Day 4 saw 3 matches too, with 2 matches from Group E and one from Group F. The Netherlands, eternal underachievers on the big stage, took on the doughty Danes who topped their qualifying group ahead of Portugal and Sweden, while Japan and Cameroon faced off in the other Group E match. Defending champions Italy played Paraguay in the first match of Group F.
Though Arjen Robben, so crucial to Bayern Munich's resolute march to 2009-10 Champions League final, did not start this match due to an ankle injury, the Dutch had plenty of talent in reserve to compensate for his absence and with Sneijder pulling all the strings in midfield (continuing from where he left off for Inter Milan last season), they ran out comfortable winners in the end, with Robben's replacement, Dirk Kuyt getting a goal for good measure. Placed in a relatively safe group (compared to their 2006 incarnation, where they were with Argentina, Cote d'Ivoire and Serbia & Montenegro), the Dutch will be strongly favored to top the group and meet, barring an epic upset in Group F, Paraguay in the round of 16.
The Japanese are not renowned for their physical prowess on the ball, either horizontally or vertically. Despite that, they are no pushovers and in Shunsuke Nakamura, they possess one of the most lethal left-footed midfielders in the business. Some of their other players are not bad either and so it proved as Keisuke Honda got the only goal of the game just before half-time. Cameroon will know that their task is now very hard, since Denmark had lost their first game as well and in all probability, the clash between the Indomitable Lions and the Danes will decide their fates in this World Cup.
Marcello Lippi, coach of Italy, probably thought that there is some merit in what his German counterpart, Joachim Loew, did the other day and decided to start with several youngsters, Ricardo Montolivo (midfield), Domenico Criscito (left back), Claudio Marchisio (midfield) and Simone Pepe (right wing). Whether he got what he expected is open to debate, but by packing his midfield and leaving Iaquinta to do all the running up front, Lippi clearly betrayed the fact that without the attacking guile of Totti and Del Piero, so crucial to their triumph 4 years ago, his squad is more defensive than ever. Meanwhile, Paraguay, coached by the shrewd Argentine, Gerardo Martin, gave more than an adequate account of themselves and if it weren't for a goalkeeping error (how many have we seen in this World Cup so far?) by their captain Justo Villar, they could have very well pulled off the first upset of South Africa 2010 and emulated Cameroon of '90, who had shocked Argentina by a similar scoreline (1-0). Daniele de Rossi had other ideas, though, as he ghosted in off the far post and smacked the ball home from less than 6 yards. Lippi will need to think on his tactics if his supposedly aging team has to go far in this championship, let alone defend its title.
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