hey, who knows, with a bit of luck and a corrupt ref anything could happen... yeah well, it's not gonna happen is it?
agreed, i wouldnt want to be in Zidane's shoes tonight because he's gonna have to produce the game of his life in order for france to win and his ageing legs will probably fail him anyway. they should have kept the same system as against Togo, Henry as a lone striker doesn't score any goals. it would take balls to keep the guy on the bench and give his chance to a younger player but unfortunately the coach doesn't have that.
I hear you French. last game on the international stage...at least they made it to this point, for him to have a last game...rather than sitting it out (like game 3 of round 1)...
Mmmmmm....If those 2 are the choices, then I say Brazil. :) But, I'm rooting for Ghana, even though common sense dicates we'll see a Brazil-Spain quarter final.
So, I just saw the controversial PK during the Italy-Australia game I have to admit I think it was a PK. The foul was clear and the Italian player would have scored without the foul. Sorry, Australia....I was really pulling for you.
Last, I really don't want to start a US v. Mexico argument. I was just pointing out that Mexico gets lauded for having this great team, but really has nothing to show for it. In my opinion, you must beat one of the 4 World Cup Unbeatables (Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Germany) in order to get to the next level. They did not.
wow ghana sure plays fearless. what a beautiful team to watch. they should score at this rate. seems like referee only has yellow cards for the ghana players.
good thing is after the world cup all the ghanaians are going to be playing for the richest teams in the world making some good money.
certainly the soccer gods are with the 'unbeatables' this cup...
the first goal is nice...
the second is offsides pretty clearly...twice.
and the third goal is a high boot...how high above the waste does
the player have to put his foot to get called...
brazil got the benefit of almost every call and really were not the
best side today. ghana deserved better and were very unlucky not
to come out and half tied 1-1
sporadic..
no worries on sweden..they're a sentimental favorite since i'm
of swedish descent. i didn't think they had a good enough team
to compete with the greats..and germany (and klose) are playing
out of their minds right now.
found a way to watch the world cup on the computer while i work. works regardless of your internet service can get espn360 (which our office doesn't get)
are you saying they didn't play well?
if you watched the game you wouldn't be saying that...brazil
shoul've won 1-0 ..and were lucky not to be down by several
goals..they got very lucky. if essien played ghana wins that
match.
if ghana scored right in the beginning of the second half, it would have been a historical game. instead, without a ghana strike, the game slowly turned into a practice game of the same team. half team playing against the other half. so much so, ronaldo had all the time to pose for the camera even when he was celebrating his team member for scoring. you know everything those guys do in the field has a resale value.
1. i did say sweden was a sentimental favorite..and i didn't really
think they had a chance..but everyone can cheer for any of the
greats to win..i want to see an upset.
2. the high kick was right in front of the keeper...seemed to
me as though he was maybe a foot away..which to me is close
enough. it's a 50/50 call. and probably shouldn't have been called.
it just sucked that ghana couldn't score and that the refs allowed the
second goal for brazil. if a player is in passive offsides and the
play continues...are they allowed to come back onsides and get
back in the play? or does his offsides continue until the play is
over? moot point because he was ahead of the defender on the
goal anyway..
ronaldo's goal was nice though. i think spain/brazil would make
a great match.
former soccer ref here. i didn't see the offsides play, but the simple way to look at it is, he must be onsides when the ball is played TO him. it doesn't matter if he switches to onside/offside a million times. he must be onside when the ball is played TO him. i'm assuming there were several pass (plays) on that attack. Those are all neglible so long as the final pass TO him, he was in the onsides position.
espn360 is currently working for me (sporadically...but working...the audio doesn't cut out, but the video stops working every few minutes... . overwhelming joy!
can i get some sympathy for ecuador here? i know it's old news, but my computer crashed [actually it was like a bad omen, it crashed at halftime] so i haven't been able to post til now.
the team gets to quito today at 5pm. it's sure to be a great reception, they did a fantastic job [we're not talking about that germany match]. now if only beckham, like, had one leg less or something...
I just watched bits and pieces and it looked like Brazil was taking it easy. Pretty easy predictable win for Brazil, that's all.
aml: Ecuador did well to get to the second round. That being said, I felt they were playing like a team up a goal rather than down one near the end of the England game. Maybe they were tired or maybe they were satisfied with a 1-0 loss, but the depseration just wasn't there. Overall, good World Cup!
RINagy, i agree- the desperation was lacking, and an extra push could have changed the outcome- england looked plenty beatable there. that said, we're a small team and everybody here is very happy with what's been accomplished so far. 2nd time to the world cup, 1st time to 2nd phase, so plenty to celebrate down here.
yes, but so did Brasil and England...it's a long tournament.
Spain and France looked the best in round 1, as did Germany...but the others finished when it mattered. I typically wouldn't cheer for France, but I like Zidane...and it would be nice to see him do well in his final tournament.
Germany or Argentina will win...well, if Brasil doesn't...
Is Spain the "Chicago Cubs" of the World Cup?, most wins by a team that hasnt won a world cup, favorites in a few ocassions, best league in the planet (although fueled by foreigners, which actually is part of their problem).
hmm .. First off... I didn’t think that Brazil played too bad..
sure they didnt have too much possesion ... but that to me was coz the Ghanans played around with too many short passes, which only complicated things for them... penetration was poor. Yes they did miss out on a lot of clear chances.. but then so did Brazil.
Ghana was a far too aggressive team ( not violent .. just aggressive) and Brazil had a tough time hanging on to the ball coz these guys just wouldn't give up .. which in turn added to the mistakes made by Brazil. Brazil was indeed lucky with the second goal .. but I did like the 3rd one. Today, Adriano seemed to be the weak link !!
Overall it was a good game ... after all it's not just about possession... it's what you do with it.
Ghana impressed me to no end .. in fact I think if they had met France ... France would probably be on their way home now ...
Hats off to Ronaldo , for making his critics eat their words !!
Oh well, I changed my mind, I which I was Zidane today. After all I'm almost as old as he is. I can't believe you +q, it's the first ime since the world cup started that france was playing a whole game in total control of the ball. It's too bad that there is only one really dangerous player in the spanish team, but I think the victory was well deserved by the French team. A big suprise for every body here, I can tell you.
as i thought...ghana had far more shots...22 (9 on goal) compared
to brazil who had 13 (10 on goal)..
interestingly brazil actually had more time of possession...51-49
i still think the game was far closer than people are saying..and
maybe brazil was 'taking it easy' but ghana was playing with more
pace in my opinion..but that seemed to be what they do.
the second goal before half changed the entire game...that
and the red card obviously.
brazil has had about as difficult a road as england thusfar...and
now they get to play france..the did beat spain..so who knows
anything can happen.
french, trop beau le pion de zizou...
ca m'a rappelle les souvenirs de la grande epoque. c'etait la folie ici hier, mal a la tete aujourd'hui, ca doit etre les pastis d'avant et d'apres match...
i watched the game, fra vs. spa, with my four french friends in the office. even though three of them didn't know about the game, they were very happy at the end. all their cell phones started to ring after the game.
france can beat any team in the tournament given they are in good form. look at their players, they are all world class and they certainally has the experience which comes very handy towards the finals.
spain played their worst play and was boring as hell to watch. i thought they were a little overrated. well next time spain...
i think it is going to be thrill ride between european teams against lone brazil from an other continent. unless argentina does a hocus pocus against deutschland, who are the best team so far and playing at home turf.
zz looked like ninja...
oui a londres, j'ai fini en miettes apres le match mercredi soir.
it's good to see the boys do well, especially after they looked so shaky in the first three games. but reallistically i really don't see them defeating brazil, they're just too strong. i wouldn't mind a repeat of what happened in 86, except WITHOUT the penalty shoot-outs...
World Cup Predictor Game
hey, who knows, with a bit of luck and a corrupt ref anything could happen... yeah well, it's not gonna happen is it?
agreed, i wouldnt want to be in Zidane's shoes tonight because he's gonna have to produce the game of his life in order for france to win and his ageing legs will probably fail him anyway. they should have kept the same system as against Togo, Henry as a lone striker doesn't score any goals. it would take balls to keep the guy on the bench and give his chance to a younger player but unfortunately the coach doesn't have that.
I hear you French. last game on the international stage...at least they made it to this point, for him to have a last game...rather than sitting it out (like game 3 of round 1)...
we can give him a mini-tribute here...
Farewell ZZ
brasil
vs.
ghana
hard choice
i would say
heheheh....very hard.
you mean the choice right??
Mmmmmm....If those 2 are the choices, then I say Brazil. :) But, I'm rooting for Ghana, even though common sense dicates we'll see a Brazil-Spain quarter final.
So, I just saw the controversial PK during the Italy-Australia game I have to admit I think it was a PK. The foul was clear and the Italian player would have scored without the foul. Sorry, Australia....I was really pulling for you.
Last, I really don't want to start a US v. Mexico argument. I was just pointing out that Mexico gets lauded for having this great team, but really has nothing to show for it. In my opinion, you must beat one of the 4 World Cup Unbeatables (Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Germany) in order to get to the next level. They did not.
wow ghana sure plays fearless. what a beautiful team to watch. they should score at this rate. seems like referee only has yellow cards for the ghana players.
good thing is after the world cup all the ghanaians are going to be playing for the richest teams in the world making some good money.
certainly the soccer gods are with the 'unbeatables' this cup...
shit one moment you are good next moment brazil reminds you who you are dancing with. 2-0
the football gods are brazilian...
Brazil hgas sucked they cant hardly get a pass right, but ghana suffers from the african disease: a lack of striking prowess.
by the way espn 360 works quite nicely it is free until Jul. 19th
3-0 with brazil not playing well at all, will Ghana come back? IT seems like every world cup there is one great african team that doesnt come back.
Ronaldo now has the most goals of any player in world cup history.
in the brazil game..
the first goal is nice...
the second is offsides pretty clearly...twice.
and the third goal is a high boot...how high above the waste does
the player have to put his foot to get called...
brazil got the benefit of almost every call and really were not the
best side today. ghana deserved better and were very unlucky not
to come out and half tied 1-1
sporadic..
no worries on sweden..they're a sentimental favorite since i'm
of swedish descent. i didn't think they had a good enough team
to compete with the greats..and germany (and klose) are playing
out of their minds right now.
Thanks Ghana for making Group E look wonderful....
found a way to watch the world cup on the computer while i work. works regardless of your internet service can get espn360 (which our office doesn't get)
RINagy..
are you saying they didn't play well?
if you watched the game you wouldn't be saying that...brazil
shoul've won 1-0 ..and were lucky not to be down by several
goals..they got very lucky. if essien played ghana wins that
match.
the game was far closer than the score indicated.
Ghana dominated in ball control. Once they learn to control the ball in front of the net, they will be unbeatable.
High kicks are allowed outside personal contact zone.
Sweeden has never won anything, why should they win the world cup? Cheer for a winner not a loser!
if ghana scored right in the beginning of the second half, it would have been a historical game. instead, without a ghana strike, the game slowly turned into a practice game of the same team. half team playing against the other half. so much so, ronaldo had all the time to pose for the camera even when he was celebrating his team member for scoring. you know everything those guys do in the field has a resale value.
on with the games. ole'.
1. i did say sweden was a sentimental favorite..and i didn't really
think they had a chance..but everyone can cheer for any of the
greats to win..i want to see an upset.
2. the high kick was right in front of the keeper...seemed to
me as though he was maybe a foot away..which to me is close
enough. it's a 50/50 call. and probably shouldn't have been called.
it just sucked that ghana couldn't score and that the refs allowed the
second goal for brazil. if a player is in passive offsides and the
play continues...are they allowed to come back onsides and get
back in the play? or does his offsides continue until the play is
over? moot point because he was ahead of the defender on the
goal anyway..
ronaldo's goal was nice though. i think spain/brazil would make
a great match.
former soccer ref here. i didn't see the offsides play, but the simple way to look at it is, he must be onsides when the ball is played TO him. it doesn't matter if he switches to onside/offside a million times. he must be onside when the ball is played TO him. i'm assuming there were several pass (plays) on that attack. Those are all neglible so long as the final pass TO him, he was in the onsides position.
espn360 is currently working for me (sporadically...but working...the audio doesn't cut out, but the video stops working every few minutes... . overwhelming joy!
GOAL RIBERY!!!!
all tied!
can i get some sympathy for ecuador here? i know it's old news, but my computer crashed [actually it was like a bad omen, it crashed at halftime] so i haven't been able to post til now.
the team gets to quito today at 5pm. it's sure to be a great reception, they did a fantastic job [we're not talking about that germany match]. now if only beckham, like, had one leg less or something...
I just watched bits and pieces and it looked like Brazil was taking it easy. Pretty easy predictable win for Brazil, that's all.
aml: Ecuador did well to get to the second round. That being said, I felt they were playing like a team up a goal rather than down one near the end of the England game. Maybe they were tired or maybe they were satisfied with a 1-0 loss, but the depseration just wasn't there. Overall, good World Cup!
COME ON ESPANA!!!!!!
RINagy, i agree- the desperation was lacking, and an extra push could have changed the outcome- england looked plenty beatable there. that said, we're a small team and everybody here is very happy with what's been accomplished so far. 2nd time to the world cup, 1st time to 2nd phase, so plenty to celebrate down here.
3-1 FRANCE! ZZ gets to play on!
Espana, que paso?
I am disappointed, France played horribly in the first round.
yes, but so did Brasil and England...it's a long tournament.
Spain and France looked the best in round 1, as did Germany...but the others finished when it mattered. I typically wouldn't cheer for France, but I like Zidane...and it would be nice to see him do well in his final tournament.
Germany or Argentina will win...well, if Brasil doesn't...
ooops.... I meant "Spain and Argentina looked the best in round 1..."
Is Spain the "Chicago Cubs" of the World Cup?, most wins by a team that hasnt won a world cup, favorites in a few ocassions, best league in the planet (although fueled by foreigners, which actually is part of their problem).
La proxima...
hmm .. First off... I didn’t think that Brazil played too bad..
sure they didnt have too much possesion ... but that to me was coz the Ghanans played around with too many short passes, which only complicated things for them... penetration was poor. Yes they did miss out on a lot of clear chances.. but then so did Brazil.
Ghana was a far too aggressive team ( not violent .. just aggressive) and Brazil had a tough time hanging on to the ball coz these guys just wouldn't give up .. which in turn added to the mistakes made by Brazil. Brazil was indeed lucky with the second goal .. but I did like the 3rd one. Today, Adriano seemed to be the weak link !!
Overall it was a good game ... after all it's not just about possession... it's what you do with it.
Ghana impressed me to no end .. in fact I think if they had met France ... France would probably be on their way home now ...
Hats off to Ronaldo , for making his critics eat their words !!
Oh well, I changed my mind, I which I was Zidane today. After all I'm almost as old as he is. I can't believe you +q, it's the first ime since the world cup started that france was playing a whole game in total control of the ball. It's too bad that there is only one really dangerous player in the spanish team, but I think the victory was well deserved by the French team. A big suprise for every body here, I can tell you.
HELL YEAH! Spain is out!!! .. no more rojigualdas .. vive la France!!!
anyway, the canarinha will win again, who cares about the others, really...
Man! Gotta tip my hat to France. I really thought after the first round that this was Spain's year. What a complete turn-around.
Watch out Brazil! Great Rematch....
I liked Brazil and Ghana, they play a pretty game. Now France may have won, but their game is UGLY.
as i thought...ghana had far more shots...22 (9 on goal) compared
to brazil who had 13 (10 on goal)..
interestingly brazil actually had more time of possession...51-49
i still think the game was far closer than people are saying..and
maybe brazil was 'taking it easy' but ghana was playing with more
pace in my opinion..but that seemed to be what they do.
the second goal before half changed the entire game...that
and the red card obviously.
brazil has had about as difficult a road as england thusfar...and
now they get to play france..the did beat spain..so who knows
anything can happen.
french, trop beau le pion de zizou...
ca m'a rappelle les souvenirs de la grande epoque. c'etait la folie ici hier, mal a la tete aujourd'hui, ca doit etre les pastis d'avant et d'apres match...
i watched the game, fra vs. spa, with my four french friends in the office. even though three of them didn't know about the game, they were very happy at the end. all their cell phones started to ring after the game.
france can beat any team in the tournament given they are in good form. look at their players, they are all world class and they certainally has the experience which comes very handy towards the finals.
spain played their worst play and was boring as hell to watch. i thought they were a little overrated. well next time spain...
i think it is going to be thrill ride between european teams against lone brazil from an other continent. unless argentina does a hocus pocus against deutschland, who are the best team so far and playing at home turf.
zz looked like ninja...
zz is a ninja!
I cant get over that third goal. It sent thrills down my spine, a glimpse of ZZ's glory days when he looked so irresitible.
He doberman, t'es a Londres c'est ça? Et vous avez fété ça? Parcequ'ici c'etait l'EMEUTE totale!
Sorry guys, back to English, a little French pride every once in a while even though I don't like that, is always good to feel especially in those dark days of world conflict and other pre presidential vote periods. And since my English is getting worse and worse, it's always nice to be sure that I write at least one correct sentence every once in a while.
And yeah ZZ is a ninja.
oui a londres, j'ai fini en miettes apres le match mercredi soir.
it's good to see the boys do well, especially after they looked so shaky in the first three games. but reallistically i really don't see them defeating brazil, they're just too strong. i wouldn't mind a repeat of what happened in 86, except WITHOUT the penalty shoot-outs...
just found out that the ref for the France-Brazil game is..... spanish.
i must be dreaming.
ooo ... that sounds troublesome for france.. but it might even backfire for brazil if the ref is out to prove that he's not partial !!!
dammit! espn 360 keeps on stalling!!! i can't follow the game! help!
Cris - going to penalty kicks. Everyone is tired.
yeah, thank god for the bbc!
o my god. penalty kicks again...
altough my favorite team is germany, part of me wants argentina to win now.
Damn, damn damn!!!
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