Brazil are one of the giants of pop football but got off to a shaky start in their first game – they’ll be looking to pick up points to stay in touch with this group. The Cote D’Ivoire are full of beans after an exuberant win over a strong Portuguese set-up.
Voting on this match finishes at midnight of Monday the 5th April.
BRAZIL: Sepultura– “Roots Bloody Roots” The Manager Says “I phoned the Football League and said I was interested in running a Sheffield based football team. They said, ‘How flexible are you?’ I said, ‘I can’t manage Wednesday.'”
COTE D’IVOIRE: Magic System featuring Akil, Cheb Bilal and Big Ali – “C Cho, Ca Brule” The Manager Says: “In spite of a comfortable win against Portugal, it was felt that a physical presence up front could help against the might of Brazil. Heroes of the zouglou scene Magic System provide the fast one-touch play the Ivorians love, while off the bench comes DJ Ali, who has a similar delicate lightness of touch to Fatman Scoop. That should catch the Brazilian defence unawares. Meanwhile our new Scandinavian coach will be watching, inscrutably, from the sidelines.”
Commentary Box Analysis: After the Brazilian manager’s whimsical pre-match press conference, observers were amazed too see the grizzled face of a veteran hard-man lining up for the game. It’s certainly a high-impact selection but whether it’ll win hearts, minds and feet is another matter entirely. By comparison the Ivorians feel a little lightweight, but are they light like a bird or light like a feather? Are they light n their feet or light on quality? They may be more robust than they initially appear. Another fascinating face-off.
Group G Match 4: Which track do you prefer? [ballot]
- COTE D'IVOIRE: Magic System 56%
- BRAZIL: Sepultura 44%
Total Voters: 52
Poll closes: 5 Apr 2010 @ 23:59
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Result! Group E: Cameroon 1 Denmark 1: An early goal for Cameroon. A swift response from Denmark to even up the scores. It’s nip and tuck for the rest of the first half, and it ends 1-1. In the second half, the two sides go toe-to-toe, and end-to-end, but no-one can seem to score. Denmark gain the upper hand and absolutely batter CAM for the last ten minutes. They hit the woodwork several times. They have penalty claims waved away. Then, in the 88th minute, a speculative long shot from the Danes bounces off the bar and somewhere near the line. No goal. Uproar. TV pictures seem to suggest a goal, but that’s not important now. The game ends in stalemate. Phew. “The Cameroon track is very catchy but seems to go on for months…Denmark just seem ok on first listen, but I suspect it may be a grower.“”On the playing field [Cameroon] are masterful and inventive; a lot going on. But mastery to what purpose, one might ask. Might they be a horse or two short of a full team, so to speak?“”The Danes are OK too, but musically at least this is the most conventionally ‘western’ song of the tournament so far. This looks to be heading for a low scoring draw from where I’m sitting. And that would be a fair result.“
Coming Next: On to Group H and the potential wild cards of Chile and Switzerland, both coming into their second game on the back of a first-game loss. No-one knows how this one will go.