Match 51: GERMANY v ENGLAND  [ Round of 16 ]

Date: SUN 27Jun10

Venue: Bloemfontein FREE STATE STADIUM

 PANDO! or GORDO? PANDO!

+ Both sides came out hard, but a bit nervy .. .. But, maybe it was a sign of things to come when DAVID JAMES had to make a leg save early on from MESUT OZIL .. .. Then GERMANY began to dissect the ENGLAND defence when MIROSLAV KLOSE took a long punt from GK MANUEL NEUER, shook off MATTHEW UPSON and then hit his R/Footer inside-out past DAVID JAMES .. ..

Then LUKAS PODOLSKI took a nice ball from THOMAS MUELLER and L/Footed through James’ 5-hole > L/Right to make the score 2-0 .. ..

ENG struck right back when an embarrassed MATTHEW UPSON climbed high and headed a STEVEN GERRARD cross over NEUER to half the deficit .. .. Then came the ‘goal’ .. ..

FRANK LAMPARD took a loose ball T/Box and crushed ball off the bar and two yards deep in the goal, but the Uruguayan linesman didn’t believe what he saw although he was in the penalty box > OUTRAGEOUS!

FAIR PLAY TO OUR BECKS > David Beckham had to be restrained when he ripped into the linesman at the half as he came off .. .. 

ENG was ripped apart in the last 45 minutes by the pace and drive of GER > THOMAS MUELLER started the rout as they countered after a FK and he sent a brilliant first-time L > R release ball and then got it back by the time he was in the R/Box and crushed his R/Footer that took DAVID JAMES into the net .. .. The cremation was complete when OZIL just outran the ENG side on the L/Flank and sent an easy ball > MUELLER who slotted home easily .. .. Thank God the Lampard goal didn’t make any difference in the end .. ..

GER MoM: MANUEL NEUER

Outstanding performance despite the scoreboard > But, kept GER ahead on the legit LAMPARD FK goal when he ‘sold’ it quickly like it didn’t go in and quickly put the ball in play – With his actions, the ref didn’t stop play and also believed it didn’t go in .. ..

ENG MoM: FRANK LAMPARD

Forget the dreadful marking, Lampard finally was a force offensively > His FK should have counted, another FK went off the bar and he hit all his shots well .. ..

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Match 52: ARGENTINA v MEXICO  [ Round of 16 ]

Date: SUN 27Jun10

Venue: Johannesburg SOCCER CITY

PANDO! or GORDO? GORDO?

+ Can you believe that ARGENTINA is going this well?

1^st Half > Another sideline assistant folly when LIONEL MESSI danced his way into a position to put CARLOS TEVEZ through, TEVEZ saw his initial poke stopped, MESSI chipped back to a clearly offside TEVEZ and he headed in the gift .. ..

1-0 and MEX (typically) unraveled; RAFAEL MARQUEZ retaliated against Barca teammate LIONEL MESSI and was quickly booked .. .. 

Still clearly rattled by the gifted goal, Stuttgart’s RICARDO OSORIO misplayed/miss-passed a ball from his GK and poacher GONZALO HIGUAIN rounded poor PEREZ and slotted home down the middle .. ..  ARG had four shots in the MEX box compared to nada for MEX .. ..

At the half 2-0 and the action was still not over > There was pushing and shoving behind the ARG bench .. .. Wonder if Diego was blowing kisses @ halftime??

2^nd Half > MEX seemed to compose themselves after the half but all that went ‘vuvuzela’ when CARLOS TEVEZ gathered a just-blocked shot at the T/Box and cut loose an absolute nuke into the U/Left past an amazed PEREZ .. ..

Even with the scoreboard reading 3-0, MEX kept buggering on and got back one when CHICHARITO HERNANDEZ gathered at the T/Box, turned sweetly and hammered home a L/Footer > U/Left .. .. MEX kept coming but never threatened thereafter .. ..

ARG MoM: CARLOS TEVEZ

Non-stop running by the ‘City striker just makes MESSI that much more unstoppable!

MEX MoM: JAVIER HERNANDEZ

Showed his class/talent today > Maybe ENG will try to nationalize him ..

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