General World Cup and in-game discussion

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses various matches and events surrounding the World Cup, including live commentary, player performances, referee decisions, and team strategies. Participants share their thoughts on specific games, player actions, and the overall atmosphere of the tournament.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions, particularly regarding penalties awarded during matches.
  • There are differing opinions on the performance of teams, with some arguing that Brazil played poorly while others believe they deserved their win.
  • Participants note the impact of weather conditions on gameplay, particularly in relation to the venues used for matches.
  • Several comments highlight the unexpected outcomes of matches, such as Costa Rica's victory over Uruguay and the performance of the Netherlands against Spain.
  • Some participants discuss the implications of team strategies and training methods in relation to performance in hot weather conditions.
  • There is speculation about which teams may advance in the tournament, with various predictions and preferences expressed for potential winners.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a range of opinions, with multiple competing views on referee decisions, team performances, and match outcomes. The discussion remains unresolved on several points, particularly regarding the quality of officiating and the effectiveness of different teams.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific statistics and historical performance of teams, but these claims are not universally accepted and are subject to debate. There are also mentions of potential biases in FIFA rankings and the interpretation of match events.

Who May Find This Useful

Fans of soccer, analysts interested in match commentary, and those following the World Cup may find the diverse perspectives and ongoing discussions valuable.

  • #271
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  • #272
Some interesting stats regarding the group stage, from http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28054653

_75883979_20140627_goals_game_464_v2.gif


_75883978_20140627_games_ending_result_464_v2.gif


In addition to high number of goals and a dearth of ties, this world cup's group stage had more last minute winners, with seven matches decided within the last five minutes, and more close games, with 44% of the matches ending with a one goal margin (same as 1990, so tying this record).
 
  • #273
Free kick for Switzerland... their last chance!
EDIT: No luck for Switzerland, Argentina wins.
 
  • #274
And it didn't work.

That was a very, very, very tight game.

How can you say soccer is boring? That was a 1-0 match, and it wasn't boring at all.
 
  • #275
Actually I felt asleep somewhere during second half (OK, beer didn't help me stay awake, and it was a secondary sleep gate in my time zone) and woke up to see last 10 minutes.

Perfect way of seeing all that was to see.
 
  • #276
Soon Belgium will clash with USA, very exciting! I think this match will be a quite open/even game, but who knows? Soon the match will start...
 
  • #277
So far, all the 'round of 16' are won by the group number 1's. See if that tradition changes with the US match.
 
  • #278
D H said:
In addition to high number of goals and a dearth of ties, this world cup's group stage had more last minute winners, with seven matches decided within the last five minutes, and more close games, with 44% of the matches ending with a one goal margin (same as 1990, so tying this record).

However, we have already reached the same number of games being tied at full time in the knockout stage as in 2010 already after 7 games in the round of 16... And the same number of penalty shootouts.
 
  • #279
And now 5 out of 8 games tied @ 90 minutes.
 
  • #280
Belgium - USA 2-0 with 15 minutes left. Sad for the US, but it's very, very hard to play against a Belgium that is playing so well.
 
  • #281
Belgium - USA 2-1. It's not over yet! USA never gives up! :approve:
 
  • #282
And now USA is playing very well! Go for it!
 
  • #283
Sorry, USA :frown:. But USA put up a good fight against a difficult opponent that played well (Belgium), kudos to the US team who never gave up, even if they were tired.
 
  • #284
What a game - I think Belgium deserved the win, but the US put up a great performance.. and could have won it at the death!
 
  • #285
I think 3:1 would better reflect what was going on, still, great game.
 
  • #286
My heart is broken into a million little pieces.
 
  • #287
Matterwave said:
My heart is broken into a million little pieces.

I'm sorry :frown:
 
  • #288
Matterwave said:
My heart is broken into a million little pieces.

Try being an England fan... but seriously, remember these losses because it makes the winning, in the future, even more sweet.
 
  • #289
cristo said:
Try being an England fan...

Say that to any Pole.
 
  • #290
Borek said:
Say that to any Pole.
Or Swede...
 
  • #291
We could have won that at 90+2:30. No extra time, no finally finding the hole by Belgium. Oh well. Next time.
 
  • #292
cristo said:
but seriously, remember these losses...
And if history repeats itself too often,
“It's not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand.
-- John Cleese.
 
  • #293
D H said:
We could have won that at 90+2:30. No extra time, no finally finding the hole by Belgium. Oh well. Next time.

You really could have! Tim Howard kept you in the game, but that was a shocking miss from 8 yards. Still, for the neutral, it was a cracking game to watch!
 
  • #294
I don't get the "soccer is boring. It's such a low scoring game!" mindset. That was an exciting game. Every one of the round of 16 games has been exciting. Not one lopsided game. Four games with a one point difference. Two ties that went into kicks from the mark. I'm not thrilled with kicks from the mark, but that it got to that point means the game was so close.
 
  • #295
The wondo miss was really really bad. We had it.
 
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  • #296
Greg Bernhardt said:
The wondo miss was really really bad. We had it.

The wound is still fresh...don't keep reminding me of this...T_T
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #297
Could have lost by much more if not for howard's great job.
 
  • #298
D H said:
We could have won that at 90+2:30. No extra time, no finally finding the hole by Belgium. Oh well. Next time.

To be just, Belgians could have it around 20 times earlier. Howard was incredible.

I think it is a 3rd or 4th match in the last few days when it is a goalkeeper that makes the game for his team.
 
  • #299
Something to watch while waiting for the next round:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E_8EjoxY7Q
 
  • #300
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.playsoft.soccerbite.
 

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