by Nick Holt
France’s next performance was even worse. The game was even, but France lacked any sort of finishing touch, and Mexico scored when Javier Hernández (known by his nickname Chicharito at Manchester United) ran clear of a flat French back line and rounded the ’keeper. Eric Abidal’s suicidal tackle gave away a penalty for Mexico’s second.
Uruguay, with a tough defence and two effective strikers in the slippery Ajax goalscorer Suárez and the hard-working Diego Forlán, were improving with every game and qualified as group winners after a goal from Suárez saw off Mexico. The reward of a tie against South Korea rather than Argentina was a good incentive.
WORLD CUP SHOCK No.14
22 June 2010, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein; 39,415
Referee: Oscar Ruiz (Colombia)
Coaches: Raymond Domenech (France) & Carlos Alberto Parreira (South Africa)
France (4–3–3): Hugo Lloris (Lyon); Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), William Gallas (Tottenham), Sébastien Squillaci (Arsenal), Gael Clichy (Arsenal); Alou Diarra (Cpt, Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon), Abou Diaby (Arsenal); André-Pierre Gignac (Marseille), Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich). Subs: Florent Malouda (Chelsea) 46m for Gignac; Thierry Henry (Barcelona) 55m for Cissé; Sidney Govou (Lyon) 82m for Diarra
South Africa (4–4–2): Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates); Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk), Aaron Mokoena (Cpt, Portsmouth), Bongani Khumalo (Supersport United), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa); Steven Pienaar (Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan), Thanduyise Khuboni (Golden Arrows), Siphiwe Tashabalala (Kaizer Chiefs); Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bernard Parker (Twente Enschede). Subs: Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns) 55m for Ngcongca; Siyabonga Nomvethe (Moroka Swallows) 68m for Parker; Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates) 78m for Khuboni
Cautions: Diaby (Fra) 71m
Dismissed: Gourcuff (Fra) 25m
The Mexico game had huge repercussions for the French squad. A row between coach Domenech and Nicolas Anelka led to the striker’s expulsion from the squad and a player boycott in protest. The boycott was settled but captain Patrice Evra, one of the ringleaders of the protest, was left out of the final game. Domenech also dropped Abidal, Toulalan, Govou and Malouda from his starting line-up, though these omissions were more down to under-performance in the earlier games. French fans looked at the starting eleven and feared the worst. In front of goalkeeper Lloris was the ageing Gallas surrounded by a defence that had collectively failed at Arsenal in the previous twelve months. At the other end was Djibril Cissé, a nomadic troublemaker of debatable temperament and fitful quality. Only an on-form Franck Ribéry offered any real threat, and the tournament had not seen Ribéry’s best so far. South Africa would look to pressure France in midfield, where they had some meaty performers, even without the injured Dikgacoi.
South Africa pressed forward from the start, sensing the discomfort of their opponents, and Tshabalala and Pienaar caused problems down the flanks for the French defence. They deserved their lead, which came from a corner that Hugo Lloris came for and missed, the ball bouncing into the net off Khumalo’s shoulder.
A few minutes later France suffered some genuine bad luck when an aerial challenge between Gourcuff and Sibaya resulted in a red card for the Frenchman. Sure, Gourcuff’s arm was raised, but there was absolutely no intent to hurt and had the same foul been committed in the other game between Uruguay and Mexico the Colombian referee would not have shown the red card. It got worse for France six minutes later. A quick break from South Africa saw Tshabalala in space down the left side of the French area but he scuffed his shot. Diaby made a dog’s dinner of his attempted clearance and Parker was able to put the ball back across goal where Mphela just managed to force it past the scrambling Clichy.
With Uruguay ahead against Mexico, South Africa pressed hard at the start of the second half, knowing another goal or two could see them qualify. Mphela was unlucky twice; his first-time shot from Tshabalala’s well-timed through ball clipped the wrong side of the bar, and a powerful drive from outside the area was tipped away athletically by Lloris. As South Africa got over-eager, France began to create the odd chance on the break, and when Henry, who should have played from the start, played in Ribéry, the Bayern winger squared unselfishly for Malouda to tap home. The goal did nothing for France’s cause but it made sure South Africa went out too. They became the first home nation to fail to make it out of the group stage, but they went out on a high note after a campaign that exceeded low expectations.
Not so France. The best thing about their campaign was the really cool font used to spell “Lloris” on the goalkeeper’s jersey. It was the end of Domenech’s damaging and unpopular reign, and former captain Laurent Blanc was brought in to heal the wounds. France have steadied and improved since 2010, but don’t look ready to win another international tournament any time soon. They face a play-off even to qualify for the 2014 Finals; South Africa already know they won’t be in Brazil.
GROUP B
Both Nigeria and Greece were poor and made progress far too easy for Maradona’s Argentina and the Koreans. Argentina, brimful of talent and with their best players in the side at last, looked a great attacking side, but no one asked enough questions of their suspect defence – three around the thirty mark and Newcastle’s Gutiérrez playing out of position at right-back. Greece had done amazing things at the 2004 European Championships but Rehhagel’s stifling tactics were no longer a novelty; two shots on target against a poor defensive unit like South Korea tells its own story.
GROUP C
Numbingly dull. Algeria were even more defensive than Greece, while the other three, including Capello’s England side, were sterile and unimaginative. England were the better side for much of the first match against the USA and Gerrard’s early goal would probably have been enough but for Rob Green’s calamitous error which saw Clint Dempsey’s shot slip through his gloves and into the net. A bona fide sleepless night’s howler; he made a good save from Altidore in the second half but he was dropped for the next game and seems never to have fully recovered his confidence.
The USA did well to recover from 2–0 down to earn a point against Slovenia, but looked blunt in their last game against Algeria, needing an injury-time goal from Landon Donovan for the win which saw them top the group. England, after a desperate draw against Algeria, needed a win against Slovenia. Jermain Defoe’s twenty-second-minute goal should have settled them, but this was an England shorn of spark and confidence and they stumbled over the line in second place to face the winner of one of the toughest groups.
GROUP D
After a scintillating opening performance against Australia (4–0 flattered the losers not the Germans) Germany came down to earth in their second game against Serbia. The referee played a part, sending off Miroslav Klose for two inconsequential challenges and generally ruining what could have been an entertaining game, with Serbia much improved after a listless display in defeat by Ghana. Germany conceded a minute later, still shell-shocked, but recovered well to threaten an equaliser in the second half; an equaliser they would have got had Lukas Podolski put away a penalty after Vidic senselessly handled.
Australia were not as disciplined as in 2006 and were lucky to get both their first point after being outplayed by Ghana, and their first win, in their last match against Serbia. The officials missed a clear handball by Tim Cahill that would have salvaged a point for Serbia and seen them through. Instead Ghana, despite losing their last match, went through along with Germany. They deserve enormous credit; many felt that the loss of Michel Essien, their powerful midfield enforcer would leave them struggling in a strong group. That last match threw up a quirky statistic when German full-back Jérôme Boateng found himself facing his brother Kevin-Prince Boateng, who opted to play for the country of their parents’ birth, Ghana.
GROUP E
Denmark had not finished their qualifying group in particularly convincing form and they continued that streak here. In their opening game against Holland they conc
eded a freak own goal when Simon Poulsen’s clearing header rebounded into the goal off Daniel Agger’s back, and Holland were completely in control thereafter.
In the second round of games, Cameroon, disappointing against Japan, pushed Denmark onto the back foot for the opening half-hour and took a deserved lead, but they were undone by the enduring speed of Danish winger Dennis Rommedahl. First Rommedahl took down a sweet pass from Simon Kjaer, beat his man and laid the ball on a plate for Nicklas Bendtner, then in the second half he left Makoun for dead and fired across Hamidou for the winner.
Alas for Denmark this brief resurgence of form deserted them in the deciding game against Japan – Holland were already through and Cameroon already out. Two superb free-kicks from Honda and Endo left Denmark with a mountain to climb. They were unequal to the task, especially with key man Jan Dahl Tomasson, so excellent in previous major tournaments, seriously out of sorts. His late goal came only after he followed up his own penalty miss, and Japan soon confirmed their superiority by restoring their two-goal cushion. It was Japan’s best performance in a World Cup Finals match and they deservedly joined the Dutch in the second phase. It was a sorry end for Tomasson, a selfless team player under-rated outside his own country (and Milan) who retired after 112 matches and fifty-two goals for his country.
The Dutch had put their marker down, without ever hitting top gear.
GROUP F
Not unusually, a group involving Italy featured four drawn games and few goals until the last match. More unusually it wasn’t the Italians who sneaked through without ever playing well.
Italy started unconvincingly with a draw against Paraguay courtesy of a bad error by Villar, the Paraguayan goalkeeper (and captain). The South Americans had taken the lead with a powerful header from Antolin Alcaraz, soon bound for Wigan Athletic from Bruges. Still, no damage was done to Italy as the two weaker looking sides in the group, New Zealand and Slovakia also drew, when Winston Reid salvaged a dramatic injury-time point for New Zealand. It was the Kiwis first point in the World Cup Finals, having lost all three ties in 1974.
That Italy’s problems were actually quite acute was shown in their next match against the All Whites of New Zealand. Fabio Cannavaro no longer looked the massive imperturbable presence of 2006 and when Reid won another set piece the Italian captain could only parry the ball to Shane Smeltz, who gleefully knocked it into the net. Italy huffed and puffed but they couldn’t blow the New Zealand house down. They equalised from a debatable penalty and almost conceded a late winner when eighteen-year-old Chris Wood put a late chance just the wrong side of the post. Marcello Lippi, Italy’s coach, muttered about possession and chances but that’s always a veil, isn’t it? Only goals count in football. What was very clear was that Italy missed the injured Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo still wasn’t fit for the deciding game against Slovakia, and nor was first-choice goalkeeper, injured in the opener against Paraguay. Slovakia’s playmaker, Marek Hamsik, who played for Napoli in Italy, had been quiet so far, but had his best game against his adopted home. In the first half Hamsik’s promptings tested the Italians, who started with their usual caution, and it was no surprise when Slovakia took the lead. De Rossi’s woeful pass found Kucka and the midfielder’s clever first-time ball found Robert Vittek, a reserve striker at Lille with the lean look of a gangland hit-man. Vittek turned and drove the ball low past Marchetti; a knife between the ribs of Italy’s campaign.
Lippi made changes but it was Slovakia who scored a second, Vittek beating Chiellini to Hamsik’s cross to convert at the near post. Chiellini and Cannavaro were supposed to be the bedrock of the Italian campaign but they proved something of a liability against mobile forwards – Cannavaro was lucky to stay on the pitch here after a second clumsy tackle on Hamsik went unpunished by the lenient referee. A lesser name would have walked.
Italy went for all out attack, relying on long raking passes from a half-fit Pirlo and it nearly earned them a last-ditch reprieve. Di Natale scored after Mucha saved well from Quagliarella with ten minutes left and Quagliarella put the ball in the net only for a marginal offside decision to thwart the Azzurri. As Italy pressed Slovakia won a throw-in, the centre-backs hesitated one last time and Kopanek ran clear to lob the ball over Marchetti. I can’t help feeling Buffon would have anticipated the danger and beaten Kopanek to the ball. Quagliarella scored another with a delicious chip to set up a grand finale and Pepe might have done better with a far-post volley when he cleverly backed off a crammed penalty area, but it wasn’t Italy’s day. They only started to play when they were all but eliminated, and desperately needed a new striker or two and some pace at the back. Out in the groups, like France in 2002, was not what the holders had anticipated.
GROUP G
Ivory Coast were desperately unlucky with the draw in 2006 and it did them no favours again here. North Korea were the lowest ranked team in the competition, but they also faced Brazil and the best team in the fourth pot in the draw, Portugal.
Brazil struggled in their opener. Maicon’s fierce drive from an impossible angle gave them a lead and Robinho’s pass for Elano to score the second was a blissful. Maicon’s goal was hailed in typical hyperbolic press style as a piece of Brazilian magic; it was a bit of hit and hope that beat a badly positioned goalkeeper. The other group opener in Port Elizabeth had been billed from way back by the UK press as Drogba versus Ronaldo, but Drogba’s broken arm, suffered just before the tournament, put paid to that. Under Sven-Göran Eriksson’s care the Ivorians were cautious without their talisman, but they kept their shape and the full-back Demel and Tiéné did well to subdue Ronaldo. Drogba, popular across the continent apparently, came on to a huge welcome but was clearly feeling his way.
Drogba returned against Brazil but was well policed by the impressive Lucio – his goal was little more than a consolation. Brazil were better but less than brilliant, Luis Fabiano’s cleverly worked opening goal aside. Over in Cape Town Portugal ran riot, putting seven past North Korea – the only surprise was that Ronaldo scored only once, he is a notorious punisher of second-rate defending.
The last two games were uneventful; Ivory Coast were always going to beat North Korea – who knows what opprobrium awaited the hapless outsiders back home – and Portugal and Brazil were always likely to play out a dull draw and ensure they both safely progressed.
GROUP H
The favourites were in the bottom group and started in the worst possible way by losing to Switzerland. Hitzfeld was a canny coach and the Swiss played Spain in the only way it is possible for a disciplined but limited side to play against such an array of talent: defensively, in a disciplined but limited way.
I have never understood why it is considered such poor form for a lesser team to adopt a defensive style against a side with clearly superior firepower. It was the same when Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League in 2012, or when one of the smaller Premiership teams had the audacity to beat Wenger’s Arsenal in their pomp. The press (and dear old Arsène) would tell us how bad this was for football and how football should be played the “proper” way. There is no proper way. There is good to watch and boring to watch, but both are legitimate and permissible, and Chelsea and Switzerland weren’t Wimbledon, they just chose to cede possession in certain areas of the pitch, fully aware that a significant weakness of both Barcelona and Spain is a tendency to overplay when faced with a massed defence.
In Spain’s next two games David Villa exploded into life and provided the rapier tip to go with the fancy bladework. He produced a stunning finish to a fine move for the opener, added a second with a deflected shot and missed out on a hat-trick when he put a penalty wide. Honduras just looked bewildered, they didn’t have the tactical nous or the players to counter the Spanish movement and passing.
Villa scored again against Chile, sending a poor clearance by Chile’s goalkeeper Bravo back over his head from forty yards. A great team goal from Iniesta gave Spain what seemed a decent cushion, especially when the Mex
ican referee sent off Chile’s Marco Estrada for an innocuous challenge. Chile had matched Spain in the quality of their passing in the first half and they responded bravely and pulled a goal back just after half-time. Chasing the game with ten men against a side so comfortable in possession was tough, and the game petered out in the last twenty minutes.
Switzerland needed a two-goal win against Honduras to ensure their place in the last sixteen, but they were less adept at breaking down stubborn defences than in forming them, and it was Honduras who missed a couple of glorious chances towards the end of a poor match. Both qualifiers would renew old rivalries in the next round, Chile with Brazil and Spain with their neighbours Portugal.
SECOND ROUND
Every one of the quarter-finals was won by the team expected to win the match, with the possible exception of the USA versus Ghana, where many people expected a vastly over-rated American team to prevail.
Uruguay prevailed against South Korea in the teeming rain through a combination of obdurate defending and a brilliant winning goal from Luis Suárez. After Lee Chung-yong equalised the opener from Suárez, the Koreans had a spell of intense pressure and the Bolton winger missed an easier chance than the one he put away earlier. With then minutes left Suárez seized on a weak clearance from a corner and curled a beauty into the far corner. Even after this Lee Dong-gook should have taken the game into extra-time but his shot was too timid and Uruguay cleared.