World cup Southafrica

[moath86]

I can't wait to see Spain today...although I doubt they will win the world cup, inspite of the hype going around them, but still I think they will be entertaining to watch.

Germany will lose to Argentina in Quarter finals xD

[david petley]

Spain beaten by Switzerland 1-0 ...one of the shock results so far.

david

[cancerinform]

Well, David today was the revenge for Australia. Germany played miserable, although I think giving so many yellow cards and even a red went a bit too far. We'll see if Germany advances.

[cancerinform]

I enjoyed watching the US team. However, it was not clear to me why one goal did not count (I am watching the Mexican channel and did not understand).

[jAQUAN]

Pretty sure they called it offsides which is total BS. That ref better get an escort home tonight.

[cancerinform]

I read now that the goal was not counted, because a US player fouled a Slovenian player. However, that is not true and the decision not to count this as a goal was wrong.

[jAQUAN]

There's an angle of the replay where you can see TWO Slovenian players practically rear-naked-choking TWO American players.

[david petley]

Well, David today was the revenge for Australia.

I don't like seeing players sent off with a red card, it makes a game so uneven. But it is certainly news when a country that has not lost a group match in 24 years finally succumbs.

In a way it is worse news for Australia, with the 3 other teams in the group all having 3 points, and Australia having none, we now have a crucial match with Ghana tomorrow. Lose that and we will definitely not get out of the group.

david

[addendum]The worst part is that it was Klose who got the red card. He is a prolific goal scorer and being red-carded means he will miss the next match.

[david petley]

There's an angle of the replay where you can see TWO Slovenian players practically rear-naked-choking TWO American players.

I just watched a replay of that disallowed goal, and there were fouls by both teams in that scramble and in such a case they have to pay more attention to transgressions by the attacking team.

At least the USA got a draw and one point, and I am happy to see that. After Englands' draw with Algeria, it means that they need to beat Slovenia to progress, and USA need the win against Algeria to progress out of the group.

The points tally for group C -
Slovenia - 4
USA - 2
England - 2
Algeria - 1

[david petley]

Australia's SBS broadcaster have a good website to follow all of the news - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/

[cancerinform]

There's an angle of the replay where you can see TWO Slovenian players practically rear-naked-choking TWO American players.

I saw that too in the replay. I wonder what the ref saw. he must have been blind on both eyes. Clearly US should have got the two points.

[gerbick]

The US got robbed. I was watching that goal as it happened, sorta lost my cool on that one.

Seriously... FIFA needs to invest in better technology.

[david petley]

A draw with Ghana keeps only a very slim hope of Australia getting out of the group stage alive.

Harry Kewell red-carded for a very dubious handball decision in the goal mouth is really bad luck for him.


....oh, and please get over it with the 'we were robbed' business. I know that referee decisions are wrong sometimes, but there is no appeal process apart from players pleading for a change of mind, and I have never seen a referee change their mind unless a sideline referee sees something different that might affect the decision.

[david petley]

looks like Australia is almost no chance to get out of the group stage with it's draw with Ghana yesterday and only one point. We need to thrash Serbia with about 6 goals and hope that Germany beats Ghana to have any chance.

The big surprise was the New Zealand - Italy match, another 1 - 1 draw and a single point for each, but there is a huge ranking difference - NZ is ranked 78th, while Italy is ranked 5th ...a draw for New Zealand is a almost 'giant killer' status.

[silverx2]

....oh, and please get over it with the 'we were robbed' business. I know that referee decisions are wrong sometimes, but there is no appeal process apart from players pleading for a change of mind, and I have never seen a referee change their mind unless a sideline referee sees something different that might affect the decision.

when someone takes something from you(in this case a goal) and there is no explanation given, thats called a robbery.

[silverx2]

[david petley]

when someone takes something from you(in this case a goal) and there is no explanation given, thats called a robbery.

Of course there was an explanation. The referee did not see it like you did and (unfortunately for the US) he has the final say. It is his decision, made at the time, without the benefit of multiple slow motion replays from many different angles.

I suspect, with every referee decision, that someone is sure they got it totally wrong.

...so again I say "get over it". It's just football.

[david petley]

Portugal's 7 - 0 win over DPRK is an ominous sign of the form they are in. There were some stupendous goals, Ronaldo with the ball on his back, not sure of where it went, to recover and slam it into the net was a pleasure to watch ...I had always wondered a bit about why players practiced those ball juggling skills so much.

[david petley]

Fabiano's hand ball goal against Ivory Coast was another bad ref decision that is left in place ...and it is very blatant -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...azil-world-cup

[silverx2]

there is a large difference between a non-call, which in this case would be a handball that a ref might not see, and a call that waves off a goal with which the Ref gave no explanation as to what the call was, why he made it, nor who it was on.

It was basically him saying, nope that goal doesn't count, and a lot of people asking him "hey why didn't that goal count?" and him responding with no answer.