Blue Samurais tame Jabulani, as Italians at last, finally, not even quarterfinally, 'get' No Country For Old Men

HOME. Yesterday marked the most dramatic result yet in this 2010 World Cup, as Slovakia knocked out the holders who fly home disgraced without recording a win. 

While not physically present at Ellis Park, across town from Sunninghill, on a fresh but sunny afternoon, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Italy sent packing from the comfort of my HD living room.

As we previously witnessed this past Sunday in Nelspruit when the All Whites held Italy, there was a significant lack of impetus in the lacklustre Italian play that only really started having a go in the last 15 minutes.

The match was filled with plenty of drama as Italy fought to salvage their abject campaign after conceding in the first half. Late in the match, there was the hand bags between Fabio Quagliarella and the Slovakian goalkeeper Mucha, including a rabbit punch from the keeper which the linesman and Howard Webb were unable to spot. The Italians even had what appeared to be a valid goal disallowed for offside. Mama Mia! This match was turning into a bad Italian pop opera. Further, there was a goal line clearance from Martin Skrtel on a strike which looked to cross the line but which television technology was unconvincingly able to prove. Despite crowing for technology to assist the officials, on the 5 camera angles available to the production crew, without a micro chip in the ball or sensors on the goal line, there is no way a third umpire would have been able to make this call.

Italy joins Brazil and France as the only previous holders to be knocked out before qualifying for the knock out stages. Italy were the first holders to go out early when they crashed out in the group stage in 1950 after winning in 1938. The 1942 and 1946 editions were not played due to Second World War. Brazil shared the fate in 1966 in England after their 1962 title in Sweden, with Pele getting kicked around the park and effectively removed from the tournament by dirty play and so did France, who went out early in 2002 in Seoul after an opening match defeat at the hands of Senegal after winning the World Cup in 1998.

Let’s face it. Italy did not deserve to the win the 2006 World Cup. Besides a spirited defeat of Ze Germans in the semi-finals, they played their usual laboriously boring brand of football and but for Marco Matterazzi’s bating of Zinedine Zidane leading to that headbutt and Zidane’s ulitimate red card dismissal, Italy had no right beating France on penalty kicks. If Zidane had stayed on the field of play, France would have won the match. Would have, could have, should have. The bitterness remains from 2006, so it is with some glee that I enjoyed seeing the Italians humiliated at Ellis Park.

What do Ze Germans call it? Schadenfreude? Like watching John Terry and Nic Anelka miss their penalties in Moscow! Good riddance. Like the Spanish, Italy had the advantage of coming to South African in 2009 to play in the Confederations Cup, get used to the conditions and ensure and easy acclimatisation to their South African surroundings. Also like Spain, Italy played dismally during the Confed Cup and were sent packing home early. Let’s hope that like Italy, tonight the Spanish also can book an early flight back to Madrid after the Chile match at Loftus. Perhaps the vuvuzelas and Jabulani were just too much for them.

Speaking of Jabulani, the World Cup ball, who said you can’t keep this ball down at altitude? At the lofty Rustenburg heights in the North West province, the Blue Samurais of Japan put two beautiful free kick goals past the hapless Thomas Sorensen of Denmark. If the skilful and hardworking Japanese can continue this type of mastery of Jabulani, then happiness and joy will certainly be theirs when they face Paraguay at Loftus in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

As for the Dutch from Greenpoint Stadium, with Robin van Persie hitting form and the arrival of Arjen Robben on the scene hitting the post late to set up Jan Huntelaar’s goal, the Orange machine marches on to the knock out stages with maximum points. Remaining by the coast for their Round of 16 match, if the Dutch can get past the tricky Slovakia on Monday in Durban, then they face the prospect of a blockbuster quarterfinal match against the winner of G1 and H2 (the contestants to be decided tonight) – but possibly Brazil.

The Brazilians have been a stumbling block to great Dutch teams of the past – most notably the 1994 addition played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and 1998 in Nantes where Brazil knocked the Dutch out on penalty kicks after Phillipe Cocu and Ronald de Boer missed their spot kicks after the match finished 1-1 after extra time. One wonders whether these upcoming knock out matches will come down to penalties and who will hold their nerves and who will be the Anelka goats!

If Chile is successful this evening, it will mean at least 9 at the final 16 qualifiers for the knock out rounds will come from non-traditional footballing powers. In Argentina, Germany, and Brazil, 3 of the tradition big 5 are still alive – France and Italy having gone home. Leaving aside the drama yet to come in the Group G decider between Brazil and Portugal, which will determine who finishes top as both should progress to the next round given Portugal’s superior goal difference over Ivory Coast, the Round of 16 is largely populated by nations who have never progressed beyond the quarterfinals previously.

One African side – Ghana; two Asian sides – So Ko and Japan; One Eastern European side – Slovakia; and likely four to five Latin American sides plus the USA, means that the knock out rounds have the potential to look unlike any previous World Cup. For certain, one of Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana or the USA will reach the semi-finals and create history. While Uruguay have previously won the World Cup, this was in the tournament’s infancy and can be discounted from the modern era.

Portugal v Brazil kicking off at 16.00 local time from Moses Mahbida in Durban, on paper, is the tie of the first round pitting the number 1 ranked team in the world against the number 3. Again, on paper, this match is nearly a mini World Cup final and provides an opportunity for both sides to make a statement of intent beating one of the contenders prior to the knock out round. The winner will get the runner up of Group H, with Brazil also topping the group on the draw.

So, it is with great anticipation that we return to Loftus tonight to see this Group H decided between Chile and Spain. If Chile can simply draw this evening, on a Swiss win against Honduras, they can assure the Spanish are eliminated. The permutations in Group H are numerous. With Spain and Switzerland both on 3 points and Chile on 6 points after two wins, even Chile are not assured of passage through to the next round if they are defeated by Spain and the Swiss beat Honduras. The group could come down to goal difference and at present, Spain have a +1 advantage over the Swiss, so its to play for tonight at Lofus Versfeld in Pretoria.