Another break day and so an opportunity to answer some questions.
Danielgregg – Something I've noticed about this tournament, don't recall if it's something unique or not: there've been so many records broken. Croatia broke some kind of record when they beat Germany, Turkey broke their record against the Czechs, the Dutch beat their 30-year record against Italy, and Italy beat their 30-year record against France, and now Spain banished their longstanding record against not only Italy, but their June 22 jinx.
You probably don't put too much store in these records. I just think it's been interesting to see so many games one after another with pundits pointing out these records before almost every game, and then they go and promptly break them--so consistently.
Bobby – There have been a good number of these instances. I think it would need a statistician to provide more intelligent comment. But you also have to consider that international match ups don’t happen every year or sometimes even every second year and so extended records of 20 or 30 years may only be less than a dozen games. Something that happens in domestic league leagues
LHJS - I hope one day the America's can combine to form a great tournament like EURO's. 8 groups, 5 or 6 teams per group, winner and second place team gets an invite. Every country between Chile and Canada would have a chance. I think it would be great fun for all soccer fans. A nightmare for police but still as we see on TV it could be great.
Bobby – This is something that comes up on a pretty regular basis. I can’t see either Federation amalgamating for the purposes of World Cup qualifying but maybe there is just a small chance that they could get together for a regional championship.
Here is a précis of an article I wrote for “WSC – When Saturday Comes” back in April 2002 just after the Gold Cup of that year.
“……The more astute readers will have noticed that South Korea and Ecuador are not Central American, North American or Caribbean counties. Since it’s inception in 1991 the Gold Cup has invited guest teams to compete, not something that lends credibility to the competition. It’s simple: when you invite outside teams to enter a regional championship it’s no longer a regional championship.
Can anyone imagine the European Championship inviting Brazil, Argentina and Cameroon to fly in for a game or two? In the past we’ve seen Peru, Colombia and Brazil turn up along with South Korea and Ecuador. To date no guest has won the Cup but two have reached the Final.
This time around only Mexico drew well in the early stages and after they lost in the quarter final to South Korea, average attendance dropped dramatically. Despite the USA reaching the final where they beat Costa Rica 2-0, the last four games in the competition attracted less than 22,000 fans. Cup organizers were quick to point out that the Cup was up against the National Hockey League all-star game and the Superbowl weekend. It begs the question - why would you schedule the Gold Cup against these events in the first place?
The problems facing the Gold Cup are strikingly similar to those facing CONMEBOL and the Copa America. Copa America with the ten member countries of CONMEBOL has to invite two guest countries in order to get to a workable number. Honduras, Mexico, Japan, the USA and Costa Rica have all taken part in the Copa in recent years. There is, however, a solution – the Pan American Cup.
Never heard of it you say? That’s because it’s time to drop both the Copa America and the Gold Cup and start a new sixteen team tournament to be held once every four years with no guest teams.
To ease fixture congestion the tournament could be scheduled just before or just after the European Championship. A Pan American Cup makes sense for everyone, including the long suffering fans.
From a CONCACAF prospective it gives their member countries the badly needed challenge of better opponents. The participation of Brazil and Argentina would increase television revenue in the US and generate greater media exposure throughout North America.
With the imminent demise of the ill fated and vastly unpopular Confederations Cup the need to identify regional champions no longer exists. If the Pan American Cup could live up to half of its potential, the qualifying competitions would generate interest.
By holding the tournament two years after the World Cup, qualification standings in each confederation could form the basis of awarding automatic spots in the Pan American Cup, perhaps the top five finishers in each. As tradition dictates, the previous winner would get a bye along with the host country.
With four spots remaining, three could come from a Central and South American qualifying competition while the remaining spot would be from a North America and Caribbean tournament.
Is there hope that CONMEBOL and CONCACAF would give up some of their power and merge the two troubled competitions? From a CONCACAF prospective they run a competition of no value, so they have little to lose by making a move. CONMEBOL’s view is likely to be different given the Copa America is the oldest international tournament in the world.
However, FIFA has already told the South Americans that an eighteen game World Cup qualifying competition can’t continue if the Copa America is held every two years. The South American qualifying group generates tremendous interest and a great deal of money.
It’s not something the CONMEBOL countries want to lose so the status quo may not be an option. The alternatives are changing the Copa America to a four year format or make a bold move and go for a Pan American Cup.”
Shmish - What's your take on the criticisms that are being leveled on coaches such as MVB and Donadoni? It's predictable that Aragones or Loew will also be condemned by media and bloggers. I think all of these men seem to have done a good job, but I'm not a soccer analyst.
Whether a team is outplayed or outcoached, do we always have to point fingers at the coaches? Surely as Bobby suggests, we should pay attention and offer praise to the winners, when praise is due. One man's or team's success doesn't necessarily equate to another's failure.
Bobby – When a team loses the coach more times than not becomes a lightning rod for criticism. At club level there is almost always a game coming within a week or so and the coach and team have an escape route. That’s rarely the case at international level with friendlies and competition spread out.
Coaches know the “rules” when they sign on as unfair as they may be. But each defeat produces knee-jerk reactions from the fans and the media and the pressure builds on the national associations for a change to be made. Without having lived through it I doubt many of us can truly understand the constant pressure that coaches all operate under.
So much of it comes down to managing expectations going in, unfortunately as fans most of us have expectations that are unrealistic. I’m waiting for the day when a fan admits he would have picked a different team than the one the coach did and because the team won its obvious the coach knows what he’s doing and has not lost the plot!
Terry 63 - Hey Bobby, we're missing the Tartan Army at these major tourneys. Start checking the census rolls to see if there are any Scots with Brazilian grandmothers. Of course...I meant to say Brazilians with *Scottish* grandmas! But either way couldn't hurt.
Bobby – At least Scotland has shown some improvement over the last couple years. Under Berti Vogts a team made up of Brazilian grandmothers might have been a better option. That’s what you meant wasn’t it?
ZUCO2 - I was watching the FSR yesterday and I heard Derek say that there was 9 minutes of added time in a qualifying game in Asia. Shouldn't FIFA have a rule that allows referees to give a certain amount of stoppage time? A sort of limit that shouldn't be broken?
Bobby – So what you do in the situation where there was a serious injury and possibly even a couple of serious injuries? Or the game is delayed because of a streaker? It is up to the referee to judge how much stoppage time should be played I don’t see any benefit by capping it – and in fact I think the opposite is true, it would lead to more abuse.
Exponents - Bobby, off topic, but let's say the USMNT needed a new coach (I think you'll agree that they do)...who should they try to get? Of course this begs the question of who would actually want to coach the USMNT.
Bobby – No, I actually don’t agree. To date Bradley has won the only competition the United States has entered since he became coach (Gold Cup) so why would you be looking to replace him?
Rowdies33 - I haven't seen much heat on Van Basten for his tactics during the game. RVP played on the right flank where he has played before in this tourney, but he was always looking for the cutback and Heitinga wasn't getting forward so there was no width on the right and then by not bringing Robben in on the left there was no presence going forward on the left to stretch the field.
Given the difficulties of set pieces for the Russian defense, wouldn't crosses from wide positions have likely given them problems? Of course, the Russians dominated the play and perhaps nothing changes, but it seemed like the Dutch offense was basically using 1/2-3/4 of the width of the field making the Russians defensive pressure much easier to employ. Thoughts?
Bobby – It might be a bit pointless turning up the heat up on van Baston given that we all knew he was finished with the Netherlands after this tournament. You do make valid points however.
But the problems that the Russians were experiencing from set pieces were coming from in swinging free kicks on the left. Robbin would be delivering more conventional out swinging crosses with his left foot so I’m not sure the two would necessarily be connected. I was surprised that the Dutch did not try and force the Russian full backs to defend more and instead allowed them to attack almost at will.
I think the brilliance of Hiddink’s strategy was to counter the counterattack by pinning the Dutch so deep and not giving them time on the ball that they are unable to use the counterattack tactic that had been so lethal in the group stage.
LHJS - I almost forgot, Bobby did I catch Carlos?
Bobby –Carlos picked up nine points in the quarterfinal round and has 37 points. However, he only has one team left and that is Spain. He has Spain down as beaten finalists.
RINGO - Do those who predicted the third place game lose points?
Bobby – No, they just have to suffer the public embarrassment of adding games that don’t exist.
Comment of the Day
“I bumped into Howard Webb, the English referee, at Zurich Airport last Friday. He was on his way back to Manchester, having not been retained for the knockout stages of Euro 2008, after his controversial decision in the final minutes of the match between Austria and Poland. Webb was no different to a lot of other Englishmen at leading tournaments, really, in that he was eliminated by penalties.” - Martin Samuel in The Times.
Stat of the Day 1: Number of the past 52 goals in the tournament to have come from a defender — Christian Panucci - From Bill Edgar of The Times.
This game may have only produced a single goal but it was entertaining throughout as both sides contributed to an excellent game of football. Austria settled more quickly into the game and it took Chile fifteen minutes or so to establish their usual pattern to the game.
Both goalkeepers were forced into some excellent saves in the first half but when the goal came it was from an unlikely source. As the first half moved into injury time a Chile cross was swung into the penalty area where centre back Hans Martinez connected from about ten yards out. Hit with accuracy more than power it was still enough to give Chile a half-time lead. A defender on the left post would have cleared the ball but there was none to be found.
The start of the second half mirrored that of the first with Austria out of the gate more quickly. Okotie cracked one of Chile’s crossbar and when the rebound fell to Harnik his shot forced a great toe save out of Toselli.
Five minutes later Austrian centre back Madl was sent off for a second yellow card but Austria continued to press forward. However, with a more predictable and slow build up they did not create as many clear-cut chances as they should have.
In turn Chile looked to the counter attack and on more than one occasion they should have put the game beyond any shadow of doubt. Peralta was particularly at fault when he was clean through with only Lukse in the goal to beat. After pushing the ball wide Peralta was about to pull the trigger when the Austrian keeper picked the ball of his toe.
But there was still more drama left in this one. With only two minutes to go Austrian substitute Martin Harnik finally beat Toselli only for Martinez to save the day. He was able to block the ball on the ball and as it spun in the air back towards the goal line Toselli recovered to paw the ball away.
This was an unexpectedly good game with some excellent defending from both sides. Goalkeepers Lukse and Toselli produced some top-drawer saves while at the heart of the Chile defense the underrated Martinez and Larrondo were again outstanding. Both come from the Carlos Gamarra School of Defending that emphasizes the minimum of fuss and desperation. And finally a mention to Austrian captain Sebastian Proedl. The Sturm Graz centre back has already been capped for the full national team and we can be certain that will see more of him next summer as Austria co-host Euro 2008.
Oh and Padraig Harrington just beat Sergio Garcia in a play off at the British Open.
I expect peace and love to break out for this game. Chile will be on their absolute best behaviour while I'm sure that Austria haas also been told to go easy.
Chile has made three enforced changes with Medel, Currimilla and Grondona all suspended. The first two for the red cards they received during the game against Argentina while Jamie Grondona has been suspended "as a result of the physical incidents with match officials he was involved in on the pitch during the Chile-Argentina semi-final match on July 19."
Coming in for Chile is Sepulveda (missed the Argentina game through suspension), Mauricio Isla (started on the bench against Argentina after scoring in the quarter final vs. Nigeria) and Michael Silva who has so far logged one minute in the tournament.
Austrian coach Paul Gludovatz has rung the changes with five starters against the Czech Republic replaced. Out goes defender Daniel Gramann, midfielders Martin Harnik and Tomas Sinkovic, striker Erwin Hoffer and goalkeeper Michael Zaglmair.
The referee will be Martin Hansson from Sweden.
The referee for the final later today is 33-year-old Spaniard Alberto Undiano Mallenco. He has officiated the following games in this tournament - Canada v. Chile, Czech Republic v. Korea DPR, Brazil v. USA and Argentina v. Mexico. Snr. Mallenco was also in charge of the second leg of Champions League semi final in May between Liverpool and Chelsea.
As with the other semi final played the previous night this one was essentially decided in the first quarter of an hour. Only seven minutes after Chile goalkeeper Cristopher Toselli had set a new FIFA under-20 World Cup record for minutes without conceding a goal Argentina finally solved the puzzle that five other countries in over 480 minutes of play had failed to solve.
Banega drove forward from midfield and after winning a decisive tackle inside Chile’s half he floated a beautiful play into the path of Di Maria. In full stride Di Maria struck the ball from the left side of the penalty into the postage stamp corner of Toselli’s top right hand corner.
Three minutes later and Chile was a goal down and a man down. Argentina’s right back Mercado and Chile’s midfielder Medal clashed as the ball went out of play for a throw in around the half way line. Mercado was clearly the first player to kick out as he fell to ground while a fraction of a second later Medal also flailed out with his right boot.
It didn’t look as if Medal made contact but Mercado’s reaction indicated a boot to the face. Medal was sent off and Mercado escaped censure. Both should have been sent to the dressing room.
Despite being down a man Chile enjoyed more possession and Cortes came close with an outrageous shot from only a couple of yards from inside Argentina’s half. Caught off his line and furiously back-peddling keeper Romero was relieved to see the shot drift a foot or so wide.
The second half was more of the same. Yacob gave Argentina a two-goal lead after a neat cut back from Moralez. Then referee Wolfgang Stark sent off Currimilla after a second yellow card. The foul count continued to mount as the second half ebbed away and Argentina capped the night off with a third this time from Moralez.
The statistics at the end of the match showed a total of 53 fouls with nine yellow cards (two turning into a red) and two red cards to Chile. Argentina picked up two yellow cards to Cahias and Yacob and both will miss the final. Di Maria looked to have pulled a hamstring in the second half and he looks like he will struggle to make Sunday’s starting line-up.
Two goals in the opening fifteen minutes of this game killed any remote chance there might have been that this semi final could have turned out to be a memorable match for the neutrals.
Missing two of their normal starting defenders (Madl suspended, Panny injured) and their defensive midfielder Michael Stanislaw (suspended) Austria had a mountain to climb before the players had even caught their second wind.
Micola scored for the Czech Republic with less than five minutes gone and Fenin had the easiest of tap-ins to put the game beyond Austria’s reach. Two goals down Austria seemed unable to change their tactics as the midfield stayed deep isolating lone striker Erwin Hoffer.
Austrian coach Paul Gludovatz tried to shuffle his hand in the second forty five minutes but the Czechs were just too well organized and resolute to give-away a two goal lead. At the end of ninety minutes the Austrians had only achieved one shot on target.
The Czech Republic now awaits the winner of the other semi final between Chile and Argentina set for Thursday night in Toronto.
Chile vs. Argentina Time (EST), date & location – 19:45, July 19 at the National Soccer Stadium (BMO Field) in Toronto.
Referee Wolfgang Stark (Germany)
Just as with Austria versus Czech Republic, this semi final sees two countries from not only the same federation competing but two countries that share a common border.
Past Performance This is only Chile’s fifth appearance in the finals and they have already matched their best ever performance. Back in 1987 when they hosted the event they finished fourth. In 1995 and 2001 Chile failed to make it past the group stage while two years ago in Holland they were beaten by the Netherlands 3-0 in the round of sixteen.
No other country can match Argentina’s record in this competition. They have won a record five world titles (four cups the last six tournaments) and finished as runner-up in 1983. In the history of the competition they have played 63 games, winning 47, drawing 3 and losing 14.
How they reached the semi-final Both countries hold identical records of four wins and one tie in five games to date. An opening group game against host nation Canada looked to be a problem fixture but Chile put on a tremendous display of passing and movement to easily win 3-0. The Congo was dispatched by the same score in the next match and that result guaranteed that Chile would move on to the next stage. A scoreless draw with Austria meant that Chile finished top of group A.
A goal from midfielder Arturo Vidal was enough to beat Portugal in the round of sixteen which set up a quarter final match with group F runners-up Nigeria. Scoreless after regulation time Chile exploded with four goals in the extra thirty minutes. In the process Chile became the first national team at any level of FIFA competition to score four goals in extra time of a World Cup.
Argentina opened with a dominating but fruitless performance against the Czech Republic. Out shooting the Czech’s 29-3 and enjoying the majority of the possession made little difference as the game finished scoreless.
It was a very different outcome in the next game when Argentina scored four goals in a seven minute first half spell before going onto the beat Panama 6-0. The last game in round robin play needed a swerving Aguero free kick to beat a pesky North Korea 1-0.
Argentina then produced a very good performance to beat Poland 3-1 in the round of sixteen. After going a goal down Argentina rebounded with an equalizer from Di Maria before half time and with only seconds gone in the second half Aguero produced a piece of magic that would turn out to be the winning goal.
Argentina versus Mexico was the most anticipated game of the quarter final stage but although an enthralling contest the game never hit the heights that the neutrals expected. It was very much a war of midfield attrition as both sides had little or no space and time in which to operate. In the end Argentina got the only goal after a Moralez shot was deflected past Blanco in Mexico’s goal. Mexico was left to rue Vela’s first half shot that rebounded of the post and another that squirmed through Romero’s legs only to go wide.
Goalkeepers Chile’s goalkeeper Cristopher Toselli is on the brink of setting a new record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal at an under-20 World Cup. He is only five minutes short of breaking the current mark set by Claudio Taffarel in 1985. Toselli has being totally unflappable to date and his control of the penalty area and his distribution has been impeccable.
Sergio Romero has only been beaten once and that by Poland in the round of sixteen. Romero’s performances have been largely overlooked as the likes of Aguero and Banega have received most of the media attention. However, when called upon he has looked confident and has pulled off big saves when needed.
Edge – Even.
Defense With only one goal conceded in the ten games that these two countries have played so far it is difficult to pick faults. However, the styles employed are very different. Argentina is a much more physical imposing defense with Fazio and Cahais dominating the central positions. Mercado and Insua (presently with Liverpool) make up the first choice back four that has only been changed in order to mitigate yellow card suspensions. If there is one possible weakness in the Argentine back four it would be a tendency now and again for Fazio to dwell on the ball.
Chile relies much more on anticipation and positioning. Like Argentina, the Chile defense has been very stable with Christian Suarez, Nicolas Larrondo and Hans Martinez logging the majority of the time. Chile will have Arturo Vida l back afer a one-game suspension. Vidal seems to have been given free-rein to flit between defense and midfield in a fluid formation. Vidal’s versatility also extends to goal scoring. He has scored two goals so far including the game winner against Portugal. Larrondo has been one of the great under valued players of the tournament.
Edge – Chile.
Midfield Expect this game to be played in a similar vain to Argentina’s last game against Mexico. Space will be at a premium in midfield as both teams place on an emphasis on ensuring that neither is allowed time to settle.
Chile will be looking to what has very much been a no-name midfield. Mauricio Isla (2 goals against Nigeria), Gary Medel and Dagoberto Currimilla have played in all five games and almost every minute of the tournament so far but have received little credit or attention. They have, however, been extremely effective.
Ever Banega is in the classic Argentine playmaker mould. Comfortable on the ball he constantly provides an outlet for his team mates and is incessantly prodding for holes in the opposition defense. Claudio Yacob has the responsibility of ball winning and ensuring that the back four is shielded. Although listed as a forward Pablo Piatti can normally be found on the left side of midfield while the diminutive Maximiliano Moralez has flitted from side to side as well as tucking into the space just behind the two strikers.
Edge – Argentina.
Attack Both teams have scored eleven goals but while Chile has had seven goal scorers Argentina has had to rely on only four players. Chile’s goal scoring in this tournament is even more impressive when you consider that one of their more potent attacking options has played less than half the time. Suspension meant Alexis Sanchez missed the first game and an injured shoulder restricted his game-time in the knock out rounds.
In the meantime Mathias Vidangoosy has stepped up and has been one of the outstanding players of the competition so far. His willingness and confidence to take on defenders has been refreshing as well as entertaining. Nicolas Medina normally plays as the lone central striker.
Argentina has the tournaments equal leading scorer in Sergio Aguero and a player who could on his day win a game virtually on his own. Angel Di Maria scored the equalizer against Poland and also set up Moralez for his game-winning goal against Mexico with a fantastic little reverse pass. Di Maria works incredibly hard in support of Aguero and if past games are anything to go by we can expect to see him substituted for Lautaro Acosta with twenty minutes or so left to play.
Edge – Even.
Coaching & Intangibles Both Jose Sulantay (Chile) and Hugo Tocalli (Argentina) will be pleased with progress to date but very aware that expectations back home are greater than just a place in the last four.
While Argentina has enjoyed repeated success at this level for a country like Chile opportunities such as this come along infrequently. FSR anchor Mitch Peacock told me early in the tournament that the focus and intensity of Chile at practice was impressive and they had the aura of a side that could win the competition.
For Argentina Coach Hugo Tocalli it is an opportunity to move past the semi final stage at a World Cup. This is the fourth time Tocalli has been in charge of an Argentina side at the semi final stage and the last three times they have failed to move on. Even so Argentina’s record of eight semi final appearances in twelve attempts emphasizes the past glories that the current side will be more than aware of.
Edge – Even.
Prediction – Argentina on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
A bit of an abbreviated report seeing that it is the fourth posting of the day. A terrific game - tight and hard-fought - and one that could have gone either way. Moralez' goal right on half time was the difference but Mexico had chances particularly in the first half. Vela struck a shot that deflected through Romero's legs to safety and then he rattled the post.
I thought that Di Maria had a great 75 minutes for Argentina before he was substituted - a great little reverse pass played Moralez in for his goal. For Mexico, Villaluz was in my opinion their best player.
After the weekends play their is no doubt in my mind that three or perhaps all four of the best four teams in the competition were in the second half of the quarter final draw.
This was an absolutely engrossing game from two technically accomplished sides showcasing very different styles. The Nigerians languid in attack with an attitude of "another chance will soon come along so no need to get upset". Chile with fantastic precision passing and great one touch play.
Even in defense the two sides relied on very different skills. Nigeria using their speed and magnificent tackling skills while the anticipation and positional play of Chile’s defense was exceptional for the age group.
Add to that the fact that game was played in a great spirit and officiated sensibly by Howard Webb and it all contributed to an exceptional match.
Chile had to not only combat a grueling travel schedule but was also missing Arturo Vidal through suspension. The problems multiplied when Alexis Sanchez and Nicolas Medina were substituted at half time.
But when the first goal came it did come from one of the half time substitute Jamie Grondona took advantage of a break down in Nigeria’s defense. A free kick was cleared but only to a Chilean defender. As he lobbed the ball back two Chilean players found themselves onside and only the keeper to beat.
The final score of 4-0 was nothing close to true reflection of the game as Chile took full advantage of Nigeria pushing forward in search of goals.
There were many fine individual performances on show but my man of the match was Chile’s Mathias Vidangossy. However, special mention must be made of Chile’s back four who were magnificent.
Notes Chile has now gone five full games plus an extra time without conceding a goal – 480 minutes in total. Three quarter final games and all three have gone to extra time. That means that six of the eleven games in the knock out rounds have needed an extra thirty minutes to try and decide them. Two of the six have needed penalty kicks. The average age of the Nigeria starting eleven was almost a full year younger than Chile’s. Chile became the only group winner so far to reach the semi final round although we are guaranteed at least one more as Argentina and Mexico both matched Chile’s accomplishment.
There is the old adage that if you can’t say anything good, then don’t say anything at all. So in terms of the Czech Republic’s performance against Spain I can say that they do take penalties well.
There again to hell with old adages. On the same weekend that David Beckham arrives in North America with the goal of increasing the profile and level of general acceptance of the game in North America the Czech Republic put on the kind of display that would even have the diehards reaching for the off button on the remote control.
It was a display of anti-football that would legitimately call into question the future of the game at the highest level. The Czech’s game plan of taking the match to penalty kicks was obvious from the start as they packed their defense and midfield and rarely managed to make it into Spain’s half.
But even then the Spanish must take much of the blame for their loss on penalty kicks. The miss by Adrian Lopez from no more than a yard out in the second half will be sure to make the bloppers tape of the tournament and the tactics of their coach Gines Melendez lacked imagination and decisiveness.
When you are playing against a big defense constantly floating balls into the area normally isn’t the most productive course of action. Add to that the fact that Spain set up with two wide midfielders hugging the touchline for most of the second half made it easy for the Czech’s to counter with double and triple marking.
The greatest threat from Spain came when Gerard Pique pushed up from his centre back position into the midfield and you were left wondering why Spain did not look to get their full backs to push forward in support of the attack as well.
The Czech goal when it came was nightmare for Spain’s goalkeeper Adan who was left flapping at a corner. The ball broke to Kalouda twenty yards out and he cracked it home. The only thing that can be brought up in Adan’s defense was that no Spanish defender was actually marking the Czech player who the keeper challenged.
Although Spain did manage to tie the game in extra time the body language of each side was a marked contrast. The Czech’s stood tall and confident while the Spanish approached the task like a set of schoolboys who had just been caught with a naughty magazine.
After the USA – Austria game yesterday I made a reference to Austria becoming the 2007 version of Greece. Now we have Greece I vs. Greece II in the semi final and we are left with Argentina, Mexico, Nigeria or Chile to save football from slipping further into the dark side.
A largely disappointing game but with a bizarre ending. Portugal had Mano sent off for pushing a Chilean player. As the referee showed Mano the red card another Portugal player Zeguinha then run up and stole the card from his hand.
The referee either had a spare red card or got it back because he sent Zeguinha off.
Having generated some momentum the referee continued his card tricks and sent off Chile's goal scorer Arturo Vidal for a second yellow card issued for time wasting.
All of this in the final minute of regualtion time and injury time.
Chile now plays Nigeria but without key man Vidal. Alexis Sanchez also left the game with a
Other match-ups - Austria vs. USA; Spain vs. Czech Republic; Argentina vs. Mexico.
It is the second day of the round of sixteen and if we can come close to the drama and excitement of yesterday, we will be doing well. I’m heading to the stadium to watch Argentina and Poland in twenty minutes and if I pick up any additional information I will be sure to pass it on.
The last time I watched Argentina live was the 1996 Olympic Final in Athens, Georgia. Nigeria won 3-2 in what was a classic encounter. The Argentina squad in 1996 contained the likes of Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez, Robert Ayala, Javier Zanneti and David Beckham’s (the obligatory mention this week) pal Diego Simeone.
Atleti_female - over to you on Argentina's chances. Any Polish fans that would like to contribute - feel free.
Here is the profile of the man who will be in the middle, Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan. He has been in charge of two games in the tournament and both finished 3-0. His first was Mexico versus Gambia and the other, Chile versus Congo.
Over the years Uruguay has gained a reputation for producing some pretty brutal sides – brutal in the sense of dirty. However, check out this statistics page and it looks like this Uruguay side has been the #### cats of the tournament so far.
Even the red card given to goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea was for a rugby tackle on a Zambian forward after he had missed what should have been a straight forward clearance. Only Costa Rica committed fewer fouls (29) in the first three games of the tournament than Uruguay (33).
On the other hand only Congo (59) has committed more fouls than the USA (57).
Congo beats Canada and so the four best third place finishers come from groups A, B, C and D. The draw for the last sixteen is now final and on side one its Austria vs. Gambia; USA vs. Uruguay; Spain vs. Brazil; Japan vs. Czech Republic.
On side two it is Chile vs. Portugal; Zambia vs. Nigeria; Argentina vs. Poland; Mexico vs. Congo.
In the quarter final round it will Austria or Gambia vs. USA or Uruguay and so on. The winner of that quadrant will play the winner of Spain or Brazil vs. Japan or the Czech Republic.
I'm heading to Toronto to cover the USA vs. Uruguay and Argentina vs. Poland games.
The remaining federation was Oceania represented by New Zealand who finished last in group C. Unlike the World Cup where you often have countries from the same federation drawn in the same group the under-20 tournament has no such duplication. It can make for some interesting comparisons.
Both South America (four for four) and Africa (four for four) lead the qualifiers based on home federation. UEFA has more countries in the last sixteen (5) with Scotland failing to move on from group F. CONCACAF have two countries out of a possible five qualify while only Japan out of the four Asian representatives have been successful.
Points gained by federation after the first group round:
FEDERATION P Pts % South America 12 21 58 Africa 12 21 58 Uefa 15 24 53 Concacaf 15 20 44 Asia 12 12 33 Oceania 3 0 0
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
Scotland fans are well use to failures at World Cups. But as of last night Scotland has now taken it to a different level. Scotland’s last second loss to Costa Rica meant that not only are they heading home across the Atlantic but they also reduced the host country Canada’s chances of moving into the last sixteen. You invite someone to your party and they “water” your living room carpet!!
Yesterday was not a good day for the host nation as the options for qualifying for the knock stages eroded as the day went on. Prior to group B action the best scenario for Canada was this.
What Canada needs to do to definitely move on. Must win (against Congo) and… Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or….. Zambia and Jordan don’t win.
But Zambia did win.
And so before Group F action it had been reduced to – Update - What Canada must do to move on. 1. Must beat Congo and… 2. Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or if Scotland or Costa Rica win….. 3. Canada must then win by enough goals to finish with a better record than the other countries that finish third with three points.
But Costa Rica did win and so we are down to essentially two games that will decide Canada’s fate.
First of all here is a recap of the process to decide the four best place finishers from FIFA.com. “The four best place finishers will be determined by; most points gained in group matches, goal difference in all group matches, most goals scored in all group matches, fair play system in which the number of yellow and red cards are evaluated, drawing of lots”.
So applying the tie breaker rule we know that after yesterday’s games that North Korea is definitely going home (only two points) while Brazil (3 points and a minus 1 goal differential but have scored 2 more goals than Costa Rica) is moving on. Zambia’s win pushed Uruguay into third place but with four points they make it to the last sixteen with at least a point to spare.
So that leaves two of four spots for the best third place finishers left to fill. The teams that are left to fight it out are Portugal, Gambia, New Zealand, Canada, Congo and Costa Rica.
As they say in golf, Costa Rica is in the club house and they have set the bar (or is it they are sitting at the bar?). Here is each of the team’s positions.
Although on paper New Zealand is still in with a chance they are at a severe disadvantage. They are the only country left that could win today (against Mexico) and still finish bottom of their group. Because Portugal plays Gambia and Congo plays Canada a win for any of these countries means that they are guaranteed to finish no lower than third. So we are going to discount the chance that the Kiwis and fate can conspire to produce an unprecedented set of results and focus on the other four.
Portugal is clearly in the best position to move on and can afford to lose 2-0 to Gambia and still qualify because of goals scored. If Gambia can score the first goal then Portugal might be more inclined to cruise rather than chasing a game and possibly being hit on the break and losing heavily.
That's an advantage to Gambia but conversely they sit in a rather precarious position because of their goal differential of -2. Canada and Costa Rica especially will be hoping that Portugal can win. That scenario would put Costa Rica through. Canada would also then move on if they beat Congo (by any score) and Gambia lost by two goals to Portugal. A two goal win for Portugal is clearly the best case scenario for Canada.
If Portugal only wins by one goal then Canada should be hoping that Gambia is shut out in the process. A high scoring one goal win for Portugal would require Canada to exceed Portugal’s high scoring one goal of a difference win or beat Congo by two clear goals. If Portugal scores first then Gambia will have nothing to lose by piling forward.
Unfortunately for Canada there is one more possibility which may actually be the most likely outcome of the Portugal and Gambia match-up. A draw would mean that the group positions would stay as they are and both Gambia and Portugal would move on. That would leave Canada needing a three goal win to move on at the expense of Costa Rica.
No matter the outcome of the late afternoon games we know that when Congo and Canada kick’s off tonight both countries will know what is required. In the case of Congo they know already. A win puts them through to the last sixteen – with the possibility that they could still finish second in the group. A draw does neither country any good and so if we get an early first goal then the other side is going to be forced forward which could mean a lot more opportunities at both ends. The first goal in any game is critical but even more so tonight.
Latest Betting on today's games
Canada 2/1, Draw 11/5, Congo 11/10.
New Zealand 10/1, Draw 9/2, Mexico 2/11.
Portugal 4/5, Draw 7/4, Gambia 4/1. (I like the odds on a win by Gambia)
FIFA Under-20 World Cup Champion
Argentina 3/1, Mexico 4/1, Spain 7/1, USA 8/1, Portugal 9/1, Nigeria 10/1, Uruguay 11/1, Brazil 11/1, Chile 12/1, Japan 14/1, Czech Republic 20/1, Poland 33/1, Zambia 50/1, Austria 50/1, Costa Rica 125/1, Congo 200/1, Gambia 200/1, Canada 300/1, New Zealand 500/1.
Has there ever been a time when you could get odds of 11/1 on Brazil in a men’s international tournament at the last sixteen stage?
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.You can also check out the National Post blog.
I sat down and watched the complate game this morning rather than just the second half as originally planned.
You would have to be incredibly mean spirited not to acknowledge a string of positives in the US’s win over Brazil. There were precious few weak spots and in cases where isolated mistakes were made they were more than made up for in renewed diligence and concentration.
Seitz made some critical saves and at the group stage looks to be one of the best keepers on show. Centre-back Ofori Sarkdorie started the first two games on the bench and didn’t get his chance until Julian Valentin had to leave thirty minutes into the game against Poland. Sarkdorie has been very impressive as he goes about his job in an unspectacular but effective way.
The two wide players – Sal Zizzo and Robbie Rogers – were excellent particularly in the first half when they managed to get the ball and make deep runs into the Brazilian half of the field. The US had already settled into the game when JozyAltidore scored his first goal after FreddyAdu made a fine tackle 35 yards from the Brazil goal.
The Brazilian defense was caught napping as the ball was turned over and the Red Bulls striker drilled the ball home from 20 yards. Adu was again the architect of the second goal giving sports shows around the globe a highlight moment with his juggle and turn to take two Brazilian defenders out of the play.
Altidore was Jozy-on-the-spot when Adu’s shot deflected to him seven yards out and left unmarked. It took Altidore’s tally to three for the tournament and he joins team mates Szetela and Adu and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero at the top of the goal scorer’s chart.
With his build and strength I’m betting that Altidore has some European scout’s drooling at his potential.
So the USA qualifies as group winner with two wins and a draw – next opponent still unknown but it will be a third place side. I will be in Toronto to see the game next week.
Poland finishes second with four points and a rather bizarre – although it means nothing – of minus 4. Poland’s prize is a game against Argentina which I will also be attending.
Brazil settles for third place in the group and although they are not certain to qualify it looks extremely likely that will survive to fight another day. Chile is a possible opponent in the last sixteen. If Luiz Adriano had scored with a header from what was virtually point blank range with only seconds left he would have guaranteed that Brazil moved on…….it would, however, have meant a Argentina vs. Brazil showdown on Thursday.
Discipline
From FIFA.com – “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has suspended the Brazilian player David Marinho (#4) for 4 matches and fined him CHF 5,000 as a result of an incident during the FIFA U-20 World Cup match between Brazil and Korea Republic on 3 July 2007 in Montreal.
Video evidence of the match shows that in the 65th minute, David Marinho elbowed the Korea Republic player Shin Young Rok (#18), who was admitted to the hospital as a result of the incident.
According to art. 84 a) FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention.
Any suspensions the player cannot serve during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 will be carried over to the team’s subsequent official matches in accordance with art. 38 par. 2 let. b FDC.”
What Canada needs to do to defintetly move on.
Must win and… Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or….. Zambia and Jordan don’t win.
Otherwise it comes down to beaten other three point tems on goal difference,
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
