La Previa – La Celeste vs Ghana – Quarter Final

Before I get into the details of this massive clash I feel I need to vent a little frustration on the local coverage of the FIFA World Cup. If the coverage here on local South African TV is anything to go by, one could be forgiven to think that La Celeste are not in the quarter finals and that Ghana are playing an invisible opponent.

Such has been the total biased coverage from these so called expert commentators that I cannot help but feel that I am back in Australia watching Craig Foster deliver his weekly verbal diarrhoea on a beautiful Sydney Sunday afternoon. Special mention must go to the infamous John Barnes who made a comment that is almost as priceless as Craig Foster’s regarding Zinedine Zidane being the greatest player ever to grace Australian shores (Maradona visited Sydney to play against Australia in 1993 and Craig Foster was in that team, nuff said).

John Barnes moment of infamy came in a comment he made about the defence of the so-called “big” teams in the World Cup Quarter Finals and how none of the so-called “big” teams defence is any good. Now I may be mistaken but if you have made it to the quarter finals I feel you are worthy of being considered a “big” team seeing as you are in the top 8 teams in the world. Seeing as La Celeste(along with Paraguay) has the least goals conceded, how did you miss this Johhny??? You and Craig Foster should never meet at risk of cataclysmic events occurring

Now onto la previa, La Celeste vs Ghana for a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2010 Semi Finals. As mentioned, the local coverage is a little biased and hence the calls have come out for the whole of Africa to get behind Ghana as they are the last African team left. This was always going to be the case as ever since La Celeste defeated Banana Banana the whole of Africa has been against us and I am not offended, who else are they going to go for, there’s no one from Africa left???

Form

Uruguay v France 0-0, v South Africa 3-0, v Mexico 1-0, v South Korea 2-1

Ghana v Serbia 1-0, v Australia 1-1, v Germany 0-1, v USA 2-1 (aet)

Previous Meetings

Amazingly these 2 teams have never met before however they have played at youth level where they played out a 2-2 draw. Not really much to go off here.

Prediction

Given that I saw Ghana play against Australia and I remember thinking to myself then that they weren’t overly impressive I like La Celestes chances on progressing to the Semi Finals. However I am also wary that Ghana did improve against the USA and that they will also be buoyed on by the support of the African people. In the end though I feel that our defensive solidarity and our potent upfront will get us over the line, 2-0 victory for La Celeste and first Semi Final appearance since 1970.

SOY CELESTE HASTA LA MUERTE!!!

One last quick point, please visit the SBS World Game Facebook page link in my Recommended Sites section for all the latest from SBS Coverage on the FIFA World Cup. Please be advised that Craig Foster does not contribute to this page so there is some normality left in the world.

4th Match – La Celeste 2 vs South Korea 1

This just keeps on getting better and better 🙂

Once again another delayed blog post but after all the hassle of getting my flu shots before coming to South Africa I now have the flu and its KILLING ME!

Heading into the match against South Korea I had a serious case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde syndrome and their was no antidote in sight. In the morning I was full of confidence, seeing the South Koreans as tough but very beatable with the team we have. By the afternoon I was extremely nervous about the speed and ability to move the ball the South Koreans have and was immediately concerned that our defence could not keep up.

 

Waking up on game day though, I was back full of confidence that La Celeste would come away with the victory, the stats spoke for themselves as far as I was concerned. 3 games played, 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses with 4 goal scored and 0 conceded. Looking at the depth we have on the bench also comforted me in the fact that if things did got tough as the match progressed we were versatile enough to adapt as required.

Heading to the stadium, I was surprised at how friendly the South Korean fans were, a drastic change from the previous match against Yo Queiro Taco Bell. Both sets of fans were wishing each other luck and we were constantly stopped for photos as we walked to our seats.

As the match unfolded and as the torrential rainfall came in, La Celeste showed me that versatility that has gotten the so far in this tournament. Upon Suarez scoring the first goal in the 8th minute I immediately became nervous as I knew that we had a tendency to sit back a little to much and I knew South Korea would press harder for the equalizer. My fears came true as in the 68th minute Lee Chung-Yong scored of what I believe to be the first mistake of the tournament by our keeper Muslera.

I then became amazed. As the rain fell harder and time was against us to hit back we changed into a totally different team. La Celeste seemed to pick up the pace again in reaction to their recently conceded goal. We pressed forward and lifted as went looking for the winner, which arrived in the 80th minute when Suarez scored his 2nd goal of the match by sidestepping two defenders, before curling a right-footed shot in off the post from the edge of the area. At that moment it was the goal of the tournament as far as I was concerned even taking away the scenario in which it was scored.

I can honestly say that if I could bottle the happiness I felt whilst celebrating those 2 goals (especially the 2nd one HEHE) I would be a rich man cause this was as pure of a moment I have ever experienced. People will say that La Celestes performance at this tournament has been a surprise for many however I always had faith. The biggest surprise for me has been how much joy their success has given not only me but all of the Uruguayans that are here to support them. I knew I would be happy but this is something else and I will remember this for the rest of my years.

The Good: Once again the result which is obvious as we enter the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years. But the thing that stood out most for me was how we seem to flip the switch and put South Korea on the back foot with the same personnel after they scored the equaliser. Signs of a team who are playing well and are in top form as far as I am concerned.

The Bad: THE RAIN!!!! After having attended 8 matches (not all matches of La Celeste) this was the first in which it rained and is the sole cause of me feeling like I want to chop my nose off cause I am sick of blowing it!

Nightly Notable: Forlan and “Ruso” Perez worked their backsides off all game and as the game progressed and the rain fell harder they seem to change up a gear even more. They were in everything and really showed true Charrua spirit.

Man Of The Match: Officially awarded to Suarez by FIFA and who am I to argue. He really only had a few moments in the match that made an impact but 2 of those were the most crucial.His 2nd goal was an absolute special goal and one that I can watch over and over and over and over……

VAMOS URUGUAY NO MAS!!!