Uruguay beat Italy by 1-0 in 2014 Fifa World Cup.

 

Diego Godin scored a late winner after ‘heading’ in a Gaston Ramirez corner kick. After a failed penalty claim, Uruguay won a corner kick conceded by Italy’s Sciglio. Ramirez sent the corner kick from the right side, and the Azzuri were in sixes and sevens as Godin rose and with his body half-turned, scored with his left shoulder, sending Italy to join Spain and England on that early flight home.

 

The match was littered with fouls, lacked flair and did not have true attacking football. There was a Marchisio red card in the second half when he went over the ball with studs showing and caught his opponent on the shin with a career ending action. Luis Suarez got his fangs to work on Chiellini moments before the corner kick that led to the solitary goal.

A characteristic Italia defensive display dominated the ugly match in which Cavani and Suarez were starved of the ball. Italy interrupted all the Uruguay build-ups contracting the pitch size by reducing all possible spaces and blocking pass paths.

Uruguay played with Suarez in a deeper position on the left as he sought refuge as the Italians barricaded the defending third by placing a blue wall at the edge of the penalty area. They could not break down that resolute Italian defence until that vital moment.

For the second time in a row, the three-time world champions were sent home packing early. As for Luis Suarez’s actions, he should be banned from the rest of the tournament and probably from the next Fifa World Cup qualifiers.  

England lose 2-1 to Uruguay in 2014 Fifa World Cup

Luis Suarez grabbed a magnificent double to blow away the English dream of a good 2014 Brazil Fifa World Cup. He delayed a run into the box, deceiving to go from centre to his left and then checked his run to the right to direct a Cavani delivery across the body of Joe Hart. England failed to win the ball in midfield, allowed Uruguay passage through the centre and refrained from challenging the ball before it reached Cavani on the left. With the attention of four English players, the striker had time to control, look up and pick up the run of Suarez who had three men guarding him; Cahill, Baines and Hart.  

The man who recently underwent knee surgery needed just two touches to finish off a Steven Gerrard flick on in the second half. Muslera cleared a long ball and Captain Fantastic’s jumped did not elevate him enough to make the relevant contact with the ball. Suarez lurked behind and outpaced Cahill, looked up to see the position of the goalkeeper, got his eyes on the ball, adjusted his stride and concentrated on the technique of striking the ball with his arms wide for balance.  He hit the ball hard in the middle, as if to dissect it into two hemi-spheres. Hart tried to spread his body across the goal by advancing and narrowing the angle, but he could not even see the ball whistle past him.

Looking at the body of the whole match, Uruguay had a game plan to deny England’s youthful team any space to settle on the ball and the time to think. They pressed hard high on the pitch and reduced the space by moving quickly to press when the ball moved from one player to the next. They packed the midfield, doubled up in marking, and got as many men behind the ball as possible. They were in ‘take-no-prisoners’ mood and were lighting fast in transition and were always first on both the first and second balls.

England started the match hoping for a calculative affair. They were taken unawares as they got intimidated and denied any space to play. They became ‘uncomposed’ and gave away the ball quite easily. The defence panicked and threw themselves at the ball and in flew into tackles. The wingbacks found pockets on the right and more so on the left with Baines. The frustration over failure to construct any methodical attacks caused anxiety and desperation in preparation zone as the midfielders tended not to track down their men as well as the third man running.

The marking was very bad and many crosses found their way to the penalty box as the wide men arrived late from attacking duties. However, the wide man run forward proved useful as Glen Johnson supplied Wayne Rooney with a tap-in in between Suarez’s double. Cahill robbed the Liverpool striker of the ball and quickly passed to Steven G who played with Daniel Sturridge who turned well and fed the overlapping Johnson on the right. The right back took his man on, darted in and out into the penalty box and passed to Rooney who timed his run perfectly and finished with aplomb. Rooney had a good match, forcing a fantastic save from the keeper and hitting a post with header from a foot out.

England could not string passes together and had no rhythm at all as they could not cope with the pace and intimidation of the South Americans. Their attacking moves out of the midfield and the entries into the final third lacked urgency and pace. Besides being too slow in mounting attacks, they were guilty of taking too long to deliver crosses too, allowing Uruguay to regroup and take good defensive positions and shape. As a result, Uruguay had sufficient personnel to deal with any threats posed, particularly forcing early shots that went off target, were weak or went straight to Muslera.

It must be said that Rooney finally got a Fifa World Cup goal.       

Uruguay beaten 3-1 by Costa Rica in 2014 Fifa World Cup

It looked like a Goliath versus David affair from the onset, yet there was a side of Costa Rica to see. They were eager to push forward without fear and make a statement in a motivated way. They had made 5 entries into the attacking third by the 10^th minute. The nervousness in defence was obvious as they were to concede consecutive free-kicks including the one that led to the penalty converted by Cavani.

Uruguay played with a lot of width and tried to break the 5-men defence with crisp passing. Wasteful finishing by both Cavani and Diego Forlan counted for nothing until the rugby tackle on Lugano. Cavani slotted the ball in the right bottom corner of the net despite the goalkeeper guessing right. Thereafter, the former champions’ attempts were restricted to outside the penalty area. Despite that drawback, Costa Rica showed character by their positive response pushing for an equaliser. Their 1-5-3-2 coped well with the conventional 1-4-4-2 of Costa Rica.

The second half started with an injected pace in the Costa Rican attack as they ran at the Uruguayan defence. An exchange of passes on the right wing and the resultant cross eluded the Uruguay defence and found an unmarked Joe Campbell who controlled the ball and rifled a canon past Muslera to equalise. It was one such run in the middle of the defence that led to a free-kick that was neatly taken to the far post and headed home by Duarte for a 2-1 lead within minutes. It took courage as the low ball attracted a boot of a defender in a failed bid to clear.

Thenceforth, Uruguay threw kitchen sinks and all at the minnows who did not crack under pressure. They managed the lead well, composed themselves and frustrated their more illustrious opponents in midfield as they curled into a 1-5-4-1 formation. The frantic defending got into the nerves of Uruguay as they lost their cool and composure.

A ball lost on the right side of midfield was passed down the line and then played through to Urena who raced into the box attraction the attention of Muslera who tried to narrow the angle. The attacker raised his head, saw the onrushing keeper and tucked in a low ball past him to hammer the final nail in the coffin of Uruguay. Adding salt to injury, Uruguay lost a man at the death as a momentary rush of blood in the head left the referee with no option but to send him off.

It turned out as it looked, a David versus Goliath, and the result was no different from the actual ancient events, David killing Goliath.

Statistics - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Further to previous reports of the TSG about the beautiful game's world show, this statistics supplied in the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report are of a general nature for a technical report. For starters, it does not detail the condition and composition of teams that scored in the first and last 5 minutes of each half. The scoring data has been classified in 15 minute blocks which are less relevant to technical people like myself. General observation overtime proved that technically gifted and tactically sound teams scored in the first 3rd of the matches, while physically conditions sides with higher technical ability took control of the matches in the middle 3rd of any match. The last 30 minutes of matches are usually controlled by psychologically strong and mature teams than the physically strong.   

The TSG came with data to tell us how it all went. They said that there 35 from set pieces. Overall, in the 64 matches played, 145 goals were scored compared to the 147 scored in the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. This is a result of bad decisions by referees, who denied several legitimate efforts including the famous Frank Lampard 'no goal'. 110 of these were from open play, while combination play produced 29, the same as wing play with 15 coming from the left. Defence splitting passes into the penalty area produced 6 goals compared to solo effort that had 7. According to these guys, 4 were a result of defensive errors, and personally, I think that is relative.

This information can be interpreted in various ways. What is of interest for me, is that teams are still generally impenetrable in the middle. The spine of the teams remained a fortified guard that must be circumvented by use of wingers to turn defenders to face their goalkeeper. It also proves that the goalkeepers get pressurised in the confusion of making snappy decisions as to whether to wait for the defenders get rid of the ball or them coming out to cut out the crosses. This further requires risk assessment in a split second so as to avoid collision with the attacking player as well as the defending team-mate.

Of interest though, 15 goals were a result of rebounds. There were just 2 own goals recorded. Set pieces produced 35 goals of which 10 were scored after corner-kicks, 7 of those from the right. Direct kicks resulted in 5 goals. Penalties were not recorded as direct kicks as 9 were a separate count, but please note that they are actually direct free-kicks. They report a goal that was a result of a throw in. If you remember this one, please let me know. Generally, the TSG has classified 108 goals as scored from shots and 26 as headers. Strikers, midfielders and defenders netted 77, 50 and 16 goals respectively. It has been a while since we had goalkeepers scoring in the World Cups. The last I remember was Jose Chilavert, who was a dead ball specialist.

Shooting remains key in football. Lack of courage in taking shots becomes the weakness of tactically aware teams who will continue to pass the ball around, hence over elaborating their attacks and allowing the opposition to take good defensive positions to neutralise the attacks. The 26 headed goals proves that this technique remains a big challenge even for high level professionals. O further interest in goal distribution by departments, is the fact that teams played 1-4-2-3-1 formation variables, meaning a solo striker or in some cases, 2 strikers playing in tandem, ie one in front of another. With these solo strikers, 4 defenders were assigned to deal with their threats, yet they had a combined goal tally of 77. Of course the midfielders beefed up attacks at every opportunity, coming up with the 50 goals. Defenders usually got their goals from set-pieces, usually headers as they have the courage to jump and head, which is a common job description to deal with the aerial prowess of players like Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres.

Between kick-off and the 15th minute, the goalkeeper were beaten 14 times, and 23 times in the next quarter of an hour. These statistics are some of the more useful in coaching. It is essential to know the probability of conceding in the 31st - 45th minutes, as 22 goals were netted.  The 46 to 60 minute mark produced 22 goals and the next 15 minutes saw 27 being scored compared to an even bigger figure of 35 scored in the 76th - 90th minute range. Each half of extra time produced a single goal. You will remember that psychologically stronger teams perform better for longer, you will see how mind power is more relevant than previously thought. Personally, I think this is the weakest point of African teams. For example, South Africa conceded the silliest 2 goals in the last 5 minutes against Uruguay. These made the difference between 2nd round and early elimination for the hosts. Ghana missed a crucial penalty with virtually the last kick of the match against, again, Uruguay.

The obvious case here is the figures after half-time. It shows how football education is essential because a good coach must be able to read the game, exploit the weakness of the opposition. The importance of impact players cannot be over emphasised. A lot of coaches introduced substitutes in the last 30 minutes and most of them changed the complexion of the matches positively, as proven by the 64 (27 + 35 + 2) compared to 81 goals scored in the first 60 minutes. The other way to look at it is the way teams were over-cautious at the beginning and then throwing everything into attack either after conceding or racing against time.

Additional time of the first half saw a single goal while there were 6 goals after the 90th minute additional time. There were 31 goals that were scored from inside the goal area, 79 inside penalty area and 26 from outside the penalty area. We already mentioned 9 from the spot.  As I mentioned earlier, I was hoping to see the effect that the loss of concentration in the first 5 minutes compares to the last 5 of the same half, and then how the first 5 minutes of the second half differs from that of the first, and so on. This data is not available.

When I looked at match attendance list, the lowest figures were 27967 for the Denmark vs Japan first round match. It is a figure bigger than any ordinary match that does not feature Bloemfontein Celtic, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in South Africa. In most matches like this one, locals would still be looking for tickets while international associations were hording the quota they did not sell. It was easier for vuvuzela haters to turn around and point at the empty stadia, while records proved these games were the top 5 attended in the history of the tournament, despite the anti-Africa propaganda in the world media.

What football data would you call useful and why? Please check out for more and detailed list of data on www.fifa.com

Statistics - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Further to previous reports of the TSG about the beautiful game's world show, this statistics supplied in the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report are of a general nature for a technical report. For starters, it does not detail the condition and composition of teams that scored in the first and last 5 minutes of each half. The scoring data has been classified in 15 minute blocks which are less relevant to technical people like myself. General observation overtime proved that technically gifted and tactically sound teams scored in the first 3rd of the matches, while physically conditions sides with higher technical ability took control of the matches in the middle 3rd of any match. The last 30 minutes of matches are usually controlled by psychologically strong and mature teams than the physically strong.   

The TSG came with data to tell us how it all went. They said that there 35 from set pieces. Overall, in the 64 matches played, 145 goals were scored compared to the 147 scored in the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. This is a result of bad decisions by referees, who denied several legitimate efforts including the famous Frank Lampard 'no goal'. 110 of these were from open play, while combination play produced 29, the same as wing play with 15 coming from the left. Defence splitting passes into the penalty area produced 6 goals compared to solo effort that had 7. According to these guys, 4 were a result of defensive errors, and personally, I think that is relative.

This information can be interpreted in various ways. What is of interest for me, is that teams are still generally impenetrable in the middle. The spine of the teams remained a fortified guard that must be circumvented by use of wingers to turn defenders to face their goalkeeper. It also proves that the goalkeepers get pressurised in the confusion of making snappy decisions as to whether to wait for the defenders get rid of the ball or them coming out to cut out the crosses. This further requires risk assessment in a split second so as to avoid collision with the attacking player as well as the defending team-mate.

Of interest though, 15 goals were a result of rebounds. There were just 2 own goals recorded. Set pieces produced 35 goals of which 10 were scored after corner-kicks, 7 of those from the right. Direct kicks resulted in 5 goals. Penalties were not recorded as direct kicks as 9 were a separate count, but please note that they are actually direct free-kicks. They report a goal that was a result of a throw in. If you remember this one, please let me know. Generally, the TSG has classified 108 goals as scored from shots and 26 as headers. Strikers, midfielders and defenders netted 77, 50 and 16 goals respectively. It has been a while since we had goalkeepers scoring in the World Cups. The last I remember was Jose Chilavert, who was a dead ball specialist.

Shooting remains key in football. Lack of courage in taking shots becomes the weakness of tactically aware teams who will continue to pass the ball around, hence over elaborating their attacks and allowing the opposition to take good defensive positions to neutralise the attacks. The 26 headed goals proves that this technique remains a big challenge even for high level professionals. O further interest in goal distribution by departments, is the fact that teams played 1-4-2-3-1 formation variables, meaning a solo striker or in some cases, 2 strikers playing in tandem, ie one in front of another. With these solo strikers, 4 defenders were assigned to deal with their threats, yet they had a combined goal tally of 77. Of course the midfielders beefed up attacks at every opportunity, coming up with the 50 goals. Defenders usually got their goals from set-pieces, usually headers as they have the courage to jump and head, which is a common job description to deal with the aerial prowess of players like Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres.

Between kick-off and the 15th minute, the goalkeeper were beaten 14 times, and 23 times in the next quarter of an hour. These statistics are some of the more useful in coaching. It is essential to know the probability of conceding in the 31st - 45th minutes, as 22 goals were netted.  The 46 to 60 minute mark produced 22 goals and the next 15 minutes saw 27 being scored compared to an even bigger figure of 35 scored in the 76th - 90th minute range. Each half of extra time produced a single goal. You will remember that psychologically stronger teams perform better for longer, you will see how mind power is more relevant than previously thought. Personally, I think this is the weakest point of African teams. For example, South Africa conceded the silliest 2 goals in the last 5 minutes against Uruguay. These made the difference between 2nd round and early elimination for the hosts. Ghana missed a crucial penalty with virtually the last kick of the match against, again, Uruguay.

The obvious case here is the figures after half-time. It shows how football education is essential because a good coach must be able to read the game, exploit the weakness of the opposition. The importance of impact players cannot be over emphasised. A lot of coaches introduced substitutes in the last 30 minutes and most of them changed the complexion of the matches positively, as proven by the 64 (27 + 35 + 2) compared to 81 goals scored in the first 60 minutes. The other way to look at it is the way teams were over-cautious at the beginning and then throwing everything into attack either after conceding or racing against time.

Additional time of the first half saw a single goal while there were 6 goals after the 90th minute additional time. There were 31 goals that were scored from inside the goal area, 79 inside penalty area and 26 from outside the penalty area. We already mentioned 9 from the spot.  As I mentioned earlier, I was hoping to see the effect that the loss of concentration in the first 5 minutes compares to the last 5 of the same half, and then how the first 5 minutes of the second half differs from that of the first, and so on. This data is not available.

When I looked at match attendance list, the lowest figures were 27967 for the Denmark vs Japan first round match. It is a figure bigger than any ordinary match that does not feature Bloemfontein Celtic, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in South Africa. In most matches like this one, locals would still be looking for tickets while international associations were hording the quota they did not sell. It was easier for vuvuzela haters to turn around and point at the empty stadia, while records proved these games were the top 5 attended in the history of the tournament, despite the anti-Africa propaganda in the world media.

What football data would you call useful and why? Please check out for more and detailed list of data on www.fifa.com

Statistics - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Further to previous reports of the TSG about the beautiful game's world show, this statistics supplied in the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report are of a general nature for a technical report. For starters, it does not detail the condition and composition of teams that scored in the first and last 5 minutes of each half. The scoring data has been classified in 15 minute blocks which are less relevant to technical people like myself. General observation overtime proved that technically gifted and tactically sound teams scored in the first 3rd of the matches, while physically conditions sides with higher technical ability took control of the matches in the middle 3rd of any match. The last 30 minutes of matches are usually controlled by psychologically strong and mature teams than the physically strong.   

The TSG came with data to tell us how it all went. They said that there 35 from set pieces. Overall, in the 64 matches played, 145 goals were scored compared to the 147 scored in the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. This is a result of bad decisions by referees, who denied several legitimate efforts including the famous Frank Lampard 'no goal'. 110 of these were from open play, while combination play produced 29, the same as wing play with 15 coming from the left. Defence splitting passes into the penalty area produced 6 goals compared to solo effort that had 7. According to these guys, 4 were a result of defensive errors, and personally, I think that is relative.

This information can be interpreted in various ways. What is of interest for me, is that teams are still generally impenetrable in the middle. The spine of the teams remained a fortified guard that must be circumvented by use of wingers to turn defenders to face their goalkeeper. It also proves that the goalkeepers get pressurised in the confusion of making snappy decisions as to whether to wait for the defenders get rid of the ball or them coming out to cut out the crosses. This further requires risk assessment in a split second so as to avoid collision with the attacking player as well as the defending team-mate.

Of interest though, 15 goals were a result of rebounds. There were just 2 own goals recorded. Set pieces produced 35 goals of which 10 were scored after corner-kicks, 7 of those from the right. Direct kicks resulted in 5 goals. Penalties were not recorded as direct kicks as 9 were a separate count, but please note that they are actually direct free-kicks. They report a goal that was a result of a throw in. If you remember this one, please let me know. Generally, the TSG has classified 108 goals as scored from shots and 26 as headers. Strikers, midfielders and defenders netted 77, 50 and 16 goals respectively. It has been a while since we had goalkeepers scoring in the World Cups. The last I remember was Jose Chilavert, who was a dead ball specialist.

Shooting remains key in football. Lack of courage in taking shots becomes the weakness of tactically aware teams who will continue to pass the ball around, hence over elaborating their attacks and allowing the opposition to take good defensive positions to neutralise the attacks. The 26 headed goals proves that this technique remains a big challenge even for high level professionals. O further interest in goal distribution by departments, is the fact that teams played 1-4-2-3-1 formation variables, meaning a solo striker or in some cases, 2 strikers playing in tandem, ie one in front of another. With these solo strikers, 4 defenders were assigned to deal with their threats, yet they had a combined goal tally of 77. Of course the midfielders beefed up attacks at every opportunity, coming up with the 50 goals. Defenders usually got their goals from set-pieces, usually headers as they have the courage to jump and head, which is a common job description to deal with the aerial prowess of players like Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres.

Between kick-off and the 15th minute, the goalkeeper were beaten 14 times, and 23 times in the next quarter of an hour. These statistics are some of the more useful in coaching. It is essential to know the probability of conceding in the 31st - 45th minutes, as 22 goals were netted.  The 46 to 60 minute mark produced 22 goals and the next 15 minutes saw 27 being scored compared to an even bigger figure of 35 scored in the 76th - 90th minute range. Each half of extra time produced a single goal. You will remember that psychologically stronger teams perform better for longer, you will see how mind power is more relevant than previously thought. Personally, I think this is the weakest point of African teams. For example, South Africa conceded the silliest 2 goals in the last 5 minutes against Uruguay. These made the difference between 2nd round and early elimination for the hosts. Ghana missed a crucial penalty with virtually the last kick of the match against, again, Uruguay.

The obvious case here is the figures after half-time. It shows how football education is essential because a good coach must be able to read the game, exploit the weakness of the opposition. The importance of impact players cannot be over emphasised. A lot of coaches introduced substitutes in the last 30 minutes and most of them changed the complexion of the matches positively, as proven by the 64 (27 + 35 + 2) compared to 81 goals scored in the first 60 minutes. The other way to look at it is the way teams were over-cautious at the beginning and then throwing everything into attack either after conceding or racing against time.

Additional time of the first half saw a single goal while there were 6 goals after the 90th minute additional time. There were 31 goals that were scored from inside the goal area, 79 inside penalty area and 26 from outside the penalty area. We already mentioned 9 from the spot.  As I mentioned earlier, I was hoping to see the effect that the loss of concentration in the first 5 minutes compares to the last 5 of the same half, and then how the first 5 minutes of the second half differs from that of the first, and so on. This data is not available.

When I looked at match attendance list, the lowest figures were 27967 for the Denmark vs Japan first round match. It is a figure bigger than any ordinary match that does not feature Bloemfontein Celtic, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in South Africa. In most matches like this one, locals would still be looking for tickets while international associations were hording the quota they did not sell. It was easier for vuvuzela haters to turn around and point at the empty stadia, while records proved these games were the top 5 attended in the history of the tournament, despite the anti-Africa propaganda in the world media.

What football data would you call useful and why? Please check out for more and detailed list of data on www.fifa.com

Statistics - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Further to previous reports of the TSG about the beautiful game's world show, this statistics supplied in the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report are of a general nature for a technical report. For starters, it does not detail the condition and composition of teams that scored in the first and last 5 minutes of each half. The scoring data has been classified in 15 minute blocks which are less relevant to technical people like myself. General observation overtime proved that technically gifted and tactically sound teams scored in the first 3rd of the matches, while physically conditions sides with higher technical ability took control of the matches in the middle 3rd of any match. The last 30 minutes of matches are usually controlled by psychologically strong and mature teams than the physically strong.   

The TSG came with data to tell us how it all went. They said that there 35 from set pieces. Overall, in the 64 matches played, 145 goals were scored compared to the 147 scored in the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. This is a result of bad decisions by referees, who denied several legitimate efforts including the famous Frank Lampard 'no goal'. 110 of these were from open play, while combination play produced 29, the same as wing play with 15 coming from the left. Defence splitting passes into the penalty area produced 6 goals compared to solo effort that had 7. According to these guys, 4 were a result of defensive errors, and personally, I think that is relative.

This information can be interpreted in various ways. What is of interest for me, is that teams are still generally impenetrable in the middle. The spine of the teams remained a fortified guard that must be circumvented by use of wingers to turn defenders to face their goalkeeper. It also proves that the goalkeepers get pressurised in the confusion of making snappy decisions as to whether to wait for the defenders get rid of the ball or them coming out to cut out the crosses. This further requires risk assessment in a split second so as to avoid collision with the attacking player as well as the defending team-mate.

Of interest though, 15 goals were a result of rebounds. There were just 2 own goals recorded. Set pieces produced 35 goals of which 10 were scored after corner-kicks, 7 of those from the right. Direct kicks resulted in 5 goals. Penalties were not recorded as direct kicks as 9 were a separate count, but please note that they are actually direct free-kicks. They report a goal that was a result of a throw in. If you remember this one, please let me know. Generally, the TSG has classified 108 goals as scored from shots and 26 as headers. Strikers, midfielders and defenders netted 77, 50 and 16 goals respectively. It has been a while since we had goalkeepers scoring in the World Cups. The last I remember was Jose Chilavert, who was a dead ball specialist.

Shooting remains key in football. Lack of courage in taking shots becomes the weakness of tactically aware teams who will continue to pass the ball around, hence over elaborating their attacks and allowing the opposition to take good defensive positions to neutralise the attacks. The 26 headed goals proves that this technique remains a big challenge even for high level professionals. O further interest in goal distribution by departments, is the fact that teams played 1-4-2-3-1 formation variables, meaning a solo striker or in some cases, 2 strikers playing in tandem, ie one in front of another. With these solo strikers, 4 defenders were assigned to deal with their threats, yet they had a combined goal tally of 77. Of course the midfielders beefed up attacks at every opportunity, coming up with the 50 goals. Defenders usually got their goals from set-pieces, usually headers as they have the courage to jump and head, which is a common job description to deal with the aerial prowess of players like Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres.

Between kick-off and the 15th minute, the goalkeeper were beaten 14 times, and 23 times in the next quarter of an hour. These statistics are some of the more useful in coaching. It is essential to know the probability of conceding in the 31st - 45th minutes, as 22 goals were netted.  The 46 to 60 minute mark produced 22 goals and the next 15 minutes saw 27 being scored compared to an even bigger figure of 35 scored in the 76th - 90th minute range. Each half of extra time produced a single goal. You will remember that psychologically stronger teams perform better for longer, you will see how mind power is more relevant than previously thought. Personally, I think this is the weakest point of African teams. For example, South Africa conceded the silliest 2 goals in the last 5 minutes against Uruguay. These made the difference between 2nd round and early elimination for the hosts. Ghana missed a crucial penalty with virtually the last kick of the match against, again, Uruguay.

The obvious case here is the figures after half-time. It shows how football education is essential because a good coach must be able to read the game, exploit the weakness of the opposition. The importance of impact players cannot be over emphasised. A lot of coaches introduced substitutes in the last 30 minutes and most of them changed the complexion of the matches positively, as proven by the 64 (27 + 35 + 2) compared to 81 goals scored in the first 60 minutes. The other way to look at it is the way teams were over-cautious at the beginning and then throwing everything into attack either after conceding or racing against time.

Additional time of the first half saw a single goal while there were 6 goals after the 90th minute additional time. There were 31 goals that were scored from inside the goal area, 79 inside penalty area and 26 from outside the penalty area. We already mentioned 9 from the spot.  As I mentioned earlier, I was hoping to see the effect that the loss of concentration in the first 5 minutes compares to the last 5 of the same half, and then how the first 5 minutes of the second half differs from that of the first, and so on. This data is not available.

When I looked at match attendance list, the lowest figures were 27967 for the Denmark vs Japan first round match. It is a figure bigger than any ordinary match that does not feature Bloemfontein Celtic, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in South Africa. In most matches like this one, locals would still be looking for tickets while international associations were hording the quota they did not sell. It was easier for vuvuzela haters to turn around and point at the empty stadia, while records proved these games were the top 5 attended in the history of the tournament, despite the anti-Africa propaganda in the world media.

What football data would you call useful and why? Please check out for more and detailed list of data on www.fifa.com

Formations - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Previously, I looked at the 2010 FIFA World Cup report with a little disappointment. At least as far as formations are concerned, the reports correctly notes that a lot of teams played first round matches not to lose. A few varieties of formations from match to match was observed. Some of these were a variation of the same formation depending on individuals, coach tactics, and the stage of the World Cup.

 Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Spain played with 2 anchor men, or defensive midfielders who fortified the defence and helped their teams unfold forward to beef attacks. It notes that there were traditional 1-4-4 2 and 1-4-3-3 was played with essential variations. The modern 1-4-2-3-1 was used by a few team with different interpretation. Less goals were scored. Personally, formations are over-rated, especially by those who know little about the game.

All coaches have a taste of how to play different players depending on their qualities, who in turn will react depending on the situation. The truth about any situation is, teams build around defensively sound tactics that give players freedom to express themselves. This was a little successful given that the finalist, Spain and Holland used these tactics throughout. Brazil were the other team which was not smart enough to use this fruitfully against Holland in the quarter-final. The report says there were teams that used 4 defenders, except Algeria, New Zealand and Chile who used 3.

There is a look at the confederations performances Of note is the progress of Asian football. There were 2 Asian teams for 2nd round matches, Japan  and Korea Republic. This was seen as a big way forward as it was a first, disregarding the Korea/Japan 2002. While the report does not highlight  good youth development as responsible, but surely, the J-League has been serious in getting youths to Brazil and bringing coaches for their development. Asia went a step up as 3 out of 4 of their teams had home-grown coaches.

An obvious fact that was never going to escape any analysis, that is, how amid pregnant expectation, Africa disappointed. Ghana youth development came tops and 5 players came from Under 20 FIFA World Cup winners of 2009. All African nations, except for Algeria, had foreign coaches. Most of these had no clue about the African culture and ways of football and hired on short notice. Some were brought in just for the World Cup. African teams have something to learn from Asian teams.

The other points of note was that 85% of African footballers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup were contracted to Europeans clubs. One point I liked is the inclusion of the fact of 2 major tournaments in a row, AFCON and the World Cup. This weighed heavily against players and a burn-out both physically and psychologically. There were a good this of note, especially with the fact of few injuries and even less injuries with less severity.

Does the 15% locally based African players justify the bad performance of African teams in the World Cup?

Formations - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Previously, I looked at the 2010 FIFA World Cup report with a little disappointment. At least as far as formations are concerned, the reports correctly notes that a lot of teams played first round matches not to lose. A few varieties of formations from match to match was observed. Some of these were a variation of the same formation depending on individuals, coach tactics, and the stage of the World Cup.

 Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Spain played with 2 anchor men, or defensive midfielders who fortified the defence and helped their teams unfold forward to beef attacks. It notes that there were traditional 1-4-4 2 and 1-4-3-3 was played with essential variations. The modern 1-4-2-3-1 was used by a few team with different interpretation. Less goals were scored. Personally, formations are over-rated, especially by those who know little about the game.

All coaches have a taste of how to play different players depending on their qualities, who in turn will react depending on the situation. The truth about any situation is, teams build around defensively sound tactics that give players freedom to express themselves. This was a little successful given that the finalist, Spain and Holland used these tactics throughout. Brazil were the other team which was not smart enough to use this fruitfully against Holland in the quarter-final. The report says there were teams that used 4 defenders, except Algeria, New Zealand and Chile who used 3.

There is a look at the confederations performances Of note is the progress of Asian football. There were 2 Asian teams for 2nd round matches, Japan  and Korea Republic. This was seen as a big way forward as it was a first, disregarding the Korea/Japan 2002. While the report does not highlight  good youth development as responsible, but surely, the J-League has been serious in getting youths to Brazil and bringing coaches for their development. Asia went a step up as 3 out of 4 of their teams had home-grown coaches.

An obvious fact that was never going to escape any analysis, that is, how amid pregnant expectation, Africa disappointed. Ghana youth development came tops and 5 players came from Under 20 FIFA World Cup winners of 2009. All African nations, except for Algeria, had foreign coaches. Most of these had no clue about the African culture and ways of football and hired on short notice. Some were brought in just for the World Cup. African teams have something to learn from Asian teams.

The other points of note was that 85% of African footballers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup were contracted to Europeans clubs. One point I liked is the inclusion of the fact of 2 major tournaments in a row, AFCON and the World Cup. This weighed heavily against players and a burn-out both physically and psychologically. There were a good this of note, especially with the fact of few injuries and even less injuries with less severity.

Does the 15% locally based African players justify the bad performance of African teams in the World Cup?

Formations - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Previously, I looked at the 2010 FIFA World Cup report with a little disappointment. At least as far as formations are concerned, the reports correctly notes that a lot of teams played first round matches not to lose. A few varieties of formations from match to match was observed. Some of these were a variation of the same formation depending on individuals, coach tactics, and the stage of the World Cup.

 Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Spain played with 2 anchor men, or defensive midfielders who fortified the defence and helped their teams unfold forward to beef attacks. It notes that there were traditional 1-4-4 2 and 1-4-3-3 was played with essential variations. The modern 1-4-2-3-1 was used by a few team with different interpretation. Less goals were scored. Personally, formations are over-rated, especially by those who know little about the game.

All coaches have a taste of how to play different players depending on their qualities, who in turn will react depending on the situation. The truth about any situation is, teams build around defensively sound tactics that give players freedom to express themselves. This was a little successful given that the finalist, Spain and Holland used these tactics throughout. Brazil were the other team which was not smart enough to use this fruitfully against Holland in the quarter-final. The report says there were teams that used 4 defenders, except Algeria, New Zealand and Chile who used 3.

There is a look at the confederations performances Of note is the progress of Asian football. There were 2 Asian teams for 2nd round matches, Japan  and Korea Republic. This was seen as a big way forward as it was a first, disregarding the Korea/Japan 2002. While the report does not highlight  good youth development as responsible, but surely, the J-League has been serious in getting youths to Brazil and bringing coaches for their development. Asia went a step up as 3 out of 4 of their teams had home-grown coaches.

An obvious fact that was never going to escape any analysis, that is, how amid pregnant expectation, Africa disappointed. Ghana youth development came tops and 5 players came from Under 20 FIFA World Cup winners of 2009. All African nations, except for Algeria, had foreign coaches. Most of these had no clue about the African culture and ways of football and hired on short notice. Some were brought in just for the World Cup. African teams have something to learn from Asian teams.

The other points of note was that 85% of African footballers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup were contracted to Europeans clubs. One point I liked is the inclusion of the fact of 2 major tournaments in a row, AFCON and the World Cup. This weighed heavily against players and a burn-out both physically and psychologically. There were a good this of note, especially with the fact of few injuries and even less injuries with less severity.

Does the 15% locally based African players justify the bad performance of African teams in the World Cup?

Formations - 2010 FIFA World Cup Technical Report.

Previously, I looked at the 2010 FIFA World Cup report with a little disappointment. At least as far as formations are concerned, the reports correctly notes that a lot of teams played first round matches not to lose. A few varieties of formations from match to match was observed. Some of these were a variation of the same formation depending on individuals, coach tactics, and the stage of the World Cup.

 Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Spain played with 2 anchor men, or defensive midfielders who fortified the defence and helped their teams unfold forward to beef attacks. It notes that there were traditional 1-4-4 2 and 1-4-3-3 was played with essential variations. The modern 1-4-2-3-1 was used by a few team with different interpretation. Less goals were scored. Personally, formations are over-rated, especially by those who know little about the game.

All coaches have a taste of how to play different players depending on their qualities, who in turn will react depending on the situation. The truth about any situation is, teams build around defensively sound tactics that give players freedom to express themselves. This was a little successful given that the finalist, Spain and Holland used these tactics throughout. Brazil were the other team which was not smart enough to use this fruitfully against Holland in the quarter-final. The report says there were teams that used 4 defenders, except Algeria, New Zealand and Chile who used 3.

There is a look at the confederations performances Of note is the progress of Asian football. There were 2 Asian teams for 2nd round matches, Japan  and Korea Republic. This was seen as a big way forward as it was a first, disregarding the Korea/Japan 2002. While the report does not highlight  good youth development as responsible, but surely, the J-League has been serious in getting youths to Brazil and bringing coaches for their development. Asia went a step up as 3 out of 4 of their teams had home-grown coaches.

An obvious fact that was never going to escape any analysis, that is, how amid pregnant expectation, Africa disappointed. Ghana youth development came tops and 5 players came from Under 20 FIFA World Cup winners of 2009. All African nations, except for Algeria, had foreign coaches. Most of these had no clue about the African culture and ways of football and hired on short notice. Some were brought in just for the World Cup. African teams have something to learn from Asian teams.

The other points of note was that 85% of African footballers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup were contracted to Europeans clubs. One point I liked is the inclusion of the fact of 2 major tournaments in a row, AFCON and the World Cup. This weighed heavily against players and a burn-out both physically and psychologically. There were a good this of note, especially with the fact of few injuries and even less injuries with less severity.

Does the 15% locally based African players justify the bad performance of African teams in the World Cup?

2010 FIFA World Cup: Before The Final

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Johannesburg's Carlton Centre "][/caption]

There has been a sudden increase for backers of The Netherlands beating Spain in the World Cup Final, which is directly related to males applying for the Dutch citizenship recently. Holland guys get a free oral porn gift with a Dutch victory tomorrow. That will be a very long que and, while it is a noble gesture, more can be done about it though. OK, football.

Usually nobody remembers who came second, worse 3rd or 4th. For example, did you know Czechoslovakia played the FIFA World Cup final twice? It was in 1934 and 1962 losing to Italy and Brazil respectively.

Hungary, in 1938 and 1954 lost the FIFA World Cup to Italy and West Germany respectively. Sweden got there in 1958 against Brazil losing in a the finals they hosted.

One more sleep, the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup curtain comes down with Spain dating Holland in Jozi, but today, before final, there is 3rd/4th match - Uruguay vs Germany in Port Elizabeth. While it may be second-rate in competitive terms, it is a quarter a loaf. In Africa, it is better than nothing, it may not be the same in South America or Europe. I expect a committed input from both teams with Uruguay beating Germany.

Uruguay will make the Germany machine operate under unfavourable conditions. The Europeans usually exhibit mental strength, but I am not sure they have overcome the disaster of missing the final. We will have to wait to see how much is left in them. The coach will be hard pressed to shape them for the future.

The South Americas, by contrast,  will be relaxed in fulfilling just another fixture. The result will not be their concern and that will work in their favour.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Before The Final

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Johannesburg's Carlton Centre "][/caption]

There has been a sudden increase for backers of The Netherlands beating Spain in the World Cup Final, which is directly related to males applying for the Dutch citizenship recently. Holland guys get a free oral porn gift with a Dutch victory tomorrow. That will be a very long que and, while it is a noble gesture, more can be done about it though. OK, football.

Usually nobody remembers who came second, worse 3rd or 4th. For example, did you know Czechoslovakia played the FIFA World Cup final twice? It was in 1934 and 1962 losing to Italy and Brazil respectively.

Hungary, in 1938 and 1954 lost the FIFA World Cup to Italy and West Germany respectively. Sweden got there in 1958 against Brazil losing in a the finals they hosted.

One more sleep, the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup curtain comes down with Spain dating Holland in Jozi, but today, before final, there is 3rd/4th match - Uruguay vs Germany in Port Elizabeth. While it may be second-rate in competitive terms, it is a quarter a loaf. In Africa, it is better than nothing, it may not be the same in South America or Europe. I expect a committed input from both teams with Uruguay beating Germany.

Uruguay will make the Germany machine operate under unfavourable conditions. The Europeans usually exhibit mental strength, but I am not sure they have overcome the disaster of missing the final. We will have to wait to see how much is left in them. The coach will be hard pressed to shape them for the future.

The South Americas, by contrast,  will be relaxed in fulfilling just another fixture. The result will not be their concern and that will work in their favour.

Why Ghana Lost.

Ghana and Uruguay were involved in a quarter-final duel that was more competitive than most of the matches we have seen at this South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup. What was outstanding was the speed of attack, timely and clean interceptions and incisive passing in midfield. Going forward, both defences made sure they cut dangerous balls going into sensitive areas.

Ghana; The Africans were guilty of lack finishing touch. They were allergic to the ball in the 18 area. They did well not to over-burden themselves with  a need to meet the expectation of the people. It was counter to their self belief though, until about half-way through the first-half.

Ghana were such a cohesive unit, defending without silliness. John Mensah was particularly impressive in dealing with the notorious Suarez. The midfield gave too much respect to Diego Forlan. They failed to track him down. They let him draw a lot of confidence as he touched the ball far too often.

complacency on the penalty. The Black Stars of Ghana were their worst enemies, losing concentration at decisive moments. They failed to deliver the killer pass when they had the South Americans on the back foot. It is an attribute of strong teams to finish off anyone back paddling.

While they may be said to have not had luck on the day, the truth must be told. They failed 'a boys to men' test. Exactly when they needed to stand up, compose and tuck the penalty away into the semi-final, they fizzled away, ballooning the African hopes into the dark night. The black night turned into a nightmare for one shining Black Star, Asamoah Gyan. I defend him for that penalty miss. It was over-confidence. Half the foot was striking the ball while the other half was doing the African celebration dance at the corner flag. 

Uruguay; The South Americans got to every ball first, winning the second ball as well. They ran rings for the entire first 25 minutes and could have been comfortably ahead, were it not for Kingsons' goalkeeping heroics. It was always going to be a tiring affair hitting on a wall.

Diego Forlan, a former Manchester United forward was the actual difference. Forlan let the two strikers play ahead of him, while he roamed the centre of the park at will. He collected all loose balls in midfield and fed the front-runners effectively. His telling work-rate came under check at the 20 minute mark, when he felt he had been doing the donkey work without Suarez turning them into goals.

Diego Forlan retired to a solo striking position, leaving Ghana space to crawl back into the game. Ghana enjoyed the majority of possession to the point of Sully Muntari's wonder strike that had been preceded by a few free-kicks for Ghana.

The Uruguayans showed resilience and endurance, getting the much-needed equaliser when they had to. They remained more disciplined under the Black Stars pressure.

During extra time, there was not much to separate the two teams up to the vital moment of sheer luck. A clear goal scoring opportunity was denied Steven Appiah by hand. The ensuring sending off and penalty were going to be the last activities of the eventful night. Gyan froze, and did the world for a lot of Africans. The crossbar seemed to have come a little lower for the ball to pass into the net. There was no way Ghana were going to survive what followed.

Sad day for Africa football.

Why Ghana Lost.

Ghana and Uruguay were involved in a quarter-final duel that was more competitive than most of the matches we have seen at this South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup. What was outstanding was the speed of attack, timely and clean interceptions and incisive passing in midfield. Going forward, both defences made sure they cut dangerous balls going into sensitive areas.

Ghana; The Africans were guilty of lack finishing touch. They were allergic to the ball in the 18 area. They did well not to over-burden themselves with  a need to meet the expectation of the people. It was counter to their self belief though, until about half-way through the first-half.

Ghana were such a cohesive unit, defending without silliness. John Mensah was particularly impressive in dealing with the notorious Suarez. The midfield gave too much respect to Diego Forlan. They failed to track him down. They let him draw a lot of confidence as he touched the ball far too often.

complacency on the penalty. The Black Stars of Ghana were their worst enemies, losing concentration at decisive moments. They failed to deliver the killer pass when they had the South Americans on the back foot. It is an attribute of strong teams to finish off anyone back paddling.

While they may be said to have not had luck on the day, the truth must be told. They failed 'a boys to men' test. Exactly when they needed to stand up, compose and tuck the penalty away into the semi-final, they fizzled away, ballooning the African hopes into the dark night. The black night turned into a nightmare for one shining Black Star, Asamoah Gyan. I defend him for that penalty miss. It was over-confidence. Half the foot was striking the ball while the other half was doing the African celebration dance at the corner flag. 

Uruguay; The South Americans got to every ball first, winning the second ball as well. They ran rings for the entire first 25 minutes and could have been comfortably ahead, were it not for Kingsons' goalkeeping heroics. It was always going to be a tiring affair hitting on a wall.

Diego Forlan, a former Manchester United forward was the actual difference. Forlan let the two strikers play ahead of him, while he roamed the centre of the park at will. He collected all loose balls in midfield and fed the front-runners effectively. His telling work-rate came under check at the 20 minute mark, when he felt he had been doing the donkey work without Suarez turning them into goals.

Diego Forlan retired to a solo striking position, leaving Ghana space to crawl back into the game. Ghana enjoyed the majority of possession to the point of Sully Muntari's wonder strike that had been preceded by a few free-kicks for Ghana.

The Uruguayans showed resilience and endurance, getting the much-needed equaliser when they had to. They remained more disciplined under the Black Stars pressure.

During extra time, there was not much to separate the two teams up to the vital moment of sheer luck. A clear goal scoring opportunity was denied Steven Appiah by hand. The ensuring sending off and penalty were going to be the last activities of the eventful night. Gyan froze, and did the world for a lot of Africans. The crossbar seemed to have come a little lower for the ball to pass into the net. There was no way Ghana were going to survive what followed.

Sad day for Africa football.

Ghana 1 - 1 Uruguay; Ghana lose 2-4 On Penalties.

It was Uruguay all over Ghana in this thrilling quarter-final encounter. The South Americans took the game to the Africans from the very first minute, putting them on the defensive. Ghana were on the back foot being nervous and surviving scare after scare from Diego Forlan and Vorcer, but Kingson was superb in goals.

In this nail-biting encounter, Diego Forlan initially played behind the two striking partners, causing all sorts of problems for the Ghana defence and midfield. He toiled for 30 minutes before moving to the centre forward position. At that point, Ghana crept their way into the game, fans finding their voices to cheer a fast and slick passing team.

The Black Stars of Africa had a succession of opportunities to put away before Sully Muntari fired from about 35 metres out a hard and low drive to beat the day lights out of the Uruguay shot-stopper, with virtually about the last kick of the first half.

The second half started with Uruguay upping the stakes with a clean as a pin direct free-kick to draw 1-1. Suarez had Africans' hearts in their mouths in the 63rd minute with a miss of the match after Forlan ran to a loose ball on the left, bringing in an early cross.

Kingson pulled off the save of the day, denying  Suarez in the 70th minute a sure goal, parrying the ball over bar for a corner. Both teams started to commit errors in judgement picking up wrong options when going forward, delaying the coming of the winning goal. 

The shape of the African team remained intact in extra-time, pressing in unison and retaining compactness under pressure. They were unlucky not to finish the South Americans earlier in extra-time but pushed relentlessly, Boateng almost finishing off a cross from the right.

Gyan made the African hearts break, when he missed a final minute penalty awarded when Uruguay defender handled the ball on the line and was sent off. 

Penalties:

Uruguay: 1 1 1 0 1

Ghana: 1 1 0 0

Ghana 1 - 1 Uruguay; Ghana lose 2-4 On Penalties.

It was Uruguay all over Ghana in this thrilling quarter-final encounter. The South Americans took the game to the Africans from the very first minute, putting them on the defensive. Ghana were on the back foot being nervous and surviving scare after scare from Diego Forlan and Vorcer, but Kingson was superb in goals.

In this nail-biting encounter, Diego Forlan initially played behind the two striking partners, causing all sorts of problems for the Ghana defence and midfield. He toiled for 30 minutes before moving to the centre forward position. At that point, Ghana crept their way into the game, fans finding their voices to cheer a fast and slick passing team.

The Black Stars of Africa had a succession of opportunities to put away before Sully Muntari fired from about 35 metres out a hard and low drive to beat the day lights out of the Uruguay shot-stopper, with virtually about the last kick of the first half.

The second half started with Uruguay upping the stakes with a clean as a pin direct free-kick to draw 1-1. Suarez had Africans' hearts in their mouths in the 63rd minute with a miss of the match after Forlan ran to a loose ball on the left, bringing in an early cross.

Kingson pulled off the save of the day, denying  Suarez in the 70th minute a sure goal, parrying the ball over bar for a corner. Both teams started to commit errors in judgement picking up wrong options when going forward, delaying the coming of the winning goal. 

The shape of the African team remained intact in extra-time, pressing in unison and retaining compactness under pressure. They were unlucky not to finish the South Americans earlier in extra-time but pushed relentlessly, Boateng almost finishing off a cross from the right.

Gyan made the African hearts break, when he missed a final minute penalty awarded when Uruguay defender handled the ball on the line and was sent off. 

Penalties:

Uruguay: 1 1 1 0 1

Ghana: 1 1 0 0

We'll Ghan Dem Down.

[caption id="attachment_758" align="alignleft" width="392" caption="It's here, Touch It."][/caption]

 

There is more hype of this Gha'me than an earlier potentially explosive affair of Brazil vs Holland. The world is expecting to experience history first hand. It is not because Uruguay is a bad team. It is because the world knows that when Africa say they Ghana get you, you get Ghana'd down.

USA got well beat and I know their prayers are with Africa tonight. Ghana already feel well and good for their quarter-final achievement. They are not under pressure to perform. They will be fulfilling a fixture which may lead to the next. They are able to beat Uruguay without much sweat.

Predict the scoreline. From here 2-1 (Ghana)

We'll Ghan Dem Down.

[caption id="attachment_758" align="alignleft" width="392" caption="It's here, Touch It."][/caption]

 

There is more hype of this Gha'me than an earlier potentially explosive affair of Brazil vs Holland. The world is expecting to experience history first hand. It is not because Uruguay is a bad team. It is because the world knows that when Africa say they Ghana get you, you get Ghana'd down.

USA got well beat and I know their prayers are with Africa tonight. Ghana already feel well and good for their quarter-final achievement. They are not under pressure to perform. They will be fulfilling a fixture which may lead to the next. They are able to beat Uruguay without much sweat.

Predict the scoreline. From here 2-1 (Ghana)

2nd Quarter Finals - Ghana To Win.

Uruguay: This nation is an ex-host and winner of the FIFA World Cup. They play well as a non-gifted team. They did well to reach here because they beat 2010 FIFA World Cup host, South Africa 3-0. That has made peace in our minds that we lost to a good team. We were loyal and committed to their cause until this point. After all, they depend on one man, ex-Manchester United forward, Diego Forlan. They will be playing their last match tomorrow. 

Ghana: This African team has made the continent proud. They are a machine moulded out of youths hungry for success. The Ghana youth development programme should be made to filter to Nigeria, who still think tested and tired Kanu can deliver anything anywhere. We appreciate our stars. They must, on their part, acknowledge the passage of time.

Ghana are quick and decisive in tackles. They have an excellent attacking pace. They had been unfortunate in finding the net from open play until the last game against USA. Things are now different and they have an amazing self belief. In this self-motivating game, they will not have anything to worry about because the 2 Mensahs will lock out Forlan. Asamoah Gyan will complete Ghana offensive as Africa reaches its first ever FIFA World Cup semi-final.

I congratulate Africa well in advance. Tell me how you will celebrate that victory tomorrow.