42' NZL Lochead (YC)
50' SVK Vittek
60' SVK Strba (YC)
90'+3' NZL Reid
90+4' NZL Reid (YC)
A rather drab game, mostly because these two sides don't have any flair. A fairly fundamentally sound game, neither side looked in command or generating many opportunities. However the real treat of this game was the first injury time goal, with Wilson Reid netting a stunning equalizer in the final minute of stoppage time.
NZ Verdict: No one really expecting anything out of the Kiwis, and they netted their first World Cup goal to boot. A point is more than many people expecting from this side, and rightfully so. As a rugby nation, New Zealand is rather out of place. Don't expect much more from the All Whites though, they don't have it in their squad.
SVK Verdict: Even thought this was their first world cup appearance in their relatively short history, Slovakia was in command of most of this game, despite a goal from an offside position. A rather disappointing performance though, since many have pegged Slovakia to advance from this group.
Man of the Match: Winston Reid (NZ)
Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
7' CIV Zokora (YC)
20' CIV Demel (YC)
20' POR Ronaldo (YC)
Despite all the attacking prowess between these two nations, this was a rather drab game where opportunities were few and far between. Neither keeper was really challenged, and the best opportunity came from a 35 yard rocket from Cristiano Ronaldo that practically broke the goalpost. The attitude going into this game prior to the start was that both teams would lose to Brazil and beat North Korea, and whoever won would advance and in the case of a draw whoever lost to Brazil by less and beat North Korea by more would advance. (I'll get to that in a moment)
CIV Verdict: Cote D'Ivoire looked a little lost without Drogba, but I thought they looked like a very formidable side. The Elephants are always a fast team, and with the full recovery they should be even stronger. Dindane and Kalou can't make for his play, but they were good enough to buy some time. I was also very impressed by the Toure brothers.
POR Verdict: Portugal has far too many starts to have played that poorly. They had their moments, the defense held the line, and Ronaldo is simply Ronaldo, but Carlos Querioz should never have started Danny ahead of Simao. that was just dumb. It should be very interesting to watch these two teams duke it out for control of their goal differences.
Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
Brazil 2-1 North Korea
54' BRA Maicon
72' BRA Elano
88' BRA Ramires (YC)
89' PRK Ji
What should have been a massacre turned out to be a very intriguing game, where the Brazilians didnt look like themselves and the North Koreans played out of their skin. The famed Selecao under Dunga (who has come under fire, and now what looks like for good reason), looked lost against the 5-3-2 of the Cholima. Brazil finally broke the barrier from a spectualar run by Maicon and again on a through ball to Elano (though the DPRK 'keeper made some rather ignominous blunders to allow the Brazlilans to score). The DPRK managed to pull one back on a fantastic counter-attack coolly finished by Ji. Jong Tae-Se, the North Korean's "star" (a.k.a. "The Asian Wayne Rooney") had a few good looks, but when it came down to when it mattered, he was absolutely dismal. Trying to live up to his vow of a goal a game, he took impossible shots from bad angles when he was in open space and could have created chances for his teammates.
BRA Verdict: Mighty Brazil, indeed. Never have I seen Brazil so lackluster. So much for the coveted Brazilian creativity. I know Dunga has changed the style to a more fundamentally sound style, but the Brazilians failed to adapt to the what they were up against, which is shocking given how much experience is in that squad. Their two goals were marvellous, but were the sole bright spots save for Robinho and the man of the match, Maicon. Kaka once again failed to impress, just as he failed to do this past year at Real Madrid. They might be numerically ahead, but unless they shape up, the Brazilians may not advance with two difficult games against Ivory Coast and Portugal.
PRK Verdict: Despite not knowing what cell phones are, the Cholima played very well, far beyond anyone's (except maybe the Glorious Leader) expectations. The goal keeper was their absolute weak link, failing to really deal with anything, being out of position for Maicon's goal, and not charging on the through ball to Elano. Other than him, I have no complaints with the Korean squad at all, save for maybe they played too defensively at times, but in a 5-3-2, what else are you to do? Their next two matches should be very fun to watc. Hopefully they haven't burned out and they can give their countries people something to look up to.
Man of the Match: Maicon (BRA)
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