Game 21: Serbia vs Germany

This would be a game dictated by the official, something a fan never likes to see.

Serbia would score the only goal of the match in the 38th minute when Milan Jovanovic would get onto a loose ball in the box, sliding it past the German goalkeeper.

The goal came shortly after Miroslav Klose had recieved his second yellow card (the sixth yellow in the first quarter of the game), to send the goal-scoring giant to the locker room. The sad thing is, is both fouls were rather tame, certainly not card worthy.

As a result of so many cards, Germany would not be able to play their usual physical game, for fear of later suspensions. They did, however, have a few chances. Sami Khedira, at the stroke of half-time would volley in a rocket of a shot, only to see it smack against the crossbar.

Then in the 60th minute Germany would be given a penalty kick, after a Vidic hand-ball in the box. However, Lucas Podolski would fail to deliver the shot, with Vladimir Stojkovic of Serbia coming up with a tremendous save.

The game would end Serbia 1 - 0 Germany.

Hopefully Germany can put this loss behind them, as they were very unfortunate with the amount of cards they received. However, with their extreme talent and desire, I can easily envision Germany still going through to the knockout stages. To do so they will need to win their last game against Ghana, then hope that either Ghana or Serbia lose one match, as Australia would need to overcome a lot of goal differential to edge out Germany for a spot to move on.

Game 7: Serbia vs Ghana

Let me begin by saying I am now a Ghana fan. The fans were great, they played attractive soccer, but most of all, the kids were happy to be there. From the moment of the national anthems, down to the final whistle there were constant smiles all around, the thoughts of "amazing, we get to play in the World Cup!" circulating through the team, the team played with heart, and I commend them for that.

Now on to the analysis.

Despite the low score, and the two non-powerhouse teams, this was a very exciting game. Both sides were hungry for a victory, and unlike the game right before (see Algeria vs Slovenia), Ghana and Serbia kept pushing against each other, taking shots, creating breakaways, excellent spot kicks, you name it and there it was. However, what kept this game from easily being a four to three scoreline was the tremendous defense from both sides.

Gyan through on goal? Vidic heroically steps in front and clears the ball. Zigic trying to head the ball off of a cross? Mensah is equal to it. Now, I expected a tough defense from Serbia, but Ghana surprised me. Without Essien I thought the youthful bunch would be an attacking nightmare, but they were very balanced.

Unfortunately for Serbia, they were to become victimized when Lukovic received a second yellow in the seventy-fifth minute, dropping Serbia down to ten men. Ghana would take advantage and keep pressing, until finally Serbia made a mistake, when Kuzmanovic executes a clear hand ball on a ball lobbed into the box, immediately the referee calls for the penalty, which Gyan scores with ease.

Poor Serbia will be disappointed by this result, but they should take pride in that they did play well. There only main weakness was their lack for goalscoring, with the six-foot-eight Zigic having little to no impact on the game. Ghana on the other hand still had the occasional defensive lapse, but that could be chalked up to first-game nerves. However, on the whole, I was very impressed by both teams, it's a shame that with Germany in the group that only one of these teams will be likely to make it to the second round.

Final Score: Serbia 0 - 1 Ghana

Group D: Serbia

Serbia find themselves in a tricky situation. Playing for the first time as their own nation, the White Eagles are looking to come out of the starting blocks in a tournament that has placed them in a tricky group.  Currently ranked fifteenth in the world, they received that rank by winning their qualification campaign, placing one point higher than France.

But upon closer look, one has to wonder whether that rank is accurate, or if it reflects the strange formula of the FIFA ranking system. France played very poorly in qualification, against all teams, not just against Serbia. The other opposition included Austria, Lithuania, a poor showing Romania, and Faroe Islands, none of these teams being a real threat.

This isn't to say, however, that Serbia isn't without a few surprises. With Nemanja Vidic (pictured) of Manchester United, and American national team turned Serbian Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund, the Serbians have an imposing defense. Add on the fact that their line running is incredibly fast, and they are really good at dead balls, it would seem that Serbia has the perfect all around team. The problem is that Germany will have no problem going toe-to-toe with them, and Ghana will have a lot of fan momentum from playing on African soil. Don't misunderstand, their qualification was a success story for such a small nation, I just fear it will end quickly.

My Prediction: Group D 4th Place.

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.

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.

Group D: Germany

Champions of three world cups, almost always make the round of 16, and on top of it, usually make the quarterfinals! Germany are the epitome of steady consistency, but without star and captain Michael Ballack, how good will the team be this year? It will be up to Philipp Lahm (pictured), recently promoted to captain, to lead a team that the world expects a lot from.

Qualifying comfortably from their pre-tournament group, Germany should easily make it to the round of sixteen, leaving it up to Australia, Serbia, and Ghana to battle it out for second place. I'm predicting Germany to make it to the quarterfinals (naturally) but their fitness will be tested against Argentina, a more classy team in terms of technical skill, and the fact that Lionel Messi should not have many issues navigating his way through the tough German defenders.

Compared to the other top teams throughout the years, the Germans do not have flashy plays of brilliance, the repeat ad-nauseum stepover, or the tricks that make fans scream. However, what they do have is excellent teamwork. The Germans never fail to work together and grind out results. If they find one side of the pitch is dominating them then they will quickly react. It is for this reason that Germany will once again go far in yet another World Cup.

Key Players:
Philipp Lahm is the new captain of the team due to the injury of Michael Ballack, so it is paramount that he can help keep the players focused. An excellent right back player, he is ace at surging forward to deliver crosses into the box. Not to mention he is very good on the dead ball kicks!

Miroslav Klose: He may be aging and not getting a lot of first-team soccer at Bayern Munich, but you can expect him to be a factor coming of the bench. Where his speed and shots on goal will be a menace for the worn out defenders.

My Prediction: Quarter-finals.

Group A: France

France reached the World Cup amid great controversy. Failing to display the skills fans have come to expect out of the nation, France had to struggle through qualification. Placing second behind Serbia they had to do a playoff against Ireland to determine who would reach South Africa. In the 2nd leg of the playoff, Ireland had evened out the goal aggregate and the teams were heading into extra time, only for a handball from striker Thiery Henry to reach the onrushing William Gallas to score the goal and send the French through. Irish fans will never forget this, but the rest of the world is left asking, does France deserve to be at the Cup?

The star quality is there in all positions, but the bad qualification run leaves some doubts. Luckily for France, they are easily still the best team in their group. In theory most betting people will expect them to win all their matches, and this is likely. As such the real test for France will be once they get to the knockout stage, where they will most likely be facing S. Korea, who they should once again beat, but then come up against a very strong England squad, which on paper will run circles around the French. Les Bleues will have to be at their best in order to make a strong showing, and not have a repeat of qualification.

Key Players:

Anelka has been on fire lately for both club and country, to the point where I feel he now outshines Henry. He should be starting the games, and expect him to be the leading scorer for the French side.

Ribery and Malouda on the the wings will provide some good speed that will trouble some other nations, particularly because these two are also very strong players with the technical skill to dribble around double marking.

The defense all around is actually really good for France, and they will give up few goals, but they will have to score some points if they don’t want to finish in goalless draws. The key for France is to show up, forget about qualifying, forget about disappointing club seasons, and forget about the South African home crowd. If they can do these things then the classical French will shine in this years tournament.

My Prediction: Quarter Finals