Game 28: Italy vs New Zealand

New Zealand shocked defending champions Italy on Sunday with a 1-1 draw.

The All Whites struck first in the 7th minute when Shane Smeltz was able to get onto the end of a long-range free kick, staying on-sides due to the flick on by Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro.

However, Italy would soon level in the 29th minute when De Rossi's shirt was tugged, and the Italian theatrically went down into the box to be awarded a penalty. Vincenzo Iaquinta would calmly even the score, and from then on out it would be a dog fight for the Aussies.

Only having three shots the entire game, one from Chris Wood narrowly missing at the end of the game, New Zealand was constantly on the defensive. Big stops from skipper Ryan Nelson were integral, but even he could not outshine the brilliant display from New Zealand keeper Mark Paston, who would come up huge on numerous occasions, denying Iaquinta, Montolivo, and others as he managed to keep his team in the game.

This is the second draw for both teams this year at the finals, New Zealand having tied the struggling Slovakians, while Italy drew 1-1 to Paraguay.

Although the much needed Andreas Pirlo is likely to return against Slovakia, something all Italians will be relishing, number one keeper Buffon could be out for the rest of the world cup due to his back injury.

In truth, Italy dominated the entire game, having 23 shots, and controlling 72% of the possession, but they just could not break down the New Zealand defense.

Italy almost tied up the match in the 27th minute, when Montolivo drilled a shot into the post, and it would remain there best chance of all their shots throughout the match.

At the final whistle, players on both sides calmly exchanged jerseys, and shook each others hands, but around the world views on the game will not be taken so lightly. Italian fans are dreading a display that France did in 2002, when after winning both the World Cup and the European Championship, the team crashed out without scoring a goal. Italy now has two goals from both their games, but they will need to win their match against Slovakia in order to progress. Normally, that would seem like an easy prediction, but with the Azzuri struggling to find the back of the net, the result could be anyone's guess.

Game 11: Italy vs Paraguay

It's a shame that the first week of this World Cup Finals has been blighted by goalkeeper mistakes, as fans just narrowly missed out on their first giant killing.

The first game in group F was played out today, and both Italy and Paraguay were hungry for a victory. There was heavy rain on the day, but both sides managed to keep their footing throughout the match; although it would seem the gloom would hang over the Italian side for a while to come.

Coming into the finals, Paraguay has been having problems scoring, combined with Italy being notorious for normally playing a defensive game, it was interesting to see both teams attacking early, trying to get that go-ahead goal.  In the 23rd minute Paraguay would have the first chance on goal, with a brilliant link-up play to Torres, but he would unfortunately put the ball wide of the net. Following this Italy would begin to press, but Paraguay's defense would hold strong, denying the defending champions after they had three corner kicks in a row.

The first goal of the game would occur in the the 39th minute, when Alcaraz would get onto the end of a brilliantly placed spot kick, and head the ball into the net, rising above two Italian defenders. The Azzuri were stunned, and you could notice they were hanging their heads. After constant pressing which saw Paraguay defending for their lives, Italy would finally get the equalizer from de Rossi, who would would score off a corner, when the Paraguayan keeper Vellar would make a huge mistake in the 63rd minute.

Unfortunately, Italy would be unable to find another goal. Even more unfortunate, Italy is already without star Andreas Pirlo, but now they may be without the world number one keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, who had to be substituted off at half due to back pains. Buffon had little to do all match, so hopefully this is not some pre-existing condition, otherwise Italy will have a tough time in future games without their starting keeper.

This match is interesting because the passing completion was one of the worst in World Cup history, with both teams only combining for a total of 67%. This could be attributed to the tough defense played by both sides, to the wet conditions, but a lot of it still has to come down to the players. Constantly throughout the match both teams would have problems finding space, resorting to a lot of unnecessary fouls. Thankfully, the Mexican official was able to keep the game going at a smooth pace.

This is certainly not the Italy who won the World Cup four years ago. They just didn't seem to have the pace that would allow them to perform their notorious counter attacks, but they also lacked the awareness to execute many of their set pieces. If Italy wants to go further they will have to work on their passing, for a defensively minded possession team, they did not perform to their best. By maintaining possession they will have more chances to play their strikers, or for their wingers to make runs, allowing them more chances on goal.

Paraguay actually played very well, as well as you would expect for Paraguay, anyway. They have never been a team that is great at scoring, and they showed that today, but they did play defense very well, halting many of the Italian's attacks before they could reach the penalty area. Starting with Roque Santa Cruz may be more desirable, as he was able to create a couple chances for Paraguay in the second half, something they were lacking initially. As with Italy, they will also need to work on their passing.

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 F: Slovakia

Do not underestimate Slovakia, while the lower FIFA ranking, and the abundance of less-than-experienced players may catch your notice, the team is tough as nails.  When qualification started, everyone discounted them. Yet they managed to beat their former federal partners, the Czech Republic, breeze past Poland, and put a damper on Slovenia.

Can they repeat the feat? In Group F, "Repre" have to battle out Italy and Paraguay for a spot to move on, and those two teams will be fighting hard lest they dash the hopes of their respective nations. You can probably put Slovakia down for a win over New Zealand, as it is very likely to happen, but I wouldn't be surprised by a draw or two against the others. With Martin Skrtel [pictured] of Liverpool holding the back line, Slovakia has a realistic chance to sit on a draw and come out of it unscathed. However, that could be playing right into Italy's hands, as they prefer that type of play as well, but it could probably frustrate the South Americans.

As a result, Slovakia will need to find a way to score some goals, and that could be left up to the midfielder Pavol Hamsik, the captain and team inspiration. Realistically, to move on, Slovakia would need at the very worst to beat New Zealand, then draw to either Paraguay or Italy with enough goal differential to break a tie in their favor.

My Prediction: Group F 3rd Place.

Group F: New Zealand

Surprisingly this is not New Zealand's first World Cup, having competed in 1982. The "All Whites" (don't confuse it with the rugby All Blacks), are very happy to be making another appearance, but they did have the easiest qualifying campaign. Since Australia moved from the Oceania to Asian confederation the door was left open for New Zealand, only having to overcome teams such as Fiji. Because they won in Oceania they then had the right to play the 5th place team from Asia, which surprisingly, was Bahrain. Although not a strong team, New Zealand still had to struggle to win the playoff, only going forward with a one to zero aggregate score.

Ryan Nelson [pictured] is the captain and most experienced player. Competing for DC United in previous years, he has since moved to Blackburn Rovers in the EPL. However, his time at the English club has been blighted by injuries.

New Zealand is no doubt a serious head-scratcher, to see them qualify but other teams left out. It is simply the nature of the game, and the All Whites are here to have some fun and see if they can maybe upset a few people along the way.

My Prediction: Group F 4th Place.

Group F: Italy

Italy are the current defending champions of the World Cup, having beaten France on penalty kicks in 2006, and although many of the same players are returning, this is not the same team as four years ago.

Marcello Lippi [coach] has been adamant about holding onto to his winning players, a result that has created an aging squad. Gianluigi Buffon [pictured] may still be one of the top goalkeepers in the world, but other players such as Zambrotta and Cannavaro have lost much of their form from the past.  If Lippi takes the chance to play a lot of the younger up and coming players, then the Azzurri could go all the way, pulling off a fantastic repeat. Otherwise I could easily see the team crashing out early if they are not careful, and do not maintain their fitness levels.

The Italian team is known for playing their soccer in the same manner that their league does, slow and calculating. Playing possession until an opportunity presents itself is what the Italians do best as it has been known to frustrate others. Marching through their qualification group, a run which saw the Republic of Ireland as their toughest competition, the Azzurri are lucky to have been drawn into a rather easy World Cup group. Italy vs Paraguay will be the match to watch as both teams will be competing for the top spot going into the second round.

Key Players: Buffon has already been mentioned as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but the Italians have another ace up their sleeve in Daniel de Rossi. The Roma defender is the epitome of a work horse and will keep fighting until the final whistle. Although I do mean fighting literally, as he has a tendency to get booked regularly. If he can stay out of the Referees pocket then the Roma man will easily hold the middle against most teams.

My Prediction: Quarter-finals.

Group D: Ghana

Along with Australia, this is Ghana's second world cup appearance in a row, and second ever. In addition, just like Australia, they have a fearsome squad.

In 2006 Ghana shocked everybody by reaching the second round, where they were promptly beaten by Brazil, but they did put out a good showing. On top of this, Ghana went on to win the U-20 competition, and a few of these players on now in the squad.

A unique aspect about Ghana is how young all the players are, with the average age sitting around 22-24 it is amazing to see so many of them succeeding in the top flights of the game. However, without Michael Essien (who is out injured), will Ghana have a chance? He was easily the teams best player, and one of the reasons they made it to the Cup for two tournaments in a row.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Ghana will be the most successful African team at this tournament. They will reach the second round and put up a good fight against England, and then lose in the dying minutes of the game. Note, I also pick Cameroon to make the second round, but they will be soundly defeated by Italy, which is why I say Ghana will be the most successful.

Key Players:
Asamoah Gyan (pictured) is an amazing striker, having scored 17 goals in 32 qualifying games he will be the target for the midfielders, such as Sulley Muntari who had an amazing season with Internazionale as they went on to win the Champions League.

My Prediction: Second Round loss to England.