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World Cup 2007

World Cup 2012

World Cup 2012

First Round

Second Round

Quarter Finals

Semi Finals

3rd place

World Cup Final

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Transfer list

First Round Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H

2012 Subbuteo World Cup - First Round Group A China +5 7 Malta +2 4 Tunisia -3 2 Uruguay -4 0 Host nation China have played brilliantly throughout the 1st Round. Beginning with a confident 1-0 win against Malta, their game has been characterised by a strong defence, lead by Wang Weifeng, and consistently attacking tactics, with Yang Kong-pak and Lee Tang excelling up front. Their final 3-0 win against Uruguay showed them improving still further. Playing in front of wildly ecstatic home crowds, they look well positioned to progress further still in the competition. Malta put their initial 1-0 loss to China behind them, winning their next two games to take 2nd place. They have also adjusted well to losing Torchestor midfielder Joseph Spiteri to injury, replacing him with World cup 2007 veteran Clive Grech. Danilo Camilleri and Mario Darmanin are playing well up front, but it is their strength in defence that anchors their game: Darmanin Triganza and Yessous Sciortino are both on superb form. Tunisia started their campaign well with a 2-1 win against Uruguay, but failed to maintain that momentum, losing a hard fought tussle against Malta before finally crumbling in the face of Chinese superiority. Nevertheless, they displayed rugged persistence, and Chamseddine El-Bekri and Abdelmajid Ben Younes showed plenty of creativity up front. Despite starting strongly in all three games, Uruguay's tendency to lose their drive in the 2nd half, plus their difficulties in scoring took their toll. Both strikers, Hector Di Fiore and Diego Sanguinetti, played brilliantly but great goalkeeping and an unfortunate tendency to find the woodwork rather than the net mitigated against them. Their final game was typical, with Sanguinetti and Andres Rosano both hitting the post, while Sanguinetti had two great efforts turned away by Maltese keeper Darmanin Fenech. Group B Holland +6 9 Paraguay - 4 Italy -2 2 Eire -4 1 With 3 points from every game, Holland are looking absolutely superb. They completely dominated Paraguay, breezed past Eire and sealed their position as favourites to win the competition with an impressive win against Italy. Arje Lutjens seems unstoppable, fellow striker Pieter Kaiser has come on immensely and excelled against Italy, while Frank De Jong's performances on the wing have been fantastic. In defence, Nick Wellenberg and Jens van Zaanen are on terrific form. With progression assured before they met Italy, they brought on other players like Crimdon Borough duo Jan Peters and Jaap Van Nieuwstadt, showing that their supporting players are also world class. Paraguay started poorly against Holland, but three changes to the first time completely transformed them. Midfield maestro Nelson Dos Santos has played fantastic Subbuteo football throughout, the striking duo of Osvaldo Solalinde and Israel Duarte are magnificent and veteran defender Fredy Bogado has kept threats at bay. They ride the crest of a wave towards a challenging encounter with host nation China. Italy have been hampered throughout by sloppy defending, despite the best efforts of Matteo Aracari to hold things together at the back. Their excellent striking duo of Romano Schiatterella and Enzo Zanetti rescued them twice, pulling back from 2-0 down to draw their first two matches, but couldn't repeat the feat against the dominant Dutch in their final game. Despite playing well against Italy and Holland, Eire could only come away with a point from their first two games against Italy and Holland. Midfield problems set them back, and they finally wilted against an ascendant Paraguay. Star of the team has been striker Paddy Laidlaw, while Allan O' Hara put in two good performances as a substitute and George Dunstable attempted to rally their midfield. Group C Japan +1 4 Mexico +1 4 Slovenia -1 2 Argentina -1 2 Japan began brilliantly against Argentina, were sloppy but won against Slovenia and put in a credible performance against Mexico. Players to watch include striker Shinya Aoyama, midfielder Taku Honda and defender Taku Wada. Their inconsistent form is a cause for concern as they face the runner up from the hotly contested group D in Round 2, but the increasing confidence of second striker Taku Ichiyanagi and midfielder Shintari Kitano both bode well. Mexico have been the only team to look consistently good in Group C, with Vicente de la Torre, Omar Clemens and Rodolfo Blanco combining up front to form form a formidable attack. despite that, they have struggled to score goals against sometimes poor opponents and their midfield is workmanlike rather than creative. The early loss to injury of Dionicio de Luna hasn't held them back, as Othoniel Osorio filled the gap admirably. Like Japan, Slovenia started well, dipped, then accounted for themselves well in their final game. Defender Dare Djermanovic and midfielder Darijo Rep have played well, but they suffered for the inconsistent form of big centre forward Branko Boskovic and sometimes erratic passing in the centre of the park. Until their last game, argentina played poorly, with major problems in the midfield only alleviated by the creative flair of Diego Chiarini. Striker Felipe Di Stefano was a whirlwind of energy, who at times appeared to be the only player making any real effort. Things finally came together too late, as they launched savage attacks on the Slovenian goal in the 2nd half of their last game, but despite raining shots on goal they were unable to break the deadlock. A disappointing World Cup for a team that came with high expectations. Group D Switzerland +3 5 Bolivia +1 4 Wales - 4 Norway -4 0 Switzerland played brilliantly throughout all three games, beating Bolivia and dismissing Norway with a superb 3 point win along the way. Richard Ziegler has been the mainstay of a strong defence, Jeremy Zwahlen is proving to be a real playmaker and Christian Schneider is always dangerous up front. They play open, attractive Subbuteo football with a focus on fast, accurate passing and rapid attacks. They thoroughly deserve to top the group and have been one of the best teams in the competition so far. After a shaky start against Switzerland, Bolivia drafted winger Diego Bowles into the team and never looked back. Defender Leonel Flores and Caledonian Rangers midfielder Dustin Alcazar have excelled, and Carlos Justiniano has proved the lynchpin between defensive solidarity and creative, attacking football. They play with confidence and flair, and promise to be a real challenge for Japan in the next round. Wales played brilliantly throughout, but after their opening 3 point win against Norway found scoring difficult against some very strong defences, with Terry Dibble replacing gareth Clifton from the subs bench in both subsequent games. The Welsh defence was also strong, with Jedsada Dara and Glen Rideout both excelling, while William Merz proved his creative genius. In the end, and with progression in their sights, they fell foul to a late Swiss goal and leave the competition despite desplaying great form. Norway played wonderful Subbuteo football in all three games, but finish with no points in a group in which every team excelled. Andreas Rashani and Ruben Staff made superhuman efforts to crack difficult opponents, but luck was not on their side, while defensive strongman Reidar Hangeland could only watch as his capable defence fell prey to some fine goals. They really must be wondering where it all went wrong. Group E Denmark +3 5 Scotland +2 5 Cameroon - 3 Ireland -5 1 Denmark have looked impressive throughout, making it to Round 2 with a game still to play. Goalscoring machine Kasper Jungbloot has been a revelation, ably supported by excellent performances by dennis Kjeldberg and defender Morten Gjesing. Resting players for their final game against Scotland, they lost some of their focus, but midfielder Thomas Strangholt accounted for himself well and they showed that they have a breadth of talent across both their first choice and reserve players. Scotland have played excellent, attacking Subbuteo football, with Jim Geddis, Lindsay Burns and Jack Holiday all on excellent form. Meanwhile, midfielder Ian Weck is also playing confidently and creatively. despite nagging doubts though over stamina following their game against Ireland, they raised the bar with a great performance against Denmark and go through to the next round as a highly charged, coherent threat. Cameroon had an awful World cup until the 2nd half of their final game against Ireland, when they let fly and demolished their unfortunate opposition. They gain consolation from that win and from good performances by Danny Song and Souleymanou Kalla, while the late introduction of striker Joseph Tokoto to the team was nothing short of a revelation. He lead the charge against Ireland, and if they had played him earlier in the competition could have changed their team dynamics considerably. Ireland crashed out of the World Cup after a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Cameroon. It was a sorry finish to a campaign beset by problems. They struggled to create goalscoring chances against Denmark, looked troubled against Scotland and let things go completely against Cameroon. They were lifted though by some superb performances by Jimmy Sullivan, assured and creative defending by Madjid Alizadeh and the confident introduction of Chelbury midfielder Brian Fogarty to the international stage. Group F Brazil +7 7 France +2 6 Hungary -1 3 Panama -8 0 Brazil dominated the group, with a fluid, open and attacking yet laidback style typified by the midfield mastery of playmaker Tiago Cicero. Cicero has been simply magnificent throughout, and is hotly tipped to win the Player of the Competition prize. He is ably supported by players like Wanderson Brasilia, Wagner Simplicio and Nelson Hidalgo to name just some of the players wowing the crowds. Brazil have been one of the most attractive teams to watch, and go through having conceded no goals in a hard fought group. France have played brilliantly, but nearly let themselves slip in their last game, clawing back from 3-0 down to beat hungary 4-3 in a stunning 2nd half comeback. Winger Benoit Thibault has been a revelation, while Matthieu Dugarry has excelled in defence and the introduction of Henri Benyahya has lit up their attack. Hungary have displayed an exciting, attacking style of play, typified by their initial assault against France in their last game. Marko Takacs and Peter Leitold have lead the charge, while veteran Wolviston defender Stavros Nagy has played wonderfully too and even scored in their opening game. Hungary came so close to going through, but let their guard down against France were devastated to be knocked out of a game they had often dominated. Panama have had an unsettled World cup, but improved as things went on and almost scored the opener in their last game against Brazil. Young striker Marcos Perez was notable, and the introduction of Luis Diaz and Gabriel Renteria boosted their performance, but they suffered from poor goalkeeping and remained underdogs throughout. Group G Germany +3 5 Egypt +1 5 Australia +1 5 USA -5 0 Despite being the strongest team in the group, Germany displayed uncharacteristic indecision in front of goal in their last game against Australia. The up till then superb Karlheinz Bonhof and Dennis Graf failed to make any real impact, while Enfield Albion winger Oscar Hammerstein didn't display the flair that had been his signature in previous games. Nevertheless, they remain a strong and coherent team, with a great defence lead by Dietmar Jungwirth. Egypt played brilliantly against Australia and USA, but struggled against the superior Germans. They have a terrific winger in Mimi Shahat, and striker Farouk El-Safti has also been on super form. They have an attacking style, dependable defence and creative midfield, and play with dogged determination. Keeper Tarek Abdel Hafeez is also shaping up as one of the best of the competition, making some important saves in the last game against USA. Australia equalled Egypt on points, goals scored and goal difference, but were scuppered by their loss to Egypt in their opening game. Their shock final game win against Germany illustrated that they had moved rapidly from a poor, disorganised mess to a well oiled team, following a number of changes to the first team. Melchester City midfielder Gary Emily was superb, while their other really notable player was fellow midfielder George Theoklitas. They came so close to progressing, and leave the World Cup having revitalised the national game. USA never really got off the blocks, although they managed to be a serious threat to Egypt in their final game despite little coherence or flow to their game. Winger Kofi Wondolowski stood out, and Taylor Lofthouse reminded us of the previous World Cup by coming on as a sub and scoring, but overall they were ineffective up front and found themselves defending too often against superior teams. Group H England +4 6 Nigeria +2 5 Ivory Coast -3 2 Russia -3 1 After a sluggish start against Nigeria, England exploded into action against Russia and kept the pace up to beat Ivory Coast 3-0. Jack Westgarth and Eddie Carver have emerged as the best players, with Carver exceptionally dangerous up front. Terry Waterford is on great goalscoring form, while early questions about Frank Belgrade were sidelined by his great goal against Ivory Coast. On this form England have high hopes of beating Egypt in the 2nd Round. Nigeria have played wonderfully throughout, with the striking partnership of Thomas Ade and Kola Adefemi building up to be one of the best in the comptetion. They are ably supported by winger Jerome Dada, while veteran midfielder Kenneth Barnabas giving focus to the midfield. nigeria haven't lost a match, ooze confidence and attack with vigour. Ivory Coast's performances were patchy, and they only really excelled in their draw with Nigeria. Despite great performances by Baltasar Guede and Jean-Marc Coulibaly up front, they struggled to score goals and the heroic efforts of Liofra Keita in defence failed to rally his teammates. They are left to rue their lack of focus, and in the end collapsed before a much superior England. Despite magnificent play by Kirill Chizhevskiy and Vladimir Spassky, and an exciting, attacking style Russia fiound themselves struggling to score and without a win. They were overcome by a resurgent England and fell prey to the confident Nigerians. In the end, despite fine attacking play they leave licking their wounds and reflecting on their many goalscoring opportunties that went begging.

With a few exceptions, all team images are taken from Santiago Table Soccer Used with permission