# 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677 "2010-06-10T17:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 124
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2461 "2010-07-09T12:32:41Z")
That’s disingenuous at best. They knew no such thing any more than a golfer knows exactly how his ball will roll on the green on his approach shot. You even say as much when you concede that the play is designed to go to either of two players. If that’s the case, they couldn’t have known in advance it was going to a specific guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2462 "2010-07-09T13:02:34Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > That’s disingenuous at best. They knew no such thing any more than a golfer knows exactly how his ball will roll on the green on his approach shot. You even say as much when you concede that the play is designed to go to either of two players. If that’s the case, they couldn’t have known in advance it was going to a specific guy. Yes, that’s what you do with strategy plays, you maximize your chances. We are not discussing if the play was made with supernatural, unheard of powers of perfect precision, but if it was a “flukey” goal. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2463 "2010-07-09T13:24:37Z")
What are strategy plays? I’ve never heard that expression before. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2464 "2010-07-09T13:45:51Z")
The expression “play” as in a defined passage of play isn’t used in soccer, at least not outside the Americas. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2465 "2010-07-09T16:01:02Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > What are strategy plays? I’ve never heard that expression before. Usually plays from set-pieces (CKs, Free Kicks and even throw-ins) that are pre-designed by the coaching staff and done over and over sometime during training. If you will, not unlike a point guard in b-ball raising his hand to call a particular play. 'cept in football this normally happens (again) during set-pieces. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2466 "2010-07-09T16:40:25Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > Congratulations, RedFury. > > But you’re making it harder to root for _La Furia Roja_ with every additional post you make. 🙂 Thank you. And yeah, sorry, I realize I got a bit carried away. But, in my defense, this has been a long time coming. > [@amanset](#): > > Because few people would have seen many of those games beyond those in this World Cup, which includes a defeat to the mighty Switzerland. They’d probably have a different opinion if they had a broader view. > > Good luck on Sunday and congratulations on getting to the final. You are right. Judging Spain solely by the WC matches would lead some to false conclusions. Scoring for instance: [**2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%E2%80%93_UEFA_Group_5) As you can see from there not only did Spain go undefeated, but they won all of their ten matches, scoring a whopping 28 goals and only conceding 5. So yeah this perception that we’re “1-0” team, is simply not the case. And thank you. I’m sure we’ll need it; the Oranje are no pushovers. ---
**Author:** ![carm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@carm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2467 "2010-07-09T16:42:36Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Maybe flukish isn’t the right word, but these guys don’t have pinpoint precision over 50 yards. Let me ask you this: did any Spanish player know in advance of the play that the ball would curl to Puyol’s head at around 8 feet high, and that he would then head it into the top right corner? Of course not. At most they knew that Xavi (?) would curl it somewhere in the box and hopefully a Spainsh player would get enough of a head or leg on it to get it past the goalie. > > I suppose the more corner kicks you generate, the more you’ll score via corners. So over time, the better team will get more goals from corners. I think you are seriously underestimating how good these people are. They actually have pretty accurate passing over 50 yards. If you took all the other players out of the box, I reckon Xavi could hit Puyol’s head 8 times out of 10 easily. Of course when there are defenders challenging for headers, it’s a lot harder - both to win the header and to direct it under pressure. Here’s some videos: Pirlo hitting the crossbar: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ajkXybb8fuE/hqdefault.jpg "Andrea Pirlo Cross-Bar Challenge") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajkXybb8fuE) Some Beckham crosses [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gig9p0kGA1o/hqdefault.jpg "David Beckham Best Assists") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gig9p0kGA1o) Note how many of Beckham’s crosses there is only one player in the middle to aim at. . yet he picks him out anyway. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2468 "2010-07-09T17:08:13Z")
We can close the thread - [Paul the Psychic Octopus has spoken](http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=iol1278669996265P436), it has all been settled, there’s nothing more to say. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2469 "2010-07-09T17:52:40Z")
I don’t know how many times he misses, but I’m still in awe of [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhnkflEYBCM). I can’t understand why some big club hasn’t got him signed up if only for his free-kick taking abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2470 "2010-07-10T01:37:11Z")
> [@grimpixie](#): > > We can close the thread - [Paul the Psychic Octopus has spoken](http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=iol1278669996265P436), it has all been settled, there’s nothing more to say. 😉 Poker player Erik Seidel tweeted from the Main Event today: [QUOTE=Erik\_Seidel] Just checked WSOP rulebook, theres nothing in it that prevents me from playing with a Psychic Octopus as a card protector today [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2471 "2010-07-10T03:07:31Z")
> [@grimpixie](#): > > We can close the thread - [Paul the Psychic Octopus has spoken](http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=iol1278669996265P436), it has all been settled, there’s nothing more to say. 😉 Hold on. The article clearly says that he’s picked every game in which Germany played. But Germany isn’t playing. Something smells fishy. Did he happen to make a call on the 3rd place game? You know, the game that Germany is actually playing in. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2472 "2010-07-10T04:05:21Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Hold on. The article clearly says that he’s picked every game in which Germany played. But Germany isn’t playing. Something smells fishy. Did he happen to make a call on the 3rd place game? You know, the game that Germany is actually playing in. [QUOTE=TFA] Predicting who will take third place, Paul chose Germany to beat Uruguay. [/QUOTE] xxxx ---
**Author:** ![firstname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@firstname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firstname)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2473 "2010-07-10T11:51:01Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Hold on. The article clearly says that he’s picked every game in which Germany played. But Germany isn’t playing. Something smells fishy. Did he happen to make a call on the 3rd place game? You know, the game that Germany is actually playing in. They had Paul make two predictions, he picked Spain and Germany to win. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2474 "2010-07-10T15:25:44Z")
> [@firstname](#): > > They had Paul make two predictions, he picked Spain and Germany to win. I think Paul is just a lousy front-runner. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2475 "2010-07-10T18:26:27Z")
I’m gonna go against the octopus on this one and go for 2-1 for Uruguay. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2476 "2010-07-10T18:39:07Z")
Well rats, no Klose. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2477 "2010-07-10T19:44:41Z")
I had a feeling there was still more goals in this. Go on Forlan, score another and get the Golden Boot sorted out. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2478 "2010-07-10T19:52:13Z")
[0:53](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhpS69eAXrU) [😃](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcell_Jansen) ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2479 "2010-07-10T19:54:03Z")
This is one of the best games of the tournament! Both sides seem to care, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2480 "2010-07-10T20:07:32Z")
So close! Kiessling almost there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=123) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=125)