Card Shark

Match 24: The first match of June 17th saw Iran take on Portugal. Iran had lost its first match to Mexico, while Portugal was able to dispose of Angola in their first match. A glance at the official match report shows this match as very lopsided with Portugal controlling 63% of possession to Iran’s 37%, and Portugal with 10 shots on frame, and only 1 shot on net for the Iranian side. Though Portugal was able to dominate play in the first half, Iran was able to hold them scoreless in the first half with a 0-0 draw. The second half opened with a frantic end to end pace, and finally in the 63rd minute Deco was able to take a pass from Luis Figo and shoot a rocket into the top corner of goal from 25 yards out. About the 70th minute Iran nearly equalized when substitute Rasoul Khatibi narrowly shooting wide of frame past Portuguese keeper Ricardo. In the 80th minute Iran defender Yahya Golmohammadi took down Luis Figo in the box leading to a PK that was slammed home by striker Cristiano Ronaldo to seal the match 2-0 for the Portuguese side, sending them into the round of 16 after two results………..

Match 25: The second match of the day saw the Czech Republic take on Ghana in a Group E match up. Ghana lost a hard fought game to Italy in their first match and Czech Republic embarrassed the United States in their opener. This however would be a match that would surprise many. Right off the bat in the second minute Ghana found the net when Stephen Appiah played a wonderful ball to Asamoah Gyan who chested it down and struck a low shot into the net past a shocked Petr Cech, the Africans struck first and enjoyed a 1-0 lead out of the box. The rest of the first half saw both sides exchange dangerous opportunities, but the score remained 1-0 into halftime. In the second half the pace remained very even, with each side sharing possession 50/50, and each squad had dangerous scoring opportunities. Then with the Czech noticeably worried, in the 82nd minute Ghana struck again as Muntari took a handled a pass from Gyan and blasted an amazingly accurate shot to the upper near post of Cech. Ghana never looked back, and the African nation celebrated in jubilation with their upset. This victory was important for the U.S. as well because it meant that they could be mathematically eliminated even with a draw or lose to Italy in the next game………….

Match 26: The final match of the day saw the U.S. trying to recover from the letdown against the Czech Republic take on European power Italy. This match would proved to be the most exciting of the day. It was hard-fought, foul-heavy, card-happy, and controversial to say the least. The match opened with the U.S. playing for redemption with an obvious chip on their shoulder. They came out on fire and showed a passion that was painfully absent in their opening fixture. By the 15th minute the U.S. had gained momentum and control of the match, and this was largely in part to the wing-play of Clint Dempsey, who started in the place of Beasley, and made a huge impact on the game. Dempsey was able to run at defenders and serve crosses into the box on numerous occasions. Though the U.S. dominated play up top, the back did look suspect at times, and Eddie Pope seemed to have another bad game. On a free kick won by Italy in the 22nd minute Andrea Pirlo served a cross into a diving, unmarked Alberto Gilardino who headed the ball pass Keller and gave the Italians an early 1-0 lead. The U.S. came back strong and then were helped in the 27th minute by and own goal from Cristian Zaccardo who’s clearance found its way in the back of their own net. Italy was noticeably shaken at the end of this and their frustration cost them a man. The next minute of play Daniele De Rossi threw a violent elbow between the eyes of Brian McBride, and his face immediately started bleeding. De Rossi was sent off, McBride received medical attention and a clean kit and the U.S. would then control the remainder of the first half until the 45th minute. Out of nowhere Pablo Mastroeni was sent off with an undeserved red-card. He was late on a tackle, however the Uruguayan official Jorge Larrionda seemed to want to even up the match and Pablo was punished for this rash and harsh reaction. The United States went into the half stunned with a 1-1 score. Later just moments into the first half Eddie Pope received another undeserved second yellow card of the match when he tackled Gilardino. Now the U.S. were down 9 men to Italy’s 10, and it was clear that the referee had lost complete control of the match, throwing out players on the biggest sports stage in the world on a whim. The remainder of the match was therefore an endurance competition for both sides with so much open field due to 3 red cards between the squads. The referees blew offsides calls, threw more cards (7 total), and were downright inconsistent throughout the match, leaving both sides scratching their heads, and allowing no real flow to develop. The U.S. was able to dodge many dangerous chances, and was able to create a few quick counterattacks as well. Ultimately the match remained deadlocked at 1-1, and the two sides limped off the field completely drained of energy and emotion. It was a hard fought game for the U.S. and we should be proud of their efforts during the circumstances of the match. Ramble On firmly believes that had the referee’s not handicapped both sides then the U.S. would have tallied a result and 3 more points, rather than the one we earned for the tie. As Eric Wynalda stated in the post-game show “players win matches, coaches lose matches, and referee’s ruin matches.”