David Villa's goal for Spain against Portugal Tuesday was top class. Everything from Iniesta's pass to Xavi's back heel to David Villa's killer strike that rebounded off the goalkeeper and back to him, and then into the top of the net.

But it should have been disallowed for offside.

Watch the above video to see the incident and to see how both the referee and assistant referee's line of sight were blocked.

HT to 101 Great Goals.

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The group stages have concluded and now we can all look forward to good old fashioned knockout Football. What this World Cup has provided us so far has been, well, a bit baffling really, it has provided little in the way of genuine thrills and excitement but a huge amount of intrigue. It has been engrossing and most importantly it has provided some genuine surprises.

Group A was the setting for the demise of the French, no heart, no passion, no cohesion, spats, rows and fallouts equalled one point for Les Bleus and a shameful early flight home. Henry should’vedone the world a favour and kept his hand by his side. Uruguay and Mexico qualified from the group with relative ease, both sides have shown through some assured displays that they are more than capable of having a successful run in this World Cup. It was such a disappointment not to see the South Africans get through, maybe naivety, nerves and a little bit of expectation got the better of them, particularly against the Uruguayans, yet their performances either side of that game were impressive and it was a shame not to see the host nation progress. The South African squad, unlike the French, can hold their heads high.

Argentina somewhat strolled through Group B, winning all three games, as impressive as that looks on paper there do appear to be a few cracks in the Argentinean side, particularly at the back. As yet you couldn’t really put them down as nailed on finalists. South Korea qualified as runners up, they are a well organised outfit and create plenty of openings going forward, they make for a tricky opposition. Elsewhere in Group B Greece were Greece and Nigeria were bitterly disappointing, their campaign will only be remembered for Yakubu’s astonishing miss against the Koreans.

The USA claimed top spot in Group C with virtually the last kick of the group, securing a berth in arguably the easier side of the draw. It was no less than the Americans deserved, particularly after clawing their way back from two nil down in their previous match to claim a vital point. England finished runners up, after being vilified for their part in two drab draws they secured qualification with a One nil victory over Slovenia, England may live to regret not converting more of their chances, they now face a tricky route through the knockouts. Far from being spectacular Algeria and Slovenia ensured that qualification for the US and England was not as comfortable as many imagined it would be.

The ever efficient Germans got their World Cup off to a flying start, breezing past an awful Australian side in a four nil rout. That German efficiency went missing in game two when they fell to a one nil defeat at the hands of Serbia. Group D   like most groups was wide open going into the final round of matches. A one goal victory against the Ghanaians clinched top spot for Joachim Low’s men. Ghana finished second, salvaging some pride for what has been a poor World Cup for the African nations. To be fair there wasn’t much between the three sides that finished below the Germans, the Australians were vastly improved after their first display and the Serbs looked well organised and difficult to beat. It was Ghana’s win in their first game which proved how crucial it is to get points on the board as early as possible.

The Dutch waltzed to 9 points in Group E without even having to get out of second gear. Japan finished a thoroughly deserving second. Denmark and Cameroon were quite frankly awful in what was possibly the dullest group of the tournament. The Indomitable Lions, for me, have been the let down of 2010 so far.

Group F was home to the shock of the Tournament, Italy not only failed to qualify but finished bottom of their group. On the back of two lacklustre draws no one expected the Italians to fall short again in their last match. You have to credit the Slovakians for playing with such belief, it has to be the game of the tournament so far, and in contrast to the French, despite their shocking start the Italians fought all the way in their final game and very nearly pulled off a great escape in the dying seconds. Special mention must go to New Zealand, to finish undefeated in a group containing the Azzurri, Paraguay and Slovakia is some achievement for the All Whites and it is a shame three sides could not progress from Group F because no one would begrudge them 90 more minutes of World Cup Football.

Brazil finished top of the pile in Group G with Portugal qualifying as runners up. The Ivory Coast were another African disappointment and the North Koreans went from terrific to terrible in three games. Brazil look strong, their two defensive midfielders play a priceless role and have so far been fantastic, if their more creative colleagues hit form then the boys from Brazil will be the team to beat.

In the final group Chile continued to wave the South American flag proudly. They played with the freedom and expression expected from Group favourites Spain. The Spanish did not buck the trend of struggling European sides, leaving qualification to the last game after a less than convincing start, but they did manage to turn things around and claim top spot. Switzerland were their normal no nonsense selves, set up not to lose and not to be pleasing on the eye. I would like to say the Hondurans did more than just make up the numbers, sadly I can’t.

As the World Cup heads into stage two a lot of teams will try to forget their struggles in the group stages. This is the business end of the tournament and it’s game one as far as they are concerned, if you slip up now you don’t get another chance to set things right. There is still no real favourite, results wise it has been one of the most unpredictable World Cups so far, one thing we know is that every side is beatable. The form book was thrown out of the window during the group stages, and there’s no indication that will change in the knockouts.

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You often hear people talking about how soccer players should use their head when playing the sport. But you seldom hear or see them talking about using their neck.

However, that's exactly what Portugal maestro Cristiano Ronaldo did Monday during his team's 7-0 mauling of North Korea when he rolled the ball off the back of his neck into his path to score one of the goals of the tournament.

Amazing!

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Since 1990, when Cameroon became the first African nation to reach the Quarter Finals of the World Cup, only one other African country has made it to the same point, Senegal in 2002. Despite the consistent leaps in quality, ability and tactical attitude, Africa has consistently failed to make the next breakthrough on the world stage. Critics can point to perhaps the continents best team, Egypt, not being in the finals, but Egypt traditionally struggle to qualify for the World Cup.

With continental advantage at hand, could Africa begin to consistently trouble the latter stages of the World Cup at last? It just seems unfortunate that only one of the six qualifiers this year looks capable of getting in to the last eight in South Africa. For me, the Ivory Coast stand head and shoulders above all the other African representatives even before they enticed Sven-Goran Eriksson to take the helm this summer.

As a squad, the depth and experience of the Elephants squad is clearly the strongest of the African nations in all parts of the field with talismanic striker Didier Drogba leading the team on and off the pitch. Add to that the options that players of the calibre of the Toure brothers, Guy Demel, Bakary Kone, Didier Zokora, Salomon Kalou and Aruna Dindane give you and you have a strong line up to match most sides in the tournament. The fact that they've found themselves in the same group as Brazil and Portugal and expected whipping boys North Korea shouldn't fill them with fear.They can qualify from this group.

Under no circumstances is this the free flowing samba styled Brazil we've been brought up on over the last few years. Head coach Dunga has installed a pragmatic formation and tactical set that keeps the midfield anchored but allowing the wingers and fullbacks to bomb forward. It's an interesting variation on the standard Brazilian style, more reminiscent of the 1994 winning side than the 2002 winning side.After they way they slumped out of the competition in 2006, they'll be keen to be more clinical.

Portugal on the other hand can thank a favourable seeding in the European play-offs for getting to the World Cup. A side that seems to be on the way down, huffing and puffing its way through qualification. Despite the hype, Ronaldo, similarly to Messi, doesn't seem to play as we know him at the international level. North Korea have the surprise element, but I doubt we'll have a repeat of their amazing shock of the 1966 finals.

We've a situation where one of the 3 big teams in this group will be going home and with Brazil and Portugal clashing as their last fixture, the Ivory Coast will be aware that they could be in a situation that they could send home one of the Portuguese speaking nations. Would it be a big shock? Not really, if anything, Portugal are the ones who have it all to do to get through. The tournament needs the best African side to go through as the only other contenders, Cameroon and Ghana often flatter to deceive.

World Cups have no time for sentiment, but the Ivory Coast have a chance to write a little bit of history and each of the three teams will be desperate to finish top as I can't see Spain not winning Group H. Eriksson will be at his 3rd World Cup and despite his faults, is still one of the most experienced managers in the world. Adding his pragmatic tactics to the Ivory Coast's boundless exuberance could be a match made in heaven. Brazil and Portugal will be hoping the cocktail doesn't taste as sweet in action.

Leave me your comments below and you can follow me on http://twitter.com/paulbestall

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Kicking off the World Cup Buzz podcast's two months of coverage, the Talk network welcomes back Andy Brassell, one of the media's leading experts on professional football in Western Europe. Andy joined me late last week to talk about the nations from his coverage area who will be competing in South Africa as well as offer a pick for this summer's finals.

We will be back with another expert on tomorrow's podcast, but until then, please enjoy Andy Brassell's views on some of the European nations we'll start seeing coming June 11.

Author's Note: You never hear Andy plug it, but Andy has a rather good book in print All or Nothing: A Season in the Life of the Champions League which he didn't mention during our interview, but given how gracious Andy is to not only this show much to so many others, I wanted to relay my recommendation.

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The Football Association was once again rocked by scandal when Lord Treisman, chairman of both the FA and England's 2018 World Cup bid, was forced to resign after the Mail On Sunday published excerpts from a conversation in which Treisman accused Spain and Russia of conspiring to bribe officials in South Africa.

The comments came from a secretly-recorded conversation between Treisman and Mellissa Jacobs, a former aid and romantic partner. Treisman speculated that Russia would assist Spain in bribing the referees to favor the Spanish side during the World Cup. In exchange, Spain, a long shot to hold the 2018 World Cup, would withdraw their bid and switch allegiances to Russia, England's main competition.

"There's some evidence that the Spanish football authorities are trying to identify the referees...and pay them," Triesman allegedly said. "My assumption is that the Latin Americans, although they've not said so, will vote for Spain. And if Spain drop out, because Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia."

The FA allegedly tried to get an injunction against the Mail on Sunday in an attempt to stop the story from being printed but withdrew the injunction after a 90-minute legal battle. "After fully discussing and considering the alleged comments with Lord Triesman, The FA Board accepted his resignation as FA Chairman and Chairman of the World Cup Bid Board with immediate effect," said a statement released by the FA Sunday morning.

The scandal comes just days after David Beckham delivered England's 1,752-page bid book to FIFA outlining their bid for the 2018 tournament.

The turmoil in the FA over recent years and the embarrassment over the inability for the FA to keep Wembley, the marquee football stadium in England, match fit has seriously damaged the country's bid. So what does that mean for the other countries involved in the bidding process? It has been all but confirmed by FIFA that the 2018 tournament will be held in Europe with four countries in the running. England and Russia are the front runners while joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands are considered dark horses. Russia has come on to the international stage by successfully hosting a Champion's League final in 2008 and serious backing from their government bolsters their legitimacy . Working against Russia is the lack of a strong domestic league and the sheer size of the country would make it difficult for teams to travel from venue to venue.

If England fails the country that would receive the biggest boost to their bid would be the USA. FIFA has not awarded consecutive World Cup's to countries that share a common language since the 70's. With football growing exponentially outside of the traditional hubs South America and Europe it seems unlikely FIFA will grant two-straight cups to countries who are so culturally similar. But the USA offers a bid that warrants no additional stadiums or upgrades to infrastructure. USA 94 set attendance records despite the country having no professional league and a national team that was eliminated in the second round.

Australia's bid has lost a lot of its momentum with the revelation three new stadiums would need to be built and stark opposition from other Australian sports leagues. After the constant worries during the buildup in South Africa over stadium completion and viability of infrastructure FIFA will be wary of any countries with a lot of work still to do before the tournament starts.

Qatar, once considered an extreme long shot, is now one of the front runners due to public backing by FIFA President Phil Blatter. "The Arabic world deserves a World Cup," said Blatter on a recent trip to the Middle East. Qatar's main stumbling block is the extreme heat during the summer months. The average temperature is over 40°C (104°F) during June and July. Bid officals have revealed technology that would be outfitted to their stadiums that can lower the temperature by 20°C to make the heat bearable for players and fans. Qatar, with a population of only 1.3 million, would be by far the smallest nation to host a FIFA World Cup but has the wealth and resources to handle the massive influx of people.

Japan and South Korea submitted separate bids for 2022 despite being co-hosts in 2002. It would be a massive surprise if either of the Asian nations received the tournament because of how recently they hosted the tournament. Japan's bid relied on the additional stadiums that would be built as part of Tokyo's 2016 Olympic bid. With Tokyo failing to secure the Olympic games it is unlikely the Japanese government would give the Japanese bid the financial backing it needs to sway FIFA voters. South Korea is in a similar position with not enough stadiums and not enough money to build new ones.

Even if England weathers this public relation hailstorm and secures the 2018 bid the USA would still be considered a front runner in the race for 2022 due to the emergence of the sport and the immense potential for financial gain for FIFA. But Blatter's constant desire to use the World Cup as a way to introduce the sport to areas of the globe that have no embraces football fully yet gives hope to countries like Qatar and Australia. FIFA's decision on the location for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup's will be revealed this December.

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Which two teams do you think will advance from Group G in the 2010 World Cup? Cast your vote above and click the comments section below to share your opinions.

The group features what is undoubtedly the Group Of Death. Brazil will be the favorites to win the World Cup again. Portugal have the talent to perform at the highest level if they can just get their team playing together well. Ivory Coast was unlucky in the last World Cup to face a very difficult Argentina side that was in their way. And North Korea are the definite underdogs that very few people know much about.

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The controversial handball by Frenchman Thierry Henry is still causing shockwaves despite much of the sparks and debates calming down after FIFA ruled out any possibility of replaying the match. In addition, FIFA obviously refused to grant Ireland an extra spot in South Africa. Adding the Republic of Ireland to the World Cup draw would make no sense (no disrespect to Ireland and its fans). Making changes would imply having to rework the format for the World Cup which is time consuming and unacceptable. Some would argue if Ireland were allowed, then Costa Rica must be included in South Africa too as some feel Uruguay scored an illegitimate goal from an offside position.

Irrespective of FIFA’s stance and public opinion, rules cannot be bent or changed at the request of one or a couple of entities. The wise thing was for FIFA to order the France-Ireland encounter to be replayed based on a blatant case of injustice. No team should be allowed to go through to South Africa because it feels unjustly eliminated. A quick glance back at World Cup 2002 would show the South Koreans received one favour after another to get positive results against Portugal, Italy and then Spain while pushing through to the World Cup semi-finals. Did Portugal, Italy or Spain decide to withdraw, stop the match or officially ask for a replay? Without diminishing the current situation, a review of some of the mind-boggling decisions which transpired during the games between the Koreans and the three European sides reveals mistakes happen whether intentionally or not.

The best solution would be to reprimand and hold Henry accountable by suspending him. Recently FIFA President Sepp Blatter disclosed information pertaining to the situation as he admitted there will be a review of Henry's conduct by the disciplinary committee. The question remains whether Henry will be suspended in the course of the season (Barcelona is not concerned with this so it ought to be a ban on the national level) or for a number of matches with the French team since the misconduct occurred on duty with France. Since the Irish feel they were inappropriately eliminated, then should FIFA suspend the main culprit for the duration of the event in South Africa as a small remedy for the unjust ousting of the Irish?

FIFA's committee must carefully study the situation before taking any further action which could potentially create another furor instead of trying to address some of the controversy created by Henry's handball. One thing springs to mind: Henry admitted to the handball after and not during the match. As such, there is no reason not to punish the French forward for his actions during the match.

In Serie A, video replay is used by the disciplinary arm of the ruling body to punish those responsible for major incidents which were not caught by the referee during the course of the match. No obvious rule stands against doing the same with Henry.

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A number of players can stake a claim for being part of the best team in the world at this early period of the European domestic leagues. However, very few players standout the way those listed below have in terms of their contribution to their team, their role as leaders, and certainly their crucial involvement in their respective clubs.

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon- the Juventus and Azzurri custodian is back to his best and his outstanding saves have ensured the Bianconeri remain on course to qualify from their group in the Champions League as well as continue to challenge Internazionale for the Serie A title. Buffon has conceded only one dubious goal in Europe against Bordeaux. He saved the Old Lady on numerous occasions both in the domestic league and Europe. A poll in a previous segment of the website revealed that 65% of our readers voted for Buffon as the goalkeeper expected to be the best in South Africa (Please refer to The Best Goalkeepers in South Africa article written on November 5, 2009). Buffon has also been instrumental in Italy's qualification to South Africa 2010.

Defense: John Terry, Carles Puyol, Maicon Douglas and Giorgio Chiellini- (Please refer to The Best Defenders Headed To South Africa piece written on November 11, 2009)

- Terry is quite influential and anchors the Chelsea defense which has conceded a mere eight goals in 12 Premiership matches. He is one of the players Fabio Capello will be relying on to help England safely navigate through the group stage. Terry is one of the most respected and acclaimed defenders in the world. His name and that of Chelsea have been linked together since the Premier League titles began to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the Jose Mourinho era.

- Puyol is the captain of a Barcelona side which won the treble last season and has conceded only seven goals in 10 la Liga matches up to this point.

- Maicon is the flying right-back who not only retrieves the ball for Internazionale but often starts attacking moves from his flank. He is one of the Nerazzurri's most prized assets. The Brazilian has more votes than Terry, Puyol and Manchester United's Vidic put together in our poll in the article mentioned above.

- Chiellini is the player who adds steel to both Italy's and Juve's defensive line. He can score the occasional goal but is renowned for his solid tackling and tough approach to the game. He is expected to lead the line once Fabio Cannavaro retires. Almost half of our readers who voted in a poll chose Chiellini as the best defender heading to South Africa.

Midfield: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marek Hamsik and Xabi Alonso

- Lionel Messi is one of the main catalysts behind Barcelona's treble last season and has continued his devastating form for his club having notched seven goals in la Liga this season. His performances with Argentina are not as impressive but then perhaps that is down to Diego Maradona's ill management of the players at his disposal as well as his debatable choice of players and tactics. When firing on all cylinders, Lio is a nightmare for defenders.

- Cristiano Ronaldo could perhaps be the only player from the current best 11 to miss out on South Africa 2010. Despite injury, Ronaldo has already found the back of the net on five occasions in la Liga not to mention his four goals in the Champions League. He will be hoping that his country will overcome his absence to beat Bosnia to qualify to the World Cup. The Portuguese hold a 1-0 edge after the weekend home win against the Bosnians.

- Marek Hamsik is perhaps a surprise inclusion to many but he has been one of the rising stars in Serie A the past couple of years and has helped Slovakia qualify to next summer's World Cup. Hamsik is a wanted man and elite clubs in Italy and Europe have shown interest in his capture. It will only be time before he is snapped up by a bigger club than Napoli. He has already scored seven goals in Serie A this season including his brace in the stunning come-from-behind victory against Juventus in Turin.

- Xabi Alonso has been severely missed by Liverpool which lost much of its midfield structure when it sold the player to Real Madrid. The negative results suffered by Liverpool cannot be attributed to the loss of Alonso alone but it is still a testament to his importance and value to any team he plays for. Alonso recently stamped his authority in the friendly match against Argentina and led his country to a win by scoring both of Spain's goals.

Attack: Didier Drogba and David Villa

-Didier Drogba has already scored nine goals in 12 Premiership matches not to mention the assists for a Chelsea team on top of the Premier League. Drogba has the speed and physical strength to out-muscle most defenders in England and Europe. He is a scoring threat in any match and can pop up to score a goal at any moment. He also led his country Ivory Coast to next summer's World Cup.

- David Villa has been in demand for the past couple of years yet he remained with Valencia and his goals have helped his club to fourth place in la Liga's standings. Villa has already scored eight times in nine games played in the Spanish league. He is one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe and the world. He will partner Fernando Torres in a lethal attack as they attempt to add World Cup 2010 to Spain's trophy cabinet after securing Euro 2008 for their country.

There are clearly other qualified players who can make the list yet all those mentioned above have played a key role for their club and/or country. All the players, except for Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage, will be participating in South Africa 2010.

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The first legs of the European World Cup play-offs took place yesterday (Saturday) and Russia, Portugal and France all take slender advantages into their second legs.

Portugal managed to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in Lisbon in their first leg.  With Cristiano Ronaldo ruled out of the tie through injury the Portuguese had to rely on the likes of Simao Sabrosa, Liedson and Deco for their creative spark but all three were guilt of below-par performances.  It was Manchester United winger Nani who created the spark for Portugal's only goal - his cross was headed home by Bruno Alves in the 31st minute. 

Before the home side opened the scoring Bosnia had been happy to defend but after going behind they carved out some great chances and were unlucky not to level matters.  They rattled the woodwork four times in search of an equaliser and they should go into the second leg on home soil in full-confidence.

The stand-out tie when the fixtures were drawn was the Republic of Ireland's play-off with France.  Last night's game at Croke Park was a fairly cautious affair in all honesty with the French dominating possession though chances for both sides were few and far between.  The Irish nearly opened the scoring through Stoke City's Liam Lawrence but his shot was diverted past the post after a crucial block from Patrice Evra.  The French managed to force a breakthrough in the second-half when Nicolas Anelka's shot was deflected beyond Shay Given.  Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni remains confident his side can emerge victorious after the second leg in Paris on Wednesday but it will be a massive task for the Irish and the French have to be considered firm-favourites with their one goal advantage to reach the World Cup next summer.

Russia managed to take the advantage in their play-off with Slovenia by beating them 2-1 in Russia.  Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov got both goals for Russia who were made to work hard by the visitors. Slovenia managed to halve the deficit with just two minutes of normal time remaining thanks to substitute Nejc Pecnik who grabbed a vital away goal.  Pecnik's strike does give Slovenia a great chance to cause an upset ahead of the second leg in Maribor.

The tie between Greece and the Ukraine in Athens ended goalless, meaning the Ukraine should probably now be considered favourites with home advantage for the second leg.  It was a tight affair between the two sides and despite good chances for Greece's Theofanis Gekas and the Ukraine's Ruslan Rotan neither side could break the deadlock. 

The second legs take place on Wednesday with France, Bosnia, Ukraine and Slovenia enjoying home advantage.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer promoting horse racing Ireland and the Grand National 2010 for Betfair.

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