Day 1 of the World Cup: Monrovia, Liberia

It was a tough day. Not only for me, but also to a bunch of football players in Brazil. I was tired when the opening match started and so it seemed that 22 players from Brazil and Croatia were. It was a slow match, with only occasional outburst of class. Seen over the entire match Brazil's victory was well-deserved, but I think it left a bit of a sour taste for all the football fans who love Brazil for their style. The penalty was an outright mistake by the Japanese referee, who seemed to be a bit too sympathetic to the home team.
Why is there a Japanese referee for a home match in the city with most Japanese people outside Japan in the world...?
Croatia deserved more, but also made too many silly mistakes in midfield to deserve a victory. On the other hand, they also exposed weaknesses in the Brazilian defense, which must have hardly impressed many of the stronger attacking sides who candidate themselves to the title (and one has to wonder whether Mario Mandzukic could have done some damage). On the other hand, Neymar showed that he can do some damage, and Oscar that he wants to pursue glory with Brazil. Watch out for them both!

I watched the match in a place called Fusion, in Sinkor in Monrovia. Great atmosphere and I was with a large group of lovely people from all over the world. This is the best of the world cup: friends across borders adoring the common god of Football! Wonderful place to start this World Cup which will take me to more countries in the following weeks!

Top 10 Best teams of 2005

I have already made my list of the top 10 best players of 2005. Something I have found much more difficult, was to make my list of best teams of 2005. There have truly been some remarkable team performances in 2005. My final (and as always, very personal list) is as follows:

• 10) Ghana: The "Black Stars" this year qualified for their first World Cup ever. This was a tremendous achievement for a country that has produced so many great players. I was personally delighted, living in Ghana, and will look forward to seeing them in Germany 2006.

• 9) Mexico U-17: The Mexican side for the U-17 World Cup in Peru destroyed the defending Champions of Brazil in the final, to give Mexico their first World title in football ever.

• 8) Argentina U-21: Led by a marvelous Lionel Messi, the Argentinian U-21 won their 5th World Cup title in the Netherlands this summer.

• 7) Olympique Lyon: The French side has won the French league and been very strong in the Champions League. They are one of the teams to watch next year.

• 6) Brazil: It is difficult to make a list like this without Brazil Although starting the year with some problems, they had an excellent performance winning the 2005 Confederations Cup, and later qualifying for the World Cup. With the many star players on the team, they must be considered favourites to win the World Cup title.

• 5) Boca Juniors: The legendary Argentinian side is among the top teams in the World. This year they finished greatly by winning the Argentinian tournament, as well as the South American Cup after a dramatic match against UNAM Pumas from Mexico.
  

• 4) Chelsea: In 2005 the London club with the many stars won their first Premier League title in decades. Still the club is far more ambitious, and the Champions League is their targets. The team has started the new season strongly, and they are heading straight for a new Premier League title.

• 3) Barcelona: The Catalan side has played entertaining and attacking football, and their stars are shining brightly. Most of all Ronaldinho. The team took a deserved Spanish title, and they have taken a strong lead in the Spanish league. They also won their group in the Champions League, and we will be witnessing a clash of champions between Barcelona and Chelsea in February.

• 2) Liverpool: Liverpool lived up to their history. And they gave us the most memorable game of the year, and one of the most dramatic finals in history. I will never forget their victory in the Champions League in Istambul, coming back from being behind 3-0 against AC Milan, and finally winning on penalties. I thank Liverpool for such a great football-experience!

• 1) Sao Paulo: The Brazilian side won the Copa Libertadores in June by defeating Atlético Paranaense over two matches. In December, they won the FIFA Club World Championship, defeating Liverpool in the final.
  

The top five positions have been especially difficult to place. In the end I gave Sao Paulo the top spot for having won two of the most prestigious international titles, as compared to Liverpool, who only won one. Also, the only reason I ranked Barcelona above Chelsea, is that I like Barcelona better...

Sao Paulo: World Champions

Sao Paulo FC from Brazil, yesterday became World Champions for clubs. In Yokohama they defeated the European Champions from Liverpool 1-0 after a first-half goal by Mineiro. Liverpool played well, and managed to put on pressure on the Brazilians, but they were not sharp enough in front of the goal.

This was the first official FIFA World Cup played with the club champions from each continent. It did not get that much coverage, but the games were generally good. In the end, it demonstrated the utter dominance in club-football by European and South American teams.

Congratulations to all Sao Paulo fans!