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Maicon: Best goal of the WC2010 so far
The first round of World Cup matches has been completed and it is fair to say that the tournament is yet to explode into life.
The first game of any tournament is likely to be cagey as no team wishes to lose their opening match and the fear of losing becomes bigger than the desire to win. This creates the situation where caution becomes the major tactic and fans are left crying out for shots on goal.
That said, there have still been some great moments already with the World Cup ball and the vuvuzela taking criticism from near enough everyone involved in the World Cup. As the action swings into the second round of group games, these are some of the games where we hope the action will start to hot up in South Africa.
On Friday evening, England take on Algeria in a game they really must win. England should have enough about them to defeat the African nation but after a disappointing draw against the United States of America, the English team cannot take anything for granted.
In all fairness, England were by far the better team against America but a horrendous blunder by Robert Green from a weak Clint Dempsey ensured the points were shared. It certainly wasn't easy being green on Saturday night and things were looking good for England after Steven Gerrard blasted them into an early lead.
Algeria know they will need to take something from the English match after their 1-0 defeat to Slovenia, with another goalkeeping blunder to blame. The line-ups for both teams will be scrutinised and it will be interesting to see if both of the blundering keepers will retain their spot on Friday night. If they do, it's probably the only thing they'll have been able to hold onto this week.
Algeria may be an unknown quantity but many British viewers will recognise Madjid Bougherra, the Rangers' centre-half. Bougherra turned into another perplexing performance against Slovenia, drifting all over the park wherever he felt. If he was given a roaming commission then fair play to the defender for following tactics but if he wasn't, he was risking his teams solidity at the back.
In the limited number of games already played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, one of the best performances came from Germany in their 4-0 dismantling of Australia.
The sending-off of Tim Cahill may have aided the Germans and considered harsh by some, although the ref was likely following FIFA orders but the European side were always in control. From very early on, Joachim Low's side took control of the match and imposed themselves on their rivals. Early strikes from Podolski and Klose had the game finished as a contest by half-time and Germany will be looking to book their spot in the knock-out round as quickly as possible.
Standing in their way will be Serbia who stupidly lost to Ghana in their opening match. We say stupidly because of the handball that gave the Ghanians a penalty kick was not necessary at all. The Serbian defender will likely be having nightmares about his decision for a long time to come but it was good to see an African nation take all three points in the opening games. The Ghana fans, like so many from their continent, turned out in huge numbers and brought a great atmosphere to the game. Ghana will be hoping to continue their winning streak against Australia on Saturday.
Sunday is a big game for the pre-tournament favourites with Italy facing New Zealand and then in the evening game, Brazil facing the Ivory Coast. Italy started sluggishly against Paraguay but bounced back to take a point. Many people will say this is typical Italy and it is not a surprise to see them start their campaign in this manner.
The current World Cup holders may have to do without goalkeeper Buffon for the rest of the tournament after he picked up a back injury but the strong defensive line the Italians hold should help out whoever is between the sticks.
Italy face a New Zealand side buoyed by taking their first ever point at the World Cup. An injury time equaliser against Slovakia gave the All-Whites a vital point in the battle to finish second. All of the teams in this group are now on one point after one match so any victory in the second round of fixtures could be crucial to sealing a knock-out round place.
Brazil took a while to get going against North Korea and many fans were shocked with a 0-0 score line. It took a wonder strike, or a fluke depending on your point of view from full back Maicon to break the deadlock.
Elano added a second for Brazil which sees them out clear in their group. This is because the Ivory Coast and Portugal drew 0-0 in the group that has been labelled The Group Of Death. Brazil know that if they can beat the African nation they will be assured of their place in the knock-out stages. There is a feeling that you can't have a World Cup without Brazil and they are likely to go far in the tournament.
One favourite who got off to a shocking start was Spain who were defeated 1-0 by Switzerland. The current European Championship winners were tipped by many as potential winners but they will need to bounce back quickly against Honduras on Monday. Honduras are also on 0 points after their opening game which saw them lose to Chile, leaving Chile and Switzerland as the pace setters in their group and both teams a victory will leave them on 6 points and looking good.
Now that the opening games are out of the way, it is likely that the teams will be able to settle down and put on their best. Then again, the teams that lost their opening game will know that they have to win this match or their World Cup is likely to be over before it has really begun. This is where the 2010 South African World Cup starts to get interesting.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
