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A South Africa supporter blows his vuvuzela - Source: Reuters -
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With the first round games of the World Cup over, tvnz.co.nz takes a look at some of the things we have learned so far in, World Cup - the week that was.
No matter who is between the sticks, England are still crap in goal
After being hailed as third favourites to take out the World Cup for the first time since 1966, England once again expected their 'golden generation' of players to prove their worth against USA! USA! USA! in their opening 2010 World Cup opener, what people probably didn't expected was a goalkeeping howler of epic proportions from West Ham's Robert Green - or did they?
The game, which we all know by now was a 1-all draw (Unless you read the New York Post in which case you will know that USA actually won 1-1) was just another case of finding an early goal and then hitting the self-destruct button in spectacular fashion - which is just so very, very England.
The match has also been hailed as they day staunch Italian Fabio Capello actually became an England manager as he looked like a man possessed as said button was pressed.
Capello can also be blamed for putting Robert Green, who fumbled a Clint Dempsy shot, in goal instead of er, David James, and also because he knew full well that Green had just split from his model girlfriend Elizabeth Minett. - which is most unfortunate because after that hilarious gaffe I doubt he will ever manage to pull another one.
But on the up side, doesn't Lego make the England draw seem so much cooler!
Goals are hard to find
With the first round of group games out of the way, it is time to reflect on the best goals from opening week of the 2010 World Cup
If you think the goal highlights of the opening round are a bit short, that would be because there have been just 25 goal scored in the opening 16 games - and average of 1.56 per game (which compares poorly with the record lowest average in a World Cup of 2.21 in Italy in 1990)
Many have blamed the Jabulani ball - which has been hailed as the 'worst ball I have ever seen' by England boss Fabio Capello - for the cagey and at times boring World Cup clashes (did I just say that out loud, oops. Yes, I think I did....) but it could also be the fact that many of the world's great, sexy and inspiring teams like France and Italy are now actually a rest home for the aged and are actually a bit crap.
Vuvuzelas are, in fact, the most annoying piece of plastic in the world
"Without the vuvuzela, I don't think I would be able to enjoy football," Sadaam Maake, one of South African football's celebrity followers once said in 2009, but without taking anything away from South Africa and their proud supporters, we'd actually have to say that listening to an instrument that sounds like a thousand bees flying round your head for two hours actually makes most of the world not enjoy football that much at all!
And that is the pain of the vuvuzelas, which can not only make you deaf, but also make you want to smash your head through the telly!
The BBC are the first network to take a stance, and say they are sounding out (excuse the pun) ways to filler out the incessant drone of the world's most agonisingly annoying piece of plastic ever invented after received 545 complaints from viewers - although another option could be to get the world's most agonsingly annoying striker Diego Forlan to play for each and every team in the World Cup from now on in after his 2 goals against the host nation on Thursday seemed to be the only thing to shut the instruments up!
Diego Maradona quote of the week
"Pele has to go back to the museum. Regarding Platini, I always had a very distant relationship with him - hello and goodbye.
"We know how the French are and Platini is French and he thinks of himself as being more than the rest of the world. I've never paid him any attention and I won't do it now." - If that's how Maradona treats his 'friends' I hate to see what he would do to his enemies.
Germany slip in under the radar
While many people have pondered the age old question of whether it will be European Champions Spain or five time victors Brazil who take out this years World Cup (Spain looking less likely now after doing, well, a Spain, otherwise known, as an England) those pesky bloody Germans have slid into the tournament under the radar like the well-oiled machine that they are.
After the cagey openers it is Germany who have made the biggest impression, smashing Australia 4-0 and proving that life without injured midfielder Michael Ballack, really does exist, and perhaps that, life might even be better without the former Chelsea star.
All Whites win 1-1
They may be the rank underdogs of the tournament, with some even questioning the eligibility of them being there, but the New Zealand All Whites are proving they are not going to take their loser status lying down.
When the Group F draw was announced their can be no doubt that Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia would have been licking their lips and rubbing their hands together at the prospect of three 'easy' points against the Kiwis, ranked 74th in the world - we'll how wrong they were as the All Whites bagged their first ever World Cup point after a late Winston Reid header earned the side a point with a 1-1 draw against Slovakia on Monday.
And while the result was celebrated around New Zealand like the All Whites had just won the World Cup, never one to let an actual hiding get them down Australia (New Zealand's not so fond neighbours) also tried to get in on the act with a headline that screamed Australasia 1- Slovakia 1!
AND FINALLY
Man takes England support to a whole new level
Think your house looks super cool with your national flags and
bunting? You aint got nothing on
THIS GUY!
