An Argentinian is making love to a woman he picked up in a bar
Girl: Oh god, oh god.
Argentinian: Just call me Carlos.
The three teams I cheer for most are USA, England and Holland. So I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about this game, but hurray!
Some notes:
-Apparently Holland believes in the firm sporting principle that when you’re somehow 2-1 up against the best team in the world, and you have a wide open chance to put in an insurance goal, you should instead dither around and not take the shot. Repeatedly.
-Robben kept trying the same turn-the-corner-and-get-a-left-footed-shot move that worked against Slovakia. It kept failing, but he kept at it over and over.
-Every game Holland won before this, after the game I went to my Dutch coworker and said “well, they didn’t really look all that good, but they won”. This game, they beat mighty Brazil… and they STILL didn’t really look all that good.
-MVP award clearly goes to the Dutch keeper. He had a truly spectacular save when it was 0-1 to keep them in the game.
Wow, Brazil completely collapsed after Holland’s equalizer. They had been the superior side throughout the first half, and really the Dutch hadn’t created much until that rather fortuitous goal (Cesar completely missing the ball, and Melo heading it into his own net)… but they just seemed to give up any hope of winning, even though it was 1-1 with half an hour still to play.
It really came down to mental fortitude, it seemed to me–the Dutch held their nerve while the Brazilians lost it. You could see the Dutch players growing in confidence each minute following the equalizer, and this was reflected in their improved play. Also, the Dutch (esp. Robben, who seemed to go down at the slightest challenge) kept winding up the Brazilians, provoking them, and it paid off with Melo’s ridiculously petulant stomp on Robben and well-deserved red card.
Congratulations to the Netherlands! I’m hoping they’ll make it to the final, and that there, they’ll be facing Spain. It would be great to see one of those nations finally win it (though in that scenario, I’d be supporting Spain).
Geweldig Nederland!
The interesting thing is, how often it works even though every single defender in both hemispheres knows exactly what he is going to do. The well-known secret of his success: he is waiting for the defender in direct line to the goal to lift his leg to parry off his shot. The Brazilian defenders decided to block the shot with their feet on the ground and it worked but it’s not easy for a defender to fight back this leg move.
Wow. I am shocked.
I have no idea how Holland are in the semi-finals. But they have gotten there without having a single tough game, in this tournament or the qualifiers. They didn’t do anything to justify winning today, Brazil simply and inexplicably commited football suicide. Brazil lost this game, Holland didn’t win it.
If Holland end up winning the tournament, they will be the weakest world champions ever. Certainly since 1982 anyway - they have only two real players (with an on-form Van Persie making that three) and the rest are journeymen. A boring and cynical side who look like getting to the world cup final on the back of a lucky draw and 1-0 and 2-0 wins against the likes of Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Slovakia, and a Brazilian side that destroyed them for 45 mins and then imploded for no apparent reason.
Germany, Argentina and Spain are the only worthy winners left in the competition.
Stupid son of a whore CNN :mad:
I was avoiding ESPN or anything like it, so I could watch tonigjt. But i figured a quick check of CNN.com would be safe; but no, they had to splash the whole front page.
Not really CNN’s fault on that one. You should avoid the entire internet if Brazil is playing, just in case.
Ghana and Uruguay now in a matchup between two teams representing countries most people can’t confidently point to on a map. They do have the distinction of having the ugliest kit so far in the World Cup. Uruguay’s jerseys are a very gay blue with HORRIBLY cheap-looking names on the back, a look that says “We stole these from a beer league softball team,” while the Ghanaian players look like they should be preparing Big Macs.
Holland is in the semis by winning every one of their games. And while Brazil was clearly better than Holland in the first half, the Dutch were definitely beating the Brazilians in the 2nd. Thereby winning, and justifying their winning.
Spain, while having the potential on paper, hasn’t impressed me that much, coming out on top in their group only by goal difference, and in their R16 got by Portugal in much the same way you describe the Holland Brazil match.
What’s the best deal in the world?
Buying and argentinian for what he is worth and selling him for what he thinks he is worth.
I am laughing but not at the joke but because Brazil is out. I disagree with Frodo cheering is not incorrect in this situation.
Yes, I am back at South Street Seaport and it’s certainly
Not as crowded as it was last time, but there’s some folks around and they seem to be mostly rooting for Ghana despite hemispherical preferences. Some Black Star flags and happy Africans hanging out here, and some idiot brought two vuvuzelas which have been booed into silence.
Let’s just agree on putting a candle in the altar of D10s and pray!, tomorrow is the big game and “En la cancha se veran los pingos”.
Butterflies already flying in my stomach, less than 20 hs…
But it’s Friday afternoon,before a long weekend,that goes into change control freeze.I.e. T5here is nothing at all to do all freakin day until 5 when I take 10 seconds to verify my part of the release was sucessful. And I avoided the internet all day until, I couldn’t stand it, and figured CNN shoul be safe :mad:
Hmph. Uruguay’s is one of my favourite strips. Maybe I’m gay. I like the unusual black shorts + black socks look. Ghana’s strip is nasty, true.
It’s 0-0 right now in the Uruguay-Ghana match, and I honestly couldn’t conceive of Ghana scoring a goal — or Uruguay going 90min without a goal, for that matter. Crazy stuff.
As for the unis, I don’t think either team is that bad. They’re both kind of different, I guess.
Of course, now that I say that, there’ve been a couple of good opportunities for Ghana…
EAT MY GOAL!!
And it was coming. Strange half, Uruguay in charge for about 20 minutes, but then Ghana played some lovely stuff and they are worth their lead.
Yeeees
Ghana scores.
And just to totally rub it in, they’ve gone and scored. 