FIFA World Cup 2010: Switzerland vs. Honduras - Half Time Report
Switzerland are one of the strongest defensive teams in the World Cup this year but they had to try to forget that and score as many goals as possible in order to progress to the next round. Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld had been defiant over the defensive nature of his team's play up to this point, though. Honduras could also have progressed but their future was not in their own hands and progress required an unlikely defeat for Spain and a win by a significant margin against the Swiss.
The first half of the game produced some of the worst football seen at the World Cup this year and that is saying something given how many low scoring games there have been. Neither team produced anything special and there were no extended periods of passing. Play was regularly being broken up, which allowed no fluidity to the play at all.
Both sides had one booking each at half time. Thomas was booked for Honduras in the 4th minute as he brought down Gokhan Inler with a very later tackle. The Swiss player, Fernandes, was bookedin the 32nd minute for a foul on the Tottenham Hotspur man Wilson Palacios with a bad challenge.
The Swiss enjoyed the marjoity of the possession throughout the half but with no end product as they weren't brave enough to commit to an overly attacking game.
The best chance of the half, perhaps, came in the 41st minute when a superb cross from Derdiyok was wasted by Nkufo who chose to chest the ball, rather than heading it and so the deadlock was not broken.
The first half ended 0-0 with neither team looking like they will be able to produce anything better in the second half. On the basis of this performance, neutral fans should pray neither of thesesides advances to the next round. As it stands, both of them will be eliminated.
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