WC 2010 Liveblog: Serbia v. Ghana

Wulp, I’ve passed my late fitness test (just barely) and am ready to report for liveblogging duty.

Today is an interesting Group of Depth match (I know, we hate term too) between Serbia and Ghana.  As you no doubt already know, there will be no Michael Essien at the World Cup, thanks to more of those lingering injuries that seem to be derailing the Ghanaian midfielder’s career. Today also marks the first World Cup match for Serbia, having split from Montenegro following that bad showing in 2006.

As for injuries, late word that Vidic is fit, after having missed all the tuneups with an illness.  But Ghana will be missing both Sulley Muntari and captain Stephen Appiah (the latter not a surprise since he’s only played two club games in the last two-and-a-half years). That does mean that Kevin Prince Boateng will be making his international competitive debut.

What do you need to know? Well, Serbia was a vogue choice to do well at the World Cup, but they’ve looked awful in their friendlies, even managing to lose to New Zealand (as Precious Roy will remind you).  Ghana, on the other hand, have plenty of talented young players ready to take advantage of all those injuries. With Germany expected to dominate this group (although that’s not a guarantee), I’d expect Serbia and Ghana to both go out and try for all three points today. At least, that’s the hope.

Serbia: Stojkovic, Lukovic, Vidic, Kolarov, Ivanovic, Jovanovic, Stankovic, Milijas, Krasic, Pantelic, Zigic

Ghana: Kingson, Vorsah, Mensah, Sarpei, Pantsil, Annan, Andre Ayew, K-P Boateng, Asamoah, Tagoe, Gyan

Referee: Hector Baldassi (Argentina)

Location: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

-5: Teams are out on the pitch, Serbian national anthem is playing and this will be one of the few respites from the vuvuzelas for the next couple hours for sure!

-3: Happy to see that jjf3 is still alive after Keeley’s.  Good man!

-1: The electric atmosphere at the stadium is just crackling through the TV.  Definite home advantage to the African team.

Kickoff: And Pantelic tries a crazy long shot right from the start.  Might be some goals in this one.

2: Annan tries a long shot for Ghana that swerves well wide.

3: Tagoe makes a great run through the vaunted Serbian defense and earns a free kick just outside the box. But Gyan overkicks it above the crossbar.

8: Somewhat nervy play by both teams, who are definitely going for it but need to settle down a bit. Competitive match so far.

9: Serbia earns a freekick around 30-40 yards out. Well-defended by Ghana.

10: Ghana with a cross into the box but the header is off target. So far, Ghana are the better side but have yet to get a quality shot off, as evidenced by a wasted corner.

12: Asamoah gets bodychecked in the midfield but no foul called. The Argentinian ref is letting Serbia get away with some rough defending so far.

13: Serbia’s offensive strategy seems to be to cross into the tall dude (shocking I know). But Ghana’s defenders have been doing well clearing, without much worry.

15: Boateng earns a corner off a long kick. Ball pings around among the Ghanian players in the box, before being cleared for another corner that’s punted away.

18 YELLOW CARD: Zigic (the tall dude) elbows a streaking Ghana player and earns the first card of the game.  Tall strikers can’t defend, I suppose.  Mensah has a good chance with a header on the free kick but it goes wide.

23: Serbia is pretty useless in the final third. Don’t think they’ve had a decent cross or through ball yet.

24: Gyan is down clutching his ankle and it doesn’t look very good.

26 YELLOW CARD: Vorsah with a bad late sliding tackle on Zigic the tall dude. Gyan limps back onto the field.

27: Decent chance for Serbia on the free kick with Pantelic clear in the box, but he can’t control the ball.

29: Zigic earns a free kick around 30 yards outside the box. The tall dude causing some problems.  Kolarov with a nice-looking bending shot that goes wide.

32: There’s been some shots of Kingson screaming at his players, trying to be overheard over the vuvuzelas no doubt.

33: Ian Darke with a racist pronunciation of “Montegero” “Montenegro.” Meanwhile, some end-to-end play with a half-chance in the box for Ghana, then Kingson forced to clear outside the box.

35: Not a lot of open play so far, but much of this down to the excellent closing down by both teams. I can’t help but wonder if both Serbia and Ghana might cause Germany a few problems.

36: Vorsah makes a good sliding tackle in the box. Dangerous since he’s on a card. Serbia can’t do much with the resulting corner and Ghana go on the break, with Zigic committing another foul. Commentators wonder why Zigic keeps tracking back, and I agree.

39: Jovanovic with a great run into the box, resulting in a long shot by Stankovic that Kingson only just manages to control… Nearly another Robert Green there.

42: More good defending from Serbia as Lukovic blocks Tagoe from getting to the ball in the box.

44: Serbia give the ball away in their own half, but Ayew overhits the resulting cross. Not many clear chances during this half, lots of good defending.

45: Only 1 minute of extra time, Ayew with another tame cross directly to the keeper, and Ghana clears in the box at the other end.

Halftime 0-0: Two very evenly matched, very organized teams.  No goals but this has been a good one so far.

Okay, gotta admit I’m hurting now… Keeley’s 1, Spectator 0. Time to pour myself some more coffee and man up for the second half. Please forgive me for any typos.

46: Serbia kicks it off.

48: Ghana with a couple more overhit crosses. Again, they continue to control play but can’t convert.

49: Meanwhile Zigic earns a soft free kick in the Ghanaian half, ending in Jovanovic with a close shot that’s a million miles off target. Will fit in well at LFC next season, eh?

52: No idea what Ian Darke was suggesting with the Ghanaian band selling CDs outside the stadium, but I suspect it was racist.

53: Vidic almost coughs up the ball in his own penalty box but manages to recover.

54: Best chance of the game for Ghana, Gyan with a free header off a nice corner from Ayew, but it goes wide. Vidic was well beat on that one.

55: Another good chance for Ghana, with Tagoe cutting into the box ending in a corner. Vidic takes out his own keeper but nothing comes of it.

56 YELLOW CARD: Late-awarded to Lukovic for a nasty studs-on-ankle tackle. And Ghana breaks into the box again but the shot is too high. Ghana with the momentum at the moment.

58: Now a half-chance for Serbia with a ball in the box that doesn’t connect with anyone.

59: Another chance for Serbia, but Zigic can’t connect on a great cross from Pantelic.

60: Pantsil manages a throw-in to the box, but Annan heads it wide. A goal coming soon perhaps??

62 SUB for Serbia: Kuzmanovic for Milijas.

64: Harsh foul called against Tagoe outside the Serbia box, as Lukovic was beat and goes to ground very easily.

65: Boateng makes a nice run and then jumps into a Serbian defender to earn a free kick the other way. Continues to be end-to-end this half… Will either team crack soon?

69: Both teams look to slow down the game and retain possession but end up coughing up ball. And then a very lame free header from the tall dude, who immediately gets subbed out.

70 SUB for Serbia: Lazovic for Zigic the tall dude, who was pretty poor today.

71: ESPN with a nice montage of frustrated players.

72: Lazovic earns a corner off of Mensah’s face, who is still down.

73 SUB for Ghana: The oft-injured Appiah for Asamoah.

74 RED CARD to Lukovic: Second yellow on a sloppy play in the midfield pulling down a Ghana player, and Serbia down to 10 men. Not much protests for such a stupid play.

76: Despite being down a man, Serbia with a couple half-chances in the box.

77 Defensive SUB for Serbia: Subotic the non-American on for Jovanovic.

79: Great save by Kingson after Krasic has a free shot on goal in the box! And then Vidic with a header on the resulting cross that is just tall of the net. Serbia with all the chances despite being down a man.

81: At the other end, Serbia with all their players behind the ball and Ghana have trouble getting anything of quality.

82: Ivanovic with a good run and a decent long shot that keeps rising above beyond the goal.

83 PENALTY to Ghana and a yellow to Kuzmanovic! Sloppy handball in the box on a cross spotted by the ref and no complaints.

84 GOAL 1-0 Ghana. Gyan converts the penno! Beautifully taken, keeper goes the wrong way and the Ghanaians are celebrating.

86: Serbia earns a corner off the restart, and they have players pouring into the box but Ghana retrieves possession.

88: Kuzmanovic with a half-volley well tall of the net.

89: Basically long balls back and forth between the keepers now. And a yellow to Tagoe for a handball in Serbia’s box, or perhaps the card for not stopping play hard to tell.

90: Pantsil with a brilliant sliding tackle to clear the ball. And then Kingson just barely controls a through ball in the box.

90+1 Defensive SUB for Ghana: Addy for Boateng, who did quite well today. Three minutes of stoppage by the way.

90 +2: Ghana earns a goal kick, and Gyan off the post on the break!! Oh so close.

90+3 Ghana SUB: Owusu-Abeyie for Gyan. Just killing off time now.

FULL TIME 1-0 Ghana! Well, well, well!  You would’ve thought that a draw was in the cards but Ghana with a pretty deserved win.  Serbia were inept up front, and stupid in the back with a sloppy red card and a sloppier penalty. Credit to the ref for spotting that handball. The Black Stars on the other hand were very well-organized, bright and committed.

Thanks for hanging out! The Likely Lad will have Germany-Australia in a bit.