World Cup 2010 Blog: “Liveblog: Chile vs Switzerland” plus 9 more

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• Liveblog: Chile vs Switzerland
• Round of 16 Qualification Scenarios: Group D
• Liveblog: Portugal vs North Korea
• Round of 16 Qualification Scenarios: Group C
• Preview: Spain vs. Honduras
• Preview: Portugal vs. North Korea
• Preview: Chile vs. Switzerland
• Match Review & Highlights: Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
• Well Now It’s Getting Exciting: Luis Fabiano’s Double Handball
• Match Review & Highlights: Italy 1-1 New Zealand

Liveblog: Chile vs Switzerland Posted: 21 Jun 2010 06:00 AM PDT Welcome to the liveblog of Chile vs Switzerland in World Cup Group H. Make your comments before, during and after the match in the liveblog window. Below the main liveblog are videos of the goals so far, and then a feed of trusted Twitter accounts either broadcasting from the match or talking about it. Read up on the match with our Chile vs Switzerland preview. Goal videos: Bet on Chile vs. Switzerland Don’t just take our word on the match. Check out match comments from carefully selected Twitter accounts: FAN RESOURCES   Chile Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Chile Jerseys | Chile Tickets   Switzerland Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Switzerland Jerseys | Switzerland Tickets

Round of 16 Qualification Scenarios: Group D Posted: 21 Jun 2010 03:20 AM PDT We’re well into the second round of group matches at World Cup 2010 now, and the qualification picture for the Round of 16 is coming into focus. A few teams have already booked their spots, but most of the places are still up for grabs. So we’re going through each group to show you who’s in, who’s out, and what each team needs to get through. This time, it’s Group D: Australia, Germany, Ghana, and Serbia. Remaining matches: Ghana vs. Germany, Australia vs. Serbia Ghana 4 points from 2 matches, +1 goal differential Wins the group with: * A win over Germany * A draw with Germany, combined with an Australia-Serbia draw Qualifies with above scenarios plus: * A draw with Germany (regardless of other result) * A loss to Germany, combined with an Australia-Serbia draw that leaves Ghana ahead of Serbia on goal difference / tie-breakers. * A loss to Germany, combined with an Australia win that leaves Ghana ahead of Australia o goal difference / tie-breakers. Germany 3 points from 2 matches, +3 goal differential Wins the group with: * A win over Ghana, as long as Serbia doesn’t win by enough to beat Germany on goal difference. Qualifies with above scenario plus: * A win over Ghana (regardless of other result) * A draw with Ghana combined with an Australia-Serbia draw (Germany win on goal difference). * A draw with Ghana combined with an Australia win that leaves Germany ahead of Australia on goal difference / tie-breakers. Serbia 3 points from 2 matches, 0 goal differential Wins the group with: * A win over Australia combined with a Germany-Ghana draw. * A win over Australia combined with a Germany win that leaves Serbia ahead of Germany on goal difference / tie-breakers. Qualifies with above scenario plus: * A win over Australia (regardless of other result) * A draw with Australia, combined with a Germany win that leaves Serbia ahead of Ghana on goal difference / tie-breakers. Australia 1 point from 2 matches, -4 goal differential Australia cannot win the group Qualify with the following scenario: * A win over Serbia, combined with a Ghana win over Germany. * A win over Serbia, combined with a Germany win over Ghana that leaves Australia ahead of Ghana on goal difference / tie-breakers. * A win over Serbia by 8 goals, combined with a Germany-Ghana draw (Australia beats Germany on goal difference)

Liveblog: Portugal vs North Korea Posted: 21 Jun 2010 03:10 AM PDT Welcome to the liveblog of Portugal vs North Korea in World Cup Group G. Make your comments before, during and after the match in the liveblog window. Below the main liveblog are videos of the goals so far, and then a feed of trusted Twitter accounts either broadcasting from the match or talking about it. Read up on the match with our Portugal vs North Korea preview. Goal videos: Bet on Portugal vs. North Korea Don’t just take our word on the match. Check out match comments from carefully selected Twitter accounts: FAN RESOURCES   Portugal Portugal Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Portugal Jerseys | Portugal Tickets   North Korea North Korea Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter North Korea Jerseys | North Korea Tickets

Round of 16 Qualification Scenarios: Group C Posted: 21 Jun 2010 01:58 AM PDT We’re well into the second round of group matches at World Cup 2010 now, and the qualification picture for the World Cup Round of 16 is coming into focus. A few teams have already booked their spots, but most of the spots are still up for grabs. So we’re going through each group to show you who’s in, who’s out, and what each team needs to get through. This time, it’s Group C: Algeria, England, Slovenia and the USA. Matches remaining: Slovenia vs. England and USA vs. Algeria Slovenia 4 points from 2 matches, +1 goal differential Wins the group with: * Win over England * Draw with England combined with draw between Algeria and USA or an Algeria win. * Draw with England combined with USA win that leaves Slovenia ahead of USA on goal difference / tie-breakers. Qualifies with above scenarios, plus: * Draw with England (regardless of other result) * Loss to England combined with an Algeria win over USA that leaves Slovenia ahead of Algeria on goal difrerence/tiebreakers. * Loss to England combined with an Algeria-USA draw. USA 2 points from 2 matches, 0 goal differential Wins the group with: * A win over Algeria, combined with an England win that leaves USA ahead of England on goal difference, or combined with an England-Slovenia draw. Qualifies with the above scenarios, plus: * A win over Algeria (regardless of other result) * A draw with Algeria, combined with an England draw with Slovenia that leaves USA ahead of England on goal difference/tie-breakers. England 2 points from 2 matches, 0 goal differential Wins the group with: * A win over Slovenia, combined with a USA win that leaves England ahead on goal difference / tie-breakers. * A win over Slovenia, combined with a USA draw or loss. Qualifies with the above scenarios plus: * A win over Slovenia (regardless of other result) * A draw with Slovenia, combined with a USA-Algeria draw that leaves England ahead of USA on goals scored / tie breakers (goal difference would be tied). Algeria 1 point from 2 matches, -1 goal differential Algeria cannot win the group Qualifies with: * A win over USA combined with a Slovenia win or Slovenia-England draw. * A win over USA combined with an England win that leaves Algeria ahead of Slovenia on goal difference / tie-breakers.

Preview: Spain vs. Honduras Posted: 20 Jun 2010 02:42 PM PDT THE BIG PICTURE Anyone that says they predicted Spain v Honduras to be a must win for the Spanish is a great, big liar. No one could have foreseen just how crucial this has now become for one of the tournament favourites. They’ll certainly be shell shocked after their surprise defeat to Switzerland but won’t have anytime to feel sorry for themselves here. It’s a must win for Honduras as well so they’ll need to break a few bad habits if they are stand any chance of qualifying. For one, it's been 28 years since they scored a World Cup goal, and secondly, and probably the more worrying fact, they only touched the ball once inside Chile’s penalty box during the whole first round encounter. They’ll be buoyed by the fact that striker David Suazo may return after injury but will be slightly more concerned that Spanish ace Fernando Torres will also be pushing for a start after his substitute appearance in the opening game. Is he fit enough to make an impact though? That’s what every Spanish fan will be wondering. WHAT’S AT STAKE This game has more riding on it than any game in the tournament so far. Both sides have to get something to give themselves any chance of progressing on the last day. Honduras may have lacked quality up front against Chile, but they’re going to have to go for this one. That’ll suit the Spanish who’ll enjoy the space and time they’re given to concentrate on their own game. With so much expectation pre-tournament Spain will not want to return home this early and will be absolutely determined to get a big win here to get confidence back quickly. Bet on Spain vs. Honduras OUR PREDICTION The stakes are high here and Spain should be used to the pressure. Honduras probably not so much and that’ll be the big difference. Spain 3-0 winners. If that sounds familiar, it’s the same scoreline we predicted for Spain over Switzerland. We’re wrong a lot. FAN RESOURCES   Spain Spain Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Spain World Cup Jerseys | Spain Tickets   Honduras Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Honduras Jerseys | Honduras Tickets

Preview: Portugal vs. North Korea Posted: 20 Jun 2010 02:38 PM PDT Join our minute-by-minute liveblog of the match THE BIG PICTURE After a disappointing start against the Ivory Coast, Portugal will be hoping to come to life here, but the question is can North Korea match their performance against Brazil? 90 minutes of gruelling work will surely still be affecting them and it remains to be seen whether they can motivate themselves to perform for a second time at that level. Their late goal against the Brazilians will give them hope though and Portugal will just be praying that Cristiano Ronaldo can find a way through a stubborn North Korean defence. Deco is likely to miss out for the Portuguese whilst North Korea are likely to be unchanged. Of course, this game will draw comparison to the 1966 epic encounter between the two which saw North Korea go 3-0 up before succumbing 5-3. Make no mistake, if North Korea go 3-0 up here, it will raise more eyebrows than it did even then. WHAT’S AT STAKE Portugal will not want to go into their final game against Brazil needing a win… No one in their right mind would want to go into their final game against Brazil needing a win. This is their big chance to secure qualification to the next stage and they’ll be hoping the pressure doesn’t tell. The North Koreans themselves will still believe they have a strong chance of progressing and a good result here will give them a great chance of a shock success story in the supposed group of death. Bet on Portugal vs. North Korea OUR PREDICTION Much like the Brazil game North Korea will simply try and contain Portugal for as long as possible. It remains to be seen whether or not Portugal share the Brazilian creativity to break them down. I’m actually going for a shock 1-1 draw which will give the North Koreans real hope of a top two finish and give a welcome bit of breathing room to Ivory Coast as well. FAN RESOURCES   Portugal Portugal Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Portugal Jerseys | Portugal Tickets   North Korea North Korea Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter North Korea Jerseys | North Korea Tickets

Preview: Chile vs. Switzerland Posted: 20 Jun 2010 02:15 PM PDT THE BIG PICTURE And here they are, the two best teams in Group H. …that can't be right, can it? Certainly is the case after the first round of games in which Chile thumped Honduras pillar to post but only put one between and Switzerland pulled the upset of the tourney thus far by moving the Swiss Alps to South Africa whilst Spain were busy playing their Narcissus football – so stunningly stunning they couldn't bother to take themselves away to throw one in the back of the net. But they won and they deserve to be billed as the group's best thus far: the high-flying Marcelo Bielsa-les Chilean attack versus the staunchly stingy Swiss. Will Ottmar Hitzfeld need to throw out the bus once again? You'd imagine not, but once again, like Spain, if Chile get clicking, he may not be posed with the choice. WHAT’S AT STAKE Well who dare dreamed of this? If Switzerland can win, first in the groups is theirs to lose against a plucky but overmatched Honduran side, rollicking giddily in the happy-to-be-here bin. An honor the Hitzfeld & Co. would wholly and undeniably deserve. Chile, on the other hand, may need a win, or at least the point, because even with their dynamically fluid football looking all sorts of excellent against Honduras, going in even on points with Spain for an all-attack shootout won't exactly favor the South Americans. Bet on Chile vs. Switzerland OUR PREDICTION Switzerland is one of many in the sit back with numbers clan, but they're leading the group and may be perfectly comfortable stifling Chile just as they did with Spain in Durban. Problem is Chile work north-to-south as well as east-to-west, so may actually score. But something says the Swiss will too. 1-1. FAN RESOURCES   Chile Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Chile Jerseys | Chile Tickets   Switzerland Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Switzerland Jerseys | Switzerland Tickets

Match Review & Highlights: Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast Posted: 20 Jun 2010 01:15 PM PDT Brazil beat the team many consider the most talented in Africa 3-1, with all thee goals bring impressive for various reasons. But while Brazil were deadly in patches, they weren’t exactly dominant, and the team got dragged into petty retaliations that resulted in Kaka getting sent off. Highlights below: Luis Fabiano, Robinho and Kaka combined to produce Brazil’s first goal after 25 minutes, with lots of short sharp passing Luis Fabiano’s merciless near post finish. Luis Fabiano’s second came just after halftime, and at first glance was even more impressive, bringing a high ball down, flicking it over one, then two, then three defenders before volleying past Boubacar Barry. But on second sight Luis Fabiano definitely handled the ball at least once, and had the cheek to lie to the ref about it afterwards. Brazil’s third came in the 62nd, with Kaka getting to the byline and pulling back for Elano to score, and Ivory Coast’s consolation came in the 79th when the disappointing (though still broken armed) Didier Drogba scored with his head. But somewhere in the second half it all went wrong, and the game descended into a series of fouls and retaliations. It was as if the players all reverted to their petty 13 year old selves. The highlight of all the pushing and shoving resulted in a second yellow and red card for Kaka, after Kader Keita, shall we say, overreacted to making contact with Brazil’s #10: Not only did Keita over-react, he got the location wrong too. The chest is not the same place as the face. And as the BBC pundits point out above, the referee didn’t even see the actual contact, just Keita rolling around on the floor. Dunga was understandably angry, but Brazil are through to the last 16 with six points, so Kaka’s suspension for the game against Portugal isn’t quite the blow it could have been. Ivory Coast on the other hand, looked like they couldn’t quite hang with the big boys of Brazil and – assuming Portugal beats North Korea tomorrow – will find themselves relying on other results when trying to reach the Second Round later this week. - More at the Brazil blog and the Ivory Coast blog.

Well Now It’s Getting Exciting: Luis Fabiano’s Double Handball Posted: 20 Jun 2010 01:10 PM PDT Do you suppose FIFA purposefully told all the referees to turn rubbish after such a brilliant but largely boring opening week? Because the referee has suddenly turned diabolical, with the clear beneficiaries the neutral fans. The games have been largely exciting since, even if infuriating to the victim(s). Luis Fabiano netted his Brazilian brace with some patented Brazilian flair, with the aid of a handball. Or more accurately: two handballs, which would make it a Thierry Special. The quality of refereeing is just nosediving by the day. Who’s up for Diego Forlan throwing the ball into the net for a legitimate goal by the knockouts? Odds, anyone? Update: Apparently the ref was laughing about it whilst tapping his arm? Video after the jump. This is not good. Not good at all, especially since Drogba pulled one back… (And would someone make Elano work for his goals? The man’s getting better service than Obama.)

Match Review & Highlights: Italy 1-1 New Zealand Posted: 20 Jun 2010 01:01 PM PDT I love results like this. A 1-1 draw with Italy is a massive massive victory for New Zealand, easily their best ever result in international football, I think. It’s the sort of result that should help grow the sport of soccer in New Zealand, where it currently lives in the long and muscular shadow of rugby union. I’d maybe go as far as saying it’s historic. Football wise. On the other hand there’s Italy. Obviously this is not a good result for the world champions. But it’s not so bad either. It’s not a defeat, for example. Just an expected draw against a weaker opponent, and not a major problem unless they self-implode England/France style and make it a major problem. Canadaian TV highlights below: We already have a post discussing the possible offside on Shane Smeltz’ 7th minute goal. So let’s not discuss that here. We could instead discuss the improbability of this happening at all, and the pretty woeful defending from Fabio Cannavaro. I was hoping to see Cannavaro 2006 turn up for this tournament, and I’m sure Italy fans were too. But this is not the same man. This is some guy from Dubai. Italy equalized with a penalty, after Tommy Smith tugged on Daniele DeRossi’s shirt. That was somewhat controversial, and we have a post from our referees blogger Andy addressing that decision. I say Smith is unlucky, but if you tug a shirt you’re taking a gamble. Italy pushed for the winner, and Riccardo Montolivo hit the post, but from what I understand the Azzurri faced two problems. The lack of a genuine trequartista like Cassano, Totti, Del Piero etcetera, and the presence of New Zealand goalkeeper Mark Paston. Check out that highlight video above for a couple of his saves, especially the save from Mauro Camoranesi’s long range strike. Incredibly, New Zealand could have won it towards the end, when 18 year old Chris Wood, on as a substitute, flicked the ball over Fabio Cannavaro’s head and volleyed for the far post. Didn’t go in, but it wasn’t far away either. I suspect New Zealand will settle for the draw though. Man of the Match: Goalkeeper Mark Paston. Made the penalty save against Bahrain to get his team to South Africa, and did enough today to make the trip unforgettable.

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