Matchday 11 - Seventh Heaven

Portugal 7 (Meireles 29, Simao 53, Almeida 56, Tiago 60, 89, Liedson 81, Ronaldo 87) - North Korea 0
Chile 1 (Gonzalez 75) - Switzerland 0
Spain 2 (Villa 17, 51) - Honduras 0

Matchday 11 saw the goals rain down in Cape Town as Portugal all but sowed up qualification with a 7-0 rout of North Korea. In Group G things got very interesting with Chile going to the top of the group with a 1-0 win over Swizterland, while Spain got their campaign back on track thanks to a 2-0 win over Honduras.

The performance of the Portuguese was easily the most dominant display at the tournament so far as they become the first time since Germany in 2002 to score at least 7 goals in a World Cup Finals game. Amazingly the first 20 minutes of the match was all North Korea who had a number of chances and could have taken the lead had star striker Jong Tae Se had a better first touch. But Portugal began to get on top in the second half and took the lead through a superbly taken goal by Raul Meireles. The break came up with Portugal leading 1-0, but after half time the Portuguese attack went nuclear! First Simao, Almeida, and Tiago all scored in a 7 minute burst to put the game beyond reach. The North Koreans received a brief period of respite before the last 10 minutes saw another three goals banged in, this time from Liedson, Ronaldo, and finally Tiago with his second. And it wasn’t like the North Koreans were being inept either (well perhaps they were with Liedson). Instead, Portugal produced a stunning display of football in the second half that any side will be hard pressed to match for the remainder of the tournament. The win all but guarantees Portugal a spot in the last 16, with Cote d’Ivoire needing to produce a similar performance to dislodge Portugal (unlikely!). Not surprisingly, the loss eliminates North Korea from the tournament.

In Group G, qualification looks to be going down to the wire between three teams. Chile claimed pole position with their second win over a 10-man Switzerland who bravely held on until the 75th minute before going down 1-0. And former tournament favourites Spain got their World Cup back on track with an excellent display against Latin minnows Honduras. A double from David Villa was all they needed to in a 2-0 victory.

Updated odds to advance - Group G - Brazil (n/a), Portugal ($1.01), Cote d'Ivoire ($65), North Korea (n/a). Group H - Switzerland ($1.50), Spain ($1.35), Chile ($1.60), Honduras ($100)

What We Learned – That the North Koreans were one hit wonders. Their superb display against Brazil was continued for around 20 minutes against Portugal but after that THEY WERE SMASHED! Let’s hope they can pick themselves up in the final group game against the cheating scum from Cote d’Ivoire.

The Falcon’s Spud of the Day – The Falcon (Author) – Figured the Portuguese would be in average form and would only struggle to beat North Korea by a single goal – OOPS! He then compounded the problem by leaving Christian Ronaldo (19 points!) and David Villa (13 points) on the bench in his fantasy team as he though it unlikely the would outscore Argentina’s Lionel Messi (7 points).

Tonight’s Games – From tonight on – one team goes home on every remaining day of the tournament. The last round of Group matches kick off with Mexico and Uruguay only needing a draw for both to advance – it is a certainly that draw will be achieved. France and South Africa playoff in what will probably be a dead rubber but I expect the French to win just in case there is a slip up from one side in the other game. In Group B, a second string Argentina side should still be too good for Greece. The final game sees South Korea take on Nigeria, and the Koreans should get the win they need to advance to the last 16.

Suggested Investment – The draw between Mexico and Uruguay must be taken. It is pure gold at $1.80 in a match that will almost certainly end up all square. I will be throwing them together in a multi with Argentina who should be way too good for Greece despite already having qualified.

Prices courtesy of Betfair.