Group H begins with an intriguing clash between the relatively unfancied Chile and the relatively even more unfancied Honduras. Points on the board important here – both sides have experienced pop managers: Chile has turned to Jel, whereas Honduras have hired veteran gaffer Carsmile Steve.
This match ends at midnight on the 10th March – please listen and vote!
CHILE: Kudai – “Ven” No comment received from manager.
Audio PlayerHONDURAS: Banda Blanca – “Chica Disco” The manager says – “Welcome to the wonderful world of Honduran punta rock! Banda Blanca were pretty much the first of the Honduran acts to have big hits (Punta-rock is based on the Garifuna rhythms of the region, so there a lot of Belizian acts as well as Honduran, which has been fun) and seem to have been knocking round for about 20 years. My thinking is going for an enduring formation could help save me from the battering I might be about to face, as the definite minnow of the whole competition.”
Audio PlayerGroup H Match 1: Which track did you prefer? [ballot]
- Banda Blanca - Chica Disco 69%
- Kudai - Ven 31%
Total Voters: 54
Poll closes: 10 Mar 2010 @ 23:59
Loading ...Commentary Box Analysis: “Both sides here playing strong, positive football – they know this is a big game for them and they need to make it count. Chile have muscle but not always finesse, Honduras are playing a pretty, uptempo passing game but I wonder about their options in the final third. Could go either way but there are goals in this game.
RESULT! Italy 0 Paraguay 0 Italy’s ruthless defense left no way through for a spirited but deeply limited Paraguay side. By the end of the game fans of both teams seemed resigned to a draw – those remaining in a fast-emptying stadium, that is. “If Italy’s approach results in a win in this game it could revolutionise the world of pop-football. It’s an untried tactic, a formation imported from another sport entirely. Surely it can’t succeed? But it’s up against such formulaic unpleasantness from Paraguay that it may have a chance on the day.” “real metal >>>>>>> silly Eurovision metal” “SPACE FOOTBALL! One side fields giant flesh-eating slugs with a lifespan of millennia, the other side fields metallic-clad strippers out of a Heavy Metal comic. The winner is of course the production designer.”
Coming Up! Our last two teams take the field tomorrow – Spain taking on the Europop 2008 winners Switzerland. And then it’s back to Group A on Monday as South Africa take on Uruguay.
Some emo yet functional play from Chile, a direct contrast to the cheap & cheerful two-chord shimmy from the Honduran side. I’m not particularly convinced that a goal is possible from the latter, who can’t quite believe they’re at the PWC and are spending valuable minutes waving to their friends & families in the crowd.
It’s the other way round – Honduras are the only side who look like they have the spark or creativity to score. Chile sound like they would rather be doing anything else.
I drove around for half an hour trying to find the stadium, almost gave up, but arrived at the opening kick, and it’s a good thing I did. This one’s a corker. Honduras, as befits a country with the Caribbean stretching along its stomach, play with a fleet-footed spirit, power in its legs notwithstanding the breeze in its heart. In the face of floating pass after floating pass, the Chileans hunker down, serious feeling, a slow swayer, tectonic tragedy in their heart but motion in their feet. Too close to call at the moment.
There’s a strong team spirit among the Hondurans but their lack of experience shows in their inflexible formation and unvaried pace – no wonder they sound winded by the end. Chile begin tentatively but some brassy moves at the back seem to invigorate the frontman and he rewards us with some classy moves – cheered on by his fellow players. That could just tip it in their direction.
For me, Chile look stale, and I was relieved in contrast by the Bajan-soca set-up of the Honduran team. Not the best use of the formation I’ve seen, but still enjoyable.
The CHI intro is identical to that of “Empire” by Bomb The Bass/Benjamin Zephaniah/Sinéad O’Connor! Sadly their song doesn’t live up to the promise; the girl singer is fine (though no more), but if you sound as dorky as the dude, please just don’t rap, ever.
HON is good-natured summer vibes, would never object to hearing it.
Yeah I think the manager’s pessimism for Honduras might be a bit of mind games on this showing – easily worth a point and quite possibly all three. There are tougher games to come of course.
Well you know Brian, with the limited resources at my disposal I’ve got to make the best of what i’ve got…
Chile here falls into the trap of trying to imitate the tactics of much better-funded and broader-based teams (I’m thinking of the UK in the 90s; the trip-hop formation is an aging but still serviceable one), without ever being particularly comfortable with them.
Honduras, meanwhile, plays superbly to their strengths: this is a team that has come up playing barefoot on beaches, and the cheery grins on the faces of the offense belies the serious toughness of the defensive line. I don’t see Chile being able to score at all, while their defensive side is so meager I’m not sure I even see a goalkeeper.
A sad day for chilean football, this. It’s like they came on to the pitch knowing they were coming home empty-handed.
Subtle play often comes a cropper faced with Route One tactics in these head to heads. In the ES v CH match, I definitely prefer the no nonsense “proper indie” approach of the Spanish to the inscrutability of the Swiss. Here, however, I’m going with Chile. Whatever they’re singing about, they going about with passion and the noisy interruption and ending only adds to the intrigue.
Honduras sound great when the sun’s shining but on gloomy winter evenings their Chica Disco comes across as suspiciously like a tourist-trap.
Basically, my rockist instincts win on this occasion.
I thought it sounded like Ace of Bass.
it’s all death metal from here on in.
ps. sorry for no team talk.
Honduras are passable, but nothing special. Chile, on the other hand, utterly terrible, worst track of the tournament for me so far.
A thought offered to the air: Latin music generally sounds that way because that’s what Latin people like to hear.
Clock ticking on votes for this one – by midnight please!
A clearer result than I was expecting on this one.
Jel played the wrong Kudai track I think. There are much better numbers from their ouvre. I think underdog goodwill has helped spur on Honduras, but good luck to the plucky lil fellas.
Get in you beauties! Well, brian, what can I say, the boys done good.
(in other news there is not a single honduran artist in this week’s honduran top 25 (well, the one i have found anyway which i think might be playlist as much as sales))
There’s no sign of the parties stopping in Tegucigalpa – it’s Honduras’ first win at this level and that’s a landmark even against limited opposition. Whatever happens against Spain and Switzerland I think Carsmile Steve will be given the Order of the Scarlet Macaw for this performance.
Didn’t Scarlet Macaw manage Bradford a while back?
fiddlesticks :(