The announcer on ESPN just said that US should want “a hefty German win”. Is that because of the goal differential? Why wouldn’t the US want the Germans to lose?
3.
RSA
Die.
(Sorry, long-ago German grammar lessons just kicked in for a second.)
4.
HumboldtBlue
Is that “Deutschland Uber Alles”?
5.
HumboldtBlue
@Origuy: Because it eliminates Ghana and the US can go through with a draw against Portugal tomorrow
6.
SRW1
Randinho, it’s ‘die’ Mannschaft. Oddly enough, ‘Mannschaft’ is female!
@Origuy: I think because a Ghana loss will eliminate them, whereas if they win they would remain in competition with the US to proceed.
12.
morfydd
Saturday night, a beautiful evening in Berlin on the bank of the Spree, in an open-air bar surrounded by hundreds of crazed fans… :)
13.
SRW1
@Origuy:
Because if Germany win they are through and might slack off in the last game against the US. Germany has a tendency, though, to loose the second game at tournaments.
14.
Corner Stone
Are there any good WWI or WWII puns we can use today vs Ghana?
@RSA: LOL. I never learned how to punctuate stuff in the German language.
17.
Amir Khalid
Tsk, tsk. Mannschaft is a feminine noun. It’s die Mannschaft, not der.
Did Ghana’s most influential witch doctor, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, “Devil of Wednesday”, remember to hex his country’s opponents today? It seems he forgot to work on the Americans …
18.
Alex S.
After watching Ghana-USA I see Germany winning big.
Why are all the uniforms so boring this WC? I was hoping the Neddy Nederlanders would whip out the Big Orange but that was a weaksauce blue thingie.
Do they change them for knockout rounds, or is that against superstition?
These white abominations the Germans are wearing make me wonder if they even care about ever getting laid again.
22.
HumboldtBlue
@morfydd: So you’re not in the Berlin second tier club stadium?
@Origuy:
Or the strange second stanza about German women, wine, fidelity and song. Since 1952, they only sing the final stanza: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit …
27.
Morzer
My head says Germany to win 3-1. However, my prediction is Ghana by 2-1.
Each team has two kits, one ‘home’ and one ‘away’ kit (teams are actually assigned these roles). So, there ain’t different kits in the knock-out round.
29.
scav
@SRW1: If it’s immediately dull could we go with a BlahBlitz? BlahBalonBlitz?
Slow first half, I expect. Neither team will want to tire itself out in the heat.
32.
HumboldtBlue
We can talk about how the German attack will be a Blitzkrieg against the Ghana defense and the Afrikans will have to be better than the Afrika Corps (Boateng) and how they have the Krupp steel firepower to blast their way through the first line of defense to catch the Ghanaians stretched on the flanks while an air assault is also a key for the Wermacht who have the size in the box and the bombers on the wing to do serious damage while on the offensive
Per Mertesacker gets his 100th cap today. This is the only match between teams each of which has one player with a brother in the other team: Ghana has Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Germany has Jerome Boateng.
@SRW1:
My understanding is each team has three sets of kit: the home strip (traditional colours), the away strip (alternative colours), and a “change” strip (second set of alternative colours, in case the away strip clashes with the opponents’).
Sorry. I was tempted and I fell. I am the Thomas Muller of questionable wordplay.
57.
Schlemizel
@Origuy:
The original intent of the song was that all the various Principalities should set aside their petty grievances against their neighbors and put Germany above them. It was a song of unification. Sadly that sort of got lost when the 1930’s 1%ers turned their version of the tea party loose.
My grandfather (grossvater – that needs umlauts!) was Prussian & was a stickler on the der/die bit. He was funny about it but he would wince & cover his ears “OCH! My ears, my poor ears!”
58.
raven
@HumboldtBlue: Nigeria, they rocked here in Athens in 96.
Alas, no. A round cap with a little peak. I don’t know whether they actually present caps to soccer players any more. I have the impression they don’t.
Guard live blog has some of those “scarcely comprehensible arrows” Zony maps that somehow here pointed me towards yesterday. Personally, I rather like them. What can you do with a mapfiend, can’t take them anywhere.
63.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@Corner Stone:
Ghana raised 5 battalions to fight against Germany in WWI. They fought the East Africa campaign. But I doubt many people even knew there was an East Africa campaign in I
65.
HumboldtBlue
Ghana were so shocked they actually had some possession in German third they just gave it back
66.
morfydd
It’s a little disconcerting every time i re-notice the Wall five feet behind the screen. Honecker would be so horrified.
Come on Deutschland, pick it up…
67.
Schlemizel
@Morzer:
Maybe he has some cabbage down on the game.
68.
scav
@Schlemizel: That would explain why he’s worried about it getting shredded. Getting pickled while waiting is a common response to similar kinds of pressure.
@scav:
You have to be careful though or you could end up in the jug.
74.
Morzer
Ghana look alles uber Deutschland at the moment.
75.
Schlemizel
@SRW1:
A very interesting guy. Considering his time, his place and his occupation he seems to have been very enlightened. Many broken stereotypes there.
@Davis X. Machina:
I had to click, I never heard of the book. Is it a good read? The summary sounded sort of cheesy but I like the idea.
76.
scav
@Morzer: Indeed, I was trying to get inside his head in solidarity.
77.
Alex S.
Ghana looks a little more dangerous. But then they also did so during their first game, and it took them ages to score.
Germany is a bit too predictable, though they occasionally try to lull their opponent into a false sense of security.
Germany is a bit too predictable, though they occasionally try to lull their opponent into a false sense of security.
Since they’re the favorite, by a long shot, in this group, is that really all that fruitful a strategy? Who the hell is going to feel secure playing against them, especially since the score is still tied?
80.
mali muso
Lot of off-sides for Ghana. Still, they are holding their own.
It’s true, Ghana must score. Germany however doesn’t have to. They can do their tiki-taka for a while and then suddenly change pace whenever there’s a chance. Ghana will not forget how dangerous Germany is, but they might miss the precise second when the danger is highest.
@Schlemizel: Vy good book IMHO — the blurb is poor. Try this review from the book’s release.. Boyd earlier A Good Man in Africa is also well worth a read. Boyd was worried early on about being pigeon-holed as an African specialist of some sort. His short story collection On the Yankee Station is one of my favorites, although hard to find now.
88.
mali muso
According to the Guardian liveblog folks, at least a few of them were not offsides when looking at the replay.
Watching on Univision again since we don’t pay for cable. Gotta love the Spanish announcers enthusiasm…even though I only understand about half do the commentary.
89.
Mr Stagger Lee
@HumboldtBlue: I saw a Ghana fan in a professor’s gown with the cap, and they speak English so I would hang with them. Oh look a Spanish version of Breaking Bad called Metastasis.
I thought Ghana had been hard done by several times.
91.
CumbucoTrader
Although Germany and Holland dominated their first games, this week is showing how this World Cup is wide open in terms of a favorite.
Sitting right now just outside of Fortaleza, where the game is being played. So happy how things have gone so far for the event as a whole, despite the dire predictions.
92.
Schlemizel
@Davis X. Machina:
Thanks, I’ll see if I can get a copy & put it on my “to be read” pile to feel guilty about not getting to yet.
93.
Morzer
Hope Solo has apparently gotten into quite a bit of trouble:
Hope Solo, goalkeeper for the US women’s soccer team, was arrested early on Saturday morning for striking her sister and teenage nephew during a dispute at her home in a Seattle suburb, police said.
…
Police who responded to a 911 call at Solo’s house in Kirkland a little after midnight could hear noise from the “disturbance” from the street, according to a police statement.
Solo, 32, appeared “intoxicated and upset”, police said, and her 17-year-old nephew and adult sister were visibly injured.
A news release from Kirkland police said officers arrested Solo after speaking to those present and determining that Solo was the aggressor.
94.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Schlemizel: Depends how many people have seen The African Queen.
95.
raven
OK, rice and chicken on, now let’s get it!
96.
mali muso
I’m pulling for another Boateng vs. Boateng moment in this half. And maybe some goals.
@raven: Don’t tell anyone but I absolutely love to make gravy from cream of chicken soup when I have chicken and rice. Please, don’t tell the foodies, but I love it on my rice
99.
mali muso
Awwww. Way to mess up my hopes. Pfft. ;)
100.
raven
@HumboldtBlue: Ha! I’m actually grilling chicken breast and steaming the rice to have with blackeyed peas and kale. The boss lady want to go down to Athfest even though it’s hot as shit so I want to eat before we go.
101.
Corner Stone
Gotye!
102.
mali muso
And there goes the goal. Hmm, hope my black stars can pull it out but feeling doubtful.
That goofy goal for Germany is being repaid with a stupid pass from Lahm.
145.
raven
There’s a light year left in this one!
146.
mali muso
Speaking only for myself, I would be delighted if Ghana and the US went through. Not that I think it will happen, but being an American who has lived in Africa (and is married to an African), that is where my loyalties lie. :)
@mali muso: Me too, the Ghanian’s look all Rasta to me!
149.
CumbucoTrader
From a USA perspective, we want Ghana to lose so they will be eliminated and not in contention to proceed. Statistically it’s better for the US.
From a perspective of rooting for the underdog, and a team that is showing a lot of heart and playing great football, we might want Ghana to win.
This is a great game so far, and have to admit I’m rooting for Ghana.
150.
Tripod
Germany is chasing the ball. USA fans have seen this show.
151.
Mr Stagger Lee
It seems to me that many of the favorites are taking their opponents too lightly like Italy against Costa Rica, Argentina may have done it against Iran and der Deutsch may be doing it here.
and a team that is showing a lot of heart and playing great football,
Hell yes!
153.
morfydd
If all else fails, bring in the 2010 team?
154.
raven
Fuck a buncha, “if we tie we go through”! Win .
155.
raven
A Goiman flip!
156.
Baud
This is a good game.
157.
Morzer
Sod it.
158.
Alex S.
Klose wants the record.
159.
Tripod
Hot damn. Barnburner.
160.
Amir Khalid
If USMNT (guys, your national team needs a proper nickname, not a clumsy five-letter abbreviation) beat Portugal in their next match, they’ll be top of the group. For I am a generous deity.
161.
Valdivia
What a game!
162.
Morzer
Ghana, you have to find a way to stop Germany coming down the flanks and crossing into the box.
163.
SRW1
Klose catched Ronaldo (the weighty one) in the eternal WC scorer list after two minutes on the field. Reliability.
@Violet: As I understand it, if Ghana ties, the US has to beat Portugal. If Ghana loses, they are out and the US can tie Portugal.
185.
CumbucoTrader
@Violet: if we beat Portugal tomorrow, a Ghana Germany tie means USA in first place in the group, and we would certainly have one of the top two places to proceed.
If we lose to Portugal it gets more complicated.
186.
mali muso
Ghana defense FTW!
187.
Morzer
The referee has certainly been charitable towards some rugged tackles.
188.
dmsilev
@Violet: Depends on tomorrow, really. If Germany ties today and the US beats Portugal tomorrow, we’re on top of the group with 6 points (Germany 2nd with 4) and are guaranteed to advance regardless of how badly we get hammered by Germany. If we lose to Portugal, we and Portugal both have 3 points and Germany has 4. That’s a lousy position to be in, since Portugal would probably be better against Ghana than we would against Germany. A tie tomorrow would leave the US and Germany tied with 4 points, and Ghana and Portugal with 1 each.
189.
Morzer
Klose but no cigar.
190.
Violet
Thanks everyone. Guess we’ll see how it ends!
191.
SRW1
Some mental misfirings on both sides. Must be hot.
192.
raven
What the fuck was that?
193.
Baud
Ouch.
194.
SRW1
Uh, that looks ugly.
195.
burnspbesq
Boye is going for the Gold Truncheon. That could be two broken noses in two matches.
196.
Morzer
Ghana gave Germany a mighty scare – and suddenly the Germans look a bit less inevitable.
197.
Alex S.
Intense game, just result. Poor Ghana… they lost it vs USA.
198.
morfydd
Well. That was unexpected. Where does that leave the group?
199.
mali muso
Phew, that turned out to be an exciting second half. No one should underestimate Ghana now.
Yeah, except that this is the result Portugal had to wish for.
207.
morfydd
And it’s been answered, sorry. Was unable to read for a bit there :)
208.
mali muso
Morzer, I am feeling good about France. They’ve looked really strong so far.
209.
MattR
Let’s see if I did this right
Based on this tie, a US win vs Portugal puts them through. If the US loses to Portugal, then they would need to beat Germany unless the Portugal-Ghana game ends in a tie, in which case the US could advance with a tie (they advance if they lose to Portugal by 1, don’t advance if they lose by 3 or more, while a 2 goal loss would leave the tiebreaker coming down to total goals scored by each team). The US can also advance if they lose to Portugal by 1 and tie Germany while Ghana defeats Portugal by 1 and the US scores more in their two games than Ghana scores in their one.
If the US ties it becomes more complicated – If they follow that tie up with another one against Germany (or a victory), they will advance. If the US loses to Germany, they would be tied in points with the Portugal-Ghana winner. If that is Portugal, the US should be OK on goal differential. If it is Ghana, Ghana currently has the tiebreaker advantage (if Ghana and Portugal tie then the US would advance).
He scored 4 goals against West Germany, who’d won the Cup in ’54, in the third place match.
There were 126 goals scored in that tournament, 3.6 per match. If you look at all the scores, leaving out France’s games, there were few blowouts. Only three other teams scored more than 3 goals in a match: Brazil twice (5 in the semis against France and against Sweden in the finals), Czechoslovakia and Hungary each once. France did it three times. You take France out of the mix, and the goals per match drops to something closer to the number from ’62 and ’66 (both averaged 2.78).
And those ’62/’66 numbers are a lot closer to the modern average (2.27 goals per match in 2010) than they are to those of ’58. I don’t know how you can explain the difference from ’58 to ’62 when there weren’t any major changes to the rules or to the equipment or, really, to the competitive levels of the teams. I think it was Fontaine himself.
(BTW, I typoed in that other comment: Fontaine scored 13 in 6 games, not 14.)
“… to beat Sandor Kocsis’s record of 11 goals in a World Cup, set with Hungary in 1954, Fontaine needed to score three in the third-place play-off against West Germany. He hit four in a 6-3 win. The game was competitive only in name – “Fontaine only had to stay on his feet to score goals,” wrote Cris Freddi is his definitive history of the World Cup …”
ETA: As I said different times, but I doubt his record for goals in a single WC tournament is likely to ever be broken.
215.
Amir Khalid
@Alex S.:
I don’t know if you’d get away with it nowadays, after the big stink that die Schande von Gijon caused. I suspect a draw arrived at by obvious collusion would get both USA and Germany booted out of the World Cup tout de suite, with Portugal and Ghana progressing instead, and probably hefty sanctions against both national teams in future competitions.
“Fontaine feasted on a steady stream of gorgeous passes from Kopa – man had not discovered the sweeper in those days – and their partnership, though short-lived at international level, was legendary. ”
Catenaccio was invented in the 1960s in Italy and the game changed forever.
217.
MattR
@Alex S.: @Amir Khalid: The problem would be proving obvious collusion. Both teams could easily justify playing an overly defensive game since a tie guarantees they advance and a loss could eliminate them (though it would be quite improbable in Germany’s case given their 4 goal victory over Portugal, but they could still argue that a draw guarantees they win their group which should keep them from having to face Argentina until the semi finals)
218.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
Catenaccio was invented in the 1960s in Italy and the game changed forever.
’50s, Padova, under Rocco. Done when Rinus Michels perfected Total Football. And then-modern defense didn’t exactly shut down Gerd Muller in Mexico (10 goals in 6 games).
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raven
Aite let’s get it on!!!
Origuy
The announcer on ESPN just said that US should want “a hefty German win”. Is that because of the goal differential? Why wouldn’t the US want the Germans to lose?
RSA
Die.
(Sorry, long-ago German grammar lessons just kicked in for a second.)
HumboldtBlue
Is that “Deutschland Uber Alles”?
HumboldtBlue
@Origuy: Because it eliminates Ghana and the US can go through with a draw against Portugal tomorrow
SRW1
Randinho, it’s ‘die’ Mannschaft. Oddly enough, ‘Mannschaft’ is female!
Corner Stone
@RSA:
Well, that’s just bloody rude.
HumboldtBlue
@SRW1: That’s what she said
SP
No, they can’t seal the group with a win, unless you’re taking their win over the US as a given.
Origuy
@HumboldtBlue: The name of the song is actually “Deutschlandlied” (Song of Germany); they don’t sing the first stanza any more.
@HumboldtBlue: Thanks.
CumbucoTrader
@Origuy: I think because a Ghana loss will eliminate them, whereas if they win they would remain in competition with the US to proceed.
morfydd
Saturday night, a beautiful evening in Berlin on the bank of the Spree, in an open-air bar surrounded by hundreds of crazed fans… :)
SRW1
@Origuy:
Because if Germany win they are through and might slack off in the last game against the US. Germany has a tendency, though, to loose the second game at tournaments.
Corner Stone
Are there any good WWI or WWII puns we can use today vs Ghana?
dmsilev
@SP: Not a given, but probably a decent bet.
Tommy
@RSA: LOL. I never learned how to punctuate stuff in the German language.
Amir Khalid
Tsk, tsk. Mannschaft is a feminine noun. It’s die Mannschaft, not der.
Did Ghana’s most influential witch doctor, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, “Devil of Wednesday”, remember to hex his country’s opponents today? It seems he forgot to work on the Americans …
Alex S.
After watching Ghana-USA I see Germany winning big.
SRW1
@HumboldtBlue:
She strong!!
raven
@Corner Stone: Torpedos Los!
Corner Stone
Why are all the uniforms so boring this WC? I was hoping the Neddy Nederlanders would whip out the Big Orange but that was a weaksauce blue thingie.
Do they change them for knockout rounds, or is that against superstition?
These white abominations the Germans are wearing make me wonder if they even care about ever getting laid again.
HumboldtBlue
@morfydd: So you’re not in the Berlin second tier club stadium?
Tommy
@Amir Khalid: It is a complex language.
SRW1
@Corner Stone:
Maybe if the Germans score a quick goal we ould talk about something Blitz….
I don’t think the Germany/Ghana combination itself lends itself easily to WW puns.
schrodinger's cat
Caturday thread needs Kitteh.
Amir Khalid
@Origuy:
Or the strange second stanza about German women, wine, fidelity and song. Since 1952, they only sing the final stanza: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit …
Morzer
My head says Germany to win 3-1. However, my prediction is Ghana by 2-1.
SRW1
@Corner Stone:
Each team has two kits, one ‘home’ and one ‘away’ kit (teams are actually assigned these roles). So, there ain’t different kits in the knock-out round.
scav
@SRW1: If it’s immediately dull could we go with a BlahBlitz? BlahBalonBlitz?
dmsilev
@SRW1: How about “$player dives like a U-boat”?
Too soon?
Amir Khalid
Slow first half, I expect. Neither team will want to tire itself out in the heat.
HumboldtBlue
We can talk about how the German attack will be a Blitzkrieg against the Ghana defense and the Afrikans will have to be better than the Afrika Corps (Boateng) and how they have the Krupp steel firepower to blast their way through the first line of defense to catch the Ghanaians stretched on the flanks while an air assault is also a key for the Wermacht who have the size in the box and the bombers on the wing to do serious damage while on the offensive
Hawes
Is Germany Ghana win?
Corner Stone
That was nifty.
SRW1
@scav:
In that case we could go with ‘All Quiet on the Football Front’.
Maybe there’s more ptential than I thought, but that was my last one anyway.
HumboldtBlue
Fucking Krauts just don’t panic or rush when in the box, do they?
Morzer
@HumboldtBlue:
Someone’s in a sauer mood today.
Tommy
@schrodinger’s cat: My cat is literally sitting above my couch. Looking down on me. Think she often judges me.
morfydd
I am at a pirate themed bar in stumbling distance to my room in a floating hostel.
Schland is being… Unimpressive thus far.
Cassidy
Ghana ate their Wheaties it seems.
raven
@Morzer: Fackin Heinie’s!
Amir Khalid
Per Mertesacker gets his 100th cap today. This is the only match between teams each of which has one player with a brother in the other team: Ghana has Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Germany has Jerome Boateng.
raven
@Amir Khalid: What’s theese “cap” you speak of?
schrodinger's cat
@Tommy: They do judge us and find us wanting. Boss cat is that way too.
Morzer
@morfydd:
Too much swastika-taka.
HumboldtBlue
@morfydd: That makes perfect sense, one does not think “pirate”
without thinking of Freidrichstrasse
HumboldtBlue
@raven: How many times a player has represented his country by playing an international match
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
I am sure Germany will soon have a Jerome-Kaiser Boateng.
raven
@HumboldtBlue: Ah, thanks.
SRW1
@HumboldtBlue:
@Origuy:
Draw against Portugal won’t do for the US. Portugal could stil maul Ghana and end up with four points ahead of the US on goal difference!
Morzer
@raven:
Traditionally, players were presented with a cap in the team’s colors before their first starting game.
Alex S.
@Morzer:
ahahaha..
HumboldtBlue
Not sure which group of African fans I’d rather hang with, Ghana or Ivory Coast
raven
@Morzer: Like a beenie with a propellor?
Amir Khalid
@SRW1:
My understanding is each team has three sets of kit: the home strip (traditional colours), the away strip (alternative colours), and a “change” strip (second set of alternative colours, in case the away strip clashes with the opponents’).
Morzer
@Alex S.:
Sorry. I was tempted and I fell. I am the Thomas Muller of questionable wordplay.
Schlemizel
@Origuy:
The original intent of the song was that all the various Principalities should set aside their petty grievances against their neighbors and put Germany above them. It was a song of unification. Sadly that sort of got lost when the 1930’s 1%ers turned their version of the tea party loose.
My grandfather (grossvater – that needs umlauts!) was Prussian & was a stickler on the der/die bit. He was funny about it but he would wince & cover his ears “OCH! My ears, my poor ears!”
raven
@HumboldtBlue: Nigeria, they rocked here in Athens in 96.
SRW1
@Amir Khalid:
You could be right!
Morzer
@raven:
Alas, no. A round cap with a little peak. I don’t know whether they actually present caps to soccer players any more. I have the impression they don’t.
Dee Loralei
@Morzer: that was funny.
scav
Guard live blog has some of those “scarcely comprehensible arrows” Zony maps that somehow here pointed me towards yesterday. Personally, I rather like them. What can you do with a mapfiend, can’t take them anywhere.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@raven:
Sorta like this.
Schlemizel
@Corner Stone:
Ghana raised 5 battalions to fight against Germany in WWI. They fought the East Africa campaign. But I doubt many people even knew there was an East Africa campaign in I
HumboldtBlue
Ghana were so shocked they actually had some possession in German third they just gave it back
morfydd
It’s a little disconcerting every time i re-notice the Wall five feet behind the screen. Honecker would be so horrified.
Come on Deutschland, pick it up…
Schlemizel
@Morzer:
Maybe he has some cabbage down on the game.
scav
@Schlemizel: That would explain why he’s worried about it getting shredded. Getting pickled while waiting is a common response to similar kinds of pressure.
Morzer
@scav:
Lettuce be sympathetic to unser Kamerad.
SRW1
@Schlemizel:
Lettow-Vorbeck!
raven
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): hahahahahahaha
Davis X. Machina
@Schlemizel: cf. An Ice Cream War William Boyd for the East African conflict.
Schlemizel
@scav:
You have to be careful though or you could end up in the jug.
Morzer
Ghana look alles uber Deutschland at the moment.
Schlemizel
@SRW1:
A very interesting guy. Considering his time, his place and his occupation he seems to have been very enlightened. Many broken stereotypes there.
@Davis X. Machina:
I had to click, I never heard of the book. Is it a good read? The summary sounded sort of cheesy but I like the idea.
scav
@Morzer: Indeed, I was trying to get inside his head in solidarity.
Alex S.
Ghana looks a little more dangerous. But then they also did so during their first game, and it took them ages to score.
Germany is a bit too predictable, though they occasionally try to lull their opponent into a false sense of security.
Valdivia
Now this is a game!
dmsilev
@Alex S.:
Since they’re the favorite, by a long shot, in this group, is that really all that fruitful a strategy? Who the hell is going to feel secure playing against them, especially since the score is still tied?
mali muso
Lot of off-sides for Ghana. Still, they are holding their own.
Morzer
@mali muso:
I’ve wondered about some of those calls.
Amir Khalid
We just saw how Iran came at Argentina all day only to lose to an injury-time strike from Leo Messi. The same could happen to Ghana.
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
Is this a warning in advance, Divine One?
HumboldtBlue
A reminder folks, that the final games of the group stages will be played simultaneously to guard against any hanky-panky with the final results
Alex S.
@dmsilev:
It’s true, Ghana must score. Germany however doesn’t have to. They can do their tiki-taka for a while and then suddenly change pace whenever there’s a chance. Ghana will not forget how dangerous Germany is, but they might miss the precise second when the danger is highest.
Amir Khalid
@Morzer:
Could be.
Davis X. Machina
@Schlemizel: Vy good book IMHO — the blurb is poor. Try this review from the book’s release.. Boyd earlier A Good Man in Africa is also well worth a read. Boyd was worried early on about being pigeon-holed as an African specialist of some sort. His short story collection On the Yankee Station is one of my favorites, although hard to find now.
mali muso
According to the Guardian liveblog folks, at least a few of them were not offsides when looking at the replay.
Watching on Univision again since we don’t pay for cable. Gotta love the Spanish announcers enthusiasm…even though I only understand about half do the commentary.
Mr Stagger Lee
@HumboldtBlue: I saw a Ghana fan in a professor’s gown with the cap, and they speak English so I would hang with them. Oh look a Spanish version of Breaking Bad called Metastasis.
Morzer
@mali muso:
I thought Ghana had been hard done by several times.
CumbucoTrader
Although Germany and Holland dominated their first games, this week is showing how this World Cup is wide open in terms of a favorite.
Sitting right now just outside of Fortaleza, where the game is being played. So happy how things have gone so far for the event as a whole, despite the dire predictions.
Schlemizel
@Davis X. Machina:
Thanks, I’ll see if I can get a copy & put it on my “to be read” pile to feel guilty about not getting to yet.
Morzer
Hope Solo has apparently gotten into quite a bit of trouble:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/21/goalkeeper-hope-solo-charged-domestic-violence-assault
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Schlemizel: Depends how many people have seen The African Queen.
raven
OK, rice and chicken on, now let’s get it!
mali muso
I’m pulling for another Boateng vs. Boateng moment in this half. And maybe some goals.
SRW1
@mali muso:
Won’t happen. The German one is off.
HumboldtBlue
@raven: Don’t tell anyone but I absolutely love to make gravy from cream of chicken soup when I have chicken and rice. Please, don’t tell the foodies, but I love it on my rice
mali muso
Awwww. Way to mess up my hopes. Pfft. ;)
raven
@HumboldtBlue: Ha! I’m actually grilling chicken breast and steaming the rice to have with blackeyed peas and kale. The boss lady want to go down to Athfest even though it’s hot as shit so I want to eat before we go.
Corner Stone
Gotye!
mali muso
And there goes the goal. Hmm, hope my black stars can pull it out but feeling doubtful.
raven
No histrionics from the krauts.
SRW1
@mali muso:
Well, your second wish worked like a charm.
Morzer
Hmm heading onto one’s own knee. Interesting new approach.
Inner Partisan
GÖTZE!!!!
Alex S.
Goofy goal, but now Ghana probably collapses.
Corner Stone
@HumboldtBlue: Monster!
Morzer
@raven:
Yeah. A German goal without Thomas Muller rolling across the penalty area just doesn’t feel the same.
Amir Khalid
@Morzer:
I meant for him to do that.
raven
Whoaaaaaa!
Alex S.
…or not..
Baud
Holy cow.
Morzer
Hah! Ghana strikes back!
mali muso
Yep, my second wish just got doubled. Woot!
Inner Partisan
:(
SRW1
@mali muso:
You’re a master of the reversed jinx.
Corner Stone
Jeebus cracker.
⚽️ Martin
Man, these two games should not have been this close. I wonder what tomorrow is going to look like.
HumboldtBlue
wow
dmsilev
One of these days, Univsion is going to have an announcer rupture an artery live on air after a goal is scored.
burnspbesq
Andre Ayew getting his Richard Sherman on.
This is going to get very chippy now. Ghana will, as the hockey folks say, finish their checks.
raven
Aw right, explain to me why we want Germany to win?
Morzer
Thomas Muller cannot believe he rolled all that way for nothing.
Amir Khalid
I love it when a plan comes together.
Morzer
@raven:
We do?
mali muso
Muller is more dramatic than an Italian.
Mr Stagger Lee
@Morzer: Mueller went to the LeBron James School of Sports Dramatics.
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
A god who watches the A-Team. Now I really have seen everything.
raven
@Morzer: Reading fail.
scav
Oyibo enjoyed that.
Morzer
@raven:
I was just curious as to who this “we” might be. I thought you might have a mouse in your pocket, kemosabe.
dmsilev
@raven: My sister-in-law is from there. Good a reason as any for me.
burnspbesq
@mali muso:
Wagnerian?
Tripod
@raven:
Beats me. I want USA to win the group.
mali muso
Gyan!!!
CumbucoTrader
Ghana!!
raven
Sorry I asked.
Morzer
My prediction is looking alarmingly good so far.
Baud
Endzone dance!
raven
@Morzer: easy
Valdivia
Wow
morfydd
…huh. but Schweini is warming up!
Alex S.
That goofy goal for Germany is being repaid with a stupid pass from Lahm.
raven
There’s a light year left in this one!
mali muso
Speaking only for myself, I would be delighted if Ghana and the US went through. Not that I think it will happen, but being an American who has lived in Africa (and is married to an African), that is where my loyalties lie. :)
Morzer
@burnspbesq:
Germany do look kinda Orfful at this point.
raven
@mali muso: Me too, the Ghanian’s look all Rasta to me!
CumbucoTrader
From a USA perspective, we want Ghana to lose so they will be eliminated and not in contention to proceed. Statistically it’s better for the US.
From a perspective of rooting for the underdog, and a team that is showing a lot of heart and playing great football, we might want Ghana to win.
This is a great game so far, and have to admit I’m rooting for Ghana.
Tripod
Germany is chasing the ball. USA fans have seen this show.
Mr Stagger Lee
It seems to me that many of the favorites are taking their opponents too lightly like Italy against Costa Rica, Argentina may have done it against Iran and der Deutsch may be doing it here.
raven
@CumbucoTrader:
Hell yes!
morfydd
If all else fails, bring in the 2010 team?
raven
Fuck a buncha, “if we tie we go through”! Win .
raven
A Goiman flip!
Baud
This is a good game.
Morzer
Sod it.
Alex S.
Klose wants the record.
Tripod
Hot damn. Barnburner.
Amir Khalid
If USMNT (guys, your national team needs a proper nickname, not a clumsy five-letter abbreviation) beat Portugal in their next match, they’ll be top of the group. For I am a generous deity.
Valdivia
What a game!
Morzer
Ghana, you have to find a way to stop Germany coming down the flanks and crossing into the box.
SRW1
Klose catched Ronaldo (the weighty one) in the eternal WC scorer list after two minutes on the field. Reliability.
morfydd
And apparently that wotked.
Amir Khalid
@Amir Khalid:
Or maybe not.
Morzer
Looks like the other Evil Empire is striking back.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
That was a classic poached goal.
Tripod
@raven:
This. Win, win the group, and go through.
raven
@Amir Khalid: “WE” will do! :)
Morzer
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
Klose does only one thing well – but it’s a pretty important thing.
SRW1
Feuer in der Bude.
Morzer
I hope Ghana don’t collapse here. Germany are absolutely rampant suddenly.
raven
A German Chinese Fire Drill!
mali muso
Yeah, Ghana have to keep it together. Oh and don’t hog the ball when your teammate is in the box and perfectly clear. Grr
Morzer
@raven:
It was very pretty, wasn’t it?
raven
@Morzer: I was dazzled!
CumbucoTrader
Ghana has succeeded so far by controlling the ball. Just shooting the ball from anywhere is not the way to go here.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@SRW1:
Until someone scores like Just Fontaine did in the ’58 tournament (14 goals in 6 games), I’m not that impressed.
raven
Pass the goddamn rock! Even I know that.
Violet
Just got home and turned on the game. What happens to the US chances if these results stand?
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@Morzer:
I can’t disagree. Someone needs to finish.
SRW1
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
IIRC Fontaine’s 13 included one game in which the French absolutely slaughtered their opponents. Different times.
SRW1
@Violet:
They must not loose to Portugal.
Origuy
@Violet: As I understand it, if Ghana ties, the US has to beat Portugal. If Ghana loses, they are out and the US can tie Portugal.
CumbucoTrader
@Violet: if we beat Portugal tomorrow, a Ghana Germany tie means USA in first place in the group, and we would certainly have one of the top two places to proceed.
If we lose to Portugal it gets more complicated.
mali muso
Ghana defense FTW!
Morzer
The referee has certainly been charitable towards some rugged tackles.
dmsilev
@Violet: Depends on tomorrow, really. If Germany ties today and the US beats Portugal tomorrow, we’re on top of the group with 6 points (Germany 2nd with 4) and are guaranteed to advance regardless of how badly we get hammered by Germany. If we lose to Portugal, we and Portugal both have 3 points and Germany has 4. That’s a lousy position to be in, since Portugal would probably be better against Ghana than we would against Germany. A tie tomorrow would leave the US and Germany tied with 4 points, and Ghana and Portugal with 1 each.
Morzer
Klose but no cigar.
Violet
Thanks everyone. Guess we’ll see how it ends!
SRW1
Some mental misfirings on both sides. Must be hot.
raven
What the fuck was that?
Baud
Ouch.
SRW1
Uh, that looks ugly.
burnspbesq
Boye is going for the Gold Truncheon. That could be two broken noses in two matches.
Morzer
Ghana gave Germany a mighty scare – and suddenly the Germans look a bit less inevitable.
Alex S.
Intense game, just result. Poor Ghana… they lost it vs USA.
morfydd
Well. That was unexpected. Where does that leave the group?
mali muso
Phew, that turned out to be an exciting second half. No one should underestimate Ghana now.
Alex S.
@Morzer:
Suddenly, Brazil doesn’t look that bad in comparison anymore.
Tripod
Pretty simple. USA beat Portugal, and go through to the next round.
SRW1
Looks like the best African team is going out in the group stage.
⚽️ Martin
Boy, a win tomorrow would be huge.
Morzer
@Alex S.:
I wonder how the French feel about their chances. I think it’s fair to say that no team so far looks like overwhelming all the others.
burnspbesq
USA can clinch with a win tomorrow.
If USA draws tomorrow, a USA-GER draw on Thursday puts both through.
SRW1
@Tripod:
Yeah, except that this is the result Portugal had to wish for.
morfydd
And it’s been answered, sorry. Was unable to read for a bit there :)
mali muso
Morzer, I am feeling good about France. They’ve looked really strong so far.
MattR
Let’s see if I did this right
Based on this tie, a US win vs Portugal puts them through. If the US loses to Portugal, then they would need to beat Germany unless the Portugal-Ghana game ends in a tie, in which case the US could advance with a tie (they advance if they lose to Portugal by 1, don’t advance if they lose by 3 or more, while a 2 goal loss would leave the tiebreaker coming down to total goals scored by each team). The US can also advance if they lose to Portugal by 1 and tie Germany while Ghana defeats Portugal by 1 and the US scores more in their two games than Ghana scores in their one.
If the US ties it becomes more complicated – If they follow that tie up with another one against Germany (or a victory), they will advance. If the US loses to Germany, they would be tied in points with the Portugal-Ghana winner. If that is Portugal, the US should be OK on goal differential. If it is Ghana, Ghana currently has the tiebreaker advantage (if Ghana and Portugal tie then the US would advance).
Randy Paul aka Randinho
@SRW1: es tut mir leid.
Alex S.
Now, if USA and Portugal draw, the game USA vs Germany could become a repeat of the disgrace of Gijón. A draw would be enough for both teams.
SRW1
@Randy Paul aka Randinho:
Kein Problem. ‘Die’ ist nicht logisch.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@SRW1:
He scored 4 goals against West Germany, who’d won the Cup in ’54, in the third place match.
There were 126 goals scored in that tournament, 3.6 per match. If you look at all the scores, leaving out France’s games, there were few blowouts. Only three other teams scored more than 3 goals in a match: Brazil twice (5 in the semis against France and against Sweden in the finals), Czechoslovakia and Hungary each once. France did it three times. You take France out of the mix, and the goals per match drops to something closer to the number from ’62 and ’66 (both averaged 2.78).
And those ’62/’66 numbers are a lot closer to the modern average (2.27 goals per match in 2010) than they are to those of ’58. I don’t know how you can explain the difference from ’58 to ’62 when there weren’t any major changes to the rules or to the equipment or, really, to the competitive levels of the teams. I think it was Fontaine himself.
(BTW, I typoed in that other comment: Fontaine scored 13 in 6 games, not 14.)
SRW1
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
“… to beat Sandor Kocsis’s record of 11 goals in a World Cup, set with Hungary in 1954, Fontaine needed to score three in the third-place play-off against West Germany. He hit four in a 6-3 win. The game was competitive only in name – “Fontaine only had to stay on his feet to score goals,” wrote Cris Freddi is his definitive history of the World Cup …”
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jan/12/just-fontaine-13-goals-world-cup
ETA: As I said different times, but I doubt his record for goals in a single WC tournament is likely to ever be broken.
Amir Khalid
@Alex S.:
I don’t know if you’d get away with it nowadays, after the big stink that die Schande von Gijon caused. I suspect a draw arrived at by obvious collusion would get both USA and Germany booted out of the World Cup tout de suite, with Portugal and Ghana progressing instead, and probably hefty sanctions against both national teams in future competitions.
SRW1
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
From the article in The Guardian:
“Fontaine feasted on a steady stream of gorgeous passes from Kopa – man had not discovered the sweeper in those days – and their partnership, though short-lived at international level, was legendary. ”
Catenaccio was invented in the 1960s in Italy and the game changed forever.
MattR
@Alex S.: @Amir Khalid: The problem would be proving obvious collusion. Both teams could easily justify playing an overly defensive game since a tie guarantees they advance and a loss could eliminate them (though it would be quite improbable in Germany’s case given their 4 goal victory over Portugal, but they could still argue that a draw guarantees they win their group which should keep them from having to face Argentina until the semi finals)
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@SRW1:
’50s, Padova, under Rocco. Done when Rinus Michels perfected Total Football. And then-modern defense didn’t exactly shut down Gerd Muller in Mexico (10 goals in 6 games).