember: Robben also missed this game too, but he will hopefully be back for the game in the round of 16, and may get some game time in the last group game too. He will hopefully add more width to their play, and we may finally see some of this "total football" we have been promised.

Denmark and Cameroon both came into their match, with defeats in their first games. They knew, that if either of them won, then the other would be out of contention to compete for the runner-up spot. Cameroon certainly started off the better out of the two, keeping the ball well and being able to create chances, much as they had done against Japan. The only difference was that they were more clinical in their finishing, and they took the lead with just 10 minutes gone: Eto'o taking advantage of some more dodgy defending by the Danes, after Christian Poulsen's casual pass was pounced upon by Webo who passed it to the Cameroon captain. The Indomitable Lions, were assisted creatively by the lively Alex Song, who sat out the first game against Japan. He occupied a holding midfield role, which allowed the forward players and attacking midfielders to push on with greater conviction. After playing him out on the right, where he played really poorly, Paul Le Gen opted for a more central role for Eto'o, which suited him far better.

As long as the score remained 1-0, the Danes were still in with a chance, and Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner made sure that he didn't miss any this time around. Simon Kjaer hoofed the ball upfield, covering at least 60 yards - it was an absolute beaut of a pass, and was taken down by the impressive Dennis Rommedahl who floated it over to Bendtner to slide home from close range. It was a great goal created by simple long ball tactics and minimal passing - something that Bendtner is not used to, but that didn't matter as his side was now level with Cameroon.

The equaliser set up what turned out to be a really gripping game - one of the best of the tournament so far. It was really open and end-to-end attacking stuff, as neither side wanted to lose. Both teams began to play really freely leaving those watching absolutely breathless. As they both raced forward, they sort of forgot about defending, and both sides had some real shocking moments!

Rommedahl got the winner for Denmark, and deservedly so, after a great performance. This time Bendtner turned provider, in a swift counter-attacking move allowing Rommedahl to skip past Jean Makoun and slot it in past the Cameroonian goalie. Thereafter Cameroon increased the pressure on their European opposition and chances were close at either end but credit must go to Thomas Sorensen, who pulled off some marvellous saves to keep Cameroon out. Christian Poulsen, who had been the villain in one half, was the hero in the other, when he, rather unknowingly it has to be said, blocked a shot with his head. It left him seeing stars in the closing stages of the match, but he was soon back on his feet to see the game out.

It was a great comeback from the Danes who now go on to face Japan in the second place decider. They will have gained some confidence from this performance, and will be looking to join neighbours, Holland in the last 16. But be no under illusion, Japan will provide a stern test and the Danes will be without Kjaer, who's been so impressive in both games for Denmark. For Cameroon however, it is a bitter blow not only for them but for Africa too. Unfortunately, on African soil the African teams have not been having much fortune. It is always sad to see the first team go and Cameroon, who have won the African Cup of Nations 4 times, will no doubt have expected much better of their performances on African soil.

The Oranje Army Come To Town...

Let's face it. It just wouldn't be the same without them...the Oranje army rolled into town yesterday as Holland got their world cup quest underway against Denmark in Soccer City. When you think of the Dutch and football, you can't help but come up with two words: perennial underachievers.

I mean, you look at their squad and it is absolutely swamped with talent: van Persie, Robben, Sneijder, van Bommel, van der Vaart, Kuyt...need I go on?! There is no doubting that those individuals have got something special. So why do they never seem to win things?! It has been a particular feature of Dutch sides to start off tournaments well, with a team that looks like it could seriously go all the way and then somehow capitulate just before the end. In 2008 they lost to Russia in the quarters; in 2006 they lost to Portugal in the so called 'Battle of Nuremberg' in the last 16 knock outs. This year, they have a new manager in Bert van Marwijk and a whole host of stars, including some young guns like Elia and Afellay - the question is will they have the cutting edge and endurance to go all the way?

Much was expected of Holland in yesterday's performance, particularly following Germany's emphatic victory the evening before. But, to be honest, they were pretty disappointing in the first half. In fact, I would say that Denmark had the better chances and were, by a small margin, the better team. Denmark actually finished above Portugal in the qualifiers, so they are no push-overs, and they had several good chances in the first half, to get the lead over their European rivals. The best chance of the half fell to Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner heading wide. They had their best period of the game in the latter stage of the first half and went into half time, the happier of the two. The problem with the Dutch side was: no Robben. We knew that he would be missing the first game as a precaution, after his injury, and that meant that there was no real width to their play. They failed to spread the ball out over the pitch, attack down the wings and get behind the full backs - something we know that Robben can do so well. Their play was very narrowed and the Danish defence stood firm...

Until 50 seconds into the second half that is...Robin van Persie managed to get the ball up to the byeline and with some skilful trickery, managed to outwit the Danish right-back and slot the ball across the face of goal. It should have been met by a Dutch foot or head, but instead found its way over to the Danish left-back, Simon Poulsen who unwittingly headed the ball off the back of Daniel Agger and into the net. A freak own goal and a big blow to the Danes, who had been playing so well in the first half, up until that moment. It was a lucky goal for the Dutch, and kind of slowed the game down, as the Danes were unable to really recover from that and get an equaliser. The Danes had no real response and the Dutch took advantage of this, to try and press for the second. It was hardly the "total football" that we expected, but it was clinical and allowed them to secure the vital 3 points. The Danes took off Bendtner, pretty much admitting defeat. They had hoped to get at least a point from this game, but that idea was promptly put to bed, when 5 minutes from time, the sub, Elia managed to weave past the defence, and get a shot on target, only for it to hit the post. But, Dirk Kuyt was on hand to ram in the rebound. Elia was unlucky to get a goal - it was a great substitution, as from the moment he came on, he gave the Danes real trouble with his pace and quick one-touch football. The Oranjes could nearly have had a third, if it wasn't for a spectacular off-the-line clearance by Poulsen. Unfortunately, for him, it was a tad too late to make amends as the game finished 2-0.

Although it was not a sterling performance by any stretch of the imagination for the Dutch, they will be pleased to have got the 3 points, without their star man, Robben, and will now go into their next 2 games, as favourites to win the group. For Denmark, all is not lost. They do have the quality to beat Japan and Cameroon because in that first half, they matched Holland, and indeed could have taken the lead. There has been talk that aside from the Germans, there hasn't really been much pretty, attacking football. It's all been really cagey and tense. That's true, and maybe the Dutch will get slightly criticised for not giving us the football they promised, but sometimes even the best attacking teams have to grind out a result to get to the top and win.