Joy for Suarez
The first team into the last eight were Uruguay who beat a game if limited South Korea side 2-1. The star of the show for Uruguay was Ajax striker Luis Suarez who bagged both of his side’s goals in the 8th and 80th minutes.
Remarkable
The twenty-three year old former Nacional and Groningen striker has just come off a quite remarkable season in Holland where he scored thirty-five goals in thirty-three league games and forty-nine goals in forty-eight games in all competitions. The two goals yesterday added to the one against Mexico earlier on make him the tournament’s joint top scorer at the moment.
The game started well for Uruguay and some decent play from Diego Forlan coupled with some poor defending and atrocious goalkeeping gave Suarez the fairly simple opportunity to put them one ahead. They then pretty much controlled the rest of the first half and were comfortable leaders at the break.
Deeper
As so often happens, they either decided to drop much deeper and defend what they had in the second half or it happened naturally as anxiety and nerves set in. They invited South Korea on to them and they started to create chances
It was no surprise when South Korea equalised just before the seventieth minute and the goal sparked Uruguay back into life and they started to attack again. Suarez cut inside onto his right foot on the left hand corner of the Korean box and curled a beauty into the far corner. There was no way back for South Korea this time.
Decent
Uruguay are a decent side and in Forlan and Suarez they have an attacking threat that will worry any team they come up against.
Talking of teams they will come up against, the second team through to the last eight is Ghana. I wrote after their first game that Ghana were a breath of fresh air and I saw nothing last night to change my opinion.
Sad
I am sad that USA have gone out because they showed great spirit to come from behind in the tournament three times but they just couldn’t manage it for a fourth time. They have done themselves and their country proud, but in the end they were just lacking a little quality when it mattered most.
Wigan’s third choice keeper Richard Kinson was absolutely immense in goal, making two or three excellent saves but more importantly dominating his area with some great punches right at the death. The skipper Mensah and his namesake, known as Jonathan, were strong at the back, little Annan looked like a more tigerish version of Claude Makelele just in front of them and striker Asamoah Gyan led the line with persistence, bravery and skill and scored a tremendous winning goal.
Thrilled
I am absolutely thrilled that an African nation has made it through to the quarter-finals and it seems only right with the tournament being held on that continent for the first time. Cameroon and Senegal have made it to that stage before but went out in the next game. The same may happen to Ghana but it would take a braver man than me to call the game between them and Uruguay.
It was a great first day of the knockout stages and I am really looking forward to the second day. The evening game between Argentina and Mexico is of particular interest as it will be fascinating to see who England’s quarter-final opponents will be…
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