Tuesday 13 June 2006
Throughout the 2006 World Cup we'll be predicting each day's results - using Pro Evolution Soccer! We'll select the teams and let the game play out the action on its own, before posting a quick match report and the final, PES-predicted score.
2006 World Cup: Day six
Match one: Spain vs Ukraine
From the off, Ukraine's players are brave and very attacking-minded. Two minutes in and a perfect lob clears the Spanish defence, but Voronin wastes the chance, hoofing the ball into the cheap seats. Ukraine don't have to wait long to take the lead, though, with Shevchenko bustling past a defender to bear down on goal and smash a shot into the right bottom corner with 12 minutes played.
Spain are shellshocked, struggling to put pressure on Ukraine's defenders. Xavi has two fantastic chances blocked by the keeper - a storming free kick slams over the wall but is too close to the keeper. Then, a few minutes later, Xavi thwacks a brilliant shot that beats everyone but ricochets harmlessly from the Ukrainian crossbar.
PES predicts: Spain 0, Ukraine 1
Above: Shevchenko buries his first clear chance to take Ukraine into the lead
Match two: Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia
Neither side could hope to win the tournament, but that doesn't stop both teams starting brightly. Tunisia look the busier team and within a few minutes a solid header is cleared off the line by the Saudi goalkeeper to keep his side in the game. Nearing the final whistle Tunisia's strikers link well to release a snappy shot, but it goes wide leaving neither nation anything to celebrate.
PES predicts: Tunisia 0, Saudi Arabia 0
Match three: Germany vs Poland
Ballack's back, but the German captain can't get on the ball during a drab first half. Klose has the best chances, one either side of the half-time break, but the prolific German striker fails to make them count, slashing his first opportunity wide and chonking his second way over the crossbar.
Poland hardly feature in this match, with only one probing attack that's easily broken up by the German defenders. In fact the only crucial moment comes in the dying seconds when a clearly exasperated Klose hacks down a Polish defender to receive his first yellow card of the tournament.
PES predicts: Germany 0, Poland 0
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