The whole world is abuzz with anticipation as the World Cup is set to kick off on Friday at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
This is a historic occasion not just for South Africa but for the whole continent of Africa as they get to host what is arguably the greatest sporting event relating to the world's most popular game.
Hosts South Africa will play Mexico in the opener. South Africa are playing in this tournament by virtue of being the hosts, and there's no pressure of expectation riding on them. Mexico are fresh from a victory in a warm up match against Italy, the defending champions.
This is one of the most competitive groups, with France and Uruguay, both past champions, the other two teams. Mexico is clearly stronger than the hosts, who look set to become the first hosting team not to get past the group stage. That said, South Africa can expect crowd support, and that will be Mexico's main challenge.
The South Africans have displayed inconsistent form in the past year. The recent African Cup of Nations qualifiers saw them losing 3 and winning 2, one match ending in a draw. But the 2009 Confederations Cup was a revelation when South Africa entered the semi-final and lost narrowly to giants Brazil.
Star midfielder, Steve Pienaar, who plays for Everton in the EPL, carries the burden alone, for South Africa. Forwards Katlego Mashego and Bernard Parker are unlikely to lend meaningful support to him, such as to trouble their South American rivals, on Friday.
Mexico will look to score as many goals as they can ahead of their real battles with France and Uruguay. Qualification to the round of 16 could come down to goal differences.
Mexico have a balanced squad with a mix of old and young players and are considered by some as the dark horses of the World Cup. But in a competitive group that also has France and Uruguay, the North Americans have their task cut out. And if they can start their campaign with a win against the hosts, the pressure could shift to France and Uruguay.
Their attack is spear-headed by 21 year old Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who scored 8 goals in 5 matches for club team, Guadalajara, in the Mexican Primera Liga season. Carlos Vela who played brilliantly last week against Italy should play the supporting role.
If Mexico don't win by at least a two-goal margin, they will have only themselves to blame.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.