Game 13: Ivory Coast vs Portugal

When Christiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba play, there are two things that are certain, lots of spectacular diving, and lots of spectacular shots, the fact that there were very few of the latter can tell you pretty much how this game went.

Ending in a 0-0 draw, Ivory Coast looked the be the better of the two sides. They constantly pressed their offense while still maintaining a strong defense, two basic but integral parts of any successful team. In truth, it appeared that Portugal were playing for a nil-nil draw, as they did not look very impressive, certainly not as good as teams long since passed.

An interesting thing about this game was the officiating, especially in the first half. Up until this point the officials had been impeccable, utterly beyond criticism, but the Uruguayan official today missed quite a few calls. In the opening three minutes Ronaldo took a dive after not being touched, it fooled the official and Portugal was awarded a spot-kick, along with Zokora receiving a yellow-card. A little while later in the 21st minute, Ronaldo would be clearly fouled, and after the official gave to order to play on some arguing would ensure that would not only see Demel (the man who committed the foul) booked, but also Ronaldo. This would continue into the second half after some reckless and dangerous tackles from both sides would be overlooked, I pray this official improves as each team was denied some valuable free kicks. The final highlight was at the very end of the game when Ivory Coast plays a short corner, only to hear the official blow the whistle to end the game. Maybe the rules of officiating have changed, but you never blow the final whistle on an advantageous possession chance.

The best chance for Portugal would be from the 11th minute after an absolutely beautiful run of play shot from Christiano Ronaldo would collide off of the post. Many fans had been waiting for someone to do well with the much criticized Jabulani ball, and Ronaldo did not disappoint. For Ivory Coast it would come in stoppage time when Didier Drogba just missed out on getting his foot wrapped around the ball, after having been played into the box from a lovely through ball.

In order for Ivory Coast to improve they would need to be a little less aggressive in terms of challenges, otherwise they would be risking a lot of yellow cards. Furthermore, they must practice their finishing, as there were some amazing goal chances, but the shot takers would kick the ball right at Eduardo, Portugal's goalkeeper.

Portugal on the other hand has a lot of work to do. They were not aggressive enough in their counterattacks, relying, it seems, to much on Christiano Ronaldo to see them through. If Portugal wants to advance then they will need to have some players step up to score and run at defenders, a very disappointing game from the former semi-finalists.

Group G: Ivory Coast

Just days before the World Cup, Ivory Coast was dealt a serious blow. Their main man, the flare that would give The Elephants a chance, their leading scorer, yes, you all know who I'm talking about, Didier Drogba [pictured] shattered his elbow.  There are reports he may be able to play, but so far the Ivory Coast team has been very quiet, and the citizens of the nation are not sure when he will be ready.

Dubbed the "African Brazil", Ivory Coast was one of Africa's few teams that had a realistic shot at hoisting the trophy, but with the loss of Drogba the team will find themselves struggling in the group stage.  In his place, it will be up to Salomon Kalou of Chelsea to score the goals.  Young and speedy, he has the ability to go toe to toe with the best defenders in the world, but it will be interesting to see how he does without his usual strike partner, or he might even take up the lone striker role.

In the past Ivory Coast has been very shaky on defense. There are a few big names, such as Eboue and Kolo Toure, but they have not worked too well together, allowing many easy goals to slip past them. As a result, Brazil (a notorious goal scoring machine) will probably have their way with the Elephants, while Portugal is likely to sneak in a quick surprise goal. Ivory Coast will need to be on their best form in order to get into the knockout rounds.

My Prediction: Group G 3rd Place.

Group G: Portugal

For being one of the top teams in the world, Portugal has really struggled lately.  Throughout qualifying they never looked like their normal dynamic selves, as they ended up placing second to Denmark. In order to even make the tournament, Portugal had to go into a playoff match, luckily for them, it was against a weaker Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Maybe it was just circumstance, surely Portugal were better than that? However, they continued to show poor form in the warm-up matches, and with the World Cup starting tomorrow, Portugal fans have a sense of nervous anticipation, which was only increased with the loss of Nani, the brilliant midfielder of Manchester United has been ruled out of the tournament through injury.

Portugal have at their disposal some incredible talent, but Christiano Ronaldo [pictured] is the centerpiece. After having an excellent season with Real Madrid, the winger/forward/offense midfielder will be looking to carry his form over to the World Cup. Extremely fast, and capable of some of the finest technical skill in the world, he can single handily win games for his team. This will be very important for Portugal because during qualification they had a hard time scoring goals when Ronaldo didn't play.  If he manages to keep his top level of play, and the defense can hold steady, then Portugal would not only have a shot of making it out of the Group of Death, but challenge for the title as well.

My Prediction: Second Round

Group G: North Korea

Ok, so Kim Jung-Il [pictured] may not be a part of the North Korean team, but he may as well be, as he is the one that dictates everything they do off of the pitch. This will be North Korea's second time ever appearing in a World Cup finals, the previous time being 1966 when they caught everyone by surprise when they reached the quarter-finals. Unfortunately for them, I don't think they will make it out of the group stage, for the simple fact that they were unlucky enough to be drawn into the Group of Death.

Truthfully, it is hard to write an entry for North Korea, as they have been very secretive, but what we do know is that the team plays very defensively, to the point of obscenity. The regular formation is a 4-3-3 (which often ends up being 5-3-2 by the end of the game), but they play as if they put eleven men behind the ball. Just look at their scores from the qualification games to see this. Besides only losing one game to Iran two to zero, every other game was either won by one goal, or more often then not a zero to zero draw.  Traditionally, their defense has payed off for them, but going up against the countries of Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast, there is no way they will be able to play for a draw against all of them, the teams just have too much attacking potential.

Even more bizarre was North Korea's attempt to pull a fast one on FIFA by placing a striker in the third goalkeeping spot. FIFA was not amused and promptly stated to the team that if they include that player in the keeper spot, then he will only be able to play between the posts. Unless of course they really want to shock the world by putting the player on the field with a keeper kit on, only to run forward and play offense while leaving the net empty. That could be entertaining...

Key Players: Who knows... Jong Tae-Se who plays in Japan (Yup, that's right, apparently allowing players to go over seas is occasionally granted) is their only real known player. He gained this reputation by being a menace in front of goal for defenders, scoring frequently and without warning. He will be the way North Korea score, by sending a long ball for him to run onto in a sudden counter-attack. The rest of the players are situated in North Korea's domestic league.

My Prediction: Group G 4th Place.

Group G: Brazil

It is a shame that Dunga is retiring as head coach, because I love what he has done with the Brazilian national team. Many people were outraged to see Ronaldinho not make the team, a former World Player of the year he should have been a sure bet. Thankfully for Brazil, Dunga realized he wasn't. After receiving many of his rewards, Ronaldinho became a one-show man, he did not play as part of a team. By leaving him off, Brazil now have a more cohesive force, with superstars in every position.

They easily qualified in first place, scoring the most goals and having the least against, and many consider them the favorites to win the tournament. However, I think this will be a year in which they are disappointed. Wait, didn't I just say they have a stronger team? Certainly, the problem is, so do a couple of other teams that Brazil is likely to face in the knockout stages. In the round of sixteen Brazil will probably come up against either Switzerland or Chile. Switzerland, although having a strong defense, will be hard pressed to score goals, so Brazil would win this one. Meanwhile Chile can score a lot of goals, but they give up a lot as well, with Brazil having scored seven times in two qualifying games against them. Another win.

The Quarterfinals is when Brazil will likely be tested. Coming up against an incredibly strong Netherlands squad that will happily run and gun with them. I see the game ending in a goal fest, but unfortunately for Brazil, a single late goal from one careless mistake will probably cost the game for them.

Key Players: Kaka (pictured) is, arguably, one of the top three players in the world, and still top ten if hurt, he's just that good. He scores goals, he gives assists, he tackles, he tracks back, he's got everything. It will be imperative that he stays fit so that he can feed the ball to striker Luis Fabiana, or if Fabiana is too heavily marked, take pot-shots from outside the eighteen yard box.

As always with Brazil, expect a lot of flashy goals, and some rabid fans that will drive them to amazing feats of glory.

My Prediction: Quarter-Finals.

Group E: Denmark

Unfortunately, this is not the same Denmark as thirty years ago, a team that had "The Great Dane" Peter Schmeichel and the Laudrup brothers. Thankfully, for being dubbed the least experienced Denmark team for many years, the Danes were able to roll over their qualification group. Not only did they edge out Portugal for first place, but they disqualified Scandinavian powerhouse Sweden!

Although, it may be unfair to call the team inexperienced, as they are filled with some bright talents. Nicklas Bendtner [pictured] of Arsenal has been a promising prospect in London, while Daniel Agger has been playing a lot of first team soccer at Liverpool. Thomas Sorenson is also back, prepared to be the imposing force he usually is in front of the net. However, there are weak points, with the majority of the defenders playing at small clubs that do not compete against the best opposition. But Morten Olsen has been at the helm of the team for a long time, serving as coach for ten years and counting. The team and fans will just have to put their trust into him, as he attempts to bring new glory to a team that has failed to impress for the past four years.

Truthfully, it is a shame that Denmark will likely not make it out of the group stage, but their games are sure to be enjoyable. As is the typical Danish fashion, expect many late game goals that could surprise us all, which could allow them to narrowly avoid being knocked out.

My Prediction: Group E 3rd Place.

Group D: Australia

The Socceroos are back for not only their second world cup, but their second world cup appearance in their history.  After making it to the round of sixteen in 2006, they were uprooted from their Oceana qualifying group and placed into Asia, which they promptly stormed through to the finals.

Now more experienced, Australia is sure to be a hit at the 2010 World Cup. However, they were unfortunate enough to be placed in a very tough group. Most people say Group G is the group of death this year, but I disagree. Brazil will qualify, Portugal has not been as good lately, but will still get lucky, Ivory Coast is a bit overrated, and North Korea will be last place at the tournament. On the other hand, Germany may be rock steady, but Australia, Serbia, and Ghana are all very strong teams, and they all have a shot at getting second place. Furthermore, if one of them manages to upset Germany, then any of the three could even possibly get first in the group!

Currently there is a lot of criticism on coach Pim Verbeek. Naturally it is a tough job for any coach to follow in the steps of Guus Hiddink, but Verbeek has been criticized for playing to conservatively. Sitting on wins by playing defense rather than attacking, and substituting out needed attackers to put on more holding midfielders.  Hopefully the warm-up matches will give Verbeek an idea of which starting team he would like to run, and use them to their highest potential.

Australia's toughest game will be against Ghana, as the two teams fight over second place.

Key Players: Tim Cahill (pictured) has been a lifeline for club (Everton F.C.) and country. Possessed of a strong work ethic, he can make good runs and score, knocking four goals in qualification. If he can stay fit, Harry Kewell is also a natural selection, having played in the EPL for a number of successful years.

My Prediction: Group D 3rd place, just narrowly missing out on goal differential.