Soccer Results: Spain, Germany, France — What a Blow!

June 18th, 2010 · Soccer, Sports

The first round of the mesmerizing competition is over, and there have been a few surprises already! Spain, one of the favorites to win 2010 World Cup, suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of a well-prepared Swiss team. It was Fernandez who found himself at the right place and the right time to push the ball into the net before Spanish keeper Casillas could lay his hands on it. Spain had started their match in the usual fashion: an outstanding technique that found the opponent’s penalty area in just a couple of passes. But the tensions began when the Euro 2008 champions found difficulty in getting a real chance on goal. The 52nd minute goal was enough for the Swiss to defend themselves with great experience despite the early absence of their best defender, Philippe Senderos. Spain now risk not to make it to first spot, depending how Switzerland perform against Honduras and Chile.

The second round brought in more enthusiasm — tension seems to have simmered down, and the game has taken off. The Argentinian selección once again performed brilliantly, finding not only their magical game but goals as well. Higuain came off the field with a standing ovation and a well-earned hat-trick to see Argentina strive with a 4–1 victory over a helpless South Korea. Sergio Aguero got a few minutes on the pitch replacing Man city forward Carlito Tevez. Aguero showed his commanding presence instantly, being the architect of all the Argentinian attacks that followed. It would not be surprising to see him start against Greece on the Tuesday the 22nd, the match decider for Group B.

In the group A fixtures, Uruguay gained a valuable three points, with a convincing 3–4-3 formation against a confused South African side. Diego Forlan was the hero of the day converting a curling strike from long distance and a penalty to double his tally. Pereira scored the third goal to extinguish the African hopes of comeback. The home side now are step out of the competition. Pride is all that remains to play for as well as for the supporters who still continue dancing despite their defeat.

Another surprising result came from the fixture Mexico– France held yesterday at the Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane. French coach Raymond Domenech ends his adventure with a bitter taste in his mouth, a shocking 2–0 defeat against an inspired Mexico side. The French fans were extremely perplexed as how the French were not able to react in a match decider to pass the next stage. Not surprisingly, the French papers’ headlines were “Disgrace” and “What A Shame” today. Credit goes to Mexican coach Javier Aguirre to believe on young talents coming from a 2005 under-17 World Cup triumph. With the French sides relying on the Uruguay-Mexico result on Tuesday, it is almost a certainty that the two sides will opt for a draw.

The latest unexpected result comes right from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at Port Elizabeth. The best-performing team so far were belittled by a wonderful performance from the Serbians. The German Panzers this time failed to accomplish their objective and struggled all the way to conclude concrete actions to find the net. At the 37th minute, Miroslav Klose got his second yellow to leave his teammates in 10. Lukas Podolski moved to the front, taking Kolse’s position but failed to do better. Whats more, the 25-year-old striker continued his bad day by failing to convert a penalty!

The World Cup is getting as thrilling as the current weather conditions in South Africa. Strong winds and continuous rainfall are regulars. Sit back and take a look at the current results and future WC fixtures!