Last time around, when Group H was playing their matches I advised people to ‘forget’ about the game and take a break. I was so wrong that it’s not even funny – all three matches were highly entertaining, and I ended up watching all of them.
No such mistakes this time.
Spain play Tunisia today, hoping that they perform more like Argentina (6-0) than the Czech Republic (0-2). Raul will start from the bench, which is unfair but I’m not going to complain much as it gives us a chance to get a good look at Fernando Torres, one of the reputed targets for Manchester United (as replacement for dear ol’ Ruud). He scored a decent goal last time around, but I’ll save the praise until he scores a couple more.
Ukraine (after that 4-0 drubbing) will want to put up a better display against Saudi Arabia – they are currently in 4th place and need at least 3 points from their next two games to progress – and they can’t lose either. Shevchenko should be much more effective against the Saudis, but only if those crosses and long balls actually get to him.
The other match – Togo vs Switzerland – may not happen at all. Togo has had a pretty bad tournament, with infighting on money ruining the buildup and then the muckup with the national anthem at the South Korea game. Their coach has given up, and seems like he’s there just to provide a semblance of a complete team rather than actually do what a coach does – that is, get the players ready to win.
Will Togo win? I wouldn’t bet against them scoring at least.
More to come after the matches.
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