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Posts tagged Confederations Cup 2009
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
Adidas Kopanya
The official match ball for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is named Kopanya, Sesotho for join together. The outer shell of the ball is decorated with typical Ndebele artwork and colours of the South African flag.
Performance characteristics put the ball in the same class as the recent Europass Gloria and other high-profile match balls. 14 panels are bonded together with a specially-developed thermal bonding technique, giving the ball excellent flight characteristics.
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