Once more Australia were reduced to 10 men when Harry Kewell, who was only playing because of Tim Cahill's suspension against Germany handled Jonathan Mensah's shot on the line. It was a harsh decision and gave Ghana their second spot kick of the tournament, which Asamoah Gyan converted just as he did against Serbia. 

However, their keeper, Richard Kingson would have...Read More >>

The mood in the Italy camp was summed up by Fabio Cannavaro, who exclaimed: 'I am confident but I don't know why.' There is plenty of unease among the world champions. Their manager, Marcello Lippi, has been accused of investing too much faith in the ageing men who won him football's ultimate trophy in Berlin. There are injury concerns over Andrea Pirlo and their performances in...Read More >>

Unlike Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, the Cameroon FA at least had the wisdom not to fire their manager in the wake of a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations, despite the fortune they were paying Paul le Guen. In return, Le Guen has overhauled an ageing side, although the weaknesses in defence were horribly shown up by Portugal and Serbia who scored seven times between them....Read More >>

Sir Alex Ferguson once said that one of Dutch football's problems was a tendency towards arrogance and Bert van Marwijk's squad arrive at the Soccer City Stadium with much to be arrogant about. Their qualification campaign was procession; their warm-up fixtures saw Mexico, Ghana and Hungary beaten by a collective scoreline of 12-3. Robin van Persie remarked that they fancied themselves to beat anyone. Van Marwijk...Read More >>

The loss of Michael Ballack, the man who guided a German side that looked short on obvious quality through two hugely successful World Cups, needs no further explanation. In its own way it is a big a blow as Essien's absence from the Ghana squad. Their manager, Joachim Low, seems determined to squeeze one more World Cup from Miroslav Klose, despite the fact that he has...Read More >>

The loss of Michael Essien, their inspiration in the last World Cup, appears to have shaken Ghana badly. They were swept away 4-1 by Holland in Amsterdam in a match described as a 'lynching' by senior sources in Accra, although they recovered their balance with victory over Latvia. When they arrived in South Africa, they pronounded themselves dissastisifed with thier hotel in Pretoria and moved to another...Read More >>

The Algerian camp has been assailed by uncertainty; they have lost perhaps their best player, midfielder, Mourad Meghri, to injury while their captain, Yazid Mansouri, has been dropped after a series of unimpressive displays that began with a 3-0 defeat to Ireland in Dublin, followed by an unconvincing 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates. Their manager, Rabah Saadane, is a man in need of good...Read More >>

Six months ago, England seemed serenely confident, a mood that has darkened after a series of increasingly unimpressive friendly performances. Even Fabio Capello, a man who seldom shows his emotions, lost his temper after a decidedly limp display against the Platinum All Stars. They are on their third captain of 2010 following Rio Ferdinand’s withdrawal with a knee injury and...Read More >>

South Africa v Mexico Game Preview

Following their 1-0 victory over Denmark in their final warm-up game, which took their unbeaten run to 12 matches, the fears that South Africa might become the first hosts not to progress beyond the group stages have eased. And yet, despite the presence of France , the South Africa manager, Carlos Alberto Parreira...Read More >>

Greece arrived in South Africa with many fearing they are on course to repeat their woeful display at Euro 2008, where they failed to gain a single point. Otto Rehhagel’s selection of the injury-plagued Christos Patsatzoglou and Giorgios Seitaridis seemed strange and the mood in the Greek camp has not been helped by a 2-2 draw with North Korea followed...Read More >>

France approach their opening game in a state not far off crisis. Their hotel accomodation has been criticised by the French sports minister for being too luxurious, William Gallas is in a sulk because he not been made captain and Thierry Henry has confirmed he will start on the bench. Their final two warm-up games were miserable affairs – a...Read More >>

After all the chaos of qualification, Diego Maradona’s Argentina arrive for their opening game in very good shape. The cancellation of a friendly with the United Arab Emirates has meant Argentina have not played since May 24, which produced a 5-0 rout of Canada in Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium. Diego Milito may have injured his ankle in training but the...Read More >>

This was supposed to have been Italy v Cameroon but this has been nothing if not an unpredictable World Cup. Paraguay should be confident of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in their history but they enter the Loftus Versfeld on something of a downward spiral, with each of their performances slightly worse than their last. Their manager, Gerardo Martino was...Read More >>

This time manager Raymond Domenech may listen to his critics and restore Florent Malouda to a side that looked toothless in grinding out a goalless draw against Uruguay in Cape Town. The Chelsea midfielder should at least improve on the woeful service to Nicolas Anelka that so undermined them at Green Point. Defensively, William Gallas has missed training with a...Read More >>

Italy have not begun as badly as either France or England but they have been enduring agonies over the state of Gianluigi Buffon's back which will almost certainly prevent the Juventus keeper from starting. His deputy, Federico Marchetti, is perfectly capable, although Giorgio Chiellini has warned him to expect something of an aerial bombardment should New Zealand cross the halfway...Read More >>

Nobody who saw this Australian side taken apart by Germany in the opening game at Durban could have thought that Pim Verbeek’s men would have any chance of a place in the knockout stages. Technically, they do, although they will have to beat Serbia and hope Ghana overcome the Germans in Soccer City. To do this, you imagine they would have to keep 11 players on...Read More >>

For both teams this is the culmination of a highly successful tournament. But while some might have expected Germany to go this far, nobody counted on Uruguay. Not since 1970 have they been in this position and then they faced the same German opposition in the third-place play off. Then, they were beaten 1-0, a result most would expect now....Read More >>

After a stunning display against Australia, it is all about playing down expectations in the Germany camp while trying to perusade Joachim Low that he might like to reconsider his decision to step down as manager at the end of the tournament. The Bayern Munich forward, Thomas Muller, believes that the 4-0 victory in Durban might have been a little overstated  - it was after all...Read More >>

The mood in the Slovenia camp is one of disappointment that they let slip a two-goal lead against the United States that would have secured their qualification. Now, they have to secure a point in Port Elizabeth to make the knockout stages of a major competition. They will have to do without central defender, Marko Suler, who will be replaced by Matej Mavric, whie Nejc Mavric...Read More >>

For the first time since 1990 Uruguay have reached the knockout stages of the World Cup and  then they got there via a 1-0 win over South Korea. That team was one of many Uruguayan sides that delivered far less than they promised, mostly because they seemed terrified to take any risks. Twenty years ago, they came across Italy in...Read More >>

It's something of a surprise to see Switzerland available at big odds to win at Port Elizabeth on Monday afternoon. Ottmar Hitzfeld's team produced a perfect performance to defeat pre-tournament favourites Spain and the strict disciplinarian will now be working on a way to counteract Chile's attacking style.

Although the Swiss rode their luck at times in the opening match, they...Read More >>

Five days into the World Cup and this has the makings of the tournament’s first epic clash. With Brazil up next for the Elephants, this is a match that maybe has to be won but which certainly cannot be lost. It will be the first indication of whether the Ivory Coast FA was right to have fired manager, Vahid Haliodzic, and replaced him with Sven-Goran Eriksson....Read More >>

If Brazil are to reach their seventh World Cup final, then this match against the most technically accomplished team in Europe represents their biggest barrier. Since their elimination by Argentina in the round of 16 in 1990, Brazil have only lost one match between the group stages and the final – against France in 2006. Dunga will be without Ramires...Read More >>

Having been pummeled in Cape Town by a rampant Portugal, the world’s most secretive football team is preparing to go to where you suspect they wanted to be all along – home. The Portugal manager, Carlos Queiroz, may have praised the South Koreans for refusing to resort to tough tackling but the man in charge of North Korea, Kim Jong-hun,...Read More >>

This may be Honduras’ first World Cup for 28 years but they are unlikely to repeat their heroics of 1982 when they drew with Spain and Northern Ireland and were unlucky to go out to Yugoslavia. They were not especially impressive in qualification, losing three out of four games to Mexico and the United States and with much depending on...Read More >>

The breathless draw with Mexico that kicked off Bafana Bafana’s campaign, not only produced a point, it settled plenty of nerves, especially in a defence that might have been taken apart by Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos in the opening exchanges at Soccer City. Bongani Khumalo, a young centre half who distinguished himself alongside Aaron Mokoena, is likely to...Read More >>

 If there were an award for the most spirited team in South Africa, it would be a close contest between New Zealand and the United States, two nations for whom football is very much a sideshow. When Landon Donovan broke down in tears after his winning goal against Algeria, saying that finally he could recover from the disappointments of divorce...Read More >>

There's every reason to expect goals from the Tuesday lunchtime clash at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert has declared that his team are 'going to go for it' in this Group F opener, with the match possibly representing the All Whites' best chance of getting some points.

Slovakia manager Vladimir Weiss has also stated that...Read More >>

After a stunning fightback against Cameroon, marred by some of the worst defending Daniel Agger said he had ever seen, Denmark have staggered to where they probably expected to be, having to beat Japan to secure qualification for the round of 16. Their back-four has hardly impressed in their opening two fixtures and Morten Olsen’s side will have to face Japan without Simon Kjaer. Nevertheless, with...Read More >>

For the first World Cup staged in Africa to have been a success, there needs to be at least one African nation among the quarter-finalists and thus far Ghana, even without Michael Essien, look the likeliest contenders. Their victory over Serbia, which came via a penalty, was solid rather than spectacular, but the goalscorer, the Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan, said...Read More >>

It is not just that they beat France that should give Javier Aguirre’s side confidence; it was the manner Raymond Domenech’s team was brushed aside. Having endured the enormous pressure that went with playing the opening fixture against South Africa in Soccer City, this is a young, aggressive Mexico side that does not appear afraid of very much. Their weakness is obvious – a poor goalkeeper...Read More >>

Diego Maradona is not the only Argentinian manager in this World Cup, although he has cornered most of the publicity. Marcelo Bielsa has forged Chile into a formidable force and Gerardo Martino has done the same with Paraguay. The question is can they become the first nation in this World Cup to overcome New Zealand – something you wouldn’t have thought of asking two weeks ago....Read More >>

Denmark may have had little luck with Holland's opening goal that ricocheted from Simon Paulsen's head in off Daniel Agger's body, but there was more to their defeat than fortune. Goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, was not the only one to point his finger at some dreadful defending while others wondered whether the Denmark coach, Morten Olsen, had been right in throwing...Read More >>

If Nigeria are hoping that Lionel Messi might destroy the Greeks and give them a chance of sneaking through into the knockout stages, they may be disappointed. With qualification certain, Diego Maradona is likely to rest key players and that may include the world’s best footballer. Jonas Gutierrez is suspended and a more conventional right-back in the shape of Nicolas...Read More >>

It is time for the big guns with Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas all scheduled to start for Spain in a match they probably need to win to qualify. Despite their victory over Honduras, manager Vicente del Bosque was disappointed by the scoreline as David Villa missed a penalty and other opportunities. “We had chances, glorious chances and should have beaten the Hondurans by many more,” he said....Read More >>

Having mounted an astonishing comeback that might have seen them recover from two goals down to overcome Slovenia, the United States now need to beat the weakest team in Group C to qualify for the knockout stages. Nevertheless, as he did after the 1-1 draw with England in Rustenburg, their coach, Bob Bradley has done his best to calm American feelings and prevent a gung-ho attitude...Read More >>

Joachim Low’s second tournament as manager of Germany has panned out much like his first. In Euro 2008, the Germans, who ended up in the final, won their first and third group games but lost their second to a nation that once made up Yugoslavia. Then it was Croatia, now it was Serbia. Miroslav Klose, one of those rare players...Read More >>

Despite having lost their first two games there is the slimmest of chances that the Super Eagles will progress to the knockout phase of a World Cup for the first time since 1998, although they are praying for a commanding performance from Argentina in the other group match. “We are counting on Lionel Messi to deliver for us,” said their goalkeeper, Vincent Eneyeama. Nevertheless even...Read More >>

Of all the quarter-finals, none surely is more of a given than this, although to spend any time around the Spanish players you wouldn’t think so. With the Spanish media already debating whether they would prefer a semi-final with Argentina or Germany, Xabi Alonso was forced to make some pleas about over-confidence which may be one of the reasons why...Read More >>

Dunga’s critics might as well accept that Brazil are unlikely to create the fabulous rhythms of the sides created by Tele Santana that seduced the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. And Dunga will point out that these teams did not win the trophy; his model will always be the functional side he captained in the World Cup final in Los Angeles 16 years ago. That said, the final group game...Read More >>

Spain have received a lot of criticism for their performance against the Swiss, although there wasn't a lot wrong with La Furia Roja apart from their inability to put the ball into the net. This should change when they take to the field at Ellis Park on Monday night, with the Euro 2008 champions likely to produce an attacking display...Read More >>

The Selecao’s manager, Dunga, may have had plenty of difficulty hiding his dislike of the media circus that accompanies Brazil wherever they go but, apart from concerns over Kaka’s form, their warm-up games have been successful and lucrative. Tanzania paid them close to $4m to turn up and beat them 5-1 in Dar es Salaam, although a similar fixture against Zimbabwe did see keeper, Julio Cesar,...Read More >>

“Humilated and Pathetic” was the headline on Gazzetta dello Sport when the French took their leave of the World Cup but, in truth, the world champions have not done much better with Fabio Cannavaro, the man who lifted the World Cup in Berlin four years ago, the main target for criticism for the way he allowed New Zealand to take the lead. Marcello Lippi will...Read More >>

Slovenia are the smallest nation at this World Cup and, should they overcome United States at Ellis Park, they will have achieved the remarkable feat of qualifying for the knockout stages. Nevertheless, they will have to play better than they did against Algeria at Polokwane, where they appeared infected by nerves and owed their 1-0 victory to what would have been the worst goalkeeping blunder at...Read More >>

Uruguay have never shown more grit than they have in this World Cup. They were the last team to qualify for South Africa and, after a quarter-finals that saw three of the four South American teams fall, they are the last men left standing. This is their first semi-final since 1970 and the requirement is slightly easier now than they were...Read More >>

Argentina’s last meeting against Germany provided the first clue that the shambolic beginning to Diego Maradona’s reign as Argentina manager was a false dawn. Argentina won the friendly in Munich 1-0, strangling the Germans’ possession and winning without being put under any real pressure. Since then, Argentina have looked a different team from the shambolic one that slipped and slid its way...Read More >>

Along with Germany v England, this is the standout tie of the round of 16, pitting together two of the most exciting sides of this World Cup. Spain, finally,  are where they expected to be, in Cape Town playing the side that finished second in Group G, whom they must have suspected would be Portugal. Nevertheless, although Xabi Alonso should have recovered from a...Read More >>

If Brazil had problems breaking down the People's Republic on Tuesday, then the same must surely apply to a Portugal team who always seem to arrive at major tournaments without a decent striker. Bet365 offer a best price 4/11 that Carlos Queiroz's team land a maximum haul, although we have already seen odds-on selections like England and Spain fail to...Read More >>

No African nation has exactly excelled but the Cameroon’s display has been probably the deepest low. Strongly-fancied with a stable set-up and a high-class manager, they performed lamentably against Japan, wasted a catalogue of chances against Denmark and became the first African nation to be eliminated. The recriminations have already started with Samuel Eto’o having already begun his campaign against manager Paul Le Guen.

The first team to qualify...Read More >>

Having won their opening group game, albeit without any real style, the Dutch can afford to give Arjen Robben's foot injury more time to heal. His manager, Bert van Marwijk, said the Bayern Munich playmaker was unlikelyto be risked against a Japan side they should be confident of beating without him. Nevertheless, Van Marwijk is demanding an improvement on the...Read More >>

After their annihilation of North Korea which was the biggest margin of victory in a World Cup finals since Germany put eight past Saudi Arabia in 2002, Portugal can relax, although Deco’s troublesome hip means he is unlikely to play any part against the country of his birth. After the victory in Cape Town, Cristiano Ronaldo said they fancied their chances against Brazil, whom they have beaten just four times...Read More >>

A month ago, it was possible to wonder if all the accolades surrounding Spain might be a little premature. However, the injuries to Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres that briefly cast a shadow over their preparations have cleared up and Spain’s form in their warm-up fixtures has been immensely impressive, culminating in a 6-0 thrashing of Poland. However, Spain are...Read More >>

Switzerland have a great chance of progressing to the last 16 but depending on what happens in the clash between Chile and Spain, they could equally go out of the World Cup with six points. For a team that did not concede a goal in Germany four years ago, their main problems lies in defence. Philippe Senderos will again be missing and there is still considerable anger about Valon Behrami’s...Read More >>

The Slovakians are trying their best to eliminate the bitter aftertaste of Winston Reid's last-minute equaliser that ensured they would fail to seize the opportunity of their must-win game against New Zealand. Reid rather torpedoes the pre-match assertions of Stanislav Sestak that the individual errors that often cost Slovakia precious points had been cut out. He was speaking too soon....Read More >>

Like Slovenia, this is a team that must still be kicking itself for having passed up the opportunity to virtually seal qualification for the knockout stages by failing to beat an Australia side reduced to 10 men. Ghana’s chief problem has been an inability to find the net –so far both their goals have come from penalties given for handball. The other question manager, Milovan...Read More >>

One thing should be certain; the Greeks cannot be as insipid as they were against South Korea. Given that their final match is against Argentina, they have no option but to attempt to go for the win. The trouble is that the 71-year-old Otto Rehhagel's tactics of defending deep and attempting to snatch something on the break or from a...Read More >>

It would be hard to think of any major team that has gone into a World Cup match in such a state of shambles and crisis as France. Having gone on strike and refused to train because of the way Nicolas Anelka was sent home for refusing to apologise for his outburst at Raymond Domenech at half time during the 2-0 defeat by Mexico, France...Read More >>

This is Holland’s third World Cup final and every one has been on a different continent. Although they do not find themselves playing the hosts in the final as they did in 1974 and 1978, the odds are still against them. The biggest question mark is over the Dutch defence who have not keep a clean sheet since beating Japan...Read More >>

We said that Uruguay always do well in World Cups that end in -0, having won it in 1930 and 1950 and reached the semi-finals in 1970. A semi-final for Oscar Tabarez’s men is very much on the cards in 2010. Their progress to the quarter-finals has been a smooth one with Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez forging one of...Read More >>

No team, not even Brazil, qualified for the knockout stages with quite as much comfort and style as Argentina and although their route to the final is a tough assent – they are scheduled to face the winners of Germany and England in the quarter-finals -  they have looked a team transformed from the one that stumbled to South Africa...Read More >>

Despite beginning with three points - which was more than Spain managed - there few who were entirely satisfied with the way the Selecao had begun the campaign. There was little sense of real rhythm at Ellis Park and Kaka, who was taken off after 77 minutes, looked a liability. Dunga has taken some tough decisions before but to omit...Read More >>

The grim news for Argentina's opponents is that Lionel Messi, who has for so long been unable to reproduce his Barcelona form in a blue-and-white shirt, where he averages only a goal every three games, is on fire. He did not improve on that statistic in the opening match against Nigeria, although his display had everything else. And before preparing...Read More >>

A repeat of the European Championship final of two years ago, with the proviso that the Spanish are not quite as irresistible as they were while Joachim Low’s side are considerably better. Despite their victory in Vienna, the weight of history appears overwhelmingly in Germany’s favour. This will be Spain’s first World Cup semi-final but Germany’s 12^th. Many people expected Vicente del...Read More >>

Without making too much of a fuss, Holland are quietly emerging as one of the forces of this World Cup. Only Argentina can match their record of having won all their group games and each performance has been slightly better than their last, which is a good guide when it comes to picking teams that will travel a long  way in a tournament. The 2-1 win over Cameroon...Read More >>

Nobody expected Fabio Capello’s moment of truth to have come so soon. Given how soon England qualified for this World Cup, it seems astonishing they should have been beset by so many problems. Whether Robert Green, the equally fallible David James or the promising Joe Hart keeps goal at Green Point, none of them is world class. The England manager will also have to decide on...Read More >>