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Dont forget the Czech

June 13th, 2006

A few people asked me why I had not reviewed day 3 to my surprise. So, despite time contraints, I will try to review as many days of the World Cup as I can from now on even though the posts might be a bit delayed.

Australia vs Japan 3-1

With Croatia and Brazil the other two teams in the group, the team which lost this match could say the world cup good bye. So when Japan scored that goal, which most Aussie supporters won’t even call a goal (as it wasn’t), Australians were enraged. It has taken many years for the Socceroos to qualify and it would have been a shame if they went out this way. So, I felt delighted when Australia pulled back the game with three quick goals in eight minutes. The game saw short passes and plenty of opportunities for both teams. It was quite hot but I wasn’t impressed be either team to be honest. The Australian date with destiny in the match versus Croatia is set though.

Czech Republic vs USA 3-0

When asked who will win the world cup, most people would say Brazil including me. Some would opt for Argentina, Holland, France or even Italy. How many people will give Czech Republic a chance? Despite the FIFA rankings being a joke (proven by the thrashing USA got), you have to stand up at take notice of the Czech Republic. They have a solid mid field and excellent attacking options. Apart from Nedved, they now have the young star - Rosicky!

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Part 17 of 32: The Ghana Interview

May 17th, 2006

Stephen Appiah

For part 17 of the series, I caught up with Joseph Epton from Ghana. Apart from being a student , Joseph scouts young football talents and helps assist them in developing a professional football career. So he does know a bit more football than your average arm chair/internet critic you find these days!

I thank Joseph for agreeing to the interview.

Tell us a bit about the Ghana football history and the football culture which exists

Ghana, the first country south of the Saharan Africa to attain independence, lies on the west coast of Africa and its bordered on the East by Togo, the West by Cote d; Ivory and on the North by Burkina Faso.

Football is the number 1 sports in Ghana and serves as a source of pleasure and entertainment for many Ghanaians. Ghanaians are very passionate about football are heart broken whenever the national team loses in a competition. Ghana boasts long and distinguished football history and enjoys a status among the heavyweights in the African continent. It has enjoyed tremendous success on the youth level, winning the world under-17 title twice and finishing second at the World Youth Championship twice as well.

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