WC Roundup...Round 3

Darned it...France made it into the second round. So all the favourites made it this World Cup. No underdog giant killings like the last. Well it would make for a hopefully good run-in to the finals.

Not much excitement during the last round of matches as most of the major teams have already made it through. Well, I was hoping France wouldn't have made it, but too bad. Think Brazil's match was the most exciting of the lot with Ronaldo scoring twice. Guess his demise was overly exaggerated. We'll see in the coming matches whether he would continue to improve and surprise us all.

Kewell: zero to hero? That's what legends are made of. From the boos of 2005 Champions League finals to scoring the goal which made Australia a last sixteen team, he must be flying high. Will he do better in the coming rounds? We'll have to see...

The last sixteen matchups:

1. Germany vs. Sweden, Argentina vs. Mexico.
Sweet games! Germany would have the tougher of the two favourites against a strong Swedish team. Would home advantage play a crucial part? Maybe...but the Swedes would be a hard nut to crack. Ballack and co. would have to buck up. Stylish and flashy Argentina would make short work of Mexico, I think. Should be no surprise there. A Germany-Argentina quarterfinal would be mouthwatering indeed...

2. England vs. Ecuador, Portugal vs. Netherlands.
Portugal-Netherlands would be the match to watch. Maybe too close to call. Will just have to wait and see. The winner's opponents? England I hope, but Ecuador would be as tough to crack as the Swedes. But England has the best midfield quartet in the world, and with a crippled strikeforce, would have to come to the fore. Its about time Erikkson moved Gerrard further upfront to support Crouch or Rooney. A tough match to call. Looking forward to an England-Holland quarterfinals.

3. Italy vs. Australia, Switzerland vs. Ukraine.
The Azurris seemed to have put their domestic match fixing scandal behind them. Not too flashy but looked solid enough. Maybe too much for the Australians, but I'm sure Kewell, Cahill and Viduka would give them a run for their money. The Swiss looks solid defensively, but has got no forwards comparable to the Ukrainian double of Shevchenko and Rebrov. Defence vs. Offence...who will win this underdog match? Italy's opponents are still waiting...

4. Brazil vs. Ghana, Spain vs. France.
Brazil should have a cakewalk here; will have to wait and see how Ronaldo fares. Is it a flash-in-a pan performance against the US? Anyhow the brilliance of Ronaldinho, Kaka and the rest should see them through to the next round. Their opponents? I'll pick Spain anytime against the French. Dazzling, young and well-drilled, I think they'll break their second round hoodoo to make it against Brazil. Guess France would have to pick up the pieces and rebuild around a new playmaker.

An interesting and exciting next four days.