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Second Round review
Big guns blazing
After all the giantkilling antics in 2002, there were few surprises in the second round at Germany ’06. However, there were plenty of talking points – not to mention a couple of records broken – as Richard Godden reports |
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What have Portugal and the Ukraine got in common? They were the only non-World Cup winners to reach the quarter-finals in Germany, well and truly dispelling the myth that the major nations were on a downward spiral. But although the big guns were able to take their place in the last eight, there were certainly very few free passes being handed out.
Current holders Brazil, for whom support is dwindling due to the British Press persisting with their ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ angle, were run ragged at times by Ghana. Yet Ronaldo’s 15th World Cup Finals goal, taking him past Gerd Muller’s record, saw them through. “This is the reward for my efforts over a number of years,” said the former Inter ace. “I want to keep scoring goals because I’ve still got plenty more to give. I’m happy because the team’s going well, playing good football and scoring.”
There was also a goal for current Nerazzurri hitman Adriano, although it should have been flagged offside, while veteran Marcos Cafu was making a Brazilian record 19th World Cup Finals appearance. Ominously for the rest of the world, they barely got out of second gear on their way to a 3-0 triumph in which Modena’s Gyan Asamoah saw red.
Next up for the Samba Boys would be France, who hit their peak against Spain after a tough opening to the tournament. They looked dead and buried when David Villa slotted home a penalty, but youngster Franck Ribery defied his critics to fire an equaliser. But the big talking point came when Thierry Henry went down clutching his face after an innocuous clash with Carles Puyol. Patrick Vieira headed in the resulting free-kick and Zinedine Zidane ensured his career lived another day with the clincher in stoppage time. “Roberto Rosetti blew for a non-existent foul for the second goal,” said the Furia Roja’s Coach Luis Aragones.
Accusations of cheating were rife at the end of Italy’s bitter struggle against Australia. Having been knocked out by a Guus Hiddink-coached South Korea four years ago, a repeat looked to be on the cards when Marco Materazzi was sent off for a lunge on Parma’s Marco Bresciano. But a solid Azzurri rearguard held firm and when Fabio Grosso went down in the box under Lucas Neill’s half-hearted tackle, there was no mistake by Francesco Totti from the spot. “We played well and went out to get a goal, but then this guy falls over in the box and he gets a penalty,” complained Tim Cahill.
If only there had been just one moment of controversy in Switzerland’s drab exit to the Ukraine. Aside from Andriy Shevchenko hitting the bar with a header and Alexander Frei repeating the trick from a free kick, there was little action in the last third worth shouting about. As if to prove that it really wasn’t their day, the Swiss then proceeded to miss all three penalties in the shoot-out to exit the competition.
Although Sheva failed first from the spot, his teammates didn’t make the same mistake – thus booking a last eight meeting with the Azzurri. “I certainly didn’t expect to be facing Italy this summer but, no matter how the match goes, the country will always remain in my heart,” said the new Chelsea striker.
The first side to have booked their quarter-final place were the hosts, as Germany swept aside a mediocre Sweden side thanks to a Lukas Podolski double. There were a couple of sour moments for the Blagult though, when Teddy Lucic was ridiculously sent off by the smiling Carlos Simon, while Henrik Larsson missed a penalty which would have got his side back into a match that they scarcely deserved to be in. Unfortunately, some unsavoury scenes followed between German and English supporters in the town centre, overshadowing events on the pitch.
It would have taken something extraordinary to draw the attention away from a pulsating encounter between Argentina and Mexico which went right to the wire. Early goals by Rafael Marquez and Hernan Crespo set the tone for the rest of the match, but it wasn’t until 10 minutes into extra time that Maxi Rodriguez volleyed in a sensational winner. “That was incredible,” he said after his third strike of the tournament. “It was a really tough game, but now we are confident we can beat anyone.”
Confidence was also high in the England camp, despite Sven Goran Eriksson’s men only narrowly beating Ecuador. It took a David Beckham free kick to settle the sides, but not before El Tri had given their more illustrious opponents a shock by hitting the crossbar early on. The Three Lions also raised a few eyebrows with their 4-5-1 formation, but Eriksson was adamant that it was a success. “I think it worked,” said the former Lazio boss. “We should have scored more goals and we have not performed as well as we can do, but it will come later.”
Portugal would be their last eight opponents – just as at Euro 2004 – after they overcame Holland in one of the most brutal matches in World Cup history. Referee Valentin Ivanov set a new record with 20 cards, including two dismissals on either side, and was heavily criticised by FIFA for his performance, even though the players left him little choice in some cases. President Sepp Blatter quipped: “There could have been a yellow card for the referee.”
The match was settled by Maniche, who was also on target to settle their semi-final match at Euro 2004. But the game descended into farce after half time. Costinha was dismissed on the stroke of the interval, Luis Figo should have followed him for a stupid headbutt on Mark Van Bommel and then Khalid Boulahrouz – who should have gone earlier for a brutal challenge on Cristian Ronaldo - was given his marching orders after theatrics from the Inter winger. Deco was next to go for time-wasting, despite the fact that he was thrown to the turf by Phillip Cocu, and Gio Van Bronckhorst completed the set in stoppage time.
It meant that former Milan striker Marco Van Basten lost his first competitive game in charge of his country – and he had no doubts about who was to blame. “I think in the second half we only played 20 or 25 minutes of football,” he moaned. “There was little playing time with all the injuries and the players going down all over the place. What is also regrettable is that the refereeing has such an influence on such an important match – it stopped it from being a pretty spectacle.”
STAR MAN – LUKAS PODOLSKI (GERMANY)
When the hosts were drawn to face Sweden it was crucial that they had a good start. Thanks to Lukas Podolski, they got off to an absolute flier. The new Bayern Munich signing netted after just four minutes to get the ball rolling, and soon after he added another with an exquisite finish. Credit must also go to strike partner Miroslav Klose for setting up both goals, but it was the oft-criticised Podolski who stole the headlines.
MAGIC MOMENTS
The obvious choice is Maxi Rodriguez’s superb volley which settled Argentina’s encounter with Mexico, but there were plenty of other moments to savour. Ronaldo’s goal against Ghana, aside from being vintage stuff from the big man, also took him beyond the World Cup record held by Gerd Muller. David Beckham and Francesco Totti answered their critics with crucial dead-ball strikes, while the hosts were in full voice after their demolition of Sweden. Zinedine Zidane showed exactly why the world will be so sad to see him retire after a sensational goal against Spain.
MOAN OF THE ROUND
The main cause for supporters to vent their fury was the performance of the officials. Valentin Ivanov had a shocker in the Portugal-Holland clash, while Carlos Simon’s cringe-worthy grin when sending off Teddy Lucic was just completely unnecessary. However, the players aren’t completely blameless. Some of the tackles that Ivanov had to punish were shocking, as were the theatrics from both sides. And Thierry Henry – the man who claimed after the Champions League Final that he didn’t dive because he’s not a woman – was seen clutching his face in agony after being caught in the midriff by Carles Puyol.
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Round 2 reports
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