World Cup: Uruguay-Ghana

There isn't much to say about the outcome of this game: after over two hours of play, almost all of which was tied, it went to coin tosses, and the Ghanians flipped tails a few more times than we would have expected.

Let's look at the passing through the game:

Uruguay controlled possession initially, but Ghana was in charge for most of the 1st half, culminating in a goal on a typically low-percentage shot. Uruguay took the ball to start the second half and scored on a nice free kick. Then Uruguay allowed Ghana to control most of the play for the rest of the game. It was only sheer luck that kept them from losing at the end of extra-time, and further good luck gave them the win in PKs.

We can see how this process looked by score:

Uru	Minutes	Pass F	Weighted	Pass A	Weighted	% of Passes	% of Weighted
0-0	46.7	200	39	272	65	42	38
0-1	10.2	291	54	185	40	61	58
1-1	71.7	172	42	313	75	35	36

Or combining by game state:

Uru	Minutes	Pass F	Weighted	Pass A	Weighted	% of Passes	% of Weighted
Tied	118.4	183	41	297	71	38	36
Dn 1	10.2	291	54	185	40	61	58

I don't really get Uruguay – unlike the rest of the good teams in the tournament, they simply fail to have ball possession when the game is tied. Except against South Korea, that is – so clearly they are capable of controlling the ball. But they seem content to allow a lot of opportunities while apparently preventing their opponents from good scoring chances – they've allowed just two goals.

Opponent	Minutes	Pass F	Wgtd	Pass A	Wgtd	% of Passes	Weighted %
Mexico	42.9	218	51	426	93	34	36
South Africa	23.7	205	52	460	75	31	41
France	95.2	245	49	351	83	41	37
South Korea	21.2	348	89	212	38	62	70
Ghana	118.4	183	41	297	71	38	36

Total	301.4	221	49	339	76	39	39

Uruguay has yet to play a truly good team, so it remains to be seen if this strategy is the path to winning in the semi-finals.

Talking Points