- June, 29 2010 -
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Results as expected today in the final matches of the knockout stages. Japan could have won today; they played really well displaying the usual qualities of spirit and organisation. I have also been impressed with Japan’s technical ability; all their players are very comfortable on the ball and try to use it positively when in possession. It was the first game of the tournament to go to penalties and they were unfortunate, but that’s the way goes sometimes.
Portugal were a good defensive side but Spain were sensational, their loss against Switzerland could have been a blessing as it will knock any complacency they may have out of them. Portugal haven’t conceded a goal before today but this is indicative of the way football is going nowadays; there is a major focus on building a solid foundation at the back and setting up a team that is difficult to beat as opposed to a team that is set up to win matches. Ronaldo had a poor tournament but this is not entirely his fault as Portugal just get back and defend and don’t utilise their excellent strikers. As number three in the world, they can’t be excused for playing negative defensive football. This might be excusable for teams like North Korea and Japan, but, from a team with the attacking flair of Portugal, it is disappointing. In the end, Portugal didn’t give their players up front a chance.
Portugal's Ricardo Costa was sent off in the 89th minute which was unfair. When we saw the replays, it was clear he barely touched the defender and there was no aggression in it, but again, these incidents happen all too frequently in the modern game.
Looking ahead, we are now facing the quarter final matches with Paraguay will take on Spain; Argentina will play Germany; Uruguay versus Ghana; and Brazil against the Netherlands. I don’t predict any major upsets here with Brazil, Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay going through to the semi-finals. If there was one possible upset, it would be a Netherlands victory, but that’s an outside chance. Uruguay and Ghana could be close and is an interesting match as neither are in the top ten teams in the world. The luck of the draw has played a big part for them both to get to this stage.
Some of the big teams have come to the fore in this round of sixteen putting in very good performances and scoring some great goals - I expect this to continue into the latter stages of the tournament as we get down to the business end of proceedings. There are some mouth watering ties in prospect and I expect there will be many more talking points to come.
