How come nobody's said a word about the World Cup?

originally posted by Lou Kessler:
My amateur take
originally posted by VS:
Spain broke its own World Cup record for most minutes without a goal being scored against it...

Two more factoids:

This will be the first world title ever won by a European team away from Europe.

This will be the first time ever that Spain and the Netherlands meet in a World Cup or European Championship match. (That one is really strange!)
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I watched todays match and got a better feel for it. I'll root for Spain. Tell me on that break? after Spain got up by one goal, I couldn't believe the Spanish player didn't make the final pass to his team-mate who would have had a wide open shot. Now that was a two on one fast break situation like in basketball. In a similiar situation in a pro basketball game the crowd would have booed that player till his ears rang for a week.
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He blew it. I was shouting at the screen for him to pass pass Pass PASS YOU FUCKER.

But he didn't.
 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
He blew it. I was shouting at the screen for him to pass pass Pass PASS YOU FUCKER.
But he didn't.
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Yes, I was screaming the same thing. I will say that except for that bonehead play, Pedro played very well, giving them a dimension that Torres, in previous games, lacked. He showed good speed on the wing and his passing was very good.

I loved the game -- thought it was a classic match between a brilliantly creative, possession-oriented side and a defensive, counter-attacking side, one that was well-played with minimal fouling and a ref who didn't royally screw things up, even if he had a few close calls to make.

The side that plays the prettiest game doesn't always win, but it's nice when it happens and today, Barca Spain made it happen.
 
originally posted by Lou Kessler:
I couldn't believe the Spanish player didn't make the final pass to his team-mate who would have had a wide open shot. Now that was a two on one fast break situation like in basketball. In a similiar situation in a pro basketball game the crowd would have booed that player till his ears rang for a week.
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They were booing. They were just doing it into vuvuzelas.
 
originally posted by Lou Kessler:
Tell me on that break?
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Pedro is Spain's most inexperienced player, he was dead tired, and he was trying to avoid an offside ruling from the ref if he passed too soon to Torres. So he tried a fancy maneuver... and fucked up.

He'll learn.

On a different, historical note: The Netherlands were never a 'colony' of Spain. The two countries came under the same ruler when the Kingdom of Spain and the German Empire were united under the same king, Charles V, born in Flanders, whose son, Philip II, stirred the pot by trying to impose Catholicism violently on the Dutch, prompting a century of wars which ended with the Netherlands were finally granted independence in 1648.

OTOH, here's a real colony: South Africa was colonized by the Dutch just four years later, in 1652. And South Africans are very aware of the fact that 'apartheid' is a Dutch word...
 
That's exactly what I was thinking here: seeing the Dutch in the South African World Cup final is...well, it's almost a shame it's not vs. England.
 
Can't even get in ahead of Pedro. When the Germans came back the other direction and threatened, I was hoping they'd tie the game. I'm not nearly as impressed with him as Victor. He seems more a luxury than a necessity.

Victor, I too am surprised that people sit back and let Spain dictate play the way they do. I would have thought a robust, athletic side like Germany would do a Mourihno on them. With the exception of Pique and Alonso, the Spanish are short and physically weaker than everyone but Lahm. I would have played a more physical game. Almost an old-style English one.

Pique's headed clearances were vital as this is the great weakness of the Spanish side. Puyol played out of his mind as well. So much determination and heart gives him extra inches of height and fleeter feet.

If I'm the Dutch, I start Elia and Robben on the wings and attack the flanks with pace.

Victor, why is David Silva finding it so hard to find time this WC?
 
originally posted by Thor:
That's exactly what I was thinking here: seeing the Dutch in the South African World Cup final is...well, it's almost a shame it's not vs. England.
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Not to mention that the surname Robben is rather fraught with significance for this particular WC.

Mark Lipton

(Spain certainly deserved that victory, dictating play and taking die Mannschaft -- or did the Germans do that themselves? -- completely out of their game. The final ought to be a good one)
 
I really think that Spain ought to win this, they are playing by far the strongest football. But their big weakness is scoring. While they dominated against our team (who were indeed too timid), they could have still easily lost that game, for example if that shot by Kroos had gone in. This should have not been that close and I am not convinced that they could have easily scored another one since they had a pretty tough time getting one in the net (after a corner...). If the Dutch learn from the German mistakes this could become very interesting.

Since I love jamon more than matjes, I still hope Spain will be the champions.
 
originally posted by VS:
On a different, historical note: The Netherlands were never a 'colony' of Spain. The two countries came under the same ruler when the Kingdom of Spain and the German Empire were united under the same king, Charles V, born in Flanders, whose son, Philip II, stirred the pot by trying to impose Catholicism violently on the Dutch, prompting a century of wars which ended with the Netherlands were finally granted independence in 1648.
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originally posted by .sasha:
does anyone know a good wine match for a grilled octopus salad?
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Well, if you get a really nice char on the cephalopod, you could pair it with a nice foamy glass of the Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer Blauw. It's brewed only one day a year (February 24th) in honor of Charles V's birthday.

I'm not sure who you'll be offending, but there's a decent chance you'll not care.
 
Before I forget, one stat worth mentioning: World Cup semi-final, huge stakes, great tension for 90 minuted - total fouls called, just 16. Germany and Spain played soccer, as they usually do. You don't need to be a cheat to be successful in this sport.
 
originally posted by VS:
Before I forget, one stat worth mentioning: World Cup semi-final, huge stakes, great tension for 90 minuted - total fouls called, just 16. Germany and Spain played soccer, as they usually do. You don't need to be a cheat to be successful in this sport.
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That was refreshing. I doubt it will be the same against the Dutch with your old nemesis van Bommel prowling the center of the park. Ouch.
 
originally posted by VS:
There's nothing that two quick, well-placed yellow cards can't fix.
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I am amazed that he has not been suspended thus far. Honestly, if he finishes the match on the pitch, I'll be surprised.
 
So who deserves it more, personal preferences aside?

Joining the elite seven is a big, big deal. Or is it the elite six and a half? Italy went on to validate their questionable victories of '34 and '38, and Argentina showed enough in '86 to alleviate concerns over the circus of '78. But what about England? While they've only managed to win at home, the field was exceptionally strong that year. I'll leave that bit of judgement to the historians among you.

Historically, Holland deserves the cup, if one considers what had transpired in '74 and '78, and the vast pool of talent they've been producing and exporting since. At this point, they've probably earned it more than the Hungarians in the 50s.

But Spain, on the other hand, is displaying what's become a bit of a lost art in these tournaments - a national identity on the field, with a commitment to a clearly identifiable style. This is why I've always loved the WC like no other sports event - when the players put on that national shirt, it was down to a battle of contrasting styles, and deviation from those styles would be just as disappointing as an underperformance. Granted, Spain's style is largely due to Barca, but they are not the first to succeed in building a side around one club, and they have stuck to the plan. So this is worth something as well.

Or maybe "deserves" has got nothing to do with it.
 
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