FIFA World Cup 2010 news - Uruguay and Mexico into the next round as South Africa restores some pride
The teams placed in the Group A, for the World Cup in South Africa, were the host country South Africa, France, Uruguay and Mexico. The first round matches were both drawn and there were no clear favourites. In the second round there were two big upsets; first, the host nation lost against Uruguay by 3-0, and Mexico beat France by 2-0. The spectators definitely wanted the South Africans or the French to qualify, but the equations facing them were pretty tough to be solved by either of the teams.
Uruguay and Mexico only needed a draw to qualify for the next round, despite the results in the other match. However, Uruguay’s manager insisted on winning, thus by being on top he could avoid facing Argentina in the next round. Therefore, the team played very well and attacked for the most part of the game. However, it took a long time before the deadlock was broken, when Luis Suarez headed a ball home from a cross by the team-mate Edinson Cavani. Once, the goal was scored the Uruguayans were ensured of the top position in the Group, thus, they went a little defensive to protect the lead. However, they still used counter-attack and continued to threaten the Mexican goal.
Mexicans also needed a win against Uruguay, but their body-language suggested otherwise. They were missing the spark that was present in the match against France, and were defending for the most part of the game. The only thing that helped them was a good goal difference, which ensured their place in the next round of the FIFA World Cup.
France and South Africa needed big wins and were hoping that one of the teams in the other match wins the fixture. Although, Mexico lost the match by one goal, but still the gap was too high for the teams like South Africa and France to cover. Both teams, before coming into this fixture, were facing trouble in finding their form, therefore, it was supposed to be a boring affair. France had some additional worries, as the problems in their dressing room accumulated, after the expulsion of Anelka. Due to this, Domenech had to drop the captain Patrice Evra from the squad as well. There were other changes in the team, and Cisse was played as the sole striker.
Both teams had a slow start to the match, and it looked like there would not be enough goals in this match-up. However, South Africa put a foot on the paddle by scoring the first goal of the match in the 20th minute, by Bongani Khumalo. The French lost concentration after the goal, as their problems accumulated. After five minutes of the goal, Yoann Gorcuff, the French midfielder, was shown a straight Red Card for an elbow assault on Macbeth Sibaya. The French hopes were crushed and they could not bounce back from the set-back so early in the game. The French manager, whose job was being threatened, showed clear signs of frustration.
South Africa took advantage of the French abysmal performance, and doubled the lead in the 37th minute, as Katlego Mphela, the South African forward, struck for his team. But, this was not enough for the home-team to qualify for the next round. They had a cushion of 5 goals to cover, in case Mexico loses to Uruguay. This was a huge task, a hard job for the team like South Africa, but they never lost hope. The South Africans attacked the French goal and came close on a number of occasions. But, it was France who got the next and the final goal of the match in the 70th minute, scored by Florent Malouda. The match ended with a win for South Africa, but they could not progress to the next round, as Mexico qualified because of a better goal difference, despite losing their last match.
In the next round, Uruguay would face South Korea and Mexico would face the mighty Argentina. It looks like that both the teams, who are on top of their respective groups, would also emerge victorious in the next round, as the matches can be predicted too easily. The real lesson, however, has to be learnt by the French team, after their chaotic campaign, that despite the good players in the squad; a lot depends upon the Manager and the discipline in the team. If the team lacks these things, any giant can be crushed by the weaker opponents.
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