The Official World Cup Thread

[Marco4]

Figowill be available. There are doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness, though.

[soccer10k]

The Aussies are playing fairly well today. I would love nothing more than to see them upset Italy.

 

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!! OY OY OY!!

[sethuel1]

If I was in charge of FIFA. I would give an after game Red Card (Does this keep them out the next match, if not whatever would keep them out the next match also) to any player that was obviously taking a dive after looking at it on replay. I dont mean stop the match and have a on field ref look at replay, I mean some other official that is watching during the game. I have watched a lot of World Cup for the first time in my life and really enjoy it. They game is really getting tainted by players taking dives though and needs to be corrected in a more stern way than possibly getting a Yellow card if a referee catches it. If all the diving was removed than a lot of the other stuff would just clean itself up.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38053000/jpg/_38053615_riv300.jpg

 

Is that a picture of Rivaldo when he took the dive in 2002? IIRC he got hit in the leg/thigh with the ball and fell down in a heap and grabbed his face.

 

Correct.

[sethuel1]

here's the point where Italy realizes that a half-fit Totti is still a better option than the attacking schlock they've got out there right now.

 

If they're smart, anyway.

 

EDIT: What a surprise! Giorgio Chinaglia, the Laziale pezzo di merda that he is, is happy that Totti isn't playing.

[soccer10k]

And the red card comes again. Not sure about that one though. It was late but it wasn't horrible. Yellow card worthy.

 

BTW, as I type this Marcelo Balboa confirms it so I must be right.

 

Italy now down to 10 men.

[sethuel1]

Wish we had search enabled so I could go back and find the post where I referrred to Marco Materazzi as a red card machine

[sethuel1]

Hooray! It's the Alessandro Del piero falling down game! he plays for..... Juve! Who would've guessed?

[Marco4]

With Del Piero, I'm sure 'play' has been a stretch for a while now.

[soccer10k]

Totti in for Del Piero.

[USSoccer]

Wait, Del Piero started ahead of Totti? Who's the Italian manager, Dustino Bakerini?

[Derwood]

The Netherlands lost so my interest has gone from 0.1% to 0%

[soccer10k]

I need somebody to score in this game. I have to be at work at 1030 (Pacific Time). I'll probably have time to watch the overtime if the game goes that far but definately won't be able to watch the penalty kicks.

[B]

BS

[soccer10k]

Wow. Unbelievalbe penalty kick call for Italy. The referee had to call that foul.

 

Totti to win the game and send Italy to the quarterfinals...

 

GOAL!!

 

WOW.

[goonys evil twin]

The referee had to call that foul.

 

Why did he have to? Because futbol would fail to exist without pansy boys flopping and getting calls?

[soccer10k]

The referee had to call that foul.

 

Why did he have to? Because futbol would fail to exist without pansy boys flopping and getting calls?

 

Because he got fouled. It wasn't an intentional foul but Grosso tripped over Neill. I'll give you that Grosso sold it and may have tried to trip over Neill but the fact remains that he tripped and Neill preventened, albeit unintentionally, a shot at goal. It's not like Grosso jumped over Neill and went down. There was contact and Grosso sold it well. The referee had no choice but to call it. A foul or infraction doesn't have to be intentional to get called.

[sethuel1]

That was a clear penalty. the defender didn't get the ball, and then impeded the progress of the offensive player from getting to the ball.

 

And Totti absolutely hammered that PK.

[sethuel1]

I really enjoy how the Juve method has been exposed in this WC. Nedved's and Del Piero's diving has been blatant and silly, and Zambrotta just got the yellow card for picking up the ball and carrying it away, a Juve special.

[goonys evil twin]

The referee had to call that foul.

 

Why did he have to? Because futbol would fail to exist without pansy boys flopping and getting calls?

 

Because he got fouled. It wasn't an intentional foul but Grosso tripped over Neill. I'll give you that Grosso sold it and may have tried to trip over Neill but the fact remains that he tripped and Neill preventened, albeit unintentionally, a shot at goal. It's not like Grosso jumped over Neill and went down. There was contact and Grosso sold it well. The referee had no choice but to call it. A foul or infraction doesn't have to be intentional to get called.

 

I don't know the rules, so I can't comment on whether it should have been called. But the defender was motionless on the ground, and the other guy could have easily stepped over him or gone around, but he purposefully tapped his toe on the guy and dove. That, and the endless barrage of 0-0 and 1-0 games is why this sport won't make it in the US.

[CubsBullsBears]

First World Cup induced riot of 2006 will be tomorrow!!!!

[Jon]

I'm not sure who was doing the color for the Fire game on CSNC last night, but he kept on going on and on about how the complaining over the World Cup officiating by analysts has been unwarranted. His main point was that it only matters how much the fans enjoy the games and that the fans have been pleased with the officiating.

 

Not as bad as the wave that they keep doing in Germany, though.

[USSoccer]

First World Cup induced riot of 2006 will be tomorrow!!!!

 

Huh?

[sethuel1]

First World Cup induced riot of 2006 will be tomorrow!!!!

 

Huh?

 

I think he's still pissy because everyone laughed at his WBC vs. World Cup argument.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

That was a clear penalty. the defender didn't get the ball, and then impeded the progress of the offensive player from getting to the ball.

 

And Totti absolutely hammered that PK.

 

I don't buy that. Neill slid well before Grosso even touched the ball sideways. Then he touched it and let himself fall over Neill, who again was there before he changed his dribble, instead of following the ball. There was another defender coming towards the side dribble, so it's not like he was alone with the keeper if he doesn't fall. Like USS said with regards to the US-Ghana PK, you're essentially saying he had a clear go at goal without the "foul". That's not true in this case, it was a bad call.

 

All that said, in the brief replay I saw of the red card, that didn't look like a red.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

woohoo, on to PK's! Let's go Switzerland!