EURO IN FREEFALL!

Not the currency > The FOOTBALL!

ITALY?

SPAIN?

ENGLAND?

FRANCE?

GERMANY?

Match 27: SLOVAKIA v PARAGUAY

Date: SUN 20Jun10

Venue: Bloemfontein FREE STATE STADIUM

PANDO! or GORDO? GORDO?

+ HAPPY FATHER’S DAY?! Not with this match .. .. Both sides came out and kept giving the ball to each other .. ..

SLOVAKIA was far the messier and were punished by PARAGUAY in the 28^th minute when they gave away the ball in their third, LUCAS BARRIOS took the benevolence and sent a perfect thru-ball through the ‘5-hole’ to ENRIQUE VERA who hit an inside/out ball with his R/Foot while falling > U/Left .. ..

In fact, most of PAR’s best chances in the first half came off TO’s deep in SVK’s half .. ..

SVK didn’t put together a decent attack, or strike their first shot until the 37^th minute with a skied header off a CK .. ..

The second half was more of the same .. ..

Aimless Slovakia restless to go home and were punished again when Sunderland-bound CRISTIAN RIVEROS slotted home his L/Footer to finish off any Slovak hope .. ..

SVK MoM: .. .. snore .. ..

PAR MoM: ENRIQUE VERA

Hard-nosed, midfielder is normally a defensive specialist who was for positive today w/ PRG chasing points .. .. Also courted by ECUADOR for their MNT .. ..

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Match 28: ITALY v NEW ZEALAND

Date: SUN 20Jun10

Venue: Nelspruit MBOMBELA STADIUM

PANDO! or GORDO? PANDO!

+ WELLINGTON, AUCKLAND, GOLD COAST, TAMPA BAY (USL) & UNATTACHED!

The fertile cradle of NEW ZEALAND football came to the fore and held the WC holders in a simply heroic, monolithic match! All the more amazing is that NEW ZEALAND has no professional football and they must play in Australia to stay close to home!

Amazing > You’ve got unemployed SIMON ELLIOTT training at Home Depot Center and NZ players who are veterans of the A-League and even the Orange Coast Blue Wave!

Despite the fact that NEW ZEALAND somehow managed to score first, it’s been good fun this morning and ITALY had to open up early .. ..

GALAXY POWER CONTINUES WORLDWIDE when friend SIMON ELLIOTT whipped in a FK into the box, the ball caromed off an ITA defender and SHANE SMELTZ poked it home to horror of the entire Italian peninsula .. ..

ITA then pressured and turned on the flair and were rewarded with a soft (but correct) PK call that VINCENZO IAQUINTA slotted home to draw even at the half .. ..

ITA MoM: none

NZ MoM: ALL BACK FOUR + GK

Heroic, monumental effort by RYAN NELSEN and everyone in the back-five .. .. NELSEN ran his legs off, just as he has done for DC United and GK MARK PASTON pulled out some incredible, diving saves to keep NZ in it .. .. All the more miraculous is that he is still recovering from a broken leg and didn’t turn pro until he was 26YO!

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Match 29: BRAZIL v IVORY COAST

Date: SUN 20Jun10

Venue: Pretoria LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM

PANDO! or GORDO? GORDO?

+ PLAY AN AFRICAN SIDE = AN AFRICAN LOSS

Brazil just toyed with the IVORY COAST and only scored because BRA almost let him have it .. ..

Early on, CIV attacked mostly down the R/Flank but never connected with quality - beginning to sound familiar, huh?

LUIS FABIANO scored the first BRA goal when he took a velvet-soft ball from KAKA in the R/Box and roofed his goal (ala Landon) with his R/Foot .. .. He came right back in the second half to bash home his brace with his L/Foot .. .. He flicked-to himself twice in the sequence and then crushed it > L/Right – The Ref was correct in letting two marginal handballs go here as those same balls would have come off his shoulder in all likelihood .. ..

KAKA continued to pile on misery when on the L/Flank he found ELANO making a run into the box and sent him a great ball that ELANO just had to re-direct into the L/Right for the easiest of goals .. ..

DIDIER DROGBA cashed in the consolation goal when he made another great run > the box and headed home a nice cross > L/Right .. ..

The match got ridiculous after that with pushing, shoving and guys whacking each other with their purses .. .. yawn – more African indiscipline .. ..

An ‘easy as you want it’ win for BRA and we’ll probably only see their best in the second round .. ..

BRA MoM: LUIS FABIANO

Leading scored in the 2009 Confederations Cup did with both feet!

CIV MoM: DIDIER DROGBA

The only CIV who knew what he was doing and running his arse off ..

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