Zeek's PES Confederations Cup I

[ZeekLTK]

Qualification

France qualified as World Cup I champion.

Georgia qualified as World Cup II and World Cup IV champion.

Cote d'Ivoire qualified as World Cup III champion.

Norway qualified as World Cup V and World Cup VI champion.

England qualified as World Cup VII champion.

Argentina qualified as World Cup VIII champion.

Italy qualified as World Cup IX champion.

Bahrain qualified as Asian Cup I champion.

Brazil qualified as Copa America I champion.

Jamaica qualified as Gold Cup I champion.

Morocco qualified as African Cup I champion.

Spain qualified as Euro Cup I champion.

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Spoiler

France

World Cup I Qualifying
Bulgaria - 5 pts +1 GD
France - 4 pts +0 GD
Germany - 3 pts +0 GD
Serbia & Montenegro - 2 pts -1 GD

France 2 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro
Bulgaria 1 - 0 France
Germany 1 - 1 France

France 2 - 0 Ukraine (Play-offs)


World Cup I Group Stage
France - 9 pts +3 GD
Cameroon - 4 pts +2 GD
Poland - 4 pts +0 GD
Iran - 0 pts -5 GD

France 1 - 0 Iran
France 1 - 0 Poland
France 1 - 0 Cameroon


World Cup I Knockout Round
R16: France 1 - 1 Slovenia (4-3 PKs)
QF: Brazil 0 - 1 France
SF: Senegal 0 - 2 France
Final: France 2 - 2 Netherlands (3-2 PKs)



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Georgia

World Cup II Qualifying
Georgia - 7 pts +2 GD
Czech Republic - 6 pts +1 GD
Hungary - 2 pts -1 GD
Austria - 1 pt -2 GD

Georgia 2 - 1 Austria
Czech Republic 0 - 1 Georgia
Georgia 1 - 1 Hungary


World Cup II Group Stage
Netherlands - 9 pts +5 GD
Georgia - 6 pts +4 GD
Colombia - 3 pts -2 GD
Cote d'Ivoire - 0 pts -7 GD

Netherlands 2 - 0 Georgia
Georgia 3 - 2 Colombia
Georgia 5 - 0 Cote d'Ivoire


World Cup II Knockout Round
R16: Wales 0 - 4 Georgia
QF: Uruguay 0 - 1 Georgia
SF: Georgia 2 - 1 Costa Rica
Final: France 0 - 3 Georgia

&

World Cup IV Qualifying
Georgia - 20 pts +11 GD 18 GF 7 GA
France - 14 pts +9 GD 17 GF 8 GA
Finland - 8 pts -7 GD 6 GF 13 GA
Northern Ireland - 5 pts -5 GD 3 GF 8 GA
Latvia - 4 pts -8 GD 2 GF 10 GA

Finland 0 – 3 Georgia [Ashvetia, Iashvili x2]
Georgia 2 – 2 Northern Ireland [Arveladze, Ashvetia; Mic Hugo, Healy]
France 0 – 3 Georgia [Arveladze, Akhalkatsi, Iashvili]
Georgia 2 – 1 Latvia [Ashvetia, Kobiashvili; Docmoptos]
Georgia 1 – 1 Finland [Iashvili; Forssell]
Northern Ireland 0 – 2 Georgia [Arveladze, Iashvili]
Georgia 4 – 3 France [Ashvetia x2, Iashvili x2; Saha x2, Zidane]
Latvia 0 – 1 Georgia [Akhalkatsi]


World Cup IV Group Stage
Georgia - 9 pts +10 GD 11 GF 1 GA
Scotland - 4 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA
Paraguay - 4 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA
Costa Rica - 0 pts -6 GD 0 GF 6 GA

Paraguay 1 - 4 Georgia [Enciso; Kobiashvili, Iashvili x2, Ashvetia]
Georgia 3 - 0 Costa Rica [Iashvili x3]
Scotland 0 - 4 Georgia [Arveladze, Ashvetia x2, Iashvili]


World Cup IV Knockout Round
R16: Georgia 2 - 1 Slovakia [Kaladze, Arveladze; Souzie Njemes]
QF: Georgia 1 - 0 Germany [Kobiashvili]
SF: Georgia 1 - 0 Colombia [Ivan Cordoba - OG]
Final: United States 0 - 2 Georgia [Ashvetia, Iashvili]



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Cote d'Ivoire

World Cup III Qualifying
Cote d'Ivoire – 15 pts +10 GD 21 GF 11 GA
South Africa – 12 pts +1 GD 7 GF 6 GA
Nigeria – 9 pts -7 GD 4 GF 11 GA
Ghana – 8 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Morocco – 7 pts –4 GD 8 GF 12 GA

Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 2 South Africa [Buckley, Nhleko]
Nigeria 0 – 6 Cote d’Ivoire [Drogba x 4, Dindane, Akale]
Cote d’Ivoire 5 – 5 Morocco [Die x 2, Dindane x 3; Delame x 2, Zoro – OG, Bigocare x 2]
Ghana 2 – 2 Cote d’Ivoire [Addo, Boakye; Drogba, Kalou]
South Africa 0 – 2 Cote d’Ivoire [Dindane, Drogba]
Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 0 Ghana
Cote d’Ivoire 1 – 0 Nigeria [Drogba]
Morocco 2 – 5 Cote d’Ivoire [Charack x 2; Akale x 3, Bakayoko, Sekou]


World Cup III Group Stage
Cote d’Ivoire – 5 pts +3 GD 4 GF 1 GA
Croatia – 5 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
United States – 3 pts -2 GD 4 GF 6 GA
Finland – 2 pts -2 GD 2 GF 4 GA

Cote d’Ivoire 3 – 0 United States [Dindane, Bakayoko, Ettien]
Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 0 Finland
Cote d’Ivoire 1 – 1 Croatia [Bakari; Roza]


World Cup III Knockout Round
R16: Cote d’Ivoire 2 – 0 Mali [Bakayoko, Drogba]
QF: Cote d’Ivoire 2 – 0 Norway [Dindane, Lundekvam – OG]
SF: Cote d’Ivoire 5 – 0 Turkey [Bakayoko x 3, Ettien, Konan]
Final: France 0 – 1 Cote d’Ivoire [Bakayoko - OT]



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Norway

World Cup V Qualifying
Norway - 24 pts +15 GD 21 GF 6 GA
Hungary - 10 pts -1 GD 5 GF 6 GA
Austria - 10 pts -5 GD 7 GF 12 GA
Sweden - 7 pts -4 GD 7 GF 11 GA
Slovenia - 7 pts -5 GD 9 GF 14 GA

Austria 0 – 1 Norway [Carew]
Slovenia 2 – 4 Norway [Rudja, Zaoric; Flo x2, Rushfeldt, Andresen]
Norway 2 – 0 Hungary [Iversen, Andresen]
Norway 2 – 0 Sweden [Solskjaer, Tessem]
Norway 6 – 1 Austria [Carew x2, Flo, Iversen, H. Flo x2; Glieder]
Norway 2 – 1 Slovenia [Flo, Andresen; Zaoric]
Sweden 1 – 2 Norway [A. Svensson; Carew, Solskjaer]
Hungary 1 – 2 Norway [Miriuta; Solskjaer, Flo]


World Cup V Group Stage
Norway - 9 pts +6 GD 9 GF 3 GA
Argentina - 6 pts +2 GD 7 GF 5 GA
Nigeria - 1 pts -3 GD 4 GF 7 GA
Bosnia-Herzegovina - 1 pts -5 GD 2 GF 7 GA

Norway 4 – 2 Argentina [Flo, F. Johnsen x2, Solskjaer; Riquelme x2]
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 – 2 Norway [Flo, Solskjaer]
Nigeria 1 – 3 Norway [Odemwingie; Flo, Solskjaer, Carew]


World Cup V Knockout Round
R16: Norway 3 - 1 Netherlands [Andresen, Bakke, F. Johnsen; Makaay]
QF: Iceland 0 - 4 Norway [Flo, F. Johnsen, Solskjaer, Riise]
SF: Norway 2 - 1 Georgia [Riise, Solskjaer; Ashvetia]
Final: Norway 3 - 2 Mali [Hangeland, Andresen, Carew; Sidibe, Kanoute]

&

World Cup VI Qualifying
Denmark - 22 pts +9 GD 18 GF 9 GA
Norway - 15 pts +5 GD 20 GF 15 GA
Belgium - 15 pts +1 GD 10 GF 9 GA
Czech Republic - 14 pts +0 GD 14 GF 14 GA
Russia - 11 pts -5 GD 11 GF 16 GA
Wales - 8 pts -10 GD 9 GF 19 GA

Norway 3 – 0 Wales [Carew, Cattison OG, Iversen]
Belgium 1 – 0 Norway [Sonck]
Denmark 0 – 1 Norway [Andresen]
Norway 2 – 3 Russia [Andresen, Solskjaer; Bulykin, Kerzakov x2]
Norway 4 – 2 Czech Republic [Carew, Riise, Flo, Solskjaer; Bolf, Jankulovski]
Wales 3 – 2 Norway [Giggs, Harston x2; Riise, Hangeland]
Norway 1 – 3 Denmark [Flo; Tomasson, Gronkjaer, Madsen]
Norway 2 – 0 Belgium [Riise, El-Fakiri]
Russia 1 – 4 Norway [Bulykin; Solskjaer, Onopko OG, Iversen, F. Johnsen]
Czech Republic 2 – 1 Norway [Koller, Lokvenc; Andresen]


World Cup VI Group Stage
Norway - 6 pts +5 GD 10 GF 5 GA
China - 6 pts +3 GD 10 GF 7 GA
Ukraine - 6 pts +0 GD 5 GF 5 GA
Angola - 0 pts -8 GD 3 GF 11 GA

Angola 0 - 4 Norway [Solskjaer x2, Tessem, F. Johnsen]
Ukraine 1 - 4 Norway [Federov; Andresen x2, Bakke, Solskjaer]
Norway 2 - 4 China [F. Johnsen, Carew; Han Kaideng x2, Qiu Yaying, Zhai Zongqi]


World Cup VI Knockout Round
R16: Norway 3 - 2 Netherlands [Solskjaer, Flo, Hangeland OT; Van Nistelrooy x2]
QF: Argentina 3 - 3 Norway [Saviola, Almeyda, Galletti OT; Solskjaer x2, Leo Franco OG OT] (1-3 PKs)
SF: Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 - 2 Norway [Riise, Flo]
Final: Senegal 2 - 3 Norway [Niang x2; Solskjaer, Flo, Diawara OG]


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England

World Cup VII Qualifying
England - 15 pts +9 GD 13 GF 4 GA
Ukraine - 10 pts -1 GD 8 GF 9 GA
Croatia - 7 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Poland - 2 pts -8 GD 4 GF 12 GA

Poland 0 – 2 England [Beckham, Terry]
England 1 – 2 Ukraine [Beckham; Nesma Chnyi, Shevchenko]
England 1 – 0 Croatia [Beckham]
Croatia 1 – 2 England [Simunic; Barry, Gerrard]
England 4 – 1 Poland [Rooney x2, Beckham x2; Lobodzinski]
Ukraine 0 – 3 England [Rooney, Beckham, Gerrard]


World Cup VII Group Stage
Germany - 9 pts +5 GD 7 GF 2 GA
England - 6 pts +7 GD 10 GF 3 GA
Nigeria - 3 pts -5 GD 3 GF 8 GA
Iran - 0 pts -7 GD 1 GF 8 GA

Nigeria 1 - 6 England [Martins; Rooney x3, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Joe Cole]
England 1 - 2 Germany [Bridge; Klose, Podolski]
Iran 0 - 3 England [Gerrard, Barry, Brown]


World Cup VII Knockout Round
R16: Mexico 0 - 3 England [Rooney x2, Terry]
QF: England 1 - 0 Netherlands [Rooney]
SF: England 3 - 2 France [Hargreaves x2, Brown; Benzema, Toulalan]
Final: England 1 - 0 Argentina [Rooney]



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Argentina

World Cup VIII Qualifying
Argentina - 24 pts +24 GD 25 GF 1 GA
Ecuador - 11 pts -2 GD 8 GF 10 GA
Chile - 11 pts -4 GD 12 GF 16 GA
Venezuela - 5 pts -7 GD 8 GF 15 GA
Paraguay - 3 pts -11 GD 3 GF 14 GA

Argentina 2 – 0 Chile [Tevez x2]
Argentina 3 – 1 Ecuador [Gago, Tevez, Aguero; Carlos Tenorio]
Paraguay 0 – 2 Argentina [Maxi Rodriguez, Messi]
Venezuela 0 – 4 Argentina [Tevez x3, Aguero]
Argentina 4 – 0 Paraguay [Messi, Tevez, Aguero, Heinze]
Chile 0 – 5 Argentina [Messi x2, Heinze, Tevez, Aguero]
Argentina 2 – 0 Venezuela [Maxi Rodriguez, Tevez]
Ecuador 0 – 3 Argentina [Mascherano, Aguero, Maxi Rodriguez]


World Cup VIII Group Stage
Nigeria - 6 pts +2 GD 5 GF 3 GA
Argentina - 6 pts +1 GD 5 GF 4 GA
Italy - 3 pts -1 GD 3 GF 4 GA
Turkey - 3 pts -2 GD 4 GF 6 GA

Argentina 1 – 0 Italy [Chiellini OG]
Turkey 3 – 2 Argentina [Tuncay Sanli, Emre, Ayhan Akman; D. Milito x2]
Nigeria 1 – 2 Argentina [Yussuf; D. Milito, Veron]


World Cup VIII Knockout Round
R16: Uruguay 2 – 3 Argentina [Forlan, J. Martinez; Aguero x3 - 1OT]
QF: Germany 0 – 5 Argentina [Tevez x2, Veron x3]
SF: Argentina 2 – 1 Brazil [Messi x2; Pato]
Final: Argentina 4 – 2 Nigeria [Aguero, Messi, Gago x2; Utaka, Taye Taiwo]



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Italy

World Cup IX Qualifying
Italy - 11 pts +3 GD 6 GF 3 GA
Greece - 10 pts +2 GD 6 GF 4 GA
Scotland - 10 pts +1 GD 4 GF 3 GA
Wales - 3 pts -6 GD 3 GF 9 GA

Scotland 1 – 1 Italy [Crawford; Pirlo]
Italy 0 – 0 Greece
Wales 0 – 1 Italy [Pirlo]
Greece 0 – 2 Italy [Zambrotta, Cassano]
Italy 1 – 0 Scotland [Del Piero]
Italy 1 – 2 Wales [Totti; Harston, Giggs]


World Cup IX Group Stage
Australia - 7 pts +4 GD 5 GF 1 GA
Italy - 7 pts +3 GD 5 GF 2 GA
United States - 3 pts -3 GD 1 GF 4 GA
Burkina Faso - 0 pts -4 GD 1 GF 5 GA

Australia 1 – 1 Italy [Viduka; Vieri]
Italy 2 – 1 Burkina Faso [Vieri x2; Dagano]
Italy 2 – 0 United States [Fiore, Vieri]


World Cup IX Knockout Round
R16: Brazil 1 - 2 Italy [Cafu; Del Piero, Inzaghi OT]
QF: Cameroon 0 - 1 Italy [Vieri]
SF: Netherlands 1 - 1 Italy [Van Nistelrooy; Del Piero] (3-4 PKs)
Final: Australia 0 - 1 Italy [Vieri]



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Bahrain

Asian Cup I Qualifying
South Korea - 15 pts +10 GD 15 GF 5 GA
Bahrain - 13 pts -2 GD 13 GF 15 GA
China - 12 pts +2 GD 12 GF 10 GA
New Zealand - 8 pts -2 GD 8 GF 10 GA
North Korea - 6 pts -8 GD 3 GF 11 GA

China 1 – 1 Bahrain [Zheng Zhi; Salmeen]
Bahrain 2 – 1 South Korea [A. Hubail, Abdulrahman; Lee Keunho]
New Zealand 1 – 2 Bahrain [Fallon; A. Hubail, A. A. Omar]
Bahrain 1 – 0 North Korea [M. Hubail]
North Korea 2 – 1 Bahrain [Jong Tae-Se, Mun In-Guk; Abdullatif]
Bahrain 4 – 2 China [F. Ayesh, Feng Xiaoting OG, Okwunwanne, A. A. Omar; Zheng Zhi, Gao Lin]
South Korea 5 – 0 Bahrain [Park Jisung x2, Ki Sungyueng, Lee Chungyong, Cho Wonhee]
Bahrain 2 – 3 New Zealand [A. Hubail, Salmeen; Killen, Vicelich, Smeltz]


Asian Cup I Group Stage
Bahrain - 10 pts +5 GD 10 GF 5 GA
China - 7 pts +5 GD 9 GF 4 GA
Iran - 5 pts +2 GD 8 GF 6 GA
Uzbekistan - 3 pts -8 GD 4 GF 12 GA
Oman - 2 pts -4 GD 6 GF 10 GA

Bahrain 1 – 0 China [A. Hubail]
Oman 4 – 4 Bahrain [Al-Maimani, M. Hussain OG, Al Hosni x2; A. Hubail x2, A. Omar, A. A. Omar]
Bahrain 4 – 1 Iran [A. Hubail x2, Abdulrahman, Salmeen; M. Zare]
Uzbekistan 0 – 1 Bahrain [A. Hubail]


Asian Cup I Knockout Round
SF: Bahrain 1 – 0 Japan [Salmeen]
Final: Australia 4 – 4 Bahrain [Viduka, Emerton, Holman x2 1OT; Salmeen, Abdullatif, F. Ayesh, H. A. Baba OT] (0-3 PKs)



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Brazil

Copa America I Qualifying
No Qualifying


Copa America I Group Stage
Brazil - 10 pts +11 GD 14 GF 3 GA
Colombia - 6 pts +1 GD 10 GF 9 GA
Ecuador - 4 pts -1 GD 7 GF 8 GA
Chile - 4 pts -5 GD 6 GF 11 GA
Venezuela - 4 pts -6 GD 4 GF 10 GA

Brazil 5 - 1 Chile [Diego x2, Pato, Anderson, Robinho; Beausejour]
Ecuador 2 - 2 Brazil [Carlos Tenorio, Noboa; Adriano x2]
Brazil 5 - 0 Colombia [Luis Fabiano x2, Kaka x2, Adriano]
Venezuela 0 - 2 Brazil [Luis Fabiano x2]


Copa America I Knockout Round
SF: Brazil 4 – 0 Paraguay [Adriano, Luis Fabiano x2, Pato]
Final: Brazil 1 - 0 Argentina [Luis Fabiano]



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Jamaica

Gold Cup I Qualifying
No Qualifying


Gold Cup I Group Stage
Jamaica - 6 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
Curacao - 6 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Costa Rica - 4 pts +0 GD 4 GF 4 GA
Canada - 1 pts -2 GD 6 GF 6 GA

Canada 2 – 3 Jamaica [Berner, Gbeke; Fuller x2, Euell]
Costa Rica 2 – 1 Jamaica [C. Davis OG, Andy Furtado; J. Williams]
Jamaica 2 – 1 Curacao [Lisbie x2; Deul]


Gold Cup I Knockout Round
QF: Jamaica 5 – 2 El Salvador [Fuller x3, Lisbie, A. Williams; Magico Gonzalez, R. Zelaya]
SF: Honduras 1 – 2 Jamaica [Leon - OT; Hayles - OT, Kelly - OT]
Final: Panama 1 – 1 Jamaica [Quintero; Fuller] (3-4 PKs)



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Morocco

African Cup I Qualifying
Morocco - 13 pts +12 GD 16 GF 4 GA
Angola - 11 pts +2 GD 8 GF 6 GA
Togo - 5 pts -6 GD 5 GF 11 GA
Guinea - 3 pts -8 GD 7 GF 15 GA

Morocco 2 – 0 Angola [Hadji, Aboucherouane]
Togo 1 – 0 Morocco [J. Senaya]
Morocco 6 – 0 Guinea [El Hamdaoui x3, Kharja x2, Chafni]
Angola 1 – 1 Morocco [Manucho; El Ahmadi]
Guinea 2 – 3 Morocco [K. Cisse, A. Keita; El Ahmadi, Chamakh, El Hamdaoui]
Morocco 4 – 0 Togo [Hadji, Chamakh x3]


African Cup I Group Stage
Morocco - 7 pts +4 GD 9 GF 5 GA
Mali - 6 pts -1 GD 5 GF 6 GA
Cote d'Ivoire - 5 pts -1 GD 6 GF 7 GF
Nigeria - 5 pts -1 GD 5 GF 6 GA
Ghana - 4 pts -1 GD 4 GF 5 GA

Nigeria 2 – 4 Morocco [K. Uche, Yakubu Ayegbeni; Dirar x2, El Hamdaoui x2]
Morocco 3 – 0 Mali [Hadji x2, Kharja]
Ghana 1 – 0 Morocco [Gyan Asamoah]
Morocco 2 – 2 Cote d'Ivoire [El Hamdaoui, Kharja; Drogba x2]


African Cup I Knockout Round
SF: Morocco 4 – 0 Cape Verde Islands [El Hamdaoui, Hadji x2, Menkari]
Final: Mozambique 1 – 2 Morocco [Armando Sa; Kharja, Chamakh]



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Spain

Euro Cup I Qualifying
England - 15 pts +8 GD 18 GF 10 GA
Spain - 15 pts +6 GD 17 GF 11 GA
Hungary - 15 pts -4 GD 10 GF 14 GA
Iceland - 9 pts -5 GD 10 GF 15 GA
Montenegro - 6 pts -5 GD 7 GF 12 GA

Spain 5 - 0 Hungary [Xavi, Villa x2, Juhasz OG, Silva]
Montenegro 0 - 1 Spain [Villa]
Spain 0 - 2 England [Heskey, Rooney]
Iceland 2 - 1 Spain [V. Gunnarsson, Gudjohnsen; Villa]
England 3 - 2 Spain [Lampard, Lennon, Heskey; Xavi, Villa]
Spain 2 - 1 Montenegro [Villa, Torres; Vucinic]
Hungary 1 - 3 Spain [Szalai; Iniesta, Villa, Torres]
Spain 3 - 2 Iceland [Xavi, Luis Enrique, Torres; Gudjohnsen, S. Gislason]


Euro Cup I Group Stage
Lithuania - 6 pts +1 GD 4 GF 3 GA
Spain - 4 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
England - 4 pts +0 GD 4 GF 4 GA
Turkey - 3 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA

England 2 - 2 Spain [Defoe, Lampard; Torres, Villa]
Spain 1 - 2 Turkey [Torres; Tuncay Sanli, Nihat]
Spain 3 - 1 Lithuania [S. Cazorla, Xabi Alonso, Villa; Galkevicius]


Euro Cup I Knockout Round
QF: Italy 1 - 3 Spain [Toni; Tamudo x2, Silva]
SF: Ireland 0 - 1 Spain [Torres]
Final: Netherlands 0 - 3 Spain [Villa x2, Torres]

*Euro Cup I Dynasty was posted on nUtopia - click here

 

[ZeekLTK]

The Draw

Group A
Norway
Cote d'Ivoire
Spain
Bahrain


Group B
Georgia
Argentina
Italy
Jamaica


Group C
France
England
Brazil
Morocco


*Top 2 Group Winners advance to Semifinals, Other Group Winner + All Group Runner Ups advance to Quarterfinals.

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group A: Spain vs Norway

The most recent PES champions, Spain, took on former WE8 powerhouse Norway. While Spain essentially fielded the exact same team that won the Euro Cup, many of Norway's greats that lead them to back-to-back World Cup championships (the only nation to accomplish that so far) are no longer on the roster. Would the current Norwegian squad be good enough to hang with the European champions?

1' - Spain kicks off
1' - Villa sets the tone early and nearly scores in the opening minute of the match, but the shot is punched away by the keeper.
7' - Villa receives a great pass from Torres in the box, is ruled onside, but in the end the shot is narrowly saved
17' - Xavi steals the ball and goes on a breakaway, but he can't beat the keeper 1v1
23' - A long spell of possession by Spain sees them create numerous scoring chances, but they just can't manage to find a goal
45'+ - Spain has outshot Norway 13-0 at half time (10-0 on target) but haven't found a breakthrough yet

46' - Norway kicks off
55' - Finally, the opening goal! Villa heads a shot off the post but it bounces back to Torres for a tap in [1-0] (Torres)
56' - The floodgates have broken, S. Cazorla receives a great pass from Xabi Alonso, then dribbles in and beats the keeper with a low shot to the far corner [2-0] (S. Cazorla)
78' - Torres picks up a yellow card for pushing a Norwegian player off the ball from behind
83' - Xabi Alonso collects the ball on the wing and tight-rope walks the endline with the ball. He shoots from an impossible angle which the keeper saves but the rebound deflects right to Silva for an easy tap in [3-0] (Silva)
87' - Xabi Alonso creates a turnover with help from Torres and then fires in an unstoppable shot [4-0] (Xabi Alonso)
90'+ - Norway has been completely shut down, they failed to record a single shot during the match!
90'+ - Final whistle

Spain 4 - 0 Norway
Torres, S. Cazorla, Silva, Xabi Alonso

Game Stats
Spain lead possession with 58%
Spain outshot Norway 29-0 (18-0 on target)
Norway had more free kicks, 6-2
Spain had more corner kicks, 6-1

1 Yellow Card to Spain: Torres (78')

MOTM: 9.0 Xabi Alonso (Spain)

*Highest rating I've ever seen, his stats were:

1 goal
1 assist
36/47 passing
3 crosses
10 shots (6 on target)
328m dribbling distance

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group A: Cote d'Ivoire vs Bahrain

Many African teams have reached the WEFA World Cup finals, but only Cote d'Ivoire has managed to win the World Cup. They defeated France in overtime to earn the title. On the other end, Bahrain stunned everyone, especially Australia, who they beat to win the inaugural Asian Cup on a penalty shootout. In a similar theme as the last game, Bahrain boasts a similar roster to that which won the PES Asian Cup, while Cote d'Ivoire's WE8 title winning team is not all there. However, Drogba remains, among other famous players that are still around, so perhaps the Ivorians wouldn't be too disadvantaged in this tournament...

1' - Cote d'Ivoire kicks off
9' - Drogba's powerful free kick is somehow saved by the keeper
14' - Abdulrahman nearly scores on his own free kick, but the Ivorian keeper is equally up to the task
17' - Bakari Kone breaks down the side and dribbles all the way into the box, his shot is punched away to safety though
34' - Cote d'Ivoire can't quite find the mark, they keep shooting high or wide, especially Kalou who blows a great chance at this moment in the match
45'+ - A. Hubail nearly catches Cote d'Ivoire wanting to head to the locker room, he receives the ball and is ruled onside then tries to chip the keeper and nearly succeeds, but somehow the goalie recovered to make the save just in time
45'+ - Cote d'Ivoire outshot Bahrain 13-3 (7-1 on target) in the first half

46' - Bahrain kicks off
51' - Romaric hits a spectacular shot, coming into the box from the left wing he somehow bends the ball with the outside of his left foot to curl around the keeper and into the net [1-0] (Romaric)
53' - Bahrain haven't gotten over the first goal, and that is costly because Drogba quickly doubles the lead, heading in a corner kick over defender Adnan [2-0] (Drogba)
87' - Bakari Kone collects a loose ball inside the box and turns to fire but the shot is saved. However, it deflects right to Drogba who quickly puts it into the net for another goal [3-0] (Drogba)
89' - Kalou sneaks past the defense for a breakaway, beats the keeper to cap off the resounding victory and match Spain's result [4-0] (Kalou)
90'+ - Final whistle

Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 0 Bahrain
Romaric, Drogba x2, Kalou

Game Stats
Cote d'Ivoire lead possession with 53%
Cote d'Ivoire outshot Norway 28-7 (15-2 on target)
Bahrain had more free kicks, 9-6
Cote d'Ivoire had more corner kicks, 6-2

MOTM: 8.5 Romaric (Cote d'Ivoire)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group B: Italy vs Jamaica

Italy won the most recent World Cup, although it was held in WE8, meaning a different roster than that squad would be competing here. Jamaica won the initial Gold Cup on PES, and therefore feature the same team that lifted the CONCACAF title. Would they be able to compete with the Italians, or would it be yet another blow out?

1' - Italy kicks off
25' - Ricketts struggles to reach the long shot from Pirlo, only managing to bat it down inside the box where Gilardino was lurking for the put back [1-0] (Gilardino)
32' - Pirlo gains possession inside the box and takes a nice touch around a defender to get a shot off. Ricketts can only manage to pop the ball up into the air and, again, Gilardino is the first to react, diving in to force the ball into the net along with himself [2-0] (Gilardino)
37' - A. Williams brings down Pirlo from behind and earns a yellow card for his efforts.
40' - Quagliarella heads in a corner kick to extend the lead [3-0] (Quagliarella)
45'+ - Gilardino appeared to be offside, but was ruled onside and he picks up a hattrick right before heading into half time [4-0] (Gilardino)

46' - Jamaica kicks off
46' - Italy might be going for a record as Di Natale wastes no time in threatening to score, his shot goes off the post though
80' - However, things quickly calmed down after that, as Italy seemed content to ride out the game with such a large lead.
81' - R. Gardner took down Pirlo, forcing the midfielder to leave the game with an injury and he received a yellow card for the tackle.
90'+ - Final whistle

Italy 4 - 0 Jamaica
Gilardino x3, Quagliarella

Game Stats
Both teams split possession, 50%
Italy outshot Jamaica 19-3 (11-1 on target)
Italy had more free kicks, 7-6
Italy had more corner kicks, 1-0

2 Yellow Card to Jamaica: A. Williams (37'), R. Gardner (81')

*Pirlo will miss next match (vs Argentina) due to injury

MOTM: 8.0 Pirlo (Italy)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group B: Georgia vs Argentina

A game of old vs new - Georgia were one of the best teams back on WE8 when they won 2 World Cups and a World Series title, but lately they have dropped off and Argentina has risen, having won a World Cup and coming in as runners up in the Copa America and another World Cup. It seemed like the blow outs would continue in this tournament unless Georgia could channel some of that old-time magic...

1' - Georgia kicks off
2' - Aguero breaks through early, but is unable to beat the keeper 1v1, his shot is saved
4' - Tskitishvili then picks up a yellow card for upending Aguero in the midfield
11' - D. Milito finds some space in the central midfield to receive the ball and then dribbles in to fire an uncontested shot that beats the keeper from distance [0-1] (D. Milito)
14' - Arveladze tries to equalize but his open header crashes off the post creating a counter attack opportunity for Argentina where Lucho's shot is initially saved but Diego Milito heads in the rebound to double the lead! [0-2] (D. Milito)
21' - Georgia's legend steps up yet again, Iashvili heads in a cross that comes into the box following a throw in, making this the first game of the tournament where both teams have scored [1-2] (Iashvili)
32' - Maxi Rodriguez nearly sneaks in a free kick over the wall, but the shot hits the post
36' - Georgia earns a free kick in a similar spot on the other end of the field and Arveladze makes no mistake this time, heading in the equalizer! [2-2] (Arveladze)
42' - Merebashvili receives a yellow card for illegally stopping a counter attack.
45'+ - Gago picks up a yellow card for a hard tackle on Kobiashvili
45'+ - Georgia have made their chances count! Argentina has outshot them 14-3 (6-2 on target), but the score is tied at halftime!

46' - Argentina kicks off
58' - After a spell of pressure, Georgia is in full defense mode, with strikers in the box trying to clear the danger. Arveladze tries to do just that, but ends up bringing down Aguero instead - Argentina is awarded a penalty kick!
58' - Messi steps up to put Argentina into the lead but Lomaia guesses correctly and makes a spectacular save to keep the score level!
67' - Arveladze once again brings down an opponent, this time Heinze in the opposite penalty box as he was trying to steal the ball. He is shown a yellow card.
73' - Merebashvili nearly catches the Argentina keeper napping and almost beats him from distance, but the shot is punched out for a corner kick
77' - Ashvetia beats a defender off the dribble and tries to beat the keeper, but the shot is also pushed away for a corner
83' - Lomaia saves a point blank header from Diego Milito
84' - Messi then heads the ensuing corner kick off the post!
87' - Kaladze desperately lunges to stop Aguero's breakaway. He earns a straight red card but Georgia's captain feels it was worth it to keep the score tied.
90'+ - Kobiashvili finds himself with possession on the wing just outside the box, he fakes a cross and then plays a short square pass to Merebashvili who made a late run into the area. Merebashvili hits the one-time shot perfectly, smashing it past the keeper and into the net for an unbelievable winning goal!! [3-2] (Merebashvili)
90'+ - Final whistle

Georgia 3 - 2 Argentina
Iashvili, Arveladze, Merebashvili -- D. Milito x2

Game Stats
Argentina lead possession with 51%
Argentina outshot Georgia 23-9 (11-7 on target)
Argentina had more free kicks, 9-5
Argentina had more corner kicks, 7-2

1 Yellow Card to Argentina: Gago (45')
3 Yellow Card to Georgia: Tskitishvili (4'), Merebashvili (42'), Arveladze (67')
1 Red Card to Georgia: Kaladze (87')

*Kaladze is suspended for the next match (vs Jamaica)

MOTM: 7.5 Merebashvili (Georgia)



What a game to finally get the tournament going after three straight (dull) blow outs!

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group C: France vs Brazil

The French were so dominant in the early years that they went on to reach the championship three times in a row, but never actually won in the final. They lost to Georgia and Cote d'Ivoire in World Cups II and III, but they did manage to draw against Netherlands and then win the penalty shootout in World Cup I, which earned their ticket to this tournament. Brazil have never had much luck in the World Cup until recently taking bronze at World Cup VIII. However, they did manage to win Copa America to make it here, and now these two heavyweights have a chance to go toe-to-toe in a match that will probably feel like a World Cup final.

1' - France kicks off
1' - Toulalan catches Brazil unprepared to start the match, he breaks through, jumping over a potential slide tackle, and fires in the opening goal for the fastest goal of the tournament and possibly in history! [1-0] (Toulalan)
17' - Clichy is shown a yellow card for bringing down Mancini after being beaten off the dribble
17' - Juninho takes advantage of the free kick in a favorable position and bends the ball over the wall and into the net for an equalizer! [1-1] (Juninho)
25' - Mancini continues to trouble the French defense. This time he forces Mexes to lunge at him and wins a penalty kick for Brazil, though no card is shown.
25' - Juninho steps up and buries the spotkick into the lower left corner to give Brazil the lead. [1-2] (Juninho)
31' - A loose ball at the top of the box eventually falls to Juninho who quickly fires in a shot that beats the keeper, he's scored a hattrick! [1-3] (Juninho)
37' - Mert Nobre misses a glancing header
40' - Mancini continues to be assaulted by the French defense, and has to go off injured for a short period. He does eventually return though.
43' - Anderson Polga heads away a French corner kick but Ribery collects the clearance, dribbles into the box and scores. [2-3] (Ribery)
45'+ - Kaka' picks up a yellow card for a late tackle near midfield

46' - Brazil kicks off
54' - Henry fires a shot off the post but gets his own rebound and then his follow up shot is saved by the keeper!
56' - Henry attempts a diving header on a corner kick and once again is denied by the crossbar!
67' - Ribery goes off temporarily, injured, but returns with no visible issues
75' - France have been dominating the second half, desperate for an equalizer
77' - Henry finally gets it right, heading in a cross from Ribery to tie the game! [3-3] (Henry)
84' - Juninho tries to score on another free kick but hits the post
87' - Nasri with a late chance to win for France, his open header is narrowly saved
90'+ - Final whistle

France 3 - 3 Brazil
Toulalan, Ribery, Henry -- Juninho x3

Game Stats
Both teams split possession at 50%
France outshot Brazil 19-13 (8-9 on target)
France had more free kicks, 9-8
France had more corner kicks, 4-0

1 Yellow Card to France: Clichy (17')
1 Yellow Card to Brazil: Kaka (45')

*Neither player that went off injured (Mancini or Ribery) will miss the next match.

MOTM: 7.5 Henry (France)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group C: Morocco vs England

Morocco qualified as the African Champions, but very nearly could have ended up taking England's spot. Morocco made a run in World Cup VII, getting out of the group stage and then beating Brazil in the Round of Sixteen to set up a meeting with France. The French ultimately won that match 2-1 and then went on to play England in the semifinals. The English obviously ended up winning the tournament, but had Morocco advanced, they would have had their shot at denying the World Cup to England. Albeit with slightly different rosters, would this match show how history could have changed?

1' - Morocco kicks off
10' - Chafni creates a great chance and forces the England keeper to make an equally great save to keep the shot out of the net, out for a corner kick
11' - A short corner is taken and then the cross comes in from a slightly different angle. It finds El Hamdaoui but his header just misses and goes over the bar
40' - Morocco wins a free kick and takes it quickly, allowing Al Ahmadi to nearly catch the keeper out, but his shot also goes over
45' - England has not been able to create any decent chances against this Moroccan defense

46' - England kicks off
50' - Heskey beats a defender off the dribble and fires in a shot that is saved but spilled. He nearly gets to the rebound but the keeper recovers and dives on the ball to prevent a tap in
71' - Heskey creates a counter attack by stealing the ball and then finds Defoe in the center of the box. Defoe's hard shot is somehow saved and the game remains tied!
90'+ - Lots of pressure from Morocco late, but they just can't seem to find the net
90'+ - Final whistle

Morocco 0 - 0 England

Game Stats
England lead possession with 53%
Morocco outshot England 8-7 (4-3 on target)
Morocco had more free kicks, 11-3
Morocco had more corner kicks, 5-2

MOTM: 6.5 Benatia (Morocco)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Matchday 1 Recap

Group A
Spain - 3 pts +4 GD4 GF 0 GA
Cote d'Ivoire - 3 pts +4 GD4 GF 0 GA
Norway - 0 pts -4 GD 0 GF 4 GA
Bahrain - 0 pts -4 GD 0 GF 4 GA

Spain 4 - 0 Norway [Torres, S. Cazorla, Silva, Xabi Alonso]
Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 0 Bahrain [Romaric, Drogba x2, Kalou]


Group B
Italy - 3 pts +4 GD4 GF 0 GA
Georgia - 3 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Argentina - 0 pts -1 GD 2 GF 3 GA
Jamaica - 0 pts -4 GD 0 GF 4 GA

Italy 4 - 0 Jamaica [Gilardino x3, Quagliarella]
Georgia 3 - 2 Argentina [Iashvili, Arveladze, Merebashvili; D. Milito x2]


Group C
Brazil - 1 pts +0 GD 3 GF 3 GA
France - 1 pts +0 GD 3 GF 3 GA
England - 1 pts +0 GD 0 GF 0 GA
Morocco - 1 pts +0 GD 0 GF 0 GA

France 3 - 3 Brazil [Toulalan, Ribery, Henry; Juninho x3]
Morocco 0 - 0 England





Notes
-The only matchup between former World Cup champions in this round was Georgia vs Argentina (Georgia won 3-2).
-World Cup champions were 2-1-2 against Continental Champions.
-Euro champions Spain were the only continental champ to defeat a World champ, while Bahrain and Jamaica both lost to World champions, and Brazil and Morocco each drew.
-5/12 teams failed to score a goal in the opening match
-6/12 teams scored 3+ goals in the opening match
-2 players scored a hattrick (Juninho of Brazil and Gilardino of Italy)
-2 players scored a brace (Drogba of Cote d'Ivoire and D. Milito of Argentina)
-2 goals were scored in stoppage time, 1 in first half: Gilardino of Italy and 1 as a game winner: Merebashvili of Georgia
-Xabi Alonso of Spain received one of the highest ratings ever, a 9.0 for his performance against Norway
-Groups A and B could be decided by the end of Matchday 2 if both teams that won on opening day win their next game too.



Previous Meetings
-Spain had only met Norway once before, in World Cup II Qualifying; Norway won that match 1-0
-Cote d'Ivoire and Bahrain had never played each other before
-Italy had only met Jamaica once before, in World Cup III Group Stage; Italy won that match 2-1
-Georgia and Argentina had never played each other before
-France and Brazil had met twice before; France defeated Brazil 1-0 in the quarterfinals of World Cup I (en route to their championship), and Brazil defeated France 6-1 in the group stage of World Cup VIII (en route to a bronze medal for Brazil).
-Morocco and England had never played each other before

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group A: Bahrain vs Spain

Asian Champions vs European Champions - it would be the first match to not feature at least one World Cup champions in the Confederations Cup. These sides had never met before, but based on opening day results, Spain had beaten a stronger (on paper) team than Bahrain 4-0, while Bahrain had lost to a weaker (on paper) team than Spain also by a score of 4-0. Would this matchup result in one of the biggest wins in history? Or would Bahrain be able to hold their own and possibly turn the tournament around?

1' - Bahrain kicks off
4' - Pique is shown an early yellow card for a hard tackle near midfield
30' - Bahrain have held strong defensively, limiting Spain's possession and allowing very few shots
35' - Villa tries to crack the Bahrain defense, dribbles past a defender to get a look at goal but his shot goes wide
45'+ - Cesc Fabregas just manages to stay onside to receive a great through ball and have a shot at goal, he beats the keeper but also just barely missed the net as well
45'+ - F. Ayesh gets Bahrain's first shot of the match in the dying moments of the half. The shot goes well wide, but it is the first shot against Spain in the entire tournament (Norway did not manage to register a single shot in the first match)! Spain has only had 4 shots in the first half though.

46' - Spain kicks off
47' - Abdulrahman was trying to create a turnover, but ended up earning a yellow card for his tackle on Pique.
57' - Torres has the best chance of the match so far, his glancing header is somehow saved by the keeper though
73' - Villa runs onto a through ball to get in behind the defense but his shot is also saved
86' - Frustration leads Torres to desperately try to create a turnover late in the match and he ends up getting a yellow card instead, his second of the tournament meaning that he will be suspended for the next match!
90'+ - Final whistle

Bahrain 0 - 0 Spain

Game Stats
Spain lead possession with 55%
Spain outshot Bahrain 7-1 (2-0 on target)
Bahrain had more free kicks, 11-4
Spain had more corner kicks, 3-0

1 Yellow Card to Bahrain: Abdulrahman (47')
2 Yellow Cards to Spain: Pique (4'), Torres (86')

*Torres is suspended for the next match (vs Cote d'Ivoire) due to yellow card accumulation

MOTM: 7.5 Iniesta (Spain)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group A: Norway vs Cote d'Ivoire

Norway and Cote d'Ivoire were two of the best teams in the Winning Eleven 8 era, having combined to win 3 of the 6 World Cups during that time, but they only met once during that period. Cote d'Ivoire defeated Norway 2-0 in the quarterfinals of World Cup III, the tournament that they would eventually end up winning. The sides then met again in the group stage of World Cup VIII in one of the all time classics where Norway clung to a 1-0 lead late in the match only to have Ivory Coast storm back and win the game in stoppage time thanks to a legendary Drogba goal, 2-1. So Cote d'Ivoire lead the series 2 games to 0 and have looked much better so far in this tournament, would Norway be able to right their ship in time, or would Ivory Coast continue their dominance?

1' - Norway kicks off
3' - Both teams pick up right where they left off from the previous games - an early Ivorian chance is spilled by the Norwegian keeper and Drogba knocks it in to the net but the offside flag saves Norway
27' - A corner kick finds Carew in the box but his header hits the post!
28' - Cote d'Ivoire counter attack from that corner kick, Drogba dribbles into the box and tries to lob a pass across to a fellow attacker but the ball is deflected by a defender. Luckily, it lands right back in the path of Drogba who now has an open look at net, so he fires in the opening goal. [0-1] (Drogba)
36' - Norway get a bit of luck as M. G. Pedersen dribbles around Demel and then sees his shot deflect off the post but still go into the net for the equalizer! [1-1] (M. G. Pedersen)
43' - A corner kick comes into the box much lower than usual, catching the Ivorians off guard, but the ball finds Winsnes whose diving header surprisingly puts Norway into the lead! [2-1] (Winsnes)
45'+ - Both teams have managed 5 shots apiece in the first half, it's been a much closer game than either team played on Matchday 1

46' - Cote d'Ivoire kicks off
56' - Carew tries to extend the lead, breaking through the defense, his shot goes just wide
57' - Andrsen quickly creates another chance, but his shot is too high!
90'+ - Norway's defense has stifled the Ivorians all half, but just like the previous World Cup meeting, Drogba creates a late chance that would have destroyed Norway's tournament hopes. However, his powerful header smashed into the post rather than the back of the goal and there would be no late triumph for the Ivorians this time.
90'+ - Final whistle

Norway 2 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire
M. G. Pedersen, Winsnes -- Drogba

Game Stats
Cote d'Ivoire lead possession with 51%
Norway outshot Cote d'Ivoire 9-8 (5-5 on target)
Both teams had 6 free kicks
Norway had more corner kicks, 2-0

MOTM: 7.5 Andresen (Norway)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group B: Argentina vs Italy

In three consecutive world cups, World Cup VI to World Cup VIII, Argentina and Italy met at various stages. In the first meeting, Italy triumphed 2-0 in the group stage, although they needed to win by three goals to advance, so they were still eliminated while Argentina went on to the quarterfinals. In the next World Cup, the two met in the quarterfinals, and Argentina won 1-0 en route to a silver medal. Drawn together again in the next group stage, Argentina again won 1-0 and again edged Italy for 2nd place in the group, where they would eventually go on to win the entire tournament. Italy finally avoided playing Argentina in World Cup IX and managed to win that tournament, which brought them here. Would Argentina continue to hold the edge over Italy? They needed a positive result after the tough loss to Georgia.

1' - Argentina kicks off
19' - Gattuso makes a hard tackle just outside his own box, no card is shown though and Argentina fail to score on the free kick
22' - Italy earns a free kick on the opposite end of the field, Di Natale's effort is initially saved but Aquilani rushes in to score on the rebound [0-1] (Aquilani)

46' - Italy kicks off
47' - Argentina didn't seem ready to restart the match, Aquilani gets through the defense and, before anyone can try to close him down, he beats the keeper with his shot to double the lead [0-2] (Aquilani)
57' - Toni tries to extend the lead further, but a great save keeps the ball out
63' - Lisandro plays a great 1-2 ball with Gago to get through the defense and score [1-2] (Lisandro)
69' - Messi dribbles through to create a chance, but shoots wide
74' - Messi attempts a spectacular bicycle kick for an equalizer, but misses the ball completely
90'+ - Final whistle

Argentina 1 - 2 Italy
Lisandro -- Aquilani x2

Game Stats
Argentina lead possession with 53%
Both teams had 11 shots (ITA 8-4 on target)
Both teams had 4 free kicks
Italy had more corner kicks, 2-0

MOTM: 8.0 Aquilani (Italy)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group B: Jamaica vs Georgia

Georgia's captain and cornerstone defender Kaladze would have to watch this match from the bench, due to being sent off against Argentina. The team had also gone all out to beat Argentina, questions swirled as to whether they had the energy to play like that again. Meanwhile, Jamaica were looking to pick up the pieces after a disastrous start to the tournament. With Italy having won, a Georgian victory would end the group right now, but Jamaica could keep everyone alive if they could pull out a surprising victory.

1' - Jamaica kicks off
15' - Daley nearly catches the keeper off guard with a very long shot, but he recovers in time to make the save
21' - Kelly brings down Iashvili and forces the star striker to leave the game temporarily with an injury, he is shown a yellow card for the incident
45'+ - Ziadie tries to cap off a great half for Jamaica with a goal from a corner kick, but his header goes just over the bar as the half ends

46' - Georgia kicks off
57' - Jamaica have been bossing the game the whole way so far and continue to do so in the second half, A. Williams creates a scoring chance but the shot is saved
68' - Georgia finally threatens the goal, Kenia's shot is saved though
69' - Caught forward, Georgia are vulnerable to a counter attack; the long ball from Ziadie lands inside the box half way between Fuller and the keeper. Both charge down the ball but Fuller gets there just a split second earlier and touches the ball just enough to direct it goalbound before he collides with the keeper. The ball slowly bounces over the line as both players catch their breath and Jamaica leads! [1-0] (Fuller)
78' - The goal has opened up the game as Georgia seek an equalizer but get caught out, Euell manages to get past a defender and then dribbles in and scores [2-0] (Euell)
79' - Daley is brought down and has to leave the field injured, but returns shortly after
90'+ - Final whistle

Jamaica 2 - 0 Georgia
Fuller, Euell

Game Stats
Jamaica lead possession with 52%
Jamaica outshot Georgia 14-4 (8-1 on target)
Georgia had more free kicks, 10-5
Jamaica had more corner kicks, 3-1

1 Yellow Card to Jamaica: Kelly (21')

*Iashvili and Daley both temporarily left the pitch with possible injuries, but both returned and neither will miss the last group match.

MOTM: 6.5 Daley (Jamaica)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group C: England vs France

Despite being historic rivals, France and England have only met once before in WEFA competitions; England defeated France 3-2 in the semifinals of World Cup VII, the tournament they won to qualify to this Confederations Cup. No one has managed to win yet in this group, so whoever prevails in this match will surely be a front runner to advance.

1' - England kicks off
30' - Both teams are playing very cautiously, few chances have been created
39' - France earns a free kick just outside of the box and Gourcuff nearly capitalizes on it, forcing a great save
43' - England force a turnover and hit France on the break, Lampard plays a great pass across to Defoe who hits it one-time and beats the keeper! [1-0] (Defoe)
45'+ - France has held 58% possession, but England has outshot them 5-2 by half time.

46' - France kicks off
75' - Hesky completes a wonderful pass to Gerrard who then scores, but the goal is disallowed for offsides
85' - England have held a tight defense the whole game but on this occasion Anelka slips through and scores an equalizer on the breakaway [1-1] (Anelka
90'+ - Rooney tries the same thing that just worked for France, but he tries to chip the keeper on the break and misses the target
90'+ - Last chance for England to salvage the victory, Gerrard gets a look from the top of the box but his shot narrowly misses the net, inches wide
90'+ - Final whistle

England 1 - 1 France
Defoe -- Anelka

Game Stats
France lead possession with 54%
England outshot France 13-4 (8-3 on target)
Both teams had 4 free kicks
England had more corner kicks, 1-0

MOTM: 7.5 Lampard (England)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group C: Brazil vs Morocco

South American Champions would meet African Champions in this potentially decisive match seeing as how all other group games have ended in draws so far. Surprisingly, Brazil and Morocco have quite a history against each other despite being from different continents. The sides have met four times before, and even more surprisingly, the series is split at 2 games apiece. They met in the first ever World Cup, and Brazil won 1-0 during the group stage as they went on to win the group while Morocco finished last. Several tournaments later, Morocco got revenge by eliminating Brazil from the Round of Sixteen with a 1-0 victory of their own. Morocco then sent Brazil home from World Cup VII at the same stage, the Round of Sixteen, with a stunning 4-1 victory. The two were drawn into the same group for World Cup VIII, where Brazil leveled the field with a 6-3 victory, one of the highest scoring games in World Cup history. So far, Brazil has won all group stage meetings while Morocco has won all knockout round meetings between the two. Would that trend continue or be reversed in the Confederations Cup?

1' - Brazil kicks off
3' - Ilan forces a tough save from the Moroccan keeper
30' - Morocco's keeper is called into action yet again, this time saving the initial shot and the follow up rebound to keep the game scoreless
45'+ - Brazil has controlled the half, with 59% possession and have outshot Morocco 12-0, but haven't managed to break through

46' - Morocco kicks off
47' - Sloppy passing leads to a turnover which Brazil capitalize on, Ilan dribbles in and scores with a great shot while Mancini seemed to screen the defender out of the play [1-0] (Ilan)
60' - Kharja picks up a yellow card for his tackle on Mancini
63' - Julio Baptista has the ball knocked away from him but Mancini is there to play it back to him which creates space for a shot. He buries it in the bottom corner of the net [2-0] (Julio Baptista)
70' - Julio Baptista then receives a yellow card for a hard tackle
81' - Alloudi subs in for Morocco and immediately creates a chance, finding space for an open shot, but he shoots it wide
90'+ - Final whistle

Brazil 2 - 0 Morocco
Ilan, Julio Baptista

Game Stats
Brazil lead possession with 54%
Brazil outshot Morocco 21-4 (11-2 on target)
Morocco had more free kicks, 8-6
Brazil had more corner kicks, 4-2

1 Yellow Card to Brazil: Julio Baptista (70')
1 Yellow Card to Morocco: Kharja (60')

MOTM: 8.0 Julio Baptista (Brazil)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Matchday 2 Recap

Group A
Spain - 4 pts +4 GD 4 GF 0 GA
Cote d'Ivoire - 3 pts +3 GD 5 GF 2 GA
Norway - 3 pts -3 GD 2 GF 5 GA
Bahrain - 1 pts -4 GD 0 GF 4 GA

Spain 4 - 0 Norway [Torres, S. Cazorla, Silva, Xabi Alonso]
Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 0 Bahrain [Romaric, Drogba x2, Kalou]

Bahrain 0 - 0 Spain
Norway 2 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire [M. G. Pedersen, Winsnes; Drogba]


Group B
Italy - 6 pts +5 GD 6 GF 1 GA
Georgia - 3 pts -1 GD 3 GF 4 GA
Jamaica - 3 pts -2 GD 2 GF 4 GA
Argentina - 0 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA

Italy 4 - 0 Jamaica [Gilardino x3, Quagliarella]
Georgia 3 - 2 Argentina [Iashvili, Arveladze, Merebashvili; D. Milito x2]

Argentina 1 - 2 Italy [Lisandro; Aquilani x2]
Jamaica 2 - 0 Georgia [Fuller, Euell]


Group C
Brazil - 4 pts +2 GD 5 GF 3 GA
France - 2 pts +0 GD 4 GF 4 GA
England - 2 pts +0 GD 1 GF 1 GA
Morocco - 1 pts -2 GD 0 GF 2 GA

France 3 - 3 Brazil [Toulalan, Ribery, Henry; Juninho x3]
Morocco 0 - 0 England

England 1 - 1 France [Defoe; Anelka]
Brazil 2 - 0 Morocco [Ilan, Julio Baptista]





Notes
-After a bucket of goals on opening day (23), there was a goal drought as 4 teams were held scoreless in this round, and only 12 goals total were scored in all six games combined.
-Bahrain and Morocco still have not scored a goal in this competition.
-In matchups between continental champions, Asia and Europe drew 0-0 while South America defeated Africa 2-0.
-Jamaica defeated Georgia in the only matchup between continental champions and World Cup champions.
-Italy's Aquilani was the only player to score 2 goals in this round.
-Drogba scored his third goal of the tournament
-Julio Baptista of Brazil and Aquilani of Italy received the highest ratings in this round, 8.0
-All three teams who lost 4-0 in their opening game got a positive result to potentially turn their tournament around; Norway and Jamaica won, Bahrain drew

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group A: Cote d'Ivoire vs Spain & Bahrain vs Norway

The group that looked over as soon as it started, due to a pair of 4-0 blowouts on opening day, has suddenly turned into a tightly contested group with a possibly down to the wire finish. Will the big winners make it through, or will the underdogs complete the comeback? It's a brand new page for the record books as Cote d'Ivoire have never met Spain before in competitive play, while Norway and Bahrain are just as unfamiliar with each other.

1' - Cote d'Ivoire kicks off & Bahrain kicks off
1' - Spain and Cote d'Ivoire would advance with current results
3' - M. G. Pedersen heads in a cross from Winsnes to open the scoring [0-1] (M. G. Pedersen)
3' - Norway and Spain would advance with current results
11' - Riise attempts to score on a free kick and just narrowly misses wide
13' - Drogba creates the first major chance of the other group game, but skies his shot over the bar following chaos from a loose ball in the box
15' - Carew takes a terrific touch to control a wild pass and then finishes the move by dribbling into the box and beating the keeper with a great shot [0-2] (Carew)
17' - A. A. Omar brings down M. G. Pedersen and is shown a yellow card for the tackle
17' - Riise tries to score again from the free kick, and again just barely misses
19' - Iversen slips through the defense but his breakaway shot is saved
22' - Grindheim earns a yellow card for a mistimed tackle
22' - Tamudo breaks through the Ivorian defense, receives the pass and promptly scores the opening goal of that match [0-1] (Tamudo)
22' - Spain and Norway would advance with current results
25' - Drogba breaks toward goal, behind the defense, but Casillas makes an important save
26' - S. Cazorla is shown a yellow card for his tackle near midfield
41' - Kalou beats Sergio Ramos off the dribble and is promptly brought down from behind to prevent the breakaway. Ramos is shown a straight red card and Spain will have to play a man down for the rest of the match!
45'+ - Despite holding a 1-0 lead, Spain have been outshot 6-2 by Cote d'Ivoire in the first half

46' - Spain kicks off & Norway kicks off
50' - Drogba knocks a cross down to Kalou whose diving header goes agonizingly wide
54' - Riise has been trying to score off a free kick all game, but instead A. A. Omar is the one who bends the ball over Norway's wall into the upper left corner of the goal, going in despite the keeper getting a hand on the shot [1-2] (A. A. Omar)
54' - Spain and Norway would advance with current results
58' - Romaric's shot is saved by Casillas and then Drogba's rebound is also miraculously saved as Spain try to hold on, playing with just 10 men
63' - Drogba narrowly misses the target from his shot near the top of the box
64' - A. Hubail creates a turnover in the box that could have lead to an equalizer, but he misses the target with his shot
65' - Drogba's header from a corner kick smashes off the post and is temporarily cleared
66' - Cote d'Ivoire regain possession and push the ball right back into the box. Kalou finds Romaric who finally scores! [1-1] (Romaric)
66' - Norway and Spain would advance with current results
66' - Emerse Fae subs in for Romaric following the goal
76' - S. Cazorla hits the post with a shot against the run of play, reminding the Ivorians that they can't lose concentration on defense
79' - Hangeland receives a yellow card for a tackle just outside his own box. A. A. Omar steps up to try and score on another free kick, but this time his shot soars over the bar
85' - M. Hubail earns a yellow card after taking down Andresen
85' - Riise looks to take another crack at goal from the free kick but then fakes the shot and passes to Carew, which catches the Bahrain defense by surprise. Unfortunately, Carew's shot hits the post
88' - Emerse Fae has been a disaster since coming on for Romaric, constantly losing possession and now picking up a yellow card
90'+ - Final whistle: Norway and Spain advance!

Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 1 Spain
Romaric -- Tamudo

Bahrain 1 - 2 Norway
A. A. Omar -- M. G. Pedersen, Carew

Game Stats
Norway lead possession with 57%
Cote d'Ivoire lead possession with 51%
Cote d'Ivoire outshot Spain 17-5 (10-1 on target)
Norway outshot Bahrain 13-9 (4-3 on target)
Bahrain had more free kicks than Norway, 13-8
Spain had more free kicks than Cote d'Ivoire, 11-6
Cote d'Ivoire had more corner kicks than Spain, 2-0
Bahrain had more corner kicks than Norway, 1-0

2 Yellow Cards to Bahrain: A. A. Omar (17'), M. Hubail (85')
2 Yellow Cards to Norway: Grindheim (22'), Hangeland (79')
1 Yellow Card to Cote d'Ivoire: Emerse Fae (88')
1 Yellow Card to Spain: S. Cazorla (26')
1 Red Card to Spain: Sergio Ramos (41')

MOTM: 7.5 Romaric (Cote d'Ivoire)
MOTM: 8.5 Winsnes (Norway)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group B: Georgia vs Italy & Argentina vs Jamaica

Georgia and Italy have met twice before, during World Cup VI qualifying when each match ended in a 1-1 draw. A result like that would be just fine with Italy, who are the only team entering the last match with 6 points. However, the pair of 3 point teams (Georgia and Jamaica) do not play each other, meaning that theoretically anyone can still advance or be eliminated depending on how the games go. Jamaica will face Argentina for the first time as both teams hope for a helpful result from the other game; both would love to have Italy win to leave the door open.

1' - Georgia kicks off & Argentina kicks off
1' - Italy and Georgia would advance with current results
6' - Unfortunate start for Jamaica, one of their strikers, Euell goes off injured early
9' - First big chance from either game comes from Toni, who just misses with a header over the bar
12' - Samuel makes a terrible pass out of the back that is easily intercepted by Hyde. He dribbles into the box and then lays the ball off to Lowe who hammers in the opening goal [0-1] (Lowe)
12' - Italy and Jamaica would advance with current results
18' - Arveladze and Ashvetia combine nicely together with a 1-2 pass to allow Arveladze to get through the defense and score [1-0] (Arveladze)
18' - Italy and Georgia would advance with current results (both lead Jamaica on goal difference)
24' - Tskitishvili earns a yellow card for his tackle from behind
25' - Toni forces his way into the box but can't find the target and shoots too high
31' - Messi forces Ricketts to really extend himself for a save but the ball spills to Diego Milito for an easy equalizer [1-1] (D. Milito)
31' - Italy and Georgia would advance with current results
39' - Georgia are pushing to extend the lead, Arveladze's header goes just wide
44' - Lowe just misses the target with his header from a corner kick, pushing it agonizingly wide
44' - At the exact same moment Ashvetia heads in a corner kick in the other game! [2-0] (Ashvetia)
45'+ - Georgia lead 2-0 at half time despite being outshot 7-4 by Italy in the first half

46' - Italy kicks off & Jamaica kicks off
47' - The Italians cough up possession early and Barzagli picks up a yellow card as he tries to win the ball back
57' - Marshall struggles to contain Messi and eventually has to take a yellow card for bringing the elusive dribbler down
60' - Jamaica force another turnover and create a chance for Daley to score, but his shot narrowly goes wide
62' - Argentina send an early cross into the box which finds Diego Milito for a powerful header, but it hits the post and then is cleared for a corner kick
62' - Milito gets a second attempt and this time buries his header into the back of the net to finally give Argentina a lead for the first time in this tournament [2-1] (D. Milito)
63' - Argentina need Italy to come back and win in order to have a shot at advancing
64' - That doesn't seem likely after Kvirkvelia's free kick is headed off the post by Arveladze and falls right into Iashvili's path for a diving header that extends the lead further [3-0] (Iashvili)
65' - Daley creates another chance but again misses the target, shooting high and wide
65' - Italy have kicked off to restart the match, but they clearly were not ready. Ashvetia creates a turnover and plays a quick pass to Arveladze who then lofts the ball across to Merebashvili. The midfielder chests the ball down and then fires a powerful shot that Buffon gets a hand on but is unable to keep out of the net [4-0] (Merebashvili)
65' - Georgia and Italy would advance with current results (Georgia has surpassed Italy on goal difference)
68' - Kaladze is shown a yellow card
70' - Merebashvili also picks up a yellow card for a mistimed tackle
72' - Jamaica are still trying to get back into the match, but can't seem to put the ball on target. Lowe's shot goes wide.
77' - Diego Milito puts the dagger in Jamaican hearts by heading in another corner kick, completing his hattrick as a fine parting gift for Argentina [3-1] (D. Milito)
85' - Now the tournament's leading scorer with 5 goals overall, Milito tries to increase his goal tally with a late chance but his shot misses wide by mere inches
90' - A frustrated Cannavaro picks up a late yellow card and will be lucky to not miss the quarterfinals as he brought down Ashvetia on a potential breakaway
90'+ - Final whistle: Georgia and Italy advance!

Georgia 4 - 0 Italy
Arveladze, Ashvetia, Iashvili, Merebashvili

Argentina 3 - 1 Jamaica
D. Milito x3 -- Lowe

Game Stats
Jamaica lead possession with 52%
Georgia lead possession with 51%
Italy outshot Georgia 12-10 (4-7 on target)
Argentina and Jamaica each had 12 shots (ARG 5-4 on target)
Italy had more free kicks than Georgia, 8-6
Jamaica had more free kicks than Argentina, 6-3
Jamaica had more corner kicks than Argentina, 4-2
Georgia had more corner kicks than Italy, 3-1

1 Yellow Card to Jamaica: Marshall (57')
2 Yellow Cards to Italy: Barzagli (47'), Cannavaro (90')
3 Yellow Cards to Georgia: Tskitishvili (24'), Kaladze (68'), Merebashvili (70')

MOTM: 7.5 Merebashvili (Georgia)
MOTM: 7.5 D. Milito (Argentina)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Group C: Morocco vs France & England vs Brazil

The closest group of the tournament has yet to see anyone really stand out with 3 draws from the first 4 games. Brazil have a slight advantage while Morocco have a slight disadvantage heading into the last matchday, but spots in the knockout round are still up for grabs for any team who manages to win today. Morocco and France have met twice before, as France ended Morocco's best World Cup run, winning 2-1 during World Cup VII's quarterfinals. The sides met again in the following group stage of World Cup VIII where they played to a 0-0 draw. Brazil also met England in World Cup VIII, although much later in the tournament. The sides came together to play an absolute classic, ending 4-4 before Brazil eliminated the defending champions on penalty kicks. Who would be able to stand out among these four today?

1' - Morocco kicks off & England kicks off
1' - Brazil and France would advance with current results
4' - A surprise inclusion in the starting lineup, David Beckham shows why he is still on the roster as he dribbles into the box and has his initial shot blocked, but he regains possession and then plays a nice pass across to Peter Crouch for a fairly easy tap in [1-0] (Crouch)
4' - England and Brazil would advance with current results
6' - Hadji tries to snag an early goal for Morocco as he shoots through traffic from distance that sneaks by the keeper but ultimately is denied by the post
7' - Kaka' finds Mert Nobre with a nice pass that arrives in time for an open look at goal, and just like that Brazil have equalized [1-1] (Mert Nobre)
7' - Brazil and France would advance with current results
10' - Mancini breaks through and tries to put Brazil in front, but his shot is saved
26' - Kharja finds space for a shot inside the 6-yard box, but somehow misses the target despite the close range
34' - Gourcuff is involved in a series of rough plays which ultimately result in being shown a yellow card
43' - El Kaddouri mistimes his tackle and picks up a yellow card as a result
43' - Gourcuff's ensuing free kick bends over the wall and beats the outstretched keeper, but hits the post!
45'+ - Crouch's stoppage time header just misses putting England in front at half time
45'+ - Hadji catches France looking at the clock and gets through on a breakaway, but his shot is saved and France stay level

46' - France kicks off & Brazil kicks off
47' - Kaka' again connects with Mert Nobre, this time sending a great cross into the area where Nobre is able to head in a goal [1-2] (Mert Nobre)
54' - Hadji tries to catch the keeper off guard but his long shot from an angle doesn't find the target
56' - Zaza steps up and makes three saves in quick succession to keep France from taking the lead
60' - Zaza's heroics couldn't withstand the heavy French assault, Gourcuff winds up getting a shot off despite heavy marking and surprises Zaza with the game's opening goal [0-1] (Gourcuff)
60' - Brazil and France would advance with current results
61' - Pato's shot is initially saved but spilled to Mert Nobre, however his follow up shot goes wide
62' - Chamakh nearly finds a quick equalizer for Morocco, but his header just misses the net despite a great cross from Alloudi
74' - Kaka' breaks through and once again provides Mert Nobre with great service to ensure the striker gets his hattrick! [1-3] (Mert Nobre)
77' - Alloudi had been pestering France with a lot of great runs down the wing, but he has to go off injured after being brought down by Malouda who is cautioned with a yellow card for his tackle
81' - Just as Brazil feel like they have a grip on the game, Wright-Phillips makes a run in behind the defense and then scores after a great ball is played through by Walcott [2-3] (Wright-Phillips)
82' - El Ahmadi mistimes his tackle and gets a yellow card
86' - Pato is hit hard and goes down injured, but is determined to keep playing
87' - Kaka' with another brilliant assist, this time finding Juninho to increase his tally to 4 so far in the tournament [2-4] (Juninho)
90'+ - Wright-Phillips fires in a desperate shot from distance, but it skies over the net
90'+ - Hadji is shown a straight red card for a terrible tackle that he made while trying to win possession back
90'+ - Kaka' has set up all of Brazil's goals, but hasn't scored any himself. He tries to change that in the dying moments of the match but the ball brushes the post as it narrowly goes wide
90'+ - Final whistle: Brazil and France advance!

England 2 - 4 Brazil
Crouch, Wright-Phillips -- Mert Nobre x3, Juninho

Morocco 0 - 1 France
Gourcuff

Game Stats
Brazil lead possession with 53%
France lead possession with 51%
Brazil outshot England 19-9 (9-6 on target)
France and Morocco each had 9 shots (4-4 on target)
Morocco had more free kicks than France, 7-6
England had more free kicks than Brazil, 7-4
Morocco had more corner kicks than France, 3-2
Brazil had more corner kicks than England, 2-1

2 Yellow Cards to France: Gourcuff (34'), Malouda (77')
2 Yellow Cards to Morocco: El Kaddouri (43'), El Ahmadi (82')
1 Red Card to Morocco: Hadji (90')

MOTM: 7.0 Toulalan (France)
MOTM: 9.0 Kaka' (Brazil)

*Another 9.0! Here were his stats:

4 assists
5 shots (3 on target)
26/37 passing
3 crosses
358m dribbling

 

[ZeekLTK]

Matchday 3 Recap

Group A
Norway - 6 pts -2 GD 4 GF 6 GA
Spain - 5 pts +4 GD 5 GF 1 GA
Cote d'Ivoire - 4 pts +3 GD 6 GF 3 GA
Bahrain - 1 pts -5 GD 1 GF 6 GA

Spain 4 - 0 Norway [Torres, S. Cazorla, Silva, Xabi Alonso]
Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 0 Bahrain [Romaric, Drogba x2, Kalou]

Bahrain 0 - 0 Spain
Norway 2 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire [M. G. Pedersen, Winsnes; Drogba]

Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 1 Spain [Romaric; Tamudo]
Bahrain 1 - 2 Norway [A. A. Omar; M. G. Pedersen, Carew]


Group B
Georgia - 6 pts +3 GD 7 GF 4 GA
Italy - 6 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
Argentina - 3 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Jamaica - 3 pts -4 GD 3 GF 7 GA

Italy 4 - 0 Jamaica [Gilardino x3, Quagliarella]
Georgia 3 - 2 Argentina [Iashvili, Arveladze, Merebashvili; D. Milito x2]

Argentina 1 - 2 Italy [Lisandro; Aquilani x2]
Jamaica 2 - 0 Georgia [Fuller, Euell]

Georgia 4 - 0 Italy [Arveladze, Ashvetia, Iashvili, Merebashvili]
Argentina 3 - 1 Jamaica [D. Milito x3; Lowe]


Group C
Brazil - 7 pts +4 GD 9 GF 5 GA
France - 5 pts +1 GD 5 GF 4 GA
England - 2 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA
Morocco - 1 pts -3 GD 0 GF 3 GA

France 3 - 3 Brazil [Toulalan, Ribery, Henry; Juninho x3]
Morocco 0 - 0 England

England 1 - 1 France [Defoe; Anelka]
Brazil 2 - 0 Morocco [Ilan, Julio Baptista]

Morocco 0 - 1 France [Gourcuff]
England 2 - 4 Brazil [Crouch, Wright-Phillips; Mert Nobre x3, Juninho]




Seeding
Brazil - 7 pts +4 GD 9 GF 5 GA
Georgia - 6 pts +3 GD 7 GF 4 GA
Norway - 6 pts -2 GD 4 GF 6 GA

Italy - 6 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
Spain - 5 pts +4 GD 5 GF 1 GA
France - 5 pts +1 GD 5 GF 4 GA

*Brazil and Georgia earn BYEs into the Semifinals
*Norway will play lowest ranked runner up (France) in Quarterfinal
*Italy-Spain will be other Quarterfinal
*NOR/FRA will be paired with Georgia and ITA/ESP will be paired with Brazil to prevent possible rematches in the semifinals (of BRA-FRA and/or GEO-ITA)




Notes
-Scoring went back up, with 20 goals on the last matchday, and only 2 teams were held scoreless (Italy and Morocco)
-Brazil finished the group stage with 9 goals and has 2 players in contention for the scoring title (Juninho 4 goals, Mert Nobre 3 goals)
-Despite being eliminated, D. Milito of Argentina is currently the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals
-Morocco ended the tournament without scoring a single goal
-Both 2-time World Cup champions ended up not only advancing, but also winning their groups (Georgia and Norway)
-The first and last World Cup champions (France and Italy) also managed to advance
-European champions Spain and South American champions Brazil advanced as well
-Every team earned at least a point in the competition, even overmatched Bahrain
-Kaka earned a 9.0 rating, matching Xabi Alonso's record from the opening matchday
-The final matchday was heavily contested and 2 players were sent off (Sergio Ramos of Spain and Hadji of Morocco)
-There were also 15 yellow cards shown, averaging 2.5 per match.

 

[ZeekLTK]

Knockout Bracket

Brazil

Italy

Spain

Norway

France

Georgia

 

[ZeekLTK]

Quarterfinals: Italy vs Spain

Italy and Spain had never met before the Euro Cup, but they are becoming familiar foes with yet another quarterfinal meeting. In Euro Cup I, Spain defeated Italy 3-1 in the quarterfinals en route to winning the tournament. Will they be able to prevail at the same stage again, or will Italy be able to get revenge? These two are the two most recent champions in WEFA, as Euro Cup I was the last continental tournament to finish while Italy managed to win World Cup IX, the most recent World Cup that has been contested.

1' - Italy kicks off
20' - Three straight corner kicks from Spain threaten Italy, but ultimately the danger is cleared
24' - The Italians catch Spain on a counter attack and find a breakaway. The initial shot is saved but Xabi Alonso's clearance is intercepted by Toni and he scores the opening goal [1-0] (Toni)
34' - Sergio Ramos makes a great run forward into open space and receives the ball, but shoots terribly wide

46' - Spain kicks off
50' - Torres creates a great opportunity to score, he heads the ball perfectly but somehow Buffon keeps it out of the goal
57' - S. Cazorla takes a crack at goal, finally beating Buffon but he is denied by the post!
68' - Spain has been pressing Italy the whole half and it finally pays off. Xabi Alonso fights through the central defenders and gets a shot off that is initially saved but Villa flies in to hit the rebound just moments before Buffon can grab the loose ball, tying the match! [1-1] (Villa)
73' - Toni looks to put Italy back in front with a breakaway, but he is caught from behind by Puyol and the danger is cleared
86' - S. Cazorla is brought down inside the box but there is no call, no penalty awarded
87' - Pirlo has to leave temporarily after being brought down harshly
90'+ - Torres receives a great through ball a step ahead of the defender, he attempts to win the game but Buffon just barely gets a hand on the ball to push it wide and force overtime
90'+ - End of regulation!

91' - Italy kicks off
100' - The ball is chipped into the box where Quagliarella beats Casillas to get a touch and heads it past the keeper and into the open net. Puyol had mistakenly played Quagliarella onside despite being nowhere near him. [2-1] (Quagliarella)
105' - Neither side is able to create a good chance before the first half of extra time ends.

106' - Spain kicks off
109' - Iniesta slips through the defense and nearly scores, but Buffon makes another miraculous save
110' - Spain recover possession and Villa picks out Torres with a perfect cross into the box, Torres jumps just a bit higher than Perrotta to head in the equalizer! [2-2] (Torres)
111' - Sergio Ramos goes down injured after Italy foul him trying to force a turnover. Was probably a bit of acting to waste time, because he came back soon after going off.
120'+ - Neither team is able to pull ahead, so the winner will have to be decided by penalty kicks!
120'+ - Final whistle

*Gilardino (ITA) is up first, and his shot is saved by Casillas! [0-0]
*Torres (ESP) goes first for Spain and easily places the ball into the corner to put Spain ahead [0-1]
*Quagliarella (ITA) scored in overtime, but Casillas makes another great save to keep Italy scoreless [0-1]
*Villa (ESP) has a chance to really put the pressure on, but Buffon comes up with a big save to keep Italy alive [0-1]
*Aquilani (ITA) still can't break through, Casillas has saved three shots in a row now! [0-1]
*Cesc Fabgregas (ESP) can't capitalize, his shot is saved by Buffon! [0-1]
*Toni (ITA) finally beats Casillas and draws level [1-1]
*S. Cazorla (ESP) keeps Spain in front as he scores from his spotkick as well [1-2]
*Pirlo (ITA) calmly slots his shot past Casillas to tie the score again [2-2]
*Silva (ESP) can win the match with his shot, but Buffon makes another great save to force extra kicks [2-2]
*Perrotta (ITA) failed to win the header that would have won the game for Italy, and he fails again, Casillas saves the shot [2-2]
*Iniesta (ESP) can win it for Spain and does so by placing his shot perfectly out of Buffon's reach to send Spain to the semifinals! [2-3]


Italy 2 - 2 Spain (2-3 PKs)
Toni, Quagliarella -- Villa, Torres

Game Stats
Spain lead possession with 53%
Spain outshot Italy 19-6 (10-4 on target)
Spain had more free kicks, 12-7
Spain had more corner kicks, 6-4

*Serio Ramos was not seriously injured, will not miss next match (vs Brazil)

MOTM: 7.5 Xabi Alonso (Spain)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Quarterfinals: Norway vs France

Norway and France have met twice before in WEFA Competitions as well as in the World Series. France defeated Norway 1-0 in the semifinals of World Cup II where Norway went on to win third place over Costa Rica while France lost to Georgia in the championship. Immediately following that tournament, the World Series took place and these two were drawn to play each other in the first round! France won the opening game of the series 2-1, and then Norway won Game 2 by the same scoreline. However, France would go on to win 5-2 and 3-2 in the next two games to take a commanding lead in series. Norway then won 2-1 in Game 5, but France finished off the round with a 1-0 win to take the series 4 games to 2. France would end up going all the way to the semifinals before losing to Georgia once again. The sides met again in the group stage of World Cup IV, where Norway managed to win 1-0 and would go on to win their first World Cup in that tournament. Who would get the upper hand in this latest meeting, and who would get a chance for a rematch with Georgia in the semifinals?

1' - Norway kicks off
12' - Riise sends in an early cross to Skjelbred who collects the ball while still outside the box and then dribbles in. He places his shot perfectly, just out of the keeper's reach to give Norway a surprise early lead [1-0] (Skjelbred)
15' - Riise mistimes a tackle and earns a yellow card
17' - Gourcuff's free kick deflects off the wall but luckily falls right to Henry who reacts quickly to shoot the ball past the keeper and tie the game [1-1] (Henry)
18' - Mater takes out M. G. Pedersen shortly after the restart and is shown a yellow card
18' - Pedersen tries to make France pay, his header goes just wide but would have beat the keeper if it was on target
29' - Henry finds space for a breakaway but the defense is closing down on him fast and he is forced to shoot from outside the box. Keeper makes a diving save.
37' - Ribery breaks through on a counter attack but misses the target with his shot

46' - France kicks off
52' - Bertelsen upends Patrice Evra to earn a yellow card
52' - Henry heads in the ensuing free kick [1-2] (Henry)
57' - Evra tries to increase the lead, but misses just wide
61' - Norway are desperately trying to claw their way back into the game and earn another yellow card, shown to Skjelbred this time
63' - Alou Diarra comes agonizingly close to dropping Norway for good, as his shots rattles off the post
74' - Bertelsen atones for his foul that set up France's second goal as he makes a great overlapping run to receive a pass from Skjelbred and then places his shot perfectly to equalize! [2-2] (Bertelsen)
82' - A stunning turnaround! Riise again sends in an early cross, much like he did in the first half, which somehow finds its way to Carew. Perhaps he didn't expect the ball to reach him, so Carew shifted his body to strike the ball out of the air while falling backward but he was able to hit it with enough force that it beat the keeper and gave Norway a surprise lead! [3-2] (Carew)
84' - With France still reeling from losing their lead, M. G. Pedersen turns the dagger after receiving a wonderful long ball from the midfield to his position on the wing, he picks out Nevland who manages to put so much power behind his header that it was "unstoppable" according to the French keeper after the match. [4-2] (Nevland)
90'+ - Final whistle

Norway 4 - 2 France
Skjelbred, Bertelsen, Carew, Nevland -- Henry x2

Game Stats
Both teams split possession with 50%
France outshot Norway 13-9 (6-5 on target)
France had more free kicks, 13-1
France had more corner kicks, 2-1

1 Yellow Card to France: Mater (18')
3 Yellow Cards to Norway: Riise (15'), Bertelsen (52'), Skjelbred (61')

MOTM: 7.5 Skjelbred (Norway)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Quarterfinals Recap

Italy 2 - 2 Spain [Toni, Quagliarella OT; Villa, Torres OT] (2-3 PKs)

Norway 4 - 2 France [Skjelbred, Bertelsen, Carew, Nevland; Henry x2]




Notes
-Norway defeated France to set up a semifinal which will feature the only two teams who have ever won multiple WEFA World Cups (Georgia and Norway)
-Spain advancing means that the other semifinal will not feature any World Cup champions, but instead will be South American champions vs European Champions (Brazil vs Spain)
-Henry was the only player to score multiple goals in this round, and in doing so he has put his name on the Top Scorers list with 3 goals overall.
-Bertelsen is the first defender to score in this tournament
-Despite the amount of cards (all from NOR-FRA), and apparent injuries in this round, no player will miss the semifinals
-Spain had defeated Lithuania on penalties in Euro Cup I and have now defeated Italy on penalties to advance in this tournament
-During the Spain-Italy penalty shootout, keepers made more saves (7) than the number of goals scored (5).

 

[ZeekLTK]

Semifinals: Brazil vs Spain

Brazil and Spain have met in three previous WEFA World Cups, with Brazil winning all of those encounters. The Spanish were eliminated from World Cup III after losing 1-0 to Brazil in the Round of Sixteen. Two tournaments later, in World Cup V, the sides met in the group stage where Brazil won 2-1 to top the group, while Spain advanced as runners up, although both teams ended up losing in the Round of Sixteen. Later on, in World Cup VIII, they met again in the Round of Sixteen, and again Brazil eliminated Spain with a 1-0 victory. Can Brazil maintain their unbeaten streak against Spain, or will the red-hot Spanish cash in on their great form to finally take down the South American champions?

1' - Brazil kicks off
3' - A free kick lofted into the box finds Mancini who chests it down into a shooting position and then he beats Casillas with his shot [1-0] (Mancini)
11' - Naldo gets stranded and has to defend David Villa one-on-one, he stabs at the ball but misses, allowing Villa to go right past him and the Spanish striker makes him pay by scoring an equalizer [1-1] (Villa)
22' - Naldo is still struggling on defense and is beaten yet again, but luckily the striker bails him out by shooting wide of the goal
30' - Brazil are enjoying a nice spell of possession, passing around the edge of the Spanish box and looking for an opening. They finally find one as Kaka's quick cross to a wide-open Pato finds the back of the net [2-1] (Pato)
32' - Spain push forward quickly after the restart and have all of the defenders preoccupied marking the strikers and wingers. This leaves space in the middle for Iniesta to slip in and take a shot with no one defending him, easily beating the keeper to tie the game yet again [2-2] (Iniesta)
33' - Brazil nearly respond straight from the next restart, but Pato's shot just misses wide
40' - Anderson Polga finds an opening just as Iniesta had done against his side, but there is just too much traffic inside the box and the shot never makes it to the goal
42' - Cesc Fabregas goes down injured briefly, but eventually returns and looks to be fine
45' - It's been a very even first half, Brazil only hold a 51% possession advantage and lead on shots just 7-6.

46' - Spain kicks off
47' - Spain come right at Brazil to start the half, Villa receives the ball at the top of the box and rounds Naldo, his shot beats the keeper, hits the post, but still goes in to give Spain the lead! [2-3] (Villa)
65' - Mert Nobre heads in an equalizer, but is ruled offside - the goal is disallowed
82' - Cesc tries to increase the lead with a great chance, but shoots wide
84' - Casillas makes a huge save to stop Mert Nobre's header
88' - Brazil are applying tons of pressure but just can't find a goal
90'+ - Final whistle

Brazil 2 - 3 Spain
Mancini, Pato -- Villa x2, Iniesta

Game Stats
Spain lead possession with 51%
Spain outshot Brazil 13-10 (6-7 on target)
Spain had more free kicks, 8-6
Both teams had 2 corner kicks

*Cesc Fabregas was not seriously injured, will not miss next match (Championship)

MOTM: 7.5 Villa (Spain)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Semifinals: Georgia vs Norway

The only time Georgia and Norway have met previously was also in the semifinal round. At World Cup V, Norway edged Georgia 2-1 and went on to win their first World Cup. Norway went on to win the next World Cup as well, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles. Had Georgia won that semifinal matchup, they may well have won the World Cup too, and would have been the first back-to-back champions themselves. They also would have become the first team to ever win 3 World Cups, which still has not happened yet. No other matchup could produce as many World Cup titles (4) as this one does, who will prevail in this heavyweight matchup to get a shot at winning the first ever Confederations Cup?

1' - Georgia kicks off
11' - Bertelsen collides with an opponent while trying to win a 50/50 ball and goes off injured, but does return
16' - Iversen creates the first dangerous chance of the match, but his header misses the target
20' - Georgia have been getting into the box well, but Norway hasn't allowed them to put anything on net
22' - Carew is brought down inside the box, but there is no call, and no PK
39' - Carew sends in a nice pass from the wing, along the ground rather than in the air, which finds Skjelbred who gets off a nice shot, but it's saved
45'+ - Braaten goes down inside the box and Norway are furious that yet again there is no call for a PK
45'+ - The half ends with Norway holding a 52% possession edge and having outshot Georgia 6-2

46' - Norway kicks off
48' - Georgia appears to be more determined to attack in the second half, Kenia gets loose inside the box but shoots too high with a defender harassing him
53' - Arveladze's header is just a bit too high
70' - Tettey early catches Georgia's keeper off guard with a shot from distance, but the ball misses wide
87' - Iashvili's shot is saved and Norway's keeper is very quick to jump on the rebound before an incoming striker can get a touch
90'+ - Riise goes for the winner on a late free kick, but the shot is saved
90'+ - End of regulation! Norway still hold a 52% possession lead, but shots are much closer now at 10-9 (meaning Georgia outshot Norway 7-4 that half)

91' - Georgia kicks off
97' - A Georgian cross is headed away by the defense but only as far as the top of the box, Kenia is there to collect it and he tries to volley the ball towards goal, but misses wide
99' - Riise tries to score again off a free kick, hits the post and Helstad's follow up header goes wide!
102' - Iversen gets through on a breakaway, beats the keeper with his shot, but also misses the net

106' - Norway kicks off
111' - Pantskhava appears to be offside when he receives a pass inside the box, but the flag stays down. He turns and shoots but the keeper has since rushed out of the goal to close down the angle and makes the save, punching the ball away towards the wing. Pantskhava stays with the play though and beats the keeper to the loose ball, turning to find Merebashvili rushing into the box. The pass finds the midfielder who smashes it into the open net to finally score the opening goal of the match! [1-0] (Merebashvili)
114' - Pantskhava takes advantage of a demoralized Norway squad and heads in a cross to secure victory with a 2-goal lead and less than 7 minutes to play [2-0] (Pantskhava)
117' - Kenia dribbles in and takes a powerful shot that should have been the third goal for Georgia, but somehow the keeper managed to make the stop and save it
120'+ - Skjelbred makes a late run into the box after the strikers have pulled the defenders away and he receives a pass with a clear path to goal. He shoots low, beating the keeper, but hits the post and the ball is cleared away
120'+ - Norway regain possession and go forward, but Georgia are watching the ref, waiting for the final whistle. As such, Helstad sneaks in behind the defense and heads in a cross, he was left wide open at the far post! [2-1] (Helstad)
120'+ - Final whistle sounds immediately after Georgia kicks off, Norway never had a chance to equalize

Georgia 2 - 1 Norway
Merebashvili OT, Pantskhava OT -- Helstad OT

Game Stats
Both teams split possession with 50%
Norway outshot Georgia 16-15 (3-5 on target)
Norway had more free kicks, 9-6
Norway had more corner kicks, 3-0

MOTM: 7.5 Kenia (Georgia)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Semifinals Recap

Brazil 2 - 3 Spain [Mancini, Pato; Villa x2, Iniesta]

Georgia 2 - 1 Norway [Merebashvili OT, Pantskhava OT; Helstad OT]




Notes
-Two great games, possibly the best of the tournament. Both were very close and competitive, either team could have won.
-There were no yellow cards in either game!
-Georgia will be playing for their 4th championship, as they have previously won 2 World Cups and 1 World Series title (all on WE8)
-Spain will be playing for their 2nd consecutive PES championship, having just won the Euro Cup right before this tournament
-The championship will essentially be a battle of "old vs new" with Georgia being the former dominant team in this dynasty, whereas Spain are clearly the new dominant force
-Brazil vs Norway for third place, both teams have won a bronze medal before. Norway won bronze at World Cup II while Brazil won bronze at World Cup VIII.
-Despite two extra rounds having been played since the group stage, Diego Milito of Argentina is still the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals.
-Juninho of Brazil is really the only player within reach of Milito, Juninho has scored 4 goals so far. Villa (Spain) and Merebashvili (Georgia) each have 3.

 

[ZeekLTK]

Third Place: Brazil vs Norway

In real life, Norway holds the distinction of being the only nation to play Brazil multiple times without losing. In WEFA, I managed to continue that streak the first time these sides met, holding Brazil to a 0-0 draw in the group stage World Cup I. That had been the only meeting between these two up until now. Unfortunately, that streak came to a bitter end thanks to an overall poor performance complete with lackluster finishing, awful defending, and even worse reffing.

1' - Brazil kicks off
9' - Hangeland is beaten by Ilan off the dribble and fouls the striker while trying to recover. The referee produces a straight red card which will force Norway to play for over 80 minutes with just 10 men! *Awful call IMO, should have only been yellow. Kah, a midfielder, has been moved back to defense to fill in.
15' - Despite the disadvantage, Norway gets the ball into the box where Carew tries to swivel and hit it into the net, but he misses wide
20' - Brazil finally take advantage of their extra man and maintain possession by passing around the edge of the box, eventually finding Julio Baptista for an open look, and he scores the opening goal [1-0] (Julio Baptista)
32' - Mancini sends a nice cross into the box which finds Pato, who heads in a goal over Hoiland [2-0] (Pato)
32' - Julio Baptista commits a foul immediately after the kick off and is shown a yellow card
37' - Brazil keeps piling it on, a free kick comes into the box and is headed down to Mancini who reacts quickly and volleys it into the net [3-0] (Mancini)
41' - Julio Baptista runs through a defender and is sent off for picking up a second yellow card less than ten minutes after his first. It's 10v10 now!
42' - Norway decide that the only chance they have is to change their formation to try to create more chances. Riise is moved into the midfield and Nevland (a 4th striker) comes on for Bertelsen, leaving just 2 defenders (Kah and Hoiland) in a risky, yet attack minded 2-3-4 formation.
43' - Juninho picks up a yellow card after taking out Carew
45'+ - At half time Brazil leads possession with 52% and has outshot Norway 12-4

46' - Norway kicks off
46' - The new formation almost pays off immediately, but Nevland's wide open header misses the target!
53' - Brazil takes advantage of the lack of defenders and opens the floodgate, an extra pass unlocks Pato's path for another goal [4-0] (Pato)
69' - Andresen's nice shot nearly puts Norway on the scoreboard, but the keeper just manages to punch it away
70' - Helstad is shown a yellow card for being too aggressive while trying to force a turnover
78' - Norway create another chance, this time off a corner kick, but after a scramble for the loose ball inside the box, the keeper eventually finds his way to the ball
79' - Brazil counter quickly, catching Norway too far up the field. Pato dribbles around Kah and scores on the breakaway, completing his hattrick! [5-0] (Pato)
82' - Pato dribbles right down the middle of the field and forces a difficult save that is spilled, Nilmar rushes in to poke in the rebound [6-0] (Nilmar)
85' - Mancini nearly heads in a corner kick, but the defender on the post keeps the shot out
90'+ - Carew finally nets a goal for Norway, heading in a nice cross [6-1] (Carew)
90'+ - Riise picks up a yellow card for a hard tackle
90'+ - Nilmar heads in the ensuing free kick to complete the route [7-1] (Nilmar)
90'+ - Final whistle, it's the biggest defeat Norway has suffered and one of Brazil's biggest margins of victory. Brazil were the better side, but Norway will feel hard done by the result due to the early red card.

Brazil 7 - 1 Norway
Julio Baptista, Pato x3, Mancini, Nilmar x2 -- Carew

Game Stats
Brazil lead possession with 53%
Brazil outshot Norway 23-10 (15-7 on target)
Both teams had 8 free kicks
Brazil had more corner kicks, 5-3

3 Yellow Cards to Brazil: Julio Baptista (32', 41'), Juninho (43')
1 Red Card to Brazil: Julio Baptista (41')
2 Yellow Cards to Norway: Helstad (70'), Riise (90')
1 Red Card to Norway: Hangeland (9')

MOTM: 7.0 Pato (Brazil)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Championship: Spain vs Georgia

Spain and Georgia have never met in a WEFA competitive match, not even in a qualifying campaign. What a stage for the first meeting, in the Confederations Cup Championship! Would Georgia add yet another trophy to their already impressive case, or would Spain continue their great form that has seen them reach 2 consecutive finals? Spain made a controversial decision to start Luis Garcia up front. He hasn't played a single match in the tournament yet, so it will be interesting to see if the decision pays off.

1' - Spain kicks off
21' - After a nervy 20 minutes, Spain finally break the deadlock when Luis Enrique's shot hits the post and deflects right to Xavi for the put back [1-0] (Xavi)
23' - Ashvetia tries to respond quickly, getting in behind the defense, but his shot is saved
26' - Merebashvili attempts a audacious shot from a tight angle and can't quite find the target
33' - Ashvetia sends in a great pass to Arveladze for a shot on goal, but Casillas charges out to make the save
35' - Luis Garcia's inclusion pays off, he takes possession at the top of the box and is somehow able to turn and shoot around the defenders, beating the keeper to double the lead [2-0] (Luis Garcia)
37' - Arveladze hits back quickly, makes a great touch to force the ball through the defense and past Casillas [2-1] (Arveladze)
38' - Ashvetia creates a great chance on a counter attack after stealing possession from the kickoff, shot is saved though
41' - Georgia is just flooding forward now. Merebashvili forces a turnover at midfield and quickly pushes the ball ahead to Ashvetia. The striker's shot is initially saved but Arveladze is there for the put back equalizer! [2-2] (Arveladze)
43' - Just as Georgia stop to catch their breath, Spain try to hit back. Luis Garcia slips through the defense and tries to chip the keeper. Lomaia barely recovers to punch the ball out for a corner.
43' - The corner kick is met by Iniesta, of all players, and although he heads it right to the keeper, Lomaia couldn't hold on and spilled the shot to Luis Garcia for a tap in! [3-2] (Luis Garcia)
45'+ - Three consecutive crosses from Merebashvili fail to find any Georgian's head. Iashvili manages to recover the last ball and still get a shot off, which Casillas tips away but right to Arveladze, who's attempted equalizer is denied by an outstretched defender!
45'+ - The corner produces another chance, but Merebashvili's shot is blocked and then cleared away as the half time whistle sounds.
45'+ - Georgia have held 54% possession heading into the break, and have outshot Spain 14-10, despite trailing.

46' - Georgia kicks off
49' - Casillas under pressure after a backpass, his clearance is intercepted by Ashvetia in the box, but he hurries the shot and misses wide!
51' - A free kick finds Luis Garcia who goes for a hattrick with an open header, but it goes wide as well
55' - David Villa goes through on a breakaway, but Lomaia comes up with a huge save to keep Georgia in the game
71' - A difficult cross comes in and Ashvetia lunges for it but just misses connecting with the ball
82' - Ashvetia makes a great move to get around the defender and get a shot off, but it sails too high
84' - Kobiashvili goes for the tie off a free kick, but his shot hits the post!
90'+ - Final whistle, Spain survive Georgia's late surge to win the Confederations Cup!

Spain 3 - 2 Georgia
Xavi, Luis Garcia x2 -- Arveladze x2

Game Stats
Georgia lead possession with 51%
Georgia outshot Spain 21-13 (12-9 on target)
Both teams had 3 free kicks
Georgia had more corner kicks, 6-3

MOTM: 7.5 Luis Garcia (Spain)

 

[ZeekLTK]

Championship Recap

Spain

Georgia

Brazil

D. Milito (5 goals)
4 goals

Arveladze

Juninho

Pato
3 goals

Carew

Drogba

France

Gilardino

Merebashvili

Mert Nobre

Villa



Notes
-Spain win the first Confederations Cup, and their second championship overall
-Georgia "win" their first ever non-gold medal (silver)
-Brazil win their second bronze medal
-First time Norway has reached the semifinals and not won a medal
-Despite not playing any knockout matches, Diego Milito managed to win the top scorer award with 5 goals from 3 group games
-Brazil lead the tournament in scoring with 18 goals in 5 games, but spread the scoring around too much with three players listed on the top scorer chart and 7 goals unaccounted for on the list
-Brazil's previous best victory was a 5-0 win over Bolivia in World Cup Qualifying, so the 7-1 win over Norway surpasses that
-Brazil has previously scored 6 goals twice, a 6-1 win over France and a 6-3 win over Morocco (both during the group stage of World Cup VIII), but this is the first time they have scored 7 in a match
-7-1 is Norway's biggest defeat, surpassing the 4-0 defeat to Spain (from earlier this tournament) as their worst result. Prior to the Confederations Cup, a 2-goal defeat was their worst loss!