Prior to today, I had watched all fifty-six games contested in their entirety. Unfortunately time constraints prevented me from watching any of the Japan v Paraguay game. Having followed it on The Guardian, it doesn’t appear I missed much. Please feel free to tell me what, if anything, I missed.
Regardless of how one feels about Portugal, it must be tough for Eduardo, their goalkeeper: he surrendered one goal in four games and is out of the World Cup.
I don’t know if they use the same term in Portugal, but in Brazil, they would refer to Cristiano Ronaldo today as um fogo de palha (flash in the pan).
Man of the match IMHO: Héctor Baldassi, the Argentine referee, who refused to indulge Cristiano Ronaldo’s dives and kept the game under control.
Yes, Ricardo Costa deserved the card. He looked to see where Joan Capdevila was, then threw an elbow into his face. What did he think would happen?
Fernando Llorente’s performance is going to present Vicente del Bosque with some tough decisions. Iker Casillas’s should as well, in my opinion.
As the starting lineups were being presented I turned to Mercia and pointed out to her that six of the players play for Barcelona (I’m including David Villa now) and three for Real Madrid. Is there any other team in the World Cup that has that much talent concentrated on two teams?
Hugo Almeida may be a forward, but he plays like a holding midfielder who gets in on the attack once in a while.
I’ve always thought Carlos Quieroz was a crappy coach. Apparently some of his players feel the same way.
Sergio Busquets had a great game: he completed 97 of his 102 passes.
I’m back on Thursday. No football for two days.Don’t go into withdrawal.
beltane
Very impressed with David Villa. Very impressed with Spain in general, though I’m not sure they can win the whole thing.
Ronaldo, who?
Mark S.
My final four: Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, and Germany.
Ella in New Mexico
Being the mother of three Keepers, I, too empathize with Eduardo de Portugal.
Generally, the damn ball never should have made it down the field, past the defense and to the domain of the goalie. Worse yet, are the umpteempth number of terrific saves accomplished–yet pretty much moot–before the odds finally had their way and the other team scored.
Yeah, I’ve had a lot of long, quiet rides home in my day, that’s for sure.
This sport–soccer–can be such a mind fuck. We live in a country that actually thinks it’s not “manly” enough. Yet, all the rich people are eager to lay down the thousands to get their kids on premier teams so they can get scholarships–and the kids who play for the love of the game get lost in the dust.
Thanks, Ronaldinho, for your posts. You’ve been a joy to read.
Ella in New Mexico
Randhino–sorry for the spelling!!
MattR
@Ella in New Mexico: As long as you didn’t call him Ronaldo (or Ronamdo)
(EDIT for Clarity: Referring to Cristiano. I guess I have finally gotten to the point where my default Ronaldo has shifted)
beltane
@Ella in New Mexico: It’s funny that Americans don’t think of soccer as manly when it is all about pure athleticism. How many NFL players could run like that without collapsing?
My husband gets pissed off when I point out how homoerotic American football is. Big fat men in intimate contact with each other’s private parts. Yuck.
MattR
@beltane: The other thing people dont realize is how much it stings to get kicked in the shins. Makes stubbing your toe on the table leg in the dark seem like a love tap. But it doesn’t hurt for all that long or do any lasting damage. Not to say that there isn’t plenty of diving and embellishment ;)
Mart
I am with Ella, thanks a bunch Randhino. Who needs to read up on the Cup at ESPN.com when we have Randhino at Balloon Juice?
arguingwithsignposts
@beltane:
To be fair, a shift in hockey is 90-120 seconds, because they’re sucking wind by then. Put some of those footballers on ice and see how they’d do with a stick in their hands.
And from the flopping I’ve seen in the WC, and the time-wasting, pretend-you-have-an-injury bullshit (cough-ghana-cough), that “pure athleticism” argument is wearing thin.
All of my kids play soccer (son on a traveling team, fwiw), and I’d rather they play that than American football, but the WC is far from the “beautiful game.”
(dislaimer: former hockey goalie)
MikeJ
@arguingwithsignposts: Many people have no idea how much it hurts to run into another person at full speed while not wearing any pads, even if you don’t intend injury. While some diving does occur, I think non-fans tend to over state it because they don’t know how much even clean play hurts.
arguingwithsignposts
@MikeJ:
What about when *nobody* hits you, as in the case of ghana in the overtime? Guy laying on the ground gets hauled off and then walks across the field a few minutes later.
Fix the diving and wasting time, then get to me about the “clean play.”
Also, if you’re going to talk about “clean play” hurting, then look at a quarterback getting sacked, or a forward getting checked into the glass and then get back with that argument.
(/devil’s advocate in a football thread)
Ella in New Mexico
@arguingwithsignposts:
I must say I’ve always considered Hockey as the other, barely recognized sport-twin of Soccer in the US. Absolutely pure atheticism, as beltane said.
I have a boy who played soccer form age 6, then d-line for the football team the last two years in high school. He told me he was definitely in better shape when he played soccer, hands down.
Football gave him more trips to the ER and to the Orthopedist’s Ambulatory Surgical Center, though, that’s for sure. ;-)
beltane
@arguingwithsignposts: There is a lot of drama regarding fouls in basketball as well. Any sport where a foul creates the possibility to score will have this.
Hockey? We live 30 miles from the Canadian border and no one knows squat about hockey here.
Cacti
As opposed to ice hockey, the only sport where they actually stop the game so a pair of goons can have a fist fight.
Now that’s a sport of kings.
beltane
@Cacti: I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out…
arguingwithsignposts
@Cacti:
I’m not defending hockey’s sometimes stupid customs (most of that “fighting” is actually just as much kabuki as the flopping and wasting time in football/soccer and doesn’t happen as much at the lower levels).
They do, however have a penalty system that works.
I’d like to see more of that in soccer, IMHO. Put in a penalty box and start calling the dives.
Basketball is a joke in that regard. Football (American) too. If my son never plays a game of American football, I will not shed a tear in that regard.
Also, for @beltane, I find it really strange how the penetration of hockey in the U.S. is so uneven in the upper states. I am a few hours from the Blackhawks, yet there are only a couple of colleges in IL that even bother with hockey.
Violet
@beltane:
Rugby players do both. It’s played more like American football, but they have to play both offense and defense and run up and down the pitch, just like soccer players. After watching rugby for awhile I am less and less impressed with American football players. They only have to play for about ten seconds at a time before they get a rest. Lame.
I enjoyed the Spain-Portugal match today. It felt aggressive and both sides were very determined. As I’ve said in other posts, I haven’t watched a lot of football, but it’s obvious even to a neophyte like me that teams like Portugal and Spain are a cut above the U.S. and even the English team that decided to show up to this World Cup. Their skill, strategy, and ability to finish shots is head and shoulders above the other teams.
My friend who is in Brazil reports that the Brazilians are rather blasé about yesterday’s win. Apparently they expected it. They are equally as unworried about playing the Dutch on Friday. We will see how that works out for them.
Steeplejack
@Violet:
I think the Dutch are the dark horse of the tournament, and I think they have a strong chance against Brazil. I am definitely looking forward to that game.
Violet
@Steeplejack:
Me too. I’m only quoting what my friend told me the Brazilians are saying where my friend is working this week. Apparently they are unworried about the Dutch and think they’ll have no problems with the match. I think they might be surprised.
arguingwithsignposts
@Violet:
You should see the women play! Yes, there are women collegiate rugby players in the U.S.
ETA: I was impressed with the Netherlands’ passing in the one game I saw them play. They seem pretty disciplined. I hope Brazil doesn’t take them for granted.
wengler
On the topic of athletic sports has anyone here seen Australian-rules football? It has a crazy huge oval field and the guys that play it have to be both muscular and fast. It’s super high scoring too with guys in white suits in Cuban fedoras reffing the goalposts. It’s a fun sport to watch but looks damn near impossible to play for anyone not some sort of He-Man.
Onto today’s games: Portugal had some good sequences going forward in the first half, but appeared pretty clueless in the second half. Either they were trying to bunker down and get by in penalties, or they just didn’t have the quality to keep going forward for 90 minutes.
Ronaldo was a non-factor, though you have to remember that most of his goals come from set pieces. Only Japan seemed to be able to tame the Jabulani to score from set pieces in this World Cup. Which reminds me of the first game today…
Japan looked better than Paraguay. They were unlucky not to score. Honda is a great player that probably won’t be on CSKA Moscow for long. Spain has experience dealing with teams trying to disrupt their passing game and other than the hiccup against Switzerland it’s been smooth sailing. Give David Villa a tag team partner that isn’t the obviously still injured Torres and the goals should pour in against small South American country.
Steeplejack
@Violet:
Well, when the Brazilians talk they are never worried about anything. My brother is in a relationship with a Brazilian, so I have been somewhat exposed to their brand of World Cup fever. And I have a coworker who is Brazilian as a corroborative data point.
I think the Netherlands could surprise them. I’m not predicting an upset, but I think it will be a very good game whichever way it goes. And I don’t think it will be a walkover for Brazil.
Have to take this opportunity to recycle my favorite Nike/Brazil soccer ad. The finish is awesome. And set to one of my favorite songs–“Mais Que Nada.”
handsmile
Randinho:
Are you hinting that Llorente might or should replace Torres in Spain’s starting XI? If so, I simply can’t see del Bosque, a proponent of the tried and true (as evidenced by the club affiliations of his first team), making such a controversial selection.
While out-of-gear is his play thus far, Torres remains a popular and consequential figure. Yesterday, David Villa pointedly declared his support for Torres, praising his contributions to the team beyond his goal-scoring struggles. I believe that Llorente, from lowly Athletico Bilbao for goodness sake, will continue to be introduced at the sixty or seventy minute mark as an impact player, allowing Torres a dignified exit to ovations. (By the way, for whom do you think Torres will be playing next season, ’cause it sure won’t be Liverpool.)
As for Iker Casillas, the Spaniards with whom I watched the match today at La Nacional considered him a strong candidate for man of the match. Thunderous roars of appreciation for his performance. I think you are as likely to be selected as the Spanish goalkeeper as Reina or Valdes.
With that as a possibility, enjoy your day off tomorrow.
arguingwithsignposts
@wengler:
Used to watch it when ESPN wasn’t the mammoth it is now. Caught a few moments of a game recently. Reminded me a lot of Rugby. I liked it, and wish it hadn’t disappeared from ESPN so they could show stuff like the cheerleading championships and more sportscenter.
Violet
@Steeplejack:
This is the first time my friend has been to Brazil, so the reports are probably not made with much nuance. That’s funny that the Brazilians aren’t worried about anything. That pretty much fits their stereotype. Heh. I think Friday’s match could be a very good one. I’m looking forward to it. I’m also very much looking forward to Argentina-Germany.
Steeplejack
@wengler:
I like Australian Rules Football. I watch it on MHz, a weird local (NoVa) cable channel that is carried on some cable systems around the country (and on Roku, I just found out last week). It is a very cool game, even more so now that I (sort of) understand the rules.
And, as I think I have said here before, it was Aussie Rules that clued me in that Footscray is a suburb of Melbourne and not a veterinary condition. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith. It looks like Pookie has . . . footscray. We’re going to have to put him down.”
Corner Stone
@Violet:
Mmmm…the Texas of South America vs my man Schweinsteiger!!
wengler
@arguingwithsignposts
I agree with you with diving and simulation. It’s my understanding that in the Bundesliga it is punished severely by a conduct review panel. In Serie A it’s just considered part of the game. In the Premier League they ignore it and doing it comes to no avail.
It sucks that FIFA doesn’t go after it because the two big national teams(Italy and Brazil) are its main practitioners.
Violet
@arguingwithsignposts:
Occasionally you can see Rugby Sevens on NBC. I think they’re doing a bit of promotional stuff for it because it’s going to be included in the Olympics in London, so they’re trying to get people interested.
I was aware that women play rugby! Apparently the English team is pretty good. The US team has qualified for the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup. Yes, really.
Steeplejack
@Violet:
Yes, Argentina-Germany is going to be a gargantuan game too.
Violet
@wengler:
Seems like along with the other awards at the end of the World Cup they should also include a Best Actor award.
handsmile
With today’s dispatch of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo from the World Cup, I believe the Curse of the Nike Ad is now complete. Media insiders rumor that Fox will not be renewing Homer Simpson’s contract.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack:
My good friend in San Diego is dating a beautiful woman from Brazil (it’s funny but there seems to be a big Brazilian community in SD).
She is drop dead, flat out, slap yo momma, Bob’s your Uncle ~ hot to the fourth power.
Crazy as fuck. But good FSM she is awesome.
Violet
@Corner Stone:
There do not seem to be any other kind. The Brazilian women I have known have been off the charts smokin’ hot.
wengler
@handsmile
If you’re a betting man Nike has a variation of that ad out now featuring Robinho. Anyone know the Vegas odds on Netherlands beating Brazil on Friday?
handsmile
Reasons to be Cheerful (About the World Cup Hiatus)
1. Reacquaintance with that familiar-looking person(s) in the next room.
1a. Opportunity to purchase something nice for the indulgent familiar-looking person(s) by redeeming accumulated bottles.
2. Renew personal hygiene.
3. Watch Wimbledon matches and debate whether baseline technology has destroyed the sport of tennis.
4. Obama is still President.
5. Ability to demonstrate one’s moral fiber: “I don’t have a problem.” “I can get through this.” (repeat as necessary)
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
@wengler: No but I am holding an 8 to 1 ticket ($50) from a Vegas casino on the Dutch winning it all. Purchased about 3 weeks before the tournament started.
Those seemed like the best odds. Spain an Brazil were roughly 3 to each. The English (ha!) and Germans were 5 to 1. I liked 8 to 1 better for the Dutch. I think Argentina was 4 to 1. That seems pretty good now.
MikeJ
@wengler: Not Vegas, but Ladbrokes has:
Holland 7/2 (+350)
tie 12/5 (+240)
Brazil 5/6 (-120)
I’d still take the Netherlanders.
Paula
@handsmile:
Maybe I can actually get work done tomorrow.
Weird.
[Also: Damned if Randinho isn’t right about the Argentine goalie. They’ve been so busy knocking in goals that they probably won’t be able to see it until the worst possible time against Germany. Frak.]
Tancrudo
@wengler:
I thought Japan looked better than Paraguay in that match too. I agree with your assessment that it was basically luck on the part of Paraguay that they managed to stop all the Japanese strikes. With only 36% possession, Japan managed to get off 16 vs 13 shots. Japan played a tight, disciplined game. I wish they had worked harder on offense.
Spain is going to eat Paraguay for lunch.
MikeN
Alas, the white overcoats and fedoras of the scorekeepers ofAussie Rules have been replaced by yellow T-shirts and baseball caps. Detracts a lot from the game.
droog
Reading through the comments I am puzzled as to how the notion that a given sport is manly suddenly turns into a discussion on whether the players get hurt enough or not. Actually, stepping further away the need to describe that as “manly” is just as puzzling. I personally think football is great and it is physically demanding. But focusing on whether you get kicked on the shins or wear padding, and then calling that manly makes no sense as an argument to me. Women get kicked in the shins in soccer, and they run for 90 minutes, too. Perhaps we need to describe the distinction differently.
On that note, I’d say NFL football and baseball are very start & stop, specially in the US where the top league matches allow for neat insertion of TV ads. Rugby is as lively as soccer, and I consider it to be on par with soccer for that reason. Basketball is lively, the NBA’s breaks/ad spaces notwithstanding. But these differences only work on a subjective level. Some people prefer the slow progress of a team gaining ground in the NFL, while others will prefer a melee where decisions are made on-the-fly more often.
Chris
This thread got hijacked by the usual sport v sport comparision bs.
Back to Spain v Portugal, that was the highlight class game of the tourney. Both teams, and for the most part the officials as well.
I actually have some sympathy for Ronaldo, despite the fact i usually despise his oily, tanned, narcissist, winking diving self.
Portugal had no plan B for when they fell one goal back. They didn’t adjust at all, mostly behind the ball and had no way to link up with Ronaldo who was largely left on his own minus the odd counterattack. That’s not the way to coach a knockout game.
And, the ref mostly let that game play and actually called guys on overreacting/acting. However, like a NBA star, Ronaldo takes a lot of sticking pulling etc during a game, and once he was pretty clearly fouled he got the “don’t act” routine. I guess the boy who cried wolf, I hate the guy but that wasn’t a fun game for him.
Xavi and Alonso are class, class, class. As was the Portugal defense.
NameRequired
@Tancrudo:
Nobody “eats Paraguay for lunch”, remember, remember the war of the triple alliance, mentioned in other threads.
I’ve seen Paraguay defeat Brazil in qualifying games, Spain would do well if they prepare for a hard hard game.
Svensker
The game wasn’t great but the human drama of the kick shootout at the end was fantastic. That was worth waiting for.
Randy Paul
Thanks to all of you for the kind words.
Sarcastro
Is there any other team in the World Cup that has that much talent concentrated on two teams?
I’m not sure I follow (Barca has 8 guys on the Spanish squad and none on Portugal’s, Real has 5 and 2), but …
Bayern Munich. Seven players on the German squad and three on the Netherlands side.
Juventus is close. Seven players on the Italian side and three on Brazil’s pre-cup roster, but only one – Melo – made the final cut. Greece also had seven players from Panathenikos who also employ Cisse from France and Silva from Brazil.
Of course Juventus was the 7th place team in Serie A this year and the Italians crashed out hard, so the lesson to take here is to stack your squad with players from a GOOD team.
Randy Paul
@Corner Stone: In 1996 my missus and I went to Brazil for her cousin’s wedding. At the reception I told my wife that if I were a single man I would have thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
Randy Paul
@Sarcastro: I was referring to starters in yesterday’s game.
handsmile
Reuters is reporting this morning that the Nigerian President is suspending the national team from international competition for two years because of its poor performance at the World Cup. Now that’s the kind of expansion of presidential authority I can get behind.
Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter is chastising French president Nicolas Sarkozy for “meddling” and threatening the French Football Federation with suspension because of its cooperation with a government investigation into “l’affaire de les Miserables.” And it gets better: in testimony before said investigators today, global laughingstock and ex-French coach Raymond Domenech blamed the newspaper L’Equipe as the reason for the national team’s World Cup debacle.
All this proving once more that the football matches themselves are serious; it’s what happens beyond the pitch that’s so damned entertaining.
Tancrudo
@NameRequired:
We’ll see. Group F wasn’t exactly tough this year, what with Italy falling apart. Failing to score on Japan in 120 minutes isn’t powerhouse play either.
I’m expecting the most one-sided game in the quarters, call it 3-0.
Spain might need another course to make it a good lunch.
Eric Martin
I don’t know if they use the same term in Portugal, but in Brazil, they would refer to Cristiano Ronaldo today as um fogo de palha (flash in the pan).
I like his early moniker from the Man U days:
The Beautiful Nothing
NameRequired
@Tancrudo:
I’m not saying Paraguay will play beautifull futbol and win, or something, just that it would not be easy, 4th final games are never easy, and less so against a hard team like Paraguay.
Randy Paul
@handsmile: Casillas nearly gifted Portugal two goals; on one a ball that a more talented striker than Hugo Almeida might have buried and the other on a free kick that he barely cleared.
handsmile
@ Randy Paul (and you know it’s only today that I’ve realized that Randinho and Randy Paul are both your noms de guerres)
I’m just reporting the reactions of feverish Spaniards.
On the Almeida attempt, Casillas responded strongly to tip the ball over the bar after first misjudging its trajectory. On his bobble of the Ronaldo free kick (if that’s what you’re referring to), yes, it could have proved costly if Portugal had pushed into the box to poach. For what it’s worth, the Guardian rated his performance in the match at 6.21, which seems appropriate to me.
Also, IIRC, only England and Algeria have replaced their first-choice keeper for derelict play. Casillas certainly doesn’t belong in that company.
Should I assume you are conceding my point re Llorente/Torres? :)
(By the way, aren’t we supposed to be taking a break from football?)
Randy Paul
@handsmile: I concede nothing!
Seriously, they did make changes when Jesus Navas was subbed in aganist the Swiss and played effectively. I think he has to consider all options.
Goal.com gave Casillas a 5.5 and I think that is about accurate. I think Victor Valdes, frankly is now a better goalkeeper.
Funkhauser
Well, I am in Brazil (VNC, Sampa), and my anecdotal evidence confirms what I think about Brazilians and their thoughts. They are truly the povo do futuro.
The best headline from a SP daily: “Laranjada neles!” referring to the Orange Machine.
Galvão Bueno kept repeating that everyone should ready their hearts for Friday. It’s going to be a good game. (And yes, he should shut up. His interview of Kaká’s mother and grandmother was painful to watch.)