Day 3 review

Whlle England were ruing a missed opportunity in Rustenberg on Saturday night, anyone who watched the other game in Group C, between Algeria and Slovenia in Polokwane, will realise Mr Capello should receive his P45 if his team fails to progress from this group. Both teams looked completely devoid of quality, with Slovenia slightly better than the North Africans. Valter Birsa brought a couple of good saves from keeper Faouzi Chaouchi, but chances were few and far between. The match only came to life when Algeria substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal stupidly got sent-off, the second for a deliberate handball when a cross from the left was out of his reach. This pushed Slovenia into really going for it, and former West Bromwich Albion midfielder and captain Robert Koren shot from the edge of the area, and Chaouchi performed his best impression of Robert Green, and let the ball slip through his grasp and into the net. The elaborate Slovenian celebration was the highlight of the match. The Algerians barely threatened with a full compliment, so 1-0 down and down to ten men was never going to end well for them.

Ghana took the early initiative in a close looking Group D, and with it, the first African success of the first African World Cup. Serbia was dispatched 1-0 with a late penalty. In a match in keeping with much of what we had seen in the early days of the tournament, defences dominated and sat deep, and clear cut chances were few and far between. Ghana coach Milovan Rajevic surprisingly omitted Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, with his place being taken by the controversial Kevin Prince-Boateng, receiving only his second cap. Despite a lack of chances, Ghana looked the more likely winners, showing more fluidity with their Serbian opponents struggling to come to terms with the pace of the game. Only when Alexsander Lukovic was sent-off for a second bookable offence with 15 minutes to go, did Serbia look like winning it, despite their numerical disadvantage. Milos Krasic and Nermanja Vidic both had great opportunities, which begged the question – why didn’t Raddy Antic’s side play like this with their full compliment. With just six minutes to go, however, substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic had a rush of blood to the head, and deflected the ball with his hand outstretched and gave away a ridiculous penalty. With the hopes of Africa on his shoulder, Udinese striker Asamoah Gyan stepped up and fired an unstoppable penalty into the roof of the net. What followed was another well-rehearsed celebration, and Ghana lifted the hopes of a whole continent.

The final match of the weekend saw the first ‘big name’ lay down their credentials in Durban. In what could have been a close encounter, Germany blew Australia away with a devastating display of attacking football, making light of doubts surrounding their team due to poor form and the loss of captain Michael Ballack. Despite Hull midfielder Richard Garcia going close for the Socceroos’, the Germans were soon into their stride. Miroslav Klose had already gone close before strike partner Lukas Podolski gave them the lead. Playmaker Mezut Ozil slipped in winger Thomas Muller with a lovely pass, and his cut back was powerfully fired into the roof of the net via Mark Schwarzer’s hands. Klose missed another good opportunity, before he made amends with a header from a brilliant cross from captain Philip Lahm. Klose’s goal was his eleventh in World Cup finals, while he and strike partner Podolski defied poor club form to take their combined international goals record to an astonishing 88! Ozil was a constant menace, but couldn’t quite get on the score sheet. Germany have found a real star in the talented Werder Bremen youngster. When key player Tim Cahill was harshly sent-off with a straight red for a late tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger, Australia had no way back. Schwarzer did his best to keep the score down, saving well from Sami Khedira and Podolski, before the impressive Muller made it 3-0 from the edge of the area. Ozil’s final contribution was to cross for the very un-German substitute Cacau to score from close range. Rarely have we seen such an expansive Germany in recent years, and this was a real statement of intent.

PLAYER OF THE DAY – Mezut Ozil.

He may not have scored, but rarely will there have been a more impressive World Cup debut. The 22-year-old playmaker, who plays for Werder Bremen, showed the reports about him had not been wide of the mark. He pulled the strings with canny passing and clever runs, and has an impish quality about him – not dissimilar to a certain Kaka. He made German supporters ask ‘Michael who?’, and if he continues this form, don’t be surprised to see a move to a big club follow the World Cup.

GOAL OF THE DAY – Lukas Podolski.

Germany started their opening game in rampant form, and Schwarzer had already been tested when Podolski continued his superb international goalscoring record. But the build-up play was truly sumptuous. Ozil, pulling the strings from deep and picking up some great positions, played a glorious pass into the path of Muller and his pull back was emphatically finished by the Cologne striker. This was an entirely new Germany, and they look an ominous prospect.

GAFFE OF THE DAY - Faouzi Chaouchi

This will have certainly made a certain Robert Green feel much better. With the game seemingly heading for a dull 0-0 draw, the Algerian keeper somehow let a tame shot from Slovenia captain Robert Koren slip through his hands – they may both blame the ball, but in reality, both were glaring errors, probably more down to lapses in concentration and/or poor technique.

MOMENT OF THE DAY – Ghana clinch the first African win.

There were amazing scenes in Pretoria when Ghana became the first African team to win in South Africa, and in doing so, gave themselves a real chance of qualifying for the second round for the second World Cup in a row. Despite the absence of star player Michael Essien, they proved greater than the sum of their parts, and a win over Australia on Saturday will probably seal Ghana’s progress. The celebration for Gyan’s winning penalty was a truly memorable moment.

FANTASY TEAM

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was never really troubled in keeping a clean sheet, but Branislav Ivanovic and Igor Kolarov were both denied clean sheet bonuses by that crazy decision of Kuzmanovic. And Tim Cahill didn’t really help matters, although admittedly, his red card was a tad harsh.