Oranje Pack Off The Favourites As Saurez Breaks Afrikan Hearts!

What a night of football! Finally a day that you can say you watched World Cup football and loved it to the Tee.

The favourites are out after an inexplicable second-half meltdown against an appreciative Dutch side. On a sub-standard Port Elizabeth pitch, Dunga’s Brazilian side were in control at half-time, albeit without playing their best stuff. Robinho had captialised on a parting Dutch back four, latching on to Felipe Melo’s through ball and slotting a low shot past Maarten Stekelenburg from just outside the area. But it all went horribly wrong early in the second period. Michel Bastos was lucky not to see a second yellow card for a late challenge on Arjen Robben, but from the free-kick Holland were level; Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar missed Wesley Sneijder’s free-kick and Melo glanced the ball into his own net. Sneijder was the man again on 68 minutes, as one of the smallest men on the pitch somehow headed in a corner from close range. Melo then compounded his error by getting sent off for a stamp on Robben, and Brazil’s challenge was over. Dunga has confirmed he is leaving his job.

Africa cruelly missed out on its first World Cup semi-finalist as Ghana lost one of the most astonishing games the competition has ever seen. Sulley Muntari’s long-range strike in the first half was cancelled out after the break by a spectacular, dipping Diego Forlan free-kick. But the real drama came right at the end of extra-time, when Uruguay striker Luis Suarez used his arms to save a goalbound Dominic Adiyiah header. Referee Olegario Benquerenca awarded a penalty and sent off Suarez. Asamoah Gyan, with two penalties to his name already in the tournament, had the chance to win it with the last kick of the game… and hit the bar. It went straight to penalties, and astonishingly Gyan took Ghana’s first kick, planting it nervelessly into the top-right corner. But misses by John Mensah and Adiyiah gave Sebastian Abreu an opportunity to win it, and he coolly chipped the ball down the middle to break a continent’s heart. Just to rub it in, Suarez was carried shoulder-high by the Uruguay team.