World Cup 2002 Review: Week One

2 Conversations

Football star in sunglasses

The World Cup is here once again and the closet football fans come out pretending to know everything there is but in reality not knowing very much. I'm one of these so I'm going to give the basic commentary on what's been happening so far.

    Group A

  • France 0-1 Senegal
  • The first match here was the first of the tournament. France v Senegal. This was supposed to be a walk over for the current holders France, or so we were told. But what happened? The pundits tell us that France was sloppy and the Senegal team were surprising. Senegal beat France 1 goal to 0. Yes, some team that were supposed to be useless beat the champions. Good on you all Senegal! This has, apparently, opened this group up to all comers.

  • Uruguay 1-2 Denmark
  • Everyone says that Denmark deserved to win this match because they were the superior team. I'm going to disagree. Uruguay went into this match expected to loose but they put on a good show, testing the Danish team to their limits at times. The Danish team kept resorting to playing by the book, the plays, and the set pieces. Uruguay showed flair and imagination.

    Group B

  • Paraguay 2-2 South Africa
  • This was worth watching. Both teams played to their fullest. The result justified the team's efforts.

  • Spain 3-1 Slovenia
  • Slovenia started this game with great gusto, but seemed to loose heart after a while. Spain controlled this match with some tight football, but Slovenia kept showing signs of talent.

    Group C

  • Brazil 2-1 Turkey
  • Turkey put on a performance, Brazil put on an Oscar winning performance. What a shame eh? Both teams played their hearts out, Turkey probably more so. But why oh why did Rivaldo have to spoil it all for everyone. Not just for the Brazilian team, but for everyone who takes part, whether playing in the teams or watching. 'Ow, my head, my head.' But you got hit on the leg. In come FIFA, the people in charge, 'No, no, that's not right, slap your wrist and pay a £5000 fine.' £5000! Is that it? How badly is that going to dent his wage? I doubt he'll even notice it.

  • China 0-2 Costa Rica
  • China was a little unlucky here, but they just couldn't seem to gel anything together. There was occasional spurts of inspirational talent but, for some reason, they never really managed to finish. Costa Rica worked hard and deserved their result.

    Group D

  • South Korea 2-0 Poland
  • Didn't they do well? Okay, so Poland didn't play at their best, but South Korea played superbly. There was little to nothing that could be faulted in their performance. They managed classic text book football mixed in with interspersions of some pure creative genius. Good on them! The match was a pleasure to watch and I personally can't wait to see them play again and hope that they go through to the next round. If they can keep this form, there shouldn't be a problem there.

  • USA 3-2 Portugal
  • Another surprise score line here. The Americans? Winning Football? A lot of Americans don't even know that it's called football. It's not Soccer, its Football. But here we see them showing talent for the game they can't name. Both teams played well and there was a lot of action to be watched. A good game and a good result.

    Group E

  • Republic of Ireland 1-1 Cameroon
  • Cameroon showed their metal throughout the first half of this match, Ireland showed them how to play in the second. It was truly, and I've been dying to use this phrase, a game of two halves. I've no idea what was said in that dressing room at half time, but it did the trick.

  • Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia
  • There's not much to be said here. Both teams started well, but Saudi Arabia seemed to give up after about 20 minutes. They might as well have gone home. It could have been the intimidation of playing against the Germans, or it could just have been that they couldn't have been bothered.

  • Germany 1-1 Republic of Ireland
  • This is more like it eh? Sorry to all the German fans out there, but I'm biased. Germany dominated the possession, there's no doubt about that. But Ireland once again showed their spirit and played their hearts out until the final whistle, and got the equaliser that they deserved. Ireland may not currently be showing themselves as a team that could walk away with the championship, but they are showing that they are determined to give it a go.

    Group F

  • Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
  • Nigeria played rather well in this match. Rather well to the point that they held off Argentina to only lose by 1 point. This puts Nigeria into a good standing, one which would serve them well if they were in any of the other groups. Against the talent in this group, though, they are going to have to play a lot better. Argentina seemed to be resting themselves as they never really got their act together, relying more on the odd lucky chance.

  • England 1-1 Sweden
  • Always set to be a tough match, or a complete walk over for Sweden, or an easy game for England. It all depended on who you listened to. England's defence was good, the rest was poor. They seemed to be constantly giving the ball away to Sweden who seemed to have trouble doing anything with it. So much more was expected of both teams. It might well have been that they were of equal standard. What that standard was I'll reserve judgement on for the moment.

    Group G

  • Croatia 0-1 Mexico
  • An early Red Card leading to a Penalty and a goal. That was about it for the game. Even down to ten men on one side there was little to watch. Mexico failed to take advantage of their advantage and the game suffered as a result.

  • Italy 2-0 Ecuador
  • Italy showed more confidence here than newcomers Ecuador. Which was a shame really as Ecuador promised to burst out with some talent? In the end though Italy's experience showed through. Hopefully with the first match out of the way Ecuador can get over their nerves and show us all what they are capable of.

    Group H

  • Japan 2-2 Belgium
  • This match was very tight all round with Japan seemingly surprising the Belgian team with the talent that they displayed. Japan was quick and clever with their use of the ball and deserved the draw, maybe even a win. Belgium played tight and deserved the goals they got.

  • Russia 2-0 Tunisia
  • Russia had to work for their victory, but they did deserve it. Tunisia put on a good show, played well and showed that they deserved to be part of the World Cup. Russia showed why they are the group favourites.

PWDLFAGDPTS
Group A
Denmark11002113
Senegal11001013
Uruguay100112-10
France100101-10
Group B
Spain11003123
Paraguay10102201
South Africa10102201
Slovenia100113-20
Group C
Costa Rica11002023
Brazil11002113
Turkey100112-10
China100102-20
Group D
South Korea11002023
USA11003213
Portugal100123-10
Poland100102-20
Group E
Germany21109184
Rep Ireland20202202
Cameroon10101101
Saudi Arabia100108-80
Group F
Argentina11001013
England10101101
Sweden10101101
Nigeria100101-10
Group G
Italy11002023
Mexico11001013
Croatia100101-10
Ecuador100102-20
Group H
Russia11002023
Belgium10102201
Japan10102201
Tunisia100102-20

h2g2 World Cup Links


Pastey

06.06.02 Front Page

Back Issue Page


Bookmark on your Personal Space


Entry

A763049

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more