Serbia have nothing to play for but pride, but Serbia is a proud nation and manager Tim E is a proud fellow, so their hearts will be on their sleeves. Australia still have a slim chance of qualification – Chris B and his team need to win, and win well, and hope that Germany sink to a defeat by Ghana. Then it’d be down to vote difference…
This match closes at midnight on Wednesday 14th April
SERBIA: Kristali – “Talasi” The Manager Says: “Following the Serbian team’s unfortunate early elimination, I’m allowing some of the fringe players a chance to enjoy the big stage. This is Talasi by Kristali, a rock band formed in 1993. I’ve told the lads to go out and express themselves.”
Audio PlayerAUSTRALIA: Belinda Chapple – “Move Together” The Manager Says: “For the final match in the Group Stage, we’re turning to a striker who was dominant at the local level during the 2000s with the all-girl group Bardot. We’re confident Belinda Chapple will match up well against anything Serbia comes at us with. “Move Together”, her collaboration with producer Fat Albert, reveals a formation that plays aggressively for the full 90 minutes. Hopefully it’ll put the ball in the net enough time to move to the next round after a close loss to the very, very tough Ghana team.”
Audio Player
Group D Match 6: Which of these tracks do you prefer? [ballot]
- SERBIA - KRISTALI 53%
- AUSTRALIA - BELINDA CHAPPLE 47%
Total Voters: 43
Poll closes: 14 Apr 2010 @ 23:59
Loading ...Commentary Box Analysis There’s something unexpectedly attractive about the Serbian approach here, almost every time it looks like they’re heading in for a crunching tackle they display some deft footwork instead. Australia, with their slim chance of qualification, will be sorry to find themselves up against a Serbian side expressing themselves so freely. That’s not to say that the Aussie song is weak – it too has its own lightness, and the surprise you can see on the faces in the commentary box is that this has turned out to be one of our favourite matches of the tournament so far.
Coming up Next week we’ll be on to the bottom half of the draw in the pop frenzy which is the end of the group rounds. Denmark take on Japan – both sides sit on one point only but the winner stands a real chance of qualification. It’s ON!
Is that the bassline from “Like a Virgin” in the Kristali song?
If so it’s quite a counterpoint to Ms Chapple who, it would seem, is far from being that.
Knowing a little bit about the Serbian manager’s league record I wonder if this isn’t sending a bit of a message to the Serbian Pop Association: if you’d just let me play in my preferred indie formation, we could have achieved so much more! This is certainly their most relaxed squad and while they’re a bit clumsy in the tackle sometimes there’s a goal or two in them.
Australia aren’t playing with any fear either though – the pressure may be on them but they’re happy to take it easy and breezy in one of the simplest pop formations we’ve seen so far. An honourable draw won’t do Australia much good but I think that may be what we’re heading for.
I have to say I’ve missed the kind of play Australia present here in this year’s world cup, and I’m happy to vote for it.
I marginally prefer the grit and passion of the Serbian performance over the blithe precision of the Ozzies.
There’s something rather charming about this Serbian entry – I can’t understand a word of it but I hope it’s some kind of kitchen sink love song.
The Serbians’ approach (‘kitchen sink’ is a good description!) reminds me of Welsh champions SFA, excellent stuff. Australia don’t go down without a fight (love the lilting guitar bit) but their tactics are perhaps a touch too restrictive.
Miss Chapple takes a leaf out of turn-of-the-century Kylie’s playbook. I like it.
I really want to like the Australian track – I, too, want to see more restrained, precise movement in the competition – but that winger from the late-nineties French Filter House league is creeping me out.
Like them both, think that Serbia has played excellently throughout but run into bad luck, what with facing a Ghana effort that was the best of the tournament and then having their striker in the next match taken down for off-field problems. And now they’re running into an Australian striker with an unexpected sense of light but passionate beauty, the Stacey Q approach if I’m not mistaken, though Q had unmatched fire and Australia is saddling her acolyte Chapple here with a slicked-up formation that’s not ineffective but feels too much like it’s going through the motions. Serbia plays hard and very well and pushes through with unexpected horn formations. Edge to Serbia.
SRB – Indie bloke rock. No m8. Just no.
AUS – mmm, the dregs of the pop reject bin. This is what I would expect if someone from Atomic Kitten or S Club 7 decided to make a comeback now. No m8. Just no.
Abstain.
Serbia track is OK. Agree with Frank that they ought to have points on the board by now, but this is my least favourite of their three songs.
Australia is very Kylie, innit? Kylie fronting Spiller, maybe? The song also recalls the better Emma Bunton songs. Ultimately though it’s the smooth guitar solo, of all things, that seals the deal. Oz gets my vote.
Australia seem to be more on a Moloko tack to my ears? It’s certainly cheerful sunny football but I’d love to see Serbia get the points here for their charming indie side.
A draw here in an enjoyable game. We bid farewell to both of these teams with great regret. Pop football is a hard, hard game sometimes.
Glad to see Serbia get something out of this – commiserations to them and Australia and thanks for all your contributions to the tournament, both of you.
Australia is a bit of a bugger to manage, I suspect.
I don’t know there’s lots of stuff from there I like altho of course that doesn’t mean it would fare well in this game, but my interest in the position before the draw is known. It seems like it’s harder for Oz and NZ to avoid accusations or observations of Americanisation, but it seems totally reasonable for both US and UK influences to be widespread there. The influence of Daft Punk and other European dance/pop also seems to have established itself there as well as if not better than in the US.