Who will win the World Cup?

[admin]

Robin van Persie's 93-year-old granddad has been photographed#VanPersieing  - a social media trend started after the Dutch striker scored against Spain at the World Cup.

[admin]

Another absolute cracker of a game:

Thinking Suarez is unfit is rather like standing over someone playing dead - who suddenly leaps up and punches you on the nose. Huge roars of appreciation coming from Uruguay's fans now

Uruguay 2-1 England - BBC Sport

[admin]

England have a 72-strong entourage with them in Brazil, including a psychiatrist, nutritionists and a turf specialist. The only thing they do not have are any World Cup points

World Cup 2014: England have got everything right – apart from the football | Daniel Taylor | Football | The Guardian

The most influential player in the world from 2008 to 2012, Xavi has defined an era like no other footballer, a waddling, pear-shaped state-of-the-art sporting genius, whose preternatural talents – brutal, exhausting possession-football – made the whole shebang of styles and eras and ideas function at its basic level. Xavi made more passes than any other player in the match against Holland, and with a higher success rate too. But his team also lost 5-1. This is over.

Spain’s champions abandoned tiki-taka as a sinking ship | Barney Ronay | Football | The Guardian

[Petrovale]

Chapeau for Ghana, 2-2 against Germany.

[admin]

Did he eat these birds afterwards?

Indeed, although they basically had to win to have a realistic chance at qualifying.

Cracker of a second half, of what is rapidly becoming a cracker of a world cup.

Hugely disappointing Argentina, but then again, they have that guy..

[admin]

How is this for a new perspective. Instead of the English team apologizing for their early exit, the English nation should apologize to the team:

If we really do care so much about England’s fortunes at World Cups that apologies are deemed necessary, then the roles should be reversed. It is we – the public, empowered component parts of a society that continues to produce game but under-skilled footballers – who should be apologising, both to the players and to each other.

We should be apologising to England team, not the other way round | Barney Ronay | Football | The Guardian

[Petrovale]

Jorge Sampalimones se rompio tambien...

[admin]

Poor Lucho Suarez. Yes, it's not good to bite a player of the opposite team and yes, it's not the first time. But if you see what's going on on a football pitch on a daily basis? Fred, that Brazilian idiot who scores less goals than my grandmother is poking fun at him, whilst he play acted to get his team a penalty and walks away with a gain, rather than a 4 month suspension.

[admin]

Well, that was quite a match. Brazil snaked through, but it could easily have been quite different. How can you guys not like football?

• Brazil came out all guns blazing, playing much better than before and with incredible intensity but we were wondering how long they would be able to keep that up.
• Especially as they were playing with 10 men because what Fred is doing on the pitch really is a mystery to us. Did he even touch the ball?
• Predictably, the Brazil wave lasted less than 45 minutes, as in the second half, Chile took over
• Good referee, takes guts to annul that goal
• Chile's game is based on energy (pressing) and running, they could not keep that up either so the game sort of came to a grinding halt. While the football became of lesser quality, the tension made up for that
• That ball on the crossbar in the last minute of extra time, it could all have been so different for Chile..

[admin]

Last 8 for Holland against either Costa Rica or Switzerland

• Bit of a lucky escape against Mexico, pretty dubious last minute penalty
• But considering it was 35 degrees (celcius) on the pitch, the second half was quite impressive, they kept going and were fresher than the Mexicans, dramatic turn-around
• Still, they don't look like world champions, can't see them getting past Argentina in the semi's, and De Jong in midfield (after missing Strootman already there) is quite a setback
• Huntelaar was terribly cool with that penalty, no doubt about that