WFC World Cup Diary: Matchday 6, 16 June 2010

The final day of opening matches began with an all Spanish affair between Honduras and Chile.  The Chileans, very attack minded, were heavily favored, having held their own against Brazil and Argentina in CONMEBOL qualifying.  The Hondurans, who were 3rd in CONCACAF behind the US and Mexico, would play with their manager, Reinaldo Ruelda, serving a one match ban from the stands, incurred during his country’s final qualifying match versus El Salvador. His assistant, Alexis Mendoza would take the reins of Los Pinoleros for the day.

One follower Chile would like to see the back of.

Despite being favored, La Roja had to be aware that in their last meeting, coincidentally played in my backyard, Fort Lauderdale, the Hondurans put it to them by a score of 2-0.  Worse, the South Americans had not won a World Cup match in 48 years, a very large, orangutanish sized monkey to have on your back.  So close to Kruger National Park, Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium might be an appropriate place to shake off their unwanted passenger.

The match started predictably, with the red shirted Chileans immediately assuming control.  Their attack orchestrated by the number 10, Jorge Valdivia, Chile opened with alternating runs down the right wing and incisive passes through the middle, keeping the Hondurans back on their heels.  Still, Chile might have been a little overaggressive, accruing 2 yellow cards in the opening 20 minutes.  Players on both sides were falling over like bowling pins, regardless of the severity of contact.  It looked to be shaping up to be an unfortunately typical Latin match.  The refereeing would not be one-sided, however, as a bewildered Wilson Palacios saw yellow, apparently for a foul committed by teammate Roger Espinoza.

Vivre Beausejour!

A strange feature of the match was hearing all the Anglo given names attached to Spanish surnames.  There’s Roger Espinoza, Wilson Palacios (with his brothers, Johnny and Jerry, on the bench) and Gary Medel.  Really?  Gary?  Let’s not forget Walter Martinez, Mark Gonzalez (actually South African born), Georgie Welcome, the final man also holding a good last name for a substitute.  Sadly, Adrian Healey would botch his chance at the obvious pun when the tall striker entered the game in the second half.

Meanwhile, in the 34th minute, the Chilean’s persistence would bear fruit.  Valdivia worked the ball in the center of the pitch, sending an entry pass, as surgically precise as a laser, into the right of the box, where it was quickly redirected towards goal to find a cutting Jean Beausejour.  The striker’s slight touch was sufficient to flick it behind a wrong footed Noel Valladares.  One-nil to Chile.  How ironic that in a Spanish match, sprinkled with an Anglo influence, it’s a player of French heritage who makes the ultimate strike?

For Valladares, it was all for naught

In the second half, Chile continued to move forward, relentlessy attacking the Honduran goal, now working through left back Arturo Vidal far more.  Only some brilliant work by the keeper, Valladares kept the match within reach.  His yeoman work and the dogged support of his defensive line was in vain, though, as Los Albiazules could not muster even a hint of a counterattack.

The lone goal in the match failed to truly reflect the dominance of the South Americans but, for Chile,  the 48 year drought has ended and they have had the best of starts to their World Cup campaign.

...so,everyone wore hats and sunscreen

The outlook was sunny on the East Coast...

Over in Durban, the final opening match kicked off with Spain facing the Swiss.  The Spaniards, heavily touted in both this game and overall, entered their 50th World Cup match as the most experienced non-winner in the event.  Their opponents went out of the last tournament without surrendering a goal but pundits were very skeptical of that streak holding up against the dizzying array of talent in red and gold.

Switzerland, with all but 2 starting players at least 6′ tall, were content to allow the smaller, quicker Spaniards to control the edges of play, filling the box and waiting for the game to come to them.  The match quickly settled into a pattern, with Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso working the ball from left to right, Sergio Ramos and Robert Pique overlapping constantly on the wings and the Davids, Silva and Villa vainly trying to penetrate the box.  In fact, for most of the match, Ramos could be found further up the pitch than his entire midfield.  His lack of concern for his defensive responsibilities would prove to be costly for La Furia.

Phillipe Senderos suffered an ankle injury and hobbled on for several minutes.  He was finally taken off, though in the 35th minute, lame but game.  Stephane Grichting would take charge of the Swiss defense from that point forward.  His yellow card would be one of four that the Nati would in order to hold the Spaniards at bay.

Not a pretty sight, unless you're Swiss

Early in the second half, Spain continued to work their magic on the perimeter of the Swiss box.  The one chance the defenders were hoping for came in the 51st minute, however, when Gelson Fernandes latched onto a through ball in counterattack.  His first touch was heavy and Iker Casillas almost beat him to the ball at the top of the 18 yard box.  The Swiss survived the collision, though, and stumbled after the ball, clattering into a desperate Robert Pique halfway to the net.  Leaving the Spanish back bloodied in his wake, Fernandes again managed to reach the ball before Casillas, as it trickled slowly goalward, and stabbed it home before the keeper’s sliding tackle could prevent him.

A goal thoroughly complete in its ugliness, it was, nonetheless, the most dramatic moment of the tournament thus far.  Beaten only once in their last 49 games, here in South Africa one year ago, and heralded for glory, the European Champions were stunned to find themselves trailing their first match of the competition.

del Bosque demonstrates how to track back to his wayward defender

A question unasked by the commentators but one that needs answering, as the play was made down his side of the pitch, was where was Sergio Ramos when his centerbacks need him?  He was so far upfield that he could have sooner reached the Swiss goal than his own as events unfolded.

Spain quickly redoubled their efforts to unlock the Swiss defense.  On 61 minutes, Vicente del Bosque made a double switch, sending on Fernando Torres, his locks freshly sheared for the occasion, and the travel wary Jesus Navas for David Silva and Sergio Busquets.  Immediately the pair re-energized the Spanish assault with Torres receiving the ball from Navas and maneuvering  along the right edge, looking to split 2 defenders.  He failed to draw a foul but Iniesta won the ball back only to curl it just wide of the far post.

As the match approached the 70 minute mark, it was suddenly end to end action.

Xavi sent a long ball into the box for the Liverpool striker but Grichting was there to head it away just in time.  Going the other way, Gelson Fernandes looked to sack the Spanish net, once more, but this time Piquet, a crimson streak running down his face, won the battle.

Was Torres' failure due to the Samson like haircut?

Now, it was Torres again, threatening to break free but overstepping the ball.  Pivoting, he unleashed a desperate shot just over the top of goal.  The Swiss countered once more, as Blaise N’kufo just missed with a point blank header.

With no let up, Torres penetrated from the left and intimidated Swiss keeper, Diego Benaglio, into parrying a well wide shortside volley, giving the red and gold a corner.  In the aftermath of the set piece Xabi Alonso unleashed an absolute cannon that shuddered off the cross bar.  Next, Xavi sent a long cross from the left all the way to the far wing, where Navas one-touched a bouncing ball over the head of his marker and darted past the bewildered Swiss, to force Benaglio to save again.

The sustained attack failed and was almost punished when Eron Durdiyok weaved through the penalty area and beat Casillas cleanly with a low shot, only to see it deflect off the post.  Nearly ten minutes of knockdown dragout football finally petered out but not before Andres Iniesta was forced off after taking a blow chasing a 50-50 ball.

...and Benaglio held the line superbly

Grichting, despite the yellow,...

In the final ten minutes, the Swiss tightened up at the back and Spain, though desperate, were unable to mount another serious threat.  An apparently sympathetic Howard Webb awarded them a full 5 minutes of added time but La Furia were frustrated and their opponents sensed blood in the water.  Their confidence rising, the Swiss had the better of it at the death.

For Vicente del Bosque’s side, it could very well be the death of their World Cup hopes.  With an imposing Chilean side on the horizon and already three points adrift of two sides, progression is out of their hands.  They must find a way to win both of their remaining matches or trust to luck.

In Pretoria, hopes were high but...

...rumors of Pope Benedict attending turned out to be mistaken

The stunning upset concluded the opening matches with a thunderous bang but the day wasn’t yet over.  The hosts were waiting in Pretoria to play their second game, against Diego Forlan and Uruguay.  With each nation having earned a point in their previous encounters,  both were hoping, prior to the start, to take a big step forward in the wide open Group A.

For unexplained reasons, however, the home boys came out looking extremely flat.  Their attack was very narrow, with both Steven Pienaar and Teko Modise operating largely on the inside rather than attacking from the wings.  Uruguay retained the same formation they used against the French, utilizing a back line of 5 defenders.  The lack of width from south Africa played right into their hands.

Still, it has to be said that the South Americans were far more open in this match than in their first, as the two outside backs ventured much farther up the pitch.  From the 5th minute, when Pienaar was foolishly booked for challenging a set piece too early, the Uruguayans had almost everything their own way.  Siphiwie Tshabalala, the hero of the Mexico game, tried 2 or 3 long balls at the outset but was unable to keep them down in the high altitude.

After that, though, the bus drivers who played against France were replaced by a much more Formula 1 looking La Celeste outfit.  Luis Suarez penetrated the Bafana Bafana box and forced Itumeleng Khune into making an early save.  Soon after, Alvaro Pereira sent a shot blazing high over the goal.  Long balls at altitude were seeking the stratosphere, once again.

He had a little help but it counts

Then, just as I was basking in my righteousness concerning the flight of the Jabalani ball in the mountain air, Diego Forlan struck.  In the 24th minute, his long shot glanced off the shoulder of a defender and dipped over a helpless Khune, grazing the bottom of the cross bar on its way into goal.  The Atletico Madrid forward had found the trajectory for which everyone had been searching.  Of course, it had been just slightly deflected but I was no longer so sure in my convictions.

Down a goal, neither were the South Africans.  Katlego Mphela made an exciting run from the center circle, to the outside and down the right.  At the end, though, there were no friends waiting in the box to greet his corner from the touchline.

Forlan, much more involved in affairs than he was in the France match, cut in from the right and sent a ball off the side netting.

In the second half, the Uruguayans did not let up.  Diego Lugano muffed a header from another Forlan set piece.  Robbie Mustoe, in the booth, questioned whether Forlan was on the wrong end of corners and free kicks for the second game running, although it seems to work well for the South Americans.

On 56 minutes, Carlos Alberto Perreira brought on Surprise Moriri and Martin Tyler promptly one-upped Adrian Healey, nailing his delivery of the expected pun with impeccable timing.  In the meantime, Pienaar continued to struggle and Mphela wasted a golden opportunity, misdirecting a header form just 10 feet in front of goal.

Even though Uruguay controlled the match offensively, they deserve extra credit for the way that everyone raced back to defend any South African counterattack that was mounted.  As well, with the lightweight duo of Pienaar and Modise so easy to find in the middle of the park, the white and blue shirts were not shy about knocking them off their feet whenever an opportunity arose.

Khune trips Suarez...

...and pays the ultimate price

Back on the offensive again, Edinson Cavani whiffed a volley from yet another perfect Forlan free kick and you wondered if the South Americans were letting their hosts stick around a little too long.  In the 75th minute, however, the issue was forced.  Luis Suarez broke in onside from the left and Khune clipped him slightly on what was a clear goal scoring opportunity.  The ensuing red card was devastating for the home side.

Joy for Uruguay

After a long wait, while a dejected Steven Pienaar was taken out so that  Moeneeb Josephs could come on to defend the penalty, the Uruguayan captain cooly smashed the spot kick just under the bar.  Even though the fresh keeper guessed correctly, he had absolutely no chance.

Diego Forlan 2, South Africa 0.  The brace gives the 3rd generation World cup footballer an early lead in the race for the Golden Boot.

As could be deduced from the removal of their own talisman, the yellow and green packed it in from that point and a sublimely chipped cross from Suarez to Pereira for an easy tap in on 93 minutes emphasized the dominance of the sky blue.  Final tally, 3-0 for the visitors.

Misery for Bafana Bafana

The result surely raises the stakes for both France and Mexico on the morrow, when a draw will no longer be a satisfactory result for either side.  It is all the host country can hope for, however, as they prepare for the near impossible task of defeating France in their 3rd match.  Short of that unlikely event, South Africa will indeed go down as the first host nation not to advance beyond the group stage.

The drama has truly begun at the World Cup.  Enjoy and we’ll see you again tomorrow!

Previous Entries in WFC’s World Cup Diary

Match Day 1:  South Africa v Mexico, France v Uruguay

Match Day 2: South Korea v Greece, Argentina v Nigeria, England v USA

Match day 3: Slovenia v Algeria, Ghana v Serbia, Germany v Australia

Match Day 4:  Netherlands v Denmark, Japan v Cameroon, Italy v Paraguay

Match Day 5:  Slovakia v New Zealand, Portugal v Ivory Coast, Brazil v North Korea