2010 FIFA World Cup: The Knockout Stages.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Official catch-all thread. (Since the previous one got way too big.)

[Sky Masterson]

1. Thank you

:)

[MrCoffee]

2. How were your predictions through the group stage?

I had Nigeria advancing over South Korea and Italy meeting Denmark (rather than Paraguay v. Japan).

Those were the only ones I completely blew. I switched 1st and 2nd out of A and C, but had the right teams through.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. In the only predictions contest I entered, my performance was abysmal.

Let's just say I had Italy as champions.

[MrCoffee]

9. I'm telling you, that Nike Write the Future ad is a complete hex

Drogba - out in group play
Cannavaro - out in group play
Rooney - meh so far
Walcott - not even picked to go
Ribery - Les Miserables
Ronaldinho - not even picked to go
Crybaby McDiver - one lousy goal in a stomping of North Korea?

[Blue_Tires]

18. I didn't think Italy would win it all (I picked Spain)

But I did think Italy (like Argentina) was in an easy group and had a chance to go far if they showed up ready to play...

[flvegan]

3. Argentina wins. All of it.

My bias may be showing. A little.

[Sky Masterson]

6. You may be right.

I hope the U.S.and A last until the end. I find it enough to be proud about that they made it this far.

[MrCoffee]

8. Argentina is playing unreal football right now

I don't see any team at the Cup who can touch them.

[NewJeffCT]

13. They've been the most impressive so far

from what I've seen.

[Blue_Tires]

16. propaganda!!

[Common Sense Party]

72. I like your bias.

¡¡¡DALE ARGENTINA!!!!!

¡VAMOS POR TODO!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. My predictions for the Round of 16:

Uruguay vs. South Korea
Leaning Uruguay, but it's going to be tricky.

USA vs. Ghana
Given African teams' eternal tendency to fuck up at the worst times, and the heroin-like buzz the USA is on, it should be an easy USA win.

Germany vs. England
I don't want it to happen, but I think England is finding their game, whereas Germany is losing theirs. Leaning England.

Argentina vs. Mexico
Argentina will win, but Mexico is going to force them to earn it. I foresee extra time.

Netherlands vs. Slovakia
The Slovaks already did their Heroic Deed for this cup. Easy Dutch win.

Brazil vs. Chile
If Brazil loses this one, I'm going to paint myself purple, put on a Carmen Miranda hat, and dance naked in the middle of the street.

Paraguay vs. Japan
Japan has the momentum and, believe it or not, the talent. Leaning Japan.

Spain vs. Portugal
Complete, total, absolute, utter toss-up. I foresee extra time AND penalty kicks.

[Dr Morbius]

7. I expect to see video of that Carmen Miranda dance, and doesn't the hat mean...

...you wouldn't technically be naked?

I too expect Brazil to advance to the group of eight, because they're that good. But are the Chilean slouches? I don't think so. Win? Probably. Easy win? I really don't think so.

[Call Me Wesley]

10. My predictions (and I'm always wrong:)

Uruguay vs. South Korea
Uruguay 2:0

USA vs. Ghana
USA 3:1

Germany vs. England
Germany 1:0 (after 6 yellow cards, 2 red cards and 3 goals called offside.)

Argentina vs. Mexico
Mexico 2:0

Netherlands vs. Slovakia
Netherlands 1:0

Brazil vs. Chile
Hmmm ... Brazil 2:0

Paraguay vs. Japan
Japan 1:0

Spain vs. Portugal
Spain 3:0

[NewJeffCT]

19. Mexico 2:0 over Argentina?

Like your other predictions, though.

[meow2u3]

21. You better not jinx the Birds of War!!!

I hope you're right about the US-Ghana match. I predict a 1-0 win for the Yanks (the only Yanks I root for are the US soccer team lol).

[Common Sense Party]

74. Mexico is NOT going to shut out Argentina.

I don't think they even have half a chance of winning. Their defense will NOT be able to shut out Argentina's strikers.

[NewJeffCT]

14. My prediction

Uruguay vs. South Korea
Tough match, but I'll go with Uruguay.

USA vs. Ghana
US gets the better of the play, but Ghana comes out with a 1-0 win.

Germany vs. England
Germany wins 1-0 - England has a few decent chances, but nothing connect.

Argentina vs. Mexico
Argentina 3-1, easy win.

Netherlands vs. Slovakia
Netherlands has been the most (only?) impressive European team so far, and it continues with a 2-0 win.

Brazil vs. Chile
2-0 Brazil, but not that close.

Paraguay vs. Japan
Very even match, Paraguay wins 2-1

Spain vs. Portugal
Spain wakes up long enough to win 1-0.

[NewJeffCT]

102. well, I'm 3 out of 3 on winners so far

Scores weren't right, but at least I picked the winners.

[Sky Masterson]

11. I want to relive this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w&feature
Tomorrow would be nice. :D

[Call Me Wesley]

12. LOL! I love the 'World's reaction.'

Nebraska, Kentucky, New York, Arkansas, Alabama, a pub in Lyon with American fans, California again, Durban in South Africa with American fans, Kentucky ...

Nah, just kidding, but the 'World's reaction' really made me chuckle here.

But: GO USA! Soccer is some sports, too! :patriot:

[Sky Masterson]

15. Yea.

Didn't you know that America IS the world? :P :silly:
I doubt we go all the way ,but ya never know how that crazy ball is going to bounce. :)

[AbbeyRoad]

17. Here's another good Donovan goal reaction video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHoN93rXX4

[BlueCollar]

20. Ronaldo falls over the first time a Spaniard looks at him...n/t

[Call Me Wesley]

22. USA -- Ghana. 1:0 for Ghana.

[Sky Masterson]

23. This gonna be a long game!

Again..

[NewJeffCT]

24. another bad start, too

at least Algeria hit the crossbar...

[NewJeffCT]

25. US not looking too sharp midway through the half

Ghana is far better than Algeria, that's for sure.

[NewJeffCT]

26. are they emotionally spent after the last match?

the US>

[Haole Girl]

27. It's early... don't give up just yet!

Haven't you learned that, yet, with this team? :hi:

[EFerrari]

28. Ghana has something. The team just looks powerful and confident.

Damn.

[suffragette]

29. They do, don't they?

[Haole Girl]

30. They are strong and muscular...

but USA is making them run like crazy & they might wear out. I hope!

p.s., Thank God for Howard!!

[Call Me Wesley]

35. 1:1 for the US.

[BlueCollar]

31. Down 1-0...

I'd make a change from 4-4-2.

Throw another striker into the mix...go 4-3-3.

This is lose and you're out football now.

[Haole Girl]

32. USA has to dig themselves out of the hole...

AGAIN!!

ugh!

[meow2u3]

33. What else is new?

We forever fall behind early. I only hope we have enough gas left in the tank to stage yet another comeback.

[suffragette]

34. GOAL!

[Haole Girl]

36. DONOVAN!!!!

:woohoo:

[BlueCollar]

37. 1-1

on a legitimate PK

[tigereye]

38. pretty good defense by the US- or that's how it looks to this newbie

[suffragette]

39. Ouch! Dempsey's been hitting the ground hard quite a lot

[Haole Girl]

40. He definitely takes a lot of hits (nt)

[Haole Girl]

41. Extra time!

The first one who scores wins.
:scared:

[NewJeffCT]

42. No - they play the entire 30 minutes, no matter what

The game could end up 3-2.

[Haole Girl]

43. Oh, really?

I forgot since the last World Cup... you sure? That's going to be a hell of a 30 mins!!

[Call Me Wesley]

44. We'll see.

The US is good after the first halftime, and Ghana is good in the first halftime. Now both teams have to be very aggressive to score.

[Call Me Wesley]

45. 2:1 for Ghana.

[Sky Masterson]

48. This isn't going to end well

:mad:

[Call Me Wesley]

49. Too early to tell I think.

But this sure wasn't very uplifting for the US team.

[Haole Girl]

46. Nooo

:cry:

[suffragette]

47. Dang

[Haole Girl]

50. I just hope Ghana doesn't slow down the game intentionally now (nt)

[Call Me Wesley]

51. No, they won't. They want to score. (nt)

[Haole Girl]

52. I see that

:scared:

[suffragette]

53. Agree with Wesley

They keep pushing.
Exciting game, for sure.

[Haole Girl]

54. Will they add 2 mins ...

for the Ghana players theatrics? (the one who fell on his own butt, all by himself?)

[suffragette]

55. Have to say I'm impressed by Ghana

They've played with heart.
So have the USA.
It's one of those games where it's hard to see one lose.

[Haole Girl]

56. That's it

Aww

I feel so badly for that team... they tried so hard.

:patriot:

[suffragette]

58. That was a tough one

:hug:

[NewJeffCT]

59. Tough loss

Letting up early goals the whole tournament finally caught up with them, though. Not quite enough in the tank to come back again.

[suffragette]

61. See my post #60 at the same time as yours

Same thought, same time.

[Call Me Wesley]

57. Agreed. Great game.

Really fair and the referees were good this time. US had a lot of changes but couldn't do it. There was no delaying by either team, even they both were wearing off.

Kudos for Ghana!

[suffragette]

60. Yes, it was a great game.

Fair and both teams playing all out.
Hope the USA will look at tightening defense at the start of the game.

So Ghana and Uruguay - that should be wild.

[NewJeffCT]

62. They must have some sort of collective mental block at the start

of the game or something. They almost went down 0-1 against Algeria, too.

[suffragette]

64. It seemed like that block happened at the beginning

of extra time as well.

[EFerrari]

66. Last night I watched a Giants/Red Sox game

where both teams stumbled through 9 innings. What a contrast!

Do you know when the the Ghana/Uraguay game is or is it scheduled yet?

[suffragette]

68. FIFA shows it for July 2nd

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/calendar.html?cid=google_onebox

This was an exciting game and Uruguay's been tough, so should be a great match.

I've been watching on CBC and their coverage just switched to G20 protests.

Hope all's well with you.
:hi:

[BlueCollar]

63. The score reflected the game

It took two hours to determine a winner. Ghana was a better team and deserved to win in the end.

I love this game....

[NewJeffCT]

65. I thought the US had more dangerous chances, though

maybe some of that was desperation late, but they had some earlier in the 2nd half, too.

[BlueCollar]

67. I agree...but

in the end it's about putting it in the net. The USA team should be proud of their accomplishments.

Over 200 countries entered the competition. The USA made it through to the last 16.

[NewJeffCT]

70. They did better than Italy & France

Normally, I would root for Italy once the US goes out, as I'm half Italian... but, not this year.

(the other half is Polish, who didn't even make it)

[BlueCollar]

69. Ghana will play Uruguay next

Uruguay have been perfect so far in this tournament, but I suspect Ghana is actually better than the pundits are giving them credit fot.

I think Uruguay are slightly more experienced...but they'll have to work for their next win.

[Blue_Tires]

71. Tough break for Team USA

It was nice to be able to talk soccer with random regular people on the street...I wanted the soccer-hating sports media here to have to stew in their grudging world cup coverage for a few more days...

By this time tomorrow, most of the casual fans will already be thinking of NFL training camp....

[Common Sense Party]

73. Discussion question: Now that the U.S. is out, will the U.S. media

and the general public lose most of their interest in the rest of the World Cup?

[NewJeffCT]

79. A good portion of the media & public will lose interest

some will continue following, though.

[Odin2005]

75. Shit! We lost!

:cry:

[HipChick]

76. Better luck next time....like in 2022

Ghana outplayed the US...

[Call Me Wesley]

77. Germany -- England on.

[NewJeffCT]

78. Interesting matchup here

Can England play up to their hype finally?

[Call Me Wesley]

81. Their hype just got crushed.

[Call Me Wesley]

80. 1:0 for Germany.

[Call Me Wesley]

82. 2:0 for Germany.

[Call Me Wesley]

83. 2:1 for England.

[muriel_volestrangler]

84. Should be 2:2 - if the referees were looking where the ball landed

:mad:

[HEyHEY]

85. scandalous, this mistake will take over the cup with controversy

[Call Me Wesley]

86. Yes, ball was clearly behind the line.

But they're all against using video proof.

[HEyHEY]

87. this PLUS the hand of god incident, I'll be shocked if England doesn't start demanding it next itme

[muriel_volestrangler]

88. The BBC says it's Sepp Blatter who's blocking it, and no-one else

That was certainly true 4 years ago: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/blatter-vows-to-block-use-of-video-evidence-in-the-game-426120.html

[Call Me Wesley]

90. Not only him. Most of the referees,

and just now a former German coach spoke against it, because it would take the 'drama' out of the play and make it boring.

[muriel_volestrangler]

97. Well, yes, blind guesses by referees are 'dramatic'

Ah well, England are now playing crap enough to deserve to lose.

[Call Me Wesley]

100. And most of the referees in this World Cup

are truly horrible.

[KamaAina]

216. Did you know? Sepp Blatter is German for "Bud Selig"

What a tool.

[NewJeffCT]

92. Germany goes up 3-1

could be all over for England.

[NewJeffCT]

95. 4-1 Germany

Looks like another World Cup disappointment for England.

[suffragette]

89. Just woke up

Looks like I missed an interesting half.

[Call Me Wesley]

91. 3:1 for Germany.

[NewJeffCT]

93. textbook counter-attack goal

I saw that coming as soon as Germany got the ball back...

[Call Me Wesley]

96. They just made it again.

[NewJeffCT]

99. I know

Those two goals can be shown to high school teams as a "how to" counterattack.

[Call Me Wesley]

94. 4:1 for Germany.

Wow.

[suffragette]

98. .

:wow:

[NewJeffCT]

101. It's over - 4:1 Germany advances

Field day for the tabloids in the UK now...

[suffragette]

103. Just now seeing replay of the 1st half

disallowed goal.
Yep, their pens will be on fire.

[NewJeffCT]

104. yeah, that was bogus

The ball was like a foot over the goal line...

[suffragette]

105. Clearly in

Got to say though, Germany's been on fire and has much more of an offensive attack than in previous years. I lived there for awhile and remember focus on strong (and huge) defense, especially their goalies who always seemed 8 feet tall and mean as nails.
Refreshing to see this change.

[NewJeffCT]

106. Germany looked fantastic in their first match

where they also scored four goals. However, they looked ordinary against Serbia when they lost. They beat Ghana, but didn't overwhelm them. Of course, Ghana is a quarterfinalist, too.

[suffragette]

107. Good points

Now to fully wake up and watch Argentina vs Mexico

[Blue_Tires]

108. England needs to get that defense sorted out

they did NOT show up ready to play...

[ikri]

112. Germany deserved their win

But that referee shouldn't be allowed near an important game again. With the game at 2-1 England needed to score and allowed Germany to counter-attack (very successfully), at 2-2 the game would have been played entirely differently.

That said, England only really performed for about 5 minutes out of the 90 and didn't deserve anything else, virtually none of the players have come out of this World Cup well, most of them massively underperformed.

[Brewman_Jax]

176. Saw the England/Germany match

That was probably England's best game yet. :silly:

At least Germany gets their revenge for 1966. :P

[Blue_Tires]

109. Now I'm officially in "ANYONE But Argentina" mode....

:nuke:

[Common Sense Party]

110. I'm officially in ARGENTINA OVER EVERYONE mode. n/t

[MissHoneychurch]

111. Just got back home from watching the game

Germany vs England at the stadion on a big screen with about 18.000 other people. What a party. What a game. That was one of the best games of the World Cup me thinks. Both teams played fair.

I am sorry for England (not really) but then, in the game England vs. USA, a goal for the U.S. wasn't given, so that evens it out :hide:

[Blue_Tires]

113. glad to see you had a great time!

[NewJeffCT]

114. Argentina Mexico about to kick off

[suffragette]

115. Blustery evening

per CBC commentator

[Call Me Wesley]

116. This'll be an exciting game!

Mexico will fight hard.

[Call Me Wesley]

117. Congrats!

Was a great game!

[Sky Masterson]

118. Man.. These Fuckers can play!

Both Mexico and Argentina.

[Call Me Wesley]

119. Argentina -- Mexico: 1:0 for Argentina.

Big discussion if it was offside or not ...

[suffragette]

120. Controversial goal

[NewJeffCT]

122. pretty clearly offsides

I would think.

[Renew Deal]

132. I wouldn't use "goal" to describe that.

More like incompetent or disgraceful.

[NewJeffCT]

121. Now that guy was offside

for Argentina... IMO

[Call Me Wesley]

123. Yep ... again the blind referees ...

:eyes:

[MissHoneychurch]

126. What is the matter with the referees

in this World Cup???????

[Call Me Wesley]

133. They sure aren't the ones who'll be remembered for fair games.

But they don't want video proof, so their errors stay.

[MissHoneychurch]

137. They sure know why they don't that video proof

even though with the cameras all around every error gets recorded and shown again and again.

[meow2u3]

165. They're a bunch of blind bats! They need to get their eyes checked!

I could make better calls then these FIFA refs--with my glasses off!

Here's my solution: if FIFA doesn't want to use technology or instant replay to settle controversial calls, I suggest they add two more officials per game--goal judges positioned where they can more easily see if the ball crossed the goal, preferably behind the net.

[flvegan]

124. He was.

He had just overrun the goalie. Might have gone in anyway, but yeah he was offside. I say that with Argentina as the team I'm rooting for.

[Haole Girl]

125. Yep.... in the expertise of my husband. Yep. Offside.

:-(

[suffragette]

130. That's always the hardest one for me to see

I've read the rule, had it explained to me, can see it in replays sometimes, but rarely spot it on my own.

[NewJeffCT]

131. They probably need an extra official at each goal

since I don't think they'll implement replay any time soon.

[suffragette]

134. That's a great idea

[Renew Deal]

136. An extra referee wouldn't be able to call offside.

Because he can't judge the line well from that position.

[NewJeffCT]

138. True - the side judges are supposed to do that

However, somebody close to the goal can help with things like what happened to England today

[Renew Deal]

140. You're right.

I wonder if putting a second referee on the field would help too. Cover the field almost like basketball covers a court. That way there's almost always an official in the middle and one on the goal line. Both can caution or send off. Only one controls the clock.

[Blue_Tires]

128. now it's 2-0...didn't take long for this one to jump off the tracks

[suffragette]

129. 2:0 Argentina

[Blue_Tires]

139. Holy shit!! Players scrappin' in the tunnel during halftime!!

Argentina you will remember mixed it up with the Germans on the sidelines 4 years ago..

[Haole Girl]

127. Aaaarrrgh!!!

:-(

[NewJeffCT]

135. That was a bad goal

that Mexico gave up for the second goal

[suffragette]

141. The CBC commentator said, "That was a gift"

Agree with that

[Haole Girl]

142. Wow.... that was amazing!

I'll admit it... that makes up for "the gift."

[NewJeffCT]

143. That was a rocket - 3:0 Argentina now

[MissHoneychurch]

144. Mexico is out

no way they are able to beat Argentina in the remaining half hour.

[Haole Girl]

146. Yeah...

hopefully Germany will put them away next! :hi:

[MissHoneychurch]

147. We can dream about it

till next Saturday. :hi:

[suffragette]

145. That 3rd one was a fantastic goal

[suffragette]

148. 3:1

[Haole Girl]

149. From "Little Sweet Pea"

:-)

[suffragette]

150. Fitting, yes?

[flvegan]

151. Argentina takes it, 3-1.

w00t!

[NewJeffCT]

152. see my prediction above

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=9410371&mesg_id=9410528

[Call Me Wesley]

154. Hey! Better than mine!

:rofl:

:toast:

[NewJeffCT]

156. I got lucky

I'm 4-4 on predicting winners so far...

[NewJeffCT]

157. I got lucky

I'm 4-4 on predicting winners so far...

[suffragette]

155. Spot on!

[MissHoneychurch]

158. Your prediction regarding Germany vs England

was a little bit off. But you got it right who wins :D

[NewJeffCT]

159. Yes, I'm 4-4 in picking winners

final scores, I'm 1-4

[GalleryGod]

160. I'm Behind Germany All the Way!

:yourock:

[Call Me Wesley]

153. Congrats!

Excellent team! :toast:

[AngryAmish]

161. Imagine me, in front of my house...

I am walking across the lawn carrying something.

It is a brilliant day, sun belting down and birds singing for the joy of it all.

In my hands is something, something so large I can barely carry it without help. Yet I soldier on, knowing that this is important.

I get to the flagpole and attach the flag I am carrying. A firm breeze is blowing as I raise said flag to the zenith.

As you see it you must agree: the flag states "I'm Not Interested."

[Common Sense Party]

162. It must be awful to be such a slave to your need for attention.

[Blue_Tires]

163. a couple of good pieces on the insanity of England's fanbase

and why it puts so much soul-killing pressure on their players:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10430974.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8768122.stm

[GalleryGod]

164. Let's Go, Germany

:donut: :yourock: :donut:
FIFA Breakfast on Saturday !

[MissHoneychurch]

166. Netherlands vs Slovakia

[Call Me Wesley]

167. Nice fast game so far.

[Call Me Wesley]

168. 1:0 for Netherlands.

[MissHoneychurch]

169. YAY

:woohoo:

[NewJeffCT]

170. Didn't see the goal

but, my prediction is looking good so far.

[Call Me Wesley]

172. Was a really nice goal

by one player alone outrunning three.

[NewJeffCT]

177. Thanks - I just saw the highlight

nice run by the guy - I kept thinking he'd pass it off, but he held the ball.

[Call Me Wesley]

180. 2:0 for Netherlands.

There goes another of my predictions. ;)

[NewJeffCT]

181. and another one of mine seems right on

2-0 Netherlands...

[NewJeffCT]

182. Spoke too soon - late PK for Slovakia makes the final 2:1

oh well. At least I'm 5-5 on picking winners.

[Call Me Wesley]

183. Almost 2:1 but game was off before. -- On edit: Final score is 2:1.

[NewJeffCT]

185. Is it bad that I keep thinking of that Michael Caine quote

From Austin Powers - "There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch. "

it sounds way better live than it does in print, as it has Caine's trademark growly voice.

I should qualify that by saying, I have nothing at all against the Dutch... that quote just keeps going through my head.

[chrstianmaldor]

171. Several top teams have been eliminated so far

England and italy surprisingly are out of the competition. I believe Germany will win it all.

[Call Me Wesley]

173. There's quite a chance for it for Germany.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

184. Germany has made 15 straight quarterfinals

amazing run...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

174. The most annoying thing about referee errors is:

They're ALWAYS in the direction of maintaining the status quo.

Look who's been favored by them so far: Brazil, Argentina, Germany.

No, I don't believe in a conspiracy. Just a prevalent bias in favor of, I don't know, "preserving the market", or "when in doubt please the most powerful".

Discuss.

[MissHoneychurch]

175. England is an underdog?????

:shrug:

:7

:P

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

179. Compared to Germany? Yes.

Don't get me wrong, I think Germany fully deserved to win. It'd win even if the referee made the correct call. So did Argentina. They are the two strongest teams in the tournament, and they most definitely did NOT need help from a friendly referee.

[NewJeffCT]

178. I don't think the Slovenia phantom call was maintaining the status quo?

against the US.

And, if a call went for England and/or against Germany and England ended up winning, you could have said the same thing about maintaining the status quo.

[suffragette]

186. Brazil vs Chile

Actually at home this Monday, so am looking forward to being part of a weekday World Cup thread!

[NewJeffCT]

187. I'm sticking with my prediction from upthread

2-0 Brazil.

[suffragette]

188. I'll go 2-1 Brazil

[Call Me Wesley]

190. Heh! We're in the same boat for this one. ;) (nt)

[suffragette]

189. Love the Canadian commentators

"Fabiano has one look at goal (slight pause) - and maybe needed a second."

[Call Me Wesley]

191. 1:0 for Brazil.

[suffragette]

192. Great header

[suffragette]

193. 2-0 Brazil

[Call Me Wesley]

195. Great goal!

[suffragette]

196. It's Samba time!

[Call Me Wesley]

199. I like that!

;)

[suffragette]

204. Here you go

Samba!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehbMl93V6A

[Call Me Wesley]

206. LOL! Thanks for that!

I'll see if I can go there after learning how to play my Ukulele. ;)

[suffragette]

207. You play the ukulele

and I'll do the steps :-)

[Call Me Wesley]

212. Okay ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq_HwXmF23o&feature=related

My, the Ukulele is good for anything! :)

[suffragette]

213. That's beautiful

OK - new appreciation for the Ukelele now

[Call Me Wesley]

194. Dupe. (nt)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

197. 2-0 at halftime Looks good. And best of all - no referee fuckups so far.

Yes, there was a penalty on Lucio, but not having seen that was forgivable.

Back to the TV I go.

[Call Me Wesley]

198. I think FIFA called the referees back a bit.

The one earlier in the game Netherlands -- Slovakia hold extremely back on yellow cards, where he before handed them out like candies. The criticism seemed to have reached the officials.

[suffragette]

200. Yep

That scissors tackle was hard to spot in the tangle of bodies.
And glad they didn't call for Maicon on his swan dive.
Not so sure on the yellow card for Kaka

[Call Me Wesley]

201. 3:0 for Brazil.

[NewJeffCT]

202. Some great teams in the quarterfinals

Brazil, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina

[Call Me Wesley]

205. Agreed.

Brazil could even do better. They're playing more out of their heads now than the hearts, but they're really good when playing by heart.

[suffragette]

210. Agree

Love it when the beautiful game breaks through.

Have to say that Chile has had some agonizingly close shots - so close, yet so far away.

[suffragette]

211. Some great games ahead

[NewJeffCT]

215. yes, there are

some are worthy of a finals - Brazil-Netherlands and Germany-Argentina.

[bdamomma]

249. Germany is like a machine they are going to pummel Argentina

[Blue_Tires]

203. the third was a sweet one to watch...

Robinho

[suffragette]

208. Robinho has warmed up now, hasn't he?

Nice to see

[suffragette]

209. dupe

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

214. You no can has nekkid dance.

(And I know better than to make such boasts for a game against the Netherfuckinglands.)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

217. Tomorrow's first game is the curious oddballity of the eighth-finals: Paraguay vs. Japan.

Whoever wins will be in the quarterfinals for the first time ever. Cool!

[Blue_Tires]

218. the underrated match-ups frequently make for the most dramatic games...

[Call Me Wesley]

219. Paraguay -- Japan on.

[NewJeffCT]

220. This was a tough call

Two good teams. But, in the end, I went with a good South American side over a good Asian side.

[Call Me Wesley]

221. Looks like they are losing the inhibition now. (nt)

[NewJeffCT]

222. No score at halftime

Haven't been able to watch much, though.

[Call Me Wesley]

223. You sure didn't miss much.

Most boring game I've seen. Will be probably be decided by penalty ... :boring:

[NewJeffCT]

224. I had ESPN's gamecast on

One of the commenters for ESPN said that when they handed out 1st half stats, it was a blank sheet.

[Blue_Tires]

225. lol...a second ball got rolled out on the field

[Call Me Wesley]

226. Sometimes I think they all should have a ball,

and the goal should be way wider with three goalies in there. That'll be fun! ;)

[Blue_Tires]

227. i played a variation of that as a kid

just one ball, but the goal line was about 20-30 yards wide...you could use multiple goalkeepers or none and just go on full attack

[Call Me Wesley]

228. Now I think that even under these circumstances,

neither Paraguay nor Japan would score ...

[Call Me Wesley]

229. Really looks like penalty-decision now,

after 118 minutes played. Two minutes to go.

[Blue_Tires]

230. hopefully this will be the ONLY shootout we have to endure

[Call Me Wesley]

231. Paraguay first. (nt)

[muriel_volestrangler]

234. They're always good to watch if your team isn't involved

and as long as the draw was earned by both teams (very occasionally, some teams seem to have played for a draw from the 1st minute, and that's annoying).

2-2 (Paraguay-Japan) so far.

[Call Me Wesley]

232. 1:0 for Paraguay.

[Call Me Wesley]

233. 1:1 for Japan.

[NewJeffCT]

237. Japan miss - 3:2 paraguay

wow

[Call Me Wesley]

I seem to lag here two minutes.

???

[Call Me Wesley]

235. 2:1 Paraguay.

This is fun!

[Call Me Wesley]

236. 2:2 now.

[Call Me Wesley]

238. 3:2 Paraguay.

[muriel_volestrangler]

239. 4-2 - last chance for Japan (nt)

[NewJeffCT]

240. 4:2 paraguay

[NewJeffCT]

241. paraguay wins 5:3

PK

[Call Me Wesley]

242. An Asian team never won against South Americans before.

Must be a curse.

Lame, lame game but the shootout was cool.

[meow2u3]

243. Honda and the Japanese ran out of gas

eom

[Call Me Wesley]

246. LOL. Looks like ... (nt)

[muriel_volestrangler]

244. It's a South American cup

Of 5 to qualify, all 5 got to the round of 16, and the only one to get knocked out in that round was by another SA team.

[Call Me Wesley]

245. It clearly is.

Let's wait for Argentina -- Germany. That should be interesting. ;)

[NewJeffCT]

247. and, so far I'm 7-7 in picking winners

picking final scores, I've not done so well.

[bdamomma]

248. don't anyone make fun

but I hope Portugal wins :hide: against Spain.

[Call Me Wesley]

252. Very tight defense from Portugal there,

even Spain has most of ball possessions. I wouldn't be surprised if this will be decided by shootout, either. We'll see.

[NewJeffCT]

253. Spain had a lot of possession throughout the half

but, had some easy giveaways late when they could have built some momentum through consistent pressure. Portugal almost had a breakaway, but the Spanish keeper came out of the box to track the ball down...

[meow2u3]

254. You and me both!

:hide:

[NewJeffCT]

256. Spain goes up 1-0

early in the 2nd half.

[MissHoneychurch]

250. Off we go with the Iberian match

and it starts interesting already.

[NewJeffCT]

251. Already some threats from Spain

including one about a minute in...

[Call Me Wesley]

257. 1:0 for Spain.

[MissHoneychurch]

258. Portugal better gets moving

or the WC is over for them.

[Call Me Wesley]

259. Double-Change on its way for Portugal.

They have to throw anything they have into it now.

[NewJeffCT]

260. They haven't even gotten a shot in the 2nd half

they need to string a few passes together...

[Call Me Wesley]

261. Roughly eight minutes to go.

Nah, I don't think it'll happen.

[NewJeffCT]

263. Spains advances to play Paraguay, 1-0

spain controlled the 2nd half of this game.

[Blue_Tires]

262. Ricardo Costa redded in the 89th

damn if i could see much contact in the replay, though...

[Blue_Tires]

264. Will anyone outside of Paraguay dare to bet against Spain??

[NewJeffCT]

266. Probably not

Spain looked really good, but didn't finish their chances and often looked (to me) like they were being a bit too cute with the ball. I could see another 1-0 game like this one.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

267. If Spain doesn't get to the semifinals now, it never will. -nt

[bdamomma]

255. this site is pretty good too.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/gamecast?id=264114&cc=3888&ver=global

[Blue_Tires]

265. Paraguay and Uruguay should be proud

The COMBINED populations of both countries could fit in New York with room to spare

[MissHoneychurch]

268. Soooo?????

How will you survive the first day without games since begin of the WC???

[Blue_Tires]

269. by doing some real work in the office

and listening to 606 on the BBC

[MissHoneychurch]

270. LOL

yeah, work is getting done again.

[NewJeffCT]

271. I'll have to find another way to distract myself

I'm sure I can find something...

[Blue_Tires]

272. Off-day updates: Nigeria suspended after "national shame"

The French football federation is meeting in private to determine how many heads get chopped

We might have round 2 of the ARG-GER fightin' scrap (My $$$$ is on the Germans)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/06/nigerian_soccer_team_suspended.html

And if things weren't bad enough for England, it is whispered that Steven Gerrard has a sex scandal of his own brewing...

http://www.football.co.uk/blogs/5010/902129.shtml

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/833707-steven-gerrard-and-john-terry-feud-ruined-englands-world-cup-bid


More random stuff:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/2010-07-01-world-cup-quick-kicks_N.htm

http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/2453716,american-tourist-shot-south-america-070110.article

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2890/world-cup-2010/2010/07/01/2004226/world-cup-2010-argentina-coach-diego-maradona-mocks-bastian

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQAnqY4K64SuP0nKzGXYUW0qInmAD9GM5T600

http://www.spaotp.com/p/friday-list-of-little-or-no-consequence.html

[rabs]

273. Paraguay's Chilavert upset at FIFA's choice of ref

Gonzalo Molina F. photo
But first, a tip of the typical Paraguayan Pirí sombrero to Blue_Tires and Commie Pinko Dirtbag for the threads. Have enjoyed checking out the comments (except for the silly person with the flag, but thats okay) as the Cup has progressed.


Went over to check the Paraguayan media just now and saw that former star goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert has harshly critized FIFA's naming of Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres for the Spain-Paraguay match.

Chila:

-- "It can't be. (Batres) does not have the level or category ...

-- "It is absurd that FIFA appoint a referee from Guatemala for a game that is so important for both teams.

-- "This referee is horrible and very bad ...

-- Chila recalled that the same referee committed serious mistakes in the Paraguay-Germany match in the 2002 World Cup. (Germany won 1-0.)

-- Chila said he hoped FIFA would reconsider and reverse the decision.

------------

So there it is, be aware of how this referee calls the game.

Btw, Chila has been a commentator on Univision during the matches. He is very good because of his deep knowledge of South American football and the teams.



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