Feb
18
Goals, goals and no goals
Filed Under World Cup 2006 |
Argentina made a statement early in the day with a 6-0 thrashing of Serbia and Montenegro. Jose Pekerman’s team declared their intentions for a first place finish both in their group and the entire tournament. It would be hard for the other teams to ignore them from now on. Serbia and Montenegro on the other hand will be watching much of the rest of the competition from their homes.
The Dutch, with two first half goals from Van Pierce and Van Nistelrooij, also managed a win over a very competitive Cote d’Ivoire team. The Oranje will join Argentina as the two teams advancing to the next round from Group C. However, they will have to wait until their meeting on June 21st to decide who will get first place. Toure and co. will have a chance to win their first ever World Cup game when they play Serbia and Montenegro before returning home.
Finally, Mexico and Angola played a scoreless game to close the day. Playing with 10 men since the 79th minute and led by Joao Ricardo’s excellent performance, the lowly African nation won its first ever World Cup point. The game lacked in quality, especially in the first half. Mexico pressed hard for a goal in the second half but they couldn’t convert a number of good chances. The final result means that Mexico might have to play Portugal in their last game needing at least a draw since Angola has theoretically an easier match against Iran.