Ivory Coast vs N. Korea

25/6/10

Corte d'Ivoire 3-0 N. Korea

The Portuguese thunderbolts struck the elephants and they all died. Pity, you need seven goals to get equal on goal difference. Disappointing African teams really. Drogba might be a good player, but he can't keep acting like immature Cristiano. You need to have special talent to pull of acts like those.

Kaka's Red Card

The story of the match is another one full of exaggerated anger and deliberately scheming cheats who are out to get other people into trouble. This is all to do with Kaka’s red card. Keita ran into Kaka and then held his face with much angst.  The Brazilian was a victim of Keita’s so called near death and was then punished for being fouled.  

Ivory Coast played shameful soccer, and to accuse somebody of absolute innocence should be awarded with a suspension. Don’t they ever, ever get punished? The only person who gets a lot of attention when he does it is Cristiano. Otherwise all the corrupters out there are left to roam free while they destroy our world cup.

"It was a totally unjustified dismissal of Kaka, he was fouled and yet he was punished,"said Dunga with indignation.

"I won't make any comment about the red card,  I think all of you saw the image and everything else, so I have nothing further to say. The images are there for all to see and you are able to see what really happened."fumed Kaka after the game." 

Brazil vs Ivory Coast

20/6/10 Soccer City, Johannesburg

Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast

Goal Scorers: Louis Fabiano [2 goals], & Drogba [IC]

RED CARD: Kaka

Brazil played fantastically. I loved how they got the goals, most especially the first one. It was complicated, woven through a mass of defenders, concentrated passes and a striking shot by Fabiano to finish it off. Kaka has to be the hero; he controls the ball and gets it to wherever it is supposed to be, and they finish it off with proud shouts. He is part of that old class of players, the golden age, with the real R’s. By the way, Ronaldo would have scored 10 goals, with the defenders enjoying the Brazilian footwork instead of doing their jobs.

Luis Fabiano is not such a good guy. He handballed that second goal, taking it oh so neatly from his arm, bringing it cleverly down and scoring. The referee should have seen that! I don’t know if these crazy referees are only there to make sure gamblers get their bids right. And Lucio is gone fat. Man, I miss that old team. I wish they were here, and I wish the Brazilians played pretty soccer.

Brazil dominated. In fact, even though everybody thought that this match was going to be an absolute cracker, filled with sides full of ability, the Ivoirians, even though they were not scattered, were just pushed out of the way. Drogba scored that last goal, boosting a bit of moral, but they are not even close to be thought of as serious contenders against the the real teams, both European and South American. 

WELL DONE BRAZIL! Go for Gold

Corte d'Ivoire vs Portugal

15/6/10 Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth

Corte d'Ivoire 0-0 Portugal

Yes, isn't funny? Another draw. This is the World Cup of draws. The ball has taken much criticism for the lack of goals in the tournament, and the numerous shots shot that have gone for goal have ended up very skew. It worked for Germany though, when they told it what to do.

This was supposed to be one of the best group matches, full of pace and goals, the sides competing hard to get their 3 points on the board before Brazil did. I could not believe how strained Cristiano Ronaldo looked, especially after that entertaining argument with the Ivorians. He has not scored a goal for the national team for two years now, and perhaps he should not be captain. Besides a gorgeously curved kick from the midfield aiming for goal, his spirit seemed caught up, and the rest of the team did not get of to a good start either. They keep fouling him anyway, leave the guy alone!

                                                                                                             Reuters

The Ivorians played marginally better, though they should have scored. They picked up their game in the last minutes, but it was not a proud performance. Drogba came on in the second half, having been cleared to play with his hand in a cast, but although making some difference in the match, the end came soon, and both teams sighed with the pressure of it all. Brazil was going to trounce them.

The serene conclusion, after a match full of pent up feeling and tryst, was Boubacar Barry making duah. May Allah Almighty guide us all.