Official World Cup Thread

[Quid]

oh man, i hope they are not the new greece.. that was one yawn-filled uefa euro championship. maybe i'm the only one, but i found the greek style in that tourney to be mind-numbingly boring. i wouldn't say the swiss are that boring. and yeah, they haven't looked bad like the ukraine, but they haven't looked terribly good either. i'll reserve any more judgement until i see them play a quality side.

I'd have to agree that the Swiss haven't looked great yet. I think you can really feel how nervous the players are. Most of them are in their early twenties and have not had much international experience previously (apart from the fact that about five of them won the U17 European Championships).

Our goal has already been achieved - to proceed to the next round - but now we're being given the perfect opportunity to go on to the quarter finals. The Ukraine is really a one-man team and if we manage to quiet Shevchenko we should be ok. Unfortunately, we tend not to do particularly well against opposition from the Ex-USSR. Am not sure why that is so. I will just hope for the best...

Oh and...Allez les bleus!!!

Quid

[Dutch_guy]

Well Germany is sure having a great start, 2 - 0 after a mere 10 minutes of play, very impressive.

Let's hope the Swedes manage to make the game a little more interesting!

[Ser Clegane]

2 - 0 after the first half

I don't think I had that much fun watching our team play for 10 years. They might have played successful in 2002, but this year they actually played great in each match so far.
No matter how this game will end and how far they will get if they win today, I am already happy with the performance of our team at this World Cup and hope that Klinsmann will remain coach afterwards.

[The Black Ship]

They keep giving out cheap yellows like that there'll be noone left to play in the finals.

10 man Sweden against that team, and that crowd... hard to see a comeback.

[Rodion Romanovich]

World Cup is now officially over for me... The 3 yellow cards = 1 red card + removed goal for Australia trick, and now today Swedish free kick = no whistle + next moment nothing at all = German free kick + Swedish 2nd yellow red card that results in red card... Where do they get these refs?!! This is ridiculous, if you have world class players you should try to get world class referees, not referees that wouldn't fit into a football beginner's tournament...

By the way Germany played very well and really deserved the lead - the ref actions up to the strange yellow card situation was ok, and the situation in question happened near the end of the first half. No doubts Germany would win even without that Swedish yellow card, but now the number of strange ref decisions are starting to look ridiculous. I think there are about 5 refs in this World Cup who haven't got anything at all to do in Germany and should go home with the next flight.

[Ser Clegane]

nothing at all = German free kick + Swedish 2nd yellow red card that results in red card.

I don't now ... the second yellow card seemd harsh, however Lucic clearly held a player that would otherwise have run past him with the ball, even if there is no intention to hurt your opponent - if you have no chance of getting the ball and just foul an opponent, I think the refs actually have to give a yellow card (just like in the situation when Frings received a yellow card for intentionally playing the ball with his hand - nothing spectacular or dangerous, but a clear yellow card and the ref went by the books in both cases)

[Rodion Romanovich]

I don't now ... the second yellow card seemd harsh, however Lucic clearly held a player that would otherwise have run past him with the ball, even if there is no intention to hurt your opponent - if you have no chance of getting the ball and just foul an opponent, I think the refs actually have to give a yellow card (just like in the situation when Frings received a yellow card for intentionally playing the ball with his hand - nothing spectacular or dangerous, but a clear yellow card and the ref went by the books in both cases)

Yes they have to if any free-kick giving offense is made to stop a breakaway, but this wasn't a free-kick offense. Frings reached out with his hand to stop the ball - deliberate usage of the hand, while Lucic was in an allowed duel for the ball. Anyway the point is that now we're up at some 5-10 incorrect red cards in the tournament, and about 5 incorrect penalty shot ref decisions. More than 5 of all these decisions were crucial to the outcome of the games, the latest one of course isn't included in those 5 though, but the latest included in some around 10-15 entertainment-value killing referee mistakes...

I prefer it if Greece or Togo or something wins the World Cup by just ref decisions over seeing favorites winning over incorrect referee decisions. But now that I think about it last World cup had a fair amount of crucial ref mistakes too... This was the first game I actually had time to watch in four days so I was a bit disappointed to get back to World Cup seeing this, and seeing the 3 yellow card trick in the newspapers...

[Dutch_guy]

Well todays game was a clear win for Germany, they played great the first 30 minutes but after that they seemed to step on the breaks a bit - not surprising really after a quick two goals.

Sweden then had the chance to get back into the game 10 minutes into the second half, but failed to score the penalty - which also was a dubious one.

Had they scored it would have most certainly have added some flavour to the game, as it went however, the Germans were able to simply out position the Swedes.

And I must say they did that quite well.

PS: as a ref. you simply should not smile when you give a red card, really a stupid and tasteless thing to do...

[Red Peasant]

Yeah, the refs are destroying this sport as a spectacle. I finished work and sat down in the pub, pint in hand, ready for a good game between Germany and Sweden and it set off at a cracking pace, like a high-octane Premiership duel. Germany were playing really well, especially the Polish lads and I was having a laugh with some German students in the pub when a Swedish player becomes the latest casualty of our over-officious friends. The ref even laughed in the player's face as he sent him off! Surreal! Well, it killed another game for me, I lost interest and came home. What's the point of watching a non-contest?

The refs will make their standard excuse that it is the player's fault if he is sent off, not theirs (they are never wrong, even Graham Poll will have his excuses), but this is an emotionally charged, high-speed, physical contact sport and they want to turn it into a game of tick. In part it is FIFA's fault as they set the tone and train the officials for the competition, but I wish that the refs would stand up and run the games properly.

[Louis VI the Fat]

PS: as a ref. you simply should not smile when you give a red card, really a stupid and tasteless thing to do.

Yes, that irritated the hell out of me too. The creepy sadist. And what about that German player applauding and being all cuddly with the ref after the red card? Shameless.

This disastrous refereeing has gone too far, something ought to be done about it. It undermines the quality of this world cup. Everything else is fantastic. Great crowds, friendly atmosphere, stunning stadiums, the usual top-notch German organisational talent.

Back to football: what on earth happened to the German team? They play more fluent than Argentina, like they're some samba kids from the Copacobana. I know they allways grow in a tournament, but this is incredible. What a make-over compared to two months ago.

[scotchedpommes]

Yes, that irritated the hell out of me too. The creepy sadist. And what about that German player applauding and being all cuddly with the ref after the red card? Shameless.

This disastrous refereeing has gone too far, something ought to be done about it. It undermines the quality of this world cup. Everything else is fantastic. Great crowds, friendly atmosphere, stunning stadiums, the usual top-notch German organisational talent.

The referee was shocking. I think more important than the cosy behaviour
between Germans and referee after the sending off was the fact that the
referee was not even going to give a card to Lučić, then you see the German go
up to him and make a card-waving gesture. Now it seems referees take advice
from opposition players rather than their assistants, and I cannot abide that. He
was merely waiting for an excuse to come back to Lučić, and I think the
expression on his face makes his delight all too clear.

[The Black Ship]

You can't change the way these games are being reffed now, in mid-stream. That's what has brought us to this place, changing the way you ref at the insistance of Blatter and FIFA. Why do they change the way they call games just before the most important tourney?

[scotchedpommes]

Mexico are all over Argentina. They deserve the 1 - 0 lead.

1 - 1.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Yikes, own goal via header by Mexico. 1-1

Crazed Rabbit

[Big_John]

very interesting game here! argentina doesn't look nearly as fearsome as they did in the 1st round. and mexico looks quite a bit sharper. 1-1 is a good score, sure it was an own-goal, but riquelme's corners are perfect.

also, huge bonus, the reffing isn't terribly awful! there's quite a bit of flopping being rewarded (it's argentina and mexico, what are you going to do?) but only 1 yellow card, and it was very clearly deserved.

looking forward to the finish. i picked mexico as my sleeper to win it all, but i didn't have them playing argentina until the final... great game so far.

[scotchedpommes]

also, huge bonus, the reffing isn't terribly awful! there's quite a bit of flopping being rewarded (it's argentina and mexico, what are you going to do?) but only 1 yellow card, and it was very clearly deserved.

I think it was a crucial mistake - it should have been a red card. If the tackle
had not been made, the Mexican would have had a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

[Big_John]

it probably should have been red. but it was kind of close (not sure what the position of the other back was). at least, i'm glad to see slightly lax reffing than the fascist reffing of the 1st round.

[whyidie]

The officiating in the Brasil - Japan match should be the standard. Unfortunately the officiating has been more like watching an NBA finals game.

[Big_John]

mm.. second half wasn't nearly as good as the first. and the reffing kind of broke down too. but the outcome is deserved, argentina should have won in regulation (bad offsides call).

mexico did very well, had plenty of chances to win, and outplayed argentina in the 1st half, imo. took the best goal of the WC so far to beat them.. too bad they had to play argentina in the round of 16.

even though they didn't look so dominant against mexico, i'm picking argentina over the germans.

[Ser Clegane]

2- 1 for Argentina ... so now it's Germany vs. Argentina on Friday.

This should be an interesting game

[scotchedpommes]

mm.. second half wasn't nearly as good as the first. and the reffing kind of broke down too. but the outcome is deserved, argentina should have won in regulation (bad offsides call).

mexico did very well, had plenty of chances to win, and outplayed argentina in the 1st half, imo. took the best goal of the WC so far to beat them.. too bad they had to play argentina in the round of 16.

even though they didn't look so dominant against mexico, i'm picking argentina over the germans.

The offside call was fair enough, taking into consideration that Heinze shouldn't
have been on the pitch for the second half. And Argentina won with a nicely
taken unstoppable goal.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Now everyone goes on at England playing bad, argentina were woeful and showed me nothing to they are the best the WC has to offer. Great goal but i felt for the mexicans, all the arg did was dive and fall about. Riquelme the next maradona? Do me a favour

[scotchedpommes]

Now everyone goes on at England playing bad, argentina were woeful and showed me nothing to they are the best the WC has to offer. Great goal but i felt for the mexicans, all the arg did was dive and fall about. Riquelme the next maradona? Do me a favour

To say they were woeful seems harsh. England in the second half against
Sweden, that was woeful.

[Soulforged]

2- 1 for Argentina ... so now it's Germany vs. Argentina on Friday.

This should be an interesting game

If we play as today Germany will win 4-0 at least. I think there's various keys to understand why Argentina played so "bad" today: 1- Scaloni: He entered in place of Burdisso who's injured, I'd have prefered Coloccini. Scaloni is more like Sorin he places himself in the defense but he quickly starts to move forward to add himself to the offense. However he isn't nearly as good as Sorin, he's mostly a player with attitude (i.e. only knows how to scream, insult and make the referee and the adversary nervous). 2- Sorin: He played pretty bad today. He was also very well marked by the mexicans, almost boxed, but even when clearing the ball he was unprecise and the attackers almost always surpassed him in speed and strenght hence wining the ball. 3- Riquelme: Opposed to the other three matches he played everything but football today. Full of unprecise passes (until now Riquelme was the most precise passer on the tournament), slow (well he's always kinda slow), he seemed a little out of concentration and lost many balls. Note this, if Riquelme fares bad the entire team follows. 4- Pekerman: Well he introduced Scaloni, but beyond that two changes that, even though they changed the game, were not right, principally Aimar, Cambiasso was playing pretty well, so was Crespo. 5- The actitude of the mexicans: They started with fury, pressing, having and stealing the ball, controlling its possesion and controlling the argentinian players wherever they were. 6- Saviola: He wasn't as sharp as in the first two matches, but that can be atributed in part to Riquelme. 7- Heinze: Well what to say. If it wasn't for Ayala who actually was one of the best players in the match today, the errors of this man would have been more noticeable.

About the referees: I haven't seen many good ones in this World Cup. The referees seem to have their priorities all mixed up, when, doubting, they should fail in favour of the continued gameplay they opt for stoping the game, when it's the contrary they opt for continuing the game. For example, in the game near the end of the second half, nor Messi nor Tevez were in off side, however before the doubt the referee on the corner opted for the off side. Like this there's a lot of examples, some more noticeable than others. The foul of Heinze in the first half deserved a red card, here, in Germany, in China and in any other place where people have at least one eye and a brain. Then again all referees, always, seem to fail also before the doubt, in favour of the team wich has a richer history (i.e. politics).

Now everyone goes on at England playing bad, argentina were woeful and showed me nothing to they are the best the WC has to offer. Great goal but i felt for the mexicans, all the arg did was dive and fall about. Riquelme the next maradona? Do me a favour

That's a press myth. Riquelme and Maradona by their very natures are two different players. Riquelme is a slow player, but he thinks every move before executing, if you give him the time to do so, wich didn't happen today, you'll suffer the consequences (all in all I prefer Beckham, who should be playing in the same possition).
Now the german press says that Messi is the new Maradona (or was it Tevez). I don't like this kind of comparission but it's freedom of speech.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Why, none of you sound very excited. Maybe Argentina wasn't bad, but Mexico really good? I thought it was a thrilling game, very tense. And what a sensational goal!

Germany-Argentina could be a classic. The Germans are on a roll, Argentina oozles with talent. Today, they could afford to bring on Messi, Aimar AND Tevez from the bench.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

LMAO! You think Argentina will beat Germany 4-0? You've got an other thing coming. I was personally rooting for Argentina today (I don't care about them too much, I just HATE Mexico). I think they'd be the harder team against Germany though, but I think this will be a VERY close game, but I will believe Germany will come out on top. Maybe because they'll have the crowd behind them.

We'll see...

[Soulforged]

LMAO! You think Argentina will beat Germany 4-0? You've got an other thing coming.

No, the opposite mate..."If we play as today Germany will win 4-0 at least"...

[Alexanderofmacedon]

No, the opposite mate..."If we play as today Germany will win 4-0 at least"...

Ah! My bad, I'm sorry. I didn't read anymore than that line and I didn't even read that carefully!

Sorry. It'll be a good game.

[Big_John]

unless argentina falls asleep, there's no way they are losing 4-0 to anyone. they didn't play badly at all today, it's just that no one knew how good mexico is. give them their credit, mexico is a world-class team, and they always play argentina close.

[scotchedpommes]

Crespo seems to have been officially credited as having scored the own goal.
Another thing to irritate.