The groups stage is about to end and half of all teams will enjoy their last outing before leaving South Africa. Many of the eliminated teams won’t have long trips to make as the African squads have had a poor showing. Starting Tuesday there will be a hectic four games a day schedule that will finish up group play for two groups each day. You are going to have to switch back and forth to get scores of each group game as both games will be playing at the same time.
Group A will be up first with Uruguay and Mexico playing for first place in group but the teams are really vying to make sure they don’t face Argentina. The second place team of group A will likely face Argentina at the start of the second round and thus both look to avoid the match up. Both teams should advance because of their positive goal difference but this game may be very hard fought. Mexico always brings a lot of hustle but Uruguay is looking to make a statement and they have the wherewithal to defeat Mexico. It will be a close game with Uruguay barely edging Mexico.
In the second Group A game, the host South Africa faces the scandalous and disgraced French team. France was last world cup runner up but is having their worst tournament in history. The complete French debacle should not be a surprise if you look at the previous signs leading to the cup. Although France won in 1998 and reached the finals in 2006, the team has aged and qualified for the cup on a very controversial hand ball goal. Their coach Domenech has publicly made it known that he was leaving the team after the cup regardless of the outcome and voiced his displeasure for coaching the team…ouch! A few players might have a more on their mind than the cup as some players are currently being investigated of having relations with an underage prostitute at a Paris nightclub that four players frequented. If all that was not enough, the French players hate their coach and have recently refused to practice. French coach Domenech used astrology to select players and did not bring Scorpios because June would be a bad month for them…apparently he read the charts wrong.
I am hoping South Africa gets a win and dispatches the French team with a humiliating loss. Both teams do have a chance to still make it but I think it is very unlikely. If South Africa cannot win plus score at least 3 goals, they will be the first host ever to not advance to the second round. Sad end for bafana bafana but I am sure the vuvuaelas will go on!
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