Fifa world cup soccer 2010: The knock out stage thread

[Rabz]

And then there were the Japanese, showing us the true way of the Samurai.
Each of them is a cold blooded warrior and the way they executed the job was really pleasing to watch.

Move over Messi, Kaka, Honda is the real engine.

[auntu]

It was a great performance by Honda.

[al-Sagar]

tonite we will have all the teams confirmed ....

[al-Sagar]

Group G completed

Brazil winners
Portugal Runners UP

[al-Sagar]

only two spots left .......

spain, chile, swiss or ......................... can honduras surprise

[Rabz]

So, the two South American "guay" neighbours, Para and Uru would play the two Asian neighbhours, Japan and South Korea.

Go the Asians.
Chopstick and noodles all the way!!

[al-Sagar]

Originally Posted by Rabz
So, the two South American "guay" neighbours, Para and Uru would play the two Asian neighbhours, Japan and South Korea.

Go the Asians.
Chopstick and noodles all the way!!

what a coincidence.

wish both of them reaches quarters..... then semis ............then finals ....

am i hoping too much

[Rabz]

^^ Not certainly hoping too much mate.
I'd gladly take Japan V SK final rather than Brazil V Argentina.
Nothing better than an Asian team make a mark.
But that aint happening anytime soon.

But yeah, I'd fancy my chances till QF SF.

[al-Sagar]

its all set now with group G completed ......

Spain (winners) and Chile (runners up)

[AsifTheManRahman]

Some very good games coming up in the second round:

Spain vs Portugal
Brazil vs Chile
England vs Germany

[al-Sagar]

Opportunity knocks for Uruguay and South Korea

Following France's farcical implosion and England's potentially fatal failure to finish top of their group, Uruguay and South Korea know that their quarter of the draw has opened up nicely and the victors in Port Elizabeth will compete with Ghana and USA for a place in the semi-finals. It is a huge motivation for both countries as they prepare for Saturday's second-round tie.

Uruguay took advantage of the chaos generated by France's misguided industrial action to saunter to first place in Group A and did not concede a single goal when beating South Africa and Mexico and holding les Bleus to a 0-0 draw in their opening game. With prolific forwards Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan both finding the net in the group stage, expectation is growing that Uruguay will reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1970.

Coach Oscar Tabarez looks set to stick with a three-pronged attack, with Edinson Cavani complementing Forlan and Suarez. The only change to Uruguay's starting XI could be the inclusion of Diego Godin at the expense of Mauricio Victorino, who is one booking away from a suspension.

South Korea's previous meeting with South American opposition was not a happy one as they were hammered 4-1 by Argentina. However, a 2-0 win over Greece and a dramatic 2-2 draw with Nigeria were enough for Huh Jung-Moo's side to progress from Group B. As they embark on their first knockout campaign on foreign soil, Huh may drop right-back Cha Du-Ri after he was at fault for Nigeria's opening goal. Kim Dong-Jin may replace him.

Uruguay player to watch: Luis Suarez. After scoring no less than 49 goals for Ajax last season, much was expected of the lively forward and he looked a touch subdued in the games against France and South Africa. However, Suarez scored the only goal of the game against Mexico as Uruguay cemented top spot and will be a threat with his clever movement and impressive finishing ability.

South Korea player to watch: Ki Sung-Yueng In a fluid midfield that sees players interchange with ease, Ki has been largely overshadowed by his iconic captain Park Ji-Sung and the new great hope of Korean football, Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong. But the Celtic midfielder is a talent in his own right and a real threat thanks to his set-piece delivery, which has so far brought him two assists. With a penchant for the unexpected, Ki is a unique player but at just 21 years of age remains inconsistent.

Key battle: Diego Forlan v Lee Jung-Soo The tussle between Uruguay's premier striker and South Korea's most reliable defender could prove decisive. Forlan hit his stride with two goals in the 3-0 defeat of South Africa and, since leaving Manchester United in 2004, he has never failed to reach double figures in La Liga and the Atletico Madrid star is a formidable opponent for any defender. In Lee he comes up against the heartbeat of the South Korean defence, but also a player who is currently rivalling him in the goalscoring charts having netted against Greece and Nigeria. If he can finish the 90 minutes still level with Forlan, South Korea have a great chance.

Trivia: Uruguay have not lost to South Korea in any of their five meetings. The only World Cup clash between the two came in 1990, when Uruguay won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Daniel Fonseca. Tabarez also managed the side during the finals in Italy 20 years ago.

Stats: South Korea have been the most dangerous side from set-pieces so far in the tournament with three of their five goals coming from dead-ball situations.

Odds: Uruguay (1.90), the draw (3.40) and South Korea (4.50) with Bet365. Diego Forlan to score first and Uruguay to win 1-0 is 11.00.

Prediction: Uruguay are full of confidence after an impressive group campaign and should have enough to shade this game, but South Korea will ensure it is a close contest.

[al-Sagar]

USA out for revenge as they face Ghana

USA's reward for beating England to the summit of Group C is a second-round meeting with Ghana instead of Germany. But given that their participation at the 2006 World Cup ended at the hands of the Black Stars, Bob Bradley and his side will not underestimate Saturday's opponents as they look to build on the momentum generated by Landon Donovan's dramatic goal against Algeria.

Four years ago in Germany, USA would have qualified for the knockout stages with a victory over Ghana in their final group game but goals from Haminu Draman and Stephen Appiah in Nuremberg condemned them to an early departure. Nine Ghanaians and seven Americans remain from that contest but, in South Africa, an improved USA side are targeting a place in the quarter-finals, and a meeting with either Uruguay or South Korea.

That they are even contemplating a possible place in the last four of the World Cup is thanks to Donovan. In injury time of their final group game against Algeria, USA were heading out of the competition until the LA Galaxy star displayed a perfect grasp of dramatic timing to snatch top spot away from England. Having outplayed Algeria, suffered injustice at the hands of Slovenia and held England to a draw, USA deserve their place in the second round. Bradley dropped Oguchi Onyewu for the Algeria game but he could return in defence, while Robbie Findley is back from suspension and will come in for Herculez Gomez.

Ghana have been Africa's leading light in a disappointing tournament for the country and have matched their feat of four years ago when they fell to Brazil in the second round. Milovan Rajevac's side have overcome the pre-tournament loss of Michael Essien but goals are a problem with a 1-0 defeat of Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Australia both secured thanks to penalties from Asamoah Gyan. To address that concern, Rajevac could hand a first start of the tournament to promising striker Dominic Adiyiah who was named Africa's young player of the year in 2009.

USA player to watch: Michael Bradley. Previously accused of benefiting from nepotism given that his father coaches the national side, the midfielder is very much a star in his own right after a brilliant World Cup to date. After scoring a crucial goal against Slovenia, Bradley was man-of-the-match in the 1-0 win with Algeria as he impressed with his all-round game. Snapping into tackles and launching counter-attacks, his was a box-to-box performance and reminiscent of one of his heroes, Roy Keane.

Ghana player to watch: Andre Ayew. Another player who has lived in the shadow of a famous father, Ayew has some act to follow in Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele. Though his progress at club level has been slow, the Marseille winger is effective for his country and shone at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and the African Nations Cup before appearing in all three of Ghana's group games in South Africa. Ayew is a sprightly presence out wide and USA will need to keep him quiet.

Key battle: Clint Dempsey v John Pantsil. The Fulham team-mates will indulge in a personal duel on Saturday with Pantsil operating at right back and Dempsey expected to play wide on the left for USA. Both men boast extensive experience and their contest could be crucial in the context of the game. Dempsey has impressed for USA in South Africa and Pantsil faces a real test in blunting his colleague from Craven Cottage.

Trivia: If Ghana emerge victorious they will match the feats of Senegal (2002) and Cameroon (1990), who are the only two African sides to have made it to a World Cup quarter-final.

Stats: Ghana's past three goals at the World Cup finals (including the second in their 2-1 win over USA in 2006) been from the penalty spot.

Odds: USA (2.70), the draw (3.10) and Ghana (2.87) with Bet365. USA to win in extra time is 13.00.

Prediction: This looks set to be a close contest and do not be surprised if it goes the distance. USA have shown their resilience in the tournament and could just nick it.

[Bond]

Spain vs Portugal - damn guess Portugal is out.

[Rabz]

^^ You never know.
Personal touch in that game. Things could change in a flash.

[al-Sagar]

so the knock outs starts in one hour

uruguay (two time champions) vs South Korea (Asian hopes) to start with

[al-Sagar]

Uruguay v South Korea line-ups:

Uruguay: 1-Fernando Muslera; 2-Diego Lugano, 3-Diego Godin, 4-Jorge Fucile, 16-Maximiliano Pereira, 15-Diego Perez, 17-Egidio Arevalo, 7-Edinson Cavani, 11-Alvaro Pereira, 9-Luis Suarez, 10-Diego Forlan.

South Korea: 18-Jung Sung-ryong; 22-Cha Du-ri, 12-Lee Young-pyo, 4-Cho Yong-hyung, 14-Lee Jung-soo, 8-Kim Jung-woo, 16-Ki Sung-yong, 13-Kim Jae-sung, 7-Park Ji-sung, 17-Lee Chung-yong, 10-Park Chu-young.

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

[al-Sagar]

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez:

"Apparently, our matches are being watched in schools and in shopping malls, and children and young people are following us back home. There seems to be a link between this team and the people of Uruguay. They feel represented by these players. We don't want to build castles in the sky, but we are certainly not going to give up on anything."

[al-Sagar]

Korea Republic coach Huh Jung-Moo:

“We have let in lots of goals, but we can make up for that by scoring twice every time we lose a goal. We are doing our best to work on that. There are possibilities open to everyone. The ball is always round. Italy and France, teams like that, can always lose, and unexpected teams can win."

[al-Sagar]

12 mins to go

[al-Sagar]

Uruguay captain Diego Lugano:

"We'll keep dreaming of a huge performance in this championship. We've shown a maturity which gives us a lot of confidence. We have to play in an optimistic mood."

[al-Sagar]

South Korea captain Park Ji-Sung:

"We don't have a clear conviction of how far we can go. But in 2002, we made it to the semi-finals and I don't think that was just because it was on home ground. We will do our best to prove that was not the case. I can't compare this team to the 2002 team. That was the best team in our history."

[Rabz]

Go the Koreans.
Poke the guays with chopsticks...

Btw, Sagar bhai, your work during the whole world cup has been amazing.
You are keeping this forum alive.
Thanks buddy.

[al-Sagar]

national anthems going on

[al-Sagar]

Originally Posted by Rabz
Go the Koreans.
Poke the guays with chopsticks...

Btw, Sagar bhai, your work during the whole world cup has been amazing.
You are keeping this forum alive.
Thanks buddy.

u know cricket may be the most popular game and successful game for BD ..... but football is still the game of our heart.

[Rabz]

Koria dekhaiya dao amader korea bhaiyera.