| 21 June 2006 |
| PORTUGAL | 2-1 |
MEXICO |
| Maniche 6 |
Fonseca 30 |
|
| Sabrosa 23 (Pen) | ||
| Simao started a counter attack by playing a
one-two with Maniche and bombing down the left, the Mexican midfield quickly got back to support their defence only they didn't bother picking up Maniche who strolled into the box and side footed into the top corner, excellent finish awful defending. Marquez gave away a penalty with a mindless handball, he should have been sent off. Simao thumped the ball past Sanchez. Fonseca headed in a corner. Bravo launched an extremely charitable penalty in outer space. Perez was dismissed for ‘diving’ in the box and Mexico had clear penalty appeals turned down when Ferrara went through the back of Bravo, who missed two sitters, as Mexico continued to boss the game despite being reduced to ten men. Why are Portugal playing like England? Take the lead, sit bit and just defend in the second half. Attendance : 52,000 Red Card : Perez 60 (Mexico) Assists : Sabrosa, n/a, Pardo (ck) |
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| IRAN | 1-1 |
ANGOLA |
| Bakhtiarizadeh 76 |
Flavio 60 |
|
| Daei missed an absolute sitter. Mendonca made
a fantastic goal-line clearance to deny Hashemian what looked a certain goal. With the Iran defence pushing up, Figueiredo found Ze Kalanga in space on the right wing, Madanchi failed to get tight allowing the midfielder to pick out Flavio with an excellent cross which he met with a firm standing header. Bakhtiarizadeh headed in a deserved equaliser from a Mahdavikia corner. Attendance : 38,000 Assists : Ze Kalanga, Mahdavikia (ck) |
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| 17 June 2006 |
| PORTUGAL | 2-0 |
IRAN |
| Deco 63 | ||
| Ronaldo 80 (Pen) | ||
| This made it two absolute shite games in a
row following on from yesterday evening's misery inducing match between Mexico and Angola. This match so bad it was scarcely deserving of Deco's magnificent 20 yard strike. Ronaldo converted a penalty awarded for a foul on Figo. Attendance : 48,000 Assists : Figo, Figo (won pen) |
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| 16 June 2006 |
| MEXICO | 0-0 |
ANGOLA |
| Marquz's deflected free kick rebounded off a
post. Marquez hit a huge longball out of defence, Bravo headed the ball down to Franco but with Ricardo rushing off his line the striker didn't get enough lift on his lob, Ricardo parried and Arellano's weak follow up was hacked clear. Bravo spurned an absolute gift from Jamba. Under no real pressure the defender whacked a ball against a team-mate and it rebounded to Bravo but his limp shot was easily saved. Andre got a second yellow for a blatant handball. Fonseca wasted a sublime lobbed pass from Arellano, volleyed wide from close range. Ricardo made a stunning save from a monstrous long rage shot by Marquez. Two minutes from time Ricardo flapped at a cross as the Mexican's worked a short corner but Bravo failed to capitalise, volleyed against the bar with the goal at this mercy. Attendance : 43,000 Assist : n/a |
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| 11 June 2006 |
| MEXICO | 3-1 |
IRAN |
| Bravo 28, 76 |
Golmohammadi 36 |
|
| Zinha 79 | ||
| The first two chances fell to Iran's
Hashemian. Mahdavikia and Kaabi combined on the right, Kaabi's low centre was begging to be hit but the striker tried to back heel and missed, the ball came out to Karimi and he swung a brilliant cross to the back post, 'The Helicopter' Hashemian (because of his prowess in the air) met it with a powerful header which Sanchez saved brilliantly. Pardo swung a cheaply awarded free kick into the box, Villarreal's Franco headed the ball down and Bravo turned it past Mirzapour. Poor goalkeeping gifted Iran the equaliser. Sanchez came off his line for a corner but completely missed the ball and Golmohammadi, in a packed penalty area, calmly lifted it into the roof of the net. A wonderful exchange of volleyed passes was cynically brought to an end by Golmohammadi's body check on Marquez, who started the move with a back heel volley, but the ref, the excellent Roberto Rosetti, waved away appeals for a penalty. Mirzapour's wreckless backpass gave the lead back to the MexiCANS. Bravo headed down the goalkeeper's clearance and a heavy first touch the normally dependable Rezaei allowed Zinha to thread a ball through to Bravo for his second. Zinha received the ball with his back to play on the half way line, as he turned he pushed the ball away from a defender before hitting a disguised pass out wide to Mendez. Mendez hung a first time cross into the middle of the box and, with perfect timing, Zinha arrived to leap in the air and send a header bouncing into the bottom corner, lovely, lovely goal and a fitting end to a match between two teams that played some neat and tidy passing football. Attendance : 36,898 Assists : Franco, n/a, Zinha, Mendez |
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| ANGOLA | 0-1 |
PORTUGAL |
|
Pauleta 4 |
||
| Pauleta almost scored seconds after the
kick-off. Ronaldo slipped him in with a ball down the left and his quick shot just rolled wide of a post. Less than three minutes later Portugal were in front. Figo knocked a ball in front of Jamba then ran past him before cutting back for Pauleta to tap into an empty net. Ronaldo headed a Figo corner against the underside of the crossbar. Ricardo made a great save from Andre's speculative effort and at the other end Angola's goalkeeper, also called Ricardo, made a superb two handed stop from Ronaldo after man of the match Figo and Miguel combined down the right. An insipid, uninspiring mess of diving punctuated by two excellent saves from the 'keepers. Angola showed NO ambition going forward and in the second half neither did Portugal. Attendance : 45,000 Assist : Figo |
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