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GypsyKing
Restricted User
Registered: Jun 2014
Posts: 250
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Any plays for tonight sir?
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06-19-14 03:05 PM |
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bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
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From the blog...Match-Day 7 Recap:
Match-day 7 at World Cup 2014 gave us the first of several moving days that we will have over the next week of the tournament, with teams booking their place in the round of sixteen and others having seen their hopes of glory dashed. The Netherlands and Chile became the first teams to lock down a spot in the next round, while defending champions Spain will be heading home along with Australia and Cameroon.
Spain were unable to overcome first half goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aránguiz in their 2-0 defeat to Chile, failing for the second consecutive game to score a goal in open play and once again bringing their deficiencies in the final third to the forefront. Many people will see this defeat and subsequent elimination as the end of an era for a national team that has dominated the world stage since 2008. That may be the case for this particular core group of players, however the “tiki-taka” style that Spain have used to revolutionize the game simply needs to be tweaked, with an emphasis given to efficiency in the final third, and by no means disregarded.
Opposing coaches around the world, on both the national and club level, have been trying to devise a plan to defeat the possession based “tiki-taka” system, and after six years it is clear they have found a way to do so. Now the onus falls back on the Spanish national team and any team that employs a similar style of play to counter. Changes will certainly be coming within the framework of the national team as they will now set their site on EURO 2016 qualification, with Vicente Del Bosque and a handful of veterans to be replaced by the next wave of young talent.
With a 3-2 defeat of Australia, the Netherlands have set up a final group stage match against Chile that will determine their seeding in the round of sixteen. Arjen Robben put the Dutch ahead with a solo effort in the 20th minute, but Tim Cahill’s volley on what could be the goal of the tournament just a minute later leveled the score. Mile Jedinak converted a penalty in the 54th minute which gave the underdog Socceroos the lead, but it was short lived as Robin van Persie, who will miss the Chile encounter due to yellow card accumulation, 58th minute goal leveled for the Dutch and a Memphis Depay strike from distance in the 68th minute guaranteed a spot for the Oranje in the next round.
Croatia kept their hopes of advancing to the next round alive with a resounding 4-0 defeat of Cameroon, who will be heading home after their final group stage game against Brazil. The Indomitable Lions got off to a fast start and were controlling the game until a goal by Ivica Olic against the run of play gave the Vatreni an early lead. After the goal they still offered several chances to level, however an Alex Song red card received for a moment of absolute absurdity when he delivered what best can be described as some sort of UFC elbow punch to the back of Mario Mandzukic, left them with ten men and long road back. An early second half goal from Ivan Perisic and two more from Mandzukic means that Croatia’s final group stage game against Mexico will be do or die. A win will see them through to the knockout stages but anything less and it will Mexico who takes of the two guaranteed spots.
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06-19-14 03:18 PM |
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GypsyKing
Restricted User
Registered: Jun 2014
Posts: 250
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Thank you, let's keep on rolling and good luck.
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06-19-14 04:05 PM |
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bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
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From the blog...Match-Day 8 Recap:
Match-day 8 provided us with some of the most intense, end to end action that we have seen so far in this year’s tournament. With Luis Suarez back in the fold, Uruguay rebounded from their opening round defeat against Costa Rica to down England 2-1 while Columbia secured their place in the knockout rounds with a 2-1 defeat of the Ivory Coast and . In the finale of the day, 10 man Greece held on for a point in a 0-0 draw against Japan.
Sometimes the soccer Gods are cruel. Waking up this morning, that has to be the feeling shared by the England national team and their fans. After sitting out La Celestes’ opening fixture against Costa Rica as an unused substitute Luis Suarez, the English Premier League golden boot winner and the centerpiece of Liverpool’s return to prominence this past season that brought joy to so many soccer fans throughout England, scored two goals to take down England and vault Uruguay to the top of Group D, pending the result of today’s Italy v. Costa Rica match-up.
In a back and forth affair, both teams had excellent opportunities to go ahead, most notably Wayne Rooney who’s curling effort from a set piece went just wide and then his header off another set piece rang the crossbar, but it was not until Suarez got on the end of an Edinson Cavani chip and headed back across English goal-keeper Joe Hart that the deadlock was broken. Cavani missed a chance to double La Celestes’ lead in the 52nd minute when he curled just wide one on one with Hart, and only two minutes later Rooney again failed to find the back of the net when he gathered in the box but fired right at Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera.
The break through finally came for Rooney and the Three Lions in the 75th minute, when Glen Johnson’s run down the right saw him cut back inside and send a cross through the six yard box that Rooney tapped in to level the score. There was a belief that England might be able to complete the comeback and snatch all three points, but that hope faded quickly after Steven Gerrard made a mess of a Muslera goal kick, slightly misjudging a header, that sent Suarez away one on one with Hart where he fired a rocket over the goal-keepers shoulder.
Despite two losses and sitting at the bottom of the group, all hope is not lost for the Three Lions. They still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds, although the chances are the equivalent of a team coming back from a 3-0 hole in a seven game playoff series or catching runner runner in a game of Texas Hold-Em. To advance they will need Italy to beat Costa Rica today and then beat Costa Rica in their final group stage match-up. They will need Italy to beat Uruguay on the final day and also make up any goal differential which will serve as the tiebreaker for the three way tie that would exist between The Three Lions, Los Ticos, and La Celeste. A long shot yes, but we have seen crazier things happen in sports and it may just be the karma that England hands are hoping for from the soccer Gods.
A ten minute span in the second half changed the game and the makeup of Group C. James Rodríguez put Columbia ahead in the 64th minute when he headed home from a corner kick, and six minutes later Juan Quintero doubled the lead after a giveaway by the Ivory Coast defense. Gervinho got one back for The Elephants only three minutes later but, unlike their first round game against Japan, the introduction of striker Didier Drogba was unable to bring them all the way back. Columbia now sit atop of Group C with six points and have secured their first advancement to the round of sixteen since 1990. The Ivory Coast now much beat Greece to guarantee their advancement, while a loss or a tie will have them relying on other results to secure safe passage.
Speaking of Greece, their World Cup stay looked to be in peril when captain Konstantinos Katsouranis picked up his second yellow card on the day and subsequent red card for a professional foul that halted a counter attack in the 38th minute. Most teams down to ten men would struggle, however the Greeks seem to thrive when up against it and they somehow managed to not only hold on for the point, but to also threaten the Japan defense with several close efforts. The Blue Samurai will feel as if they let a golden opportunity go by the way side and failing to get all three points when up a man may come back to haunt them. They will face Columbia in the final group stage needing to get a win to have any hope of advancing to the round of sixteen, while Greece will need either a win or a draw against the Ivory Coast to have a chance.
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06-20-14 03:22 PM |
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