After sixteen straight days of football we have a two-day break before the semifinals get underway. A chance perhaps to indulge in some observations?
In terms of entertainment and quality this edition of the European Championships far exceeds what was on show four years ago. It’s on par with 2000 but the latter stages of the tournament in Netherlands and Belgium had two fantastic extra time games and one that was not unlike the Spain and Italy (except this time Italy supposedly played with 11 men for the full 120 minutes) game yesterday. The last three games of Euro 2008 will decide where it will ultimately sit in the list of great tournaments.
And that partially segues to the fallout from the last quarterfinal match. Contrasting the column inches and tone of blog posts emanating from North America dedicated to Russia versus Netherlands against Italy versus Spain makes interesting reading and may give an indication of how far the game still has to go in these parts.
It seems to me that more effort has been dedicated to trashing the Italy - Spain game than celebrating and reveling in the quality of the play and the spectacle that was Russia versus the Netherlands.
There are far too many posters and writers overly concerned about the reaction from non-soccer fans and sportswriters in North America. It is if a multitude of North American soccer fans/bloggers/posters decided after yesterday’s game to strap on the cilices and whip themselves bloody before the soccer-haters of North America even had a chance to mobilize.
It is a reaction of a bullied child that would opt to inflict self administered pain rather than allowing the bully the pleasure. It is also the reaction that does nothing to grow the game in North America. It was a poor game yesterday - you get them from time to time and not only in soccer. That’s just the way it is and self-flagellation isn’t going to change anything.
Celebrate the great, praise the beautiful, rejoice that on occasion we get to enjoy 120 minutes of footballing heaven the likes of which we were privileged to see on Saturday. No one every grew anything worthwhile by wallowing in the negative and when you respond to soccer-haters gripes all you are doing at best is reinforcing the darkside. At worst it runs the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy.
As group winners Portugal, Croatia and Netherlands fell at the first knockout stage you could hear a rising crescendo of “it’s not fair.” Perhaps it’s not fair, but there is nothing that grants a right to go on and win a tournament just because a team starts well.
Tournament play is about pacing, peaking at the right time and taking advantage of the breaks when they come your way. You don’t get bonus points for artistic impression, going unbeaten in the group stage or even qualifying after only two games.
You only have to glance at the history of major tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Championships to see how difficult it is to lead from start to finish (as it is in any competition in any sport). Now and again a country will come along and be able to pull off such a remarkable achievement.
Performances by the likes of Brazil in 1958 and 1970, and France in 1984 are extremely unusual and it is easier to find examples of teams burning intensely in the early stages but flaming out spectacularly while failing to reach their overall goal.
Hungary (1954), Netherlands (1974), Italy (1978), Denmark (1986), Spain multiple times, and the daddy of them all Brazil in 1982 played memorable football in the early going only to fail in the later stages.
Comment(s) of the Day “Previously, Daneiele de Rossi and Alessandro Di Natale had failed for Italy, while Daniel Guiza, of Italy, also had his effort saved.” –Kevin McCarra in the Guardian.
Now that I have seen that it can happen to the best I don’t feel so bad about Fernando Cannavaro!
It was later corrected to read - “Previously Daniele de Rossi and Alessandro Di Natale had failed for Italy, while Daniel Güiza, of Spain, also had his effort saved,” but as of this morning Antonio was still being referred to as Alessandro.
“European football has been at a crossroads for some time but the dull, negative style that won the championship for Greece four years ago – and let's be honest propelled Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final and to a lesser extent served Scotland well in their qualifying group – has been found wanting in the face of a new dawn.
Manchester United showed the way at club level by winning in Moscow and at least four of the quarter-finalists in the current tournament have also seen the light. If ever a tournament has rekindled our enthusiasm for the beautiful game and provided a hopeful vision of the future, this has been it. If we are honest, we must also admit that this vision has been helped by the fact that the home nations were not there to cloud the view.” – Pat Nevin in the Scotsman on Sunday.
Prediction Update With three games to go here is a list of the top fifteen. *Indicates no countries left.
Netherlands Antilles 0-1 Haiti Haiti wins 1-0 on aggregate.
Cuba 4-0 Antigua and Barbuda Cuba wins 8-3 on aggregate.
Guyana 1-2 Suriname Suriname wins 3-1 on aggregate.
Barbados 0-1 United States United States win 9-0 on aggregate.
Costa Rica 3-0 Grenada Costa Rica wins 5-2 on aggregate.
Mexico 7-0 Belize Mexico wins 9-0 on aggregate.
St. Lucia 1-3 Guatemala Guatemala wins 9-1 on aggregate.
Canada 4-1 St Vincent & Grenadines Canada wins 7-1 on aggregate.
You can find the make-up of the groups for the next stage by following the link.
It is poorly laid out but it is supposed to indicate three groups of four with the the top two moving onto a final group round. The top three will qualify and the fourth place side finisher will play-off against the fifth team from South America.
At the 2006 World Cup Germany
threw off the chains of decades of highly effective but mind-numbing play to become
one of the most entertaining teams in the tournament. Today they reverted to old habits and
produced an uninspiring but all the same, winning performance.
Apart from both coaches
being sent to the stands the only memorable moment of the first forty-five
minutes was a miss by Gomez of Kanuesque proportions. Klose fed him a pass that
put him in front of an open goal and no more than four yards out.
Gomez contrived
to sand wedge the ball up in the air and as it spun towards the goal an
Austrian defender recovered and headed clear unchallenged. Surely the miss of
the tournament.
It is no secret that Gomez is struggling badly but it is to the point that it is cruel and unusual punishment to keep him on the field. Lowe apparently likes a more physical forward up front with Klose and that has been one of the reasons to pull Podolski deeper into midfield.
However, the Podolski move has compounded the problem because the Bayern Munich player has fitted in nicely in midfield while also scoring goals. Sticking with Gomez in the next round would be a vote of confidence bordering on the foolhardy.
Fritz and Frings (sounds like a Vegas lounge act) both had nightmare games and were constantly battling to control passes and to find team mates. Any coordinated threat from
Germany in the first half came with Lahm and Podolski linking down the left
side. And it was through a surging run from Lahm that Germany took the lead just into the second half.
Ivanschitz
sliced down the little full back as he threatened to break into the penalty and
set up a free kick 30 yards out. The ball was touched to Ballack who thumped a
shot passed Macho and was still rising as it hit the back of the Austrian net. It
was the one moment of pure class throughout the entire ninety minutes.
As the game went on a lack
of telling passes in the last third of the field allowed both defences to remain
comfortably in control through weight of numbers. Although Austria continued to
push forward they just did not the conviction or skill to both manufacture and
take a chance that might have changed the flow of the game. Germany had a
number of chances on the counter but they often looked dazed and confused and
nothing came of the numerous opportunities.
Germany win ugly and move
on: Austria finishes above Poland but go out albeit having exceeded the low expectations.
Croatia 1-0 Poland
Ivan Klasnic scored what
must surely be the most personally emotional goal to maintain Croatia’s 100%
record. Klasnic who underwent kidney transplants in the last two years and still
fought his way back into the national team scored the only goal. Given that he
has also been released by his club Werder Bremen in Germany the goal will not
have gone unnoticed by teams looking for a proven striker.
Portugal vs. Germany on
Thursday; Croatia vs. Turkey on Friday.
Comment of the Day “The Austro-Swiss flop is the first in what may be a sequence of poor performances by host nations in European and world tournaments. World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa have slipped down the rankings in African football over the past few years and suffered another embarrassing defeat, away to Sierra Leone, in an African Nations Cup qualifier yesterday.
Even if they get a helpful draw in two years' time they may struggle to advance. In 2012, the European championship will be jointly staged by Ukraine, who have qualified for only one major tournament since gaining independence, and Poland who have disappointed at Euro 2008 just as they did at the last two World Cups.” – When Saturday Comes.
Prediction Update We have eleven posters with a 100% record (8 points from a possible 8) at the completion of Group A.
Matthew 21110, Anti-Madridista, Sleeper000, Sangria, Soundersfan, SMuAnNuNy, Genuisatwork, TBoone, Willisman, realmadrista123, and Milanfan21 all nailed the exact finishing positions.
However, we already know that no one will have a 100% record once group play is complete.
But given that the winners of Group B, C and D are already decided I can tell you that we have three posters who got all four group winners spot on. LHJS, Soundersfan and frenchies.
Looks as if Soundersfan is the one to beat. I’ll try to update at the conclusion of each group.
Tiebreaker In Canada TSN and Rogers Sportsnet are sharing the coverage of Euro 2008. It is just as well that they haven't had to pay each viewer a dollar every time they have gotten the tiebreaker rule wrong over the last five days.
The latest faux pas just before the start of Group A play yesterday when we were informed (paraphrased) that if the Czechs won big and Portugal lost big then the Czechs could finish top of Group A on goal difference.
CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Yesterday’s later games brought another couple of surprise results. Trinidad and Tobago lost 2-1 at home to Bermuda while Haiti was held scoreless at home by Netherlands Antilles. The ####mp;T score potentially impacts the next round of games for the USA as the qualification format moves to three groups of four.
Canada opposition in the next stage is a mere formality. Honduras has already qualified while Mexico has a 2-0 lead to take home against Belize. Jamaica won 7-0 against the Bahamas and will surely move on. After this weekend’s results the idea that the next stage of qualifying might be prove to the biggest hurdle for Canada to clear has only been reinforced.
The results and the format to the next stage can be found by clicking on the link.
MeanSucka - I know I may be late on this one - what do you think of Michael Owen saying that the England need to rethink psychological preparation for matches: "When fear takes over, you start to do things wrong and take the easy option which in our case is lumping the ball forward to the front men. I’m not absolving myself from blame… What must be addressed as much as anything is our psychological preparations."
Do you suspect that McClaren was playing a DVD of Shrek to motivate the team?
Bobby – As late as a Robbie Savage challenge. I think Owen has a point. The way England plays at times it does look like they are racked with fear. But fear can be generated from a number of sources and having a manager who was indecisive and seemed more concerned about his image would not have helped.
CIAO - Here is to MILAN!!! I hope they prove Marcotti wrong! Haven't writers yet learned not to write off Italians?
Bobby – I guess it stings more when it as an Italian writer writing off Milan.
CIAO - Can you please give us your early predictions for the EURO 2008?
Bobby – It is far too early to start looking at a crystal ball. I’ll keep my thoughts until next summer.
Getz76 - Is Sam Allardyce in trouble? I am completely indifferent on the topic and to me it looks like they are performing much like they were last season; was he expected to get to European competition in the first season?
Bobby – Yes. Newcastle fans are so frustrated after years of false dawns and a revolving manager’s door that they do probably have unrealistic expectations. However, having unrealistic expectations is one thing but I think you nailed it with your comment “to me it looks like they are performing much like they were last season.” With the money that has been spent – again – and to see a team that is no better must be soul-destroying.
CIAO - So I just search the World Cup in Wikipedia. 1930 was the first WC. Won by Uruguay, runner up was Argentina. Third place it listed as USA and 4th Yugoslavia. Is this correct? Was the US really 3rd?
Bobby – It was a thirteen tournament with one group of four and three groups of three. The USA was drawn in pool IV along with Paraguay and Belgium. The USA beat both 3-0. They lost 6-1 to Argentina in the semi final although they were only losing 1-0 at the half and conceded three goals in the last nine minutes of the match. I can’t find any record of a third place game so it they finished third it might have been due to a better goal average than Yugoslavia who had also lost 6-1 to Uruguay in the other semi.
European representation was limited to France, Yugoslavia, Romania, and Belgium – even at that they only decided to travel less than two months before the tournament. However, it would be unfair to make too much out of the few European teams that travelled given that Argentina and Uruguay had also contested the Olympic Final in ’28. Uruguay won both finals. The European teams that were missed the most were probably Austria, Scotland and England.
According to “The Story of the World Cup” by Brian Glanville (a book that every fan of international football would enjoy) the USA was actually seeded top in their pool. To quote Glanville – “At this time there was still professional football of a sort in the States, the rump of the attempt by such as Bethlehem Steel to put sports on its feet in the 1920s. The American team managed by Jack McColl of Brooklyn Wanderers, was made up largely of British and Scots pros: Alec Wood, James Gallacher, Andrew Auld, James Brown and Bart McGhee from Scotland, George Moorhouse from England. They were powerfully-built men whom the French players nicknamed the “shot-putters”.”
Gregz-Q1. Jamaica rehired Rene Simoes to try to recapture the '98 glory? Won't it be harder for him this time around? Q2. Which country from the CONCACAF region do you see having a good chance of qualifying for WC 2010 other than Mexico and the United States of course.
Bobby – Q1. I think it will be harder this time around. Greater expectations, CONCACAF is probably stronger than 10 years ago and they have a tough qualifying group.
Q2 Based on past performances you would have to give Costa Rica a nod as one of the countries with an excellent chance. On paper Honduras as a good squad but they have a habit of folding under pressure. Canada is in with a shout but they need to win at home and hope that a few of their more creative and attacking players stay healthy.
Milan4Ever - Is it just me or are there a lot more own goals being scored in football these days? Could it be because of the increased pace of the game or the extra pressure on defenders? or maybe even both..?
Bobby – Good question and the answer is yes and no. I went back to the last two seasons and compared the average goals scored in six of Europe’s domestic leagues with the average so far this season.
Here are the statistics by country and season (2008, 2007 and 2006).
England (2.66, 2.45, 2.48) Italy (2.52, 2.55, 2.61) Spain (2.68, 2.48, 2.46) France (2.24, 2.25, 2.13) Germany (2.76, 2.74, 2.81) Holland (3.19, 2.99, 2.98)
In some cases there are more goals being scored but in others less. There is nothing to indicate that any systemic type change leading to more goals is underway. What you might be seeing is more blow outs than normal. For example the Portsmouth/Reading and Everton/Sunderland games have increased the goal average by 0.10 based on these two results alone.
Pgaijar - Fantastic hearing about the development of football in India, earlier this year in January I was in India, and was surprised by the amount of cricket Indians watched. They took days off to watch a test match, and hopefully in the years to come India will embrace footy just as much as cricket. But one thing troubles me Bobby do you think corruption which has disrupted much of the development in India will cause problems?
Bobby – It doesn’t seem to have affected FIFA so India should be ok.
Indahaeri - There is an interesting story in Inter-Milan that is under the surface. It looks to me that there is lack of cooperation between Ibrahimovic and the new attackers that Inter signed this year.
As I watched the second half of Inter and Fiorentina this past weekend, I saw terse statements exchanged by Ibrahimovic and Suazo. I also see that Ibrahimovic seems to intentionally play better with Cruz than either with new big signings - Suazo or the Argentinian. I saw several times in that game when Ibrahimovic delayed passes to Suazo or slowed down leaving Suazo to hold the ball longer than supporting him (when Suazo had the ball).
Bobby – Ibrahimovic has always been a prickly character. I have trouble believing that a player intentionally plays better (or worse) depending on who he is playing with. Who is the big Argentine signing?
Craigy_f - Favour if you could; I have a point to prove - check out my Liverpool v Bolton game summary and give some indication of (in your opinion) of it's veracity and bias. You can just laugh at the second one!
Bobby – Let’s just say that you can’t be accused of seeing things through red-tinted glasses.
Wiegs9 – I was wondering if there are certain experience, successes or personality traits which might suggest someone would be good int'l manager for a bigger nation like Scotland, England or Ireland? I ask b/c it seems like success at a club doesn't necessarily equate to int'l success, though I wondered if you had seen any trends. Thanks!
Bobby – I don’t think there is necessarily an identikit that can be constructed as there will always be exceptions. But successful international managers tend to be older (check past winners of the World Cup and Euros) and have enjoyed some success at the club level.
The other international manager niche is coaches who graduate through the national system (working with age group teams) and work their way into a job after building trust along the way with players, the media, and the national associations. Media savvy is critical, as is the ability to get on with club managers.
Ulsterson – I didn't get to watch the game yesterday (Work) so I was hoping someone could tell me why Evra was subbed in the 47th?
Bobby – It was reported as illness.
Henry14 - Q1 Don't you feel that Jose is a risk , okay the media wants him to be paid $12m and won't it be a risk that he is given a job and Barca, then and scoop him when the fa is sending money on his blue print of facilities and before World Cup.
Q2 Tottenham could be in bottom half by February, if you look at their fixture list what do you make of that fact.
Q3 Liverpool are playing well do you see them challenging for the title given they still have to go to Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd. and they lost all those games
Bobby – 1. Find me a manager who is a sure thing.
2. As so could three quaters of the Premiership.
3. I said at the beginning of the season that I could see a four-horse race and I stick by that.
Henry14 - Milan are a poor side.
Bobby – Perhaps but remember the same or similar was said last season around this time and they finished up as the Champions of Europe.
You can find the draw information by federation tucked away near the bottom right hand corner of the page . As I mentioned at the end of the show last night it is seems curious that UEFA seeding is based on the FIFA rankings from November 2007.
Concacaf however, has opted to use May 2007 which is prior to this past summer’s Gold Cup. Anyone smell a rat? (Africa is using July 2007).
Country (May-Nov) Mexico 1-1 USA 2-2 Costa Rica 3-7 Honduras 4-3 Panama 5-5* Trinidad & Tobago 6-10 Jamaica 7-12 Cuba 8-8 Haiti 9-5* Guatemala 10-13 Canada 11-4 Guyana 12-11 St Vincent & Gren. 13-9
* tied for 5th. (Should the tie breaker not have been the respective penalty kick shoot out records?)
I’ve never put any credence into the FIFA World rankings but if there are to be used for seeding purposes surely then the most current version should be used.
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.
Sergio Aguero will garner the headlines but there was much to admire in Argentina’s overall performance and their 3-1 win over Poland. With the second half only seconds old Aguero flicked to ball up and over the Polish defender, pivoted and deposited the ball past Bialkowski.
Aguero’s second of the game, with only five minutes remaining, was another for the highlight reel as he took the ball past the keeper in Romario-style (around the 400 goal mark not the thousand) and rolled the ball over the line.
The first goal from Argentina that pegged the Poles back to 1-1 was simply spectacular. Banega who was the source of such much creative play in the Argentine midfield started the play ten yards inside his own half. The ball eventually reached little Moralez the other side of the halfway line and he proceeded to skin four Polish defenders. Given the outcome the last defender must have regretted pulling out of a tackle which would have stopped the Argentine number 17 but would have likely led to a yellow card.
On Moralez went playing a one-two that he then picked up in the penalty box before squaring to Di Maria who scored. Moralez operated just behind the front two and his pace and dribbling skills were a constant menace to Poland.
Eight minutes before Dawid Janczyk had put the Poles into the lead after the Argentine defense was caught ball watching. Was it offside? Perhaps, but it was an extremely close call and Argentina did not appeal the decision.
Poland was a worthy opponent and tackled ferociously but fairly most of time and Janczyk’s sending off in the last seconds of the game was more due to frustration than any malicious intent.
Argentina moves on and awaits Mexico or Congo in the quarter final.
As a post-script fifteen minutes after the game the Argentina fans are holding an impromptu celebration in the north end of BMO Field that looks as if it is going to continue for a good while.
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.
The evening started at supper time with Mexico vs. Chile in the Copa America. The scoreless draw guaranteed that Chile moves on. In turn, that means that Brazil needs only needs one point from their game against Ecuador to move into the last eight.
Ecuador needs to win 2-0 to stand any chance of qualifying for the last eight while the USA’s remote chance of making past the group stage is even more unlikely than it was before this evening. (Warning - if you are taping the Brazil – Ecuador game don’t read to the end of the blog!)
I switched games with around half an hour left in the Mexico game and moved to Japan against Costa Rica in the FIFA under-20 World Cup. With five games also going on in MLS tonight there is no shortage of games to keep up with.
The Japan – Costa Rica match was largely disappointing with Japan unable to show the same jump that was on show against Canada on Sunday. Japan still had the better of the first half but failed to create many clear cut chances. It was Costa Rica’s Steven Perez missed the best chance of the first half when he turned the Japanese defender but shot wide with only the keeper to beat.
The only game of the game came with around a quarter of the game left. Japan was able to work Umesaki clear on the left side of the penalty box and he delivered a perfect feed to Tanaka who had to only redirect the ball into the net from four yards out.
As fulltime beckoned the Ticos’ attacks grew more desperate and only a fine save from Japanese keeper Hayashi with a minute or so left ensured that his side moved into the last sixteen with two straight wins.
Just as he did in the game against Scotland full back Michihiro Yasuda caught the eye with his runs forward and raking cross field passes. We have yet to see how strong he is defensively because after two games he has not been tested.
Then it was over to Brazil vs. Ecuador. Put it this way – the half time highlights could have been dumped and nothing much missed. When a goal finally came early in the second half it was probably fitting that it came from a penalty kick which was awarded after Robinho went looking for an Ecuadorian leg to follow in the box.
The game played out with little else in terms of goal scoring chances and Brazil turned in another stuttering performance. The USA can no longer qualify for the last eight and has only pride to play for tomorrow against Colombia.
Scotland and Nigeria is next.
Tournament Notes
From FIFA.com, “Argentina's 4 goals in 7 minutes against Panama is a record in any FIFA U-20 competition. In previous matches Brazil have managed twice, in 1997, to score 4 goals in 9 minutes. Firstly in their 10-3 win against Korea Republic. Adailton took the score to 2:0 in the 30th minute and to 5:0 by the 39th. The second time, in the same tournament, was in their 10-0 win against Belgium. Roni scored in the 78th minute, Adailton in the 82nd, Alex in the 85th, and Junior in the 87th. Mexico also scored four goals in ten minutes in 1977 against Tunisia (6:0) as did Chile against Honduras in 2005 (7:0).”
“With three goals against Poland, USAs Freddy Adu is the only player to have scored a hattrick in both FIFA youth tournaments. Adu also scored 3 goals on 14 August 2003 in their 6-1 win against Korea Republic in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Coincidentally both matches ended with the same result”.
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.
Gambia and Mexico put on a great display of football in what was, in my opinion, the best game of the FIFA under-20 World Cup so far. Although started the game more strongly than their African opponents it did not take long for Gambia to find their feet.
If it wasn’t for Mexico’s keeper Blanco, Gambia might have led at half time. Blanco pulled off two terrific saves to make sure that when half time arrived the game would still be scoreless.
Gambia started the second half as they had finished the first and when Mexico took the lead it was against the run of play. As a loose ball bounced on the left edge of the Gambian penalty box Giovanni Dos Santos pivoted a cracked a left shot past keeper Joe Gomez and into the roof of the net. A great and unexpected strike from Dos Santos, who had been up to that point in the game, restricted to a single shot.
Still Gambia pushed forward as the team teams traded attacks but after Mexico scored a second goal with a little over twenty minutes left there was no way back for the Gambians. The second goal was scored by defender Moreno but only after the first three Mexican attempts had hit the post, been cleared off the line and parried by the goalkeeper.
Although Gambia continued to push forward it was with less conviction. And given the critical importance of goal difference in deciding the best third place finishers it may turn out to be the most pragmatic course of action.
As the Gambian legs grew tired Mexico scored a third to put them top of the group. Javier Hernandez had come into the game as a late substitute and after running across the Gambian defence he was able to roll the ball into an empty net.
Here’s hoping that the third goal does not come back to haunt Gambia. The tournament could do with their spirit and commitment to attacking football in the knock out rounds.
Stand outs for Mexico were Dos Santos (based on his goal alone) and Villaluz. Gambia got great performances from defender Pierre Gomez, Bojang and Jallow.
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.
Canada huffed and puffed but they could make no impression on a vastly superior Chile side. Chile was fleeter-of-foot, quicker-of-mind and dominated Canada in every area of the field.
With flicks, one-two’s, nutmegs, faints and dribbles Chile put on an exhibition for a full house at BMO Field (or the National Soccer Stadium as it is referred to during this tournament).
There was never a point in the game when Canada was able to hold the ball for any extended period of time – as Chile showed poise and patience on the ball, Canada treated it as if it was part of a pass-the-parcel game with punishment forthcoming if they held on to it fo
