After Spain, here comes France, then Germany

bangamed, Welcome to the game of soccer and as so much has been said about the erratic Jabulani ball, I feel that the human factor is just as erratic. Looking at the just concluded game between Germany and Serbia, who would have thought that the referee could be so trigger happy as far as giving the card is concern which is by far the highest amongst all the matches played. Who would have thought that Podolski could be the culprit for missing so many sitters including the penalty. Right from the kickoff whistle, I felt that something is already amiss. The Germans weren't playing their game. Muller was a total disappointment failing with all the crosses. No one wants to take the shot and all they want to do is bring the ball close to the penalty area to be cleared by their opponent. However, I must say that the refereeing is really the decider and I am surprise for a Spanish referee to be so pedantic when he should be familiar with the style of play and to know if the fouls warranted a card. So as one of the sports writer had put it: "As disappointed as the German fans are after the result, you have to admit that this is a thrilling prospect and what the World Cup should be all about."

Forget France, they are not worth their weight in gold. On paper they are quality but reality is different. I also don't think the ball is to blame, we have seen teams are getting used to the ball and scoring a lot more now. The keepers have been shocking at times but have been amazing at others. Let the heavyweights get thrown out and make them realize you have to earn your spot here!

Three days three upsets and you know the World Cup is right here. Yes, Spain, France and Germany have all been upset on consecutive days. Europe has suddenly seen the rest of the world catch up with them. For France it looks like curtains, though for Spain and Germany I guess the chances to qualify still look good. Cheers! Ram

And England failed to win against Algeria, Brazil struggled to win over North Korea, Portugal was frustrated in goalless draw against Ivory Coast..Yeah, unfortunately, Podolski failed to score from the penalty spot. My favorite is still ARGENTINA, but don`t know whether they can advance smoothly after the second round

Hi friend the way this world cup is unfolding nothing is impossible and your wish may be granted sooner than latter.However there is one thing that this world cup is bringing to the forefront.There is no gap at all between the so called super powers and the minnows of the game.Also the strategies adopted by the coaches of the less renowned countries against the heavyweights are too much for the favourites and they are faltering.Hence this shows that there is not much difference between the quality and calibre of the footballers from all around the globe which is a good sign for the game as a whole.

There have been quite a few surprises but Spain and Germany still have a very good chance of qualifying from their groups. England were terrible last night and will have to improve to get through the group, i do not think that they can play any worse.

Surprise is part of the football game. Without it, football will not be the most popular game in the world. In my view, some so-called surprises are not real surprises. For instance, I didn't feel surprised at all when I saw that Serbia won the game last night for it was also a competitive team. Both Germany and Serbia had many chances in the game, but Germany had wasted too many, so they lost the game. Maybe that's not bad for Germany. If they could learn lessons, they could go farther.