Click refresh for the latest updates, or use the energy emailing carrie.dunn@guardian.co.uk. You know it makes sense
Carrie Dunn
Friday June 16, 2006
Luca Bruno/AP
TeamsMexico: Sanchez, Salcido, Marquez, Osorio, Pineda, Torrado, Zinha, Pardo, Mendez, Franco, Bravo.
Subs: Arellano, Borgetti, Castro, Corona, Fonseca, Garcia, Guardado, Morales, Ochoa, Perez, Rodriguez, Suarez.
Angola: Joao Ricardo, Jamba, Kali, Delgado, Loco, Figueiredo, Macanga, Mateus, Mendonca, Ze Kalanga, Akwa. Subs: Airosa, Buengo, Edson, Flavio, Lama, Lebo-Lebo, Love, Mantorras, Marco, Mario, Miloy, Rui Marques.
Referee: Shamsul Maidin (Singapore)
And the e-mails are flooding in!The overly-polite Ed B sends me this missive: "I trust you are well. I am working this afternoon in far-off Dallas, Texas and I am looking forward to your commentary on the Mexico-Iran match. I wish you a pleasant evening and hope you find some measure of joy in your assignment." How kind! But we're going with Mexico-Angola tonight.
PredictionsNick Denny's another office-bound minute-by-minute follower: "Fear not, you're not the only one working tonight. Admittedly I'm in Seattle, so it's not yet lunchtime yet, but never mind. Let me guess - are Angola not the fancied team tonight?" I'd say that was pretty accurate, yes. Mexico scored the most goals of any team in World Cup qualifying, and got off to a flyer against Iran.
Good point, well madeNicholas Gard makes the withering comment: "Seeing as there aren't probably many people riveted to this match, maybe you could just post up the minute-by-minute commentary for the Mexico-Iran match and head off to the pub. Readers may not notice the difference."
Great expectationsShripad Deo is evidently a founder member of the Georgina Turner fan club: "Carrie, I hope you are as fun as Georgina Turner was with the Holland-Ivory Coast match." I'll do my best, though she is a difficult act to follow. I'm sure you'll tell me if I disappoint.
The teams appear!Mexico are in white shirts and green shorts, Angola in red shirts and black shorts. The ITV commentator is waxing lyrical about the "manicured suburbs of Hanover", and I suspect he's stolen that particular script straight from Wikipedia. Mexico's national anthem is played first, and the players and fans sing lustily, with that traditional arm across the chest. Apparently this song won a competition to become the country's official tune. Angola conclude the musical entertainment for the evening with a slightly muffled rendition of their anthem.
Here we go!Mexico have a little bit of a huddle, Angola appear to be arguing amongst themselves already. It's Mexico to kick off.
1 minAnd Bravo is straight on Ricardo, who gathers under pressure. Angola try to launch an attack from the goal-kick. Then Mexico grab possession in midfield, and with a nippy run from the left, Salcido puts in a looping shot which lands on the roof of the net.
3 minsZe Kalanga's been caught late by Franco in what the commentators always refer to in "a sensitive area". Nothing malicious in it, but there's a hold-up in play.
6 minsTentative stuff at the moment. The ball is pinging around in midfield to little effect.
8 minsZe Kalanga has gone down injured again. Looks like a leg injury. He's being strapped to a stretcher and is trundled off. Angola are playing with ten men at the moment.
10 minsFranco goes down just outside the box after Jamba breathes on him. It's a free-kick. Pardo takes it, and it's right down the throat of Ricardo.
12 minsA nice spell of keep-ball for Angola results in Ze Kalanga being caught offside. Sigh. Mexico are on the attack straight away, and Delgado brings down Zinha. Free-kick again.
13 minsOoh! Nice effort from Marquez. Right through the wall, striking the post and back into play.
16 minsMendonca fouls Marquez, and it's yet another free-kick for the Mexicans. Pardo's taking this one. He lofts it right-footed towards the far post, where Ricardo gets a hand to it but can't hold it. Luckily his defender is there sweeping up and hacks it clear.
17 minsToo many injuries here. This time Jamba catches Franco, who limps off. He'll be back in a minute.
19 minsNow Franco's caught Figueiredo. This might be a pretty good game if it ever got going.
22 minsTom Overton wants to know when the witty banter is going to start. When I get some e-mails in, Tom. This is a two-way street, y'know.
24 minsAngola are slightly in the ascendant here. They get their first corner, and Figueiredo gets their first shot on target, but it's way over the bar. Laurence sounds suicidal, and I'm quite worried for his well-being: "Your minute-by-minute report is all that is keeping me awake as I sit in my work cubicle with four beige walls, like prison walls, facing me, and another three hours of futility to look forward to. I actually nodded off for about five seconds a while ago, but then started chugging my coffee, and now things are marginally better."
26 minsFree-kick to Angola, taken by Mendonca (and no, it's not Clive, all you clever-clogses out there). It is somewhat inaccurate. That is, he missed by a mile.
30 minsPineda does the difficult bit by running down the left, and then utterly fails to control the ball, which runs loose. He fouls in a desperate effort to regain possession, and Angola win a free-kick.
33 minsWhat kind of ball was that from Zinha? He has all the time in the world but plays it straight into the legs of the defender in front of him. Anyway, his team-mate picks up the rebound, puts in a good cross to the box, which Ricardo fails to gather, and Jamba helps him out again.
35 minsYou'd really think that Mexico should be dominating this, and I'd say they're the better side, but Angola don't seem to be entirely lost and out of their depth. That's not to say that conceding a goal wouldn't rock them out of their rhythm entirely, mind. Possession's been about 50-50 so far, for those of you interested in that type of statistic. George Monteverdi writes: "The US broadcasters are so unbearably bad we've decided to watch Holland v Ivory Coast again, drinking lots of Van Gogh Gin and Gouda cheese with sausage."
40 minsJohn Arenivar informs me: "You must know that for many of us in the US, Mexico are carrying our hopes for World Cup glory. Since the nominal national team is crap, we front-runners with Mexican blood in the veins are jumping on a better bandwagon." At this rate, I'd find a distant Argentinian relative...
42 minsNice ball in from Akwa on the right aimed towards the head of Mateus, and the defender Marquez gets it away for the corner. Thomas Wright comments: "They just showed a crowd of people in Mexico City watching the game, and most of them looked like they were wishing they had brought something to read."
45 minsOh, Jamba's been booked for hacking down Marquez. He'll miss the next game. And then there's a real chance! Hurrah! Ricardo makes a great save from Franco, who picks up the ball, turns and strikes, but it's smothered by the keeper. Dan Hoedeman snorts: "John Arenivar, the American happy to switch allegiance to Mexico because their group is easier than my Sunday league and thus they are certain to progress, encapsulates all that is wrong with the fickle American sporting public. That, and our unusual fascination with tights-clad men in helmets running into each other. It's a strange country, this one."
Added timeThere'll be weeks of injury-time. Or in fact just two - the referee blows for half-time as two Angolans are lying injured; he's obviously decided it's as good a time as any to call a halt to the first 45 minutes. I suspect Angola will be delighted with this, and Mexico will be both surprised and disappointed.
Take a time-out, my American friendsChris Harris gives us this little gem of a factoid: "Unless I'm wrong, which is a possibility I'm unwilling to assure against by doing any research, this is the only first round match between two teams representing countries spelled with six letters and ending in vowels. That fact seems as salient as any other at the moment, an hour plus as it is before I can escape my desk and have a beer."
A brain teaser for you allNow. It's half-time in Mexico v Angola. So what do you think ITV are analysing in the studio and with a series of in-depth interviews?
The answer!Yes! ITV are talking about a game that happened yesterday! I'm not going to discuss it because frankly it is dull, dull, dull. This game is similarly uninspiring, but I am very interested at the huge amount of American fury unleashed by John Arenivar's comments (40 mins). Will Creedle seethes: "I'm a US supporter and let me just say any 'American' who would wish anything but total humiliation and suffering upon the flopping peacocks that are the Mexican side, is not a US supporter at all. A curse upon him, may US TV broadcasters narrate the rest of his days. He does not speak for me. Go Angola!"
Second halfHere we go again. This half will be GREAT. Yes. Jeremy Gaspar picks up Chris Harris's gauntlet: "A note for Mr. Harris, who maybe should just cut out and run to the pub for a quick one there is a nation in North America with six letters in its name and which ends in a vowel. Im quite sure they field a national team, but were probably disqualified for wearing skates on the pitch, eh?"
46 minsStop start, stop start. Back in the old routine. SOMEONE STRING SOME PASSES TOGETHER. Don Jacobs suggests: "Perhaps this is a good time to revisit FIFA's bleepin' stupid ranking system that made Mexico the number one team in this group. They are not even the best team in North America."
48 minsEvery time I begin to type something about a potential attack, it comes to naught and I have to begin again.
52 minsTwo chances for Mexico, one created by Marquez on the right and one by Salcido on the other side. Ze Kalanga's picked up a yellow card somewhere along the way.
54 minsMatheus tries to play in ze Kalanga, to no avail.
55 minsFranco's one-on-one with the keeper, who's come racing out and gets his hand to it. He can only parry, Arellano (just on for Zinha) left clear, but the defender has raced back to clear off the line.
58 minsRidiculously high shot from Figueiredo. From Mike Madden: "As a US fan, I'd usually agree with anyone saying Mexico shouldn't have been seeded, but even as badly as they're playing now they've still looked better than we did against the Czechs (then again, so has every team except Serbia). Maybe T&T can thump Paraguay next week to restore some honour to Concacaf?"
62 minsDan Weingrod chortles: "What, no comments about Jesus (Arellano) coming in to save the day for Mexico?" Consider it done, Dan.
64 minsPJ Jumonville yawns: "Even the Mexican broadcasters sound like two septuagenarians on a valium and whiskey bender. Usually they tend more to Chihuahuan trucker. Im seriously considering switching to bass fishing to stay awake." The crowd is equally subdued. One lone drummer persists.
65 minsImpressive one-handed take by Ricardo from a left-flank cross.
66 minsOmar Bravo chooses to knock the ball gently back to Ricardo rather than wellying the damn thing into the onion bag.
68 minsMantorras has just come on for Mateus. The momentum is with Mexico at the moment, with another dismal effort from Bravo, and then a horrendously poor free-kick from Marquez, who was presumably aiming for a team-mate, but finds only a clutch of photographers behind the goal.
72 minsJD Furlong enquires: "You do not seem overly, mmmh, keen on this game. How about a vote of the readers as to whether you stay typing or go to the pub. If it is in the public interest to stop reporting the game The Man could hardly complain? My votes with you and the pub. I'm off there anyway to talk about Argentina." Nice idea, but I'm afraid I can't - I'm on World Cup Podcast duties this evening. Why not take a listen?
73 minsRui Marques is coming on for Figueiredo. And Mexico are making a change too - Fonseco on for Franco.
76 minsMendez sneaks his way in behind the Angolan defence, but there are too many bodies there and Ricardo is happy to throw his body on the ball and smother it.
78 minsEdging towards the last ten minutes now. Ricardo La Volpe is about to make his last change - Morales on for Pineda. Zeke Stephens asks: "If Mexico loses or draws this match, do you think there will be rioting in Mexico City?"
79 minsRed card! Andre Macanga's off for his second yellow - a clumsy challenge, then a handball. Angola down to ten men, and you'd think Mexico would be able to score in these closing stages. That's put the kibosh on it.
82 minsWhat is Fonseca doing? He hasn't even got the excuse of being tired, he's only been on for eight minutes. He scuffs a good opportunity into the side netting.
84 minsOmar Bravo is having a bit of a 'mare today. Another wayward shot, no power behind it, and not even close to being on target. Holly McGuire reckons the problem for Mexico is Fifa's ban on La Volpe's dirty nicotine habit.
86 minsAngola keeper Ricardo is booked for time-wasting. You can hardly blame him, though. Gordon Handley says: "Now that Mexico have a fresh pair of legs and Angola are a man down, there will be nothing stopping them. Except maybe their lacklustre playing."
87 minsA shot on target! Marquez lets one fly from the edge of the box, and Ricardo - who's apparently without a club at the moment - tips it round the post! A corner! Too many exclamation marks!
88 minsAnd Mexico almost - ALMOST - make that corner count. Lofted in to the far post, the keeper fails to claim, but Bravo can't tuck it away, striking the ball onto the woodwork as he falls to the ground. Hey, the last few minutes might be quite exciting! Rui Cardoso takes this game as evidence that Portugal did well to beat Angola: "Many of you criticized Portugal for not thrashing Angola on their opening game - there you see! It's not that easy to beat certain teams nowadays - especially those who are 'unorganised'. The Portuguese squad tends to play better with powerful teams because they are organised (ie they play as a team). Wait to see." I will.
90 minsThere'll be two minutes added on.
90 mins + 1The Angolan fans are singing and dancing, as well they might. Mendonca takes a throw-in, and rather than GETTING IT IN THE CORNER AND STANDING ON IT, which would have been my advice, the cross goes into the box, where nobody is waiting apart from a grateful Mexican backline.
90 mins + 2Mexico go for one final push, and Ricardo makes a majestic leap to collect the Morales cross from the left.
That's it!Mexico are being booed off the pitch, and I really cannot say I'm surprised. That was pretty shambolic stuff. But Angola are thrilled, and their goalkeeper Joao Ricardo was by some distance their man of the match, in my humble opinion.
Thank you and goodnightWell, that's all from me. Apologies I couldn't bring you a more entertaining game - nothing I could do, I promise. Thank you for all your e-mails, and have a great weekend. Carrie.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJ6fpMGjrculZrCnoqGxpMHPa2dpbl%2Bitq%2Bu2Kagp2dgYXlyg5dxaXJrXGV9b7TTpqM%3D