El Guaje Steps Up To Lead Spain's Attack

The new Barcelona triumvirate took charge during the Spain-Portugal match. Xavi-Iniesta-Villa put to rest Portugal's interest in the World Cup earlier this week. With Fernando Torres misfiring, Villa is carrying the bulk of the Spanish attack on his shoulders and has not shirked that responsibility.

Against Portugal, Spain put on their most impressive performance. Their dominance was underlined by an unthinkable 61% possession. Portugal for all their talent, hardly did themselves any justice but credit should be give to Spain for their excellence in keeping Ronaldo starved of the ball. That clearly frustrated the Portuguese playboy, his spit and curt response to a journalist reflected that dissatisfaction.

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Group G Decided! Selecao I and Seleccao II Advance

Brazil and Portugal advanced from the group of death at the expense of Ivory Coast and newcomers, North Korea. Portugal was aided by a unexpected 7-0 rout of the Chollimas and therefore built up an unassailable goal advantage. It was never likely that Ivory Coast could emulate Portugal's feat but they tried gallantly.

Brazil and Portugal met in their final group match. It was a highly anticipated match but sadly, the match was marred by fouls and the referee took centre stage in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo kept on blasting freekicks high and wide all through the match. Those were wasted setpiece opportunities. The best chance did fall for Portugal when Raul Meireles ran onto a loose ball (from a Ronaldo run) which Julio Cesar palmed away. At least Brazil kept a clean sheet and this should boost Juan's confidence. Juan is prone to errors and in the 93rd minute, his sloppy play almost let Danny in on goal.

Carlos Quieroz had a different opinion of the match or maybe he was watching a different match?

"I think it was a great show, a football feast. Brazil played very strong in the first few minutes but after their initial period of domination, Portugal slowly started to control the game. In the end, it was a game where we attacked and they defended. Today is a day to celebrate because Portugal has qualified with a great degree of merit. It was a great game of football, the players played extremely well and they must be congratulated. I think the draw was a fair result.''

Sounds just like the usual drivel coming from a manager with blinkers on. Make no mistake about it, Brazil-Portugal was one big yawn.

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Cristiano Ronaldo Stars In Portugal's Seven Goal Romp

Finally, Carlos Quieroz is able to witness a performance that he must be extremely pleased about. This could have been a potential banana skin for the immensely talented but unpredictable Portuguese side. The last time these two sides met, Portugal won 5-3 at Goodison Park in the 1966 World Cup quarterfinal stage. The star of Portugal '66, Eusebio was at Cape Town to witness Portugal register their biggest ever World Cup victory in history. The Black Panther gave his thumbs-up approval for a seven-star Portuguese performance.

Cristiano Ronaldo who was largely anonymous in the first half, finally decided to make his presence in this summer's World Cup finals. He was his usual electrifying self in the second half, tormenting and skinning the North Korean defenders. In the end, he was the most outstanding player on the pitch and even had the opportunity to do a sheepish "head juggle" before netting his first goal and Portugal's sixth.

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Drogba Misses Goal Chance While C Ronaldo Hits Woodwork In Draw

It was meant to be a mouthwatering tie in a potentially explosive Group G. Drogba's Ivory Coast against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. What took place was a match which did not live up to the hype it created. Both team employed a cat-and-mouse approach and while Portugal had much of the possession, they lacked a sharp edge in attack. Ivory Coast was intent to soak up the pressure and then hit with pace on the break with Gervinho, Eboue, Kalou and Dindane all extremely quick and dangerous.

The match was filled with niggly fouls and players falling over at the slightest touch. In truth, the stop-start manner did kill some of the fluency of the game. Ronaldo ended up on the floor every time he tried to go on a potentially explosive run. Sven Goran Eriksson clearly recollecting the dangers of Ronaldo from England's 2006 quarterfinal World Cup match and decided that Cristiano must be stopped at all cost. This tactic worked as Ronaldo is still searching for his first goal in more than two years.

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2010 World Cup Group G Head To Head

The "Group of Death" is the term used to describe Group G. Footballing-wise, this group have the potential to produce the most memorable matches of World Cup 2010.

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World Cup Favourites Win Their Friendlies

Two World Cup favourites played friendlies on Monday night and got the results they wanted. England beat Mexico without playing particularly well and Argentina clobbered Canada without Messi, Milito and Samuel.

After announcing Argentina's squad of 23 last week, Maradona had this to say after winning 5-0 in Buenos Aires.

"I am encouraged that we made people happy. What I value most from the players is the desire they have to prove they can do this and much more," he said, as quoted by Spanish publication AS. "The Argentine people can be calm because we have good players that we can put on the team, when the time is right."

The five goals were scored by Maxi (2), Tevez, Di Maria and Aguero. An impressive attacking display which shows that the Argentinians are gathering form and confidence. Going into the World Cup with 3 goalkeepers, 7 defenders, 7 midfielders and 6 strikers, Maradona has no worries at all in the attacking department. What was more controversial and surely would be a mistake is the omission of Esteban Cambiasso.

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Castrol Football Rates The 2010 World Cup Contenders

Just like the Barclays Premier League and others like La Liga, Calcio de Lega and Bundesliga, the World Cup tournaments are pretty dominated by four nations. These are the nations with the most World Cup wins in the history of the tournament. Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina are the most successful teams in the World Cup. Will these four be the likely victors of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Most likely not, as I personally favour a Spain v. England final to be held at the newly constructed Johannesburg Soccer City stadium.

Castrol Football has done an extensive round of predictions and what-if scenarios, and the result are as seen below, quantifying the chances of the aspiring footballing nations.

Brazil

SpainEngland

This is the probable opponents for England when they make it out of the World Cup group stages. Qualifying first in their group should give England a simple path to the semifinals where they will have to beat Brazil and then Spain to end 43 years of hurt. Don Fabio has got the England team playing with determination and organisation. For the first time in years, England may have what it takes to win this tournament.

Holland

ArgentinaGermany

Italy

France

Portugal

Ivory Coast

The rest of the competing nations at a glance:

It looks to be a different World Cup altogether, as apart from Brazil, traditional powerhouses are not considered favourites this time around. In fact, England have possibly the best chance of all to capture their second Jules Rimet trophy.

If you are a football fan who travels a lot on business, it may be best to start thinking of alternative ways of watching the World Cup. Live streaming football on PC could be a great option.