Group G

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff has hit out at Brazil ahead of their quarter-final meeting with Netherlands on Friday, suggesting they play dull football and that he wouldn't buy a ticket to watch them play. Lucky he probably doesn't have to pay isn't it.

"Where has the Brazil team we all know disappeared to in this World Cup?" he said. "I look at this team and I remember people like Gerson, Tostao, Falcao, Zico or Socrates. Now I only see Gilberto, Melo, Bastos, Julio Baptista.

Read more: Johan Cruyff criticises Brazil ahead of quarter-final match

If you didn't see that match, I think it is fair to say that you just missed the game of the World Cup, to date. It had it all and seven goals. What more could you ask for?

We have to be honest too - it wasn't because Portugal were fantastic - they were good, for sure, but North Korea were not great. Often a second off the pace and going forward they lacked any imagination.

Read more: Portugal 7 North Korea 0: Game of the World Cup?

Portugal failed to live up to expectations in their first match of this World Cup and I have a feeling they will again today. Take away Ronaldo from Portugal and you are left with very little and if he is not having one of his special days, he is just another player.

I am writing this so I can be wrong. I so desperately want to see Ronaldo do well but in this team, I can not see it happening. Also, I suspect North Korea are going to be very well organised and they will know all about threat levels.

Read more: Portugal v North Korea, World Cup Group G, Match 30

I wish I could jump in a hot tub and travel back in time 100 years. If I could, I would stop all that is wrong in the game from ever happening and make sure that all the bad things that do happen could not happen. I would put salary caps in the game, I would make the punishment for cheating severe, for bribery very severe and I'd make sure that the game, above all things, remained honest and had some values.

I don't have a hot tub though so I cant do what should have been done years ago and I apologise for the rant, but the game tonight just turned into who was the best cheat and it isn't very nice.

Read more: Brazil 3 Ivory Coast 1: Cheats almost never prosper

The way this World Cup is getting played out, I wouldn't be surprised if Sven Sven Sven Goran Eriksson was right now in his hotel room brewing up a potion to give his players extra speed and extra strength tonight and tonight, the Ivory Coast beat Brazil.

Naturally, the smart money will be on Brazil, but the clever money might be on Ivory Coast and while we don't know that for sure we do know it will be an interesting game tonight.

Read more: Brazil v Ivory Coast, World Cup Group G, Match 29

Hot off the back of a man of the match performance when Brazil beat North Korea earlier this week, Robinho is praising team-mate Kaka.

"When Kaka plays well he can decide any game. He is very important to us," Robinho noted.

Read more: Kaka is very important to us - Robinho

Brazil striker Nilmar said yesterday that his fellow team mates still believed Spain are favourites despite losing to Switzerland on Wednesday in their first Group H match of the World Cup.

"That could be a lesson for other teams - this result shows what can happen at a World Cup," said Nilmar.

Read more: Spain remain one of the favourites - Nilmar

At half time it was 0-0 and there was every chance an upset was on the cards. Okay, maybe not every chance, but there was a chance and despite having predicted Brazil would win and having money on it, I sort of would have liked it if they had won. But, it was never going to happen.

But, they did well. The first half was all about getting as many men behind the ball as possible and stopping Brazil at every chance and they did it well. The second was different.

Read more: Brazil beat North Korea but North Korea score

We don't know if this was a bad game or if Ivory Coast and Portugal just cancelled each other out. For now we are going with the latter, because that is what we want to think about this game and these two teams, but we had hoped for something a little more exciting.

It really was nothing special and the game really had no significant moments. There was quite a bit of falling over if you went near someone and quite a few empty seats, but nothing with the football that made you want to watch the game again.

Read more: Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0: Neither side impressed

Hundreds of Chinese football fans have arrived in South Africa to lend their support to North Korea in their opening World Cup 2010 match against Brazil, kicking off in just over an hour.

They are knows as the 'fans volunteer army' in China and many stayed in Pretoria yesterday but are congregating near Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg to back North Korea, who are not expected to have many supporters at the World Cup.

Read more: Fans volunteer army supporting North Korea