Pick a country, any country. Better yet, pick two.

Spain went into to the tournament much in the spirit of Don Quixote. After a 0-1 loss to Switzerland in their first match the mood in the camp is much in the spirit of Sancho Panza.

The Fifa World Cup has always been one grand party, from the calles of Montevideo to the strasses of Berlin, but having hit African shores for the first time, it has reached a never before seen crescendo. A plastic trumpet with a foghorn noise has been at the centre of it all. The atmosphere created by the vuvuzela, is unparalleled, but South African culture is about more than just a blow horn. The tone of the World Cup was set even before it kicked off as a grand carnival was held in Nelson Mandela’s

Fifa has changed its rule on yellow card amnesties at the World Cup to reduce the chances of big name players missing out on the July 11 final.
Germany’s Michael Ballack in 2002, Italy’s Alessandro Costacurta in 1994 and Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia in 1990 are the best-known players to have missed World Cup finals after picking up second yellow cards in semis.

South Africa is an amalgamation of a vast collection of ethic groups, each diverse in its own way. The Rainbow Nation has 11 official languages, but in this World Cup there has only been one voice for the country — the din of the vuvuzela.

A year ago the USA were leading Brazil 2-0 at halftime in the final of the Confederations Cup only to see the Latin Americans fire home three unanswered goals in the second period. At the Ellis Park Stadium at Johannesburg on Friday, it was the Americans’ turn to produce a memorable second-half rally, which save for a disallowed goal would have ended in victory.

In the end, Argentina beat South Korea by a comfortable 4-1 margin at the Soccer City Stadium here on Thursday. But, for over an hour the match was very much in the balance and a couple of late strikes by Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, who became the first player to notch up a hat trick at the 2010 Fifa World Cup, sealed three points for Diego Maradona’s men in a tricky encounter.

The cold snap that has swept across South Africa in the first week of the World Cup has killed nearly 500 African penguin chicks, South Africa’s national parks authority said.

The current Brazil team doesn’t have the all-conquering attack of the victorious 1970 side, nor does it have the romanticism involved with the 1982 and 1986 squads who played beautiful football only to fall short on both occasions. But, for national team coach Dunga he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Brazilian supporters had swarmed Ellis Park on Tuesday night in the freezing cold to see their team “hammer North Korea” in a Group G match. But the anticipated rout didn’t materialise as the Samba Boys could only scrape through to a 2-1 win.