Match 57: NETHERLANDS v BRAZIL  [ Quarter-Finals ]

Date: FRI 2Jul10

Venue: Port Elizabeth NELSON MANDELA BAY STADIUM

PANDO! or GORDO? PANDO!

+ The day certainly start well for the NETHERLANDS when ANDRE OOIJER was forced into the lineup after a NED injury during warm-ups and the soft NED center was found out when GILBERTO SILVA sent through a terrific through-ball to ROBINHO who first-timed the delicious pass and slotted it under MAARTEN STEKELENBURG in just the 10^th minute to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room .. ..

WESLEY SNEIJDER was on top of the ball early on and was rewarded for his form when his R/Flank cross nicked off FELIPE MELO’s head and into the net in what should have been SNEIJDER’s goal and not an OG .. ..

SNEIJDER left now doubt when he left BRA for dead when DIRK KUYT headed-on a CK right to SNEIJDER in M/Box and headed it > U/Left to send BRA out in their first WC match ever that they scored first, but lost .. .. And, it all went sour for BRA when SILVA stomped a NED player and got sent off .. .. Twit .. ..

NED MoM: WESLEY SNEIJDER

Continues to have a fabulous Festival and is running riot just now > Can’t get enough of the Oranje when he is on this kind of tear .. ..

BRA MoM: GILBERTO SILVA

Had a full match > His killer through-ball to Robinho got the first BRA goal and got sent off for his ridiculous stomp in the 73^rd minute .. ..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Match 58: URUGUAY v GHANA  [ Quarter-Finals ]

Date: FRI 2Jul10

Venue: Johannesburg SOCCER CITY

PANDO! or GORDO? PANDO!

+ Very positive lineup for URUGUAY who started three forwards and came out well, taking 9 set-pieces in the first half alone .. ..

PoG favorite DIEGO FORLAN was on top of his game from the whistle with a couple of mazy runs through the GHANA defence .. ..

But, as the first-45 went on, GHA came into the match and had three nice chances in front of the net but couldn’t cash in > They just don’t have that finishing edge in the final third, but their build-up play is pretty good .. .. They just don’t make enough good decisions, especially on the counter

Then, in first-half stoppage time, GHA badboy SULLEY MUNTARI unleashed a long L/Footed knuckler that made a R/hand turn past the ‘D’ and rolled to glory untouched > L/Right .. .. 1-0 at the half .. ..

And, stop blaming the ball > When you hit the ball squarely, with no rotation, the pill can go anywhere!

FORLAN also had his form rewarded when he got a FK from just above the L/Box and crushed a perfect R/Footer > U/Right to draw level in the 55^th minute .. ..

MIND-WARPING 120^th Minute! You’ll never see a more amazing final minute of ET > Two shots … both cleared off the line … hand-ball … RC … PK … crossbar .. .. ka-thump (the sound of jaws, bodies + hearts hitting the ground all over Africa!)

URU MoM: DIEGO FORLAN

It doesn’t happen without DIEGO having a hand in it .. .. Much like Landon Donovan, DIEGO is best in a free role just behind the strikers and played like it!

GHA MoM: ASAMOAH GYAN

You heart has to break for the US-killer > Immortality found the crossbar on his 120^th minute PK .. .. Had a great tournament nonetheless ..