Half Time

Well, we've reached the halfway mark of the World Cup now with the end of the group stages and the start of the knockout rounds. We've had a good two weeks of football but the good stuff has really just started with the beginning of the knockout rounds.

Group A
Germany have looked very good in the group stages and I think they can go far in the tournament especially with their home support. Ecuador have proven to be the surprise of the group while Poland has just plain disappointed.

Group B
No surprise here, the teams that were expected to go through have done so, but England haven't been performing to their potential, they will need to buck up or they will be going home once they meet tougher opposition.

Group C
Serbia & Montenegro have been the flop of the tournament, coming into the tournament with a bang, conceding only 1 goal throughout qualification, but going out with a whimper, getting trashed 6 - 0 in the process. Argentina look to be in imperious form.

Group D
No surprise again with the expected teams going through, though I don't expect both Portugal or Mexico to advance far. Angola can go back with their heads held up high, they did extremely well for a country in their situation.

Group E
Italy going through comfortably with the exception of a minor blip in the form of a draw against a gutsy USA. The surprise of the group comes in the form of Ghana, who did well to get a win against the Czechs and ultimately qualify for the last 16. Czechs were very disappointing, as I said before in a previous post, I expected them to advance far in the tournament after the good performance against the USA but they have no one to blame but themselves, shooting themselves in the foot against Ghana.

Group F
Brazil not looking like world champions in the first two games, only looking more like it in the last match against Japan. Well done to the battling Aussies, they deserve to qualify for the last 16 at the expense of Croatia.

Group G
Switzerland going into the last 16 at the top of their group being the only team not to concede a goal in the group stages but it remains to be seen how far they can go in the knockout stages. France are another one of the disappointments in this World Cup, failing to really impose themselves. South Korea fails to repeat their miracle of the last World Cup. South Korean complaints of the Swiss goal being offside are just bitter excuses really, the Korean player playing Frei onside when he got a touch onto the pass and helped it along. Togo are a BIG disgrace. I (and most people) would give away everything I have just to get the chance to play in the World Cup, but the Togolese have the nerve to ask for such a ridiculously huge sum of money just to play a match in the World Cup, especially considering how poor the country is.

Group H
No surprise yet again with Spain and Ukraine advancing though there was a bit of a shock that Ukraine lost 4 - 0 against Spain. Tunisia and especially Saudi Arabia did not shame themselves despite being eliminated from the tournament, the Saudis atoning for their 8 - 0 mauling against Germany in the 2002 World Cup.

Bring on the knockout rounds!