Source www.susa.org/wufc2008/
Kyrgyzstan needed a win and for Portugal to lose against Slovakia to stand a chance of going through so the odds were stacked against them as they kicked off against favourites Ukraine.
Ukraine had already qualified
as group winners, so may have relaxed a little, and despite a game played in a very calm manner, Ukraine didn’t step down a gear at all. Kyrgyzstan, already traveling with a light squad, were down to 5 outfield players for this game though they dug in and defended well against Ukraine for large parts of the game. They also had an attacking threat, but Ukraine, so strong throughout their squad relaxed and picked off Kyrgyzstan with great professionalism. Their movement and understanding of the game is second to none and with individuals with the ability to play for the A team, Kyrgyzstan really didn’t have a hope. The final score was 5:0 to Ukraine, who will meet the winner of Israel and Czech Republic in the quarter final.
Serbia top group A
With both teams having qualified, this match was only about deciding who would top the group and who would avoid Slovenia in the quarter final. Uruguay didn't seem too bother and were more concerned about avoiding picking up suspensions going into the inevitible game versus the hosts. Within 15 seconds, Serbia rattled the bar after stealing the ball and counter attacking with pace. It wasn't much longer that Uruguay held out and it was an unfortunate own goal that gave Serbia the lead. After 10 minutes of the game Uruguay were trailing 4-0, mainly through opportunisitic Serbian efforts. Serbia tried to test the second choice goalkeeper on occasion and Santiago Perez was unable to keep out some powerful strikes. Lapse defending and a lack of pressure on the attackers gave Serbia a freedom deep in opposition territory, which allowed them such opportunities to strike at goal. Uruguay still tried to attack and had some good moves, but nothing that troubled the Serbian defence. The second half was much more even and Nicolas Pirotto added to his tally in the only real positive for Uruguay. Serbia will be confident going into the quarter final with a draw that pairs them with either China or Kazakhstan.