Near Disaster!!!

I came home today ready to watch the games that were on earlier, went to the recorded shows screen on the DVR, and was terrified to see that no games were recorded from today. None at all. I could have sworn that I had set up everything to record through the end of the group stage on Friday, but perhaps I was mistaken. Regardless, I was now in a real bind because I was in danger of missing games for the first day all tournament and no channels were replaying the games. Luckily, I happened across ESPN Classic (which is removed from the other ESPN channels in our cable system) because they were playing all four games back to back. It got even better as they were playing the two games that I wanted to see in their first two time slots, Italy vs Slovakia and Japan vs Denmark. I don't know how I lucked into this after such a potentially catastrophic circumstance, but I did and I'm not complaining in the least.


Slovakia vs Italy

Going into this game, Slovakia needed a win to get through as well as a New Zealand tie or loss while Italy would be through with a win but could also survive a tie if the Paraguay vs New Zealand game ended that way as well, though it would depend on the amount of goals scored in each tie. Rather than analyze every possible scenario this way and that, know that each side really needed to put players forward and try to get a goal. I picked up the game in the 10th minute and could see right away that Italy looked quite flat. I'm not saying that they were god awful and could tell that within the first minute, but over the next five to ten minutes you could see a lack of purpose and direction for Italy while Slovakia dealt with their incursions well, not giving up any serious ground. In return, Slovakia was getting forward decently though they weren't holding a ton of possession or looking particularly dangerous. However, they were pressing up high and that turned into a score when Daniele de Rossi gave away a ball terribly in his defensive third. Juraj Kucka played a beautiful through ball to Robert Vittek who hit a roller to the left post on his first touch and put it just inside for the first goal of the match. Great look through and a perfect shot by Vittek. That is the epitome of a striker's instincts, where he just knows how to put the shot on goal that will lead to a score. Brilliant work.

Despite Italy now being down a goal and needing to score as opposed to trying to possibly play for a tie, there didn't seem to be any sense of urgency still. If anything, Slovakia got more into the game after the goal and though they didn't possess fully and just knock the ball around, they did still get forward and create chances. In the 35th, Zdeno Strba cranked a shot from distance that keeper Federico Marchetti was forced to make a diving save on at the left post. And in stoppage time at the end of the first half, Kucka lined up a near perfect volley that struck the side netting as it curved back towards goal slightly. These chances were impressive but they were from distance as Slovakia wasn't exactly dribbling circles around the Italian central defense. And such offensive potential does not change the fact that Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel almost put the ball in the back of his own net when he was trying to clear a ball played into the middle. Italy did have some chances in the first half, but nothing worth detailing and nothing that truly would have scared Slovakia either.

At the start of the second half, Italy actually did begin to put some chances on goal starting in the 50th minute when Vincenzo Iaquinta got free in the middle of the box for a header but mistimed it and sent the ball wide. Then in the 56th, Antonia di Natale had a through ball played to him in the box but he let it run by him and tried to hit it as it moved, which only ended up with him swinging and missing on an otherwise golden chance. He would get another try in the 62nd though when he got free at the top of the 18 and tried for the right post with a strike. Slovakian keeper Jan Mucha was up to the task however and covered the ball. The potentially controversial play at this part of the half was in the 67th minute when Fabio Quagliarella struck a shot on goal off of a short corner that beat the keeper but was cleared off the line by Skrtel. This was a really close play and it seems as if the ball doesn't have a chance to completely cross the line, but it's really hard to tell. It was a called as nothing on the field and the replays were inconclusive, so that's the way it would stay. I believe it's the right call, but I may have missed it as well.

The 73rd minute started an absolutely furious flurry of chances that made for an exciting and at times absurd last twenty minutes. The ball came back to Marek Hamsik after a failed corner and instead of trapping the popped up ball when it came down, he one touched it to the near post catching the Italian defense off guard. Vittek beat Giorgio Chiellini to the ball and touched it smartly past the keeper for Slovakia's second goal. Vittek did well to get the pass but this play was made by Hamsik fooling everyone by putting the cross in early rather than settling it. Very smart play to earn a goal. The Italians weren't going away though and after the second goal they really ramped up their play to get back to the team we know as the defending champs, the team we know has the skill to win everything. In the 81st, Quagliarella played a ball at the top of the box to Iaquinta who one touched it back to Quagliarella for the shot. Mucha did well to get to it but the rebound went to the left side and di Natale passed it into the back of the net for Italy's first goal. More controversy came after this goal when there was a struggle in the back of the net for possession of the ball and Quagliarella fell to the ground as if he had stepped on a rake that came up and hit him in the face. In reality, two Italian players were trying to take the ball out of Mucha's hands and put him on the ground to do so. While Mucha was on the ground, he hit Quagliarella in the face, hence the ridiculous play acting. Both got yellows, the game went on, I hate the Italians and their acting, let's move on as well.

Quagliarella almost got his revenge in the 85th when he put in a cross but was called offsides on a borderline call. This was another dicey one that the announcers called correct because he was leaning over but I personally never saw a definitive look. Close enough to be called regardless, so play continued. In the 89th, Slovenia jumped on that reprieve when substitute Kamil Kopunek timed a run perfectly on a throw-in and lofted a ball over the keeper when he was played through. Great, great touch on the ball and while Marchetti was not at fault here, you can't help but think this is a situation where Gianluigi Buffon might have made the save to keep the Italians in the match. Italy kept it close with a goal in the 92nd minute when Quagliarella took a pass at the top of the 18 and caught Mucha off his line with a lovely chip, but it wasn't enough to save Italy as they went down to the Slovakians and wouldn't have a chance to repeat.

Slovakia 3 - 2 Italy


Denmark vs Japan

This was a very interesting game as both of these teams had beaten Cameroon but lost to Holland. Additionally, they both played smart defense and were good on the counter attack. With both sides hanging their hat on such anti-aggressive qualities, this had the potential to be an incredibly boring, albeit important game. Thankfully though it started out slow it turned out to be anything but. Both teams had early chances, but they were half chances at best. A strike from distance over the bar, a failed volley, blah blah blah. Both teams held the ball decently with Denmark having nominally more possession and perhaps a few more chances. Japan was content with seeing what Denmark could throw at them and taking counters for their chances on goal. Their break came in the 17th when they were awarded a free kick fairly far back on the right flank. Keisuke Honda stepped up to take the kick and struck it well but not viciously towards the back post. Denmark's keeper Thomas Sorensen took one step to his left, anticipating a dipping shot at the near post, and by the time he realized the true trajectory of the shot and went back across goal it was too late and Honda's shot was nestled in the left corner. Honda went for craft instead of power on this shot and it paid off huge. Because Denmark needed a win and not a tie over Japan due to goal differential, they now needed two scores to come out ahead.

In the 30th, Japan made things even worse off of another set piece, this one about twenty-five yards back from goal in the dead center of the field. Both Honda and Yasuhito Endo stood over the ball but it was Endo that struck a right-footed ball that curled around the wall and perfectly inside the right post. Sorensen guessed right on this one but it didn't matter as the Japanese winger's shot was well struck and perfectly placed. Japan was up now up 2-0 in the first half and though there was time left, a three goal effort in the rest of the game would be Herculean. Starting the second, Denmark had plenty of decent chances but couldn't put the ball in. They did make it interesting in the 80th minute when Daniel Agger dove like a champ in the box to earn a penalty kick for the Danes. This was awful. I thought that Quagliarella flopping around was ridiculous but this was even worse because it gave Denmark a chance for a goal and a chance to get back in the game. Just terrible. Jon Dahl Tomasson stepped up to the spot and took a horrendous penalty kick that keeper Eiji Kawashima dove to his right to stop. Unfortunately for Japan, the rebound came right to Tomasson and he was able to tuck it in for a goal, becoming the all-time leader in goals for the Danish national team. Japan made that goal academic in the 87th however, when Honda took a through ball and made a disgusting heel flick turn to beat his defender toward the end line and then played an unselfish ball back across goal to Shinji Okazaki who took a touch to settle and then put it in the back of the net. Amazing, amazing turn by Honda and then a very smart pass to play his teammate into a wide open space. With that goal, Japan clinched the game and would go through to the elimination round in second place in Group E. Fantastic performance by the Japanese and they truly deserve to be there.

Japan 3 - 1 Denmark


There were fantastic games and I consider myself lucky that I was able to see them despite the DVR going crazy on me (or perhaps my planning shitting the bed). An amazing day of games that saw dark horse Japan through to the next round and showed defending champion Italy the door. I can't think of anyone who would have seen that coming ahead of time. Tomorrow is the last day of the group stage and I will try to both comment on the games, as well as put together a quick preview for the round of sixteen. I'm still looking forward to tomorrow's game though and Spain vs Chile should be an absolute delight, although Brazil vs Portugal has the chance to top it depending on how hard each side actually tries. This is an amazing time in the tournament and it should only be getting better from here. I hope everyone is still enjoying it because I know I am. Stop back tomorrow to see some more game recaps and probably a look forward at the next round. Take care and watch these games.