By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports
Who says the ball isn’t round? Day Eight proved that notion wrong as it turned out to be a night of shockers with hot favorites Germany and England dropping points against less illustrious opponents. The Germans were edged out 1-0 by debutants Serbia while the Three Lions were held to a shock draw against minnows Algeria. Meanwhile USA fell 0-2 behind against Slovenia before rallying back in the second half to draw 2-2.
Let’s now move on to Day Nine where another big gun, Holland, will hope not to follow in the footsteps of Germany and England. They will be taking on Asian powerhouse Japan in a top-of-the-table Group E clash. Cameroon will take on Denmark in the other Group E match in a match to avoid early elimination. Meanwhile Ghana and Australia will lock horns to see who will capitalise on Germany’s slip-up yesterday.
Let our pundits Alvan Tay and Andrew Chua bring you a preview of the various matches tonight.
Alvan Tay of RI. (Photo © Alvan Tay)
Holland vs. Japan
Alvan Says: 3-0 to Holland
If the previous Holland-Japan clash nine months ago in Enscheda (where the Oranje cruised to a 3-0 victory) was anything to go by, we are in for another Dutch treat in this coming Group E fixture. Though Holland beat Denmark 2-0 in their opening match, they were average by their standards and were made to toil for the victory. This time round, expect the Oranje to make amends for their relatively poor showing and come out with all guns blazing against the Japanese.
Bolstered by a well-deserved 1-0 triumph over Cameroon in their opening game, Japan will surely go into the match against Holland with lots of confidence. Marshaled by the solid Tulio Tanaka in defence and led by a spirited Keisuke Honda in attack, the Japanese will certainly come out of their shells and try to take the game to the Dutch. However, Japan’s confidence and sheer willpower might not be quite enough to overcome the gulf in class between the two sides.
Simply put, the Oranje should be able to record yet another win against the Japanese. Holland’s class and quality will shine through and prove to be too hot for Japan to handle.
Key Battle: Robin van Persie (Holland) vs Tulio Tanaka (Japan)
These two men had contrasting performances in their country’s respective opening matches. While Tulio Tanaka impressed and managed to lead his line in shutting the likes of Samuel Eto’o out for the entire game, van Persie had an uninspiring showing and was silenced by the Danes for most of the game. The nerves from the opening fixtures should have been settled and now with the stakes much higher, the winner of this duel could well give their country a major boost in their tussle for the top two spots in Group E.
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Previous Result in 2009: Holland 3-0 Japan
Cameroon vs. Denmark
Alvan Says: 2-2 Draw
Both teams were on the losing end in their opening matches and will be eager to make amends for their defeats. The performances put in by both teams were sluggish at best and players on both sides looked uncomfortable, as well as nervous, on and off the ball.
In particular, the Cameroonians looked particularly disorganized on the pitch, with their captain Samuel Eto’o cutting a forlorn figure on the pitch. Denmark, on the other hand, can take heart from the way in which their defence, led by Daniel Agger, managed to keep out the Dutch attack for most of the game. However, forward Nicklas Bendtner’s woeful finishing was a pain to watch and he looked lost for much of the game and he will have a point to prove to his critics in this coming game.
On paper, this looks to be just another drab match-up but it has the potential to burst into life as both sets of players try to salvage their country’s hopes of progressing into the round of 16.
With Denmark and Cameroon brushing up on their play following the opening match defeats, I believe these two sides will be evenly matched in a rather close fight with factors separating them few and far between.
Key Battle: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) vs. Daniel Agger (Denmark)
In this battle of the Cameroonian captain against the great Dane lies the key to victory for either side. Should Agger succeed in snuffing out the immense presence and danger posed by Eto’o, Denmark will be a big step closer to a clean sheet.
Then, all that would be left would be for the misfiring Nicklas Bendtner to grab a goal, prove his worth and do his country proud. However, that will not be a mean feat as Samuel Eto’o can prove to be a real handful even for the best defenders on his day, just like when he played for FC Barcelona against Manchester United in the 2008 Champions League Final.
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Andrew Chua of RI. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Ghana vs Australia
Andrew Says: 2-1 to Ghana
The Ghana team, fresh from their surprise victory against dark horses Serbia will be eager to show the world that that was no fluke. Australia, on the other hand, will look to rectify their countless weaknesses on display against a Germany side that simply ran rampant over them. This will be an interesting match because Australia, fighting for their lives, and Ghana, both have much to prove.
Without key player Michael Essien, Ghana seemed significantly weakened on paper, but this did not show against Serbia. Expect them to go for the jugular here, trying to expose Australia’s relative lack of pace on the counter-attack. Australia are missing their own key player, Tim Cahill, through suspension.
Expect Australia to play like they did against Germany, passing around their back four before sending long balls for their strikers to chase. It probably is the style of play they are most adept at, and they probably will not change their tactics. They’ll likely just go in harder and more aggressive while doing it against Ghana.
Men to watch: Harry Kewell (Australia) and Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
Both Kewell and Gyan will be key to their teams’ success. Kewell will be hoping to rise up and shake off whatever injury concerns he has, while Gyan will be hoping for a repeat of the man-of-the-match performance he put up against Serbia. Either way, both these players look the most likely to score for their respective teams.
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Previous Result: Ghana 0-1 Australia
| GROUP E | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HOLLAND  | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 |
JAPAN  | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
DENMARK  | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 3 |
CAMEROON  | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
| GROUP D | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GERMANY  | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
GHANA  | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
AUSTRALIA  | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
SERBIA  | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/
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