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Confed Cup Round 1: South Africa vs Spain and Iraq vs New Zealand
The final games of the initial round of the Confederations Cup 2009 take place tonight. As goal differences and points matter, both games are being played at 20:30. Spain takes on South Africa in Bloemfontein and New Zealand take on Iraq at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
With New Zealand without any chance of making it through, South Africa require at least a single point in their encounter with Spain, though they may still rely on a loss by Iraq to New Zealand. The obvious favourite in the group is Spain. South Africa has a good chance and it would be great to see the host nation attempting a meetup with another big name next week. Sadly, I think there’s little hope that South Africa will progress beyond the next round…
In the first half, we got to see a different South African team: hardly intimidated by the favourites Spain, South Africa initially started with a defensive line-up, then rather quickly took the initiative and pushed forward, attacking the Spanish goal again and again. On 34 minutes, Spain had a great opportunity to go into the lead but a save by Booth after the goalkeeper had been beaten maintained the status quo. South Africa seemed to be creating far more opportunities – maybe Spain were holding back, assured of a semi-final berth? In the game between New Zealand and Iraq, it seemed as though New Zealand had come out fighting fit and Iraq were not afforded too many opportunities. At halftime, both games stood at 0:0.
A foul on Fabregas by Mokoena after 52 minutes resulted in a penalty for Spain…and that penalty was saved by the South African goalkeeper. Seconds later, Villa made sure and popped the ball into the net. He had failed to convert the penalty. Still, South Africa played very well and kept the pressure on. Llorente scored in the 72nd minute putting Spain into a commanding lead. Though South Africa kept the pressure on, there was little they could do to equalize. Slowly but surely, their game turned into a gamble based on the outcome of the paralllel game. At 72 minutes, the score in that game was still 0:0.
This has been one of the better matches of the tournament so far. South Africa played better than they have in quite some time…
South Africa 0 : 
Spain 2
Iraq 0 : 
New Zealand 0
Based on the outcome of the Iraq – New Zealand game, South Africa manages to scrape through into the next round to probably meet Brazil. The world’s number one, Spain, progresses too. New Zealand and Iraq are out of the tournament.
Here’s the updated table for Group A
| Group A |
Team | Points |
| Spain |
9 | |
| South Africa |
4 | |
| Iraq |
2 | |
| New Zealand |
1 |
Confed Cup 2009 Group results
So far, each team has played two matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009. With only a single game for each team remaining, there are already some teams that are likely not to make it to the next round.
Group B is particularly interesting after the upset victory Egypt had over Italy. In that group’s table, both Egypt and Italy currently have 3 points with Brazil clearly leading. On Sunday, Italy faces Brazil and Egypt faces the USA. It is almost impossible that the USA will get through to the next round, but that leaves three teams to duke it out.
In Group A, Spain is the clear leader and New Zealand destined to fly home. South Africa is in second position with three more points than Iraq. But having to face Spain on Saturday will make it very tough for South Africa to gain more points, whilst Iraq can capitalize in their game against New Zealand to attempt to gain entry into round 2.
Here’s the table for Group A
| Group A |
Team | Points |
| Spain |
6 | |
| South Africa |
4 | |
| Iraq |
1 | |
| New Zealand |
0 |
and Group B
| Group B |
Team | Points |
 Brazil |
6 | |
 Italy |
3 | |
 Egypt |
3 | |
 USA |
0 |
An exciting weekend of Confederatons Cup action awaits!
Confed Cup Round 1: Egypt vs Italy
After a jittery start against the team from the USA, Italy eventually showed their dominance in that game. Tonight’s game against Egypt should be another easy one, or so one would be inclined to think.
Reality proved to be radically different. Egypt placed their bets on a defensive strategy, probably fearing an onslaught on their goal by the Italians. With fewer and fewer attacks on their goal, Egypt found some renewed self-confidence and started to push forward.
In the 40th minute, a header by Humos after a corner kick found the back of the Italian net, placing the African champions in the lead. Egypt seemed, once again, to bet on safety in numbers, defending vigorously and not trying too much in offence. Poor combination play by the Italian forwards resulted in few chances, leaving the world champions at a complete loss – literally. The win by Egypt is an upset and places Italy in the unenviable position of having to perform very well against Brazil in the final game of round 1. Egypt and Italy have the same number of points in the Group B standings, making for an interesting set of games on Sunday.
Egypt 1 : Italy 0
Confed Cup Round 1: USA vs Brazil
The team from the USA had a good match against Italy in their opening match. Though they lost by 2 goals their style of play and ability bodes well for their future forays in world football. Brazil is an imposing opponent and would, like Italy, be tough to beat.
In their match against Brazil, the USA once again showed some good play. Certainly no match for the competition, as Brazil went into the lead very early on through a goal in the 7th minute. That goal seemed to shock the Americans somewhat and they never really recovered. Brazil didn’t have it easy all the time, but the 3 goals they scored against the US certainly guarantees that the USA is homeward bound and Brazil is advancing to the next round of the tournament.
Brazil 3 : USA 0
Confed Cup Round 1: Spain vs Iraq
The strong Spanish team should have dominated in their game against Iraq after having showed a very convincing performance in their first game against New Zealand. Somehow, Iraq put on a very tenacious performance during the first half of the match, keeping the scoreline level at 0:0.
That was no mean feat given the fierce attacks on the Iraqi goal, keeping the goalkeeper very busy indeed. It was obvious that Iraq had taken heed after seeing their adversary trounce New Zealand. It seemed the most prudent strategy to simply keep Spain at bay for as long as possible.
Not even nine defending players could stop Villa in the 55th minute from scoring the Spanish goal that was inevitable. Iraq pushed forward, not intimidated by the world’s number one team. A full-time score of 0:1 in favour of Spain is an excellent result for Iraq. Spain is the obvious favourite in Group A and heads that group’s table quite comfortably.
Iraq 0 : Spain 1
Confed Cup Round 1: USA vs Italy
Italy and the USA provided the entertainment in the second Group B match of the 2009 Confederations Cup in Pretoria.
The Italians appeared in a more muted azzurra kit than one is used to. Neither team had a decided advantage and fought hard for ball possession: the number of fouls committed during the first twenty minutes of the first half seemed to be more numerous than in all three games preceding this one.
Both teams went to some effort to create chances, though poor finishing seemed to trip both the USA and Italians up. Howard‘s goalkeeping went some way in keeping the 0:0 alive. Clarke was sent off after 33 minutes of play owing to a foul. The US team prepared itself to soldier on with only ten players. The drama started then: an own goal by Bornstein was disallowed due to an off-side by Italy and scarcely a minute later the US took the lead after Donovan converted a penalty kick.
Rossi‘s spectacular long-distance kick found the back of the US goal about 12 minutes into the second half. With an even scoreline, the two teams settled down for a rigorous 30 minutes. 72nd minute: De Rossi strikes from long range and also beats Howard to put Italy into the lead . Teams standing in line to play against the USA may want to take note of the fact that the US goalkeeper is not that comfortable with handling long-range shots… A third goal by Rossi in stoppage time increased Italy’s tally to 3 goals to 1.
The US impressed with their tenacity and ability to hold a world-class team at arm’s length. I’m certain they’ll give Brazil a run for their money, too.
Italy 3 : USA 1
Confed Cup Round 1: Brazil vs Egypt
The first game of Group B pits Brazil against Egypt. Group B also includes Italy and the USA who will be contesting their match later on today. The game between Brazil and Italy is one of the highlights of the tournament this week.
Kaka gave Brazil an early lead in the fifth minute, showing some excellent skill and capitalizing on apparent weaknesses in the Egyptian defense. Egypt fought valiantly and pushed back against the strong Brazilians, scoring an equalizer only three minutes after the first goal by Kaka. A third goal in the 11th minute once again put Brazil in the lead, followed by a great header from a corner kick just shy of 40 minutes. 3:1 to Brazil. Just seconds before halftime, Egypt entertained the crowd with a good build-up and an attempt at goal.
Egypt came back with a vengeance in the second half, Shawky scoring their second goal followed immediately by an equalizer less than a minute later. Whereas Egypt seemed to struggle against Brazil in the first half, their second half performance showed increased confidence and far better teamwork. A save off the Egyptian goal line by handball resulted in a penalty for Brazil. 90th minute: penalty conversion and Egypt reduced to 10 men by red card for the hand ball.
This game has been the most entertaining so far and a very impressive performance by Egypt. Italy may have to watch out for this opponent.
Brazil 4 : Egypt 3
Confed Cup Round 1: Spain vs New Zealand
The first game of the evening was a bit of a lackluster affair with very little action, most of it taking place in the final ten minutes. The second game involving New Zealand and Spain took off with a bang: Torres opened Spain‘s account with first one and then another goal in the first fifteen minutes. By the time the 18th minute had passed, Spain was up 3:0 and showed no sign of letting up. 24th minute, the 4:0 by Fabregas. With only a minute to go to halftime, New Zealand won their first corner. That fact and the scoreline reflects that half of the pitch in which almost 95% of the game took place. The New Zealand goalkeeper was a rather busy chap on the night…
The second half started off much the same as the first one had. Goal 5 in just two minutes.
It was a match of two very disparate teams. Sure, they’re champions in their respective regions, but there’s the obvious fact that European football provides its participants with a fair bit of challenge and competition. It’s obviously not like that in the region of Oceania…
With the focus off the battle for which team would be the winner, I noticed how empty the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg seemed. Rustenburg is not exactly the heart of our footballing nation, but I do trust that we’ll see a much fuller venue when 2010 rolls around.
New Zealand 0 : Spain 5
Confed Cup Round 1: South Africa vs Iraq
The dress-rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup got underway with the host nation South Africa taking on Iraq in the first game of the 2009 Confederations Cup. South Africa is probably at something of a disadvantage in this tournament. Not needing to qualify, South Africa will need to prove that they can give some of the best teams in the world a run for their money. The team’s past performance on the international circuit has been anything but stellar…
Probably due to a fair amount of nervousness on the part of both teams, this match simply couldn’t get going. Though Iraq seemed somewhat stronger, South Africa managed to create a few chances, but never capitalized. The final fifteen minutes of the game provided the most spark and interest, though the 0:0 scoreline didn’t change. South Africa had three superb chances at scoring, managing to keep the goal out of their adversary’s net in the most inventive ways imaginable. Iraq can count themselves fortunate that they didn’t concede any goals, whereas South Africa is probably at a disadvantage in their group – the remaining two games will not be easy for the host nation.
South Africa 0: Iraq 0
2009 Confederations Cup round 1
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009.
This is South Africa’s dress-rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup Tournament and will provide an opportunity for everyone to see that we can pull this off.
Here’s the match schedule for your reference.
| Group | Match | Date | Time |
| A | South Africa vs Iraq |
14 June | 16:00 |
| A | New Zealand vs Spain |
14 June | 20:30 |
| A | Spain vs Iraq |
16 June | 16:00 |
| A | South Africa vs New Zealand |
16 June | 20:30 |
| A | Iraq vs New Zealand |
20 June | 16:00 |
| A | Spain vs South Africa |
20 June | 20:30 |
| B | Brazil vs Egypt |
15 June | 16:00 |
| B | USA vs Italy |
15 June | 20:30 |
| B | USA vs Brazil |
18 June | 16:00 |
| B | Egypt vs Italy |
18 June | 20:30 |
| B | Italy vs Brazil |
21 June | 16:00 |
| B | Egypt vs USA |
21 June | 20:30 |
Remember to check back for the reviews and opinions for each match on the day.
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