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You are here: Home / Sports / Group B Final Matches Open Thread

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31Comments

  4. 4.

    lol chikinburd

    But Van der Vaart in for Netherlands.

    (And in a major shock: Robben, in the goal’s general vicinity, passed the ball.)

  7. 7.

    lol chikinburd

    Podolski!

    (I’m switching back and forth between games, preferring watching Germany, and keep missing the live goals. Stop that, guys.)

  11. 11.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Damn my weak-ass internet provider, not allowing access for Watch-ESPN so I can see Portugal-Netherlands at the same time.

  12. 12.

    Ronni P

    Quite an eventful first half hour. I want the Dutch to score next to keep their dreams alive as long as possible.

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    BBC liveblog’s “as it stands” Group B table shows Germany through on 9 points. The rest of the table is tied at 3 points and a goal difference of minus 1. So on the head to heads Denmark are through as well.

    And as I type this, Denmark and Portugal equalize against Germany and Holland respectively. So now it’s Germany through on 7 points; Portugal and Denmark tied on 4 points, but Portugal through on head-to-head rule.

  15. 15.

    Ronni P

    But if Denmark score again, I think they jump ahead of Germany.

    Be careful w/ goal differential as the new (?) rules don’t look at it for all teams. They only compare among the teams who are tied.

    This is why tomorrow it doesn’t matter by how much Italy beats Ireland.

  16. 16.

    Ronni P

    Just clarifying my point: there are scenarios where Italy thumping Ireland will help them if everything else is tied.

  18. 18.

    lol chikinburd

    Nobody’s been doing anything with anything in the second half of GER-DEN. In POR-NED, they seem to be mostly fouling each other and falling over.

  19. 19.

    Randinho

    From the Guardian Minute by Minute: “Ibrahim Afellay comes on for Jetro Williams, so Holland are now playing with three defenders plus Nigel de Jong at the back. Anyone else expecting Portugal to score from a counter-attack?”

    Apparently Bert van Marjwik didn’t.

    This is the sort of performance that gets coaches fired.

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    As with Group A last night, the Group B leaders at the start of the evening is just a goal away from elimination. And Denmark were just denied a penalty against them.

  26. 26.

    Mark S.

    I like both Germany and Portugal to get to the semis. Really going out on a limb here.

  27. 27.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Like I said in the preview thread, the thing about “groups of death” is that more often than not, one of the strong teams doesn’t show up. That’s what happened to the Dutch: they qualified strongly, but didn’t show up for the tournament.

    Germany-Greece confirmed, then. That should be… interesting.

    @Randinho:

    This is the sort of performance that gets coaches fired.

    Ah, I’m not a subscriber to the auteur theory of football. Can’t blame the national coach for a squad that’s collectively looking for an extended summer holiday.

  28. 28.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @pseudonymous in nc:

    Can’t blame the national coach for a squad that’s collectively looking for an extended summer holiday.

    Well, you can blame him for for employing defensive tactics at a point when all he should have been thinking was “ATTACK!”.

    But there’s a bigger problem there, and I think it emanates from the directorate of the national team. The Netherlands have long been known for playing an aggressive brand of football, though it’s a history marked with disappointments in the knock-out phase of tournaments. They seemed to have retooled in time for WC 2010 in order to play a more…Adaptable…game, which done ’em well for that tournament, but, in the interim, they seem to have forgotten how to score goals- which isn’t a problem they’ve experienced before.

  29. 29.

    Alison

    Sheesh, there went my damn bracket. Had Netherlands winning the tournament. Hanging my head in shame now.

    Also whoever titleixbaby is, they have the only 100% so far in our group. Nice work!

  31. 31.

    handsmile

    [This may break all kinds of BJ protocol, but I’m going to repost here part of a comment submitted at 12:49pm today to the “Group A Final Matches Open Thread.” in part because the question I posed received a resounding answer. Twice (and it could have been more).]

    “A preemptive comment on Sunday’s Group B final matches. By the time Randinho’s open thread on it appears, I will be among the Oranje army of supporters at its bivouac in NYC, the Times Square sports bar, Tonic.

    For me the most compelling element of today’s contests is whether Arjen Robben or Cristiano Ronaldo, both among the world’s best players but suffering diabolical Euro2012 performances, will redeem his reputation. Pitted against each other in a match that will advance either Holland or Portugal to the QFs, the battle between these titanic talents and egos should be transfixing.”

    And a few replies to some comments above:

    @pseudonymous in nc: (#27)

    After this catastrophic tournament for the Dutch (not a single point), Bert van Marwijk had better be fired. 1) Failure to prepare the squad; 2) failure to discipline intra-squad dissension, a matter in which he might have found some support after all from his son-in-law, team captain Mark van Bommel; 3) tactical abdication in today’s match: it’s inexcusable that he did not make halftime substitutions, waiting until the 70th minute before bringing on Afellay, and subbing him for a defender rather than the ineffective van Persie and Huntelaar.

    Fair or not, when national teams perform abysmally at international competitions, coaches are dismissed. In this case, it is eminently fair.

    @Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): (#8)

    It was Michael Krohn-Dehli whose goal temporarily tied the match for Denmark. “My favorite Dane” only provided the assist. You are too kind.

    @Alison: (#29)

    I also had selected the Netherlands to be the Euro2012 champion. In fact, of the four teams advancing thus far, I had pegged only Germany to do so. (Just what the f*ck is Greece doing in the quarterfinals!!)

    At this point, I should emulate Randinho and not make any more predictions. Or perhaps with my streak I should say that things are looking mighty promising tomorrow for a Croatian victory over Spain and for the Irish to be spoilers against Italy.

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