Japan 3-4 Italy
Not only was this game one of the best I've seen in 2013 thus far, but also it demonstrated once again that this Confederations Cup tournament continues to delight the neutral with its great football. The eventual result masks a fabulous performance by Japan in which they took the game to Italy, on paper the much stronger team, and really should've come away with the win.
The game started at a frantic pace as Shinji Kagawa picked out front man Ryoichi Maeda but the striker could only head tamely at the legend that is Gianluigi Buffon from eight yards out. But the fact that such a glorious chance was created so early on was a sign of things to come from the Japanese point of view.
Yasuhito Endo was earning his 132nd cap against Italy and he tried to mark the occasion with a goal, only to see his shot from the edge of the area go well wide, before Kagawa appeared to be fouled by Chiellini when running down the left side. The movement, composure and passing ability of Kagawa and Keisuke Honda looked as good as any on the pitch and the two most creative Japanese players caused havoc in the first period. Kagawa had Buffon worried with a stinging shot which the keeper tipped over the bar.
Japan seemed bound to score soon and so it duly came to pass, albeit controversially. Buffon tripped over Shinji Okazaki, and Honda gave Japan a deserved lead with a scruffy spot-kick. It was never a penalty against Buffon- but in giving it, how did the ref not send him off? Inconsistent and bad refereeing could be the only explanation.
Italy desperately looked for a way to gain any sort of foothold in the match. Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani got the hook after just 30 minutes, with the tiny box of tricks that is Sebastian Giovinco replacing him. Aquilani looked embarrassed rather than angry, but coach Prandelli was willing to try anything to try and stem the flow of the Japanese attacks. Considering a lot of managers, particularly in England, postpone subs until the break for fear of being thought of getting it wrong, Prandelli was somewhat refreshing in fronting up to an error in team selection and acting on it quickly. But before Giovinco or in fact any other Italian player could do anything, it was 2-0.
Yasuyuki Konno helped the ball into the box and, while Chiellini and Daniele De Rossi got in a tangle, Manchester United midfielder Kagawa spun on a sixpence and rifled home from 12 yards out. A superb goal and a deserved two-goal lead for the Asian Champions. It was a goal worthy of gracing any match, as he thumped it into the corner, leaving Buffon rooted to the spot. Italy had started the game dreadfully and Japan had punished them.
Japan, and Kagawa in particular, were expressing themselves, playing with freedom and the Brazilian crowd were loving it. It really does need repeating, that the link up play between Kagawa and Honda in the first half was terrific.
Italy could have been three down but schemer Endo's free kick was parried away smartly by Buffon, after Okazaki had slipped through challenges by De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo, before being cynically chopped down by Barzagli. But true champions find ways to get back into games even when not playing well, and Italy proved that when Pirlo whipped in a corner and De Rossi was on hand to attack the ball and head home from around eight yards out. It was poor marking, but good movement from Italy. The delivery was absolutely spot on, and De Rossi attacked the space well. Italy had been given a lifeline and almost immediately, as if buoyed by that goal, Emanuele Giaccherini hit the post with a low shot. Fortunately for Japan, half-time came before Italy could build up more momentum.
A calamity of errors from Japan followed in the second half though as Southampton's Maya Yoshida failed to stop Giaccherini from skipping past him on the left, Konno completely failed in his attempt to play offside, and the winger slid in a cross which Atsuto Uchida turned into his own goal from six yards out. Harsh.
Things got even worse for Japan when suddenly Italy took the lead out of nothing. Holding midfielder Makoto Hasebe was penalised for handball in the area, and although the ball did hit his arm, it was only a split-second after he blocked a shot from Pirlo, leaving him with no time to think. He could hardly get out of the way. Man City's Mario Balotelli though was calmness personified from the spot. Probably the most reliable penalty taker in the world gave the keeper the eyes before stroking the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
Now losing, Japan had to take some risks. Hasebe brilliantly tackled De Rossi in the centre circle to start a lighting counter attack, ending with Kagawa taking Chiellini out the game with a clever ball to the far post, but Maeda could only fire into the side-netting from a tight angle. Italy slowly reverted to a defensive formation to protect the result, but this only invited pressure, which led to the inevitable. After Honda had struck wide form distance, Endo put in a superb delivery from the right and Okazaki was left unmarked to plant a bullet header past Buffon. 3-3!
Japan had built up a head of steam once more and were attacking with confidence. It's not often that a match virtually passes by Pirlo but the Italian playmaker struggled to prevent the wave after wave of Japanese attacks. Honda, loved by the crowd for his flicks and tricks, ran at the parting, panicking Italian defence and brought another save out of Buffon from a rising shot from the edge of the box, it looked like that was going to fly in. As did another chance just two minutes later, when Balotelli lost the ball, Yoshida went running out with it and Hasebe's shot just flew past the post. A great hit but he just couldn't keep it down. It would have been a disservice to Japan at this point to describe the game as end to end when they were completely dominating, but there were chances for Italy, with a Balotelli snapshot forcing a neat save from the Japan 'keeper.
Unbelievable drama followed as the game approached the very end, as Okazaki's shot hit the post, bounced out and hit Kagawa, but his effort pinged off the crossbar and to safety. Italy duly punished such profligacy, as at the other end sub Giovinco converted Claudio Marchisio's superb ball across goal to make it 4-3 to Italy with just four minutes to go. De Rossi had orignally played it through, with Japan not seeing the danger signs.
Just when you thought this breathtaking game had no more to offer, Japan thought they had drawn level at the last when defender Yoshida bundled in from two yards after the ball came back off the crossbar from Okazaki's shot. However, Yoshida was ruled offside by the linesman, and Japan somehow had lost a game they had bossed, and with it were knocked out of the tournament, while Italy had made it to the semi-finals.
Player ratings:
Italy (4-4-1-1) Buffon 8; Maggio 6, Barzagli 6, Chiellini 6, De Sciglio 7; Montolivo 6, Pirlo 6, De Rossi 6, Aquilani 3; Giaccherini 6; Balotelli 8. Subs: Giovinco 7, Marchisio 7.
Japan (4-2-3-1) Kawashima 7; Uchida 6, Yoshida 6, Konno 7, Nagatomo 8; Hasebe 8, Endo 7; Okazaki 8, Honda 8, Kagawa 9; Maeda 6. Subs: H.Sakai 6, Havenaar 6, K. Nakamura 6.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Sunday 23 June 2013
Brazil v Mexico - Confederations Cup 2013
Brazil 2-0 Mexico
The noise from the Brazilian supporters was incredible as the hosts of the Confederations Cup continued on their path to the semi finals with a hard fought victory over Mexico. The Gold Cup winners hopes now lay shattered after defeats to Brazil and Italy, while the Brazilians seem to get better with every game.
The Mexicans went into the match confident of a result after a good display against the Italians, but right from the kick-off they were never really attacking Brazil like we know they can. Maybe the team selection sent out the wrong message- with defenders Mier and Torres brought in- but overall it seems they were shellshocked by Brazil's opening goal.
Of course, it was a sublime volley from Neymar which deflated Mexico. Another goal from the top drawer from the tricky forward as he struck from just inside the box after Rodriguez could only head Dani Alves's cross straight into the Barcelona new boy's path. Superb technique. His goal in the first game against Japan was amazing in its execution, and this was just as good. Neymar is very much the real deal. The confidence to take it first time, and the ability to pull it off is just astounding. It appears that the massive pressure on him to deliver for his country is just water off a ducks back to this very special young player. I've never seen a player so accomplished who is yet to play in Europe; the hype is well and truly justified.
Brazil's full-backs were very attack minded in the first half and their overlapping runs caused Mexico no end of problems, as they had no idea who to mark. This sort of indecision led to chances being created for Fred and Oscar in the first ten minutes, While Paulinho had a lot of joy with his driving runs from deep.
Not much time had passed when Dani Alves sensed that Jose Corona was off his line and tried his luck with an exquisite 20-yard chip which the Mexico keeper just about tipped over at the far post. Mexico were being hammered but after 20 minutes they finally got a reasonable chance when right back Hiram Mier fired a low shot just wide, after a mix up between Marcelo and Paulinho let him in. But Brazil were not done for the half and the electric Neymar hit over after a swift break.
The second half followed a very different pattern as Mexico came into the game and Brazil defended deeper. Carlos Salcido had a couple of decent efforts from range. Giovani Dos Santos began to find some space and was the one causing problems for Brazil. The former Spurs man, always Mexico's brightest player, made some good runs down the right, dribbling with his precise left foot. He had two efforts blocked by the defence before linking up with Torrado to play Javier Hernandez in, but David Luiz just stopped the Manchester United striker shooting, with a well timed sliding tackle.
Brazil were always a threat on the counter however and Hulk blazed wide when he should have scored after a flowing move. The big striker was put through on goal by Neymar's wonderful cushioned ball but fired his shot into the side-netting. You have to ask - does Hulk really have the class to play in this side? That debate will rage on, meanwhile Neymar was still being cheered to the rafters each and every time he touched the ball. He went on a mazy run that ended with Dani Alves just failing to connect with Brazil's star man wonderful whipped through ball. He's so exciting to watch.
Mexico's coach tried to seize the initiative again as he introduced the pacey wideman Pablo Barrera. Immediately he made an impact as he skipped past two defenders on the right but his deep cross was cleared after being helped back into the six-yard box by Andres Guardado, who had just been booked for a challenge on Neymar. But Barrera's intervention galvanised Mexico once again as they looked for an equaliser. David Luiz needed to be at full-stretch to cut out dos Santos' clever cross as Mexico pushed again, before Brazil clinched it in the dying moments, with a truly wonderful moment.
If you were being extra harsh, you could argue Neymar was quiet for parts of the second half, but the piece of brilliance at the end is what Barcelona paid top money for. He slowed down his dribble on the left side to a crawl, before pushing the ball onto his left boot and then putting it through two defenders in the same move. Rodriguez and Mier were beaten by this incredible piece of skill, and could only watch as the golden boy showed an end product as well by picking out Jo to finish. It was such a tiny gap, and he showed the composure to pass to Jo when he could have shot himself.
In summary, For the first 15 minutes Brazil were fantastic, driven on by a wonderful crowd and the magic of this 21-year-old. Neymar then lit up the final moments of the match with a delightful piece of skill to lay on the goal for Jo. But for long periods the Selecao went missing, and if they are to win this tournament, they must improve.
Player ratings:
Brazil (4-2-3-1) Julio Cesar 6; Dani Alves 7, Thiago Silva 7, David Luiz 8, Marcelo 7; Paulinho 7, Luis Gustavo 6; Hulk 6, Oscar 6, Neymar 9, Fred 6. Subs: Lucas Moura 6, Hernanes 6, Jo 7.
Mexico (4-3-2-1) Jose Corona 6; Mier 7, Rodriguez 7, Moreno 5, Jorge Torres 6; Salcido 7, Torrado 6, Flores 6; Guardado 7, Dos Santos 7; Hernandez 5. Subs: Hector Herrera 5, Pablo Barrera 7, Jimenez 5.
The noise from the Brazilian supporters was incredible as the hosts of the Confederations Cup continued on their path to the semi finals with a hard fought victory over Mexico. The Gold Cup winners hopes now lay shattered after defeats to Brazil and Italy, while the Brazilians seem to get better with every game.
The Mexicans went into the match confident of a result after a good display against the Italians, but right from the kick-off they were never really attacking Brazil like we know they can. Maybe the team selection sent out the wrong message- with defenders Mier and Torres brought in- but overall it seems they were shellshocked by Brazil's opening goal.
Of course, it was a sublime volley from Neymar which deflated Mexico. Another goal from the top drawer from the tricky forward as he struck from just inside the box after Rodriguez could only head Dani Alves's cross straight into the Barcelona new boy's path. Superb technique. His goal in the first game against Japan was amazing in its execution, and this was just as good. Neymar is very much the real deal. The confidence to take it first time, and the ability to pull it off is just astounding. It appears that the massive pressure on him to deliver for his country is just water off a ducks back to this very special young player. I've never seen a player so accomplished who is yet to play in Europe; the hype is well and truly justified.
Brazil's full-backs were very attack minded in the first half and their overlapping runs caused Mexico no end of problems, as they had no idea who to mark. This sort of indecision led to chances being created for Fred and Oscar in the first ten minutes, While Paulinho had a lot of joy with his driving runs from deep.
Not much time had passed when Dani Alves sensed that Jose Corona was off his line and tried his luck with an exquisite 20-yard chip which the Mexico keeper just about tipped over at the far post. Mexico were being hammered but after 20 minutes they finally got a reasonable chance when right back Hiram Mier fired a low shot just wide, after a mix up between Marcelo and Paulinho let him in. But Brazil were not done for the half and the electric Neymar hit over after a swift break.
The second half followed a very different pattern as Mexico came into the game and Brazil defended deeper. Carlos Salcido had a couple of decent efforts from range. Giovani Dos Santos began to find some space and was the one causing problems for Brazil. The former Spurs man, always Mexico's brightest player, made some good runs down the right, dribbling with his precise left foot. He had two efforts blocked by the defence before linking up with Torrado to play Javier Hernandez in, but David Luiz just stopped the Manchester United striker shooting, with a well timed sliding tackle.
Brazil were always a threat on the counter however and Hulk blazed wide when he should have scored after a flowing move. The big striker was put through on goal by Neymar's wonderful cushioned ball but fired his shot into the side-netting. You have to ask - does Hulk really have the class to play in this side? That debate will rage on, meanwhile Neymar was still being cheered to the rafters each and every time he touched the ball. He went on a mazy run that ended with Dani Alves just failing to connect with Brazil's star man wonderful whipped through ball. He's so exciting to watch.
Mexico's coach tried to seize the initiative again as he introduced the pacey wideman Pablo Barrera. Immediately he made an impact as he skipped past two defenders on the right but his deep cross was cleared after being helped back into the six-yard box by Andres Guardado, who had just been booked for a challenge on Neymar. But Barrera's intervention galvanised Mexico once again as they looked for an equaliser. David Luiz needed to be at full-stretch to cut out dos Santos' clever cross as Mexico pushed again, before Brazil clinched it in the dying moments, with a truly wonderful moment.
If you were being extra harsh, you could argue Neymar was quiet for parts of the second half, but the piece of brilliance at the end is what Barcelona paid top money for. He slowed down his dribble on the left side to a crawl, before pushing the ball onto his left boot and then putting it through two defenders in the same move. Rodriguez and Mier were beaten by this incredible piece of skill, and could only watch as the golden boy showed an end product as well by picking out Jo to finish. It was such a tiny gap, and he showed the composure to pass to Jo when he could have shot himself.
In summary, For the first 15 minutes Brazil were fantastic, driven on by a wonderful crowd and the magic of this 21-year-old. Neymar then lit up the final moments of the match with a delightful piece of skill to lay on the goal for Jo. But for long periods the Selecao went missing, and if they are to win this tournament, they must improve.
Player ratings:
Brazil (4-2-3-1) Julio Cesar 6; Dani Alves 7, Thiago Silva 7, David Luiz 8, Marcelo 7; Paulinho 7, Luis Gustavo 6; Hulk 6, Oscar 6, Neymar 9, Fred 6. Subs: Lucas Moura 6, Hernanes 6, Jo 7.
Mexico (4-3-2-1) Jose Corona 6; Mier 7, Rodriguez 7, Moreno 5, Jorge Torres 6; Salcido 7, Torrado 6, Flores 6; Guardado 7, Dos Santos 7; Hernandez 5. Subs: Hector Herrera 5, Pablo Barrera 7, Jimenez 5.
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