Day four might not have brought us anything unexpected, but we certainly saw plenty of excitement. It began with the first match of the day between Switzerland and Ecuador.
In what was sure to be a 1-1 draw, Switzerland managed to get a break at the 11th hour. In the final minute of stoppage time, Ecuador's star Antonio Valencia found Michael Arroyo in the top of the box, but he was unable to get a shot away. The Swiss quickly gained possession and hauled down the pitch. After the ref played advantage on a foul, Ricardo Rodriguez found himself wide and swung a perfect cross to Haris Seferovic who only needed one touch to find the roof of the net. If Robin van Persie's first goal against Spain was the most impressive goal of the tournament, this one had to be the most exciting, so far.
France took care of business like many thought they would against Honduras. Karim Benzema showed why he has plenty of hype by netting a pair in the 3-0 rout of the CONCACAF minnows.
In the night cap, Argentina played out a predictable score against newbies Bosnia-Herzegovina. The highlight of the match came in the 66th minute when Lionel Messi showed why he is the best player in the world. He evaded four Bosnian defenders, including one that tripped him up. Messi easily could have flopped to the floor for a foul, but instead he carried on, set the ball on his right foot and tucked a shot in off the near post. Just, you know, Messi being Messi.
Bosnia-Herzegovina also scored in their World Cup debut. In the 84th, Vedad Ibisevic slipped a shot between the legs of Sergio Romero to make the score 2-1. The monumental moment was not enough, however, as that ended up the final score.
Despite the defeat, Bosnia have plenty of reasons to be proud of their first World Cup experience. They controlled play for significant portions of the game, and even threatened to take a point in a match against one of the favorites to win it all. I certainly think Bosnia-Herzegovina will make their way out of Group F and into the knockout rounds.
Goal scoring continues to double the pace of 2010. Another day of goals saw the total rise to 37 through 11 matches, compared to only 18 four years ago. Will today's action follow suit?
We open with a real cracker as highly touted Germany play Portugal in the opener for Group G. Despite being less than 100% with knee tendinosis, Christiano Ronaldo will play for Portugal. I doubt even his presence will be enough, I call for a 3-1 German victory. In the middle, we get Nigeria and Iran. Nigeria could make a run at second place in Group F and a win against also-ran Iran would be a good start. The African side wins this one 1-0.
Finally, tonight we see the opener for the United States. They go up against the team that eliminated them from each of the previous two tournaments, Ghana. This is the most winnable of the USA's three games, and they certainly have to take all three points if they hope to advance from this highly challenging group. I think they have what it takes to get the job done, but my head will not let me pick them to win outright. I am thinking a 1-1 draw here. I dare the USA to prove me wrong though! I'll be out with the American Outlaws Detroit Chapter tonight, so give me an exciting match culminating in American victory!
Enjoy the games everyone, and be back tomorrow.
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