Slovakia 3 - 2 Italy
Vittek 25, 73 Di Natale 81
Kopunek 89 Quagliarella 90 + 2
New Zealand 0 - 0 Paraguay
This was the stuff World Cups are made of. Italy follow France home, and both finish bottom of their group. New Zealand finish above Italy, something they can hardly have dreamed of, but don't qualify for the last sixteen. On the other hand, they haven't lost a game.
And if you see who finished last in the first six groups, it tells the story of the competition so far. France, Nigeria, Algeria, Serbia, Denmark and Italy. Four European and two African nations, some viewed as real contenders before the tournament began.
There was no clue to Slovakia's rebirth in their previous two games. Complacent and punished against New Zealand, they were overwhelmed by Paraguay. Against the World Champions they came out mysteriously rejuvenated, something so unlikely there's only one way to account for it. Slovakia? Translovakia, I say. Virgin's blood, that's their secret.
You can tell just by looking at Martin Skrtel. If ever a man's turned to the dark side, he's the one. There's only one foodstuff perks up a man like that, and I'm not talking about black pudding.
Whilst vampiric transfusion is obviously the main explanation, woeful Italian defending may have been a contributing factor. Vittek's goals both came from errors at the back. De Rossi gave away the ball to Hamsik, who slipped it through for the first, while Chiellini was embarrassingly slow to Hamsik's volleyed cross, allowing Vittek to knock it in at the near post. Hamsik to Vittek, you'd have thought they'd have been watching out for it.
Just before half-time, there was an incident which summed the game up. Gattuso caught Strba in a challenge, and his stud went right into Strba's knee. The camera zoomed in sickeningly on the hole, neatly punched in just below the patella. Slovakian coach Vladimir Weiss was halfway through bringing on Kamil Kopunek for him, but Strba, on the opposite touchline, waved him away. I suppose when you're up for it one and a half knees is enough.
He got through to halftime, they did some knee hole surgery on him in the break and back he came for the second half. In the end Kopunek didn't get on for him until the 86th minute, although when he did get on he got his moment. Gattuso, meanwhile, came off at halftime, a sacrifice to the Italian need for urgency.
The Slovaks just wanted it more, you see. Weiss is a bit of a hard nut himself. Before the game he'd responded to a journalist's hostile questioning by threatening to smack him in the mouth. The squad responded to this by boycotting the Press. It's a physical game, Slovakian football.
Italy came back and scored through Di Natale, but this was Kopunek's moment. Running through an Italian defence that hadn't really adjusted to his presence yet, he got onto a bouncing cross and lobbed it over Marchetti and in. Three one, and game over, you thought.
Earlier Italy had brought on Pirlo, icon of 2006, but Quagliarella was their best player. At one nil, his volley was hacked off the line by Skrtel. At two nil, his was the shot that rebounded to Di Natale to score. At two one he had a goal disallowed for offside, a highly marginal if probably correct decision. And at three one, his chip from twenty five yards gave them hope to the end. If Pepe had scored in the final seconds rather than scuffing his shot wide, they'd have been saved.
Afterwards, the Italian manager Lippi refused to shake Weiss' hand. There's been a little too much of that, if you ask me. Slovenia were guilty of some play acting towards the end, it's true, but it's a funny old world if the manager of Italy can get upset over a little theatricality.
Meanwhile, Paraguay and New Zealand played out a dull nil nil. Paraguay top the group, while New Zealand go home with three draws, and finish above Italy. Slovakia go second, and have to sell the plane tickets they probably bought. Perhaps the Italians could have them.
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Zealand. 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.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Italy v New Zealand
Italy 1 - 1 New Zealand
Iaquinta (pen) 29 Smeltz 7
Well now we really have seen everything. I myself have some words to eat. For I said this to my new housemate Mick. It's Italy New Zealand next. I wouldn't bother with it, Italy will slaughter them.
Mick demurred, pointing out that it was the World Cup and anything could happen, but I, bless my little brain, insisted that a slaughter would be on its way. And I was right in a way, because Italy did slaughter New Zealand, one all.
The New Zealand goal came early. Eliot's free kick was flicked on by someone in a melée, bounced off the unwitting Cannavaro's arm and fell to an astounded Smeltz, who whacked it in.
It was clearly offside if the crucial flick was off Winston Reid's head, but not, obviously, if it the head was Italian. The consensus seems to be that it was Reid and the goal should have been disallowed. I couldn't tell from the replay during the game, and the quality of the webcasts isn't adequate to resolve the issue. It counted, anyway.
Italy, stung by the impudence of it all, immediately launched an eighty minute attack. It nearly succeeded instantly, as a Camoranesi free kick travelled all the way through, but Paston was alert and fended it off. Zambrotta was next, but his thirty yard scorching shot went just wide left and over. You felt it was just a matter of time.
The best chance fell to Montelivo, with a shot from about the same position as Zambrotta's. It seemed to be flying wide as well, but then it swerved as it passed in front of the standing Paston and hit the post. The rebound passed behind the still standing Paston a tenth of a second later, probably leaving him wondering if he was playing in quadrophonic or what, but was then cleared.
Struggling for inspiration, Italy turned to their traditional methods. Tommy Smith tugged on De Rossi's shirt at a free kick, De Rossi went down half a second after he'd let go and the referee gave a penalty. It was definitely a foul, but there was more than a hint of histrionics in the time delay. In fact there were several bushels of histrionics in the Italian response to physical challenges all day. The last time I saw such exquisite expressions of pain was the torture scene in the Battle of Algiers.
Iaquinta scored routinely from the penalty, and it seemed like the first of many, but in the end that was their lot. In fact, despite their pressure, New Zealand defended so well that Italy only had two shots in the last twenty minutes of the half, Criscito's going over and De Rossi's being blocked by Paston. He was having a much better game than he did against Slovakia, when he'd looked vulnerable. Tonight he commanded his box.
After the break things carried on in much the same vein. Di Natale got in behind the back line, but his angle was tight and his shot was saved. Iaquinta was closed down on a Da Rossi pass, and his effort went well wide.
New Zealand had clearly been told to try and hang onto the ball, and they did for short periods, just knocking it among themselves without threatening much. The object wasn't to attack, so much as to catch their breath before the next Italian onslaught. They did have a second shot of their own, which fell to Vicelich. It was from thirty yards out and went well wide, but it's the principle of the thing. You want to get a second attack in at some point, then you know that when you're talking about it in an Auckland bar in twenty years time you can legitimately refer to your chances.
The Italians seemed unable to respond. They've had similar problems with the newer footballing nations at previous tournaments. In 2006 they could only get a one all draw with the US, and then just squeezed by Australia in the second round with a contentious last minute penalty. In 2002 they were knocked out by South Korea.
They tried. Montelivo, trying to replicate his spectacular effort in the first half to greater effect, evaded two tackles and shot from thirty yards, but Paston saved and the rebound went to a Kiwi, as they always seemed to. Soon afterwards the New Zealand captain Nelsen had to stretch to clear a cross as a forward lurked behind him, the net gaping in front of him, then Tommy Smith took a bouncing ball off Iaquinta's foot just in time.
In one mad minute Cannavaro, Camoranesi and Di Natale all had chances, but suddenly Wood nearly nicked it for New Zealand, battling his way through Cannavaro's challenge and shooting from a tight angle. The shot flew just past the far post, fortunately for Italy, but it seemed to reignite their traditional caution. At the end, it felt like Italy weren't too dismayed with the draw. After all, a win against Slovakia in their last game still takes them through.
For New Zealand, it was the greatest day in their football history. For some of their players, the prospect of a Premiership payday looms alliteratively. And for the ones going back home after this, they'll never have to pay for another beer again.
Iaquinta (pen) 29 Smeltz 7
Well now we really have seen everything. I myself have some words to eat. For I said this to my new housemate Mick. It's Italy New Zealand next. I wouldn't bother with it, Italy will slaughter them.
Mick demurred, pointing out that it was the World Cup and anything could happen, but I, bless my little brain, insisted that a slaughter would be on its way. And I was right in a way, because Italy did slaughter New Zealand, one all.
The New Zealand goal came early. Eliot's free kick was flicked on by someone in a melée, bounced off the unwitting Cannavaro's arm and fell to an astounded Smeltz, who whacked it in.
It was clearly offside if the crucial flick was off Winston Reid's head, but not, obviously, if it the head was Italian. The consensus seems to be that it was Reid and the goal should have been disallowed. I couldn't tell from the replay during the game, and the quality of the webcasts isn't adequate to resolve the issue. It counted, anyway.
Italy, stung by the impudence of it all, immediately launched an eighty minute attack. It nearly succeeded instantly, as a Camoranesi free kick travelled all the way through, but Paston was alert and fended it off. Zambrotta was next, but his thirty yard scorching shot went just wide left and over. You felt it was just a matter of time.
The best chance fell to Montelivo, with a shot from about the same position as Zambrotta's. It seemed to be flying wide as well, but then it swerved as it passed in front of the standing Paston and hit the post. The rebound passed behind the still standing Paston a tenth of a second later, probably leaving him wondering if he was playing in quadrophonic or what, but was then cleared.
Struggling for inspiration, Italy turned to their traditional methods. Tommy Smith tugged on De Rossi's shirt at a free kick, De Rossi went down half a second after he'd let go and the referee gave a penalty. It was definitely a foul, but there was more than a hint of histrionics in the time delay. In fact there were several bushels of histrionics in the Italian response to physical challenges all day. The last time I saw such exquisite expressions of pain was the torture scene in the Battle of Algiers.
Iaquinta scored routinely from the penalty, and it seemed like the first of many, but in the end that was their lot. In fact, despite their pressure, New Zealand defended so well that Italy only had two shots in the last twenty minutes of the half, Criscito's going over and De Rossi's being blocked by Paston. He was having a much better game than he did against Slovakia, when he'd looked vulnerable. Tonight he commanded his box.
After the break things carried on in much the same vein. Di Natale got in behind the back line, but his angle was tight and his shot was saved. Iaquinta was closed down on a Da Rossi pass, and his effort went well wide.
New Zealand had clearly been told to try and hang onto the ball, and they did for short periods, just knocking it among themselves without threatening much. The object wasn't to attack, so much as to catch their breath before the next Italian onslaught. They did have a second shot of their own, which fell to Vicelich. It was from thirty yards out and went well wide, but it's the principle of the thing. You want to get a second attack in at some point, then you know that when you're talking about it in an Auckland bar in twenty years time you can legitimately refer to your chances.
The Italians seemed unable to respond. They've had similar problems with the newer footballing nations at previous tournaments. In 2006 they could only get a one all draw with the US, and then just squeezed by Australia in the second round with a contentious last minute penalty. In 2002 they were knocked out by South Korea.
They tried. Montelivo, trying to replicate his spectacular effort in the first half to greater effect, evaded two tackles and shot from thirty yards, but Paston saved and the rebound went to a Kiwi, as they always seemed to. Soon afterwards the New Zealand captain Nelsen had to stretch to clear a cross as a forward lurked behind him, the net gaping in front of him, then Tommy Smith took a bouncing ball off Iaquinta's foot just in time.
In one mad minute Cannavaro, Camoranesi and Di Natale all had chances, but suddenly Wood nearly nicked it for New Zealand, battling his way through Cannavaro's challenge and shooting from a tight angle. The shot flew just past the far post, fortunately for Italy, but it seemed to reignite their traditional caution. At the end, it felt like Italy weren't too dismayed with the draw. After all, a win against Slovakia in their last game still takes them through.
For New Zealand, it was the greatest day in their football history. For some of their players, the prospect of a Premiership payday looms alliteratively. And for the ones going back home after this, they'll never have to pay for another beer again.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
New Zealand v Slovakia
New Zealand 1 - 1 Slovakia
Reid 90 + 3 Vittek 50
We were about due something heartwarming, and now it's happened. Everyone had really just entirely assumed New Zealand were about to be slaughtered. Tracey, having organised the work sweepstake and then drawn them, was holding out for the booby prize.
They've certainly come a long way in the last few years. Take Leo Bertos for instance. He's come from Wellington, via Worksop, and back to Wellington again. Martin Keown on the commentary team was moved to a kind of Adam Smith style ecstasy. Who knows, you might be playing in Worksop now, and you might wake up one day and find yourself in the next World Cup. Yes, Martin, but you probably have to be born somewhere like New Zealand to do it. It isn't entirely a meritocracy, you know.
Their qualifying group also took them a long way, but not to any footballing powerhouses. As Gary Lineker put it, they've played Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and I'm sure one of those is a volcano. I think he's referring to Vanuatu, which is in fact the island chain just east of the Solomons, that used to be known as the New Hebrides. Not traditionally the kind of game they clear the schedules for on Sky Sports One, anyway, although Keown did express an interest in covering the New Zealand away games next time round.
Incidentally, did you know some volcanic island chains are formed by continental drift? Get a piece of paper, and hold a pencil under it. Stick the pencil up through the paper, and observe the volcano shape. Now pull the pencil back down, move the paper slightly to symbolise tens of thousands of years (continental drift happens at roughly the speed fingernails grow), and repeat. After a few times, you have a volcanic island chain.
Yes, I know that isn't directly about the World Cup. I'm adding texture. Life isn't just about football, you know. God, you obsessives bore me.
Once past the volcanic island chains (you see? narrative thread), New Zealand had to play off against Asian qualifying runners up Bahrain. Bahrain had themselves seen off Saudi Arabia, who to be honest might have been rather tougher opposition, so we shouldn't kid ourselves the Kiwis will be there every time. Is it OK to call them the Kiwis? It's not actively pejorative, so I guess so. And it must be nice to have a defining national bird. You'd have to call us the Small Unremarkable Brown Birds that Cats Eat.
None of the New Zealand really play at the top level except Ryan Nelsen of Blackburn. They do have Chris Wood from West Brom, but Slovakia have a West Brom player too, Marek Cech, and he's one of their less senior players. They've got players like Martin Skrtel of Liverpool, and other similar talents. That's why they finished top of their qualifying group, ahead of Slovenia, Poland and, most satisfying for them, the Czech Republic. They were expected to do well.
It started slowly. Keown described it as almost like a testimonial game. Slovakia probably thought they had plenty of time (I accidentally typed Slovakia probably thought they had plenty of team, which also kind of works), while New Zealand were just happy to be there. Killen got the first two chances for New Zealand, but shot over the bar and headed straight at the keeper.
After that Slovakia dominated the first half, and the New Zealand keeper Paston struggled. First he missed a corner, and was lucky to see it bounce off Skrtel's head and over, then he slipped while clearing, gave it to Vittek and was lucky again to get a chance to knock the ball out for a corner. Finally he just left an easy ball, and was still luckier to see a defender hook it clear.
Three errors, and no goals conceded. Sometimes goalkeepers get lucky. Did you notice how many times I said lucky? That was to emphasise the element of luck with goalkeeping errors. You know what I'm talking about.
After fifty minutes Slovakia finally did score, and there was nothing Paston could have done about it (in fact he had a much better second half). Sestak fired in a cross, right in that danger zone just too high for the blocking defender, and Vittek got his head on it. It went straight in the bottom left, leaving Paston helpless. We all just assumed normal service had been resumed.
While New Zealand were still down, Strba started kicking them. He got away with the one on Killen, but when he scythed down Elliott from behind he was booked.
Slovakia kept up the attack using more conventional methods. Only Reid's desparate tackle stopped Vittek scoring, then something similar happened to Sestak after he'd been camped out in the New Zealand penalty area for what seemed an age, waiting for a bouncing ball to come down. Oh those balls, they sure are bouncing a lot. Kenneth Williams would have had an epiphany.
New Zealand didn't get so much as a shot in from half time until ten minutes before the end, and even then Fallon skied it. They did have a clear header a minute before full time, but Smeltz sent it wide. The unlucky minnows story arc seemed complete, that was the last minute fluffed chance you always get, now it was time for the whistle, and the full time recriminations.
And yet. Thirty seconds from the end of injury time Smeltz turned and hooked a cross back in. It fell perfectly on the head of Winston Reid, who turned it into the corner. One all.
The Slovaks couldn't believe it. They kicked off, but there was no time. They'd dropped two points to the narratively presumptuous minnows, and now Italy and Paraguay await them. There's gonna be some weeping and wailing on the streets of Bratislava tonight.
They might be a bit happier in Wellington and Auckland, though. First Australia get hammered, then they get a draw off a quality European team, with unheralded players and no real star names. We're happy too. The tournament needed a human interest story.
Reid 90 + 3 Vittek 50
We were about due something heartwarming, and now it's happened. Everyone had really just entirely assumed New Zealand were about to be slaughtered. Tracey, having organised the work sweepstake and then drawn them, was holding out for the booby prize.
They've certainly come a long way in the last few years. Take Leo Bertos for instance. He's come from Wellington, via Worksop, and back to Wellington again. Martin Keown on the commentary team was moved to a kind of Adam Smith style ecstasy. Who knows, you might be playing in Worksop now, and you might wake up one day and find yourself in the next World Cup. Yes, Martin, but you probably have to be born somewhere like New Zealand to do it. It isn't entirely a meritocracy, you know.
Their qualifying group also took them a long way, but not to any footballing powerhouses. As Gary Lineker put it, they've played Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and I'm sure one of those is a volcano. I think he's referring to Vanuatu, which is in fact the island chain just east of the Solomons, that used to be known as the New Hebrides. Not traditionally the kind of game they clear the schedules for on Sky Sports One, anyway, although Keown did express an interest in covering the New Zealand away games next time round.
Incidentally, did you know some volcanic island chains are formed by continental drift? Get a piece of paper, and hold a pencil under it. Stick the pencil up through the paper, and observe the volcano shape. Now pull the pencil back down, move the paper slightly to symbolise tens of thousands of years (continental drift happens at roughly the speed fingernails grow), and repeat. After a few times, you have a volcanic island chain.
Yes, I know that isn't directly about the World Cup. I'm adding texture. Life isn't just about football, you know. God, you obsessives bore me.
Once past the volcanic island chains (you see? narrative thread), New Zealand had to play off against Asian qualifying runners up Bahrain. Bahrain had themselves seen off Saudi Arabia, who to be honest might have been rather tougher opposition, so we shouldn't kid ourselves the Kiwis will be there every time. Is it OK to call them the Kiwis? It's not actively pejorative, so I guess so. And it must be nice to have a defining national bird. You'd have to call us the Small Unremarkable Brown Birds that Cats Eat.
None of the New Zealand really play at the top level except Ryan Nelsen of Blackburn. They do have Chris Wood from West Brom, but Slovakia have a West Brom player too, Marek Cech, and he's one of their less senior players. They've got players like Martin Skrtel of Liverpool, and other similar talents. That's why they finished top of their qualifying group, ahead of Slovenia, Poland and, most satisfying for them, the Czech Republic. They were expected to do well.
It started slowly. Keown described it as almost like a testimonial game. Slovakia probably thought they had plenty of time (I accidentally typed Slovakia probably thought they had plenty of team, which also kind of works), while New Zealand were just happy to be there. Killen got the first two chances for New Zealand, but shot over the bar and headed straight at the keeper.
After that Slovakia dominated the first half, and the New Zealand keeper Paston struggled. First he missed a corner, and was lucky to see it bounce off Skrtel's head and over, then he slipped while clearing, gave it to Vittek and was lucky again to get a chance to knock the ball out for a corner. Finally he just left an easy ball, and was still luckier to see a defender hook it clear.
Three errors, and no goals conceded. Sometimes goalkeepers get lucky. Did you notice how many times I said lucky? That was to emphasise the element of luck with goalkeeping errors. You know what I'm talking about.
After fifty minutes Slovakia finally did score, and there was nothing Paston could have done about it (in fact he had a much better second half). Sestak fired in a cross, right in that danger zone just too high for the blocking defender, and Vittek got his head on it. It went straight in the bottom left, leaving Paston helpless. We all just assumed normal service had been resumed.
While New Zealand were still down, Strba started kicking them. He got away with the one on Killen, but when he scythed down Elliott from behind he was booked.
Slovakia kept up the attack using more conventional methods. Only Reid's desparate tackle stopped Vittek scoring, then something similar happened to Sestak after he'd been camped out in the New Zealand penalty area for what seemed an age, waiting for a bouncing ball to come down. Oh those balls, they sure are bouncing a lot. Kenneth Williams would have had an epiphany.
New Zealand didn't get so much as a shot in from half time until ten minutes before the end, and even then Fallon skied it. They did have a clear header a minute before full time, but Smeltz sent it wide. The unlucky minnows story arc seemed complete, that was the last minute fluffed chance you always get, now it was time for the whistle, and the full time recriminations.
And yet. Thirty seconds from the end of injury time Smeltz turned and hooked a cross back in. It fell perfectly on the head of Winston Reid, who turned it into the corner. One all.
The Slovaks couldn't believe it. They kicked off, but there was no time. They'd dropped two points to the narratively presumptuous minnows, and now Italy and Paraguay await them. There's gonna be some weeping and wailing on the streets of Bratislava tonight.
They might be a bit happier in Wellington and Auckland, though. First Australia get hammered, then they get a draw off a quality European team, with unheralded players and no real star names. We're happy too. The tournament needed a human interest story.
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