(Results of the day: Slovakia 1-1 New Zealand, Portugal 0-0 Ivory Coast, Brazil 2-1 Korea DPR)
Day-5 of the FIFA World Cup 2010 can be depicted as a day which failed to live up to the expectations. The first match of the day, Slovakia-New Zealand, resulted in a tame 1-1 draw. The eagerly anticipated match between Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, which was expected to be one of the glam-fests in the group stages, could not produce even a single goal. In the final match of the day, which was projected to be a one sided affair, North Korea gave Brazil a run for their money, with Brazil eventually escaping with a 2-1 victory.
Goal Of The Day
It was a moment of brilliance from Maicon that takes the cherry for the day – this goal may well go in the book as the Goal of South Africa 2010. Charging into an overlapping run through the right wing, his thunderous strike from the toughest of angles beat the Korean keeper Ri Myong-Guk at his near post. The stunned Korean faces and jubilant celebration from the Canarinhos truly portray the quality of that fabulous strike.
Player Of The Day
Maicon makes it two-in-two. Currently regarded as one of the finest right backs in the world, Maicon, looked entirely at ease doing the defensive duties and was flawless while overlapping. That spectacular thunderbolt was the icing on the cake for the power-packed performance of the night.
Maicon’s thunderbolt will go down as one of the best
goals of 2010 World Cup
Team Of The Day
The resilient performance from the Korean side against the Samba Boys could not earn them the much desired point, but it certainly entitles them to become TheHardTackle’s Team of Day-5. The North Koreans kept the Samba Boys scoreless until ten minutes into the second half and Brazil, with all their experience and skills, needed to respond with the Goal of the Tournament, so far, to break the deadlock. Demonstrating utmost determination of their swarming defense, the North Koreans have proved the world that they are certainly a tough nut to crack.
“Didier Drogba” Dive Of The Day
Cristiano Ronaldo takes the honors. He now has all the qualities to be eligible for the post of Principal in the School of Diving from which Drogba and Gerrard graduated. How to get booked even without a slightest contact? Ask Didier Zakora, the latest victim of yet another CR7 antic.
- “Well done boy, you have perfectly mastered my trademark skill “
‘He makes Lucas look world-class!’ Player Of The Day
Employed to perform the role of the play maker, Deco was almost non-existent during the entire period. The only noticeable moment for the Chelsea man, that too off the pitch, was the public display of dissent while storming down the subway in protest of his substitution.
- Deco had largely been non-existent in the match
Worst Hairdo of The Day
Ivory Coast’s rising star Gervinho is sporting a mathematically impossible haircut. His perm of black curls, tapered around the right ear into a bunny-like tail, highly resembles a Mughal Emperor’s protective headgear. He might regret making a bunny of himself.
Historic Moment Of The Day
Robert Vittek’s 50th minute header marked the first goal for Slovakia in a FIFA World Cup Finals as an independent nation after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.