Despite Spain's well documented loss to Switzerland, the top ranked side came back strongly in their second round tie against Portugal with David Villa, Iniesta, Xavi, Fernando Torres firing from all cylinders.
Spain showed some world beating type of football to cement the widespread view that they are indeed a strong candidate to lift the WC trophy.
Paraguay will need something special if they're to cause an upset, and ruin Spain's plans.
2 July - Ghana v Uruguay (Gmt 14:00)
2 July - Germany v Argentina (20:30)
3 July - Netherlands v Brazil (GMT 14:00)
3 July - Paraguay v Spain (20:30)
As the 2010 tournament progresses the best of the best emerge from tough encounters and the quarter-final clash between Netherlands and Brazil is set to produce a telling outcome about what we'll witness come 11 June.
Both sides came out tops in their respective groups, with Netherlands registering three wins, Brazil drew once against Portugal and won twice.
Although Brazil appeared to be lukewarm when they struggled in the first-half against North Korea, the Samba Kings went onto redeem themselves in the second round by clobbering Chile 3-0, with quick attacks and penetrative build ups.
If the Brazilians shift into the another top gear against a deadly Oranje side, then Van Persie and gang will find it hard to contain Kaka, Robinho and all the other trouble makers in yellow.
On a night that my favorite fans find themselves out of the World Cup, it is time to salute Mexicans fans - it has been a wonderful journey and I say keep the El Tri flag flying; you came you competed and showcased your nation's talent, here on African soil.
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Maradona's star studded World Cup wagon is steam rolling towards the gold as their latest victims Mexico (this blog's biggest fans) can testify after falling 1-3 to a team that one wonders - who'll stop Argentina?
Does Germany have what it takes to contain Tevez, Higuain, Messi and gang. But one thing is for sure, we have a cracking game on our hands.
Germany have so far lost one game to Serbia, and Argentina are yet to lose conceding only two goals.
For the first time Ghana progresses to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup, it is quite special on ocassion of Africa's first WC.
And going forward the Black Stars will need to bundle Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and gang to proceed to a historic semi-final showing for a team enjoying moral support from host nation fans.
They did this against a resilient United States side (2-1) that does not stop fighting, and spurred on by the presence of former president, Bill Clinton.
Former World Cup champions Uruguay are through to the quarter-final thanks to two goal hero Luis Suarez as they locked against South Korea who played quite well and scored once in the 68th minute.
Suarez also found the net against Mexico and played a crucial role in the 3-0 demolition of South Africa. And now La Celeste will face either USA or Ghana in the quarter-finals.
Germany v England matches are always a pleasure as the two bitter rivals go out of their way to rip at each other, with some war-like rhetoric often taking centre stage.
Although the general approach from both sides is less abrasive this time around, an air of fierce competitiveness is still apparent.
England goes into Sunday's crunch tie in Bloemfontein at the back of a less than ideal Group C showing in which Fabio Capello's men scrapped their way to the second round. And were once subjected to booing by their own fans, after being held to a dismal nil-nil scoreline by Algeria.
Rooney and company eventually finished second with five points behind the United States. Germany on the other hand, qualified with relative ease despite being put to the hammer by the Serbians.
Even though Germany look the better side from the outset, we are mostly likely to witness a rejuvenated Three Lions side because the mention of Germany rears the best out of this squad.
El Tri fought their way to the second round but are now faced with a mammoth task of upsetting the unstoppable Argentineans, after registering one win (2-0 France), a draw (1-1 South Africa) and a 0-1 loss to Uruguay in Group A.
On the other hand, Lionel Messi and gang have shown no mercy to their opponents comprising Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B.
The Mexicans will call on the depth of their experienced players such as Blanco and hope that their bright young stars like Giovani Dos Santos and Carlos Vela can switch into top gear and not allow themselves to be over-awed by Maradona's fearsome squad.
As expected the Dutch team have topped Group E after collecting maximum points at the expense of Cameroon (2-1), Denmark (2-0) and Japan who also qualify (1-0).
They now go on to face Slovakia on the 28th, a match they are certain to win, thus step closer to the final.
Oranje may meet Brazil if they progress to the semi-final, who pose a serious threat to the squad's ambitions in this tournament.
The defending champions Italy have succumbed to the rigors of tough World Cup encounters despite having entered Group F as favorites.
The Azzuri were largely expected to make short work of their opponents who included the lowest ranked team at the tournament, New Zealand (whom they unashamedly drew with), Slovakia and WC veterans Paraguay.
The squad emulated the infamous French national team that also came out last in Group A, and headed home to a frosty welcome, having lost two games and drew one.
Italy failed to a clinch a much needed win in their last group match with Slovakia clobbering them 3-2; their biggest defeat since 1970.
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The Black Stars of Ghana are through to the second after they finished second in Group D, becoming the first African team to qualify in this tournament, even if they lost their last group match 0-1 against Germany.
The African countries that have already fallen by the way side include South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and Algeria.
As Group D winners Germany will now face England in the second round, while Ghana locks horns against the USA.
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Mexico and Uruguay have come through in Group A after the final matches were played in Rustenburg and Bloemfontein.
Uruguay topped the group with 7 points, Mexico second (4 points), South Africa third (4 points) and France (1 point).
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The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts are officially now the first ever host nation to fail to qualify for the second round, after failing to come through in Group A having played to a 1-1 draw against Mexico, lost to Uruguay 3-0 and their 2-1 victory against France was not enough to rescue the South African dream.
The vuvuzelas went silent after the referee blew his whistle to end a match they needed to score up to five goals.
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Following a disatrous showing in a match against Uruguay in which the hosts' team, Bafana Bafana was clobbered 3-0 by the merciless La Celeste lads.
Local sangomas (witch doctors) are reportedly preparing a special magic muti by burning the brains of vultures to boost the team's fortunes in their next encounter against a demoralised French side.
The hosts are particularly keen on avoiding the prospect of breaking an 80 year old WC record if they fail to qualify for the second round.
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The Samba Kings powered their way into the second round after clobbering Africa's best chance to glory, Ivory Coast (3-1), in a match that saw playmaker Kaka red carded for an off the ball incident.
In the mean time New Zealand became the toast of the tournament after holding the defending champions Italy to a 1-1 draw, and effectively threw the Azzuri's WC plans into disarray.
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Julio Cesar is pondering how he can contain the marauding Didier Drogba when Brazil takes Ivory Coast today. The Chelsea striker will be looking to register his first goal of the tournament after his side played to a nil-nil score line against Portugal.
Cesar said he will pay close attention to the deadly marksman, in order to assist his team subdue the Africans and book a spot in the round of 16.
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France and fellow Group A contestant South Africa have been reduced to fighting for survival, and to hope that Mexico and Uruguay do not relax and be comfortable with a point on Tuesday, which effectively obliterates the duo's chances of sneaking through to the second round.
Le Bleus have up to now failed to justify their presence at this World Cup, following the Thierry Henry handball incident, amidst signs of internal squabbles.
For South Africa, the WC is turning out to be a big nightmare following their humiliating loss to a well oiled Uruguay side (3-0), whose coach targeted the hosts to help them book a spot into the next round.
Now the question is; can South Africa restore some pride against the former World champions who're experiencing a terrible tournament?
The fantastic Mexicans humiliated the 1998 Champions France by taking the game to Le Bleus right from the first whistle.
And now Mexico and Uruguay can afford to bring camping chairs and share tea and sugar cakes in the field of play come next Tuesday, as they'll both qualify for the second round on account of a draw in that match.
However, the two Group
A compatriots may put each other at risk of not qualifying in a bid to take maximum points from the tie, so as to avoid playing the fearsome Argentineans.
Both sides had a slow start to the tournament, but turned on the power against South Africa (0-3) and France (0-2), who are now left to hope for a loss in respect of one of their conquerors.
Uruguay romped past the hosts (3-0) showing the intentions of coach Oscar Tabarez who earmarked this tie as a match of return or confirmation.
Uruguay played to a goal less draw against France, but tonight Diego Forlan was on target.
For South Africa the World Cup journey has turned sour as they're faced with an uphill battle in the last group match against France.
A loss means SA becomes the first host nation to fail to qualify for the second round.
Maradona's men played well against a resilient Nigerian side that did its best to restrict the mighty Argentineans to a single goal thanks mainly to the goalkeeping brilliance of Victor Enyeama.
The South Koreans who upset the former European champions Greece will need nothing short of a miracle to collect three points from Argentina who're breathing roasting fire.
Lionel Messi will look to register his first World Cup goal at the expense of the resourceful Asian side, after failing to breach the Nigerians despite lighting up the stadiums with dazzling wizadry.
Switzerland is in cloud nine after recording a historic win (1-0) against the European champions Spain. The Swiss managed the famous feat at a packed Moses Mabida Stadium in Durban.
Despite enjoying much of the support from vibrant crowd, Spain conceded an unfortunate goal scored by Fernandes in the second half.
Credit to the Swiss, they were well organised and denied the likes of Torres, Iniesta and Villa the chance to equalise as the Spanish piled the pressure.
Brazil 2 - 1 North Korea
Ivory Coast 0 - 0 Portugal
New Zealand 1 - 1 Slovakia
Italy 1 - 1 Paraguay
Japan 1 - 0 Cameroon
Netherlands 2 - 0 Denmark
France and Mexico have met six times before with Mexico on the receiving end five times and drawing once.
France are going into the match at the back of a disappointing showing against Uruguay, and have a lot to prove.
Mexico on the other hand need the killer instinct in front of goal, they controlled the first half against South Africa but failed to punish their opponents.
The two teams have a mix of youth and experience, the tie looks to be a close affair. And it's time for Ribery and Gourcuff to prove their mettle at this level.
The two sides have met two times before with South Africa losing one and drawing another. Uruguay are ranked 16th and Bafana Bafana 83rd.
Following SA's draw against Mexico, the hosts now look to the tough Uruguay encounter to try and secure a spot in the round of 16. They go into the tie as under dogs.
Uruguay are likely to be more adventurous than they were against France.
South Africa for its part needs to reinforce its defence to avoid a repeat of the Marquez scenario.
Special World Cup courts dedicated to the ongoing tournament are busy with a number of cases involving theft, possession of drugs and illegal resale of WC tickets, etc. The perpetrators include both locals and foreigners.
Up to now police have been on top of the situation, in contrast to wild predictions by international media that crime will spiral out of control during the tournament in a country viewed as the epicentre of violent crime.
The Samba Kings mentor Dunga has made his intentions very clear as they prepare to face the North Koreans at Ellis Park in Johannesburg tomorrow.
Dunga draws confidence from his star studded side which includes goakkeeper Julio Cesar, midfielder Gilberto Silva, defenders Lucio, Maicon, Daniel Alves and strikers Robinho, Kaka and Luis Fabiano.
The Brazil national team will also face Ivory Coast and Portugal.
The mighty Oranje team has stretched its unbeaten run to 20 games following their convincing victory against Denmark. The Dutch national team now boasts of fifteen wins and five draws.
The goals of the match came from Poulsen (own goal) in the 46th minute and Dirk Kuyt scored the second in the dying minutes.
Netherlands joins the likes of Argentina, Ghana, Germany and South Korea who have managed to collect three points in their opening encounters.
2010 World Cup match day 3 got underway with Germany mercilessly demolishing a shocked Socceroos side, while Ghana raised the African flag by beating a competitive Serbia team.
Match day 3 results are as follows;
Germany 4 - 0 Australia
Ghana 1 - 0 Serbia
Algeria 0 - 1 Slovenia
England got off to a disappointing start at this year's soccer showpiece, when they were held by a determined United States national team.
Clint Dempsey cancelled England's lead after 40 minutes following captain Steven Gerrard's fourth minute goal.
England's goalkeeper Robert Green made a blunder when he failed to intercept a routine shot by Dempsey, and wrecked havoc in Three Lions' World Cup opener.
England 1 - 1 USA
South Korea 2 - 0 Greece
Argentina 1 - 0 Nigeria
Uruguay 0 - 0 France
South Africa 1 - 1 Mexico
The current FIFA World Player of Year, Lionel Messi terrorised the impressive Nigerians from the first minute as Maradona's charges made their intentions very clear.
The Super Eagles goalie Enyeama was superb on the day as he helped ward off marauding attacks by Tevez, Messi and gang.
Even though Argentina scored the solitary goal of the match early (6th minute), Nigerians refused to be over-awed by their more illustrious opponents.
Striker Aygebeni for his side spearheaded many frontal attacks but his crosses in front of Argentina goal went begging as none of his team mates anticipated them.
Brazillian match officials that will be in charge of the England v United States match in Rustenburg are being given a crash course in English obscenities that players may wantonly unleash on them.
The American and England lads involved in the tie are better advised to stay clean mouthed or else they risk facing the music from the three ''well informed'' plonkers in charge of the tie..
Nigeria chances of snatching a single point in tonight's clash against the mighty Argentina national team look bleak.
As an African my support is with the Super Eagles but realistically, our boys in green and white will need nothing short of a miracle to cause a historic upset.
Maradona's outfit is currently breathing roastful fire, despite having struggled in the qualifiers. The squad boasts of the likes of Lionel Messi, Martin Parlemo, Gonzalo Higuain among others.
Nigeria who had lacklustre perfomances during the 2010 Afcon tournament and WC qualifiers, are banking on Yakubu Ayegbeni, Victor Obinna, Obafemi Martins and Mickel Obi.
The 2010 World Cup got off to a flying start as Mexico and South Africa fought to the bitter end in a 1-1 draw.
The hosts had their backs to the wall in the first half as the likes of Dos Santos and Vela piled on the pressure. SA survived the attacks thanks to the heroism of their captain Aaron Mokoena and goal keeper Itumeleng Khune.
Bafana Bafana came back stronger in the second half, and quickly snatched a goal through midfielder Tshabalala 10 minutes after the break.
El Tri coach Aguirre made telling changes when he brought in Blanco and Hernandez, and although SA were now playing more resolutely, Mexico still managed to breach the hosts' defence resulting in a goal in the 77th minute.
The two sides are former World Cup champions and will face each other in a battle of the titans. Even though they both had to qualify via the play offs.
They have met four times before and yielded a win apiece as well as two draws.
Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan pose the greatest threat upfront. While France's Thierry Henry, Frank Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff will prove to be a handful for Uruguay.
FIFA announced that ticket sales now stands at 97% for the soccer showpiece which begins this afternoon.
Up to 135,000 tickets are still available. FIFA media officer, Wolgang Eichler stated that not many tickets were left for the group stages, and they expect 98% attendance.
The former South African president was at the helm when the country bid and eventually won the right to host the planet's biggest soccer showcase, which comes alive today for the first time on African soil.
From 06:00 this morning crazed trumpet sounds filled the air as the WC frenzy reaches 'beserk' pitch.
Mbeki and his predecessor, Nelson Mandela made the trip to Zurich for the announcement and came back with the stuff dreams are made of.
And to commemorate the spectacle many African leaders, including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe will grace the opening ceremony at Soccer City.
Football fever has gripped our planet and soccer fans are in cloud nine as we count hours to the greatest event known to mankind.
No other place is the mania so great, than the epicenter of this phenomenon - South Africa; from tiny tots to the elderly, the country now speaks in vuvuzelas and national colours. It has become the 12th national language.
The vuvuzela trumpet which is notoriously loud churns out decibels greater than that of a chainsaw, and has literally taken over the airwaves.
The national flag has taken its place on rooftops and almost every vehicle has this symbol of national pride drapped onto it.
For once nagging social ills such as racism and xenophobia have taken the back seat.
The massive pre-World Cup musical concert set for Soweto will be transmitted live to countries around the world. The event celebrates the phenomenon of not only an African World Cup but football as an universal language that binds us all.
Local and international stars will grace the event, and they include;
Vieux Farka Toure
Black Eyed Peas
Alicia Keys
John Legend
Shakira
Angelique Kidjo
Amadou and Miriam
Blk Jks
Freshlyground
Hugh Masekela, etc.
South Africa and Mexico have met three times before, SA has lost two and won one scoring 4 goals to Mexico's nine.
On paper Mexico look poised to run away with three points on Friday but SA have hit a rich vein of form in their last 12 games (undefeated) under the guidance of Carlos Parreira.
Confidence is high although some players admitted to experiencing a bit of nervousness ahead of the opening encounter in Group A.
Of late Bafana Bafana (SA) recorded victories and draws against the likes of Denmark, Colombia, Jamaica and North Korea, while the Mexican national team claimed the scalps of Italy, Chile and New Zealand among others.
South Africa will draw strength from home ground advantage, but Mexico's WC record shows they are difficult to beat, El Tri only lost twice in 12 group matches.
Thousands of local fans gripped with an unprecedented soccer fever are filing up to watch their Samba heroes train at the Dobsonville stadium.
This is in sharp contrast to the local national team (Bafana Bafana) training sessions which often go unnoticed.
The Brazilians are hot property in all parts of Africa. And the enthusiasm by fans at the training sessions meant that the police had to pull extra resources to keep the spellbound crowds under control.
FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke issued a statement saying the 2010 FIFA World Cup is proving to be commercially viable.
Speaking at the launch of special World Cup courts, he stated that they managed to raise the income by 50% since 2006.
The secretary-general went onto say that the funds realized will also be used to boost football development across the world.
Netherlands 6 - 1 Hungary
South Africa 1 - 0 Denmark
USA 3 - 1 Australia
Ghana 1 - 0 Latvia
Serbia 4 - 3 Cameroon
Switzerland 1 - 1 Italy
Slovakia 3 - 0 Costa Rica
Algeria 1 - 0 UAE
Romania 3 - 0 Honduras
The in-form Mexico national team reigned supreme in a warm up match against defending champions Italy. The Mexicans are upbeat ahead of their opening encounter against an equally optimistic South African side.
And some of the latest results of the friendlies are as follows -
Spain 1 - 0 South Korea
Germany 3 - 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Japan 0 - 2 Ivory Coast
France 0 - 1 China
Slovenia 3 - 1 New Zealand
Zimbabwe 0 - 3 Brazil
Serbia 0 - 0 Poland
Greece 0 - 2 Paraguay
Belarus 0 - 1 Sweden
Romania 0 - 1 Macedonia
Albania 1 - 0 Andorra
Azerbaijan 0 - 0 Honduras
Soccer mad Zimbabwe is in cloud nine following the arrival of five time World Cup champions Brazil, who are preparing for this year's soccer spectacle.
The country was particularly keen on luring the Samba Kings to its shores at a time when the world's attention is in the region, as a way of boosting tourism.
Brazil's Kaka said he was happy to be in the country ahead of their clash against the Warriors who have recalled 13 foreign based players.
Images- www.newzimbabwe.com
Netherlands and Portugal humiliated Africa's powerhouses Ghana and Cameroon, with less than two weeks to the FIFA World Cup, and the results of June 1 friendlies are as follows -
Netherlands 4 - 1 Ghana
Portugal 3 - 1 Cameroon
Australia 1 - 0 Denmark
Switzerland 0 - 1 Costa Rica
