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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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South Africa beat France 2-1 as both teams are eliminated from the World Cup tournament. It’s the first time the host nation does not go through the knockout stage.

Ivory Coast a team known for its offensive plays, played like they weren’t interested in winning or playing soccer in the World Cup. The most controversial play was when Brazil’s Luis Fabiano unintentionally used his arm twice to control the ball and get passed a couple of Ivory Coast defenders for Brazil’s second goal of the game.

Brazil continued to toy around with the Ivory Coast team as 84,455 were on the stand watching. At the 78th minute, the Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba scored its first goal with a header. The Ivory Coast is the first team to score a goal against Brazil in the FIFA World Cup tournament.

Things turned for the ugly in the 84 minutes of the match as an Ivory Coast player runs into Kaka’s elbow and results in a second yellow card for Kaka, then a red card. Kaka will now be suspended for the next match. It’s clearly shown that Brazil’s coach should’ve taken Kaka out of the game after his first yellow card since Brazil was already winning the game 3-1.