# Brasil 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840 "2014-05-06T21:19:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 58
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1141 "2014-06-21T21:01:33Z")
Looked like the same Ghana team that played the US. The US knew that they would get destroyed if Ghana got quick counter attacks, so they stayed back and defended. Ghana had trouble breaking down a staunch US defense. Germany thought that they could defend Ghana in the open on quick counters, much to their chagrin. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1142 "2014-06-21T21:01:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Wow, that was quite a game, and probably a fair result, although i would love to have seen Ghana get the win. > > The United States can probably count themselves lucky that this Ghana team didn’t turn up to the first game. Give the USA some credit. Frankly, we defended Ghana better, and were strong offensively until losing Altidore. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1143 "2014-06-21T21:02:31Z")
Wow, that was intense. Ghana might be a little disappointed, but that was a heavyweight slugging match in the second half. Meanwhile, I’d really like the US to win tomorrow so I can root for Germany next week with a clean conscience. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1144 "2014-06-21T21:03:35Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Awesome second half. Klose now joint all-time top scorer in World Cup tournaments. > Mind you, I also thought Argentina - Iran was a very good game in its own way. I agree with that. I think Japan-Greece was the only snooze I’ve watched so far. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1145 "2014-06-21T21:04:08Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Give the USA some credit. Frankly, we defended Ghana better, and were strong offensively until losing Altidore. I think the USA deserve plenty of credit, but i don’t think Ghana were nearly as strong in the first game as they were today. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1146 "2014-06-21T21:04:40Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Awesome second half. Agreed, that’s all I managed to see today so far, but bloody hell. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1147 "2014-06-21T21:05:27Z")
Phew, this was an exciting game. Our defense was mostly absent, but you can never count us out. I’m glad for Miro Klose to have scored the record goal, he’s just such a great sportsman. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1148 "2014-06-21T21:07:21Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I think the USA deserve plenty of credit, but i don’t think Ghana were nearly as strong in the first game as they were today. Aside from their having blinked in the opening moments, allowing the quick USA goal (which is obviously not nothing), I saw the same side as just now. The USA tactics simply handled them a bit better. ETA: what a pity only two teams move forward. In this group, I see three very deserving sides so far\*. We’ll see how USA-Portugal goes tomorrow. \*This is truly the Group of Death! Portugal is certainly no patsy. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1149 "2014-06-21T21:25:18Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Phew, this was an exciting game. Our defense was mostly absent, but you can never count us out. I’m glad for Miro Klose to have scored the record goal, he’s just such a great sportsman. Shkrodan Mustafi should be on a plane back to Frankfurt, that defending on Ayew’s header was beyond abysmal. He didn’t even JUMP. Mertesacker, Khedira, and Lahm were also pretty dreadful–Lahm has been surprisingly slow in both matches and I’m wondering if he’s struggling with the temperatures. Mertesacker being slow can hardly be called surprising, but he was caught out a lot today, and Khedira’s passing was from the depths. I think I’d start Schweinsteiger next time. Howedes was also too slow on the left. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1150 "2014-06-21T21:25:19Z")
Yeah, I think Portugal have got a win in them somewhere (remember they were down to ten men for much of the Germany game) so this could be a very tight group. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1151 "2014-06-21T21:28:39Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Shkrodan Mustafi should be on a plane back to Frankfurt, that defending on Ayew’s header was beyond abysmal. He didn’t even JUMP. Mertesacker, Khedira, and Lahm were also pretty dreadful–Lahm has been surprisingly slow in both matches and I’m wondering if he’s struggling with the temperatures. Mertesacker being slow can hardly be called surprising, but he was caught out a lot today, and Khedira’s passing was from the depths. I think I’d start Schweinsteiger next time. Howedes was also too slow on the left. Oh yeah, that reminds me. Mustafi. I have to say, it almost looked like he _ducked_ on that header. That was awful. I didn’t think Khedira was as bad as you thought, but totally agree with the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1152 "2014-06-21T21:44:21Z")
What turns faster,[Per Mertesacker or milk?](http://http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2054924-arsenal-players-respond-to-abusive-tweets-in-the-best-way-possible) ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1153 "2014-06-21T22:17:07Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Oh yeah, that reminds me. Mustafi. I have to say, it almost looked like he _ducked_ on that header. That was awful. > > I didn’t think Khedira was as bad as you thought, but totally agree with the rest. I thought it looked like that as well–almost like he was instinctively trying to avoid getting bonked than get in there on the ball. Pathetic. Khedira, for me, just has had too much poor decision-making and too many poor executions on passes. Then he pushes forward, doesn’t do anything with it, and leaves a bunch of space exposed behind him. The game changed immediately when Schweinsteiger came on in his place. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1154 "2014-06-21T22:21:21Z")
Wow, what an absymal offside call! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1155 "2014-06-21T22:21:53Z")
Ok, someone explain to the novice why that was not a goal. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1156 "2014-06-21T22:30:08Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > I thought it looked like that as well–almost like he was instinctively trying to avoid getting bonked than get in there on the ball. Pathetic. > > Khedira, for me, just has had too much poor decision-making and too many poor executions on passes. Then he pushes forward, doesn’t do anything with it, and leaves a bunch of space exposed behind him. The game changed immediately when Schweinsteiger came on in his place. You shouldn’t forget they both struggled with injuries for months before the tournament, with Khedira just getting fit in time (or wasn’t he?). He was good against Portugal, but not today. Schweini, together with Klose, kind of saved the game for us. Let’s see who’ll start against the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1157 "2014-06-21T22:32:49Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Ok, someone explain to the novice why that was not a goal. Because the linesman erroneously called it offside. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1158 "2014-06-21T23:14:01Z")
Nigeria has some really nice lead-up play, but they can’t seem to get it together to make good strikes. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1159 "2014-06-21T23:20:29Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Oh yeah, that reminds me. Mustafi. I have to say, it almost looked like he _ducked_ on that header. That was awful. I was thinking the same. He should have jumped, he even could have fouled the Ghanaian striker, but man, do something! I didn’t know anything about Mustafi before his nomination, with him never having played in the Bundesliga and being a last minute surprising substitution for an injured Reus. He was quite good at his offensive actions, but that was embarassing. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1160 "2014-06-21T23:51:43Z")
B&H almost snagged a draw right at the death there, with a close-in shot saved amazingly (and somewhat luckily) by the Nigerian goalkeeper and deflecting off the post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=57) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=59)