FIFA WORLD CUP: NEW ZEALAND STUNS ITALY; DANES OUST CAMEROON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 21 Jun 2010
NEW ZEALAND STUNS FAVORED WORLD CHAMPIONS ITALY
If there are three countries that have impressed so far in the FIFA 2010 World Cup by how much their game has improved it would be the USA, Australia and the latest addition, New Zealand.
The Kiwis better known for rugby held world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in what was regarded as possibly the biggest upset in the group stages in South Africa. The Italians were spared total embarrassment only by a penalty by Vincenzo Iaquinta which prevented Marcello Lippi's Azzurri dropping all three points as the New Zealanders who took an early lead through Shane Smeltz, produced a courageous and intelligent performance to earn their second FIFA World Cup? point.
Faced with the reality of meeting a team that was rabked 74 places above them the New Zealanders refused to put ten men behind the ball and started aggressively banking on the age old principle that attack is the best form of defense. Ccoach Ricki Herbert put substance to this theory by fielding three strikers in an adventurous line-up and was rewarded for his boldness with the opening goal inside seven minutes as New Zealand benefited from some distinctly un-Italian defending with the Azzurri rearguard left in chaos by an inswinging Simon Elliot free-kick.
The most notable culprit was Fabio Cannavaro, who inadvertently cushioned the ball into the path of a grateful Smeltz. From four yards out, all the New Zealand No9 had to do was poke the ball under the diving Federico Marchetti.
The FIFA match report noted that in a tournament full of upsets, it looked at this stage that a truly momentous shock was on the cards, but an Italian response was not long in arriving. They should have been level after 16 minutes, in fact, after Cannavaro knocked down Simone Pepe's corner for the well-positioned Giorgio Chiellini, but the Juventus centre-half provided a typical defender?s finish, smashing the ball out for a throw-in on the far side.
Italy were taking a stranglehold on possession, however, and after Gianluca Zambrotta just missed out on finding the top corner from 25 yards, Riccardo Montolivo went closer still, bending a superb effort around the statuesque Paston only to see the ball rebound to safety off the inside of the post. The Azzurri players must have wondered at this stage if this simply was not going to be their day, but their luck was to change after 28 minutes when Tommy Smith was penalised for pulling down Daniele De Rossi in the box. Iaquinta stepped up to take the resultant penalty and level the scores with a perfect spot-kick low to the left of the wrong-footed Paston.
Italy might have hauled themselves level, but Lippi remained unhappy enough to make a double substitution at half-time that saw Antonio Di Natale and Mauro Camoranesi enter the fray. The former, a prolific scorer in Serie A this season, nearly made an instant impact, firing in an imaginative right-foot volley that Paston could only parry clear. However, Lippi will have been hugely concerned at the relative ease with which New Zealand continued to hold his side at bay, and substitute Chris Wood came within a whisker of winning it for the Kiwis in the closing stages with a left-foot shot that slipped inches wide. Herbert's side were certainly well worthy of a share of the spoils, and go into their final match against Paraguay with everything still to play for in Group F.
DANES IN GREAT COMEBACK, OUST CAMEROON FROM FIFA WORLD CUP
In a match marked by quality football Denmark, led by the inspiring winger Dennis Rommdahl and the towering Arsenal striker Nikolas Bendtner, came from back from a goal down to score a thrilling 2-1 win over Cameroon that dumped the African nation out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and in the process assured the Netherlands, leaders in Group E, of a spot in the last 16.
Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen made three changes to the side which had lost to Japan, while the Danes were boosted by the return of skipper Jon Dahl Tomasson. But a switch from their opening match formation where Samuel Eto'o played wide on the right flank but assumed a a central role up front this time appeared likely to pay off in the first five minutes when a low drive flashed past the upright.
Cameroon was by far the more dangerous looking squad early on behind Eto'o and Stephane Mbia but not long after the Cameroon captain had showed his intentions, the Danes fired a reminder that they too were desperate for the win as Rommedahl sprang Cameroon's offside trap and fizzed a shot a yard over although the African squad was clearly dictating the tempo of the game.
Another lapse in concentration by Christian Poulsen gifted Cameroon a 10th-minute lead only days after Daniel Agger's own goal had put them on the path to defeat against the Dutch. Denmark continued to give the ball away with the blond defender laying Thomas Sorensen's clearance right into the path of the grateful Pierre Webo. He clipped a tidy cross into Eto'o and the Inter Milan striker slid the ball home with ease.
But as the FIFA match report noted Denmark refused to be shaken in the way they had been against the Netherlands and slowly clawed their way back into the game. Twice Jesper Gronkjaer went close within the space of 60 seconds ? first rifling in a shot which was deflected out by Nicolas Nkoulou, then trying his luck with a diving header from the resulting corner. The Danes still had to be alert at the other end of the pitch and Cameroon might have restored their lead but for some less-than-impressive finishing from Emana.
With their inspirational captain Tomasson back on board, and Bendtner clearly benefitting from a few extra days' training, the Danes grew in confidence and their pressure paid off after 33 minutes when Rommedahl set off down the right before firing an inviting ball across the face of goal which Bendtner prodded home with his right foot. The match swung from end to end as the first half reached a a thrilling climax. Rommedahl and Tomasson both tested the Cameroon rearguard, while Eto'o saw his shot clatter the post. Emana then almost finished off a dangerous burst forward, but Sorensen was equal to his chip.
More goals seemed inevitable and Webo, a constant threat, twice went close to edging his side in front as the hour mark approached. He failed to profit, however, and was left to rue his missed opportunities when, just seconds later, the Danes raced down the other end of the pitch and took a crucial lead through Rommedahl, who curled an exquisite left-foot shot past the despairing dive of Hamidou Souleymanou.
There was no let-up from either side as the clock ticked on. Cameroon substitute Mohamadou Idrissou missed a hat-trick of gilt-edged chances, Tomasson's tame effort was easily claimed by Souleymanou, and Emana's right-foot effort was athletically palmed away by Sorensen. Vincent Aboubakar also went close in a frantic finish but the Danes held out for a memorable win in the face of waves of late Cameroon pressure. The Indomitable Lions are out but Denmark march on to a win-or-bust encounter with Japan in Rustenburg on Thursday.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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