The Round Ball Game

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

As usual the players that play in the Premier League have disappointed. Nearly all the Belgian team and many of the French team. Not to mention England. Perhaps FIFA should insist that leagues have a winter break.

indeed; Belgium were underwhelming and lost to a great goal but a poorish Argentine team

...Los Ticos are my team of the tournament so far, the only team to have played above themselves ... if you check the clubs their players play for we are witnessing Champinonship and League 1 players outperforming most of the best teams on the planet [and England's Premier League Squaddies] ....

[EdgeleyRob]

A bit harsh to say Costa Rica only defended,it was hardly parking the bus.
No problem with subbing the keeper for penalties IMV,but the sledging by Krull was not nice.
Do I not like the way Holland go about their business,hopefully they will come unstuck as in 2010.

[jayne lee wilson]

The point is - it sets a precedent, subbing a goalkeeper who is taller (6'4") and therefor a longer reach and what's to stop all teams training up a GK just to be wheeled out for penalties? Bit like England used to wheel Jonny Wilkinson out to kick I suppose. As to sledging, didn't Joe Hart get booked for doing it? If you look at the FIFA 2014 WC rulebook for penalties Krul was way out of order. Still at least the self-confessed cheating Flying Dutchman kept his diving reasonably under control.

Anyway, I've enjoyed a lot of the matches, particulary the Germany v Ghana second half, I wish one of the African teams could have progressed to the quarter finals but no-one has really stood out. When the World Cup starts it's like .... oh no, weeks and weeks of footie but doesn't it just fly by?

Yes, agree with most of this - I was amazed the ref let the sledging go on, unsportsmanlike at the very least. As for precedents - if all teams kept a pen specialist on hand I guess it would just even out - and make penalty-taking even more specialised!

Costa Rica? They had to play to their strengths and their dedication/organisation was marvellous! Kept me watching late and unfed...!

Only Brazil-Columbia was really compelling as a quarter-final, but the fouling? Brazil and Columbia have been very fair to each other in the aftermath, but in the Observer today Zico says he asked the Refs director about it, who made clear that this was a firm policy - "to avoid being too harsh in punishments in order not to spoil the spectacle". But several games had their flow spoiled by so many fouls being given - but then NOT punished with a yellow card... still it is a hard balance to get right (no-one wants Gentile v Maradona or Bulgaria v Pele again...) and as TS says, the only way forward is video, for diving especially** (Was there any contact for the free-kick that gave Brazil their 2nd v Columbia?). But FIFA have only just given us goal-line technology... and the best players will continue to arrive at the Mondiale worn out by the Champions League...

Still, hope will surely rise as 21:00 Tuesday approaches.. we may yet get a classic...

**part of the problem is that dragging of the trailing foot against the defender, making sure there is contact. Then a gamechanging penalty... Come in, Mr. Robben! Now what do you do about that?

[EdgeleyRob]

I agree with Anna about the Germany v Ghana 2nd half,best 45 minutes of the tournament so far.

[antongould]

Does anyone know if ts's ".....head is already at Liverpool..."?

[teamsaint]

Latest from SMS.....or at least the players' twitter accounts....to clarify AGs cryptics......

Dejan Lovren accuses club of lacking ambition in letting its best players go,and helpfully, as one of its better players, demands a transfer. Go figure.

hands up who had heard of the (now £20m rated) Lovren a year ago?
Anybody?
Football eh? Got to love it.



Think we have problems? Ask EdgeleyRob about how loyalty works. A one way street with very expensive parking bays......

[johncorrigan]

Alfredo Di Stefano - never forgotten

I was very sad to hear of the death of Di Stefano yesterday. Before Pele and Denis Law, he and Ferenc Puskas and Gento were the idols of the playground, the players we argued to represent in playtime games with rain soaked cudgers. That Real Madrid team of the late 50s, early 60s was magnificent in memory - immortals. Di Stefano scored in 5 successive European Cup Finals all of which Real won.

In 1960 my Dad, working in a large engineering factory in Renfrew was offered a ticket for the European Cup Final which was that night at Hampden. He said he swithered about taking it or doing overtime, but eventually decided to go along. That final between Real and Eintracht Frankfurt played in front of 127,000 is one of the legendary games, in which the Argentinian genius scored a hat-trick in Real's 7-3 demolition of the Germans. My Dad said it was one of his great nights and would never have forgiven himself if he had missed it.

R.I.P to a true legend of the game.

[jayne lee wilson]

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/world-cup-2014/in-pictures-Brazil-train-for-world-cup-semifinals#6

Loved the grace, and the warmth, between Luiz and Alves here, see picture no.6 - especially David Luiz's lovely smile. Also featured in Guardian Sport today but can't find it online.

OK then - here we go....

[Nick Armstrong]

Blitzkrieg!!

[pastoralguy]

Blitzkrieg!!

OMG!!

Will the Brazilians have the nerve to come out for the second half?

[teamsaint]

when you think you have seen it all.....

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Unbelievable, but at least the Brazilians are making an effort now.

[johncorrigan]

Unbelievable, but at least the Brazilians are making an effort now.

Brazil've had too many passengers - now they're getting put through the bratwurst machine.

[Bryn]

I'm no kickball follower but even to me it is clear that what we have is a team playing a bunch of individual players.

[EdgeleyRob]

Just to rub it in Klose has beaten Ronaldo's world cup scoring record.
Brazilians blaming Fred,Germans singing Bruckner 5