The underdogs are still doing well in South Africa.
In a World Cup, heroics are defined more by who you are than what you do. In the group stages, people love to see little teams giving the big boys a scare.
PARAGUAY are by far the best team in Group F.
The quality of their goals, by midfielders Vera (27) and Riveros (86), was impressive in a 2-0 win over Slovakia.
If possible, it’s always best to play your way into a tournament by keeping clean sheets and Paraguay have done that twice. So have Holland. If you can stop the other team scoring, you have a chance.
Their next game is against over-achieving New Zealand, who took an early lead against Italy with a goal by 28-year old Shane Smeltz of Gold Coast United. A free-kick broke to him off Cannavaro’s thigh and he poked it in from an offsideish position. Italy\’s penalty award was a fair call and Iaquinta took a decent spot-kick for 1-1 in 29 minutes.
The later stages were a siege but the Kiwis held out and sub Chris Wood, 18, almost pinched it when he turned away from Cannavaro and hit a shot just wide.
HOLLAND beat Japan 1-0.
A ball into the box hit van Persie on the body and, as he stretched, the defender\’s foot got there first and poked the ball to Wesley Sneijder, whose thunderous shot swerved in off keeper Kawashima\’s gloves.
Substitute Eliah released fellow sub Affelay for a one-on-one but the PSV winger\’s second touch let him down and the keeper dived at his feet. Affelay is a thrilling player who could turn into a champion like Marc Overmars or Andrei Kanchelkis, the Russian who joined Manchester United in 1991 and helped them to win their first title for 26 years in 1993. Sure, Affelay has some work to do to become as good as those two. I like Affelay but that\’s no reason to mention him in the same breath as Overmars or Kanchelkis. He\’s done nothing yet, except score a few spectacular goals for PSV.
Without Arjen Robben\’s mercurial dribbles, Holland are workmanlike and efficient but that\’s OK. In World Cups, as elsewhere, there are no points for artistic impression. Huntelaar replaced RVP for the last few minutes.
Coach Marco van Basten\’s format at Euro 2008 was a back four, two holding midfielders and four forwards who could go where they liked. Bert van Marwijk\’s formula looks similar. A fit Arjen Robben will add to their goal threat and he might make a big impact in the tightly-contested knock-out stages.
Bottom line, these guys got the job done. That Sneijder thunderbolt, eight minutes into the second half, was enough to give the pragmatic Oranje six points with no goals conceded. Unlike most teams in South Africa, the Dutch know how to defend a 1-0 lead.
One of the most interesting questions of the next two weeks will be : Can Holland keep a clean sheet in every game?
CAMEROOON v DENMARK was a terrific game of football in which Samuel Eto’o scored in 10 minutes after a sloppy, blind square pass by Christian Poulsen. Eto\’o has 43 goals in 94 internationals.
When a superb 60-yard pass by Simon Kjaer floated over the head of Spurs left back Assou-Ekotto, Dennis Rommedahl crossed perfectly to give Nicklas Bendtner a stab-in for 1-1.
Then Eto’o hit a left-foot shot against the post. It was 1-1 at half-time and Thomas Sorensen had to made a world class save with his right hand to deny Emana.
Bendtner found Rommedahl on the right and when Spurs centreback Bassong dallied in the middle, Tomasson grabbed his arm at the crucial moment, and that gave Rommedahl the space to swerve inside and hit a left-foot shot across the keeper for 2-1.This was the first time Denmark had ever come from behind to win a game at the World Cup Finals.
AUSTRALIA were down to 10 men after Harry Kewell was sent off for a handball on the line but they managed to draw 1-1 against the talented but immature Ghana.