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First off, thank you to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tyffi, duskwillow, tallihensia, twinsarein and tasabian for the lovely profile gifts. I now have 5 footballs, matching the number of goals in the England-Germany match. (I wonder if I'll now get a sixth from an England supporter, for reasons that will be very obvious to anyone who even casually is following the Cup.)
June 27, 2010
It's a shame whenever a bad call from a referee has a decisive effect on the game, but that proved to be the case in both of Monday's matches. First up was the much anticipated face-off between England and Germany. It was a thrilling game for me at least, with the English in the best form we've seen from them in the tournament, well matched by a youthful German squad. Germany quickly got off to what seemed a commanding 2-0 lead, thanks in no small part to some defensive lapses by England. But England were not going to go tamely and fought back for their first goal, and then almost miraculously their second. But that's when disaster struck - the second goal was disallowed, even though instant replay shows it was clearly well over the line. And thus the first half ended 2-1.
England continued to fight, and again came agonizingly close to a tie when Lampard had a bullet strike go off the crossbar. But midway through the second half, Germany broke the game open with two more quick goals, both by young Thomas Muller on the breakaway. England had one last scoring chance but this one went off the keeper's fingertips in an outstanding save. Ultimately, I'd say Germany weren't quite as dominating as the scoreline made them out to be, while England was definitely robbed by the referee's call. Still, Germany is the worthy winner.
Argentina then faced off with Mexico as the commanding favourite and won handily 3-1. Their win was marred though by the first goal by Tevez, which should have been called back as offside. I don't think it would have ultimately made a difference as Argentina has such enormous firepower. Their next match against Germany should prove a thriller.
June 28,2010
The Netherlands weren't at their best in this game, but proved more than good enough to handle Slovakia. They scored early on a lovely run by Arjen Robben, although the Slovak goaltender should probably have handled the final shot. The game then settled down into a fairly even match that was tense but not exciting. Both teams scored late goals that had no impact on the end result.
In the other game, Brazil looked in solid form, scoring three unanswered goals. Chile is a good team but Brazil definitely has their number. Brazil's play is characterized by lovely footwork and elegant passing, backed up this year by a more disciplined defense. The latter comes at the expense of some sparkle of the offensive side, but the Samba Kings are going to be formidable opponents to all they face. The Netherlands will definitely have to step up their game to make it through them in the quarter-finals.
The round of 16 ends tomorrow with what should be a fabulous match between Spain and Portugal - the world's #2 and #3 ranked teams. I'm hoping for a boatload of goals!
tyffi, duskwillow, tallihensia, twinsarein and tasabian for the lovely profile gifts. I now have 5 footballs, matching the number of goals in the England-Germany match. (I wonder if I'll now get a sixth from an England supporter, for reasons that will be very obvious to anyone who even casually is following the Cup.)June 27, 2010
It's a shame whenever a bad call from a referee has a decisive effect on the game, but that proved to be the case in both of Monday's matches. First up was the much anticipated face-off between England and Germany. It was a thrilling game for me at least, with the English in the best form we've seen from them in the tournament, well matched by a youthful German squad. Germany quickly got off to what seemed a commanding 2-0 lead, thanks in no small part to some defensive lapses by England. But England were not going to go tamely and fought back for their first goal, and then almost miraculously their second. But that's when disaster struck - the second goal was disallowed, even though instant replay shows it was clearly well over the line. And thus the first half ended 2-1.
England continued to fight, and again came agonizingly close to a tie when Lampard had a bullet strike go off the crossbar. But midway through the second half, Germany broke the game open with two more quick goals, both by young Thomas Muller on the breakaway. England had one last scoring chance but this one went off the keeper's fingertips in an outstanding save. Ultimately, I'd say Germany weren't quite as dominating as the scoreline made them out to be, while England was definitely robbed by the referee's call. Still, Germany is the worthy winner.
Argentina then faced off with Mexico as the commanding favourite and won handily 3-1. Their win was marred though by the first goal by Tevez, which should have been called back as offside. I don't think it would have ultimately made a difference as Argentina has such enormous firepower. Their next match against Germany should prove a thriller.
June 28,2010
The Netherlands weren't at their best in this game, but proved more than good enough to handle Slovakia. They scored early on a lovely run by Arjen Robben, although the Slovak goaltender should probably have handled the final shot. The game then settled down into a fairly even match that was tense but not exciting. Both teams scored late goals that had no impact on the end result.
In the other game, Brazil looked in solid form, scoring three unanswered goals. Chile is a good team but Brazil definitely has their number. Brazil's play is characterized by lovely footwork and elegant passing, backed up this year by a more disciplined defense. The latter comes at the expense of some sparkle of the offensive side, but the Samba Kings are going to be formidable opponents to all they face. The Netherlands will definitely have to step up their game to make it through them in the quarter-finals.
The round of 16 ends tomorrow with what should be a fabulous match between Spain and Portugal - the world's #2 and #3 ranked teams. I'm hoping for a boatload of goals!
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 |
| Uruguay | Argentina | |||||
| 2-1 | Uruguay | Argentina | 3-1 | |||
| South Korea | Mexico | |||||
| (July 2) | (July 3) | |||||
| USA | Ghana | Germany | Germany | |||
| 1-2 a.e.t. | 4-1 | |||||
| Ghana | England | |||||
| Netherlands | Paraguay | |||||
| 2-1 | Netherlands | (June 29) | ||||
| Slovakia | Japan | |||||
| (July 2) | (July 3) | |||||
| Brazil | Brazil | Spain | ||||
| 3-0 | (June 29) | |||||
| Chile | Portugal |
