2014 FIFA World Cup thred

It'll be interesting to see, especially if they go up against a team with a mix of consistency and quality.

It'll be Ivory Coast or Columbia, so you never know.

Costa Rica could beat Ivory Coast.

Colombia...I kind of doubt it. They're playing well and they're in their element. Costa Rica will have no climactic advantage over them.

Wow, what a game.

Were a few things different, this could have been a 4-2 or 5-2 game before halftime.

Fantastic game. Switzerland got into it far too late however.

I was pissed that they didn't count Benzema's last second goal. That might come to haunt him if he ever gets to the point where he's chasing a record and he falls short by one.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Costa Rica could beat Ivory Coast.

Colombia...I kind of doubt it. They're playing well and they're in their element. Costa Rica will have no climactic advantage over them.

Ivory Coast are one of those teams who, on paper, should do a lot better than they've done, imo. Sad to see them waste such potential.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Fantastic game. Switzerland got into it far too late however.

I was pissed that they didn't count Benzema's last second goal. That might come to haunt him if he ever gets to the point where he's chasing a record and he falls short by one.

Yeah, it was a shame.

France looked really strong though; I can see them doing well if they can keep it together. They weren't someone I rated that highly before the tournament, but Deschamps knows what he's doing.

Although I am disappointed that we (England) are out, I was in a way relieved when Italy failed to beat Uruguay. If that had happened I would foolishly be looking forward to the last group game with belief that we could make it out of the group.
When it comes to football, I am resigned to never seeing England win the World Cup or West Ham winning the league, in my lifetime.

Man, the french need to train their penalties, I don't want us to lose 2002 finals style again. Other than that, they performed better than I ever expected. The second goal from Switzerland was great, but the team didn't put up a fight overall.

Originally posted by -Pr-
Agreed. A few flashes of brilliance, but nothing concrete.

Suarez did pretty good, other than that it the group was filled with mid-tier games.

Group F is such a boring group to watch. Iran is a turtle team, Nigeria is meh, Argentina is lackluster considering its expectations, and so far only Bosnia interests me with its cinderellaman potential.

**** Argentina

Too bad both of those teams couldn't have lost and gotten zero points.

Lol. I think Iran played well, I was hoping they'd win. They definitely deserved a penalty.

Iran played well, but I despise any style of play built on turtling up in hope of a scoreless draw so I have no interest in them making it further in the tournament.

As for Argentina, they look increasingly like a one man team.

Messi's brilliant finish, Ghana with such a great comeback.. This is an awesome weekend. Streaker power!

This is looking good for USA

I hope we don't choke against Portugal.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Group F is such a boring group to watch. Iran is a turtle team, Nigeria is meh, Argentina is lackluster considering its expectations, and so far only Bosnia interests me with its cinderellaman potential.

It is without a shadow of doubt the most boring group of it all.

Germany was lucky Ghana had so many sloppy passes, they are lucky Klose is such a goal hound. I hope the US ties or wins the next match, if they take Germany out in the groups this could be the end of European worship.

You mean take Portugal out of the groups?

At this point I don't know if Germany can realistically be eliminated.

With Bosnia's elimination, Group F became an intolerably uninteresting group. I almost wish all four teams would just be eliminated.

Right now I think it's more likely for Germany to be left out than for the US to be left out. Their steady game could navigate them through Portugal easily and more importantly, deprive Germany from getting three points.

Originally posted by Bentley
Right now I think it's more likely for Germany to be left out than for the US to be left out. Their steady game could navigate them through Portugal easily and more importantly, deprive Germany from getting three points.

If the US beat Portugal it looks pretty good for Germany though. Either way if Germany can draw against the US they are through.

I love that we're at the point where someone actually says "if Germany can draw against the USA" without irony.

For the record: I think Germany will win against Team USA, but I'm liking our chances against Portugal. If the US plays as well or just a little better against them than they did against Ghana a draw or slight victory should be more than manageable. If they play their A-game and Portugal doesn't step up I can see a two goal victory in reach.

Yeah, this has been a World Cup full of surprises and it redefined the international panorama quite a bit.

People tend to overrate European teams though, I've heard people singing praise to Greece or Russia only to met with the harsh reality. That said, Germany is the one european team that deserves the respect it gets by default, if they missed the next round it'd be a shame for the elimination rounds.