Game 18: Argentina vs South Korea

Gonzalo Higuain of Argentina netted the first hat-trick of this years World Cup finals as his team went on to beat South Korea 4-1 on Thursday.

Both teams were coming off comfortable wins from the first week, and knew that a win in today's game would more than likely send them through to the second round.

The scoring opened up off of a South Korea own goal, when a cross into the box went off of striker Park Chu-Young's shin and into the net. Seventeen minutes later Higuain would score his first goal on the afternoon after another set piece play was layed off for Maxi Rodriquez who whips the ball into the box, and Burdisso gets the flick on to find Hiquain at the back post who taps it in for the teams second goal.

Argentina were looking to go into half-time with a two goal lead until Demichelis mis-controlled a header in the 46th minute, Lee Chung-Yong would run onto it and easily beat the keeper to get South Korea back into the game.

At the start of the second half Argentina were desperate to extend their lead, with a flurry of shots from Tevez at range, and Higuain with a point-blank volley, but the South Korean keeper Sung-Ryung comes up big to keep his team in the game.

South Korea would have the chance to equalize, when Ki-Hun would be fed a beautiful through ball, but he attempts to shoot with the outside of his foot, sending the ball harmlessly wide of the post in a wasted opportunity.

From here on out South Korea would be able to produce very little. Higuain would get his second goal in the 76th minute after Lionel Messi would make a brilliant run through the defense, taking a shot which is stopped by the goalie, then following up and rattling the post, the ball would come to the feet of Higuain at the back post who taps the ball in. His hat-trick goal, the first of these finals, would be scored in the 80th minute after heading in a cross, sending the ball back across the face of goal and past the goalkeepers reach.

Jonas Gutierrez would be unfortunate to pick up a yellow card during the match, his second of the group stage, which means he will be suspended for Argentina's final game against Greece.

Walter Samuel would also be substituted off in the first half with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, it is unclear how serious the injury is and if he will factor in Argentina's next game.

Argentina looked very good this match, linking up very well with each other, particularly between the three strikers of Tevez, Higuain, and Messi.  They will hope to keep this form down the line as they come up against defensive minded Greece, which will be played at Peter Mokaba Stadium, June 22nd.

Game 4: Argentina vs Nigeria

Have you hugged your goalkeeper today? That is the message the people of the world will be conveying to the Nigerian fans, as Vincent Enyeama is the only reason the Nigerians did not succumb to a goal-fest loss.

In the third minute, Nigeria had an excellent chance on goal, when Obassi sent the Argentinian defense to school, performing a wonderful step-over/side-step move to kick a cross into the box, but no Nigerian striker could get to the end of it. The Africans were showing heart, and I was applauding them, until it all went downhill, when in the sixth minute Veron took a corner, finding a completely unmarked Heinze who netted the ball with an incredible header.

Similar to the Greeks in the earlier game, this was the moment the Nigerians just could not get back into the game. Having to come back from a goal down forced the Super Eagles to become desperate, they constantly tried to push but would spread themselves out to easily, allowing a lot of Argentinian counterattacks to take advantage. The game should have been two-nil in the eighteenth minute when world player of the year Lionel Messi let fly a spectacular upper-corner shot that was only stopped from the flying Enyeama.

For the rest of the game Nigeria could not muster any sort of attack, resorting to desperate shots from outside of the box. Meanwhile Argentina kept pressing, but kept being denied either by Enyeama, or from poor shooting. Messi had many chances on goal, and should have scored a couple, maybe he really does under-perform for his country. In terms of the other strikers, Tevez did not have many chances at shooting, turning more into the playmaker, but he did slot some excellent passes. Hiquain on the other hand was a major disappointment, scuffing his shots, failing his runs, producing some bad passing, he was a natural candidate to be substituted first.

In terms of what to work on, Jonas Gutierrez, although an excellent full-back for Newcastle United, had a few weak points this game, allowing himself to be bullied off of the ball. Against South Korea this should not be an issue, but against the Greeks and in later stages this could become a problem. Secondly, the team needs to finish their shooting. Just like Mexico, the team did well in almost every situation, except score. Certainly the heroics of Enyeama can account for some of the blame, but there were a few chances that should have been goals, no excuses.

For the Super Eagles, well, they have the been one of the biggest disappointments in this tournament so far. They seemed to have a mentality like they didn't care anymore, being very flat footed the entire game, and their captain, Yobo, not shouting enough directions. Naturally these problems will have to be addressed in training or Nigeria will have a very short tournament. But first thing first, someone buy Enyeama a drink, he worked his butt off and seemed to be the only Nigerian (although you could argue for Yakubu and Martins) that wanted to win.

Final Score: Argentina 1 - 0 Nigeria

Group H: Chile

Chile are entering the World Cup coming off of a phenomenal qualification campaign in which they saw themselves place second in South America, right behind Brazil. Led by coach Marcelo Bielsa, who is a genius when it comes to tactical decisions, Chile is looking to  reach the second round for only the third time out of eight appearances in the World Cup.

Their weakness, unsurprisingly, is defense. They gave up twenty-two goals during qualification compared to Brazil's eleven, but that won't trouble many fans because Chile have the ability to really entertain. Previously beating Argentina one to zero, La Roja will be keen to try for another upset, this time over the world favorites Spain.

Key Players: Claudio Bravo, the goalkeeper, is dynamite between the posts, showing his quick footwork and reactions during Chile's games. Although not quite as good as the world's best goalkeepers, he did earn the honor of being voted South America's top keeper, beating out Julio Ceasar of Brazil. Since Chile lacks a lot of defensive power, it will be up to Bravo to come up with the big saves, and keep his nation's hopes alive.

My Prediction: Second Round.

Group F: Paraguay

Finishing third in South American qualifying, Paraguay were always one of the leaders to make it to the finals. With a strong defense, giving up only sixteen goals (second only to Brazil's 11), Paraguay showed they could take on the world.  Being only one of two teams to beat Brazil in qualification, then going on to beat Argentina, La Albirroja will be going into this years tournament with very high expectations.

However, they do have one downside, they can't seem to score enough. At the end of qualification Paraguay had only netted 24 goals, which isn't bad, but it was only one higher than eighth placed Venezuela. The problem seems to be in the midfield where they lack a strong play maker. Currently playing a 4-4-2 formation, with the two central midfielders playing in a deeper role, there is always a big gap between the players in the middle of the field. To compensate for this, coach Gerardo Martino may opt for a more offensive 4-3-3, with one of the strikers hanging further back and acting as a quasi offensive mid.

Once the midfield manages to get the ball forward, Paraguay should have no problem scoring some goals. Although left out of the squad for a lot of the qualifiers, Roque Santa Cruz [pictured] of Manchester City appears to once again be healthy, and this quick striker can run and gun with the best of them. He may have only played in five games so far this campaign, but he already has three goals! Italy should be very cautious, as the wins against Brazil and Argentina could be foreshadowing another possible upset.

My Prediction: Second Round.

Group B: Greece

Greece were the 2004 EURO Cup winners, shocking the world by winning the final with a calm and patient style of play; yet, they failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. 2010 will essentially be the chance for Greece to once again prove they are deserving of the previous European title, but due to an aging squad, they will be hard pressed to live up to previous success.

The road to the World Cup should have been an easy one for Greece, as their only real competition came in the form of Switzerland, but instead they struggled through until the very end. Maybe the defensive soccer technique payed off, because the Greeks are here once again, but if the coach [Otto Rehhagel] keeps struggling with a static lineup, then the out of position Greek players could see themselves quickly overwhelmed. Generally speaking, expect all of Greece's games to be low-scoring as their German coach erects an impregnable wall. The only exception could Nigeria who, with their superb strength on the ball and physical play, could brush aside the stalwart defense.

Key Players:
Theofanis Gekas was the top scorer in qualification, while midfielder Karagounis is the ever vocal captain. These two will need to constantly be in sync for the defensive Greeks to have a chance of scoring any goals.

My Prediction: 4th Place Group B

Group B: Nigeria

Nigera have a star-studded lineup, but may under perform this year. Unfortunately, this isn't a new thing. Nigeria has always had good players, many playing in Europe, some for the top teams, yet the team does not win much.

In the 1990's other countries feared Nigeria. They had flair, creativity, and passion. They just didn't want to win, they wanted to perform. With this desire to simply have fun, the Super Eagles went on to upset many teams, often being hailed as the African Brazil (until that title was passed onto the Ivory Coast). However, lately they have not played attractive soccer. They don't have the fun they used to, they just seem to show up and play, and play ugly, if need be.

Sure, they have amazing strikers, with enough attacking options to make the Brazilians and Spaniards cry, but their midfield does not have the creativity, and the defense does not have the passion that one normally sees in full/center backs. If Nigeria wants to win, the midfield will really have to come together and rally around each other. Tracking back to help defend will be very important while they feed some long balls for the fast paced strikers to run onto.

Key Players:
The two strikers: Obafemi Martins (pictured), and Yakubu, are excellent proven strikers in the European leagues. They have pace, are powerful in the air or on ground, and have the burning desire to score as many goals as they can. However, to be successful they will have to rely on Jon Obi Mikel to help anchor the back-line. Playing for Chelsea, Mikel knows a lot about defense, so he will have to impart that wisdom onto the rest of the team.

My Prediction: 3rd Place Group B

Group B: South Korea

South Korea are a team that is haunted by the past. In the 2002 World Cup they played hosts and shocked the world by reaching the semi-finals. Trust me, a lot of us still can't believe it! This is because at the next finals in 2006, they crashed out in the group stage. Being constantly belittled by their "one-off run" the South Koreans are aiming to prove the world wrong, and this year, they could.

Being placed in Group B makes the South Koreans seem like an underdog team. Argentina are the clear favorites, Nigeria will likely have a lot of fan support, and Greece play some solid soccer. However, this is a good thing, because the Koreans now have two things going for them: 1) The element of surprise, and 2) They want to upstage North Korea.

With most of the world expecting little from the team, they have the ability to come out firing on all cylinders, and because of this they will score some surprising goals while they run around the defense of other teams. Compound this with the desire to do better than North Korea, who the nation is still technically at war with, and the South Koreans will be a force at this years finals, and I do expect them to shock the world by reaching the second round. Unfortunately, once there, they will face some stiff opposition against France who, at least on paper, will beat the Koreans.

Key Players:
Ji-Sung Park (pictured) of Manchester United is far-and-away the teams best player. Although not known for scoring many goals at his club, he has a flair for making amazing assists. He will be the architect for the two strikers. If their touch on the ball is good, expect a couple breakaway goals go storming past the defense.

Park-Chu-Young scored plenty of goals in qualifying (through free-kicks and run of play). Playing his club ball for Monaco in France he has the experience to go up against some of the world's best defenders and keepers.

My Prediction: Second Round

Group B: Argentina

Coming into every World Cup Argentina are usually listed as one of the favorites. Traditionally this has hampered them as they fail to live up to expectations, but this year 'could' be different.

Qualification was a long and hard ordeal for the Argentinians, and a lot of criticism around the world cited their coach [Diego Maradonna] as the reason. To this day Maradonna is listed as one of the world's historic best players, but his lack of managerial experience has been apparent. With a star-studded lineup that makes most countries cringe, Maradonna has had a tendency to put players out of position, or not utilize them to their full capacity. This could ultimately be the downfall for Argentina unless their coach learns to listen to advice from his staff and players.

However, the saving grace for Argentina is that they were placed in a relatively weak group, so promotion to the second round is basically automatic. The toughest part for the team will be maintaining momentum throughout the rest of the tournament.

Key Players:
Lionel Messi (pictured) is a world footballer of the year, and he has been in top form for club team Barcelona. If he had one weakness it would be that he often times fails to deliver on the national level.

Javier Mascherano. The Liverpool playmaker and captain of the Argentinians is integral to Maradonna's plans. A nightmare in midfield, he could pose a real problem for most teams.

My Prediction: Semi-Finalists.