Will the clock strike twelve for England’s Cinderella run or will they prevail against Japan’s experience?
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by Randinho| 100 Comments
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Will the clock strike twelve for England’s Cinderella run or will they prevail against Japan’s experience?
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raven
Awright, no jokin around!
ThresherK
Wow, that was a quick near-goal.
HumboldtBlue
Sweet mother of blood pudding, Taylor almost knocked home a screamer!
HumboldtBlue
A reminder you can also follow via the Guardian live blog
Tony J
I can’t quite wrap my head around the concept of an England Football team in the semi-final of a World Cup. It feels sort of unnatural, like fish mastering archery. Must be something to do with the complete lack of self-centred millionaire primadonnas in the squad.
All that said, it’s what happens on the pitch that matters. Japan are technically very good but could easily have gone out in the last round if the Aussies had taken one of their chances. We’ll concede, probably, but we’re also quite capable of scoring more than once. Let’s say 3-2 England, probably coming from behind.
And we’re off. And that was close!
22over7
Digging the drums. Better than vuvuzelas.
dmsilev
@22over7:
That’s a low bar to clear.
Randinho
@HumboldtBlue: I do both. The Guardian live blog/minute by minute report is the best.
What a wasted corner kick.
HumboldtBlue
@Randinho: I watch the euro sport stream, the British commentators are generally very good and I am not a Foudy fan as a color
Corner Stone
Japan looks undersized, slow and clumsy. Is that just me?
Tony J
Vuvuzela – the Glenn Medeiros of sporting sounds.
Well it looks like the England girls have been told to harrass the Japanese off the ball and stop them settling into a metronomic rhythm (now – that’s- a good idea) and they’re doing it very, very well. Will they be able to keep it up for 90 minutes plus? No chance. But they’re also hitting hard and fast on the break whenever they win the ball. Good, confident aggressive football. Nice to see.
Randinho
@HumboldtBlue: I watch it on SporTV here in Brazil, which is owned by the Brazilian media monster/leviathan, Globo. Fun to hear a different way of mispronouncing names (Jill Scottchee, Meghan Klingenbergee, Carli Lloydgee, Kelly O’Haaaara; the latter of which effectively turns her name from Irish to Japanese).
HumboldtBlue
@Corner Stone: They are not as sharp as they can be, they are a very crisp passing team, very precise and usually can keep possession for stretches. England’s using their size well so far.
Litlebritdifrnt
I feel horribly racist because listening to those ladies screech at each other in Japanese is driving me nuts. For some reason I don’t hear the English girls doing the same thing, or if they are they are certainly not as loud as the Japanese girls. (Perhaps their voices are just more high pitched).
JPL
@Litlebritdifrnt: Maybe some bias is showing.
HumboldtBlue
Bronze is a damn good soccer player
Litlebritdifrnt
@JPL:
That too of course :)
HumboldtBlue
@Litlebritdifrnt: The screeching of women regardless of language always gets to me, so it’s definitely bias but it’s also about hearing sensitivity. It’s also the distortion, on the field it sounds much more natural.
Tony J
Aaaarrrrgghhhh! Christ on a moped that’s the kind of chance we – need – to be putting away. Duggan was unmarked, on the 6 yard line and had time to take that ball down and bury it.
On a brighter note, we’re successfully choking every Japanese move before it gets going. I know they say it’s hard to frustrate this Japanese team because their ethos is patience and more patience but…
Oh, yeah, that’s a penalty.
raven
@Tony J: A friend of mine went to South Africa for the WC and got a lip infection from blowing one!
HumboldtBlue
Another foul outside the box
Corner Stone
Oh my!
/Takei
smintheus
I don’t think that’s a penalty, but poor defending by England.
ThresherK
Too much push in the back running up the attacker. Annnnd, converted.
Corner Stone
@raven:
And I’ve got a bridge in NJ to sell.
Tony J
Fiddlesticks!
Randinho
Looked like the foul happened outside the area/
Corner Stone
@Randinho:
Somebody alert Mayhew, stat!
raven
@Corner Stone: I already went through this earlier. He hit it big in the internet world and he had his entire family with him.
HumboldtBlue
@smintheus: It wasn’t a penalty because the foul was outside of the box
burnspbesq
Iffy penalty call, but the ball over the top that led to the foul was perfectly timed. Not much that Bardsley, the pride of … Santa Monica? … could do about it.
smintheus
@HumboldtBlue: Yes, that’s what I meant.
The Japanese are very cautious about not giving up penalties, but I think the English would be wise to keep barging into the box inviting a defender to foul them.
ETA: Well that comment was fortuitously timed.
Corner Stone
@raven: @raven: Did wealthy family guy grab one being passed around like a bong?
Anyway, I don’t give a shit if you buy his story, so wevs.
Tony J
Uh, happy as I am, that’s not a penalty.
HumboldtBlue
Where was the foul?
Randinho
I guess this is a make-up call
Corner Stone
Now that was a flop. San Antonio Spurs on line 1 for her.
Corner Stone
BOOM!
ThresherK
Hoo, boy! That seemed dodgy.
And it’s tied up.
Tony J
Hot Pocket!
burnspbesq
Man, the seats behind the goal that England is attacking are a long-ass way from the action.
HumboldtBlue
They’ve got a good crowd on hand, that must 28-30k
Corner Stone
I am loving these drums. Recently watched a “How It’s Made” epi on Taiko drums. Freaking fascinating.
Not saying these are those, just that I love Taiko drums.
Bill Murray
@Corner Stone:
Hang drums are really cool too
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om16250.html
raven
@Corner Stone: OH noz.
ThresherK
@burnspbesq: There is a quarter-mile running track around it.
Plus, I don’t know the specifics of the soccer pitch, but the CFL field is 150 yds endline to endline, and I don’t think they’ve set up any temp seating for this event which would be closer than when the Eskimos are playing.
Randinho
@Bill Murray: Love the djembe drums on the beginning of this. How can you feel sad listening to this?
raven
@ThresherK: It sucks, it’s like Wattstax! Look where the bandstand is. They kept people all the way back in the stands. Ask Corner, he was there.
Paul W.
I can’t believe there is no way to watch this thing online if I don’t have Fox Sports. What in the fuck people.
HumboldtBlue
@Paul W.: here you go
HumboldtBlue
@Paul W.: this one as well
HumboldtBlue
or try this one
HumboldtBlue
England gonna rue that cross bar and they are very much on the front foot here.
burnspbesq
Ping!
Corner Stone
@raven: Magical thinking, bub.
Germy Shoemangler
@efgoldman:
Eventually, if they’re smart, they’ll run back to the coop at the sight of the soaker without waiting to be squirted. He won’t even need to fill it; just wave it around at them like a prison guard.
Corner Stone
@HumboldtBlue: There’s a Crusades joke in here somewhere, I feel sure of it.
Richard Mayhew
England is finishing their checks/challenges, pound pound pound
Paul W.
@HumboldtBlue: OMG, thank you so much. American cable has gated online viewing so much it makes me want ot punch somebody.
Randinho
@Corner Stone: As long as it’s not a St. George’s Cross bar. :-)
ThresherK
@raven: I’ve never seen that setup, with the temp stands, so I take back what I said. My bad.
Being in the east, all the CFL I’ve seen live are in Montreal, Ottawa and Hamilton. Plus, of course, what my wife refers to as “enough” CFL on TV (a quantity I don’t recognize).
Were there end stands for Ottawa and Moncton at this WWC?
Germy Shoemangler
@efgoldman: Cats forgive. Not sure about chickens.
HumboldtBlue
@Corner Stone: These guys agree
ThresherK
@efgoldman: Oh, at some point we don’t even need to pick up the proper spray bottle. It works, provided my wife’s cat never realizes I’m never spraying him with toilet cleaner or Pam.
Randinho
FWIW, the US team that played last night could beat either of these two teams.
HumboldtBlue
@Richard Mayhew: But all of a sudden here comes Japan’s quickness and sharp passing. Fitness is going to tell in this last 20 (or more) minutes
HumboldtBlue
@Randinho: No doubt about it. The U.S. is by far the most highly skilled team in the tourney no matter what Frankburnsesquire says
Corner Stone
@Randinho: This Japan team looks even slower than the GER team did against USA.
Richard Mayhew
@HumboldtBlue: yep, Advantage Japan if this goes 120
Corner Stone
Wow! Moon shot!
Lee
@Randinho:
My wife and I noticed the same thing. Maybe even the US team that played Columbia could beat these teams.
Sloppy passes and noticeably slower than the US.
Randinho
@Richard Mayhew: Advantage US regardless of who wins: 120 minutes and one less day of rest.
Bill Murray
wow, what a freaky goal
Corner Stone
Wow!
HumboldtBlue
well wow
Randinho
Oh geez. What a way to lose. You’re the three lionesses not the three lions.
Paul W.
I feel sorry for that player, but the English casters are going on and on about how Japan deserved to lose (I barely got to watch any of it). Is that true? Was the game this lopsided?
USA looks like they’re at the top of their game, neither of these look quite as finessed.
burnspbesq
Japan really didn’t earn this win. But they get it.
Randinho
Bassett must be devastated.
HumboldtBlue
that’s a shame
Corner Stone
Good Christ. Poor thing.
Bill Murray
@Randinho: well, three lions would be losing in penalties not the freak clearance hitting the underside of the crossbar
HumboldtBlue
@Paul W.: England worked well enough to earn four goals. hit the post twice and had two great chances go inches wide.
JCJ
Oh no! I feel miserable for her.
burnspbesq
Laura Bassett, meet Stuart Pearce.
pseudonymous in nc
Well, fuck. Two bullshit penalties and one streaky, flukey own goal after a couple of close ones off the bar.
Still think Team USA flatters to deceive, so nyah-nyah-nyah and see you on Sunday.
smintheus
Where was Geraldine Lampard when you needed her?
Corner Stone
@pseudonymous in nc: Team USA is markedly better than this Japan team.
Bill Murray
@Corner Stone: certainly true if they play the way they did before Iwamuchi came into the game
burnspbesq
@Corner Stone:
The US team that showed up for the semifinals is markedly better than Japan. The US team that we saw in its first five matches, not so much.
smintheus
@Corner Stone: Japan is very susceptible to high pressure. Australia showed that, and England just underlined it.
Amir Khalid
Tough luck for the lionesses, who have fought hard this WWC, but that’s the way the ball bounces.
Randinho
I feel horrible for Laura Bassett. I just tweeted her some words of encouragement. If you’re inclined to do the same she is @laurabassett6
HumboldtBlue
@Randinho: She’s gonna need it, the fucking trolls are already out in force — “if it were a man he’d get roasted, let’s hope we see some equality!”
Heliopause
Just curious, does soccer ever have scoring that isn’t a result of shitty refereeing or an own goal? And if so how many hours of my life will it take before I see it?
Tripod
It’s a funny old game.
Bill Murray
@HumboldtBlue: really people have been murdered for that in the men’s game.
Arclite
@Randinho:
It’s the lionesses that track down and kill the prey in the pride. They’re the real workers and athletes of the lions. The males just stand around and bloviate. Not that different from humans, actually.
randy khan
@Heliopause: There was the second U.S. goal last night, which was pure magic. So you may have missed your chance in this tournament.
lethargytartare
@HumboldtBlue:
another way to look at this is England failed to finish open chances, and left the result up to the fates.