Maradona Marches On...

Yet another controversy. Yet another indefensible refereeing decision. And yet another shout for video technology. Sepp Blatter are you listening? I jolly well hope so because if yesterday's two matches, did not convince you of the need for some kind of technology, then I have no idea what will.

Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 last night to seal qualification to the quarterfinals, but the scoreline could have been so very different had it not been for a massive mistake by the referee's assistant. In a match that replicated the last 16 match in 2006, El Tri were hoping to take revenge on their South American neighbours and book themselves a place against Germany in the next stage of the tournament. And, it certainly looked possible, particularly in the opening stages as Mexico saw a great deal of the ball and had some clearcut chances to get themselves on the scoresheet. Concerns have been raised about the Argentinian defence as being the only chink in their otherwise formidable armour, and this certainly looked to be the case, as Mexico played their short, sharp passes in between the last line. There was really good movement by the Mexicans who were unlucky not to score first, when Carlos Salcido's shot crashed against the post and Guardado shot narrowly wide. It was a great start for the Mexicans but soon the tide turned against them with the aid of the referee's assistant.

Before Argentina's first "goal", they hadn't really looked to threaten in the opening stages of the game but Messi had done well to find some space and send the pass through for Tevez, who missed his first chance at goal which was smothered by Oscar Perez, but then was on hand to head home the rebound from a great pass by Messi. However, there was just one problem. Tevez was clearly offside when the ball was being played to him. The mistake was clear to see by everyone in the stadium, as it was replayed out on the big screen. That, in itself, was a mistake, as controversial decisions are not supposed to be shown like that, because of what happened next. As the referee, Roberto Rossetti went over to discuss with the linesman, Stefano Ayroldi a whole gaggle of Mexican players surrounded them and protested vehemently at the decision. Ayroldi knew that he had made the wrong call, but FIFA rules prevented them from ruling the goal out as he had not raised his flag.

At half-time, things got worse as a huge melee of players, managers, staff and referees were involved in altercations, no doubt, about the unfairness of the decision. 2 hugely controversial decision in 2 matches on the same day. And they could have made a massive difference to the outcome of the result. In the England game, the relatively inexperienced Germany side could have failed to get over the shock of leading 2-0, and then getting pegged back which might have affected their game somewhat. And, in this game Mexico who had started off the better of the two, could have at least been real contenders right to the very end. Instead, much like England, Mexico failed to recover from that goal, and as they went forward to score, they were left open at the back, making stupid defensive errors (exactly like England) and allowing Argentina to score and ultimately win the game and book their place against Germany.

Argentina's second came shortly after the first, when Osorio lazily tried to pass it to his fellow centre-back partner, but the ball was pounced upon by Higuain who worked it round the keeper and coolly slotted in to get his fourth of the tournament. Tevez scored a magnificent third goal not too long after the restart, doing well to control the ball, evade two defenders and create enough space to shoot from 25-yards out. It was a wonderful goal and some real, piece of Argentinian style. SAF's new recruit, Javier Hernandez got his second goal of the tournament, and what turned out to be nothing more than a consolation after he squeezed past Otamendi and Demichelis to finish off beautifully. There is still some weakness in that Argentinian backline - particularly Demichelis who appears to be a weak link. Messi, who is still yet to score in this tournament, produced a bit of magic very late on as he went on one of those marauding runs of his only to see his shot saved by Perez. For the Albiceleste though, a 2 goal cushion was enough to see them safely through to the next round, with Mexico, again failing to make the quarters.

Absolutely shocking decisions on a day of real, real controversy. Before the "Hand of Gaul" incident I must admit that I wasn't too sure about video technology. Only because once you start using it, people might demand for every single decision to be looked at rendering the referee pretty much useless. But since then, my mind's been changed. The handball incident did not affect one team but one nation. It prevented one whole nation from reaching the World Cup finals and basically allowed the other to cheat their way into it. And after the England/Mexico refereeing blunders, I cannot, for the life of me understand how, in a world where modern technology is so central to almost every aspect of our everyday lives, football is still living in the dark ages. I understand that there are people out there who do not want the controversial aspect of the game to change, because, they argue, that there wouldn't be any more talking points but this is the World Cup for goodness sake. Mistakes are being committed here at the highest level and that is just not acceptable, nor is it fair.

Sepp Blatter has stated that the reasons for not using video technology are that it is too expensive to implement on a global scale, it will take too long slowing the game down in the process, when viewing a replay the decisions are still going to be taken by humans and it takes the fun out of the debates that fans have over controversial decisions. Well, about the cost - quite frankly, that's rubbish. FIFA has enough money to set aside for this, and with the number of people and clubs that want video technology, I'm sure they will all be willing to donate to make this possible. It doesn't take long at all to view it on replay - in the England game, it took all of about 2 seconds - that's shorter than the time it takes for free kicks to be taken. Yes, the final decision will be made by a human but the whole point of a video replay is to spot something that did not get spotted before, or to verify a controversial decision made by someone else. As for the fans, well they'll still be able to find things to debate about. It's all about where to draw the line with video technology - should it just be for things like whether the ball goes over the line? Or should it be used to determine other things such as offside decisions, corner kicks, throw-ins, red card offences? That's something that needs to be seriously thought about and real guidelines need to be set before video technology can be implemented. I think that's what FIFA is scared about - where to draw the line. They don't want to kill the game entirely but something needs to be done. Maybe one solution is to have a system like "Hawkeye" in tennis, where each player gets a maximum of 3 requests to have a video replay. This ensures that the game is not spoilt by the player who can't keep disrupting the game everytime he is unhappy with a decision, and also makes sure he uses his 3 calls wisely instead of flippantly. However, there is absolutely no doubt about it. We need some kind of video technology, because two huge mistakes in the space of one day is two too many.

France Waves Adieu and Bafana Bafana Go Out Singing...

Well, we knew that it was going to be difficult for either France or South Africa to qualify. Their fate was out of their hands, and it was all down to the final result in the other game between Uruguay and Mexico. If that game played out to a draw, then neither France nor South Africa stood a chance. But if, and only if, either France or SA could get a win with a significant number of goals, to better Mexico's goal difference, then either one of the two sides would be through.

For France, well let's just say it was quite an eventful weekend for them, coming into yesterday's game. To be honest it's been quite an eventful tournament for them, just not where it matters most i.e. the pitch. Controversy off the pitch has shrouded the French team since they arrived in SA and hasn't done them any favours, after they could only pick up one point out of 6 before the clash with the hosts. Before, we go on about the game any further, I think it wise to sidetrack ourselves with this whole French fiasco, because it clearly took over all the preparations leading up to this vital game.

So Anelka got sent home because of a foul-mouthed tirade launched against the boss, in their game against Mexico at half time. This was why he was substituted apparently. But, according to the French camp and Domenech, it wasn't as bad as it has been made out to be, it wouldn't have gotten as out of hand as it did had Anelka just apologised and it wouldn't have been blown up out of proportion as it did, had the media not got wind of it. Sometimes, I think that the media, have a lot to account for. Apparently, there is someone in the French camp, that is a "traitor" - a "mole" who has been leaking the private goings-on, like this whole Anelka thing, to the press, who have taken it and squeezed out every last bit of juicy gossip they could. Surely, the media from one's own country, should be respecting their team and giving them the opportunity to advance as much as it can in the competition, without the added stress and pressure of private, internal affairs being laid out for all and sundry to see. Yes there's freedom of speech, but when it will damage a team, that has been preparing for the final matches, and are about to go into a game, which they need to win, surely this bit of juicy gossip can wait?

Had it not been for the media exploding on to the scene, Anelka might not have actually been sent home. He might have been "rested" against SA, but the French team may have wanted to keep the whole story under wraps, until they were back home. That wouldn't have resulted in the player's boycott of their training session, which in my opinion, was not only selfish but thoughtless too. I mean, they are about to play in their last game in the World Cup, they still have a chance to qualify, it might be small, but it's a chance nonetheless, and yet the players are acting as though they have already been dumped out of the competition and have seemed to have forgotten, that they are there for their nation, not for themselves.

The fact that Raymond Domenech could not talk them out of their "mutiny" and force them to train, probably highlights his relation to the team, the lack of respect and his own inabilities to control and "manage" the side. The players, from the way they were acting, seem to have their own way of managing the team, and whilst trying to make a point, inadvertently succeeded in not only displaying the magnanimous cracks within the team, but also in alienating their own fans and supporters, who according to the papers, were disgusted with their team's pathetic and "child-like" behaviour. The fight that Evra had with the fitness trainer and then the FFF's vice-president's resignation just typifies what many supporters see as the big-headedness of the French team. They see the players as largely overpaid buffoons who have no respect for the management, and who have no desire, ambition or passion to be playing in this world cup.

I, like many, don't understand what was going through the player's head at the time. Yes, they wanted to show solidarity, but ironically reports began to emerge of some players not happy with the boycott, and again, of the players and the coach being on two different planets and heading in completely opposite directions. Surely, the players should have put aside their differences, in place of the national interest and fought for their pride. They are supposed to be professionals after all and they had one shot still left to go through...it wasn't an impossible feat by any means. Even though they resumed training the following day, the cracks in the French team weren't going away, and surely the whole debacle of the previous days, would have remained in the player's minds and effected their mentality coming into the final game. Psychologically, they would have been ready to give up and just go home, before the game even got underway against Bafana Bafana.

The South Africans, on the other hand, would have been relishing the prospect of capitalising on a weakened French side, and making their supporters proud, by trying to get through to the last 16 stage. The stadium in Bloemfontein was packed to the rafters with swarms of yellow and green supporters, keeping an eager eye on the other match, which was happening at the same time. Bafana Bafana were a sharp contrast to their French counterparts in the tunnel - singing, dancing and generally enjoying the buzz from the crowd as they prepared to do battle. The French, on the other hand, were a largely changed side, from the ones we had seen on the two previous occasions, with plenty of new faces coming in. You wouldn't be surprised to hear that it wasn't down to injury worries or suspensions or anything else, but down to the events that had dominated the French preparations beforehand.

Evra, Henry, Malouda, Abidal and Govou all found themselves a place on the bench. In their place, on came, Clichy, Squillaci, Cisse and captain for the day, Alou Diarra. It was a controversial decision to leave their best players on the pitch - I didn't understand it. I mean I know what has gone on, but when you still have a chance, why would you make it harder for yourself? It was almost as though Domenech had forgotten his side did still have a chance. He probably thought it would be easier for him to manage the players on the pitch, than those watching from the bench. A further example of his ineffective managing abilities perhaps?

South Africa had to replace their keeper after Khune was sent off in the game against Uruguay, and also made some changes to their squad, determined to end the group stages on a high. And it took them just 20 minutes to take advantage of some poor keeping by Hugo Lloris, when a corner was swept in from his left. He swung at air rather than at the ball, allowing Khumalo a free shot at goal. He didn't need asking twice and suddenly the South African supporters were bellowing down their vuvuzelas sensing an upset could be on the cards here. With the other game still on level terms though, the South Africans were praying for some help from Uruguay.

However, they tried to make things as easy as possible for themselves by doubling their advantage, just before half time. For the French on the other hand, as if things couldn't get any worse, they did when Yoann Gourcuff was sent off for what looked like a high elbow in the box. It was a really harsh decision by the referee, but pretty much summed up a dismal tournament for the French where nothing has gone right for them. South Africa's goal came as a result of some poor defending, when the French lost the ball in their own area, giving Mphela the chance to bundle it home. South Africa were 2-0 up, the vuvuzelas had a life of their own, and the crowd began to believe that qualification was within touching distance. Add to that the fact that Suarez had just scored for Uruguay, against Mexico and things were looking decidedly more rosy for the hosts. They just needed a few more goals, or to hope that Uruguay scored one or two more...

Except it was France that finally got their first goal of the tournament, pretty much ending Bafana Bafana's hopes. South Africa's Mphela had several chances in front of goal, but they were saved well by Lloris. Mphela's closest chance came soon after the restart, when he just clipped the post and missed. It was a largely frustrating second half for the fans and the team and as the second half wore on Bafana Bafana became more and more desperate, shooting from range and not really getting anywhere. With elimination looming, Domenech sent on Malouda for Gignac, and finally gave Henry some playing time...not that it came to much. France were easily able to go forward whilst SA did the same at the other end, exploiting SA's weak defence, to score a goal, that came far too late to be of any relevance. It was an easy goal for Malouda to score in the end, after some good play by Sagna and Ribery and it was the only thing able to completely silence the vuvuzelas.

France were able to see out the game without conceding any more and they, along with the hosts, were subsequently ousted from the competition. So then came the end of Domenech's era as manager of the French side and instead of bowing out gracefully, he was keen to end it on one last controversial moment, by refusing to shake the hands of SA coach Parreira. Domenech spent 5 minutes trying to explain why he didn't want to shake it with all cameras pointed at him, when it would have been easier for him to have spent half a second just shaking the man's hand and being a gracious loser. It kind of summed up everything about this French team in a way. In this tournament, we saw the good, the bad and the ugly. The good thing about them? Well, they made everyone else look much better. The bad: well that was their football on the pitch...and the ugly? Well, I think that one's pretty obvious. It will no doubt be remembered as a shameful era in French football and one which French fans will want to wipe from their memories as soon as possible. Everyone knows that in football, it is often the failures that you're remembered for, not the successes and Domenech, who took the team to the finals in 2006, will probably be remembered for everything that went wrong in this illustrious crop of world class footballers.

It's a sad time for French football...

But for the Irish, well, they will see it as karma and will be bending over backwards laughing at this French "team" that cheated the Irish to get to the finals...and self-destructed when they got there...

Frustrating France Fail To Score As Mexico Wins 2-0...

France are in real danger of being knocked out in the first stage of this year's competition. After quite literally qualifying by the skin of their teeth, they now look to be the first of the 'heavyweights' on their way out, after suffering a defeat at the hands (pardon the pun) of Mexico last night in Polokwane.

This defeat, following their dismal 0-0 draw against Uruguay last Friday night, leaves them with only a point with 1 game, against the hosts, still left to play. However, hopes of qualifying are now out of French hands (sorry, I can't seem to help it) regardless of the score against South Africa. They have the slimmest of chances of qualifying: if Uruguay and Mexico fail to draw in their last game, and France beat South Africa with a huge goal difference, they may go through.

So qualification is still possible, but in order to do that, they are first going to have to be able to at least score some goals, something, which they could not manage to do last night. After the first group games in Group A ended with a point apiece, and following Uruguay's 3-0 win over SA the previous night, France knew that they had to get themselves in gear and win if they were to prove their doubters wrong and give themselves a chance of going through to the last 16 stage.

After much criticism following his formation and the players he chose, Raymond Domenech made a few changes to his side: he left Gourcuff on the bench in place of Malouda, but strangely enough decided to stick with Govou and Anelka who did not have the best of games against Uruguay. Instead of a 4-3-3 formation, he changed it to a 4-2-3-1 with Anelka playing as the lone striker. France did start off better than they had against Uruguay, and this was probably owing to the change in formation as well as the inclusion of Malouda. But to be fair, they didn't have much to improve on from their first game.

They were able to go forward a bit more, especially down the wings but lacked that cutting edge and drive to get into the box and finish off their chances. Anelka, who has now gone a long time without scoring both for Chelsea and for France, looked a shadow of the prolific striker that we saw a long while back, and was unable to create anything for himself or for his teammates. It was frustrating to watch him just standing there, not doing much, and unable to affect the game in any shape or form. Mexico were also quite lively in the opening half, but were again not clinical enough in their finishing. They suffered an early loss upfront, when Vela was forced to go off injured with what looked like a hamstring injury. Vela was replaced by Pablo Barrera, who from the moment he was on the pitch was able to bring a new energy to the game. He was quick and pacy, and able to trouble the French defence into making mistakes. Gallas didn't look at all comfortable with Abidal in the centre of defence, and seemed to be making the most simplest of mistakes. For example, when Oscar Salcido had the ball in the area, Gallas just stood stock still, without even going to close him down which allowed Salcido to take the shot. Luckily for Gallas, he missed but that was not the only bit of shaky defending we saw from the French during the match. Both Salcido and Dos Santos were great for Mexico and put the French players to shame, by easily finding their way past them to get forward.

Domenech finally realised that the inefficient Anelka had to be substituted, and so at the beginning of the second half, replaced him with Gignac. Domenech may have changed the players, but he didn't change the shape, so again the French team were fruitless going forward. There was just no service for the Toulouse striker despite the likes of Ribery, Diaby and Toulalan in midfield. France were made to pay for their inability to score, when Mexican substitute and Man Utd new boy, Javier Hernandez beat the offside trap and scored, after being one-on-one with keeper Hugo Lloris. It was as though the French defence had suddenly gone to sleep, they were looking to the assistant on the far side as they believed Hernandez to be offside, but further replays showed that it was Abidal who was playing "Chicharito" onside. Pure indiscipline, lack of communication and lack of organisation on the part of the French and it looks as though SAF has made another good signing for the Red Devils.

Abidal, who doesn't normally play at centre back, had looked uncertain all evening in that role alongside Gallas. There was just no natural understanding between the two, probably due to the fact that they haven't been playing together like that for very long. And, it was Abidal again who was at fault for the second Mexican goal. This time he gave away a penalty, after blatantly preventing a goal scoring opportunity by Barrera. Blanco, the 37 year old who I mentioned in a previous post, had been put on in place of Guillermo Franco. He stepped up and smashed the ball past Lloris to pretty much seal a first Mexican win over France. Oscar Tabarez's positive substitutions worked a treat and Mexico definitely deserved to be in the lead. They had played the better football, had worked the ball, made the French defence labour and seemed to want it more.

Even before Mexico got that second goal, I put my hands up in despair, as I just could not see how France were going to score. They were poor offensively, unable to create anything out on the wings or even in the middle of the park and the unfortunate forwards who were expecting some kind of service, just weren't getting any. Then, it struck me. The reason why France were uninspiring, unable to create anything and ultimately poor in front of goal was simple. They were missing the irreplaceable presence of one man: Zinedine Zidane. The more and more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Since his retirement in 2006, to be perfectly honest, the French have been pretty woeful. They were poor in 2008, when they finished bottom of their group with only a point to their name. And even in 2002, when Zidane was still around, it was exactly the same story. Why? Because Zidane was injured at the time. France are suffering from post-Zidane syndrome. Without him, it seems that they are unable to do anything. After all, wasn't it he who in 2006, won the Best Player of the Tournament? And wasn't it Zidane who had run the show against the Brazilians to get the French on their way to the final? It was Zidane also who had taken the penalty that won them the game against Portugal, and again he who scored against the Italians before the infamous "coupe de boule" incident. Short of writing a whole essay on the importance of Zizou, it is clear to see that the French are missing him dearly and have not been able to find an alternative player, who can at least try and fill those very big boots that he has left behind. I know he has retired, but France need a player like Zidane to inject some spark, creativity and intelligence into their game. Let's be fair...it's not like France are short of talent. Some of those names you see out there on the pitch are world class players but they have looked far from their best in this tournament and have given the impression that they are unable to work collectively.

In 2006, a player the French could have relied on for this kind of creativity and attacking threat, besides Zidane was Thierry Henry. However, sitting there on the sidelines, huddled up in a blanket from the cold, he looked less and less like the Thierry Henry of yesteryear and more and more like the old grandad of the team. Seriously, had you given him a cup of cocoa you would have completed the image perfectly. I felt so sorry for him. I know he hasn't been playing regularly for Barca either, but Henry is still Henry. He may have lost a few yards of his pace, he may not be as sharp as he once was...but his brain, well that's still the same. If you put him on, he will still be able to come up with something. He hasn't lost everything...if he had, why bring him? Why keep him on the bench when you're 2-0 down, and needing some inspiration? Wasn't it Henry that assisted Gallas against the Irish? It was a handball, but it was also Henry who was down there in the Irish box, working his socks off to push France to the finals. Surely for all he has done for the world of football, he deserves far more respect than the bench?

I was shouting, as were many I expect, for Domenech to put Henry on. Unfortunately, I don't think Domenech heard, because he didn't put Henry on. He put Valbuena on for Govou and that's all he did. The body language of the manager of the French team was incredible. His side were losing 2-0, effectively on the verge of going out of the finals of the World Cup, yet Domenech was probably the calmest man in the stadium. It was almost as though his team was the one 2-0 up, not down. I mean there was just no urgency or passion or agitation about him. You wanted him to be nervous or screaming at his players or doing something to get his team back on track. It is at times like this that the team, the players, look to their manager to direct them as to what to do next. Instead Domenech was casually looking on seemingly nonplussed about the whole thing. He has nothing to lose. After the tournament, he will be replaced by Laurent Blanc. What a strange decision to announce this before the finals. Domenech knows that no matter how bad his team performs and how much flak he cops, it won't matter so much, because he's going at the end of it all anyway. The result, for him at least, will be the same whatever happens.

At the end of it all, Mexico thoroughly deserved their victory. They were the team with the attacking intent, with the desire to win, with the right spirit and mentality. They were hounding the French players on the pitch every time France won the ball, forcing them to relinquish possession. It was clear that once the penalty was scored, the body language of the French players was one of despair. They were ready to give up before they had even really got going. Mexico will now be looking to finish strongly in order to qualify for the last 16 and the 2-0 scoreline seems a far cry away from the first ever world cup match, played between these two teams, with the score 4-1 in France's favour. The performance of France's green-shirted opponents will also no doubt have pleased the Irish, who will feel that some justice has probably been done.

As predicted, the French papers this morning did not go at all easy on their players, with some papers even claiming that the French team are not worthy of wearing the famous "maillot". Much of the criticism has inevitably been laid at Domenech's door for not using Gourcuff, for sticking with Govou, for not playing Malouda in the first game, for leaving Henry out etc... Many French supporters after the game were seen wagging their middle finger at their side, and their manager. I can totally understand their frustration - having paid all that money to come and support their side in SA and seeing absolutely nothing from them would be enough to wind anyone up. If France do go out this early, then it is clear that something needs to be done to rectify this fragmented team. Perhaps a change in management will be the solution. France will need to go back and reassess themselves, and based on the recent performances we have seen, it is clear to see that Laurent Blanc has a real job on his hands. Having said that, any amount of improvement will be seen as positive change as he can't really do much worse than what the situation has become already...

It Begins...!!!

So: the day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The opening ceremony is over. The first match is over. And what a game it was!!!

In a packed Soccer City Stadium in Jo'burg, the opening ceremony was a festival of colour, passion, fun, exuberance and noise. It brought the feeling of excitement, that had been building up in the stomachs of all football fans for so many months, to life. There was this sense of anticipation, awe and real energy created by all the dancers and singers present at the ceremony. These days, we usually expect to see fireworks or some sort of pyrotechnics at these kinds of events, but South Africa didn't need fireworks to get the tournament off to a cracking start, the crowds of people and the vuvuzelas in particular did that for them! The noise was absolutely deafening but it just added to the African atmosphere. There were many important and famous people in the stadium. François Pienaar and Lucas Radebe joined the ITV team up in the stands. Sepp Blatter and the South African President, Jacob Zuma were out on the pitch to officially announce the start of the tournament. Unfortunately, due to the tragic death of his great granddaughter, former President and national hero, Nelson Mandela could not be present at the ceremony, but a pre-recorded video was played out to an audience of millions worldwide. The ceremony was truly special and depicted exactly what the World Cup means to South Africa: the Rainbow Nation united, Africa united and most importantly, world united.

As for the first match of the tournament: typically it was the host nation who played the first game, against Mexico. In the first half it looked like Mexico would spoil the party; they had the best part of the possession (61%) and the best chances. West Ham's Guillermo Franco missed two great chances from close range. Arsenal's Carlos Vela looked to have opened the scoring for this year's tournament, but his goal was ruled out for offside. South Africa's defending was poor but they made up for it with 2 minutes of the first half to go when they had a series of corners and chances, putting the Mexicans and the keeper Perez under a lot of pressure. Both sides went into half time 0-0, with Bafana Bafana the more optimistic of the two after that great end to the first half. It was this optimism and hope that propelled the South Africans to scoring the first goal of the tournament. I always thought that if South Africa were going to score, it would come on the break against the Mexicans. This is exactly what happened. They got hold of the ball in midfield and launched it down the left to the coolly named, Tshabalala who scored a screamer of a goal to really set the tournament alight. The goal sparked mass celebration amongst the crowd and the vuvuzelas reached an ear-splitting volume!!! Such euphoria and joy amongst the South Africans just made you want to celebrate and laugh along with them! So it came as a bit of a disappointment when Barcelona's Rafael Marquez managed to wheel away from the South African defenders, who lost concentration for a minute, and get the goal that levelled the game. There was a collective gasp when South Africa had a great chance to make it 2-1 - Mphela could only hit the post with just the keeper to beat. The game ended 1-1 but although the hosts weren't able to hold on for what would have been an incredible win, they can take heart from the fact that they were expected by many to lose today. A draw for Bafana Bafana is more than most would have hoped for and is no doubt a great start to their tournament hopes in their country.

Wembley's (Mexican) Wave Off...

'Unconvincing' was the word used by most journalists to describe England's performance during last night's friendly against Mexico. Would I agree with that? Well, to an extent I guess so. Mexico are a good side and there is no doubt that they gave as good as they got, especially in the first half, yet England still managed to score 2 and then another early on in the second half. But a win is still a win and clichéd though it may be but, sometimes even the best teams have to win unconvincingly if they are to have a stab at winning some silverware come the end of the season, or in this case, tournament. It's true - last night's match will have certainly given Capello a lot to consider, on top of what he already has to think about in terms of final squad selection. But perhaps it's better that the issues are addressed now, rather than during the tournament itself...

So last night's final game at Wembley (well until September anyway) was a chance for the England players to force their way onto the team sheet. The Chelsea players and David James were given a rest after their FA Cup tie and this meant that Capello started with a somewhat unfamiliar but not inconceivable line-up. He chose Ferdinand to pair with Ledley King at centre back and opted for Leighton Baines as left back in place of first-choice Ashley Cole. In midfield, he put Gerrard out on the left with Milner and Carrick partnering up in the middle and instead of using him as a sub, started with Crouch alongside Rooney up front.

To their credit Mexico played well, keeping possession for a large part of the first half and creating several chances. Robert Green did his World Cup hopes no harm, saving well from Vela on two occasions. Mexico continued to create chances and attack despite a 17th minute header from King from a set piece. You would have thought that this would have settled England nerves somewhat, but Mexico didn't allow England to get into any kind of rhythm and tried hard to expose defensive frailties particularly down the left. Leighton Baines was caught with the ball more than once in the first half. With England ruffled, Gerrard was forced to push into the centre, leaving the left wing far more prone to Mexican attacks. It wasn't a good balance. But England made good of another set piece to get the second goal albeit one that was offside and looked to have come off Crouch's arm. But still Mexico kept on pressing forward and England was forced to sit back and defend. And for all their possession, Mexico were rewarded with a goal seconds before the half-time whistle. It was one which exposed England's defensive weaknesses again and despite Baines' goalline clearance, his rebound went straight to West Ham's Guillermo Franco who slotted the ball past his club keeper, Rob Green.

Capello made 3 changes before the second half got underway, bringing on the recently returned Jamie Carragher for Ferdinand, taking off Green for Hart and replacing Crouch with Defoe. Gerrard also swapped positions with Young PFA's Player of the Year, James Milner and this suited England's style much better. Not only was Gerrard more comfortable in the centre, which is undoubtedly his best position, but the team in general were a lot more at ease with the ball and in going forward. Indeed, Glen Johnson scored within minutes of the restart after Theo had kept the ball in play. Johnson took the ball past three defenders before unleashing a spectacular shot. It was a super goal and pretty much killed off any chance the Mexicans had of recovering from their deficit. The rest of the game continued with chances at both ends however Hart was not kept as busy as Green had been in the first half. We didn't see too much of Defoe but the late Man City sub, Adam Johnson impressed and looks to be a good prospect.

There is definitely a lot for Capello to mull over after this game and no doubt his decisions have been made a lot harder after last night. I mean, for instance, I have no idea now which keepers he will take with him. It's going to be a close call. Also, he is still waiting on Gareth Barry to prove his fitness. It was announced today that Capello will give him another week to get fit before he decides whether to take Barry or not. We didn't see any of the Chelsea players in action; Joe Cole's place doesn't look certain so he will be keen to get on the pitch against Japan come Sunday. Capello will also want to sort out the midfield so it doesn't get as imbalanced as it did in the first half. There were some positives to come out of the game as well. For example, it is clear that England are capable of getting goals and making the most out of their set piece opportunities even if they are not playing particularly well. Capello will be looking to improve on other areas of their play at their training camp in Austria.

So: maybe the England performance last night wasn't the best but several key players were missing and Capello still has a while to fiddle around with his team and work out what would be the best combination. He has the match against Japan on Sunday to come which will be played at altitude in the Austrian Alps; it will be quite interesting to see what effect, if any, altitude has on the players. The game against Japan will be Capello's last chance before he has to make his mind up and with other managers already whittling their teams down to the final 23, Capello will want to make sure he has done everything possible to ensure that the final 23 will be his best 23.

Elsewhere:

The hosts, South Africa, drew 1-1 with Bulgaria.

Ronaldo's Portugal surprisingly drew a blank against the 117th ranked Cape Verde Islands.

South Korea beat England's next opponents, Japan, 2-0.

The 'Battle of the South' saw Australia beat their neighbours, New Zealand two goals to one.

And Argentina smashed 5 past Canada.