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Knock-Out Round at The World Cup

There were worries about the opening games of the World Cup and many had concerns that the tournament was going to be dull. Now that the knock-out games have started taking shape, everyone has breathed a sigh of relied and started enjoying the tournament. When games start meaning something, the tension and drama starts to build and the excitement takes care of itself. Big name France are already home and there may be one or two more joining them before the week is over.

Diego Forlan in Great Form

The first game of the knock-out round features Uruguay playing South Korea on Saturday afternoon and the South American side have looked good up until now. Okay, they were the only team in Group A that couldn't beat France but they looked good. And in Diego Forlan, Uruguay have a striker in a rich vein of form.

Even before he arrived in South Africa, Forlan grabbed the winner in the Europa League final against Fulham and he has taken this goal-scoring form into the South African World Cup. Uruguayan hopes will be pinned on the Athletico Madrid forward adding to his two goals so far. 7 points in 3 games means the South American side are undefeated in the group stages and deservedly topped Group A.

Facing them in the knock-out round will be the runners-up from Group B, South Korea. With Argentina picking up all nine points in the group, the runner up spot was very much up for grabs and it was not decided until the final whistle of Tuesday's games.

South Korea won one, lost one and drew one which means their 2-0 victory over Greece was their key game. This came on the second day of the tournament and there was only one team involved in this match. Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng helped to control the midfield and ensured there were constant chances being created for the front men. The South Koreans looked out of their depth against Argentina but rallied against Nigeria to claim the second spot.On the showing so far, you would have to think that Uruguay will have enough about them to knock out their Asian rivals but with the shocks that have occurred so far in the 2010 World Cup, it would take a brave betting man or woman to rule South Korea out yet.

England Face Old Foes

If you believe the fans and media in England, the three Lions were close to going out but time and time again, England have managed to get a result when they need it most.

Two draws in their opening two matches left England really needing to win against Slovenia and a 1-0 win, courtesy of Jermain Defoe meant England were through. Not as group winners though as Landon Donovan's injury time winner for USA against Algeria saw the Americans top the group.

This means England will come up against the winners of Group D, which creates a whole problem for England. There are many countries that England don't get on with, its one of the legacies of having a brutal empire and a shoot to kill policy but they really don't like the Germans.

And with Germany nabbing a 1-0 win over Ghana, this is exactly who the English will face on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to reach the quarter finals. The hype for this match will be unreal as tales of the world wars and then the 1966 story of England's World Cup win. Make no mistake, this game will mean a lot and the sets of fans will be as keyed up for the game as much as the players.

USA Top Group C

The winners of England's group, USA, will take on Ghana and both sides will fancy their chances of making it to the quarter finals. Ghana were hanging on at the death of their 1-0 defeat but Australia's 2-1 win over Serbia was enough to ensure that one African nation made it to the knock-out round. Expect to see many neutrals backing Ghana because having one team from the African nation in the tournament has to be seen as a positive thing.

Argentina Looking Good

On Sunday night, Argentina take on Mexico in a match that is sure to be a tasty treat for football fans everywhere. Quite simply, Argentina have been tremendous in their group and in the words of Diego Maradona after they qualified for the 2010 World Cup, all the critics can suck it and keep sucking it!

The sweetest moment for the Argentinean side came in the dying moments of their 2-0 victory over Greece. The second goal was bundled home by Martin Palermo and the 38 year old's goal sparked celebrations on the pitch, in the stands and in the dug-outs. The beaming smile coming from Argentina's manager showed exactly what the World Cup means to him and he will be keen to lead his team as far as possible.

With Lionel Messi in the team, there is no limit to how far Argentina can go in South Africa. Although he was heavily shackled against Greece, by the time the game was nearing a close, Messi was starting to show his skill and class. He will definitely be the man that Mexico will have to stop if they want to progress into the quarter finals of the World Cup.

Mexico could cause a shock

That said, Mexico have impressed at times in their group as well and will not be a pushover, even for an exciting Argentina side. It seemed as though the whole world was willing South Africa onto victory in the tournaments opening game but Mexico bounced back from being a goal down to level the tie at 1-1. They followed this with a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win over France before concluding their group with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay.

With big names like Brazil and Holland also through and teams like Italy, Spain and Portugal still in the mix, the knock-out round of the 2010 World Cup could be one of the best yet. There is still a lot of football to be played before any of the teams can even start to dream about lifting the trophy in July.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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