Vuvuzela South Africa

Bafana Bafana vs Denmark did prove the toughest test for Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s boys, but they came through with flying colours winning the encounter by one goal.

Score: Bafana 1 Denmark 0. Now if that is not punching above your weight and landing a knockout blow, then I don’t know!

Bafana – Unbeaten 12 Matches

Bafana Bafana stretched their unbeaten run to 12 matches after a 1-0 win over Denmark at Atteridgeville on Saturday afternoon.

YeYe and Killer Bring it Home

A fine through-ball from Reneilwe YeYe Letsholonyane and a cool finish from Katlego Killer Mphela saw Bafana run out winners and ready for the World Cup come June 11th.

Teko Modise and Siphiwe Tshabalala drove the South Africans forward for most of the first half. And although Stevie P didn’t have his usual brilliant game, he certainly had nothing to be ashamed of.

Denmark had the better start to the second half and put the South African defense under pressure at the start. But despite all the hard work, they could only muster a deflected shot, which was easily dealt with by Itumeleng Khune, whose safe hands were in just the right place when Bafana slacked off a bit just before the final whistle.

Read the whole match report of South Africa vs Denmark on football 365.com

South Africa vs Denmark – Man of the Match Reneilwe YeYe Letsholonyane

Bafana Bafana midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane (YeYe) dedicated his Man-of-the-Match award against Denmark to the rest of the national team camp. This humble guy from Kaizer Chiefs played like he was on fire. He is another playa that is getting better with each game. Yeye’s pass for Mphela’s winner dissected the Danish defense brilliantly and the former Jomo Cosmos man admits that it was instinctive.

He added: “I expected him to get there because I know he has got pace. When I saw him making that run I just played the ball.”

Steven Pienaar 50th Cap for Bafana Bafana

Steven Pienaar earned his 50th cap for the national team when he ran onto the park for the South Africa vs Denmark match in Tshwane yesterday. The Everton Midfielder said after the match: “I am really proud to have played my 50th game and now I am looking forward to the World Cup, the first game (against Mexico).

“I also hope to play more games for Bafana (in the future).”

Bafana Bafana played some great football during the victory in Tshwane and Pienaar believes it is down to the squad following head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s tactics to a tee.

“I think the team played really well. We were organised and followed the coach’s instructions,” he continued.

Image: Killer Mphela football 365.com

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The Ivory Coast Football Federation says that star striker Didier Drogba is “not at all out of the World Cup.”

The Elephants captain was injured during the 2-0 win over Japan in a World Cup warm-up match in Switzerland with reports claiming that the arm had been fractured and his campaign could be over.

Drogba Can Still Play in the Tournament

With fears that their star player could miss out on the tournament, the federation has come out to claim that he might not play in their first match against Portugal, but that Didier Drogba can still play at the tournament.

“He’s not at all out of the World Cup. He can still play,” said a spokesman.

“We don’t know if he will be able to play the first game – that depends on the verdict of the medical team, but he’s definitely not out.”

Drogba is crucial to the West African nation’s hopes in South Africa and had a hand in the opening goal in the victory over the Japanese before picking up the knock.

Latest report comes from ESPN Soccernet : Didier Drogba has had successful surgery on his broken arm and Ivory Coast are confident he will be able to play some part in the World Cup finals.

Ivory Coast faces Portugal, Brazil and North Korea in Group G.

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Katlego Killer Mphela

Bafana Bafana vs Denmark today. The two sides meet in Atteridgeville today in what will be the last chance for the coaches of both sides – Carlos Alberto Parreira and Morten Olsen – to experiment ahead of next week’s kick-off.

After yesterday’s injuries to both Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba both Bafana Bafana and Denmark will have to walk the fine line between playing a hard game and not getting themselves injured.

Kickoff 11 June at Soccer City

South Africa open the 2010 World Cup against Mexico on June 11 at Soccer City in Johannesburg and will meet Uruguay and France in Group A, while Denmark is pooled in Group E alongside Holland, Cameroon and Japan.

Siyabonga Nomvete –  Need a Positive Result

Although Parreira says the performance is more important than the result against a Danish side 47 places above Bafana on the FIFA rankings, veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvete pinpoints the need for a victory. “This is our last warm-up and we cannot afford to finish with a negative result.”

Katlego Killer Mphela – It Will be a Tough One

According to fellow striker Katlego Mphela : “This is the last opportunity for Bafana to capture the hearts of all South Africans so we must go for the kill on Saturday.”

On  football 365.com Bafana Bafana striker “Killer” Mphela says that he is expecting the final World Cup warm-up opponents Denmark to pose a stern test to the host nation’s abilities just a week before the start of the finals.

“We are well aware that this is the last opportunity for us to win the hearts of all South Africans and we will go for the kill on Saturday,” the Mamelodi Sundowns striker said.

“The team is gelling and the most important thing for us ahead of the Word Cup is that we are able to keep possession and score.

“We expect a tough one against Denmark, who will also want to win to build more (momentum) in their camp.”

Denmark Lost First Warm-up 1-0 to Australia

What will make the South Africans feel a bit happier about this Bafana Bafana vs Denmark encounter is that Denmark lost their first warm-up in South Africa 1-0 to Australia last Tuesday in a match where both teams struggled with the altitude.

Coach Morten Olsen expects a big improvement from his attack today in Tshwane: “To come away with a positive result we must do much better in front of goal. We had a lot of possession against Australia, but that does not matter in football.”

Injured Danes

However, Olsen will have to make do without a few injured players, including Wolfsburg midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg, Feyenoord striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, defender Simon Kjaer and striker Nicklas Bendtner.

Park and Ride for Bafana Bafana vs Denmark Ticketholders

Bafana Bafana’s final preparation match against Denmark ahead of the World Cup has been sold out with fans attending the match on Saturday being offered free park and ride and park and walk services to the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe stadium.  28,000 tickets were snapped up shortly after going on sale

Only fans with valid tickets will be able to use the service which will be in operation from 10am until 6pm and are located at the Tshwane Events Centre on Church Street and at the Ga-Mothakga Resort in Atteridgeville.

Image: Katlego Killer Mphela - football 365.com

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Didier Drogba Injured

Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were taken out of the 2010 World Cup yesterday because of injuries. They are only two of the top players who will be missing this years finals – is this a World Cup Curse?

The 2010 World Cup kicks off in one week at Soccer City with a match between hosts South Africa and Mexico. Sadly, due to the so-called World Cup Curse, many die-hard fans will be unable to cheer on their favorite footballers this year due several top players being ruled out of the competition.

Here we are talking about those who have been totally ruled out. There are still a number of key players who are struggling to be fit in time for the competition

We know and understand that for top-class athletes, injuries are a part of the game. However, what happens when they come to a week before the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Yesterday must have been the unluckiest 4 June in soccer history because both England captain, Rio Ferdinand, and Ivory Coast star forward Didier Drogba were felled by opposing players. (The injuries occurred in a pre-tournament practice and a friendly game, respectively.)

World Cup Curse or End of Season Exhaustion

Mark Meadows at Reuters sees the injuries as an inevitable part of pre-World Cup protocol, noting that soccer players, just coming off of their regular season are tired and overworked. He says, “Footballers are bound to be tired after a long season and tweaks are to be expected, it’s the curse of the World Cup itself coming at the end of the soccer year for many nations.

He adds a warning for Bafana Bafana, who are playing Denmark today in their last international friendly. “Is there something amiss here? Are players trying too hard in friendlies and training? I reckon teams in the remaining friendlies will be thinking again before launching into any risky tackles.”

Rio Ferdinand – England (Captain)

Rio Ferdinand has never looked in good condition this season. A back injury limited Ferdinand to only 13 Premier League appearances for Manchester United this past season and now, in a gentle warm up IN South Africa – on a perfect pitch,  Ferdinand injured his knee on a challenge from teammate Emile Heskey during a training session on June 4th – England

Didier Drogba – Ivory Coast

The English Premier League’s top scorer for the 2009-10 season fractured his elbow during a friendly with Japan on June 4 and has been ruled out of the World Cup.

Drogba had just scored for the Ivory Coast when he was injured in a clash with Japanese centre back Tulio and left the pitch in the 15th minute

Michael Essien – Ghana (Captain)

Yet another captain who will miss the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Michael Ballack’s Chelsea teammate was officially ruled out of the competition on May 27 after learning he would not fully recover from his knee injury until the end of July.

The loss of Michael Essien spells bad news for Ghana, who is drawn into Group D alongside Germany, Serbia, and Australia.

David Beckham – England

David Beckham probably would not have started for the Three Lions, the reason why he is our first entry. His dreams of becoming the only Englishman to ever compete in four World Cups came to a grinding halt when the world’s most recognizable athlete tore his Achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan.

René Adler – Germany

René Adler became the first choice keeper during Germany’s World Cup qualifying campaign following the retirement of Jens Lehmann and Robert Enke’s suicide.

Now head coach Joachim Löw will have to make due without his No. 1 in South Africa because Adler received a serious rib injury back in April.

Michael Ballack – Germany (Captain)

Michael Ballack, Germany Captain, was ruled out of the World Cup after tearing his medial collateral ligament during Chelsea’s FA Cup Final win over Portsmouth on May 15. This means that Germany lost their captain and their No1 goalkeeper to injuries.

Charlie Davis – USA

Although he is by no means a world-class striker, he was still one of the best the United States had to offer. Coach Bob Bradley had just started to enjoy some success pairing Charlie Davies with the young Jozy Altidore up front when USA suffered this devastating loss.

On October 13, 2009—the night before the Yanks were scheduled to play Costa Rica in a CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier—Davies was involved in a fatal automobile accident that claimed the life of the other passenger.

He worked hard to recover in time for the World Cup but Bradley left him off of the roster when Davies’ club, French side Sochaux, failed to grant him medical clearance.

Source: bleacher report

PHOTO: Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba lies injured during the international friendly soccer match against Japan in Sion June 4, 2010. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

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With just over a week to go to kickoff, all I want to know is: Is your car naked? Do you have mirror socks? In keeping with the World Cup vibe, every self-respecting patriotic South African should have his side mirrors clad in the colors of our beautiful flag.

(I suppose one should exclude esCapeTown from this, as they live there in DA land and don’t seem to have the feeling- but maybe there are a few Capetonians who understand the meaning of Ke Nako! Check out Cape Town Buzz and Cape Town Magazine.

Mirror Socks

So back to the mirror socks -  you can order them online – I see they are R90 – don’t know if that include post and packaging. Mirror Socks are just one of the many elements of World Cup memorabilia, like the vuvuzelas.

Or just get your perfect mirror socks next to the road or at the traffic lights – Here in Durban they cost about R50 or R60.

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