1. The Kiwis have more fight than anyone could have expected…
New Zealand, a team I killed yesterday (and rightfully so) for being really bad at soccer, earned their second point of the tournament – this time against the world champs. While their goal came on an offsides that wasn’t called, the goal scored against them was equally unjust (more on this in a bit). Their ability to hold off the azzurri for the entirety of the second half will go down as one of the most heroic efforts in this World Cup, and without a doubt the most shocking result.
2. The Italians are an embarrassment to the sport…
Harsh, but there’s no other way to put it. The dives need to stop. Referees have been instructed time and time again to caution for simulation, and yet I’ve seen very few cases of that foul being called so far. Danielle De Rossi’s dive Sunday to win a penalty kick was shameful. On a less preachy note, it would probably help just from the standpoint of needing to establish a flow throughout the game. The constant stoppages have been a hindrance to their pace of play in the first two games.
3. Tomorrow is a big day for Chile…
The Chileans looked spectacular in their debut against Honduras, controlling the entire match and earning a 1-0 victory that looked extremely flattery to the Hondurans. However, it wasn’t long before the Swiss shock defeat of Spain put a big dent in Chile’s chances of advancement. Tomorrow is a must-win in terms of getting three points at the expense of Switzerland, and they might still need a positive result against Spain in order to survive.
4. South America continues to dominate…
Two South American teams played Sunday and both came away with wins that put them in prime position. Paraguay rebounded from its 1-1 draw against the Italians by beating Slovakia, 2-0. A win against the feisty All-Whites from New Zealand will vault them into the Round of 16 as the winners of Group F. Brazil easily dispatched the Ivory Coast to clinch a spot in the knockout stage. They’ll be without star Kaka in game three, however, after he was sent off for his second yellow card on the day.
5. While Europe continues to flounder…
I’ve already touched on the struggles of Germany, England and Spain, and the French are their own special story. Well, you can add the Italians to that list after today’s episode, and perhaps Portugal as well tomorrow if they don’t get a win against North Korea side that proved extremely tough against Brazil. That game has a shock 1-0 defeat for Ronaldo and co. written all over it if Portugal continues to be haunted by an anemic offense.
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