00:00You're watching Golf News Kicking Back, Sharm and Satish are back again to talk about what
00:13has been another dramatic night of football. This World Cup is becoming the tournament
00:18that just keeps on giving. We've just seen Uruguay beat Ghana, but they have failed to
00:25make the last 16 of the World Cup because of goals scored. South Korea, of all teams,
00:31have taken the second spot because they beat Portugal tonight with an injury time winner.
00:36They won that match 2-1. Uruguay beat Ghana 2-0. And up until injury time, Sharm, they
00:42had felt that they had done enough. They had done enough. They had done enough. But unfortunately
00:46for them, news filtered into the stadium at the Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar that South
00:52Korea had stung Portugal in injury time to win that match 2-1, which means now Portugal
00:58and South Korea are through. Uruguay and Ghana are out. I mean, just sum up that dramatic
01:04night, Sharm.
01:05I mean, it is a dramatic night. I mean, there was at one point, three teams, any of the
01:14three teams could have qualified, including Ghana. Ghana needed a draw. Towards the end,
01:21if Ghana had scored two goals, they would have still qualified ahead of Korea, actually.
01:26Because they had more goals scored for. So, I mean, you are right. The basic mistake or
01:34the cardinal mistake for Uruguay, I mean, was they didn't expect Korea to beat South
01:41Korea. I think that is a very bad mistake in these days. Because the standard of teams
01:48and the level of games are so close that you can't take any result or any team for granted.
01:54I mean, that's precisely what happened. Injury time goal, and imagine, 90 plus 1. That is
02:00when the Uruguay coach sunk. And the Uruguay coach at that point of time had pulled out
02:05three players, including Suarez, who was very influential today. Two of his assists
02:10actually translated into goals. Darwin and Ness. And they could only sit on the bench
02:15and watch the unfolding drama. And even the drama continued till the last minute. The
02:20balls were switching from goalpost to goalpost. And both the goalkeepers bringing up dramatic
02:25saves. So, you didn't know who is going to win until the whistle went off. So, all in
02:32all, a fantastic night's football. Not just that, the group games have simply been brilliant.
02:40It really was a dramatic night. I don't think anyone expected this much drama in these two
02:44games. Satish, as Shyam just mentioned, Uruguay, I mean, I don't blame them either. They were
02:50looking very comfortable. They were winning 2-0. Ghana were down and out. And to just
02:55save the players, which they thought, for the upcoming last 16 clashes, they took off
03:00all their frontmen. Suarez in particular, 35 years old. He made two assists in the game
03:05today. Every touch that he had of the ball, he was being booed heavily by the Ghana fans.
03:10Because obviously, these two teams have got some real history. In 2010, Suarez conceded
03:17a deliberate handball. He stopped a goal effort. The penalty was awarded to Ghana. But Gayan,
03:24the striker, he missed that. That match went to penalties. Uruguay won 4-2. But Ghana today
03:29were awarded a penalty. And unfortunately, their captain, Jordan Ayew, he missed it.
03:34It was a very soft effort. But Satish, going back to the original point I was going to
03:37make, which Shyam just alluded to, it was a terrible mistake by the coach to take off
03:41Darwin Nunes and Luis Suarez in such an important match, knowing that you possibly would need
03:47to score two or three goals to ensure your progress to the last 16.
03:52True. True, Imran. I think that was a mistake. And I think probably what has happened is
03:57not scoring in the previous games have come back to bite them. But more than what they
04:01did today, isn't it? So, the lack of goals, that's where they lost it. Even in the last
04:07minute, if one goal could have come in, then maybe they would have gone ahead of South
04:12Korea. But that's where I think they lost the plot. But again, these kind of things
04:19you can't really expect. Though, yes, as a coach, you have to see various scenarios.
04:23You can't expect a coach to keep your best players because he must be saving them for
04:28the next game. Because they must be looking forward to the round of 16. So, tough luck
04:34for the veterans, the Cavani and the Suarez. Unfortunately, till the last, Suarez wasn't
04:42here. Maybe his teams have crashed and probably it's his last World Cup. So, unfortunately,
04:48yeah, it is. And that's the beauty of the sport. It gives you, it pays back you at the
04:53wrong time, isn't it? For what you did in 2010. So, unfortunately.
05:01The funny thing is, look, Ghana were looking for revenge tonight. They couldn't do it themselves.
05:06But they'll be thanking the South Koreans for helping them out, for making sure Europe
05:10won.
05:11I think, in a way, they also did that, isn't it? Because they didn't allow the last one
05:16to score a goal. So, they got the full of pleasure.
05:19Yeah, they did. Well, they did what they wanted to do. They got a big upturn in the arena.
05:25But Sham, this tournament is really becoming absolutely incredible. We thought maybe the
05:30early shock that we had when Saudi beat Argentina and then Germany were beaten by Japan, we
05:35thought maybe there's not going to be any more than that. But we're getting them every
05:38single game, it seems. This is probably one of the best overall tournaments of the World
05:44Cup, would you say?
05:46Yes, every World Cup has a couple of shocks in the group stages. That's only natural.
05:53Simply because teams coming together, players coming together. And especially the openers
05:59for each team is quite tricky. So, which is why we have seen in the past, in 1996, I think
06:06Jumder Wald said that they will take the first flight back home if Tunisia beats them and
06:12Tunisia beat them 2-1. Anyway, Jumder Wald and his team did not take the flight. Germany
06:16stayed on to make the final, losing to Italy. But those kind of shocks are to be expected.
06:23If you go back in time, any World Cup, there have been shocks in group stages, but one
06:29or two. That's about it. But this has been like a blizzard, one after the other.
06:37I mean, it started with South Korea to Japan, then went to Morocco, then again back to Japan.
06:46It is ceaseless. And today you have Portugal beaten by South Korea. And who saw that coming?
06:53So this group stage has been what you call a blizzard of upset. And I loved it, actually.
06:59The thing is, that's the best part about football. The thing is, the football has become, as
07:04we know, a universal game. And we also know that the level of football is more or less
07:09uniform around the world. Earlier, Asia and the Arab world used to be the poor cousins
07:15of Europe and Latin America. I think it's no longer the case.
07:19It's just an incredible story, Satish, because obviously the focus of this Uruguay match
07:24will be on Suarez, who's 35 now. So this is definitely his last World Cup. Obviously,
07:29we've been talking about Messi being 35 and Ronaldo being 37. But Suarez is also probably
07:34playing in his, well, definitely playing in his last tournament. He would have been desperate
07:38to have got through to the knockout stages. But unfortunately, you know, what do they
07:44say? What's that phrase? You know, what goes around comes around. So 12 years ago, what
07:47he did, you know, by stopping Ghana from advancing, it's come back the worst possible way. Because
07:55I believe, had he still been on the pitch, he may have, you know, done something and
07:58provided possibly a third goal once they knew that they needed a third goal. By taking him
08:04off the pitch, they were looking very lightweight. But that's it. That's how it's finished.
08:09Unfortunately, for Uruguay and Ghana, they both go home. Portugal and South Korea advance.
08:15Now guys, the exciting stuff starts for sure.
08:17Again, Eman, just to add something. Again, Portugal making six changes helped South Korea
08:22also in a way, isn't it? In this game, they played literally their second string.
08:28Yeah. So now we have the last 16 starting tomorrow, where the Netherlands are going
08:32to be playing against the USA. Shyam, how do you see that one going tomorrow?
08:37Netherlands and USA. Netherlands has not been at their best, but USA has been quite good,
08:43actually. So, Netherlands really have to lift their game. Otherwise, they will be done in by
08:48USA. So, I'm looking forward to that match because this is going to be an interesting game.
08:54Satish, do you think that one could go to extra time penalties?
08:59I think maybe not. Not so much. Maybe the Netherlands, they have got the experience.
09:05They have got the coach, Van Gaal is a veteran in this and he has done well so far. Though there
09:12were a lot of criticism against him, he didn't care about what they said. He is looking to win.
09:19So, I'm sure with these kinds of big teams, I always feel as the knockout phase comes in,
09:25they play better because the minors or the lower ones in the rankings would be under more pressure.
09:33That's my feeling. So, I think the Netherlands should go through or have it easier probably
09:38by the end of the regulation time. Okay, we'll see. And the other one,
09:43guys, from now, there's only two games a day. But the four games a day we've enjoyed is as
09:49long as there's only going to be two. So, the second one tomorrow night is the late one.
09:53Argentina against Australia. Now, Shyam, we've seen Argentina come from the brink after losing
10:00a game against Saudi. The pressure was on them. Messi delivered in that last game.
10:04Is he going to deliver again against the Aussies?
10:08I think so. Because if you look at the last game, Argentina have got their act together.
10:13They are busting. And if they continue to do that, I think they will live up to their
10:17tag of favourite. And in this form, I expect them to make the final actually. Because unless
10:24they run into one of the… I hope they don't run into Brazil at some point. But otherwise,
10:28I think they could make the final really. Because if provided they display the same
10:33form from the last match. Not just Messi, the rest of the team came around. So, I think
10:40we are seeing a different Argentina. And I'm sure Messi will have his say in the match.
10:47So, my call is tomorrow's match, Argentina will win. So will the USA.
10:56And Satish, do you think Graeme Arnold's Australia can cause another shock to Lionel
11:03Scaloni's Argentina? I mean, this tournament, like we've all been saying, is full of surprises.
11:07Are we going to see one tomorrow?
11:09True. I don't think so, Imran. If you look at Argentina, in about 37 matches, they lost one.
11:15So, they are a team that is in form. Yeah, you have your off days. But I think I will go with
11:21Argentina. And especially the way they played. And literally from break, where they had to win
11:27and do well in the next game. So that they had to enter the last 16. They did quite well. So,
11:32that confidence should be there in them. So, I would go with Argentina as well. Because obviously,
11:40you can't have too many bad days. And they have come back to their best again.
11:45All right, we will see how they all get on. That's enough from us tonight. My opinion?
11:50Oh, I got a funny feeling, Satish. I think, you know, the way this tournament is going,
11:55I wouldn't be surprised if we see more surprises. Basically, Australia and the USA win.
12:01Well, I mean, this has been a tough tournament. So, we never know. But yeah, I do think Argentina
12:07should be too strong. And the Netherlands also as well should progress. But we'll see. We don't
12:13know. It's been amazing so far. And I think we're going to be seeing lots more drama coming up.
12:18That's enough from the guys. We'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime,
12:21head to gulfnews.com for all the latest news. And check us out on our social media channels.
12:26Thank you and see you tomorrow night.
