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Few people outside Germany expected the three-times winners to reach the quarter-finals, let alone the last four, after arriving at the tournament with a squad lacking in big international names of previous German campaigns. But they have to be considered one of the favorites now after a clinical display in Cape Town which left coach Diego Maradona’s Argentina humiliated.

It was supposed to be the clash of the titans yet this tie was so one-sided that it was more like men-versus-boys. Germany, beaten by Serbia in the group stages, never looked back after Thomas Mueller opened the scoring as early as the third minute. Read the rest of this entry →

1. Brazil (last ranking: 3) – Bounced back from a slow start with a win over Ivory Coast and cruised easily into the second round with a game to spare.
2. Argentina (1) – The most gifted attacking lineup of this tournament, lit up by Lionel Messi’s magic.
3. Netherlands (4) – Nothing flashy so far but few teams look more stable or comfortable.
4. Portugal (11) – Exploded to life with a 7-0 thrashing of North Korea and is back on course.

5. Spain (8) – Still a class act despite opening upset loss to Switzerland.
6. Mexico (10) – Nervous in their opener, the Mexicans tore France apart and are being spurred by Giovani Dos Santos.
7. Uruguay (12) – Strong and tough and capable of riding the Diego Forlan juggernaut.
8. Chile (13) – Two-for-two for South America’s best-kept secret.

9. Paraguay (14) – Can top Group F and set up an easier path in the next round.
10. Germany (2) – A huge drop after losing to Serbia and now must beat Ghana or go home.
11. Italy (9) – The defending champs are looking weak and disjointed after two draws, but they can never be discounted.
12. Denmark (24) – Won one of the best games of the tournament by defeating Cameroon 2-1.

13. England (6) – Fans in the locker room and now a player mutiny … it’s all going wrong.
14. United States (15) – The Americans have a simple equation: Win over Algeria = Round of 16.
15. Serbia (27) – Kept itself alive by beating the Germans and now should reach the knockout stage.
16. Switzerland (7) – Disappointing response against Chile after shocking Spain in its opening game.

17. Ghana (17) – Controls its destiny but needs a result against Germany to survive.
18. Japan (18) – Facing a showdown with Denmark for a place in the last 16.
19. Slovenia (19) – Physical, aggressive and lucky to escape with a point against the USA.
20. Greece (20) – Strong response against Nigeria kept the Greeks’ hopes alive.

21. Ivory Coast (5) – Destined to be the odd man out in the Group of Death.
22. South Korea (16) – Mixed results so far but should do enough to go through.
23. New Zealand (26) – Limited but tenacious side produced a magnificent effort to tie Italy.
24. Algeria (29) – Tough defense earned the Algerians a draw against England, but they’re short on attacking threats.

25. Slovakia (23) – Great in European qualifying but overwhelmed and outclassed here.
26. Australia (32) – Improved from an abysmal start to the tournament.
27. South Africa (31) – A lack of spirit ruined Bafana’s chances of emerging from Group A.
28. Nigeria (30) – Perhaps the most disappointing of all the African nations here.

29. France (22) – A collection of arrogant individuals who will soon get the early exit they deserve.
30. Honduras (28) – Brave and committed but not of World Cup quality.
31. Cameroon (25) – Already eliminated after two defeats.
32. North Korea (21) – Early promise quashed by a brutal drubbing from Portugal.

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Showdown at 14:30 EST on ESPN, Brazil versus North Korea at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa. The two teams have never met in any competition. North Korea is said to be the weakest team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition. Italy once fell victim to an unexpected loss to the Korean team in the 1966 World Cup in Munich, Germany.

North Korea currently ranks 105th in FIFA’s world rankings and Brazil stands at 1. is holding number 1.

Brazil ended the game on top beating North Korea 2-1. At least North Korea scored a goal.