Global piracy in turmoil as Buccaneers ask: Who is this swashbuckling Tokela Rantie?

A desperately-needed late winner for Orlando Pirates against Jomo Cosmos at a delirious Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday has got Buccaneers fans scratching their heads. Just who is this super-sub Tokela Wayne Rantie they were asking from Port Elizabeth to Soweto.

Making just his second appearance, the 21-year-old looked compact, dangerous – and dare we say it – not unlike a young Benni McCarthy as he snatched all three points off Jomo’s rock bottom Ezenkosi.

Ironically the young man from Parys in the Orange Free State – the Afrikaans version of Paris on the banks of the Vaal has its own mini-Eiffel Tower but little in the way of footballing history - may yet get to play alongside the 33-year-old McCarthy, currently hamstrung and out of the Pirates line-up.

But for those mystified by the maturity of Rantie’s 12-minute cameo as a substitute on Sunday, there is a history, suggesting the real possibility that Julio Leal may have unearthed a real nugget. The manner of his winner – cool control on a long ball from captain Lucky Lekgwathi, easing past the defender to ram the ball beyond bemused Cosmos goalkeeper Avril Phali – suggests there’s plenty more to come.

After his heroics which led to wild celebrations from under-pressure Brazilian boss Leal, the “unknown Buccaneer” grinned: “I really don’t have much to say! I was just sitting on the bench, analysing the weaknesses of their defence, when the boss put me on.

“I came on when there was a lot of pressure. It was 1-1 and could’ve gone either way. It was a matter of taking that information I had gathered and then putting it in to practice, which I did.”

Rantie has played for Ferroviario de Beira and Clube Desporto de Maxaquene (there’s video of him in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY-QPzHh9uI) in Mozambique and spent time with Swedish club IFK Hässleholm before arriving at Orlando on a season-long loan after scoring twice for the Stars of Africa Academy in a 3-2 friendly defeat against the Buccaneers.

Farouk Khan, the man behind the Stars of Africa outfit which discovered Rantie and re-established his credentials after he left Sweden following work permit problems, says: "Rantie will come in handy for Pirates when it comes to scoring goals, Tokelo is a great player and I think he will also add value to the Under-23 national side and Bafana Bafana when they see him."

Rantie may lack the reputation and hairstyle offered by Bongani Ndulula and the more established Pirates strikers but come Wednesday night’s Premier League clash and the Telkom Knock-Out quarter-final three days later – both against the reviving Moroka Swallows - he may just get the chance to prove his worth with McCarthy and Thulasizwe Mbuyane both doubtful.

For now though, he lives with the memory of that first Pirates strike: “It still feels like a dream. I don’t know how to explain it. Just amazing.”

Holland 2 Slovakia 1... who will pick the Oranges now they're through to the last eight?

AH the Dutch. So clinical, so perfect, so bloody Orange.

Four games, four wins, seven goals for, two against—and through they go to a quarterfinal against Brazil in Port Elizabeth on July 2.

Dunga's dynamos have to favourites after their emphatic 3-0 win over Chile tonight but with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder clicking, these Dutch could yet drive Brazil nuts.

Robben, proving he’s completely recovered from a dodgy hamstring, made his first start, and scored the opener after just 18 minutes. Sneijder played him in, and his low shot from 25 yards was pretty unstoppable.

With courageous Slovakia trying to find an equaliser, Sneijder clinched it seven minutes from time by slotting home Dirk Kuyt’s pull-back.

Robert Vittek was left to score a penalty with the very last kick of the match, but that was it from Slovakia, playing in their first World Cup finals since Czechoslovakia split in 1993.

It’s not like the Dutch aren’t in good form. They were unbeaten in qualifying, and are currently on a record-run of 23 games unbeaten.

Just twice Slovakia threatened to upset the orange apple cart in front of 62,000 at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. Maarten Stekelenburg was needed to tip over a Miroslav Stoch effort, and then he was called in to action from close range to deny Vittek.

Strange then that the ever-increasing orange army here are complaining about their form. Though England, France, and Italy would give anything to be in the last eight, the Dutch feel their side lacks flair.

They have never won the World Cup before, but there is a hankering after the “total football” of the sides that reached the finals in Germany '74 and Argentina '78.

Still, with Sneijder, Robben, and Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie beginning to fire, this could yet be a uniquely orange World Cup.

For an inside look at Soccer City, the World Cup final venue, see action from last night’s Argentina win over Mexico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOzgJ5i6LkA

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, mourn England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

Uruguay first into the last eight with a 2-1 win over South Korea... Suarez extends the South American dominance

Uruguay clinically disposed of plucky South Korea in Port Elizabeth, their 2-1 win secured by the consummate finishing of Ajax striker Luis Suarez.

Cracking game to start the knock-out phase, but no surprise. By my calculations, South American teams have played 16 games at South Africa 2010, coming away with 11 wins, four draws and a single, meaningless 2-1 defeat by ten-man Chile at the hands of Spain in the last game of the group phase.

To give them their full name, the República Oriental del Uruguay (the Eastern Republic of Uruguay) survived the rain, a late equaliser, a dismal crowd and an appalling surface to continue the CONMEBOL dominance of this World Cup – and reach the last eight for the first time since 1970.

With a population of just 3.5million Uruguay are hardly a huge nation. On land-size alone, they are the second-smallest country in Latin American (after tiny Surinam) but become the first side from SouthAmerica - apart from big guns Argentina and Brazil - to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since Peru in 1978.

It was hardly a classic, but it was pretty absorbing, unlike the surface at the brand new Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, which was cutting up badly.

Uruguay took an early lead after just eight minutes when former Manchester United striker Diego Forlansaw his cross slip past an embarrassed Jung Sung-Ryong, leaving Suarez to slot into an empty net. Predictably the Group A winners – who left France and South Africa in their wake – shut up shop for a while after that.

South Korea, representing Asian dreams, had it all to do and when a 68th minute free-kick floated into the Uruguay box it looked like we were headed for extra-time and even penalties. Maurico Victorino could only flick on and Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong headed past Fernando Muslera for the equaliser amid incredibly soggy scenes.

But ten minutes from time, Suarez produced the champagne moment to clinch it. A Uruguay corner from the right ended up with Nicolas Lodeiro. He offered the ball to Suarez, who had nowhere to go. So he eased past a defender and send a wonderful winner curling in off the far post. Cue hysteria.

Suarez will now be linked with all the big money clubs in Europe. He's 23 but is a bit too dramatic for my liking. But he scored 35 goals in 33 games for Ajax last season. And in three Ere Divisie seasons, he's got 74 in 94 games.

With Forlan pulling the strings in front of a defence that has conceded just one goal in the tournament so far, who will bet against “South America's Switzerland” beating the winners of the Ghana v USA game at Soccer City on July 2 – and reaching a semi-final against Brazil in Cape Town? They've won it twice before, the last triumph was in Brazil 60 years ago. Even Uruguayans can dream.

Soweto, the ultimate World Cup destination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mUVdUk0GMQ. Includes fantastic dancing lady and the ultimate World Cup companion!

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, pray for England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

John Terry's extraordinary u-turn puts England back on course before Slovenia showdown

John Terry has made a remarkable u-turn after Sunday’s shocking press conference which threatened to blow the England camp wide open.

Terry, who spoke of being denied a beer after his side’s appalling 0-0 draw against Algeria on Friday, has come under pressure from colleagues and fans for what he calls his “attempt at honesty”.

Stripped of the captaincy over a relationship with former team-mate Wayne Bridge’s partner just three months ago, Terry attempted to raise his concerns over selection and morale at Sunday night’s emergency team meeting.

But on finding he had little support from his fellow senior professionals, yesterday he saw fit to confide in the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton in a last-ditch effort to defuse tension before tomorrow’s win-or-bust clash against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth.

Terry insists: “It was never my intention to upset the manager or the players. If I did, I apologise. I just wanted to be honest. I was asked a question about Joe Cole and I went too far.”

Like many others, Terry believes his Chelsea team-mate Cole should start on the left of midfield. But after telling the world only Wayne Rooney and Cole were capable of cutting open defences, Capello blasted his former captain yesterday for speaking out.

Terry added: “I have told the manager he has my total support and I would like to stress that I don’t believe I have been a disruptive influence in the camp.

“I would now like to put this episode behind me and concentrate on trying to win what is a massive game for England. All I was trying to do was to say how important it is to me to try to win the World Cup.”

Terry’s volte face is remarkable. On Sunday it appeared he was ready to lead a France-style player revolt, along the lines of the Bobby Robson mutiny at Italia 90. But yesterday he told Lawton: “I just hope people at least appreciate that I have taken the time to call you and have asked you to report what I have to say in response.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to complain about England's performance and promote his first novel A GAME APART. See www.nealcollins.co.uk.

To see Neal at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go to http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625.

South Korea 2, Greece 0: the first shock of many at the 2010 World Cup

THREE games in and we have the first shock of the 2010 World Cup. South Korea, ranked 47 in the world, were simply too much for Greece, ranked 13, winning 2-0 in a clash of two of the globe’s most troubled nations at Port Elizabeth.

Off the field, the Greek economy has imploded, they’ve had street protests and social unrest. How they needed a good old sporting success to lift the nation. In South Korea, there’s political unrest and protests against their missile-wielding northern neighbours (who play Brazil on Tuesday). They needed a little on-field boost nationally too.

And they got it, courtesy of Lee Jung-Soon’s far-post tap-in the seventh minute and a quite brilliant goal from godlike captain and Manchester United star Park Ji-Sung in the 52^nd minute. The result was never in doubt. South Korea were efficient, aggressive, dominant. Greece, training in the heat of Durban and based at the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel (see my YouTube video on the subject http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px-ROLawUnU), simply had no answers, though they improved late on.

Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-Yong and Bolton striker Lee Chung-yong were among the recognisable Korean names for European fans, while Greece offered Celtic’s Georgios Samaras but didn’t pick Liverpool centre-back Sotiris Kyrgiakos

Experienced Greek coach Otto Rehhagel rarely attempts all-out attacking football, and once they’d gone behind, Greece never really recovered. Before the match Rehhagel said: “It's the first match and if you lose the first match your chances of getting through to the next round are limited.” That will rank highly among the things coaches wish they hadn’t said at this World Cup. They’ve got Nigeria next in Bloemfontein on the 17^th. It’s become a must-win. Korea have got Argentina in Johannesburg on the same day.

Both of these sides remain unlikely to qualify, but Korea can proudly claim to be the first winners at Africa’s first World Cup.

Veteran Korea keeper Lee “Spiderhands” Woon-jae was, sadly, left on the bench for Jung Sung-ryong. He made a spectacular 81^st minute save but otherwise had little to do but listen to the vuvuzelas in a sparse crowd of 30,000 in a 46,000-capacity Nelson Mandela Stadium. Another great venue – it will be full for the next one, Ivory Coast versus Portugal in Group G on Tuesday, with the vast South Africa Portuguese community dominant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIz0GAAlzc).

Down in Cape Town, France were suffering again. After last night’s awful 1-1 draw against Uruguay in Group A, their rugby team went down to the Springboks at a packed Newlands Stadium, where Vuvuzelas are banned.

And that’s the problem. Port Elizabeth is rugby and cricket territory. Even the African population – like legendary cricketer Makhaya Ntini from nearby Kingswilliamstown – play the uppercrust sports in the old British mission schools around the Eastern Cape.

A bit like England’s losing rugby international in Perth, Australia this morning where only 32,000 turned up at the 50,000-capacity Subiaco Oval, you can’t force people to watch soccer if it isn’t in their culture. Remember, South Africa is a vast country of many varied people and climates.

And that’s why this is just the first upset in what promises to be a hugely unpredictable World Cup. Inland, the nights are cold, the days are cloudless and hot. In Durban, it’s warm enough to swim in the sea even in mid-winter June. Cape Town can be like Manchester in December at this time of year, while Port Elizabeth is nick-named the windy city.

Question is, will the chilly late-kick off at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium tonight suit the USA or England. We will soon find out. But one thing’s certain. You can’t bet on it.