World Cup 2010 Blog: “The Luis Suarez Judgement: One Game Only” plus 5 more |  |
- The Luis Suarez Judgement: One Game Only
- Match Review & Highlights: Paraguay 0-1 Spain (feat. Bizarre Double Penalty Miss)
- Paraguay’s “Offside” Goal Against Spain
- Adios Diego Maradona, It Was Fun While it Lasted
- Liveblog: Paraguay 0-1 Spain, Quartefinal
- Match Review & Highlights: Argentina 0-4 Germany
| The Luis Suarez Judgement: One Game Only Posted: 03 Jul 2010 03:16 PM PDT
For some he’s a villain, for others, especially those calling Uruguay home, he is a hero. The ball which he double-palmed off the goal line has given rise to more ethics debate than a freshman seminar with no end in sight. But there is no debating one thing: his World Cup will continue. Either in the final or the third-placed game, he will play.
[link] Not having Suarez for the semifinals with the Dutch is a massive loss – more so when considering that’s the country where he plays and has made his name – but they dodged a bullet should the final involve a South American team, a banner they now hold alone. And while getting off with merely a standard suspension, Luis is also taking credit for the ‘real’ Hand of God:
Diego just can’t win today.
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| Match Review & Highlights: Paraguay 0-1 Spain (feat. Bizarre Double Penalty Miss) Posted: 03 Jul 2010 01:42 PM PDT
Spain vs Paraguay was nice and controlled for most of the game, with Spain passing and Paraguay defending, and me expecting penalty kicks. But then it came to life between the 58th and 60th minutes, when both teams had a penalty saved by the opposition keeper, and everyone woke up. First Gerard Pique gave Paraguay a penalty by trying to pull Oscar Cardozo’s arm off in the 58th minute: From there Spain went up to the other end of the field where Antolin Alcaraz made a clumsy tackle on David Villa to give Spain a chance from the spot: After a somewhat dull first half, this few short minutes of madness was enough to lift the game to a level of genuine excitement, which Spain went on to win 1-0 with the David Villa goal:
That’s Villa’s fifth of the tournament, and enough to put Spain through to the find four of the World Cup for the first time since 1950, where their opponents will be Germany. - Reactions at Spain blog and Paraguay blog
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| Paraguay’s “Offside” Goal Against Spain Posted: 03 Jul 2010 12:34 PM PDT Valdez, the goal scorer, certainly wasn’t offside, but Cardozo, well offside, certainly impacted the defense. What say you? (0-0 at the half)
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| Adios Diego Maradona, It Was Fun While it Lasted Posted: 03 Jul 2010 10:30 AM PDT
Diego Maradona and Argentina are out of World Cup 2010, after a brutal 4-0 defeat to Germany. I imagine quite a few will be saying good riddance to El Diego, especially England fans still angry about 1986 and the Hand of God. But I’m very genuinely going to miss him. Obviously Maradona has some issues. Not least the rather frightening level of homophobia on display in his press conferences. But despite Maradona’s moral failings, I think he’s been one of the highlights of World Cup 2010. Maybe the highlight. Mostly because Diego Maradona is clearly not a proper coach. Though he’s a footballing legend, Maradona is basically an Argentina superfan that’s been put in charge of his national team, and has gone about it like any superfan would. Wearing his best suit, talking smack with the press, and fielding the most attacking lineup he could get a way with. I mean, Jonas Gutierrez at right back? Brilliant. Maradona displayed the sort of caution to the wind tactics and faith in his team to outscore the opposition that would make football 10 times better if all coaches would adopt the same approach. Unfortunately for Maradona they don’t, which is why a team coached by sensible person like Jogi Loew was able to pick off Maradona’s Argentina on the counter attack.
For a while there, it really looked as if Argentina and Maradona could go all the way in South Africa on nothing but Maradona’s love for his team and faith in his players’ ability to outscore the opposition, every goal being a big eff you to the journalists and bloggers (guilty here) who questioned his international coaching credentials. In the end it wasn’t to be, and the white and blue Argentina party boat ran aground with a loud bump when it collided a similarly talented but better structured football team. Turns out we were right, that Maradona probably isn’t suited to be a successful international coach. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun watching him try.
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| Liveblog: Paraguay 0-1 Spain, Quartefinal Posted: 03 Jul 2010 10:19 AM PDT
That man Chris will be running the liveblog in the window below, which is where you can make your comments before, during and after the match. Please help us promote this liveblog by giving the Facebook and Twitter buttons a click above right, and then settle in and enjoy the action… Bet on Paraguay vs. Spain Don’t just take our word on the match. Check out match comments from carefully selected Twitter accounts: FAN RESOURCES
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| Match Review & Highlights: Argentina 0-4 Germany Posted: 03 Jul 2010 09:18 AM PDT
Maybe a more experienced – or more tactical – coach than Diego Maradona would have seen that game and thought about some sort of alternate gameplan. Sadly he didn’t, and so Argentina went out with the same attacking lineup as in the first four games, which played right into Jogi Loew’s hands. Thomas “ball boy” Mueller scored an early early first half goal, and from there the pattern was set. Argentina attack, Germany counter with young legs and an experienced striker. Miroslav Klose got two in the second half, which gives Klose 14 total World Cup goals and puts him level with compatriot Gerd Mueller and just one goal behind Ronaldo in the all-time World Cup goalscoring stakes. Even 31 year old defender Arne Friedrich got on the scoresheet, his first ever international goal. Argentina had their moments of nice passing and both Leo Messi and Carlos Tevez struck a few shots, but nothing that really troubled Manuel Nueur. No matter how many extra attacking talents Maradona threw into the mix – Sergio Aguero and Javier Pastore for example – the shape of the game was basically the same: Germany were solid enough (with Bastian Schweinsteiger especially impressive, supposedly playing defensive mid but appearing to be everywhere at once) to sit back and then hit Argentina on the break. Goals: Mueller: Klose: Friedrich: Klose: - Reactions at the Germany blog and Argentina blog
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I’ll also miss Maradona’s touchline antics, jumping all over the place, remonstrating with officials, and reacting to every half-chance as if his life depended on the outcome. Last and absolutely not least, there’s Maradona’s relationship with his players. At some point or another in World Cup 2010 he’s hugged and/or kissed each and every squad member like they were his long lost son.
Maybe we should have seen this coming. Diego Maradona’s Argentina had spent the entire tournament so far on the front foot, without facing any opposition capable of counterattacking. Germany had beaten England 4-1 in the Round of 16 doing exactly that, letting England over commit and then tearing holes through the defence on the break.| You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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