Yesterdays fixtures featured the current and previous World Champions in action, Brazil & France, here are my thoughts on the days action.
South Korea vs Togo (Match Report)
Togo looked quite impressive here, as have all the african teams so far, however the South Koreans showed their experience once Togo went down to 10 men. The opening goal of the game was taken expertly by Kader, who impressed all game, however I was not too impressed by Adebayor, who I’ve never really seen do much at Arsenal. Before Togo were reduced to 10 men they were by far the better side with South Korea appearing toothless in attack, however when Abalo received his marching orders for two yellow cards (the first of which seemed a little harsh) it turned to one way traffic. Both of the Korean goals were beautiful strikes, with Ahn Jung-Hwan’s strike to make it 2-1 the pick of the bunch. Overall, I was impressed by the Togolese, and they were unlucky to be reduced to 10 men, South Korea showed their experience once this happened, however they looked poor in the opening half.
France vs Switzerland (Match Report)
This was bar far the worst game of the tournament with the French still looking poor on the world stage. Thierry Henry was played as a lone striker, which I don’t think really works as he often was left unsupported, meaning he struggled to really test Zuberbuehler, the Swiss keeper. At times the Swiss could have scored, they hit the post in the first half from a fantastic free kick, and in the second half Barthez had to make some last gasp saves, the French defence at times looked completely unorganised, and Lillian Thuram was not at the top of his game. A good result for the Swiss, but France will have to improve significantly if they want to win the group.
Brazil vs Croatia (Match Report)
Brazil here looked off form, and at times the Croats could have equalised, the Brazillians, especially Ronaldo, looked off form, with Ronaldinho also not looking his best. Kaká’s well taken goal was the only real highlight of the game, and looking at how Ronaldo was playing, you have to wonder if he is only in the squad to get the 3 goals he needs to beat Gerd Mullers record. Defensively cracks seemed to appear in the Brazillian defence, which could be worrying when they play sides with better strike forces in the latter stages. However Brazil, like England, will take the three points on offer, and hope to improve as the tournament goes on, the Croats still have a chance of qualifying, if they can beat both Australia & Japan.