South Africa's First World Cup Beginning

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Rafael Marquez, Mexican defender for his country's national team, prevented his team from a damaged defeat from South Africa in achieving a dream dreamed, having scored the first goal in its debut of the World Cup. Marquez scored the 1 - 1 equalizer in the Inaugural Match of the 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup. The greatest absence in the Opening Ceremony and the Opening match was ex-president Nelson Mandela who couldn't come due to a death of a family member. Mexico Pressured the local team and just by the second minute, they had clear possibilities to score as many as 6 goals, but the excellent performance of South Africa's goalkeeeper Itumeleng Khune soured the party to the Mexicans. little by little, South Africa faced his rival bravely and their offensive was more aggressive, leaving alot more counter attacks to the Mexicans.

Steven Pienaar, South Africa's midfielder, became the center of the team, recuperating many of the balls and assisting many of the centers to their strikers, making the African team more forward in their attacks. Both teams tried many shots on target from a long distance but the "Jabulani" couldn't be inside the net unfortunately. in the 55 minute, Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the first goal of the match and of the tournament, with a crossed shot entering the rival area from the left and leave the reaction to Mexican goalkeeper coldstone. With this goal, the South African team doubled their counter attacks and became more effective than the Mexican team, but then the local team was exposed from Mexico the leading responses of their counter attacks. In the 79 minute, Rafael Marquez beated the local goalkeeper Khune from a clear shot in the left zone from Mexico's captain Gerardo Torrado. The result of this match showed opposite reactions from both South Africa and the Mexican team respectively. With this match, South Africa has been undefeated for 8 months and 13 matches.

All Eyes on South Africa

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South Africa, the host nation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the first time in an African continent, will inaugurate the opening match that opens the competitive door to the World Cup. South Africa's biggest challenge always start on the first game facing second CONCACAF qualifier winner, Mexico. Over the years, Mexico is trying to prove the world its abilities and to exhibit fantastic soccer over the tournament this year. This Mexican team is filled with much ambition and hungry to make history to make it to the finals and win the World Cup. Both teams will do the impossible to mark a historic moment in their respective countries and to show the talent that millions of fans around the world are holding their sole attention of.

Both teams have one philosophy in common, with good preparation, the team has been undefeated but only two defeats for Mexico. To maintain a good campaign over the tournament, South African's national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will leave the same team that defeated Guatemala and Denmark in both victories in the last friendly international matches. Many of the South Africans were hoping that Tsepo Masilela as a left back will be in the starting lineup, but the coach was affirmed to not change the tactic and style. To Mexico, the doubts are certainly floating around in the air due that Mexico's national team coach Javier Aguirre is doubting the goalkeeper in the starting lineup. I give it to Guillermo Ochoa on this one because even though he has made a mistake he has been the starting goalkeeper since the last qualifying round for South Africa. I blame that if the goalkeeper is lacking skills, he needs the enough training and I think that Ochoa has the full attention even though he makes mistakes, we all can't be perfect.

South Africa's Final Countdown

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Thousands of South African fans turned the whole city of Jonnahesburg into a full party carnival in the streets, while dancing and screaming and sounding the "vuvuzelas" instruments of South African culture, the South African national soccer team were routing with their bus and started a frenzied party that will never stop. There was a multitude of people in hopes that South Africa will win the World Cup on July 11, will be the greatest thing the world has ever seen. Fans gathered around the Nelson Mandela national statue with much eupohoria as if the South African team have won the World Cup, too early to tell. Less than 30 hours until the ball will start to roll and to start a new edition of the World Cup, where Italy is defending their title.

Italy is not going to be easy for the italians, now there are other teams hungry with ambition in search for the title of World Champion. Fans around the world are going to root for their respective teams. But, as seen on the streets of Johannesburg, the environment is filled with excitement of what this World Cup will bring many surprises. The South African national soccer team saluted the people in their buses in expectance of their opening game against Mexico, one of the interesting matches in the tournament. With years in the making, the South African people has been crazed up with soccer and now counts the final hours in debuting their inaugural match.

Many are hoping that the national team will host successfully Africa's first World Cup that all they need to do is to pay close attention to rivals Mexico, France and Uruguay. Important figures like South African President Jacob Zuma hopes that the host will win the World Cup after what they country has went through over the past century.

Fernando Torres: The Resurrection of a Striker

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Fernando Torres, Spain's talented striker, scored in in the 6 - 0 victory over Poland in an international friendly match, marking his return to the field since his injury left him out for quite a while. This match was the last game before debuting against Switzerland in the beginning of the group H stage. Euro 2008 Champion suffered the injury of Andres Iniesta, in which he assisted into two goals with David Villa in minute 12 and two minutes later doing the assist to David Silva to score and opened a show for the Spanish audience that attended at the stadium. Iniesta had to leave the field due to an injury in one of his legs by the end of the first half, he left the field with the audience applauding his magnificent game exhibited yesterday. Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso scored in the beginning of the first half and then assisted Cesc Fábregas to score seven minutes later which marked his return due to an injury whith his respective team Arsenal.

The big news of the day that appeared was the reappearance of Fernando Torres to the field and he looked completely recuperated and ready for South Africa. Torres was absent for months and most people in Spain doubted his presence in South Africa leaving vacant his offensive to David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez. Torres scored at the 76 minute with a hard kick that hit the net as if it was like fire, then leaving Pedro Rodriguez to score at the 81 minute, marking his debuting goal in an international match with the Spain national team. With this result, Spain is already facing the critics that criticized the defense and its offensive vocation that it was failing in the past couple friendly games. Coach Vicente Del Bosque decided to let the main lineup players play against Poland to give a little bit of rythm into what they are trying to show the audience in terms of defensive and offensive strategy.

I predict that with this style that Spain is exhibiting with excellent and talented players, they will go through the final without a problem. Most of Spain's players are from Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona, which makes most of these players one of the greatest teams in the past 20 years. There will be a final between Spain and Brazil not because of the FIFA rankings but with their abilities exhibited in their respective leagues.

Brazil Charges Its Offensive Ammo

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Ramires, explosive midfielder from Benfica of Portugal, scored his first two goals along with Robinho and Kaká's goals in the victory 5 - 1 over Tanzania. This international friendly match served as Brazil's last before the debut in the 2010 FIFA World Cup against North Korea on June 15. Robinho opened the score with a extraordinary kick inside the area in just 10 minutes of the game by Kaká's assist to Michel Bastos giving a magnificent center to the Brazilian striker. Ramires debuted his scoring two goals shown abilities in the Era of Dunga, the first was an individual game of the player in the minute 52 and with a fantastic header at the stoppage time. Kaká, Real Madrid's explosive midfielder, managed to score at the 76 minute, in which he managed to control most of the attack and with a good "joga bonito" exhibited scored with much facility.

Brazil started with most of the players that begun as the starting lineup, with the exception of Julio Cesar because in the last game he was injured in his back so he needed rest to stay in Johannesburg to rehabilitate. Dunga's players improved their offensive vocation with a Kaká more attentive and very supportive of its defenders to go up and a Robinho with much opportunities to score due to Tanzania's weak defense. Nevertheless, Brazil had defensive problems as well, they were erratic at moments and lacking any offensive strategy in the field, making the Tanzania offensive seemed a bit stronger and with much opportunity to score. Felipe Melo failed terribly, but at times goalkeeper Gomes corrected those errors by not letting the local team score. Due to the fact that the defense committed several errors, much work was to be done with the strikers that with their quality of cracks, they managed to widen the score successfully.

Brazil can now breathe because in yesterday's game that I saw in the Portuguese channel, Kaká managed to be on the field for the whole match. With this, Kaká has played much better than in the other days with Brazil with the assist of the first goal and scoring the last goal of the match. With this defeat, many of the critics are proven wrong by Dunga, even though he faced many criticisms about the offensive attacks of the team, in that there are more defenders than strikers.

Brazil will manage to win the group G stage along with Portugal, but we can also acknowledge that the Ivory Coast and North Korea are two competitive teams willing go through the next stage, crushing and embarrass Portugal in what will be disastrous for the team CR9 will face.

Argentina in South Africa

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Throughout the Argentina's national team training session coverage in South Africa, more than 5,000 people were present to be the most attractive training. Argentina pleased the crowd by showing their players' skills on how to handle the ball as it should, and boy they showed many goals for the many fans that attended. The game featured all players set into two teams but with the mix of youth and experience that lead with a tie of 3 - 3 in just 40 minutes of game playing. Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria scored for the "orange" team, while Mario Bolatti, Diego Milito and Ariel Garce scored for the "blue" team. Many of the fans screamed coach Diego Armando Maradona's name, upping the team morale into making a good participation in the World Cup facing Nigeria, South Korea and Greece.

While Maradona is already planning on who is going to be on the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Nigeria, but as it seems with the central defenders Martin Demichelis and Walter Samuel, both great defensive walls that have been successful in both Bayern Munich and Internazionale respectively leaving Clemente Rodriguez and Gabriel Heinze as both right backs and left backs defenders in order to create the attack from the back. During the practice session Maradona mixed with Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi as the three responsibles for Argentina's offensive attackers. All three players played with well intensity, without selfishness from either player, that is the way Argentina should put up with during the tournament with enough communication from the defenders to the strikers. Maradona mixed players with the offensive enough against the defenders strong enough to keep off counter attacks and air balls that Europeans and Asians play with much getting ready for the debut against Nigeria on June 12. Maradona has already studied how Nigeria moves, due to the international friendly match the other day between Nigeria and North Korea in a 3 - 1 victory over the Africans.

Nigeria has been having defensive problems, with that Argentina has already acknowledge the flaw with the intention of Nigeria to fix those problems by putting the players in different positions now that John Obi Mikel is out of the World Cup.

Argentina needs to study not only Nigeria, but South Korea and Greece, in being these two as a surprise for group B.