Japan 3 - 1 Denmark
Honda 17 Tomasson 81
Endo 30
Okazaki 87
Holland 2 - 1 Cameroon
van Persie 36 Eto'o 65
Huntelaar 83
This one was a tale of two free kicks, both for Japan. Honda took the first, from about 40 yards out. The commentator was quite surprised to see him lining up a shot, and wondered whether he might be disguising his intent to play a pass. No, he was advertising his intent to score without anyone getting anywhere near it, including Sorensen in goal. He duly did so, the double bluff taking keeper and commentator equally by surprise.
Which was something neither of them liked, so when Japan got another free kick just outside the box, in fairly much the position you'd put the ball for a free kick if you had a choice, you can be sure they were both keeping a careful eye on Honda. Leaving Endo the less observed of the two players over the ball. Two nil, carefully plotted and faultlessly executed by a very impressive Japanese team.
The half time panel felt it was all Sorensen's fault, he should have put the wall in a different place, moved to the opposite corner himself, and so on. I can't help noticing how everyone knows this after the ball's in the back of the net, but it's quite rare to have it pointed out before. Although Harry Redknapp did point out that you normally put the tallest defender on the end of the wall, which even I know, and it's fairly poor defending if you forget to apply footballing principles even I know.
He's sharp as a tack, that Harry. Asked by Gary Lineker if he was considering splashing out on a Honda in the summer, he said he might be swapping one for his Bentley.
Denmark came out after the break and tried, but realistically it was game over. Tomasson put away the rebound from his own penalty miss (which is why it doesn't say pen next to him on the heading), but Japan just went down the other end and scored again. A draw would have been enough for them anyway, but they chose to go out and win it even though they didn't have to, just because they could. Which other World Cup nation are they reminding me of? Actually, no-one else at all.
Showing posts with label Denmark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denmark. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Outcomes - groups E and F
Group E
Holland are definitely through, and Cameroon are definitely out. If Holland win or draw against Cameroon, they top the group.
If they lose, and Japan or Denmark win their game, then Holland and the winner go through, in an order to be decided by goal difference.
If Japan and Denmark draw, Holland are top and Japan second on goal difference.
Group F
If Paraguay beat New Zealand, they top the group and the winner of Italy v Slovakia are second, Italy taking second if they draw.
If New Zealand and Italy win, they both go through, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If New Zealand and Slovakia win, New Zealand top the group and second place goes to Paraguay or Slovakia, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If New Zealand win and the other game is drawn, New Zealand top the group and Paraguay are second.
If Paraguay and New Zealand draw and Slovakia win, Paraguay top the group and Slovakia are second.
If Paraguay and New Zealand draw and Italy win, Paraguay and Italy go through, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If both games are drawn, Paraguay top the group and second place goes to Italy or New Zealand, places between them being decided by goal difference. If the score in both matches is the same, Italy and New Zealand have to be split by lots.
Holland are definitely through, and Cameroon are definitely out. If Holland win or draw against Cameroon, they top the group.
If they lose, and Japan or Denmark win their game, then Holland and the winner go through, in an order to be decided by goal difference.
If Japan and Denmark draw, Holland are top and Japan second on goal difference.
Group F
If Paraguay beat New Zealand, they top the group and the winner of Italy v Slovakia are second, Italy taking second if they draw.
If New Zealand and Italy win, they both go through, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If New Zealand and Slovakia win, New Zealand top the group and second place goes to Paraguay or Slovakia, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If New Zealand win and the other game is drawn, New Zealand top the group and Paraguay are second.
If Paraguay and New Zealand draw and Slovakia win, Paraguay top the group and Slovakia are second.
If Paraguay and New Zealand draw and Italy win, Paraguay and Italy go through, places between them being decided by goal difference.
If both games are drawn, Paraguay top the group and second place goes to Italy or New Zealand, places between them being decided by goal difference. If the score in both matches is the same, Italy and New Zealand have to be split by lots.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Cameroon v Denmark
Denmark 2 - 1 Cameroon
Bendtner 33 Eto'o 10
Rommedahl 61
After twenty six games, the first question is resolved. Holland are definitely through to the last sixteen, and Cameroon definitely aren't. In the African World Cup, the first nation to be eliminated is African.
It was a poor reward for such a great game, the best so far in the competition. And Cameroon started well. They harried the Danish defence, and forced an error from Christian Poulsen. His pass went straight to Webo, who crossed it for Eto'o to score easily. A minute later Emana shot just over, and it felt like Denmark might be overwhelmed before they got a foot in the game.
They steadied themselves, and a couple of chances fell to Gronkyaer. You may remember him from his Chelsea days. He plays for Copenhagen now, but he's still capable of fluffing chances at the highest level. First he had a shot deflected off a defender for a corner, then he dived to head a cross that was so low and close it would have fallen nicely for either foot, and sent it well wide.
The best thing about the game was the passing. Both sides were playing at a level that would leave England gasping in their wake. Fortunately we won't have to face Cameroon for a replay of the 1990 quarter final with England in the role of naive upstarts this time, but the world can only shake its head at the machinations of a fate so capricious it eliminates Cameroon while leaving England with a decent chance of winning their group.
Never mind, even if we can't marvel at our national team, at least we can enjoy the top stars from our clubs playing for other people. Spurs had two players in the Cameroon team, Asou-Ekotto and Bassong, and Arsenal had Song for them in midfield, and Bendtner for the Danes. They also had Agger from Liverpool, Jacobsen from Blackburn and Sorensen from Stoke in goal. At times it was like being in the Assembly on a Sunday afternoon.
The Danish equaliser came on 33 minutes. Rommedahl, the best Danish player by a mile, got onto a brilliant sixty yard pass from Kjaer, inaccurately identified in the BBC commentary as the player who gave away the first goal, and was away down the right. His pass was inch perfect for Bendtner to slide in and blast home.
There followed a bizarre period of play, in which defensive errors alternated with attacking breaks to a point impossible for your poor blogger to notate. First Song gave the ball away and it came through to Rommedahl, who pulled it back to X, whose shot was blocked by Song to atone for his error in the first place. On the break, Y miscontrolled a long pass to let Eto'o in, and he hit the post. Finally Emana picked up some more sloppy defending and got through one on one against Sorensen, who saved well. The rebound bounced back off Emana and over the line for a goal kick. Jim Beglie (wrongly identified by me as David O'Leary the other day, sorry about that) described it as Keystone Cops defending, which captured the slapstick nature of it.
I was a minute late back after halftime, so I missed the first chance, but it fell to Cameroon, and fortunately they didn't score. Both sides exchanged shots for a while, ending in a long pass from Webo through to Asou-Ekotto that was intercepted.
It left Asou-Ekotto out of position, the big danger with using wingbacks, and Rommedahl took full advantage. Finding himself up against the midfielder Makoun instead of a defender, he skipped round him, closed on the goal from the right and stroked it into the opposite corner. It was a popular goal in some parts of northern Europe, giving the Danes the lead and virtually guaranteeing Holland a place in the last sixteen, but across Africa faces fell. This was supposed to be their World Cup, and it hadn't been a good day. First Ghana could only get a draw from ten-man Australia, now Cameroon were behind to Denmark.
They really tried. Webo's header flew wide, and Makoun blasted Eto'o's inch perfect pullback over. Eto'o had a go himself, also wide. Cameroon's pressure was making things happen for them, but the extra space they were leaving gave Denmark plenty of opportunities too. Tomassen's shot was well saved, but if he'd only kept it lower it would have gone under the keeper and in. Emana kept his shot down for Cameroon, but Sorensen got down brilliantly to stop it with one hand, and the rebound fell to a Dane.
Idrissou and Aboubakar came on for Webo and Bassong. Idrissou's header from the next Cameroonian corner was just too high, and Kjaer had to bring down Aboubakar to stop him. His booking keeps him out of the Japan game, but you have to think Denmark will have enough anyway.
Aboubakar's best chance came from a break after Bendtner's shot was saved and quickly thrown out. His shot could have stood as a metaphor for bad African luck in this tournament, hitting Poulsen on the head as he lay on the ground after making a block. It flew wide, but Poulsen was dazed for a while. Still, if it takes the heat off him after his earlier defensive lapse he'll think it was worth it.
Assou-Ekotto's final desperate flicked header missed, and that was it. The vuvuzelas were silenced, and Cameroon trudged off in misery. After a stirring display, a great African hope had bitten the dust.
And I don't know why everyone thought the Africans would do well. European teams don't do well in Europe because playing on the sacred soil of our continental homeland inspires them, they do well because the climate is familiar. South Africa in June is less like Cameroon than it is like Copenhagen in October - nice enough in the daytime, but a bit chill after dark. In Germany four years ago everyone was complaining about the heat, in Africa this year they're all wearing thermal undies. If a successful African World Cup means African teams doing well, then it needs to be held in Egypt or Nigeria.
Bendtner 33 Eto'o 10
Rommedahl 61
After twenty six games, the first question is resolved. Holland are definitely through to the last sixteen, and Cameroon definitely aren't. In the African World Cup, the first nation to be eliminated is African.
It was a poor reward for such a great game, the best so far in the competition. And Cameroon started well. They harried the Danish defence, and forced an error from Christian Poulsen. His pass went straight to Webo, who crossed it for Eto'o to score easily. A minute later Emana shot just over, and it felt like Denmark might be overwhelmed before they got a foot in the game.
They steadied themselves, and a couple of chances fell to Gronkyaer. You may remember him from his Chelsea days. He plays for Copenhagen now, but he's still capable of fluffing chances at the highest level. First he had a shot deflected off a defender for a corner, then he dived to head a cross that was so low and close it would have fallen nicely for either foot, and sent it well wide.
The best thing about the game was the passing. Both sides were playing at a level that would leave England gasping in their wake. Fortunately we won't have to face Cameroon for a replay of the 1990 quarter final with England in the role of naive upstarts this time, but the world can only shake its head at the machinations of a fate so capricious it eliminates Cameroon while leaving England with a decent chance of winning their group.
Never mind, even if we can't marvel at our national team, at least we can enjoy the top stars from our clubs playing for other people. Spurs had two players in the Cameroon team, Asou-Ekotto and Bassong, and Arsenal had Song for them in midfield, and Bendtner for the Danes. They also had Agger from Liverpool, Jacobsen from Blackburn and Sorensen from Stoke in goal. At times it was like being in the Assembly on a Sunday afternoon.
The Danish equaliser came on 33 minutes. Rommedahl, the best Danish player by a mile, got onto a brilliant sixty yard pass from Kjaer, inaccurately identified in the BBC commentary as the player who gave away the first goal, and was away down the right. His pass was inch perfect for Bendtner to slide in and blast home.
There followed a bizarre period of play, in which defensive errors alternated with attacking breaks to a point impossible for your poor blogger to notate. First Song gave the ball away and it came through to Rommedahl, who pulled it back to X, whose shot was blocked by Song to atone for his error in the first place. On the break, Y miscontrolled a long pass to let Eto'o in, and he hit the post. Finally Emana picked up some more sloppy defending and got through one on one against Sorensen, who saved well. The rebound bounced back off Emana and over the line for a goal kick. Jim Beglie (wrongly identified by me as David O'Leary the other day, sorry about that) described it as Keystone Cops defending, which captured the slapstick nature of it.
I was a minute late back after halftime, so I missed the first chance, but it fell to Cameroon, and fortunately they didn't score. Both sides exchanged shots for a while, ending in a long pass from Webo through to Asou-Ekotto that was intercepted.
It left Asou-Ekotto out of position, the big danger with using wingbacks, and Rommedahl took full advantage. Finding himself up against the midfielder Makoun instead of a defender, he skipped round him, closed on the goal from the right and stroked it into the opposite corner. It was a popular goal in some parts of northern Europe, giving the Danes the lead and virtually guaranteeing Holland a place in the last sixteen, but across Africa faces fell. This was supposed to be their World Cup, and it hadn't been a good day. First Ghana could only get a draw from ten-man Australia, now Cameroon were behind to Denmark.
They really tried. Webo's header flew wide, and Makoun blasted Eto'o's inch perfect pullback over. Eto'o had a go himself, also wide. Cameroon's pressure was making things happen for them, but the extra space they were leaving gave Denmark plenty of opportunities too. Tomassen's shot was well saved, but if he'd only kept it lower it would have gone under the keeper and in. Emana kept his shot down for Cameroon, but Sorensen got down brilliantly to stop it with one hand, and the rebound fell to a Dane.
Idrissou and Aboubakar came on for Webo and Bassong. Idrissou's header from the next Cameroonian corner was just too high, and Kjaer had to bring down Aboubakar to stop him. His booking keeps him out of the Japan game, but you have to think Denmark will have enough anyway.
Aboubakar's best chance came from a break after Bendtner's shot was saved and quickly thrown out. His shot could have stood as a metaphor for bad African luck in this tournament, hitting Poulsen on the head as he lay on the ground after making a block. It flew wide, but Poulsen was dazed for a while. Still, if it takes the heat off him after his earlier defensive lapse he'll think it was worth it.
Assou-Ekotto's final desperate flicked header missed, and that was it. The vuvuzelas were silenced, and Cameroon trudged off in misery. After a stirring display, a great African hope had bitten the dust.
And I don't know why everyone thought the Africans would do well. European teams don't do well in Europe because playing on the sacred soil of our continental homeland inspires them, they do well because the climate is familiar. South Africa in June is less like Cameroon than it is like Copenhagen in October - nice enough in the daytime, but a bit chill after dark. In Germany four years ago everyone was complaining about the heat, in Africa this year they're all wearing thermal undies. If a successful African World Cup means African teams doing well, then it needs to be held in Egypt or Nigeria.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Holland v Denmark
Holland 2 - 0 Denmark
Agger (og) 46
Kuyt 85
Our site manager Paul will have been waiting for this one, as he's got both teams in the sweepstake. See, it isn't just me that's getting overexcited. He was happy enough with his draw, and they both look better options to progress than Japan or Cameroon.
Not that it was a classic. In fact, despite the huge number of ways the World Cup enhances our lives, it really hasn't given us much in the way of memorable football so far.
Now in a funny kind of a way, that isn't a disaster. We've still got wall to wall action, and even if it isn't always red hot at least Grace Dent's vuvuzela is. On top of Grace, as it were, you get famous faces, towering stadiums, commentating malapropisms and all the other little extras you dream of on a cold January morning. It's just that it hasn't exactly delivered the spectacle I was hoping for. As one eagerly anticipated game after another falls a little flat, you do start to wonder where the wow factor is coming from.
This one seemed to have everything. We've seen half these players in the Premiership, and they usually deliver well enough. Sorensen in the Danish goal plays for Stoke, for instance. Not that that's a traditional indicator of footballing beauty, but he's a good keeper, and being the keeper it's not like he's going to be wandering round the pitch randomly kicking people like the Stoke outfield. Denmark also had Agger from Liverpool, a solid defender with a decent shot on him, and Bendtner from Arsenal, who came back from injury midseason and finished strongly. The Dutch had Kuyt (Liverpool), Heitinga (Everton) and van Persie (Arsenal). From the European Leagues we also had Rommedahl, Danish but used to turning it on for Ajax, and van Bommel from Bayern Munich. There was every reason for optimism.
And Holland have entertained us often enough. Do you remember them at Euro 2000? Their demolition job on Yugoslavia still stands as poetry's greatest triumph since Dante. Not today though. Robben was injured, and I'm sure that didn't help. Without Robben they're less Dante, more Richard Stilgoe.
The game started with an exchange of long range free kicks, but Sneijder's flew over while Enevoldsen's went wide. The commentator wondered whether all this stuff about the ball's unpredictable flight was encouraging players to shoot from unrealistic distances. This is particularly unwise when you realise that actually the ball's misbehaviour mainly involves going higher than you'd think, so long range shots are almost bound to sail over.
The commentator also noticed the overwhelming support for the Dutch in the stadium, and suggested that might be because of South Africa's historical connection with Holland. If you ask me that's about as likely as Scottish or Irish crowds cheering on England, while the Welsh offer them free holiday cottages, but maybe there were just a lot of Afrikaners in. It could be, after all they're the ones who can afford tickets.
There were a few more long range shots, but the first decent chance fell to Bendtner on 27 minutes. Agger's cross was perfect for him, but his header fell just wide. The Dutch had no chances as good, but they kept up the pressure, forcing the Danes to defend solidly. Van Persie had a shooting opportunity just before the break, but missed. Each side's best chance had fallen to an Arsenal player, and they'd both cocked it up. Arsenal fans looking to moan about how much better their players were on international duty must have been sorely disappointed.
Calamity struck the Danes just after the break. Simon Poulsen misdirected a clearing header from a van Persie cross, and it bounced off Agger and into the net.
The commentators were rather unkind, I thought. First they accused Poulsen of looking happy about it when he smiled with embarrassment, then they started going on about what a terrible error it was. In fact, although it wasn't in any way a great defensive header, it was quite clearly not going in until it bounced off Agger. It wasn't his fault either, he had no time to get out of the way, it was just one of those things. A few minutes later van der Vaart flicked a cross towards the top right corner of the goal and Sorensen dived well to claim it, and they accused van der Vaart of mistiming a pass and Sorensen of grandstanding for the cameras.
No-one was slandering Eljero Elia when he came on, he was just too good to be traduced. I'd not seen him before, but watch out for him for the rest of the tournament. He's one of those players who runs at a defense and turns them. Like the elephants in Hannibal's army, their biggest impact is on the other side's morale.
The Danes, meanwhile, rather bafflingly took Bendtner off and replaced him with Beckmann. Why they swapped their best striker for a midfielder when they were a goal down, only they know. Unsurprisingly, they made little impact for the rest of the game. With five minutes to go, Elia got onto a Sneijder pass, shot and hit the post. Kuyt tucked in the rebound. It was hard on Sorensen, who'd got a glove to Elia's shot to stop it going in, but only fair on the balance of play.
Denmark had one chance, when a Dutch defensive error let the ball through to Rommedahl just on full time, but his shot was well wide, and that was their lot.
So the Dutch win their first game, perhaps a touch prosaically. And can you blame them? It's all very well being the football world's Dante, but when did he last get on Countdown? Richard Stilgoe's an OBE, you know. How many OBEs has Dante got? It's a results business, and if you want gongs, sometimes you have to be more like Stilgoe.
Agger (og) 46
Kuyt 85
Our site manager Paul will have been waiting for this one, as he's got both teams in the sweepstake. See, it isn't just me that's getting overexcited. He was happy enough with his draw, and they both look better options to progress than Japan or Cameroon.
Not that it was a classic. In fact, despite the huge number of ways the World Cup enhances our lives, it really hasn't given us much in the way of memorable football so far.
Now in a funny kind of a way, that isn't a disaster. We've still got wall to wall action, and even if it isn't always red hot at least Grace Dent's vuvuzela is. On top of Grace, as it were, you get famous faces, towering stadiums, commentating malapropisms and all the other little extras you dream of on a cold January morning. It's just that it hasn't exactly delivered the spectacle I was hoping for. As one eagerly anticipated game after another falls a little flat, you do start to wonder where the wow factor is coming from.
This one seemed to have everything. We've seen half these players in the Premiership, and they usually deliver well enough. Sorensen in the Danish goal plays for Stoke, for instance. Not that that's a traditional indicator of footballing beauty, but he's a good keeper, and being the keeper it's not like he's going to be wandering round the pitch randomly kicking people like the Stoke outfield. Denmark also had Agger from Liverpool, a solid defender with a decent shot on him, and Bendtner from Arsenal, who came back from injury midseason and finished strongly. The Dutch had Kuyt (Liverpool), Heitinga (Everton) and van Persie (Arsenal). From the European Leagues we also had Rommedahl, Danish but used to turning it on for Ajax, and van Bommel from Bayern Munich. There was every reason for optimism.
And Holland have entertained us often enough. Do you remember them at Euro 2000? Their demolition job on Yugoslavia still stands as poetry's greatest triumph since Dante. Not today though. Robben was injured, and I'm sure that didn't help. Without Robben they're less Dante, more Richard Stilgoe.
The game started with an exchange of long range free kicks, but Sneijder's flew over while Enevoldsen's went wide. The commentator wondered whether all this stuff about the ball's unpredictable flight was encouraging players to shoot from unrealistic distances. This is particularly unwise when you realise that actually the ball's misbehaviour mainly involves going higher than you'd think, so long range shots are almost bound to sail over.
The commentator also noticed the overwhelming support for the Dutch in the stadium, and suggested that might be because of South Africa's historical connection with Holland. If you ask me that's about as likely as Scottish or Irish crowds cheering on England, while the Welsh offer them free holiday cottages, but maybe there were just a lot of Afrikaners in. It could be, after all they're the ones who can afford tickets.
There were a few more long range shots, but the first decent chance fell to Bendtner on 27 minutes. Agger's cross was perfect for him, but his header fell just wide. The Dutch had no chances as good, but they kept up the pressure, forcing the Danes to defend solidly. Van Persie had a shooting opportunity just before the break, but missed. Each side's best chance had fallen to an Arsenal player, and they'd both cocked it up. Arsenal fans looking to moan about how much better their players were on international duty must have been sorely disappointed.
Calamity struck the Danes just after the break. Simon Poulsen misdirected a clearing header from a van Persie cross, and it bounced off Agger and into the net.
The commentators were rather unkind, I thought. First they accused Poulsen of looking happy about it when he smiled with embarrassment, then they started going on about what a terrible error it was. In fact, although it wasn't in any way a great defensive header, it was quite clearly not going in until it bounced off Agger. It wasn't his fault either, he had no time to get out of the way, it was just one of those things. A few minutes later van der Vaart flicked a cross towards the top right corner of the goal and Sorensen dived well to claim it, and they accused van der Vaart of mistiming a pass and Sorensen of grandstanding for the cameras.
No-one was slandering Eljero Elia when he came on, he was just too good to be traduced. I'd not seen him before, but watch out for him for the rest of the tournament. He's one of those players who runs at a defense and turns them. Like the elephants in Hannibal's army, their biggest impact is on the other side's morale.
The Danes, meanwhile, rather bafflingly took Bendtner off and replaced him with Beckmann. Why they swapped their best striker for a midfielder when they were a goal down, only they know. Unsurprisingly, they made little impact for the rest of the game. With five minutes to go, Elia got onto a Sneijder pass, shot and hit the post. Kuyt tucked in the rebound. It was hard on Sorensen, who'd got a glove to Elia's shot to stop it going in, but only fair on the balance of play.
Denmark had one chance, when a Dutch defensive error let the ball through to Rommedahl just on full time, but his shot was well wide, and that was their lot.
So the Dutch win their first game, perhaps a touch prosaically. And can you blame them? It's all very well being the football world's Dante, but when did he last get on Countdown? Richard Stilgoe's an OBE, you know. How many OBEs has Dante got? It's a results business, and if you want gongs, sometimes you have to be more like Stilgoe.
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