La Copa Mundial: Day 7

I told you the second matches make everything more interesting. The elimination process continued today with three teams officially eliminated, and one more added to the brink.

--Ecuador showed that their intentions are pure in World Cup 2006 with a dominating 3-0 win over Costa Rica. Costa Rica, a side I thought would present a challenge to Ecuador and Poland, just didn't seem to really get anything going. But Ecuador, now sitting in first place in Group A based on goal differential, looked really good. On June 20, Germany and Ecuador match up for the deciding game in Group A. Winner gets first place and a crack (probably) at Sweden. Loser finishes second and plays a solid-looking English team. That said, a draw gives Ecuador first. And spells disaster for Germany.

--Trinidad & Tobago delivered yet another high-quality performance despite being big underdogs against England, faltering in the waning minutes 2-0. England's attack looked sharp and in tune after Wayne Rooney entered his first-ever World Cup match. Peter Crouch, despite scoring the go-ahead and winning goal, still looked out of his element and even bad at times. Michael Owen is out of shape and looks tired. But the midfield played well, and substitutes Aaron Lennon, Stewart Downing and Wayne Rooney all contributed greatly. England looked in form as the match wound down, and should be in good shape heading into the second round, having clinched a berth in the Round of 16.

--Sweden squeaked out a 1-0 win over Paraguay, eliminating the South Americans. In doing so, Sweden still looked troubled in the box, missing numerous great opportunities to finish chances. If they want to make any noise against England and in the next round, they have to start finishing. Otherwise, they will be in trouble right away, with a potential meeting with Germany looming in the shadows.

--To sum it all up after Day Seven:

-Germany, Ecuador and England are into the second round with one match left.
-Poland, Costa Rica and Paraguay are eliminated from the World Cup.
-With a draw against England, Sweden can take second place in Group B, whereas a win would clinch first.
-Trinidad & Tobago needs a 2-goal win and an English win over Sweden to qualify for the next round. Isn't it crazy talking about what Trinidad & Tobago can do to get into the next round? They have 1.1 million people, the smallest country competing in the World Cup, yet they've hung with England and tied Sweden. What a great story.

--Matchday Eight gives us brilliant contests in all three pairings. Argentina plays Serbia & Montenegro, Holland meets the Ivory Coast and Mexico challenges Angola in the afternoon cap.

--I expect Argentina to win 1-0 over Serbia & Montenegro. Argentina looked pretty solid in their opening win over the Ivory Coast, and they should be able to get a goal against Serbia & Montenegro's defense. The team abbreviated as S&M just doesn't have the firepower to expose a weak Argentine defense like, say, Holland.

--Holland should beat the Ivory Coast, but don't be surprised if they draw. Holland holds possession extremely well and plays with great control, but they will need all of their swagger against a good team like the Ivory Coast, who gave Argentina trouble in the second half of their opening match. So, Holland needs to involve Ruud Van Nistelrooy more up front and get the same performances from Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie that they got in their opening game to come away victorious. The Ivory Coast has to maintain their creativity and flair while cherishing their possessions, because the Dutch don't let their opponents enjoy too much time on the ball. This will be a great match.

--Mexico should beat Angola, but like the abovementioned match, don't be surprised with a draw. Angola didn't play that badly against Portugal. In fact, they looked pretty decent. Mexico is still riding high after their big win over Iran (haha, a "big" win over Iran), so they will have the edge coming in. They need to maintain their emotional high and play with purpose to trump a tough Angolan team.

Like I said before, the second day of matches in each group is absolutely critical. As you can see by three teams already being eliminated, it is vital to a team's chances of advancing to produce a good result in their second match.

This is sink-or-swim time for Serbia & Montenegro, the Ivory Coast and Angola. But also, with the Holland-Argentina and Mexico-Portugal clashes both coming on June 21, the three favorites want to win their matches and avoid nail-biting situations next week.

As always, enjoy the games and make sure you speak with me about the unfolding Cup!