Doesn’t being French cover it?
The most bizarre aspect of it was that Domenech read out the players’ protest statement.
It would be hilarious if, after all this, this shambolic French operation somehow stumbled into the knockout stages. I could almost see them, free of worries, turning it on against South Africa. But of course they need the other match to not be a draw.
Hah hah, you so funny. Mexico-Uruguay is going to be the first WC game where the ball never reaches either side’s penalty area.
Aren’t Mexico and Uruguay essentially guaranteed to advance, anyway?
Even the losing team will have 4 points. If France wins, they would also have 4 points. However, France is -2 in goal differential (URU is +3, Mexico +2), so they would have to make up that 4 goal difference and more. Or, they could tie in goal differential and equalize the number of goals scored, but they’re down 3 there as well.
I don’t see any way Mexico or Uruguay are out with a loss unless France wins 4-0 or something.
If they draw, both teams advance, and there’s nothing either France or South Africa can do about it in that case. But if either loses, France or South Africa could potentially overtake them on goal difference.
So what are Mexico and Uruguay going to do? There’s no point in pushing forward and risking a counterattack by the other side. So it’s going to be time for the old 0-0-11 formation.
Is there any rule that says they even have to play the ball? Kick it off at the beginning, then go to your respective ends and play Scrabble.
Good times.
That would be exciting, but I suspect you mean 10-0-0 (given that 4-4-2 has two strikers).
I would argue that the benefits of winning the group and getting to play the Group B runner-up (read: Not Argentina) outweigh the extremely remote possibility that either France or RSA will win by 4 goals.
Edit: Since Uruguay would win the group with a draw, I guess this only applies to Mexico.
Well, Mexico is one goal behind in differential, so there may be some motivation not to play Argentina for them. The second-place team from Group B is likely to be far easier.
Managed to catch up on today’s games:
I love Slovakia, and I’m so proud that they got here, and it’s doubly wonderful that they did it by beating the Czechs. I’m sorry to say that they are almost certainly on their way home, but they have done really well. (Not very cohesive, and left a lot of wide open spaces in defence, which Paraguay kept finding. Better luck next time.)
I’m also excited for New Zealand. The commentators were saying that the game was from 2-4am in NZ, and people started calling and texting friends, and pretty soon almost the whole country was out in the streets, yelling. They should be, the team did really well. They showed up some of the weakness of the Italy side, I think. A better team (and I’m guessing there were some watching) will be able to do a lot more damage.
Brazil was competent, with flashes of fire. I get the strong feeling that Ivory Coast doesn’t have much of a strategy after “get the ball to Drogba.” And I don’t know what was happening at the end there. I almost expected to see both teams at it, but that seems confined to hockey and baseball.
I agree with whoever it was upthread who said that Cameroon-Denmark has been the game of the tournament so far.
Are Netherlands and Brazil the only two teams definitely through to the knockout rounds?
I don’t believe Netherlands have technically qualified for the knockout rounds.
Edit: My mistake, you are right.
Yes. Argentina also has six points, but they could still technically miss out with a large loss to Greece and a large South Korean win.
Here’s a technical question. On the New Zealand goal, the scorer was in an offside position when the ball was passed to him, but it deflected off a defender before he could touch it. I take it deflections don’t negate being offside?
No, the point that is decisive is when an attacking player touches the ball. So when his teammate headed he was off side, no matter that it touched a defender after that. I think in this case it is quite possible the linesman thought it didn’t the NZ guy that was heading and came straight of the defender, hence the given goal.
Ooo - it’s gone in for Portugal - what a picture perfect goal. Elegant!
I think you mean Portugal. Brazil played yesterday. The other two goals from Portugal were also very well played, but I think Almeida may have been offside when the pass was played to the wing before his goal.
4-0 now.
Maybe it’s mean of me to think of it, but I can’t help remember the rumors about how after NK lost to Portugal in 1966, many of the team members were sent to prison camps. It almost seems as if today’s players are already looking tensely at the exits. Perhaps asylum is an attractive option…
Bugger! I managed to change it - see above, but you still got me. 
At any rate, it’s bad news for the Cote d’Ivoire, since it can only qualify if it beats North Korea and Brazil beats Portugal by a collective difference of 7 goals … and counting.
rumor has it that 4 DPRK players are already MIA.
One must wonder after today’s shellacking whether they’ll have enough players around to field an eleven for the match against Ivory Coast.
7-0. Yeah, I hope the NK players are already packed to scarper.