Tim Vickery on the start of theCopa Libertadorestogether with comments on Chelsea and Birmingham City’s new Argentine recruits.
For all the complaining we have heard about the African Cup of Nations it does not appear to have stopped the majority of Premier clubs from intensely scouting the tournament.
A decision with significant implications for players looking to walk away fromlong term contracts has finally been made.
And Sepp Blatter’s response to the rule that he helped to bring in.
The African Cup of Nations is down to the last eight and fans in Canada will be glad to know that French language broadcaster TV5 will be televising games from the quarter finals on. For others in North America there are internet options including All Soccer Africa.
My viewing to date has been limited to the highlights of each game delivered over the internet so take the predictions with plenty of salt. However, there has been some cracking goals and a couple of good matches. Now that we have reached the last eight here is hoping that the quality is maintained. Two games are scheduled for Sunday and the others on Monday.
Ghana vs. Nigeria Former MLS (Chicago, Colorado and San Jose) striker Junior Agogo has become a bit of a folk hero during this tournament. The consummate journeyman player looks to have finally settled at Nottingham Forest and despite being left out of the 2006 World Cup he seems to have established himself as a regular member of the Ghanaian international squad.
Ghana needed two very late goals (one from Agogo against Namibia) to secure wins in the first two matches before a straight forward 2-0 win over Morocco sealed a quarter final spot.
Although Nigeria could be considered slightly fortunate to qualify from group B they should not be underestimated. A stunning goal from Salomon Kalou was the difference in their opener against Ivory Coast and although a scoreless draw versus Mali was a disappointing result it did leave the door slightly ajar for Nigeria.
Goals finally came Nigeria’s way as Mikel and Yakubu notched second half markers to beat a Benin side that was far out of their depth. Ivory Coast did the rest by refusing the rest on the fact that they had already secured passage to the knock stage and beat Mali 3-0.
Nigeria has a terrific record in the African Cup of Nations since 1984. Out of the thirteen tournaments Nigeria has made it to the final five times while wining once in 1994. On four other occasions they have reached the semi final stage and taken 3rd place each time.
Prediction – Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
Ivory Coast vs. Guinea The FIFA rankings may be suspect at the best of times but even so few soccer fans outside of Africa would be able to name Guinea as the third ranked side on the continent. They may have never made it to the World Cup Finals to date but 2010 may become their first.
This is the third straight time that Guinea has made the last eight in this tournament but any hope of progressing further this time has been severely damaged by the suspension handed to Pascal Feindouno of St. Etienne.
Between qualification games and the first two of the finals the attacking midfielder has scored eight goals in 10 games. However, his double over Morocco was overshadowed by a sending off for violent conduct. A two game ban meant he missed the final group game (a 1-1 draw) against Namibia but more importantly he will also miss the quarter final against Ivory Coast.
The Ivorians can score goals (8 so far) and give little away in defense – only one goal conceded in seven games at the qualifying and finals stages.
Prediction – Ivory Coast 2-0 Guinea
Egypt vs. Angola This might very well be the time of the round with the reigning African Champions facing a 2006 World Cup qualifier that proved tough to break down. Despite winning at home two years ago Egypt was less than impressive during the qualification phase for this edition.
But you would hardly know it based on their opening two games that saw them blow away Cameroon 4-2 and Sudan 3-0. The opportunity to rest Mohamed Zidan was taken in the final game and the resulting 1-1 draw with Zambia was more than enough to see the Champions through as group C winners.
This is the 22nd time that Egypt has appeared in the African finals and five times they have gone on to win the tournament. For a country that has historically done so well regionally only two World Cup appearances in 1934 and 1990 seems meager.
On the other hand their quarter final opponents Angola will be making a first appearance in the last eight and are looking to build on some fine displays in Germany in 2006. At World Cup 2006 the Angolans proved to be exceedingly tough to break down although they were missing a cutting edge up front.
This problem may have now been solved with the emergence of Manucho, a recent Manchester United signing. A converted winger Manucho entered the tournament with two goals in 10 international appearances but has since scored three more. With veteran Flavio also available up front Angola now have a legitimate scoring threat from their front pairing. Angola will also be eager to move deeper into the tournament as they are scheduled to host in 2010.
Prediction – Egypt 2-1 Angola
Tunisia vs. Cameroon Cameroon has bounced back from a first game loss to Egypt and with Samuel Eto’o (5 goals and an African Cup of Nations scoring record) in the side they present a potent threat. With ten goals so far Cameroon is the top scorers in the tournament and a defense record of five conceded has to be placed in the context of four goals lost to Egypt.
Tunisia won the tournament when they hosted four years ago and they have also reached the quarter finals twice and a semi final in their last six tournament appearances. Tunisia is unbeaten with a win over a bitterly disappointing South Africa side and two draws with Angola and Senegal.
Prediction – Tunisia 1-3 Cameroon
For my money the best game of the weekend in Europe is set for Florence where Fiorentina faces a Milan side that desperately want to dislodge the Viola from the fourth spot that they currently occupy. Both clubs are enjoying a fine run of form with Fiorentina having won four straight and Milan with four wins in their last five games.
Milan sits in sixth spot seven points behind Fiorentina but with a game fewer played. While Brazilian teenager Pato has been capturing the headlines with three goals since his debut against Napoli three weeks ago, the much maligned Gilardino has quietly gone about his business and has scored two vital away goals against Udinese and Reggina. Both were game winners and in all Gilardino has scored seven Serie A goals and all have come away from home.
Fiorentina’s game breaker has been Romanian Adrian Mutu. Mutu has rediscovered the form that made him one of the most sought after players in the world and it is surely no coincidence that it has coincided with him reuniting with his old boss from the Parma days Cesare Prandelli.
After being sacked by Chelsea Mutu signed on at Juventus but failed to make a signicant impact. Fiorentina moved in and last season brought 16 goals in 33 Serie A games. This season Mutu has been responsible for close to 40% of Fiorentina’s goal production with thirteen goals in his twenty appearances.
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.
I will heading to the stadium in the next hour or so and I will not be able to "live" blog during the game because of FIFA rules. Feel free to post your thoughts pre-match, match and post game thoughts.
I watched the Spain - Uruguay game again on the plane this morning and the South Americans looked very good in going 2-0 up. But after that they really did show signs of falling apart and I don't think they have come close to playing that well again in the games against Jordan and Zambia.
Based on what I have seen during group play if the USA can control Uruguay's big guns Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez then I can't see how else Uruguay can beat them - with the one proviso that they don't come to the game over confident.
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 USA’s opponents will be the third place finisher from group B (Uruguay), group E (North Korea) or group F (Scotland or Costa Rica). There is 1 permutation out of 15 that it will be Uruguay and seven each that it will be North Korea or Scotland or Costa Rica.
The permutation chances should not be mistaken for probability which at this stage would be far more complicated.
Group B
In the late afternoon games Zambia beat Uruguay 2-0 with both teams playing most of the game with ten men. I had suggested on the FSR last night that the Uruguay Goicoechea was a bit of a disaster and he was sent off in the first half and Zambia scored from the resultant penalty. The keeper miss-kicked and then pulled the Zambia player down.
Zambia had Nyambe sent off for a second yellow card just before half time. A second goal put Zambia well in control and the foul count of 23 to 4 would indicate that Zambia went out to take no prisoners. By finishing second Zambia will play the runner up from group F which will be Japan or Nigeria. Japan holds the edge if these two teams draw tonight and would then play the Czech Republic.
At times Spain made heavy weather of their win over Jordan. They jumped into a three goal lead thanks to a hat trick from Lopez. But Jordan put together a plucky second half and scored a nice goal from Loiv Al Zaideh and a perfectly struck free kick from Abdallah Salim within eight minutes of each other.
The Spanish defense for a time looked like a boxer that had taken one too many on the chin. Spain was forced to bring on Capel and Stephen in an attempt to regain control and it worked as Marcos Garcia gave them a two goal cushion with ten minutes or so to go.
Spain will play Canada or Congo, Portugal or Gambia, or Brazil in the last sixteen.
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.
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 for more than a second.
It took 66 minutes for Canada to get their first attempt on goal and as the game progressed the Canadian got more frustrated with their inability to mount attacks of any consequence. If there were any positives to take out of this game for Canada it would be Begovic in the goal who could not faulted with any of the three Chile goals and at least the Canadians kept working throughout the ninety minutes.
Numerous Chilean players impressed with Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen) and Mathias Vidangossy (Villarreal) the best of the bunch.
Day 2 Wrap Five games and fourteen goals today made for a better day’s football. Although I only caught thirty minutes of the Spain – Uruguay game it looked to be an outstanding match with Diego Capel (Sevilla) scoring a great injury time equalizer that capped a two goal comeback for Spain.
Player of the day was a tougher pick to make than on day 1. Yosuke Kashiwagi was outstanding against Scotland but my player of the day is Mathias Vidangossy of Chile.
Day 3 Three games tomorrow, Austria vs. Congo, Portugal vs. New Zealand and Gambia vs. Mexico.
Update from the Canadian West Coast
Kevin called me from the two games held in Burnaby today – say it quick and it sounds a bit like the home of Real Madrid. The stadium which looked good on TV looked just as good in real-life. The overall organization in and around the stadium was also very good and the spectators were having a good time. The Spain - Uruguay game was particularly well received by the crowd.
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.
Player Updates Brazil’s captain Lucas who was part of the Group D preview is injured and has been replaced by Marcone. Gambia’s Abdourahman Dampha has replaced by Ken Jammeh.
Officials Sent Home Media release issued by FIFA – “On 26 June 2007, the referees selected to officiate matches during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 had, as usual for FIFA competitions, a fitness test to evaluate their speed and endurance. Their performances confirmed their excellent physical condition during this very demanding exercise.
Jerome Damon (RSA), Enock Molefe (RSA), Siphiwo Jibiliza (RSA); Hector Baldassi(ARG), Ricardo Casas (ARG), Walter Velaz (ARG); Leonardo Gaciba (BRA), Altemir Hausmann,(BRA), Roberto Braatz (BRA), were all sent home as one in each trio failed the test.
In one of the steps FIFA has taken to significantly improve refereeing standards, instructions issued to the referees prior to the competition made it clear that entire trios would be forced out of the competition if any of their members failed the fitness test. Consequently, FIFA will replace the departed referees with 3 FIFA Canadian referees who will be acting as 4th officials during this tournament; Steven Depiero (CAN), Silviu Petrescu, (CAN), and Paul Ward (CAN)”.
Officials for first 12 Games Barclay’s Premiership referee Howard Webb will be in charge of the opening game (Poland vs. Brazil) of the tournament. Webb will officiate along with two other Premiership officials Darren Cann (the assistant referee at the centre of the Arsenal Carling Cup Final controversy) and Michael Mullarkey.
The USA opener against South Korea will be officiated by Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) assisted by Roberto Giron (Honduras) and Daniel Williamson (Panama). An all-Spanish crew has been allotted Canada’s opening game against Chile. Mallenco Undiano, Fermin Matrinez and Juan Carlos Jimenez Yuste will take charge.
An USA crew consisting of Terry Vaughn, Chris Strickland and George Gansner with Canadian Silviu Petrescu have drawn the Jordan vs. Zambia game on Sunday in Burnaby.
Internet Broadcast FIFA announced on Thursday that all 52 games of the under-20 World Cup will be available over the internet to a wide-array of European countries. Highlights, goals and other features will also be accessible at the official FIFA site.
Ticket Sales Ticket sales are now approaching 1,000,000.
Group B (Vancouver, Victoria) Spain, Uruguay, Jordan and Zambia
Spain is the class of this group and should progress comfortably. The European Champions have skill at every position and a top four finish is a strong possibility.
Coach Gines Melendez won the European under-17 title in 2003 and some of the same players will be with him in Canada. Juan Mata and Alberto Bueno (Real Madrid) can both create and score goals with midfield club mate Javi Garcia running the show in midfield. In defence, Gerard Pique has spent the last season on loan at Real Zaragoza from Manchester United and is normally rock solid.
Mata has been with Real Madrid since he turned 15. He scored a hat trick against Turkey in European qualifying and has drawn comparisons with Real Madrid captain Raul. He is described as possessing excellent vision with a beautiful left foot and an ability to play equally effectively on either side of the attack or through the centre. Spain plays their opening game against Uruguay.
Uruguay made it to the finals by finishing third in South American qualifying. The 1997 runners-up will look to defender Martin Caceres (Defensor Sporting) and striker Edinson Cavani (Danubio). Some considered Caceres the best defender at the South American tournament although it was noted that he had problems with “physically powerful strikers”. He is also described as quick, hard and adept at bringing the ball out of defence. He has been linked with a summer transfer to Villarreal of La Liga.
Edison Cavani scored seven goals for Uruguay in Paraguay and can finish well with either foot and is also strong in the air. Uruguay can be expected to play a 4-3-3 system.
Jordan pulled off a shock win over China in the quarter final of Asian qualifying in order to qualify. All the Jordanian squad is home based which calls into question their overall experience. Midfielder Addallah Salim and striker Loiy Al Zaideh are reputed to be the two players to watch out for.
Zambia grabbed the final African qualifying place after beating Egypt and Cameroon along the way. It will be Zambia’s second appearance at the under-20 finals. The first game for Zambia is critical in that they will be facing the other group outsiders Jordan.
Team Notes Desmond writes to say that we should keep an eye on Fwayo Tembo, Sebastian Mwansa, Cliff Mulenga and Simmon Lupiya of Zambia.
And staying with Zambia, last Monday a Richmond City youth team got a real thrill when they proved the opposition for a warm-up game against the Zambians. The score finished up 10-0 but the crowd on hand and the Richmond players will probably be cheering a bit louder for Zambia when Group B qualifying kicks off on Sunday.
Canada received a boost on Tuesday when Simeon Jackson was granted Canadian citizenship. Jackson plays for Rushden and Diamonds on the Nationwide Conference in England. The Rushden and Diamonds site will be keeping track of the youngster’s progress at the Under-20 World Cup.
The planned friendly between New Zealand and Toronto FC has been cancelled as it would have contravened FIFA Under-20 regulations.
Portugal has been allowed to replace the injured Amaury Bischoff with Zezinando. The same right has been granted to Japan. Toru Hasegawa has been replaced by Kazushige Kirihata.
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) 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.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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