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You are here: Home / Sports / Group D Third Game Open Thread

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156Comments

  1. 1.

    Morzer

    I want Costa Rice to win and top the group. They’ve played brave, attractive soccer and I want them to reap the rewards they deserve. England would benefit from a defeat in that it might actually get them to question the gilded sham which is the Premier League.

    I prefer the Italians on cultural grounds, plus I just can’t stand Luis the Sparkle-toothed Vampire. Andiamo, Italia!

  4. 4.

    catclub

    Um, we already know Costa Rica goes through, just don’t know where. I am guessing Uruguay has woken up and beats Italy.

  5. 5.

    MattR

    Rooting for Uruguay. Kinda want to see Brazil-Chile and Uruguay-Colombia together in the top left quarter of the bracket for the knockout rounds.

  6. 6.

    beltane

    It’s funny. One of my Italian cousins is a big AC Milan fan. He usually posts multiple calcio related stories a day on FB. Since the World cup started it’s been crickets from him.

  14. 14.

    burnspbesq

    It’s possible that Costa Rica can handle England without the intercession of either Valdivia the Terrible or the Great and Powerful Amir.

  18. 18.

    burnspbesq

    @Valdivia:

    Did they ever get around to providing more than 100 parking spaces at the new 35,000-seat Estadio Nacional? Would be nice to get that done in time to host the U-17 women’s world championship this summer.

  20. 20.

    Valdivia

    @burnspbesq: oh you heard snout that! Well the Estadio was a gift of the Chinese govt and it’s a beauty. But it seems there was a miscommunication when they built it about parking! Also it is built in a residential neighborhood and because of that whatever space our govt and the Chinese built is what we have!

  21. 21.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Watching these games I keep thinking that soccer badly needs a second referee on the pitch. There’s just too much space for one guy to cover and watch. There was all sorts of whining from traditionalists when hockey started using a second ref but it’s been a vast improvement and soccer has fewer issues with another body creating obstructions.

  25. 25.

    Amir Khalid

    Let’s just make it a quiet day for Group D, shall we? Unless inspiration should strike Daniel Sturridge or Luis Suarez.

  26. 26.

    Face

    Is England capable of scoring more than one goal in a game? I cannot think of a country that has a bigger gap between their team’s general reputation and their actual ability. They suck, full stop.

  29. 29.

    Amir Khalid

    @Face:
    England has a bunch of world-class club players, but put them together and you get a mediocre national team. Plus, the national team has been poorly served over the past half-century by the national FA, not least in terms of manager selection. Listen to Woy Hodgson talk about how well England played in the two World Cup matches they’ve lost and you can hear the echoes of David Moyes at Manchester Untied*.

    *Typo, but one worth keeping.

  30. 30.

    Calouste

    @Punchy:

    Is that Wayne “One goal in three World Cups” Rooney you’re talking about, or do England have another Rooney?

  31. 31.

    Morzer

    @Amir Khalid:

    You’ve also got a major problem with the Premier League – only 1/4 of the regular first team players in it would be eligible for England selection. That limits your talent pool pretty seriously, compared to La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga etc.

  35. 35.

    mali muso

    Just back from lunch. Catching up on the scores….Looks like zeros all around.

    We’ve got good friends who are from Costa Rica and spent the first match of the cup at their house (partying really hard after their win). So I’m rooting for the Ticos all the way.

    As for the other match, I still carry a grudge against the despicable Suarez for the Ghana elimination back in the last Cup. So any day in which Uruguay does poorly is a great day in my book.

  38. 38.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    What the hell did Marchiso do that warranted a red card? I didn’t see anything on the replay that looked that bad.

  40. 40.

    Amir Khalid

    A red card for Italy, Maybe that will unjam the match. One goal for Suarez and Uruguay are through to the knockout stages.

  41. 41.

    SRW1

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    Apparently, the ref thought Marchisio tickled the leg of his opponent with his studs. I didn’t see the first half and have no idea whether Marchisio had accumulated any previous, but on this action alone the card looked excessive.

  42. 42.

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

    @Morzer:

    The EPL players lead all scorers in this tournament so far. Go figure.

    The UK would be best served to field a united team.

  45. 45.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    @LeeM: I’ll have to have another look if I can get the replay to play on my computer.

  46. 46.

    mali muso

    blergh! I can’t watch Uruguay. Too much Suarez dislike. But the Tico/Brit mashup has not been all that exciting so far. Hoping for a goal from someone to liven it up.

  47. 47.

    Amir Khalid

    @SRW1:
    I might just decide there is to be be no highlight today, capricious football deity that I am.

  52. 52.

    SRW1

    @mali muso:

    The UK has four separate football federations, which are members of FIFA. The Olympic tournament is organized by IOC, which organizes itself by countries and thus GB represents the isles.

  53. 53.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    @mali muso: In most of the individual sports federations, as opposed to the IOC, the various parts of Britain each have their own team. And in rugby, Wales is consistently one of the elite sides.

    Cricket is an odd case, because they each have their own side, but the English are allowed to grab any player from the others that they want, including the Republic of Ireland.

  55. 55.

    SRW1

    @Punchy:

    Uruguay goes home, Italy creeps into the next round (to be eliminated if they continue playing like this).

  56. 56.

    mali muso

    Ah, got it. Thanks for the clarification. Seems a shame that the England squad is so perennially (quadrennially?) poor at the World Cup given the EPL and all that.

    Cricket…now there is a sport I have never understood.

  58. 58.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Jesus. Suarez fails to connect on a head butt and both players go down screaming. What the fuck?

  73. 73.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Did he actually bite him? Or is the Italian just claiming that he bit him? I can’t tell at all from the replay. As I said, I thought it looked more like a failure on a head butt and maybe Suarez’s mouth hit him in the shoulder.

  80. 80.

    Amir Khalid

    Now Uruguay are 1-0 up. If it stays like this they go through, but if the disciplinary committee sees video confirming that Suarez bit that guy they might have to do without him.

  81. 81.

    SRW1

    @mali muso:

    This is the third time Suarez has done this. First while he was playing in Holland, then at the end of the previous season in the EPL.

    I strongly suspect that there will be a sanction by FIFA even if the ref didn’t see it.

  84. 84.

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

    @mali muso: @SRW1:

    It’s a stupid set-up, based only on pride and arrogance. ‘Our associations predate FIFA. We invented the game. You’re lucky that we finally decided to play in the World Cup beginning in 1950.’

    Belgium doesn’t break itself down to Flemish and Walloon sides. Germany Doesn’t break itself down to Bavarian, Saxon, Hanoverian and Prussian sides.

  85. 85.

    mali muso

    @Morzer: This! Ever since his smug bragging about deliberately handballing the Ghana goal, I have despised him.

  87. 87.

    SRW1

    @raven:

    Suarez was sanctioned in Holland (10 games IIRC) and in the EPL (8 games IIRC). He can’t plead ignorance.

  88. 88.

    dmsilev

    When the goal was scored, I heard a loud “Oh no” from the next desk over.

    Me: “What’s wrong?”
    Grad Student: “I bet my boyfriend that Italy would win this match, and that if they lost we could get married this summer, and I don’t want to get married this summer.”
    Me: [back away slowly]

  89. 89.

    Calouste

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    To complicate things, in almost every sport, outside the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, there is an All-Ireland team, combining players from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Soccer is the only sport that has a Northern Ireland team and a Republic of Ireland team.

  93. 93.

    dmsilev

    @Morzer: She’s furiously typing away in some messaging app right now, trying to renegotiate the bet.

    I am so not touching this situation with a ten foot pole.

  94. 94.

    Morzer

    Well, a draw it is – and pretty much a fair outcome. England might claim to be slightly the better side, but it was maybe a 50.5%-49.5% edge, if that.

    Good luck to the Ticos in the next round.

  99. 99.

    mali muso

    uggggggh, hate hate hate Uruguay. Here’s hoping they get a humiliating defeat in the next round. Blergh.

  103. 103.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Ah. Super slo mo makes it clear that I was wrong; Suarez did bite him. Good lord.

  105. 105.

    MikeJ

    I think if they didn’t wear face masks we’d see more of that in American football.

  106. 106.

    Cacti

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    Ah. Super slo mo makes it clear that I was wrong; Suarez did bite him. Good lord.

    The back angle video didn’t leave much doubt. Clearly dipped his head down and put his mouth on Chiellini’s shoulder.

  109. 109.

    catclub

    @Gin & Tonic:

    “I am not German, I am Bavarian.”

    Southern by the Grace of God, anyone? TIDOS Confederates, met your Bavarian ( Beer Hall Putsch)
    cousins.

  111. 111.

    Morzer

    FIFA have to ban Suarez for the rest of the tournament. It’s absolutely clear that he bit the guy – and this is anything but his first offence.

  113. 113.

    mali muso

    @Patrick: I wouldn’t disagree. Is there precedent for a lifetime ban? Seems like he has so many instances of awful behavior, being banned and then doing it again. Clearly, the punishment is not having any effect on him reforming.

  114. 114.

    HumboldtBlue

    Suarez was just checking to see if the Chiellini was al dente.

    Oh, and good riddance to the goddamn Italians, go home and take your fascist fan base with you. We Yanks and Brits beat your asses into dust in the 40s and don’t think we won’t do it again you fricking meatballs.

  115. 115.

    ? Martin

    Missed the matches but just saw video of Super Mario’s foul. Not many guys can knee a standing person in the head. Brutal.

    And also saw the video of Suarez. Not only does he bite the guy, but then dives trying to draw the foul. I agree, he needs to be sent home.

  116. 116.

    Calouste

    I was looking over the groups, and of the 13 European teams, 5 have already been eliminated and only 2 have qualified. Of the 6 that still have a chance, 3 have to win to qualify. It could well be that only four European teams (Holland, Belgium, Germany and France) make the last 16.

  117. 117.

    Patrick

    @mali muso:

    I am not aware of it. But it would laughable for the soccer authorities to give him yet another brief suspension. I took a quick look at several European newspaper’s websites and when they are talking about the bite rather than the game, I would say it’s a problem.

  118. 118.

    Morzer

    @Calouste:

    The only reason Undead Belgium will probably qualify is that their group has really been abysmally mediocre. I would bet that none of the teams in it would qualify from any of the tougher groups. Still, such is almost life.

  119. 119.

    Amir Khalid

    @mali muso:
    A lifetime ban might be harsh. On second thought, Suarez’s repeated incidents of violent conduct against opponents justifies a half-season ban, I think, since his last ban for biting was 10 matches.

  121. 121.

    Patrick

    @Calouste:

    It’s not too surprising. In World Cup history, European teams tend do well in Europe, while South American teams tend do well in South America. Home field advantage…

  122. 122.

    Morzer

    @Amir Khalid:

    I’d say a yearlong ban would be fair. He’s learned nothing from previous bans – and it’s time to bring the hammer down. Ban him for a year and say that the next time he does this it’s a lifetime ban.

  123. 123.

    burnspbesq

    Assuming Suarez isn’t carrying any exotic diseases, the bite is a lot less serious than some of the shit Rafa Marquez has done over the years. In terms of potential to seriously injure an opposing player, it’s actually less serious than the knee-high, studs-up challenge that got Marchisio sent off.

    It’s still pretty disgusting. He needs to be out for at least 15 competitive internationals, including the rest of the World Cup. If Uruguay goes out in the next round, the remainder of the suspension carries over to the next Copa America, and if need be to qualifying for 2018.

  124. 124.

    SRW1

    @Calouste:

    That would be quite something. I have seen a projection for the last sixteen, in I think Der Spiegel, in which twelve of the teams were from UEFA. TWELVE!

  125. 125.

    Cacti

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Oh, and good riddance to the goddamn Italians, go home and take your fascist fan base with you.

    This.

    I’d have more sympathy for Italy if they weren’t one of the dirtiest sides in the world.

  126. 126.

    Patrick

    @Amir Khalid:

    I would agree that a life time ban would be too harsh for a first offense. But in this case, there is a history of his behavior, followed by suspensions and then he comes back and does it again every time.

    This is the World Cup and these guys are supposed to be role models for future generations of soccer players.

    What are you going to do next time he bites, after your suggested half season ban? Another half season ban? And then what?

  127. 127.

    Morzer

    @burnspbesq:

    I wonder what Liverpool are thinking now. Can they really afford to keep a player who behaves like a cheat and a lunatic so consistently?

  131. 131.

    burnspbesq

    @Morzer:

    Can they afford not to? Depending on how quickly they depreciate his contract, he’s on their books at a value of around 20 million pounds. You don’t just write that off. And who’s going to take him off their hands at this point?

  132. 132.

    Morzer

    It’s going to be interesting to see what the Uruguayan team has to say about this on the record. The smart thing to do might be to admit Suarez’ guilt and announce that he’s being sent home regardless of what FIFA chooses to do.

  133. 133.

    Morzer

    @burnspbesq:

    Surely they had enough good sense to include a clause in his contract stating that he could be dismissed for behavior that brings the club into disrepute?

  135. 135.

    ? Martin

    @Morzer:

    I wonder what Liverpool are thinking now. Can they really afford to keep a player who behaves like a cheat and a lunatic so consistently?

    I think you included your answer in your question.

  139. 139.

    Morzer

    @mali muso:

    Was the punt along the lines of “Allegations by defeated team.. sour grapes.. Suarez’ mouth was attacked by Chiellini’s shoulder…”?

  140. 140.

    mali muso

    @Morzer: More like, “I hear nothing! I see nothing!” Oh and “I’m sure if there was such a thing, the ref would obviously have taken some action. No action by ref = nothing to see here folks!”

  144. 144.

    Punchy

    There’s already pretty graphic pics of the Italian’s shoulder, Vines and Jpegs of the bite itself, and riducule for for Saurez. I dont know how FIFA doesn’t bounce this shitbag from the WC. One cannot clearly chomp down on a guy’s shoulder and be allowed to keep playing, can he?

    I guess it depends on how much and how quickly Team U can funnel the lucre into FIFA’s myriad Swiss accounts. Better be quick, too, b/c this shit is blowing up on the interwebs.

  145. 145.

    Morzer

    A rather nice German pun (yes, German humor!):

    Robert Ide @ichgruessesie

    “Wie beißt Du?” – ” #Suarez ”

    Wie beißt Du?(“How do you bite?”) is a wordplay on Wie heißt Du?(“How are you called/What is your name?”)

  149. 149.

    Morzer

    @Punchy:

    Suarez has already had 2 multi-game suspensions for biting, plus an 8 game ban for racially abusing another player.

  150. 150.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Six teams from South American, 5 qualified, none eliminated (ECU v FRA tomorrow).

    Four teams from North/Central America, 2 qualified, 1 eliminated (USA v GER Thursday).

    Twelve teams from Europe, 4 qualified, 4 eliminated (GRE v CIV today, SWI v HON tomorrow, POR v GHA & RUS v ALG Thursday).

    Five teams from Africa, none qualified, 1 eliminated (CIV v GRE today, NIG v ARG tomorrow, GHA v POR & ALG v RUS Thursday).

    Outside these regions only Iran and Korea are still alive, the latter a long-shot.

    At least half of the qualifiers will be from the non-Eurocentric world (the 7 already qualified from the Western Hemisphere plus either Nigeria or Iran) & perhaps as many as 11 (Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana).

    Interesting.

  151. 151.

    Amir Khalid

    @Patrick:
    The Guardian live-blog quotes the AP:

    Fifa’s disciplinary code sets a maximum ban of 24 matches or two years, but the longest ban in World Cup history was eight games for Italy’s Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain’s Luis Enrique’s nose in 1994 with an elbow.

    Chiellini’s injury from the bite was nowhere near as bad as a broken nose. But given that Suarez has previous, as they say in England, my suggestion of a half-season ban — 19 Premier League matches, plus any Uruguay matches between now and Christmas — seems about right to me.

  152. 152.

    daveNYC

    @burnspbesq: Actually, the human mouth is a cesspool of bacteria. If Suarez broke Chiellini’s skin with the bite, that thing is going to need antibiotics.

  153. 153.

    WaterGirl

    Don’t quit your day jobs, but you guys are cracking me up with all your biting puns.

  155. 155.

    MCA1

    @daveNYC: More important to me is that there is a categorical difference, aesthetically, philosophically, morally and otherwise, between coming in with your cleats up and f’ing BITING another human being. The former is overly aggressive, dangerous and possibly cynical. The latter is just straight up depraved. It’s shocking and disturbing in a way that a slide tackle isn’t, even if you might tear someone’s ACL or break their ankle.

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