I’m guessing the Cafeteros and the Elephants go through. What do you all think?
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by Randinho| 69 Comments
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I’m guessing the Cafeteros and the Elephants go through. What do you all think?
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catclub
Not much of a guess on Colombia.
Morzer
Can’t disagree with Randinho’s assessment. Japan play pretty soccer, but have no edge to them, while Greece will lumber around hopelessly.
Any thoughts on Suarez biting Chiellini, Randinho?
catclub
How are your predictions from a few weeks ago standing up? That is why they play the games.
danielx
I’m thinking the weather is getting too damn sporty in central Indiana.
SRW1
I think Columbia will beat Japan, but the other game looks more open.
Would not suprise me if Greece were to go through on a 1-0 win.
If there were a deity, sorry Amir, there would be only one team to progress from this group.
Calouste
Let’s hope that these matches have a bit more bite to them than the ones earlier today.
/coat
? Martin
I think Columbia is going to play for a win as if their lives depended on it.
raven
@? Martin: Colombia
SRW1
@catclub:
I think that topic and the explanations for the near and wide misses would make for a fun thread after we know all of the 16 teams for the knock-out stage.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Go Elephants!
? Martin
@raven: Gah. My ‘don’t operate heavy equipment’ medication didn’t say anything about intarwebbing. I think I’ll just sit back and watch now.
Randinho
@catclub: As my internet access has been somewhat limited until now, I did all the open threads before the second game of each group.
@Morzer: just this.
catclub
@Randinho:
Now I understand what you meant here. And I can feel like a heel.
Anoniminous
I think I’d like those stupid & annoying Google doodles to go away.
Amir Khalid
@SRW1:
No offence taken.
I’m considering favouring Ivory Coast over Greece — as consolation for Kolo and Yaya Toure, who have just lost their brother Ibrahim and remain in Brazil despite having to miss his funeral. Japan-Colombia will be a low-scoring draw, I expect.
Morzer
Well, I reckon that probably sinks Japan.
Amir Khalid
@Morzer:
Not necessarily. Still early in the game.
catclub
@Amir Khalid:
Or not. I can imagine the second stringers getting a chance to shine for Colombia.
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
My faith in Japan scoring one goal is limited. Two seems beyond the range of possibility.
MattR
So the Ivory Coast has a Michael Bradley of their own now?
SRW1
And here’s the Greek 1-0.
If that stands, one of the games in the round of the last 16 will be Costa Rica – Greece. I wonder what odds were given for that by bookies?
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@Morzer:
What poor gods we do make.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
C’mon Cote d’Ivoire!
Morzer
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
Do you not fear being smitten by Amir “the Hammer” Khalid?
scav
well. Still hoping for CIV over Greece, mostly because that is so meta fun to type.
ETA among other reasons, some of them even good. But that some Ghanaians call eggplants garden eggs is another definite point in their favor.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Hai!
Morzer
Well, Japan are still almost alive!
1-1
Alex S.
The Greeks: soccer’s biggest trolls
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@Morzer:
I view him as something other than a God of a revealed religion. He’s more like the spirit-gods of the animist religions. I won’t even try and figure out what motivates him to do what he does- I just don’t think it’s a matter of praying harder to win him over.
Amir Khalid
@Morzer:
Japan are level.So they’re good for 1-1 at least.
Alex S.
Fun fact: before the third game only two groups had 4 possible advancing teams and 4 possible eliminated teams (meaning everything was still possible): one of them obviously group G with USA, Germany, Ghana and even Portugal not yet out, yet also not in the next round. The other group, ironically, is the french group. Although France won both their games and have the best goal difference, they are not yet through (they need to lose by a really high margin though).
Amir Khalid
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
You would seek in vain for a motive for my actions as a football deity. I am motivated by whim, nothing more.
SRW1
Group C still tight at half time. A goal for Japan or CIV would see either of them progress instead of Greece.
scav
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): Are gods of revealed religions more logical or less capricious? Going by actions over the marketing material provided in their own liturgy and sales dept., I mean. Whim, a mean streak and a wicked sense of humor seem fairly common.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
I haven’t been really impressed with anyone in this group other than Colombia. The Ticos have to be looking pretty good for the quarterfinals at this point.
MattR
That Colombia goal could screw the Ivory Coast. Now Greece can play more defensively since they can afford for Japan to give up a goal in the other game.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
It’s Drogba time! Let the scoring begin!
Valdivia
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): oh I hope so!!
SRW1
OK, Japan would need two goals now. That would appear beyond them.
So, CIV or Greece to follow Colombia into the next round. Yaya clearly doesn’t want to go home yet, but if there’s anything the Greek are good at, it’s defending a 1 – 0.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
@MattR: So, you’re saying that Greece might play like Greece?
MattR
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): Even more Greek than usual :)
SRW1
And now its CIV.
The subs really appear to have bit in this WC.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Elephants!
mali muso
On y va, Cote d’Ivoire! Allez!!!
Amir Khalid
Ivory Coast have equalised. I’m not expecting them to win but a draw will see them through. You need a few little teams to get through and maybe provide the giant-killing surprises in the knockout stages.
MattR
@MattR: Eh, what do I know?
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
I think Colombia really wants to make sure it’s playing Uruguay rather than Costa Rica.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Cote d’Ivoire is trying to protect what is essentially a one goal lead by allowing the most boring football team this side of Iran an awful lot of scoring chances.
scav
It’s gone seriously all timey-wimey crossing time-lines at the guard.
Amir Khalid
Colombia are just too god for Japan. I had to let them go 3-1 up.
SRW1
The Elephgants are really tempting the gods here.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
I mean, that had Own Goal written all over it.
mali muso
Ok, now I’m just feeling sorry for poor Japan.
SRW1
Apparently, Colombia have just robbed Roger Milla of having been the oldest player at a WC by bringing on their 43 year old goalie sub.
SRW1
Penalty for Greece in extra time!
raven
That was some weak shit.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Oh, crap. Nice job, Elephants. To someone who isn’t a regular watcher of the game that looked like a marginal penalty but they kept giving them chances and something was bound to blow up on them.
raven
Can they call timeout to ice him?
Randinho
@catclub: Not at all. No offense taken.
Amir Khalid
I guess I didn’t feel like letting Ivory Coast move on after all.
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
*cough*
mali muso
sigh. My West African teams are not having a stellar cup. :(
Onkel Fritze
Greece in the next round. That’s fucked.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Yeah, so who had Colombia and Greece advancing from this pool?
scav
@Onkel Fritze: Having a few teams in there we can all gleefully hope get a stomping might have a little value. Every fairy story needs a good villain. But why so many today? (I’m really beginning to dislike light blue and white)
burnspbesq
Brutal for CIV. Just brutal. Was a good call, as the defender was a split-second late and got all foot. Barry guessed right; if he were 6’4″ CIV would be moving on.
This game is a cruel, heartless bitch. It can’t be repeated enough.
Onkel Fritze
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): Colombia for sure. Greece, not so much.
dollared
@burnspbesq: Truly. What a ghastly moment for that fullback, and for CIV.
Really puts one in fear of what can go wrong on Thursday.
MattR
@dollared: I prefer to think that the US got through their share of those moments in the Portugal game. Both the first goal off of Cameron’s scuffed clearance and the last second goal off the Bradley turnover/Ronaldo cross were brutal.