Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Mobius on June 12, 2014, 08:08:50 am
-
This year it's going to start with Brazil-Croatia! :D
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=255931/match=300186456/index.html#overview#nosticky
-
Oh yes it's finally here. I bet I'm not doing **** at work for the next month :p
-
COME ON ENGLAND!!!
(http://i3.bebo.com/035/12/mediuml/2007/10/02/20/4566864443a5715091403ml.jpg)
-
won't be watching much of it this year due to 3rd shift.
-
Ecuador is the least objectionable country that I can pretend to have some sort of connection to so let's go Ecuador!
-
what a crappy opening ceremony, let's see if the match is up to expectations.
-
What's the over-under on one of the new stadiums collapsing? :nervous:
-
The match is not even finished and I can say this: It's a total ripoff. Poor Croatia.
-
What a joke. Cheating to win your own World Cup from the get go when you're BRAZIL. Shameless and pathetic. :nono:
-
I'm not sure what you refer to. Brazil made all the goals in the game, considering that a 2-1 result is surprisingly good.
EDIT: I actually was occupied by something else at the end and missed the 3-1 final goal, hence my erroneous memory that it ended 2-1. Even so, Brazil did all the goals so...
-
They dived for the penalty.
If you're saying it's 2-1 with the penalty taken out, no. Croatia had everyone forward looking for the equaliser, no way Brazil score that goal at 1-1.
-
I understand the frustration of Croatia, but Brazil did play better, they deserved the win.
-
I understand the frustration of Croatia, but Brazil did play better, they deserved the win.
You can play better without deserving to win. They didn't do anything to deserve to win. England were much better than Honduras in their last friendly, but they didn't deserve to win because they couldn't break them down.
-
They dived for the penalty.
And if he hadn't been fouled, the ref couldn't have given a penalty.
The Brazilian player (whoever he was) was pulled back with two hands on his shoulders. Whether he went down lightly or "dived" for a penalty is a different matter, but he was fouled nonetheless, inside the penalty zone, where the Brazilian players took the ball and Croatian defense couldn't stop them or take the possession of the ball cleanly. So they fouled, and got called on it, and it turned out bad for them.
If Croatia wanted to win, maybe they should have scored some goals, eh?
-
I don't think it was a foul. He had hands on him, but wasn't pulling him or anything. That's how I saw it. I don't mind players going down if there's an actual foul.
-
COME ON ENGLAND!!!
(http://i3.bebo.com/035/12/mediuml/2007/10/02/20/4566864443a5715091403ml.jpg)
I admire the patriotism.
But we're screwed mate.
-
COME ON ENGLAND!!!
(http://i3.bebo.com/035/12/mediuml/2007/10/02/20/4566864443a5715091403ml.jpg)
I admire the patriotism.
But we're screwed mate.
It is the least confident I've ever felt about our chances at a major tournament, but upsets happen in this sport and you just never know. Greece and Denmark were massive shocks when they won the European Championships. England winning this World Cup would not be as much of a shock as they were.
-
He had hands on him, but wasn't pulling him or anything.
How do you know? It doesn't take very much to pull a man down from his shoulders, especially if he already doesn't have the best balance.
He should've kept his hands to himself. Whether the Brazilian went down intentionally or not, I don't know, but to me it didn't seem like he had any time to consciously decide to fish for a penalty. Not like Rivaldo covering his face after a ball hit him on the hip in 2002. I didn't see any overt signs of acting, he was in the middle of fight for the possession of the ball and during it he went down, referee called it a penalty and it ended up going in.
There's a way to avoid flimsy penalties being called, and that's not letting the enemy team into the penalty zone with possession of the ball. The Croatian defense failed even before the penalty, and whether or not it was a foul is not really up to question.
If the referee had thought it was not a foul, he could've booked the Brazilian player for filming or delaying the game. But he didn't, because the Croat defender made it appear an obvious foul.
-
Meanwhile, outside the stadium: protesters and police brutality.
-
Well I guess it's just a matter of interpretation. Just touching opposing players is acceptable, you see people doing it all the time. From watching the replays I believe he chooses to go down under no pressure. I wish I thought it was a foul, because it's taken a great deal of the charm away from this World Cup for me, putting the host nation in the pantomime villain spot.
-
Meanwhile, outside the stadium: protesters and police brutality.
Well, it's a public secret that Brazil can't afford the World Cup. It's a pretty dark background for an otherwise nice event. I don't care much about soccer (not anymore, at least), but let's say that Brazil's handling of the situation is not something to be passed over.
-
It was not a fault, not here and not in japan either.
Watch the replay and you'll see he's BARELY touched on the shoulder. It's definitely not enough to make a player fall.
And if he was already leaning to fall because he was loosing balance then there's no reason to call the fault because he was falling alone.
That goal changed everything on the match, Brazil could not break Croatia's defense and in time Croatia was making some good comebacks from time to time, it was an open match. The goal swings the balance towards Brazil's side and forces Croatia to move on the offensive leaving their already tired defensive players spread out and without support.
-
Meant to add, I have Netherlands and I forget who else at my work world cup sweepstake.
edit - URUGUAY.
-
At our home we are making full season predictions.
I have predicted that in a series of actually quite likely victories, Belgium will win the cup
(However, the conditions that make those likely victories possible are themselves completely ridicilious :P)
-
COME ON ENGLAND!!!
(http://i3.bebo.com/035/12/mediuml/2007/10/02/20/4566864443a5715091403ml.jpg)
I admire the patriotism.
But we're screwed mate.
Not as mush as we are!
(http://ak6.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/953206/preview/stock-footage-australia-flag-slowly-waving-in-the-wind-silk-material-blue-sky-seamless-seconds-long-loop.jpg)
Luckily, soccer is of minimal importance here. I'll pay attention at the cricket world cup next year. :D
-
I'd try and enjoy this World Cup Black Wolf, even if there is a chance your team will get mauled. With a lot of Australia's best players getting old, Australia could struggle to qualify for future World Cups.
I've seen Australia's home games and they always get strong crowds. Aussies just love their sports. I remember seeing a video on Youtube of huge crowds of people celebrating in the streets after they finally broke the playoff curse and defeated Uruguay, and lots of comments from people surprised at how much it meant to them, since Australia makes you think of rugby and cricket when you think about team sports there. :)
-
The 3:1 was a littel embarrassing for the Brazil's.
Especially because Croatia hasn't shot one goal.
-
I predict England will win the cup on penalties
where can I claim my prize
-
I predict England will win the cup on penalties
where can I claim my prize
At whatever bookie you use to place the bet. I bet you'd get really good odds. :)
I recently saw what this looks like actually:
http://www.uefa.com/under17/video/videoid=2109139.html?autoplay=true
A dream come true. :D
-
COME ON ENGLAND!!!
(http://i3.bebo.com/035/12/mediuml/2007/10/02/20/4566864443a5715091403ml.jpg)
I admire the patriotism.
But we're screwed mate.
at least the english regularly qualify and get past the first round, in scotland we have to just support everyone playing against the english for being scottish in spirit
-
Och aye.. :cool:
-
He had hands on him, but wasn't pulling him or anything.
How do you know?
This is the silliest thing. It was too obviously so not a penalty it isn't funny. The only redeeming thing about this is that we can all reason that the referee was fooled by a convincing dive.
This whole text about not touching players with "hands", etc. is also silly. I'm facepalming furiously. Come on now, this is football.
-
And the superb refereeing continues. Mexico score a legit goal. flagged off for offside.
-
Mexico are denied ANOTHER legit goal! Flagged for offside, but the last touch was a Cameroon defender.
-
Referreing shenanigans continue! This worldcup promises.
-
Well sometimes it happens, that kind of error can be forgiven since it was actually hard for the line referee to actually see who touched the ball last.
Also Mexico still has another 45 mins to make the difference, which I believe they'll manage to get within that timeframe.
-
FIFA could greatly reduce this by bringing the best referees in the World to the tournament. But no, they spread it around the confederations.
When I watch Premier League and Champions League games, mistakes like this are extremely rare.
-
Of course, but doing that would mean FIFA acknowledges referees from "certain" parts of the world to be "better" than referees from other "certain" parts of the world, thus making them vulnerable to all sorts of media rage.
-
Some best-ofs already:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5111/14404996121_3bdb7dee2c_o.gif)
penalty? rofl
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5575/14412436114_2bf8b939bb_o.gif)
not offside
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14226999220_f5efa22646_o.gif)
again, not offside (it wasn't even a mexican player that deflected the ball)
-
I didn't catch that first offside, that was a really bad call. God dammit what a bunch of horrible referees.
-
I'm just glad Mexico still managed to overcome it and win 1-0. Hope those "offside" goals aren't a factor in a GD tie break.
-
So why hasn't the premier tournament of the most popular sport in the world instituted video replays yet?
-
Because FIFA is an astonishingly corrupt organization, I believe.
-
I'm reminded of something (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=35674.0)
-
Well, that was totally not worth a penalty.
-
Spain are getting torn apart. It's 4-1 Netherlands currently.
-
Nice display of good consistent football by Netherlands.
Spain had the ball and wiggled it around, but could not transform it into anything useful against a team with decent defense and powerful forwards.
-
Ok I did not expect that. What a game. I am really really happy.
Tiki Taka can die a horrible, humilliating, excoriating, cringeworthy death as far as I am concerned. And Netherlands delivered it really efficiently on the second half time. Robben and Persie were amazing.
My favorites are still Germany and Brazil though.
-
Maybe Spain are tired of simply winning tournaments now, so they decided to make this one a bit more challenging for themselves. Or maybe they wanted to bring down the odds on themselves, so they could place a bet on themselves and make some extra money while they're at it. :D
Netherlands did well, it was a powerful display by them, full of swagger, but Spain were a shambles. Did they think they simply had to show up? Have they grown complacent? It will be very interesting to see how they respond to this.
-
Maybe Spain are tired of simply winning tournaments now
:lol:
No, not really.
The era where football teams where afraid of the mighty barcelonistic playstyle is over now. It's been proven over and over that you don't just win a match making 300 passes alone, you need to score as well.
Del Bosque has a tough task ahead of him, keeping Spain crowd happy is the hardest task on them now. To win they will have to resort to a different kind of playstyle IMO, which in time might not suit the expectations of their crowd.
-
Things were looking grim indeed for the Aussies after Chile blazed into that 2-0 lead, I bet televisions across Australia were switched off at that point. But they came back, and put up a fight after being dominated in the early going, and only an injury time goal restored Chile's 2 goal lead, so in the end it was a respectable result, rather than the rout it was threatening to be after Chile scored that second goal.
-
The Chileans were awfully grabby. Cahill was yanked out of position in the penalty box (missed by the ref) and McGowan was yanked out of position at the other end (also missed by the ref).
The outrage against Cahill's disallowed goal is unfounded though. He was really, really offside and funnily enough, if he'd been a touch less aggressive, he wouldn't have been.
-
So why hasn't the premier tournament of the most popular sport in the world instituted video replays yet?
Because it's the premier tournament of the most popular sport in the world. People are stupidly traditional about it.
-
Baseball is a pretty stupidly-traditional sport too, and even the MLB finally allowed widespread replays this season. Really if you have five billion people breathing down your necks, I'd want to get those calls right. :p
-
Aaaand then after scoring the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup, the US manages to upset Ghana 2-1 in the first game.
Wooooo!
-
Aaaand then after scoring the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup, the US manages to upset Ghana 2-1 in the first game.
Wooooo!
It's nice to see someone post in this thread, this World Cup has been excellent entertainment for me, despite England opening up with a loss.
However, this is actually the fastest World Cup goal:
US / Portugal is quite possibly the game I'm most looking forward to as a neutral on the second round of matches. It's between that and Spain / Chile.
-
I stand corrected. The US goal was the fastest US goal in World Cup history. Minor distinction. :P
-
Aaaand then after scoring the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup, the US manages to upset Ghana 2-1 in the first game.
Wooooo!
Yay for kickball!
-
I stand corrected. The US goal was the fastest US goal in World Cup history. Minor distinction. :P
Heh. :)
England have a very fast World Cup goal in their history too:
EDIT: I see what you've done Dekker. What's with the title change?
-
It's more Hard-Lightey.
-
It's more Hard-Lightey.
I don't see why.
Not fussed or anything, just seems a weird thing to do.
-
Indeed nice games we had, I'll be watching Brazil - Mexico and Russia - Korea, not particularly thrilled about Argelia and Belgium but I might peek on what happens in the first minutes.
-
Seeing what Belgium can do now that they're here is one of the more intriguing things about this World Cup for me as a neutral. Also Fabio Capello's Russia.
-
So... Spain got rekt again, out in round one.
That must be a terrible disappointment for them, but they really didn't play up to their level. Or maybe the other teams were just that good at neutralizing them?
-
Dat goal.
http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-match-report/world-cup-2014-socceroos-beaten-by-netherlands-in-thriller-after-tim-cahill-wonder-goal-20140619-zse00.html
-
How stupid do you have to be to risk a foul in the 88th minute of a game you're winning 4-0?
That yellow card will come back to bite Croatia in the ass if they make it through the groups.
-
Nice matches today and yesterday. I'm still shocked about Brazil's fiasco, luckily for them Croatia was kind enough to help them.
Australia surprised me quite a lot, they played awesome football against Netherlands, it's a shame they've got to go.
Netherlands started showing some flaws against them, still they overcame those problems with their master players. I presume this will be a trending sight in their games from now on.
Also Spain gets to go early home, it seemed like they were oblivious to the fact they where out of the cup throughout the entire match.
Goodbye Spain, might you consider changing your playstyle now?
-
Australia surprised me quite a lot, they played awesome football against Netherlands, it's a shame they've got to go.
Netherlands started showing some flaws against them, still they overcame those problems with their master players. I presume this will be a trending sight in their games from now on.
Also Spain gets to go early home, it seemed like they were oblivious to the fact they where out of the cup throughout the entire match.
Goodbye Spain, might you consider changing your playstyle now?
Australia went down swinging. If England were to get KOd tomorrow, that's the kind of fashion I'd hope they would go out in. Australia have played their part in enhancing the World Cup, and can hold their heads high.
And the Netherlands ought to have learned a valuable lesson here. They thought they just had to turn up. They were wrong, but they showed character to fight back from 2-1 down and take the 3pts, they showed a bit of what they showed against Spain, and should be all the better for the experience than if the game had been a stroll.
As for Spain, I don't think the style is the problem. They were just bad. Something wrong there I think, they just seemed so apathetic. The Dutch fought their way back in, there was no fightback at all from Spain. A major rebuild might be on the cards, new, hungry players.
EDIT: Oh and...
(http://abload.de/img/songu2y6c.gif)
That is assault.
-
It's incredible how world champions get kicked out so easily a mere four years after their victory. Happened to France in 2002, Italy in 2010 and it's just happened to Spain.
If I recall correctly, Spain's also the current European champion. Wow. :eek2:
-
I have no idea what Song was thinking when he elbowed Mandžukić like that. There was nothing to gain by doing it, and the ref was right frakking there. Though I don't think Cameroon had much of a chance anyway, but he just threw the game for no good reason.
I'm wondering if this is similar to the Zidane situation in the 2006 WC against Italy.
-
I refuse to participate in a thread titled like this. Absolutely refuse. Bye.
-
It's not a permanant thing. It's not locked :yes:
-
I think it's hilarious.
Anyway, the Australia - NL match was rather fun to watch. Kudos to the Australians for immeaditely scoring a counter goal straight from the kickoff, and for generally being an excellent show.
There was a lot less whistle-blowing in this match then I saw in some others, whilst I am quite certain that there was quite a bit of contact going on.
-
Now personally I think The Sun is only good for wrapping fish and chips, but this is kind of funny:
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75631000/jpg/_75631216_the-sun-front-page-19.06.14.jpg)
For those who don't know Luis Suarez has twice bitten a player. You can see the last time in the top right corner.
-
I refuse to participate in a thread titled like this. Absolutely refuse. Bye.
Fixed it. Somewhat. :p
-
Mostly with your feet...
mostly.
-
This accomodation is acceptable. We can resume the talks.
-
Here I thought a more fitting title would be "2014 Global Riot Instigation Program."
Next time.
-
Well this happens in most of the world cups, I mean fouls, hands and all those sort of stupid things that ruin the game somewhat.
Still enjoy the heck out of it.
-
Yeah but WHY does it happen in every world cup? There's no good reason for it after all. We do have the tech to avoid it.
-
Now personally I think The Sun is only good for wrapping fish and chips, but this is kind of funny:
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75631000/jpg/_75631216_the-sun-front-page-19.06.14.jpg)
For those who don't know Luis Suarez has twice bitten a player. You can see the last time in the top right corner.
Man, I should have known, we got ****ed over by The Sun last World Cup with the EASY group and now this. I can only laugh. And admire what Suarez did today, phenomenal player, I can't stand the sinister side to him, but today nothing but World class talent on show and first game back from injury too.
-
Well I could say that we deserved to win. But it would only be proof that I was delusional. Uruguay totally deserved to win. England didn't even deserve a draw! For the first 30 mins or so England huddled together like the last survivors of a massacre. There was no good reason for it. Why the **** are you letting 2-3 players in your own half spook you into making nervous back pass after nervous back pass?
If they're being stupid enough to commit that many players forward you should make them ****ing pay for it!
-
It was not a bad game at all by England, Uruguay just won by desire and imposing strength to get the result.
And yes, Suarez's presence was pivotal in that game, he actually turned the tables.
Edit:
Also, Sturridge. God dammit that kid has some moves.
-
And that's the end of England. Costa Rica the story of the World Cup, 2 wins, and they were simply the better team both times.
The England / Costa Rica game is still massive for England though. Don't win that, and England will almost certainly be in the second pot of seeds for the 2018 World Cup qualifying draw. England simply have to beat Costa Rica.
-
Well, wouldn't be the first time England failed to qualify for a major tourney. They also got kicked out of the 2008 Euros by Russia. Half the team will have been changed by 2018 anyways(as they should, because this composition obviously isn't working out), so there's not much use worrying about it. If they manage to put together a decent team they shouldn't worry about qualifying.
-
Well, wouldn't be the first time England failed to qualify for a major tourney. They also got kicked out of the 2008 Euros by Russia. Half the team will have been changed by 2018 anyways(as they should, because this composition obviously isn't working out), so there's not much use worrying about it. If they manage to put together a decent team they shouldn't worry about qualifying.
It would be interesting England being 2nd seed. England have actually done very well as second seed in qualifying groups, I know they had Italy, Germany, Turkey and Croatia as top seeds in recent qualifying groups and England won the lot, while England were top seed when they went out to Russia and Croatia. But I'd still much rather England were top seed. England aren't as strong as those teams were, and I don't want England to miss 2018, 2022 Qatar will be simply awful.
-
I know Group E isn't the toughest of groups, but damn is France fukken scary. Whoever ends up second in Group F doesn't have much of a chance.
-
It was not a bad game at all by England, Uruguay just won by desire and imposing strength to get the result.
And yes, Suarez's presence was pivotal in that game, he actually turned the tables.
Edit:
Also, Sturridge. God dammit that kid has some moves.
Individually the players were good (Especially Sturridge, who I saw turn defenders ease) but as a team they were ****ing abysmal. They had possession of the for 60% of the time. And it was almost all in their own half. And they'd frequently lose it there too.
Basically they allowed Uruguay to rattle them right from the start and played like they were scared to lose possession in their own half while making ridiculously sloppy passes when attacking. I rarely say it but they totally deserved to lose that game and if they were going to continue to play the way they played against Uruguay (rather than the way they played against Italy) I'm actually glad that they're out cause it means that they can stop humiliating themselves.
-
Must admit, I got tired of my countries eternal optimism with regards to our chances in the World Cup every time it comes round. We won, once, and even those goals are subject to controversy.
If we'd got further, of course I would have been delighted, but now the team will come home, there will be a round of 'who do we sack' and then we'll still carry on thinking the only reason we aren't the best football team in the world is because we chose the wrong manager/coach etc.
-
Must admit, I got tired of my countries eternal optimism with regards to our chances in the World Cup every time it comes round. We won, once, and even those goals are subject to controversy.
If we'd got further, of course I would have been delighted, but now the team will come home, there will be a round of 'who do we sack' and then we'll still carry on thinking the only reason we aren't the best football team in the world is because we chose the wrong manager/coach etc.
Funny, in my experience, it's the other way around, and bothers me because you'd think we had the ****test football team on the planet the way people talk. If we lose, we're ****, if we win, it's because the opposition were ****, everybody else is better than us. Pessimism and an inferiority complex. Why is it so hard to find someone in the middle, we are what we are. A decent team, capable of upsetting the big boys on our day. Usually win when we're supposed to, usually qualify for tournaments and win the qualifying group. Usually get out of the group stage at tournaments.
-
A decent team, capable of upsetting the big boys on our day.
That describes almost every team that even made it to worlds.
Speaking of "big boys" a lot of the top ranked teams are under performing hard. Spain's out, England's out, Greece hasn't scored a single goal in 2 games, Brazil only managed to draw Mexico(and arguably would've drew Croatia too if not for the ref), Switzerland(ranked 7th) received a 5 goal pounding from France(ranked 17th), and Portugal just doesn't seem to be playing well so far.
-
A decent team, capable of upsetting the big boys on our day.
That describes almost every team that even made it to worlds.
Yeah. A very good team would be more accurate. Decent team would fit just about anyone at the finals like you say. Very good works for England, 8 out of 10. 9 and 10 for the better teams, "excellent" and "the best" or "top tier" for 9 and 10 out of 10. Uruguay would be an 8 and Italy a 9.
-
Very few teams actually won the world championship more than once, and England's official ranking is still in the top 10.
That said their current lineup is just too old, full of players who simply can't do much against the run-heavy strategies that most south American teams employ(due to having younger players who can run for 90 minutes). Technique is nice, but it doesn't mean much when others can just run past you. England would've had a much better chance if they were in a group with more traditional teams focusing on technique like France or Italy.
-
Happens with most teams, Argentina is full of recognized players from all around the world and we cannot even get a decent match against Iran.
I presume it all comes down to how the other team decides to play against you, and what are your players individually able to do with the small chances they get to make a difference (this I believe is true to all football powers when playing against the more conservative teams, power against power is a complete different matter).
Just finished Ghana - Germany. Ghana played a very good game, you gotta have balls of steel to play head to head against Germany.
I really hope they make it to the second rounds.
-
Ghana's performance was absolutely beatifull, and... well, actually, so was Germany's (that equalizing goal!). Absolutely stunning match.
Pity Ghana did not win though, that would have been even more amazing, but still. Excellent.
-
Ghana's performance was absolutely beatifull, and... well, actually, so was Germany's (that equalizing goal!). Absolutely stunning match.
Pity Ghana did not win though, that would have been even more amazing, but still. Excellent.
Both teams ran themselves into the ground. Bodies laid out all over the pitch at the final whistle. It's a good thing for them they get an extra rest day on Portugal and the US, who play tomorrow, there'll be some aching limbs after that one. Definitely one of the games of the tournament so far.
-
Just saw the second US goal in the US-Portugal match.
I'm beginning to wonder whether the 'sloppy' play on defense is real or a ploy, given that in both games so far we've surrendered a total of two goals. Granted there are still 8+ minutes left, but still. This team is scrappier than I initially thought.
EDIT: Also lol at Portugal having five players offside at once.
-
Let me just reiterate: stoppage time is the absolute worst concept in any sport I've ever watched.
And yes that's probably sour grapes, which is sad, because I honestly don't care all that much about it. But still.
-
This World Cup is simply amazing. Fantastic. What are the KO games going to be like when it's like this in the group stage? If England had to go out like this, then this is the tournament for it to have happened in. Sure, I'd have loved for England to be in this magnificent mix, but without, I'm still being thoroughly entertained. On top of the entertainment value, the form book has been thrown out. Favourites are struggling and some are out even now. I wonder if this could be the year that for the very first time, a true underdog lifts the World Cup?
-
Spain was an underdog to my standards on last world cup, they still managed it. We'll see what future holds for us watchers ;)
Also nice match by the USA, they sure made Ronaldo sweat a lot.
-
Spain was an underdog to my standards on last world cup
Why? They were the champions of Europe.
-
Spain was rated in the top 10 and they were European champs, that's not really an underdog. I mean, there have been times when a team nobody thought would win did it, but even then it was a strong team that was expected to last at least until the quarterfinals. I think what Lorric was describing was a team that qualified as 3rd or 4th seed in their group, "true" underdogs.
-
I'd consider anyone not called Brazil/Argentina/Spain/Netherlands/Germany/Portugal/England/France/Italy a true underdog.
-
Huh. That's a rather random selection. You've got France(ranked 17th) and Netherlands(ranked 15th), but you're missing Switzerland, Uruguay, and Colombia(ranked 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively).
-
FIFA ranking is terrible. Those teams are the "usual suspects".
-
I don't think FIFA ranking is really accurate, but your selection still seems a bit random. England, France, and Spain only won the cup once, and Netherlands never won it. I agree with the rest though, as they've all won the title multiple times.
Maybe my knowledge is too limited as I've only followed football since the 2002 cup in Korea and Japan(and even then I didn't pay full attention, it's hard to appreciate the subtleties of the sport when you're 8).
-
goddamnit. i almost can't stand watching international soccer anymore because of the goalkeeping. well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that. but having been a goalkeeper for 15 years, it baffles me some of the **** they do on the goddamn INTERNATIONAL level. i'm really over tim howard. not saying the goals were his fault or that he should have saved them, but he definitely should have given himself a chance to save them at least. good reaction keeper, bad fundamentals. i said after ghana that he came out and controlled his box flawlessly, and now i have to retract that. that's what should have happened both goals, but he froze instead and waved at it from flat feet.
-
I tell you, this world cup has been depressing to watch from Portugal, the only redeeming thing from it has been the google doodles.
I hadn't seen Portugal play so badly and so lacking in spirit ever since 2002. I predict a lot of mental mayhem is gonna drop in the last game against Ghana. A goal by Ghana in the first 15 minutes will be enough, Pepe will get the second red card (record holder?), and a referee will be punched in the stomach. I think I've seen this movie before...
-
Underdog for my standards is a team that lacks a winning team composition (stars + decent players) or lacks football history, the relevance the turnament has in the country itself is also a plus.
I only rated Spain as an underdog because they had not win the cup before, and because their players where decent but no star was around to pull the weight through all the matches.
They did have players well above average, but that made them strong only as a team. Turns out it was enough to win that cup.
-
right after my rant about goalkeeping, i'm watching aus-esp and thinking mat ryan might be the most impressive keeper i've seen since oliver kahn.
-
Suarez bit a player for the third time in his career today. A savage-looking bite to the shoulder of Chiellini. The man's an animal.
-
(http://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/luis-suarez-bite.gif)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bq6ex70CcAAGw8r.jpg)
-
The funny thing is that it happened while I was watching The Walking Dead! :D
-
You'd think biting someone multiple times would be enough for a lifetime ban.
-
Well, he's probably going to get a penalty imposed on him by FIFA.
-
I could not believe it when I saw it, :lol: anyways.
he clearly has some issues, will probably loose the rest of the cup and maybe even more.
-
will probably loose the rest of the cup and maybe even more.
Well, I guess he needs to
(http://www.cahayabox.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Horatio-Caine.jpg)
tighten his game.
-
Ahh yes, I always switch those two around.
Anyways, Argentina with a lousy performance again and yet we're in.
I'll repeat this until I'm proved wrong: argentina = Messi + 10.
-
Suarez ban announced. It's actually pretty good: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/luis-suarez-banned-from-remainder-of-the-world-cup/article19347136/
Though personally, after 3 biting incidents, I think he should be banned from all FIFA competition for life. Good grief.
-
well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.
I'm not. Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.
-
well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.
I'm not. Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.
I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.
I hate divers.
-
Germany-USA in a bit more than 10 minutes.
Get hype.
-
On Suarez, it doesn't seem right to me to ban him from Liverpool. He was on Uruguay's watch, not Liverpool's. That's basically killed Liverpool's title challenge before the season even starts. They should have gone with the 24 match ban from playing for Uruguay imo. That would have cut him out of the Copa America and defending Uruguay's title, and probably the historic Copa America Centenario in 2016.
Instead, Suarez will probably play in those and Liverpool will suffer.
-
Indeed. A lifetime ban from playing for Uruguay would have made him regret the move. As things are, it won't really affect him that much and could work out very well for him in the end.
Although hopefully other clubs will be reconsidering whether they want such a loose cannon on their team.
-
They ought to give out anti-awards like the Razzies, so maybe hand out a wooden Oscar for the 'least convincing dive', a rattle trophy for 'longest game hold-up for arguing with the Ref' etc. ;)
-
This isn't a punishment for Suarez. It's a vacation. If the World Cup meant anything to Suarez, he wouldn't have done what he did. He did what he came to do, and that's take revenge on England.
He'll get to play in those tournaments for Uruguay, and when he comes back, he'll get to do what he's always wanted to do, and that's play in the Champions League. This has probably killed Liverpool's title challenge before the season even starts, but that doesn't matter to Suarez. He just needs Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League. So he gets to put his feet up for 4 months, and this ban has no impact on him personally.
-
Pity the ban didn't say that Liverpool don't have to pay Suarez while he's banned. Then they could simply bench him and not give a **** if he's banned.
-
Don't player's contracts have clauses for that?
-
Possibly. Although I now that I think about it, I suspect the issue isn't really his pay so much as the fact that they can't afford to replace him unless they sell him, which is exactly what he wants.
They ought to give out anti-awards like the Razzies, so maybe hand out a wooden Oscar for the 'least convincing dive', a rattle trophy for 'longest game hold-up for arguing with the Ref' etc. ;)
And a statue of Aunty Entity for the player with the dumbest, headbuttingest sending off. :p
-
So, US : Germany went 0:1. Good show, chaps, good show.
-
Well the US are still through. Portugal simply couldn't make up the goal difference from the drubbing they took from Germany.
-
United States are a better footballing nation than England now. You can't argue with it. Respect.
-
Good matches, kudos for USA.
Watching the faces Ronaldo makes as he misses shots during the match: priceless.
Don't sweat about Suarez future guys, he's pretty much screwed.
No respectable team will want him, he will probably end up his days playing for a mediocre team or a decent one that has not enough money to buy good players but still can use Suarez's skills regardless of the fame that precedes him.
-
well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.
I'm not. Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.
I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.
I hate divers.
i still hate it. what i meant was grudging acceptance that it's never going away. it's either that or not be able to watch without raging.
-
well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.
I'm not. Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.
I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.
I hate divers.
i still hate it. what i meant was grudging acceptance that it's never going away. it's either that or not be able to watch without raging.
Ah, I understand what you mean now. :yes:
-
Heh, whether I'd intended to watch it or not, I wound up sleeping right through it anyway. I guess backing your way into the next round is far preferable to not getting there at all.
-
Heh, whether I'd intended to watch it or not, I wound up sleeping right through it anyway. I guess backing your way into the next round is far preferable to not getting there at all.
You didn't miss much. See the stats:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?num=30&site=webhp&source=hp&q=united+states+germany+stats&oq=united+states+germany+stats&gs_l=hp.3...313804.318151.0.318382.29.22.0.7.7.0.378.2049.18j1j1j1.21.0....0...1c.1.48.hp..4.25.1383.0.SWxT5_9yfrw
-
Didn't miss much?
Did we watch the same game?
-
Didn't miss much?
Did we watch the same game?
I thought it was drab. Of course, you're going to be on the edge of your seat because it's your team.
US were happy to put bodies between Germany and the goal to get through, and Germany were happy to coast through as group winners. I put more attention on the other game than this one.
-
Maybe that's why we've got such different interpretations of it. Watching the game start to finish it was a very good game, with good offense on both sides. Germany controlled the midfield, but US drives that got into Germany territory were generally well executed and the US defense was spectacular.
-
The game was definitely dominated by the Germans although the US-Team had a few good chances the Germans had more and used one of them. So they won deserved.
But a Match USA-Russia was possible and would have been a interesting match.
-
But a Match USA-Russia was possible and would have been a interesting match.
Germany / Algeria is much more interesting to me though. A chance for Algeria to take revenge on Germany for the 1982 World Cup, where Germany and Austria rigged their match to ensure both went through at the expense of Algeria.
Also, interestingly, Germany have played Algeria twice, and Algeria were victorious on both occasions...
-
Luis Suarez has been immortalised. Step aside, Pacman! :lol:
https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/chomp-like-luis-suarez-as-you-play-the--biteman--game-192400437.html
-
AET 2 Germany - Algeria 1
Fantastic match. Edge of the seat all the way.
Neuer had 21 touches outside his box.
-
Wish Algeria won. Ho hum.
Cheering for the underdogs in soccer is almost always disappointing.
-
It's not always disappointing, but in these stages of the world cup common sense starts to bare it's weight on the results of the "predictable" matches. Mainly because everyone knows it's all or nothing. And yes, awesome match by both, specially Algeria that made it this far and with such a good playstyle.
-
France-Germany is shaping up to be a great match. They've both been playing some great football and I think both of them have a good chance of winning the cup.
Brazil just barely winning against Chile on penalties... they're really off their game this year. If they don't start taking this seriously they might get taken out before the semis.
-
I wonder when Argentina will get a rival that plays on the offensive rather than in a fully defensive posture all 90' long.
I almost cry with that last ball kissing the goal post on the last minute. I tell you, there are few things that will beat the thrill of a close football match.
-
That was fun to watch.
Belgium thought they'd won it at half time in extra time, and I reckon it pissed the US off. Belgium nearly got burned. Scraped over the line. Lucky they didn't concede from that beautiful free kick routine.
-
Welp, guess I'm free to not pay any attention to the sport for the next four years.
-
Welp, guess I'm free to not pay any attention to the sport for the next four years.
Copa America Centenario?
-
Tim Howard was by far the best player on that field.
-
Tim Howard was by far the best player on that field.
Best goalkeeper of the tournament for me so far.
-
Welp, guess I'm free to not pay any attention to the sport for the next four years.
Copa America Centenario?
Baxter, you know I don't speak Spanish!
And yeah, it'd be nice if the team collectively figured out, "Oh riiiiight, we're supposed to play offense too!" at some point before 100 minutes had elapsed.
-
Tim Howard was by far the best player on that field.
Best goalkeeper of the tournament for me so far.
It's either him or Neuer so far.
-
Tim Howard was by far the best player on that field.
Best goalkeeper of the tournament for me so far.
It's either him or Neuer so far.
Neuer was incredible in the Algeria game. I feel Howard has had more to do over the 4 games, but of course Neuer is still here, so has every chance to take over.
-
What I saw from Howard today was a lot of great reaction and solid positioning, but still far too much ignoring of fundamentals for me to buy in to calling him a top 5 in the world keeper. I guess I'm being overly critical since no one else in the world seems to agree, but IMO world class keepers shouldn't be doing **** like palming/punching controllable balls and leading with the legs.
-
man, some dudes on a skimboarding forum got god ALMIGHTY in a twist over my 'tim is a little overrated' comment. of course they all pulled the "let's see YOU make 18 saves" and one "i played up until high school, you don't know what you're talking about." keeping in mind this is a board 90% full of trolls or just plain d-bags, do i launch into the bit where i have played THROUGH high school and college, and have in fact had 30 save games, or just shake my head and leave it?
-
I know this isn't 4chan, but still
(http://12ch.ru/macro/index.php/image/3236.jpg)
-
man, some dudes on a skimboarding forum got god ALMIGHTY in a twist over my 'tim is a little overrated' comment. of course they all pulled the "let's see YOU make 18 saves" and one "i played up until high school, you don't know what you're talking about." keeping in mind this is a board 90% full of trolls or just plain d-bags, do i launch into the bit where i have played THROUGH high school and college, and have in fact had 30 save games, or just shake my head and leave it?
If you want a productive discussion, I would say ignore the trolls and d-bags and if there's anyone worth your time, talk to them.
EDIT: Also, people will still be raw after the US KO, remember that.
-
The new European club football season has begun with action in the first qualifying round of the Europa League and Champions League yesterday.
Now you wouldn't think there'd be anyone in the quarter finals of a World Cup with their club involved in these matches would you?
But there is. Rosenborg take on Jelgava tomorrow in the first qualifying round of the Europa League and Cristian Gamboa of Costa Rica plays for them. :)
-
I know this isn't 4chan, but still
http://12ch.ru/macro/index.php/image/3236.jpg
I should point out that the staff on this board don't take kindly to the use of racist, sexist or in this case homophobic language. While I'm assuming that you didn't mean anything bad with this, kindly refrain from using that sort of language in the future.
-
Tomorrow is the day. Go Colombia!, Argentina is with you!
Also waiting on France vs. Germany, quite a match to watch there.
-
Was Netherlands yesterday? That's my sweepstake team.
-
Was Netherlands yesterday? That's my sweepstake team.
Yes, they were, and they've managed to beat Costa Rica after going to penalties.
-
I thought they would after following them closer than I normally do. I feel a Nederlands VS Deutschland final approaching.
-
Look at the size of this thing!
http://online.wsj.com/articles/insect-lands-on-colombia-s-midfielder-james-rodriguez-1404520130#1
-
I thought they would after following them closer than I normally do. I feel a Nederlands VS Deutschland final approaching.
I dunno, Germany has to get past Brazil first, and even with Neymar being out, I can see that match easily going to Brazil. Germany just seems rather nervous this time around.
-
I have confidence in your guys.
-
Look at the size of this thing!
http://online.wsj.com/articles/insect-lands-on-colombia-s-midfielder-james-rodriguez-1404520130#1
KILL IT WITH FIYAH
-
I thought they would after following them closer than I normally do. I feel a Nederlands VS Deutschland final approaching.
*Nederland
We refer to our country in singular rather then plural :P.
(But still, major kudos).
-
Huh, I thought it was called holland
-
Huh, I thought it was called holland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_IUPInEuc
-
Ooooooooooooooooooooooh, so that's how it is.
-
So I was just in a public space in budapest watching the semis on a 30 foot screen. I left after the fifth goal. Pretty depressing to see the Brazillian crowd go silent.
-
Dunno. This whole WC I had the feeling that (Whichever team opposed Brazil) deserved to win. I think Germany agrees.
-
Okay, I get that, but this game is getting into "genuinely hard to watch" territory now.
-
Schadenfreude-fueled team converts tears into goals.
-
As someone said on Twitter, the last time we've seen a Brazil this bleak, it was directed by Terry Gilliam.
-
Oh boy.
-
I'm surprised they're letting something THIS brutal be broadcast on national TV. This is definitely some R rated stuff.
-
Dammit, this is the one I should have been watching. People are actually scoring!
(What's the over/under on Brazil being burned entirely to the ground in the next few hours?)
-
Gentlemen, you've witnessed an historical event.
-
Well Brazil got one on the very last minute. 7-1 final.
Go dutch
Dammit, this is the one I should have been watching. People are actually scoring!
Actually not that interesting as far as games go. Blowout is a blowout and generally boring as with any sport.
-
Whoa. Indeed, it is getting hard to watch. Esp. for the supporters who probably spend a small fortune to be there today 0_o.
-
Deutschland über alles.
-
Deutschland über alles.
Anschlusszeit!
-
Damn, I don't like Brazil, but that match make me feel really sorry for them. Those Germans walked over them as if they were the only ones on the field.
-
Damn, I don't like Brazil, but that match make me feel really sorry for them. Those Germans walked over them as if they were the only ones on the field.
The worst thing about this game was that up to the 0:2 and for the first few minutes of the second half, this wasn't the case at all.
-
The game was over at the 30 minute mark. All else was commentary.
Curiously the same timeline happened in the game with Portugal.
-
What can you say. Incredible. History was made tonight. Klose to the top of the goalscorer chart, and a result which could anyone have predicted? Wonder what odds you'd have got on a 7-0 win over Brazil in Brazil?
-
What can you say. Incredible. History was made tonight. Klose to the top of the goalscorer chart, and a result which could anyone have predicted? Wonder what odds you'd have got on a 7-0 win over Brazil in Brazil?
Not sure on the odds but the payout would have been zero because that wasn't the score.
Final was 7-1
-
What can you say. Incredible. History was made tonight. Klose to the top of the goalscorer chart, and a result which could anyone have predicted? Wonder what odds you'd have got on a 7-0 win over Brazil in Brazil?
Not sure on the odds but the payout would have been zero because that wasn't the score.
Final was 7-1
Ha ha, oops! So irrelevant was the Brazil goal I forgot about it! :lol:
odds on 7-1 then! :D
-
In case you missed the hilights:
http://screamer.deadspin.com/here-is-j-r-jim-ross-calling-the-brazil-germany-firs-1601968953
-
I nearly pity the Brazilians.
They where close to start crying while playing, the trainer too.
But it was very brave of Julio Caesar to face the reporters.
David Luiz looked like a ten year old who lost his first game he ever played.
But the Brazilians have to blame themselves, the defense was totally chaos.
In TV they compared the Brazilian defens with a chicken throng.
-
What can you say. Incredible. History was made tonight. Klose to the top of the goalscorer chart, and a result which could anyone have predicted? Wonder what odds you'd have got on a 7-0 win over Brazil in Brazil?
Not sure on the odds but the payout would have been zero because that wasn't the score.
Final was 7-1
Ha ha, oops! So irrelevant was the Brazil goal I forgot about it! :lol:
odds on 7-1 then! :D
Odds on "Sami Khedia to score anytime + Germany 7-1" were 2319:1.
(http://i.imgur.com/FLw3dQU.jpg)
(Not my bet -- pic shamelessly stolen from imgur and may be fake)
-
It's amazing that anyone placed such a bet!
Thank you. :)
-
Well here's a tip for next time, when you're rather weak in defence, don't let your captain who has closed those holes get two yellow cards so that he has to miss a match.
-
Netherlands had better win.
-
Netherlands had better win.
Rivalry final. :pimp:
Rivalry third place game. :pimp:
What a stunning way that would be to cap off what has overall been an excellent World Cup, despite what happened to England.
Go Netherlands. :yes:
-
But the Brazilians have to blame themselves, the defense was totally chaos.
In TV they compared the Brazilian defens with a chicken throng.
"The last time we defended this badly against the Germans, we lost our independence!" - The Dutch Commentator.
-
But the Brazilians have to blame themselves, the defense was totally chaos.
In TV they compared the Brazilian defens with a chicken throng.
"The last time we defended this badly against the Germans, we lost our independence!" - The Dutch Commentator.
Which I don't agree with, they didn't do that badly :P
Netherlands - Argentina about to start. Curious how it'll go.
-
I think my favorite commentator line during Brazil-Germany was "I think what Brazil needs to do now is put 5 more onto the field and try to get away with 16 against 11." It was a train wreck.
-
****ty match with a disappointing result.
-
It's not hard to call it now: Germany is World Champion. Guess I should cross the border more often to do shopping there, gas is cheaper there, most commodities do also.
-
Penalties are always a crapshoot , and this is the 4th match that was decided by penalties this WC. The only good thing about the match was that Argentina won.
Looks like we won't get an all European final and an all South American 3rd place match.
-
The only good thing about the match was that Argentina won.
You looking for a fight, son?
-
The only good thing about the match was that Argentina won.
You looking for a fight, son?
He was looking for the Europe vs. South America matches to continue. I wanted the rivalry matches. For what it's worth, my mother wanted your boys to win the whole thing. She's always had a soft spot for the Netherlands, usually her go-to neutral team if England get KOd and the Netherlands are still there.
-
You looking for a fight, son?
In all seriousness, I believe an intercontinental finale makes the things a bit more exciting.
-
:lol:
ah well, cheering for zee germans now.
Go deutschland!
-
I'll watch with affinity for neither.
In the meantime semi related
I want them to do this to the world cup...There are goal celebration special effects too which I'll dig out.
-
taped ned-arg, but it didn't extend itself and cut off the overtime. missed bra-ger entirely. grr.
-
It'll be on demand somewhere dude.
-
taped ned-arg, but it didn't extend itself and cut off the overtime. missed bra-ger entirely. grr.
It’s not so bad. Arg-Ned was a dull, dull match. Just find a link to the shootout somewhere. And Bra-Ger, the Germans were very clinical, and the Brazil defence a shambles, and really for a match like that all you need to see is a highlights package.
-
Netherlands v Argentina was pretty lame affair. Dutch need to score some goals in actual regular time if they plan to win games.
I hope Germany wins. Those south americans had their hey-day ten years ago. Let someone else get a turn. Dutch to take third I hope as well. Brazil fans have plenty more tears to shed. Or in the case of that one guy, more shirts to eat.
-
Germany will have a hard time winning with them.
-
Easy 3-0 victory for the Netherlands
Brazil didnt seem to have recovered mentally from germany's sledgehammer to the nuts.
-
I don't think it was simply a question of Brazil being mentally unprepared.
The bigger problems were lack of defensive cohesion, and lack of offensive capacity to breach Netherlands' defense.
The defense problem was the worse of the two issues. Whether that was caused by lacking player material or poor management and tournament preparation, I can't say. Maybe Brazil's football culture has not focused on grooming defensive talents, maybe Scholari didn't manage to role the team correctly. Brazil showed signs of the defense problem all the way through the tournament but it all finally came apart against Germany. In the Bronze game, they fared a bit better but the underlying problem was still there and was a factor in all three goals. Silva was playing, so maybe that had a bit of an improvement in their defense line-up.
As for lack of offensive capacity against Netherlands' defense, it was a combination of Netherlands having really solid defense, blocking the midfield and pass lines, and Brazil's players not being quite able to play together. Neymar being out was probably not a big factor. There were a lot of individual attempts, which failed. And when they tried to play as a team, they misread each other and passed too long, or otherwise misplaced their passes.
After the second goal, Netherlands seemed content to sit back and defend, they left the ball in Brazil's possession but they couldn't really do anything with it. Almost every attack ended in misplaced pass, losing a challenge and the ball to Netherlands, or individual shots on goal which Cillessen either caught or they went past the goal. They had a few corners and free kicks that gave them a chance, but in the end they didn't even score a single goal.
Looking at the replays it was pretty clear that the first penalty kick should have been a free kick and red card instead of a penalty and yellow card. I doubt it would have actually changed the game's result, but Robben was pulled down outside the penalty zone even if he fell into it. I was surprised to see a penalty from that situation.
-
Germany will have a hard time winning with them.
What the **** are you talking about you ignorant racist! It's PORTUGAL who they are playing tonight, not those incompetent german players, who think haircuts are way more impressive than actual football talent.
We will win these Koreans, though, make no mistake about it. Although the NK reporters will probably say otherwise. You can never tell with these people...
-
You preceded me! I wanted the exclusive of that North Korean footage. :p
-
Congrats to Zee germans. Well deserved.
-
Congrats to Zee germans. Well deserved.
Indeed. Most impressive.
They've done all us Europeans a favour too. That little stat about Europeans not winning in South America... it's gone.
-
Good match, congrats to Germans! Might be next time for us.