Group Reports A and B

Group Report for Groups A and B after Two Games

Group A

South Africa vs. France

Both teams have one point and are at the brink of elimination.  If a draw occurs in the Uruguay vs. Mexico game, both teams will be eliminated.  Another decision would mean each team has hope – but a small glimmer at that because South Africa’s goal differential is -3 and France’s -2.  If France or South Africa wants to advance, they must get help and pummel the opponent.

South Africa came into the tournament with nothing to lose, and France came into to the tournament with everything to lose.  If France drops this game or even draws, it will likely go down as one of the worst World Cup performances in French history.  Nobody in France can have any confidence in this club right now as they are in complete turmoil.  From a far-away perspective, the 2-0 loss to Mexico last week sent the French ship into flames as striker Nicolas Anelka got into it with manager Raymond Domenech at halftime, and now Anelka is gone.  France must have normally reliable weapons Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery step up and set fire to the net if they are to save face at this World Cup.

Star midfielder, Steven Pienaar, must be more aggressive in pushing the South African offense if Bafana Bafana wants to beat the French.  Against Uruguay, “the boys” controlled the ball well against a better opponent but couldn’t make anything happen around the box.  The result was a more physical team wearing them down and then talented striker Diego Forlan snuck behind the South African defense for two goals.  Bafana Bafana actually played Uruguay tough until ‘keeper Itumeleng Khune got a red card and then the better team ran away with the game.  Expect the Bloemfontein crowd to be raucous, and the vuvuzelas to be deafening in what could be the last game for the hometown heroes.

Uruguay vs. Mexico

Both teams are atop the group with four points apiece and sitting in fine position to advance.  But, winning the game would mean facing the runner-up of group B (probably Greece or Korea) and not Argentina who will most likely be the Group A winner, barring a shocking Greece over Argentina upset.  So expect these teams to play hard for the win.

Uruguay impressed in its first two games, tying France 0-0 and blowing past South Africa on their home soil 3-0.  Luis Forlan could be one of the best players in the World Cup thus far as he’s scored two goals already and has been consistent force on the field.  Uruguay is very solid defensively and is not scared of taking risky tackles so don’t expect Uruguay vs. Mexico to be a high-scoring game.  Though, the Uruguayans must be wary of picking up a costly red card, losing a man for an important game and then the Round of 16.

Mexico bounced back from a disappointing start by toppling France 2-0 in a tournament-saving victory.  Now with confidence, Mexico is an extremely dangerous team in this tournament.  They are determined, experienced and smart with the football.  Their comeback against South Africa also showed their togetherness where another team could have panicked and dropped the opening match in Johannesburg.  With a win, Mexico could threaten to finish in the top four in the World Cup.  With a draw or a loss, their road will likely end against the buzz-saw of Argentina.

Group B

Diego Maradona doesn’t settle for anything but first and if the Argentines draw or win against Greece then they will easily win Group B.  They have six points after two relatively easy wins while underdog Greece is alive with three points after shocking Nigeria 2-1 in a wild win.  Now, Greece could take the group with an upset win but would need South Korea to lose if the Greeks draw.  If Greece and South Korea wins, three teams would finish with six points, and it would come down to goal differential.  Greece, South Korea and Nigeria can finish anywhere from 2^nd to 4^th in this group.

Argentina vs. Greece (I will be in attendance)

Argentina brilliantly attacked South Korea (S.K. defense was on their heels the entire game) during a 4-1 win and beat Nigeria 1-0 in their opening game.  Diego Maradona’s quick passing, smoothly running offense took down any doubts of the Argentine’s scoring drought in qualifying, thanks to Higuan’s rare hat-trick (2002) against South Korea.  An average team cannot stop the slew of stars that Maradona fields: Lionel Messi, Carolos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuan and Sergio Aguero.  Don’t forget the passionate fans of Argentina who help to fuel the Argentina’s high-octane offense.  If it weren’t for a mistake in the back late in the first half against South Korea, Argentina would be pitching a shutout right now.  If Argentina can strike early, it will likely completely take the momentum away from Greece and force the Greeks to play a different game.  Then, the trend of smooth sailing for Argentina will continue on Tuesday.

The same country, Greece, who took Europe by surprise by going on a miracle run to win the Euro Cup in 2004 showed glimpses of that same magic in a surprising comeback victory against a supposedly better Nigeria team.  Of course, Greece picked up a fortunate break with a Nigeria red card late in the game.  But once a team is given life and momentum in the World Cup, they can make anything happen in 90 minutes, especially at World Cup South Africa.  One thing is for sure is that the Greeks have heart, and if they feel overmatched early on, they might play for a 0-0 draw and pray that Nigeria beats South Korea.

Nigeria vs. South Korea

South Korea, a dark horse in my book, has three points while Nigeria, a lower tier African team in this tournament, has zero points after two losses.  South Korea probably will be safe with at least a draw because Greece is largely overmatched against Argentina.  However, a win would almost assuredly put them in the tournament as they beat Greece 2-0 in the opener.  The Nigeria Super Eagles are barely alive and could advance with a win against South Korea and an Argentina win if the Super Eagles win by enough (goal differential would be the tiebreaker).

South Korea easily handled Greece 2-0 but looked completely overmatched in a 1-4 blowout against Argentina.  They play a “kamikaze” type of football that could really entertain viewers if they start clicking on all cylinders.  South Korean fans are also something to watch as they cheer the entire game, bring out large flags before the game, have organized chants and bang on drums the entire game.  They believe they can advance, and they are probably the second best team in this group.  Manchester United’s Park Ji Sung is their most prominent player and is used to pressure playing the biggest premiere. Expect him to perform well.  Nigeria, solid defensively and also pretty conservative, will tightly guard the box.  South Korea will be sniping from long range, hoping to advance to the second round.

Nigeria, playing in their home continent, stands in shocked disappointment after blowing a 1-0 lead against Greece and then losing all points when Greece’s Vasilis Torosidis scored in the 70^th minute.  Even after dropping their first two games, the strange thing is Nigeria still has a legitimate shot at advancing if they beat South Korea because Greece (GD: -1 ) faces Argentina, South Korea has a goal differential of (-1) and Nigeria only has a goal differential of (-2).  Playing maybe their last World Cup game on their home continent, bitter about two losses and playing a must-win game, look for Nigeria to play very hard.  Midfielder and leader, John Obbi Mikhel, must orchestrate the attack for the Nigerians, pushing forward on every opportunity.

—Philip Deutsch

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