Today's action started out with Group F, one of the more exciting groups out there. Paraguay was looking to win out the group by taking down plucky underdogs New Zealand, while the Italians, held to a pair of draws, tried to salvage their Cup with a win over Slovakia. It was still anyone's group to advance in, and all four teams were fighting for a spot to move on. Italy was trying to stop Slovakia and advance with a win. The defending Cup champs were in serious danger of not even qualifying for the round of 16. The Azzurri ran a 3-3-4 battle plan with Pepe, Iaquinta and Di Natale up front, while the Repre's 1-3-2-4 setup featured Erik Jendrisek as the point man. Both sides got drawn into a physical match early and a number of free kicks went wide, but the Italian defense fell apart midway through the half and Robert Vittek came up with the goal at 25' after a lazy clear by Captain De Rossi, and suddenly the defending 2006 champions were looking at a precipitous fall in just four years. The Italians seemed to shut down due to shock and ghosted through the rest of the half on auto-pilot. Half number two resumed with the Azzurri finally playing like they might actually be the better eleven, but somebody forgot to tell the Repre that, and they continued to pound at the stunned Italians. Finally Italy completely cracked as Vittek scored again at 73' and that actually turned Italy's game on. The now offended Italians went berserk, playing with everything they had for pride and it was Di Natalae at 80' that scored to make it 2-1. The Repre would not be denied however and they scored at 89'...only to see Italy's Quagliarella put one right back at 90'. Stoppage time would determine this one...but Slovakia held on for the 3-2 win.
Meanwhile at the same time, Paraguay's squad took a strong 3-3-4 attack led by Valdez, Cardozo and Cruz, while the All-Whites met the Albirroja's call with their own 3-4-3 formation, headed by Killen, Fallon, and Smeltz. This game was all offense early, with both teams making several sorties behind enemy lines to try to attack, but neither could wedge it in the cracks. After having played 2 draws, New Zealand wasn't scared in the least, and Paraguay was having trouble finishing. The second half however needed the All-Whites to go all out...or go home. Paraguay would advance with a draw and a Slovakia win, but the New Zealanders would not. The Albirroja were more than happy to eat the clock here and indeed inhaled minute after minute, dominating the possession time. Paraguay then went to the bench in order to force the All-Whites into a tempo change and a mistake, and New Zealand followed suit to get fresh legs. As exciting as the Italy-Slovakia match was...this one was just as boring. It petered out to a draw, and that meant New Zealand and Italy were going home, with Paraguay winning the group and Slovakia having certainly earned the 2 slot.
That brings up to the Group E action in the late games, group leading Holland taking on already elminiated and pointless Cameroon, and Japan and Denmark looking to see who would join the Clockwork Orange in the next round. The Indomitable Lions opened up with a 2-4-4 attack plan led by Chupo-Moting and star Samuel Eto'o, while Holland went with a 1-3-2-4 squad led by Robin Van Persie at point. Holland clearly went with their strongest squad to make a point and try to increase cohesion, but surprisingly the early action was all Lions, and at least the Orange would get a solid workout. Still, Holland got it together long enough for Van Persie to put one in at 36', and the Orange cruised through the rest of the half. But the second half wasn't going to be a cakewalk and the Lions opened up from sheer pride, culminating in Samuel Eto'o finding the back of the net at 65' on a penalty kick. The Dutch started picking up silly cards that could hurt them in the next round and they bunkered up as a result, bringing in subs. Cameroon, with nothing left to lose, went on the attack, but the experience of the stronger Orange resulted in a Huntelaar goal at 83' and the Dutch team held on to take the 2-1 win and the full 9 points.
Meanwhile, in the game that mattered, Denmark and Japan squared off with both teams wanting a win, and Denmark needing it, while the Samurai Blue simply needed a draw to advance. The Danish Dynamite opened with their familiar 1-3-2-4 format with Nicklas Bendtner at point, while the Samurai Blue played more defensively with a 1-5-4 old school formation, led by Keisuke Honda. Denmark lived up to their nickname and started off with an explosive attack. It took several minutes for the Samurai Blue to recover and counter attack, but counter they did with a solid Keisuke Honda goal at 17' and then Yasuhito with a brutal bender at 30', and the Danes were facing another Hamlet-level tragedy in the making down 2-0 at the half. The back 45' picked up right where the action stopped, with the Samurai Blue now playing fierce defense and Denmark looking for any opening against the disciplined Japan squad. But a takedown in the box gave the Danes a shot, literally, of getting back in, and on the PK rebound Tomasson puts it home past keeper Kawashima at 81'. Time now running out, the Danish Dynamite tried for one last blast to save their Cup chances, but it was Okazaki for Japan who drove home the exclamation point at 88', and Japan's 3-1 win means they will face Paraguay in the Round of 16, while Holland wins the group and will play Slovakia. One more day, two more Groups to sort out, and four more teams left to qualify...
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