Review: Day 13

Group C

          England   1-0   Slovenia

             Algeria   0-1   USA

Final Standings:

1. USA
2. England
3. Slovenia
4. Algeria

The destination of Group C came down to the final minutes in Pretoria. USA and Algeria were scoreless in a game both needed to win to advance. A solitary goal from the US would be enough to take them through but they played 91 minutes without getting one.

In Port Elizabeth the final whistle had already blown. The English players celebrated their victory which meant they were guaranteed a place in the second round. Their opponents, Slovenia, were also through at the time their game ended.

Landon Donovan's injury time goal for the States was not only essential for the future of the game in the country but it appeared to be as crucial to the player himself. The LA Galaxy midfielder cried in his post match interview and later on again in his post match press conference.

The Americans had lofty expectations ahead of their foray into Africa. They had a supposedly straightforward group and were extremely impressive against both Spain and Brazil in the Confederations Cup last summer. Failure to advance from this group would have been a step back for a growing game stateside.

Despite England's 1-0 win over Slovenia, the Three Lions finished second and are now faced with the daunting challenge of Germany on Sunday. Today's win has seen a disillusioned nation become confident once again. Apparently England can win this World Cup after all.

The English team definitely deserved their win and were much improved from their first two performances. The urgency and passion you would expect from an English team was back, in patches, and it was enough to win this game comfortably. Only one goal was scored however, and a heavy price could have been paid.

The style of football played may have been enough to beat a European minnow but it won't exactly have Germany, or potential quarter-final opponents Argentina, running scared. The English controlled possession and won by virtue of playing at pace and doing a lot of huffing and puffing. A tactic that was good enough to beat a limited team that were playing for a draw.

When superior opposition comes along on Sunday England will have far less possession than they had today. The players are certainly capable of improving as the tournament goes on but if the youthful Germans are on their game England could be chasing shadows all day.

Fabio Capello was clearly relieved at the final whistle. The Italian spoke of his joy at the victory and how his players played with freedom. His delight was quite uncharacteristic of the renowned disciplinarian and he seemed to be doing all he could to praise his players and build up the performance of his team. The jury is still out.   

As for the two sides bowing out, Slovenia and Algeria have fought bravely but found their rightful place after three games. They performed more admirably than the less informed would have expected though and they deserve some credit for that. Ultimately it was a failure to score goals, especially in the case of Algeria who failed to score in three games, that cost them.

Group D

         Germany   1-0   Ghana

         Australia   2-1   Serbia

Final Standings:

1. Germany

2. Ghana

3. Australia

4. Serbia

Despite their defeat at Soccer City, Ghana have still qualified for the last 16 for the second consecutive time in only their second World Cup. Mezut Ozil's strike though, probably the goal of the tournament so far, was enough to see the group favourites come out on top against the west Africans. 

Defeat was still enough for the Balck Stars because of Serbia's failure to equalize in the last few minutes in Nelspruit. In a topsy turvy game the Serbians dominated the first half only to completely collapse in the second. Tim Cahill scored a powerful header from 12 yards out after 69 minutes and Brett Holman followed up four minutes later from long range. 

At that point Australia were two goals away from progression, a third from themselves and a second from Germany and an unlikely place in the second round would have gone to the Socceroos. Mark Schwarzer's error seven minutes from time ended the Australian dream however. 

Marko Pantelic took advantage meaning a second goal from the White Eagles would send them through in place of Ghana on goals scored and they almost got it. Pantelic had another chance but didn't take advantage and even a late controversial penalty claim went against them.

In an ironic twist of fate Tim Cahill handled the ball in his penalty area but the Serbian claims were waved away. In each of their first two games Serbia conceded a penalty based on a handball decision but against Australia an even more blatant handling of the Jabulani went against them. 

That decision left the eastern Europeans furious but ultimately they brought the defeat upon themselves. The Socceroos should have been put away in the first half and the Serbs have paid the price for both conservative play and bad finishing in their three games.

Ghana took full advantage and now face an intriguing and winnable tie against the US on Saturday. Despite losing to die mannschaft the Black Stars were well organised, extremely quick around the park and counterattacked with a lot of purpose. The shambolic German defence gave the Ghanaians a host of opportunities to score ad it must be worrying that their only two goals have come from the penalty spot.

The Germans were once again good going forward, their passing was crisp and their attacking options moved freely. It was an end to end game but as it wore on the Germans went about securing that winning goal.

The temperament of Mezut Ozil has been under scrutiny, is he capable of performing when it matters and can the handle the pressure at such a young age? Bigger tests are yet to come but the Werder Bremen playmaker stood up to the plate and took advantage of the rare bit of space he was given to score the games' defining goal. 

Good in possession they may be but their is a worrying concern that without it goals will be shipped. As long as the Germans can keep the ball away from the English players then they have what it takes to reach the quarter finals.

Once again, the group table doesn't lie and in this instance the two most attacking teams in Group D have progressed. 

Australia must feel that they threw away their World Cup in their first game with Germany. Since then they have played with commitment and a desire to win. They almost pulled it off against Ghana and probably should have but the deserved sendings off they suffered ultimately decided their fate.

As for Serbia, so much was expected from the Balkan nation. The have Champions League regulars in their ranks and qualified impressively but for the second tournament running have flattered to deceive.