Paraguay's Penalties Propel Them To The Quarters!

The Paraguay-Japan game witnessed the first ever penalty shootout of this year's tournament. I had almost forgotten how nervous I get when watching them no matter who's playing. That could be to do with the fact that England didn't even reach the penalty shootout stage of the game this time around...! But anyway it's a cruel way to go out and this time was no exception.

The game itself was probably one of the poorest we have seen so far. No goals, no ambition, no courage. For both teams a spot in the quarters was going to be a first. Neither Paraguay nor Japan have ever made it out of the second round, so the prospect of each side making national history was clear for all to see. It's a shame then that both sides were so fearful and played so cautiously and tentatively, so that what we got was reminiscent of the opening games of the tournament - a tight, edgy and cagey encounter with few chances from either side and no real prospect of any goals being scored.

In fact, the longer the game wore on, it became inevitable that we would be heading to penalties. Neither side wanted to commit players forward for fear of being undone at the back and therefore either took chances from range, or didn't take none at all. Both sides were trying to play counter-attacking football and this is where they cancelled each other out. We have seen in previous games that the Japanese have been extremely organised and rigid at the back, always playing in straight lines and not really conceding too much. We saw a different Japanese side against the Danes - there they were playing with more fervour and enthusiasm and giving us a really good game. They were fresh, full of energy and adventurous in going forward. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about their style of play in yesterday's game.

As for Paraguay, well they were a bit better at breaking on the counter, but were just too slow at making anything happen. As soon as they got the ball, the pace slowed down completely allowing the Japanese defenders and the goalkeeper, Kawashima to make those vital blocks. Lucas Barrios went closest for the South Americans in the first half, getting in between two Japanese defenders only to see his effort on goal saved. His chance, finally breathed some life into the game 20 minutes in, as at the other end Matsui lashed a ball from distance only to see it whack the crossbar. That all came in the same minute and was about all the excitement we had in a pretty much unmemorable opening half.

It was pretty much the same story in the second half. Paraguay probably came closest to scoring out of the two sides after Riveros' header went wide. The game pretty much just floated from one team to the other without any real pressure or anything exciting happening. The introduction of substitute Nelson Valdez livened things up though. It was clear to see how much he wanted to win the game and get it over and done with, and indeed he came so close to scoring but Kawashima did well to smother.

Neither keeper made a save in the subsequent shootout, but as is so often the case one man's pain was another man's joy as Japan's third penalty taker Komano whacked his penalty onto the crossbar. The advantage was with Paraguay who put away all 5 spotkicks, with Benfica's Oscar Cardozo sealing the win. All the spotkicks, save Komano's obviously, were really well taken and it's always sad to see a side go out on penalties (unless you're on the winning team of course!). Cardozo's coolly taken kick sparked scenes of mass jubilation and tears of joy from the Paraguayan coach, as well as tears of despair from the Japanese.

The win for Paraguay means that now all 4 quarterfinals have 1 South American team present in what is looking a great year for that continent. There are also 3 European teams and 1 African. If Japan had made it through then we would have seen a representative from the Asian continent but ultimately a lack of ambition and an unwillingness to take risks cost them what would have been their first ever place at a quarterfinals. Although they did well, particularly against Denmark, they will no doubt rue the missed opportunity against Paraguay and their failure to take the game to the South Americans instead of sitting back, and hoping for something to come their way.

Brazil Beat Chile To Reach Quarters...

Brazil will now go on to face Holland in what will be one of the most anticipated quarterfinals after their comfortable and relatively untroubled victory over fellow South Americans, Chile last night. Chile, who finished second in Group H, were the first South American team to be knocked out of the World Cup and were unfortunately just not good enough to see off the 5 times winners.

To their credit, Chile have been exciting to watch in this competition, together with their coach, Marcelo Bielsa or "El Loco" as they like to call him. He has ensured that his team are well drilled and finish the job off properly, but they were always on the losing side of the battle coming into this game with key players - Estrada, Ponce and Medel suspended.

Chile started off the brighter - taking the game to Brazil, but it was nothing that the Brazilian defence coupled with the men in front of them - Gilberto and Ramires, couldn't handle. As the game wore on, slowly but surely Brazil assumed the ascendancy, enjoying more of the possession and more threat going forward. However, it was difficult for them to produce their classic moments of flair and style with Chile quick to get on to the ball everytime Brazil had possession. So if you can't do it the Brazilian way, well then you might as well do it the British way - from a corner kick. In what was the most un-Brazilian of goals, Juan headed home brilliantly after making great contact from Maicon's corner kick. He rose higher than the Chilean defenders who failed to mark him properly and Brazil were 1-0 up.

Chile were then forced to score or else go home without trying. This, as always, left them vulnerable to Brazil counter-attacking football, and in the end this was what was to be their undoing. Just 4 minutes after Juan had scored, a brilliant move by Brazil gave Luis Fabiano his third goal of the tournament. This goal was much more Brazilian in style than the first after Robinho was able to collect the ball on the left and square it to Kaka who was back after his suspension. Kaka took the weight of the ball and it was a perfect pass for Luis Fabiano who made no mistake in skipping past Bravo and slotting the ball into an empty net. A sumptious move which pretty much ended Chile's hopes of a comeback.

Robinho got on the scoresheet not long after half-time to really dent any hopes of a Chile comeback scoring a magnificent goal after a great long run from Ramires, who unselfishly passed the ball out to the Man City man to chip delightfully over Bravo who could do nothing to stop that from going in. Bielsa knew that Chile's time in SA was almost up, but he wasn't going to leave without trying. He used all 3 substitutes shortly after the goal, and Valdivia went close with his strike just going high. Suazo, who had been pretty disappointing until then, did eventually force a save from Cezar but it was well and truly out of their reach as Brazil completely slowed the pace down and Chile's attacking options became limited.

Chile have done themselves proud in this tournament, but were just in a different league to their South American neighbours. It probably didn't help that they were missing some of their best players either. I'd like to say something about the style in which Brazil are playing as it makes for intriguing reading, particularly with their game against the Dutch to come. As I mentioned in the post below, the Dutch are being criticised back home for the way they have been playing in this tournament. They have been winning but not doing so in their 'total' style. They have been clinical, efficient and ruthless. Well Dunga and this Brazilian team are very much the same if you think about it. And, Dunga has also been criticised by the Brazilian media for sacrificing the 'samba' style for a more systematic approach. Dunga has also been clinical, efficient and ruthless, much like van Marwijk. So it will be definitely interesting to see the two similar styles clash with each other from teams that have been known traditionally for their flamboyancy and artistry on the pitch.

Also, I would just like to say a word or two about Gilberto Silva. This man is the real unsung hero of the Brazilian team. He may not be the best going forward but boy does he do his job. Like when he was at Arsenal, Dunga employs him as the holding man - the man who must sit in front of his back four and shield them. Every ball that comes his way, every pass that goes astray - he makes sure he's on to it so that his defence doesn't get hit. Wow, he's so great I've even started writing poetically about him. But in all seriousness, he really is Mr. Reliable. There have not been too many cases when he has done much wrong and he definitely does his fair share of the work for Brazil. It's gonna be tough for the Dutch forwards to get much past him so they had better get their thinking caps on, to come up with ways of getting past the solid rock of wall that is, Gilberto Silva.

Robben's Back, Back Again!

The Netherlands made it through to the quarters after a relatively comfortable win over Slovakia, who coming off the back of their huge scalp against the (former) world champions, failed to offer up any kind of a challenge against this Dutch side, who are looking less and less like the Dutch we know and love to watch.

With Robben back in the starting line-up after a quick recovery things were looking decidedly rosier in the Oranje camp. Slovakia were looking to reach the quarter-finals in what has been an amazing first tournament for them, since they attained independence. It was pretty easy for the Dutch to keep possession of the ball and create chances with Van Persie, Sneijder and Robben all having shots on goal. Robben made his count though, in the 18th minute, and scored a goal that showcased the winger at his very best. Credit must go to Sneijder who sent a long ball forward to release Robben, after the Slovaks had lost control of it on the edge of the Dutch box. Robben used all his skill, trickery and mastery to control the ball, draw in the defenders, cut inside and lash the ball from 22-yards out. Injury? What injury? That was Robben's first goal of the tournament, and I'm sure it won't be his last. Slovakia seemed to have no reply, and didn't really give the Dutch keeper Stekelenburg much to do as the first half came to a close.

With the game still at 1-0 though, there was every chance for Slovakia to get back into the game. However, I could see no way back in for them, unless they had a good set-piece and scored from there. They offered no creative input whatsoever, and made it all too easy for the Dutch who were content to stay at 1-0 and were not really tested. Mucha made some fantastic saves in the second half, to keep Slovakia in the game, but his efforts were not replicated up front as a desperate Vladmir Weiss senior, put goalscoring substitute Kamil Kopunek on to try and get them a goal, as he had done in the Italy game. It was only much later when the Slovakians finally threatened the Dutch - first with Miroslav Stoch whose effort was well-saved by Stekelenburg, who did well to stay alert, despite being a spectator for most of the match. The next chance was definitely one to rue for the Slovaks as Hamsik squared the ball to on-form Robert Vittek, who despite being joint top scorer, was unable to finish the move, kicking the ball straight to the keeper.

With about 5 minutes left, the Dutch made sure that they were going to be heading to the quarters, with a coolly finished goal from Wesley Sneijder. Kuyt initially forced the keeper to commit himself, and Mucha, who had been pretty decent with his saves, committed himself out of his box, allowing Kuyt to unselfishly pass to Sneijder who tucked the ball into an empty net. It was a good job he had scored too, as Slovakia were awarded a penalty in injury time, which could have sent the game into extra time. Vittek was tripped in the area and added to his tally of 3 goals by slotting home from the penalty spot. Ultimately, it was only a consolation but a positive one nonetheless as they headed home, with their heads held high after a great debut to the tournament.

I mentioned before, that the Dutch won in an un-Dutch way. What do I mean by this? Well I've been saying before how we have been waiting for the Dutch to step it up a bit in this competition. Arguably, they've had an easy ride up to now and haven't really come out of fifth gear yet. They haven't really been tested and we haven't seen total football! To be honest though, I don't think we will see it anytime soon either. Why is this? Well, the Dutch seemed to have changed their style of play to better their chances of winning the competition. Remember: they have never won it, but have come damn close to doing so on two occasions in the years of Cruyff, Kluivert and van Basten. The Oranje Army has always been praised for its flamboyant, entertaining, aesthetic football but has been criticised for failing to be clinical or ruthless enough in big competitions i.e. failing to 'win ugly'. This time around though things are different. In fact the coach has been quoted as saying that his side are content to 'win ugly' causing a large amount of criticism in the Dutch press about the way their side has performed so far. Gone are the days of flair, flamboyance and fabulous flourishes. In their place we see rigidity, pragmatism and efficiency. The important thing for the team though is that they have won. Not only have they won all their games in the tournament so far, but also all of their qualifying games too. It is an unbeaten record that stretches 23 games. The 'new' style of play might not be all that we want to see, it might not be pretty but it has certainly been effective...so far.

But the question is: is it better for them this way? Will they be able to win things now? Is it a sacrifice that will benefit them in the long term and bring a future of greater promise? Perhaps. Only time can tell...

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.

England are OUT.

It still hurts to say it. A day later, and the memories of yesterday's afternoon game remain fresh in the minds of England (and no doubt, German) supporters alike. England's 4-1 defeat was their heaviest in a World Cup Finals game and this crushing defeat will be difficult to erase from the mind, as it sent England crashing out of South Africa.

England had begun to get their momentum back (or so it seemed) after their 1-0 victory over Slovenia, having started off the tournament extremely poorly. Not only were the supporters disappointed, but the players too. Their high expectations of this England team were not naive and even they were puzzled as to why England had failed to beat the USA, and more strangely, Algeria.

The win over Slovenia secured second place for England, who were then put into the draw against Germany. Our old rivals - the Germans. The performance against Slovenia, was a start, an improvement, but we expected to see a near-perfect performance against the impressive, young German side, who would cause us more problems than Slovenia had. Capello was optimistic before the game - 23 players were fit and training - he had a whole squad to choose from now, but opted to go with the same players he had picked in the game against Slovenia.

To be honest, we could have been at least 4-0 down come half-time, because for the first half-hour of the game, Germany's youngsters made fools of England's experienced "golden generation". It was all too easy for the likes of Oezil, Mueller, Podolski and Klose to slice open the England defence like a hot knife through butter. If it wasn't for David James, then England could have kissed the tournament goodbye much earlier than they did.

David James did well to save from Oezil with his legs, as England literally parted to make way for Schweinsteiger's lofted pass out to the gifted playmaker. England weren't seeing much of the ball - with Rooney and Defoe stranded up front, as the Germans made good use of their possession. You sensed that the England defence needed to get their acts together otherwise James might not be so lucky next time the Germans came knocking.

And it wasn't long before they did, and this time, they found a way past. It was just simple route one football as Manuel Neuer's long clearance completely evaded the England players, and found its way over to Klose at the other end of the pitch. The England defenders weren't strong enough to challenge Klose, who controlled it and got his shot away with a cool, composed finish to leave James absolutely furious at his teammates in front of him. And quite rightly so, that was absolutely shocking defending. Upson, who had been chosen ahead of Carragher, and Terry were caught completely out of position and subsequently made to pay. They totally lost their bearings and for all their experience, they found themselves all at sea.

Again, it was James to the rescue, when the Germans were able to get in a few short, sharp passes to undo England's midfield and defence. It was just too easy for them - England were unable to close them down, or hound them for the ball, or tackle them which allowed them to slip the ball to Klose whose shot was quickly closed down by James. However, it wasn't long before Germany were able to make schoolboys of the England defenders once more. Again, we saw some good, incisive passing from the Germans on the left hand side and for some reason, the England defenders overcommitted themselves to the left, so no one spotted the run of Podolski on the right. Glen Johnson, who should have been on the right and therefore stopping the run of Podolski, was nowhere near him, allowing Mueller to slide the pass through to the Cologne player for their second goal of the game.

England needed to get themselves back into the game, and fast. Lampard almost got a goal back after a good cross from Milner on the right, but he failed to make proper contact with the ball. Mueller was again, given the freedom to run with the ball in midfield, and got his pass through to Klose, who was advancing in on goal sandwiched between Johnson and Milner. Luckily, this time between the pair of them, they were able to see the ball out. England were all over the shop, lacking in pace as the young Germans beat them for speed time and time again. There was some more shoddy defending from England from the resulting corner, as the ball pinged about all over the place with Klose again pouncing in on goal.

England, thankfully got the ball clear, and it was an England corner that led to Upson's goal. Milner passed the ball to Gerrard, who lofted in a good pass from outside the area, that met Upson who did well to stay in the air and guide it home pass the keeper. England were back in the game it seemed. And, just a minute and a half later, were so, so, so unlucky not to be on equal terms after an appalling decision by the referee and his assistant. With the momentum with England, they looked a different side as Milner passed it out to Defoe on the edge of the area, to slip it in for Lampard, who chipped the ball beautifully over the keeper and way over the line. WAY OVER THE LINE. For absolutely everyone watching in that stadium, the players, the managers, the staff, the fans and everyone else on their TV sets that was a goal. The whole of the ball had gone over the line by a clear 2 yards or so. Yet the only people who didn't believe this to be the case was the referee, Jorge Larrionda and his assistant, Mauricio Espinosa, who ruled it out for not going over the line. How the Germans got away with that one, we'll never know. All the England fans, players and staff had started celebrating, as had we at home, but those celebrations were cut short by that one stupid decision.

I brought up the whole 'controversial decisions in a World Cup' issue in one of the earlier posts. Wish I hadn't now. Sepp Blatter watched on from the stands as the England players protested to the referee at half-time about the ridiculous decision that had been made, preventing England from going into half-time on a level playing field. England, were lucky not to concede from Podolski's shot, once the referee had waved play on. Now that would have been a death wish. It was like the reverse of 1966 when Geoff Hurst's controversial goal secured the win for England against West Germany - this was the German's revenge.

England went into half-time needing to score another to level things up, and almost did so in the opening exchanges of the second-half. Lampard, who went another tournament without scoring, almost got the equaliser from a free-kick that he absolutely lashed past the German wall only to see it hit the bar, with Neuer beaten. With England desperately trying to get that much-needed goal, they were stretched at the back. Heavily stretched, as the likes of Terry and Upson tried to help things upfront. There was always that danger of Germany breaking, and that was to be England's undoing in the end.

It was literally from one end of the pitch to another with England's players over-committed upfront leaving acres of space, and few defenders at the back. Germany were scarily good on the break, attacking with such pace and speed that it left you breathless. They may have been the young guns, but they made England's more experienced players look like little boys out there. Gareth Barry lost the ball on the edge of the German box after Rooney had been awarded a penalty, that had been struck by Lampard, straight into the German wall. Once they got going, there was absolutely no stopping them as England quite simply fell apart. There was acres of room at the back, none of the England players could keep up with their European counterparts and they were free to use the width of the pitch, and within a few passes they got their third goal. Schweinsteiger did really well to get the ball out to Mueller on the right, and he calmly put the ball away, with England's defence looking on. They were so unorganised at the back, that it ended up with 5 England players stuck in the middle of the box, with no one closing down Mueller or Oezil in the wide areas. Absolutely shambolic defending.

3 minutes later, and the same thing happened again. This time it was from a throw-in with John Terry trying his luck in the German penalty box and committed up-front, Joe Cole lost the ball this time and all England could do was watch and admire this scintillating German side. Barry was unable to catch up with Oezil, whose pace was unbelievable and no one spotted Mueller, in acres of space, who was able to slide home his second and Germany's fourth after a fine pass from the supertalented Oezil. It was all over for England now. They tried in vain to go forward, and Capello went for broke, sending Wright-Phillips and Heskey on, but it was all too little too late. I didn't understand the Heskey substitution at all. I mean, here we are, needing to score 3 goals to get ourselves back in the game, and Capello puts on a player, who has been unable to score for so long. I mean, for goodness sake put Crouchy on. At least we might have a shot then. Crouch has a record of coming on and scoring late goals.

England could do nothing except pray that the 5-1 scoreline in Munich would not be emulated here by the Germans. They had nothing to offer and the game petered out with the last 5 minutes seeming like the longest 5 minutes ever. The result marked the end of England's tournament - a tournament that had looked so much full of promise and hope but was actually dire and disappointing. Questions will again be raised over the use of goal-line technology and the goal that wasn't given. Surely that goal would have changed things around - England wouldn't have been so overcommitted going forward, and wouldn't have let their 2-2 slip so easily. Still, we will never what could have been and on balance, you would have to say that Germany deserved their win. For the way they played and for the way they totally destroyed England, they deserve nothing but credit and praise. It wasn't they who made that ludicrous decision, and it will be interesting to see how far this young side can go in the tournament. At the end of it all, and looking at the tournament as a whole, England have no one but themselves to blame. Apart from that brief respite against Slovenia, who aren't the best of sides in this competition, they didn't really show up. The big name stars were nowhere to be seen and ultimately England failed to live up to expectations. The match against Germany was one of "what-if"; in fact the whole tournament was one of "what-if". What if Capello had taken Walcott? What if he had changed the system? What if all the players were fully fit? What if we had finished top of Group C?

Let the inquest begin...

Ghana Fly Flag For AFRICA!

Ghana became only the third African team to reach the quarterfinal stage of the world cup after a 2-1 extra-time win over the USA in Rustenburg last night. Having beaten S. Korea, earlier on in the day, Uruguay would be facing the winner of this encounter. Ghana are the only African team to have progressed to this stage of the competition, in what has been a largely disappointing campaign on African soil, therefore their victory did not just come as a victory for them but for the whole of Africa too.

Kevin Prince-Boateng got the match up and running, nice and early as he took advantage of some poor American defending to score in the 5th minute. He shot from 18 yards out with Tim Howard left berating his defenders as Ghana looked the stronger side early on. They were able to keep the ball, get their passing going, move freely and work their way in between the lines. The US were not having their best opening half, as they left far too many gaps and failed to close the Ghana players down properly. Their uncertain and hesitant defending left them far too reliant on keeper, Howard as Asamoah had a good shot, well-saved. The Americans had a chance of their own however, when Findlay got his shot away after some good work by Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, but Kingson was equal to it. Ghana looked as though they were going to run away with it, but could not capitalise on their early lead. The US coach, Bob Bradley was, unlike his defenders, not the least bit hesitant about making big decisions including taking off Clark in the 30th minute of the game.

At the start of the second half, he replaced Findley with the impressive and very lively Benny Feilhaber, who immediately rewarded his coach with a goal. Ghana had become somewhat stale after scoring so early, and had seemed to have lost some of their gusto in getting forward. They invited pressure on themselves, and eventually the pressure told as the Americans, as they have done on so many occasions, came from 1-0 down to level the scores. Jonathon Mensah, who had not looked too great defensively, felled Dempsey in the box. It was a stonewaller of a penalty and a piledriver of a shot by Landon Donovan who saw the ball come in of the post with the keeper beaten. It was just the boost that the Americans needed and they ventured forward with greater purpose and endeavour as they tried to score another. If it wasn't for Kingson, the game could have been won by the Americans, as first Altidore, and later Bradley tried their luck at goal.

Altidore probably had his side's best chance to score, after latching onto a long ball and running in behind the Ghanaian defence, only to be brought to ground by some last-ditch defending, and seeing his shot go wide. As the game looked to be heading into extra-time, the Ghanaians were once again back in the match and looked physically stronger than their American counterparts.

Extra time did indeed beckon, and it wasn't too long before we saw another goal. This time it was by the Rennes forward Gyan, who has also looked very influential this year. He was able to control a long ball exquisitely on his chest, before taking his time to shoot and score the winning goal. It was then all about keeping the ball for Ghana, not doing anything too reckless or too stupid, and making sure they didn't become complacent or lazy at the back. The USA were tired and could not find a reply, even though they have come from behind to win so many times before. Gyan's goal was enough to send Ghana through to the quarters; but for the USA it was time to return home.

Credit must be given to the USA for the way they fought right until the end and for their never-say-die attitude. That's the attitude and spirit that got them to the top of Group C, and to the last 16, and they should be proud at least for how much they achieved, coming from a country where football or "soccer" is such a particularist sport. Perhaps the national team will increase the interest of the sport there, and they will come back much stronger next time. As for Ghana, well they will be thrilled to have made it, not only for them, but for their continent. It gives the Africans something to keep cheering about, and you can be sure they will have the most support come the quarterfinal tie against Uruguay. Ghana, will be missing Mensah and Ayew who were booked in yesterday's game. Ayew will be a big loss for them, and they need to sort out their centre-back pairing, because the two young centre-backs looked quite unsteady at times last night. Still, with all the support they will be getting, Ghana will be hoping to do Africa proud by becoming the first ever African nation to get to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Suarez Sees Uruguay Through...

They were the last team to stake their place at this year's world cup finals, and now Uruguay are the first team to seal themselves a spot in the quarterfinals after beating 2002 semi-finalists, South Korea 2-1, in Jo'burg yesterday.

In lashing rain, the winners of Group A played the runners-up of Group B in what appears to be the "easier" half of the table. For large parts of the game, it looked like South Korea were actually going to make it through to the quarters, for only the second time in their history, and for the first time on foreign soil. Within 5 minutes, they had a shot from a free kick which just hit the post. Had that gone in, it would have surely changed the way that Uruguay played during the game.

Uruguay were content to defend and break on the counter, like many teams we have seen already in this tournament. That might work when you are facing teams with a weak defence, but will it really be the winning strategy against sides who are much better at defending? Take Greece vs. Argentina for example - the Greeks operated in much the same way as the Uruguayans, but were undone in the end for failing to go forward, on the counter and break down the Argentinian defence. They refused to change their system, and ultimately said goodbye to the competition.

Fortunately for the Uruguayans, South Korea's defence was not in the best of shapes. This allowed them to score their first goal on the counter. It was the combination of Forlan and Suarez that again was responsible for taking Uruguay into the lead. Forlan stroked a low ball in across the face of goal, which was totally misjudged by the Korean keeper, Jung-Song Ryong who just watched as Suarez, who had taken a gamble, swept in to meet the goal and simply tap it into the net.

From then on though, all the pressing came from South Korea, with Monaco's Park Chu-Young getting the Asian side's best chances of the game, and being unlucky not to level the scores. With the score still at 1-0, and with Uruguay sitting on the back foot, it looked like the opportunity was there for South Korea to score one as they had the most possession and most of the play was in their opponent's half.

They got their break with 68 minutes on the clock, when Lee Chung-Yong capitalised on some indecisive goalkeeping by Muslera to nod in at the near post. Most of the goals S. Korea have scored in this tournament have come indirectly from deadball situations and this was no different. Victorino's attempted clearance could only fall to the Bolton player who did not miss from 8 yards out. The keeper should have done much better, as he failed to make any connection with the ball. I've said it before and I'll say it again - if the keeper is going to make that decision to come out of his posts, he needs to be certain that he's going to get there.

Looking as though the game was going to go to extra time, and possibly penalties, a great piece of fabulous individual skill from the potent Suarez was enough to give Uruguay the win they needed to advance further in the competition. The Ajax forward was on hand to receive the ball just inside the box, as it was swung in from the corner. He controlled it magnificently before swirling in a peach of a shot which hit the inside of the post and found its way in past a bemused and stunned Jung-Song Ryong who could only watch in shock. The bend on that ball was absolutely amazing, and it is definitely up as a contender for goal of the tournament.

The second goal was enough for Uruguay, as the South Koreans were unable to find a response, after only being level for 12 minutes. S. Korea were not creative enough in coming forward and breaking down the Uruguayan defence, and the South Americans were able to hold on to the ball without any real danger present. The only real shot on goal to level the game once more, came from ex-Boro player Lee Dong Gook, who during his time at the Riverside, had failed to score a single goal in the PL, and it was clear why. His shot was far too tame to test the keeper, and he should have done much better after finding himself in a good amount of space and with the keeper hesitating.

Uruguay's defensive strategy was enough to see them past a South Korean side, that should, in all honesty, have been far more clinical with their chances, but the question remains as to whether the team that won the first ever world cup, way back in 1938, will have enough left in the locker to undo sides who will not squander as many chances as South Korea did.