2010 FIFA World Cup

[maccaz]

YES! New Zealand got their first ever point at the FIFA World Cup after drawing 1-1 with Slovakia overnight.

[Ryan]

2-1 for Brazil. Not enough for the North Koreans. They'll probably all face the firing squad when they get home.

[halcyon06]

My moneys on Argentina- Tevez and Mesi, unbeatable combo!

[ebrett84]

2-1 for Brazil. Not enough for the North Koreans. They'll probably all face the firing squad when they get home.

I think 2-1 might be enough. I thought it would be 437-0, in which case they'd definitely be facing the firing squad. Brazil looked pretty ordinary, and I continue to think they're overrated. New Zealand getting a point was a shocker. Portugal looked pretty miserable. Didn't Deco used to be good? I'm not really impressed with any team so far. I'd say Argentina looked the best and they still had problems.

[stephyrose4]

I'm so, so, so, so incredibly happy New Zealand drew. It was amazing!

[Slade]

Well we've seen all the big boys play now. Germany were impressive but against better opposition with 11 men things could have been different.

Italy were disappointing. They seemed rock solid in defence to start off with but conceded an awful goal in defensive terms - Do you think that was a lack of experience perhaps (sarcasm!)? They were passing the ball reasonably well but were not creating a whole deal of clear cut chances. Going forward they just didn't seem anywhere near as strong as 2006 or even 2002 where arguably they had a whole range of attacking talent.

Brazil really didn't impress me. I was actually hoping North Korea sorry the Democratic People's Republic of Korea got a draw. I really, really liked their whole attitude. They never gave up and even when they were fouled they continued to play rather than dive and roll around on the floor which is the norm nowadays.

Didn't see the Spain game so can't comment on it (this is the problem with the time the matches are being shown for two out of three I'm always at work) but the result does seem to reaffirm their reputation in the world cup for being a nearly team.

Forlan was really impressive against South Africa. Uruguay are in a really good position now as they only need a draw from their last game. South Africa look unlikely to qualify and it seems like this could be the first time the host nation fails to get into the next round. With Mexico drawing their first game against South Africa I'm not so sure France won't qualify now. If Mexico fail to beat them then a win against South Africa will see them through into the next round.

I agree that Argentina were impressive but I felt the final third let them down. And this has been a problem for quite a few teams. Oh BTW congratulations to New Zealand for securing their first point in the World Cup.

[summerbay10]

The bubazela is the big winner of 2010 FIFA World Cup

[Slade]

Dreadful! Absolutely dire! With a performance like that England don't deserve to go through to the second round. For much of that game IMO Algeria were the better side. England are so boring and painful to watch. What happened to style of play they adopted between 1996-1998. They were so entertaining. I still think they'll beat Slovenia and progress but the question is will they avoid Germany.

Germany were a bit unlucky to lose to Serbia and Klose shouldn't have been sent off. That result has effectively split the group wide open. Serbia are arguably in the strongest position even though they are second. They only need a draw against Australia whereas Germany have to beat Ghana and even then there's no guarantee they'll finish top of the group.

Really impressed with Mexico in their game against France and I really hope they go through. I think if either they or Uruguay play Argentina that has the potential for a great game of football - For me Argentina vs Mexico was the best game of the 2006 World Cup.

[Jamey-Maria]

The ref that just gave Harry Kewell a red card for that unintentional bounce off his bi-cep and made Australia play the rest of that game 10 men should be kicked in the nuts!

[charmed60]

I agree Slade. I'm very supportive of England and want to see them do well but based on their performance against Algeria, they certainly don't deserve to get through. The whole game was so sloppy and it's not like Algeria managed to tackle or intercept their passes; England seemed to actually be passing to them! And Wayne Rooney; what on earth was wrong with him? Everytime he got the ball he tripped over his own feet and just aimlessly kicked it somewhere else on the pitch; usually to an Algerian player. They had a better second half and spent more time nearer the goal but they were definetely the weaker team and really need to start working together if they've got any hope of getting further through the competition. Wayne Rooney has also annoyed me how he criticised the fans for booing them at the end of the match; I think he needs to be looking at his own performance and remember that as football is his job; as in any job if you perform badly and appear to put no effort in, you will be criticised and deserve to be. Did he honestly expect the fans to cheer them for that performance?

Really enjoyed the Ghana vs Australia match; I thought both teams played well and worked together and it was far more exciting for me to watch than the England game. I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to football so feel free to correct me but I thought that if you touched the ball it classed as a hand ball and therefore Harry Kewell deserved the red card? If he hadn't have stopped the ball with his arm it would have gone into the goal so he inadvertently played goalkeeper there? I can understand it must seem quite unfair to the Australian supports though as he didn't purposely put his hand out to stop it; just an unfortunate circumstance! Still Australia did well to gain an equalization even with one man down.