World Cup 2006 Last 16 - Day Four
Benny
SPAIN 1-3 FRANCE
Villa 27 (Pen) Ribery 41
Vieira 83
Zidane 92
France failed to clear a corer and as the ball was played into Pablo, Thuram
stamped on the back of his right ankle, penalty. Barthez guessed right but
Villa's spot kick had too much pace. Spain's naive, high offside trap was bound
to get them in trouble sooner or later especially against a French side
featuring Henry who is an absolute master at using the 'not interfering with
play' nonsense to his advantage. Henry and France's DMs combined for the
equaliser. Makelele turned away from Raul and passed to Ribery, Ribery played
the ball into Vieira and as he turned he skipped away from Pablo's sliding
tackle and looked at Henry, who was standing yards offside on the left, before
playing a disguised pass through to Ribery on the opposite flank, Ribery left
Pernia and Puyol for dead, rounded Casillas and rolled the ball into an empty
net.
Vieira and Zidane combined to create a chance for Malouda, the Lyon midfielder
forcing Casillas into making a spectacular one handed save with an equally
acrobatic volley. Aragones made two early, brave substitutions 10 minutes into
the second half. Joaquin replaced the non event that was Raul (he should never
have started) and that thumb sucker Luis Garcia came on for the static Villa.
Joaquin skinned Abidal on the edge of the box but dragged his shot wide of
Barthez's near post. That was as close as Spain got in open play all match.
Henry tried to get Puyol a second yellow card by clutching his face after the
defender's elbow brushed against his chest when they chased down a ball.
He only got a free kick but it enough to win the official, FIFA sanctioned,
Diving Twat of the World Cup (TM) Award. Zidane's delivery was pure evil, just
above head height, an utter nightmare to defend, Xabi Alonso tried but failed
miserably, heading straight to the back post and Vieira thumped a low header
into the bottom corner off Ramos. The hungry French weren't finished, Zidane and
Wiltord mugged Cesc on the half way line, Govou gathered the ball and as Cesc
approached, passed to Wiltord, Wiltord chipped the ball first time out wide to
Zidane on the left, Zidane controlled a high bounding ball with his right thigh,
took two touches as he cut inside Puyol, ran through the defenders outstretched
leg, passing up a stone wall penalty, and fired a low shot past Casillas.
MAGNIFICENT, and I don't even like Zidane.
Premature ejaculation. After handing out a 4-0 thrashing in their opening game
Spain were suddenly among the favourites, despite past history. Doesn't anyone
ever learn? Vieira, Zidane, Ribery and Makelele were off the charts. Vieira, who
was made to look like a tired, old man by Cesc in Juventus' Champions League
clash with Arsenal, turned the tables with an intimidating, imposing
performance. Spain's young pretenders were totally and utterly schooled. It's
taken France 8 years to turn in a performance that made them the best, the most
feared side in the World and on this showing Brazil are in for one hell of a
game. Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning injury.
Attendance : 43,000
Assists : Pablo (won pen), Vieira, n/a, Wiltord
BRAZIL 3-0 GHANA
Ronaldo 5
Adriano 46
Ze Roberto 84
In their three group matches Ghana defended deep and defended hard so I would
love to hear Ratomir Dujkovic's explanation for playing a high offside trap
against of all teams Brazil who in Kaka' have the best counter attacking player
in the World? The only feasible explanation is that he is a complete IDIOT.
Kaka' gathered a pass from Lucio and rarely misses an opportunity to have a run
at a defence only he didn't have a defence to run at, they were all on the
halfway line, so he hit an angled pass through to Ronaldo and he rounded
Kingston and tapped into an empty net to claim himself a piece of history as the
World Cup's all time leading scorer (15). Adriano should have made it 2-0 as
Brazil once again tore through Ghana's shambolic offside trap but dived over
Kingston, earning himself a well deserved yellow card. Slack marking allowed
Mensah a free header in the box but he headed down at Dida's feet and the
'keeper slashed clear. Ghana were sort of threatening before they were suckered
on the break. Gyan played a one-two with Appiah on the edge of the box before
running into Lucio then theatrically falling down, Juan took possession before
Appiah flattened him with a superb tackle, Lucio ran onto the loose ball and
charged to the half way line before flicking the ball out wide to Kaka', who had
an overlapping Cafu in support, Kaka' pushed the ball to Cafu, he swung a cross
to the back post and Adriano, who was offside twice (when Lucio passed and when
Cafu centred) put the ball into an empty net with his knee.
Ghana had Brazil chasing shadows in the second half but despite their pace,
power and excellent technique, everything broke down in the final third.
Gyan got a second yellow for diving. Ze Roberto punished Ghana's offside trap
for a third time to complete a slightly flattering victory.
Ronaldinho was even more useless than Adriano in this match. Still I figure he's
good for at least one blockbuster performance.
Attendance : 65,000
Red Card : Gyan 81 (Ghana)
Assists : Kaka', Cafu, Ronaldinho
http://soccer-europe.com
Chat room : http://www.lhcw.net/WorldCup
Rss feed : http://soccer-europe.com/RSS/News.xml
Richard
Benny <Be...@soccer-europe.com> wrote:
Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
> watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
> Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning
> injury.
wow. it's surprise to hear that. it was certainly my favorite match so
far, but france and spain are my two favorites, so i'm completely biased.
fantastic result for france, but i still say that they are winning
despite domenech.
-richard
alex....@gmail.com
> love to hear Ratomir Dujkovic's explanation for playing a high offside trap
> against of all teams Brazil who in Kaka' have the best counter attacking player
> in the World? The only feasible explanation is that he is a complete IDIOT.
I was wondering the entire match how Ghana's midfield was able to
dominate Brazil's and then it became obvious every time someone broke
away face-to-face with the keeper: Their backline was practically
playing as part of the midfield which allowed Brazil to tee off on poor
Kingston.
Strange and suicidal tactic as no one wins any medals for time of
possession. And yes, Dujkovic is an idiot, Ghana is capable of so much
more.
Alex Mizuki
SHUSSBAR
Benny wrote:
> 27 June 2006
>
> SPAIN 1-3 FRANCE
> Villa 27 (Pen) Ribery 41
> Vieira 83
> Zidane 92
>
> France failed to clear a corer and as the ball was played into Pablo, Thuram
> stamped on the back of his right ankle, penalty.
You usually say: ..., Pablo, like blown by an hurricane collapsed like
a block of concrete and win a PK. Soft PK IMHO.
Barthez guessed right but
> Villa's spot kick had too much pace. Spain's naive, high offside trap was bound
> to get them in trouble sooner or later especially against a French side
> featuring Henry who is an absolute master at using the 'not interfering with
> play' nonsense to his advantage. Henry and France's DMs combined for the
> equaliser. Makelele turned away from Raul and passed to Ribery, Ribery played
> the ball into Vieira and as he turned he skipped away from Pablo's sliding
> tackle and looked at Henry, who was standing yards offside on the left, before
> playing a disguised pass through to Ribery on the opposite flank, Ribery left
> Pernia and Puyol for dead, rounded Casillas and rolled the ball into an empty
> net.
>
> Vieira and Zidane combined to create a chance for Malouda, the Lyon midfielder
> forcing Casillas into making a spectacular one handed save with an equally
> acrobatic volley. Aragones made two early, brave substitutions 10 minutes into
> the second half. Joaquin replaced the non event that was Raul (he should never
> have started) and that thumb sucker Luis Garcia came on for the static Villa.
> Joaquin skinned Abidal on the edge of the box but dragged his shot wide of
> Barthez's near post. That was as close as Spain got in open play all match.
> Henry tried to get Puyol a second yellow card by clutching his face after the
> defender's elbow brushed against his chest when they chased down a ball.
> He only got a free kick but it enough to win the official, FIFA sanctioned,
> Diving Twat of the World Cup (TM) Award.
Grosso got it already.
Zidane's delivery was pure evil, just
> above head height, an utter nightmare to defend, Xabi Alonso tried but failed
> miserably, heading straight to the back post and Vieira thumped a low header
> into the bottom corner off Ramos. The hungry French weren't finished, Zidane and
> Wiltord mugged Cesc on the half way line, Govou gathered the ball and as Cesc
> approached, passed to Wiltord, Wiltord chipped the ball first time out wide to
> Zidane on the left, Zidane controlled a high bounding ball with his right thigh,
> took two touches as he cut inside Puyol, ran through the defenders outstretched
> leg, passing up a stone wall penalty, and fired a low shot past Casillas.
> MAGNIFICENT, and I don't even like Zidane.
>
> Premature ejaculation. After handing out a 4-0 thrashing in their opening game
> Spain were suddenly among the favourites, despite past history. Doesn't anyone
> ever learn? Vieira, Zidane, Ribery and Makelele were off the charts. Vieira, who
> was made to look like a tired, old man by Cesc in Juventus' Champions League
> clash with Arsenal, turned the tables with an intimidating, imposing
> performance. Spain's young pretenders were totally and utterly schooled. It's
> taken France 8 years to turn in a performance that made them the best, the most
> feared side in the World and on this showing Brazil are in for one hell of a
> game. Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
> watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
> Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning injury.
That is actually his role in the team. Attract all the attention to
free the other players. I am surprised you did not guess that tactical
aspect
Bob
"Benny" wrote
> 27 June 2006
>
> SPAIN 1-3 FRANCE
> Villa 27 (Pen) Ribery 41
> Vieira 83
> Zidane 92
>
> Henry tried to get Puyol a second yellow card
?huh? Puyol got one yellow card and he got it when he fouled Henry on this
play
by clutching his face after the
> defender's elbow brushed against his chest
Apparently you spent as much time reviewing this play as you did assessing
Puyol's card tally ... for how could anyone see the replay and conclude that
Puyol's elbow brushed against Henry as they violently collided when running
at full speed.
when they chased down a ball.
> He only got a free kick but it enough to win the official, FIFA
sanctioned,
Wrong, he also got carded which was justified for the elbow to the chest and
the professional foul (he didn't play the ball one bit). I hope you aren't
seriously implying like Arragones did that the free kick wasn't warranted.
> Diving Twat of the World Cup (TM) Award.
wrong again. He didn't dive. He was fouled, fell and embellished the foul,
which is an entirely different proposition.
weiq...@gmail.com
Great summary !
Erdal Paksoy
"Benny" <Be...@soccer-europe.com> wrote in message news:flesFgBy...@mail.soccer-europe.com...
> 27 June 2006
>
> SPAIN 1-3 FRANCE
> Villa 27 (Pen) Ribery 41
> Vieira 83
> Zidane 92
>
> France failed to clear a corer and as the ball was played into Pablo, Thuram
> stamped on the back of his right ankle, penalty.
Yes. Fairly similar to the Larsson penalty. A defender can't afford that kind of
contact in the box right in front of the referee.
> Spain's naive, high offside trap was bound
> to get them in trouble sooner or later especially against a French side
> featuring Henry who is an absolute master at using the 'not interfering with
> play' nonsense to his advantage.
I like that "not interfering with play" nonsense. At least it eliminates a judgement call,
and provides an advantage to the attack. You don't have to wait 5-10 seconds to see
if the the player initially in the passive offside position eventually gets an advantage from being there.
We are now left we two main cases where a player in passive offside is whistled:
1- if the ball rebounds to him off the post or the keeper
2- if he is blocking/obstructing the keeper or his view of the ball.
Those are usually immediate and fairly easy to spot.
> Henry tried to get Puyol a second yellow card by clutching his face after the
> defender's elbow brushed against his chest when they chased down a ball.
> He only got a free kick but it enough to win the official, FIFA sanctioned,
> Diving Twat of the World Cup (TM) Award.
First impression: not even a foul. Second impression: could be an obstruction,
certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless. Lasting impression: et tu, Henry?
The goal off that free-kick left a bit of a bad taste, even though I wanted France to win.
> Premature ejaculation. After handing out a 4-0 thrashing in their opening game
> Spain were suddenly among the favourites, despite past history. Doesn't anyone
> ever learn?
Similar thing happened with the Czechs. But then again, maybe it was just in the US.
Argentina were also practically crowned champions by some after the 6-0.
They still have a looong way to go.
> Vieira, Zidane, Ribery and Makelele were off the charts. Vieira, who
Sagnol was pretty darn good too. I am still not convinced with France playing
with only one forward. Henry does not have a lot of opportunities to combine with anyone.
That's the problem with having two of the best defensive midfielders
of the last decade. Domenech does not dare leave one on the bench. I can hardly blame him.
Then you need a right and a left side midfielders. Add Zidane, and suddenly you're left with one
striker. Unless you go with the more and more rare 3-5-2 (leave off the shaky Abidal),
but I don't think you'd want to do that with the personnel France has. It's a bit of a tough spot to be in.
> was made to look like a tired, old man by Cesc in Juventus' Champions League
> clash with Arsenal, turned the tables with an intimidating, imposing
> performance. Spain's young pretenders were totally and utterly schooled.
There is always one problem or another with Spain: goalkeeping, referee, PKs, youth, etc.
Take your pick.
> It's taken France 8 years to turn in a performance that made them the best, the most
> feared side in the World and on this showing Brazil are in for one hell of a
> game. Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
> watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
> Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning injury.
.. leading to two goals. Surely, the answer is not leaving him on the bench for Trezeguet ... or is it?
I think Henry may do better against against Brazilian defenders.
>
> BRAZIL 3-0 GHANA
> Ronaldo 5
> Adriano 46
> Ze Roberto 84
>
> In their three group matches Ghana defended deep and defended hard so I would
> love to hear Ratomir Dujkovic's explanation for playing a high offside trap
My thoughts exactly. Inexplicable. With the kind of speed they had, they could have
drawn Brazil in, recovered balls and sent midfielders behind the slow Cafu and the
reckless Roberto Carlos. Brazil is still Brazil, but at least it would have been worth a shot.
Instead, they let Brazil get behind them time after time. That's what you get when you try
to play Brazil straight up. You look like you're in the game, and in the end and still lose by 3.
It's too bad. I still enjoyed how Ghana tried to take the game to Brazil.
The finishing wasn't there. The game was decided in a two minute span when Dida
got lucky and the linesman missed a call.
> Ronaldinho was even more useless than Adriano in this match. Still I figure he's
> good for at least one blockbuster performance.
They both have been bad. I kind of expected it from Adriano, but not Ronaldinho.
Good thing for Brazil, Ronaldo is a scoring threat once again. You can't just ignore him.
Well deserving of the record too.
Erdal
Dub Narcotic
> In article <flesFgBy...@mail.soccer-europe.com>,
> Benny <Be...@soccer-europe.com> wrote:
>
> Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
>> watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
>> Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning
>> injury.
>
> wow. it's surprise to hear that. it was certainly my favorite match so
> far, but france and spain are my two favorites, so i'm completely biased.
I thought it was one of the best as well. Vieira has been great all
World Cup. The French were just plain better than the Spanish. Ribery
was awesome, like he was against Togo.
Bob
"Erdal Paksoy" wrote
> First impression: not even a foul. Second impression: could be an
obstruction,
It is very obvious from the initial view of the play that Puyol isn't
traveling toward the ball but toward Henry's path to intercept him: there
couldn't be any clearer sign of obstruction
> certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless.
an obstruction and a thrown elbow are a borderline free kick?
AixlaChapelle
Very good reports. Your comment on the Spanish offside trap nailed it.
It was so predictable.
> game. Best match of the World Cup so far and it was an absolute privilege to
> watch some of the greats of the modern game rise to the occasion, apart from
> Henry whose two notable contributions were standing still and feigning injury.
Well said! The French defence was outstanding and might play a crucial
role when they take on Brazil. And finally Ribery proved why he is
playing at the WC. If France can repeat this performance Ronaldinho and
co. are going to face a real test.
Cheers,
Ingo
Bruce Scott TOK
>role when they take on Brazil. And finally Ribery proved why he is
>playing at the WC. If France can repeat this performance Ronaldinho and
>co. are going to face a real test.
Please, France, Please. Put Brasil out.
--
ciao,
Bruce
drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/
symbi...@yahoo.com
necessary, not making the game into a stupid cardfest, and not making
serious mistakes. I am not concerned in the least with Henry's
theatrics: most forwards do it sometimes. The referees need to be
alert, though. Henry doesn't do it too often but he did it yesterday
(modern camerawork is unforgiving) and deserves the Twatty that Benny
has awarded him.
I didn't like the offside trap that Aragonés set up (with a set of
players who rarely play that way, let alone play that way together). It
was bound to fail.
When a Spanish sports daily put up on its cover "We are going to retire
Zidane", I knew there was trouble in the works. Anybody even midly
superstitious knows that such a cover is an invitation to disaster. It
was. Zidane played very well, played all 90 minutes, and proceeded to
cap the game with a classic and personal vaccination. The provocation
was dumb, the consequence, a brilliant goal.
The Spanish press has suddenly come to its senses after the ridiculous
hype. It's a national disease (I call it "triunfalismo"). A bullfighter
has a good day and they declare him one of the greats. A team wins a
couple of games and they are candidates for the WC title. A players
scores a couple of important goals and they declare him to be world
class.
France was a class act within its limitations, playing at its rhythm
(slowish, but yesterday very steady and secure), with only a few
offensive tools that they used well. A clear defeat for Spain, a clear
win for France, and a strangely interesting game to come between France
and Brazil. Two teams with stars, both far from convincing so far, both
with isolated flashes of brilliance. I think I am going to enjoy that
quarterfinal match!
Best,
SMT
Erdal Paksoy
"Bob" <n...@spam.com> wrote in message news:142dnanKBJ-ktD_Z...@comcast.com...
>
> "Erdal Paksoy" wrote
>> certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless.
>
> an obstruction and a thrown elbow are a borderline free kick?
Well, I saw it as Puyol stretching out his arm, not elbowing. Henry could have stayed on his feet.
If he does not dive, it may not even get called by some referees, which is why I said borderline.
It's OK to call it, but the dive and subsequent hands to the face by Henry really left a bad taste.
Erdal
Bob
"Erdal Paksoy" wrote
> "Bob" <n...@spam.com> wrote
> > "Erdal Paksoy" wrote
> >> certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless.
> >
> > an obstruction and a thrown elbow are a borderline free kick?
>
> Well, I saw it as Puyol stretching out his arm, not elbowing.
I'll agree that "throwing an elbow" isn't exactly descriptive for putting
out an elbow while colliding with an opponent; however, the result is
usually the same.
> Henry could have stayed on his feet.
We don't know. There is no way to tell objectively.
> If he does not dive, it may not even get called by some referees, which is
why I said borderline.
I'll agree to that, which provides a potential explanation for his
simulating injury to the head.
> It's OK to call it, but the dive and subsequent hands to the face by Henry
really left a bad taste.
Did it leave a similar bad taste when Torres crumpled to the ground
clutching his face as if he had been shot after Viera "brushed" his face
inadvertantly at minute 73 of the same match? Because if it doesn't you'd be
holding Henry to an unfair and impossible standard.
SHUSSBAR
> > Henry tried to get Puyol a second yellow card by clutching his face after the
> > defender's elbow brushed against his chest when they chased down a ball.
> > He only got a free kick but it enough to win the official, FIFA sanctioned,
> > Diving Twat of the World Cup (TM) Award.
>
> First impression: not even a foul. Second impression: could be an obstruction,
> certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless. Lasting impression: et tu, Henry?
> The goal off that free-kick left a bit of a bad taste, even though I wanted France to win.
>
without any problem. Pujol decide then to obstruct Henry in his race
.Bump, push elbow shoulders what ever, . it s a foul. Henry embellished
it. Not the first not the last to do it. Free kick - Spain should have
had the ball - Puyol blew it in his desire to stop Henry.
Blame yourself Spain.
Erdal Paksoy
"Bob" <n...@spam.com> wrote in message news:JMednfU-FcSsGD_Z...@comcast.com...
>
> Did it leave a similar bad taste when Torres crumpled to the ground
> clutching his face as if he had been shot after Viera "brushed" his face
> inadvertantly at minute 73 of the same match? Because if it doesn't you'd be
> holding Henry to an unfair and impossible standard.
Actually yes, I am holding Henry to a higher standard, unfair or not.
He is a player I like a great deal and it bothers to see him play poorly and
display poor sportsmanship.
Anyway, at least Torres's face was touched (not that I condone his Bilic'98-like diving).
Henry's antics yesterday were Rivaldo like. In fact I am thinking he clutched
his face first to get the call, then kept covering his face because he was embarrassed.
Erdal
JK
>
>
>>Vieira, Zidane, Ribery and Makelele were off the charts. Vieira, who
>
>
> Sagnol was pretty darn good too. I am still not convinced with France playing
> with only one forward. Henry does not have a lot of opportunities to combine with anyone.
> That's the problem with having two of the best defensive midfielders
> of the last decade. Domenech does not dare leave one on the bench. I can hardly blame him.
> Then you need a right and a left side midfielders. Add Zidane, and suddenly you're left with one
> striker. Unless you go with the more and more rare 3-5-2 (leave off the shaky Abidal),
> but I don't think you'd want to do that with the personnel France has. It's a bit of a tough spot to be in.
Very good points. I've thought the same thing that a 4-5-1 really
underutilizes Henry as it relies on him to beat the offsides trap and
chase long balls (which admittedly he does excellently). It's
particularly a potential problem when a slowpoke like ZZ is the advanced
central midfielder; he's not going to get upfield enough to link up a
lot of the time. However, when Ribery is aggressive as yesterday it
works a little better.
HASM
> I like that "not interfering with play" nonsense. ...
> We are now left we two main cases where a player in passive offside is
> whistled:
> 1- if the ball rebounds to him off the post or the keeper
> 2- if he is blocking/obstructing the keeper or his view of the ball.
They're actually three. From the USSF 2005 Memorandum:
The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows:
- Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or
touched by a teammate.
- Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing
or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s
line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in
the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.
- Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball
that rebounds to him off a goal post or the crossbar having been in an
offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent
having been in an offside position.
-- HASM
Erdal Paksoy
"HASM" <not_r...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:m3ejx9m...@127.0.0.1...
> "Erdal Paksoy" <pak...@ti.com> writes:
>
>> I like that "not interfering with play" nonsense. ...
>> We are now left we two main cases where a player in passive offside is
>> whistled:
>> 1- if the ball rebounds to him off the post or the keeper
>> 2- if he is blocking/obstructing the keeper or his view of the ball.
>
> They're actually three. From the USSF 2005 Memorandum:
>
> The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows:
> - Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or
> touched by a teammate.
Yes, but this is not "passive".
HASM
>> They're actually three. From the USSF 2005 Memorandum:
>>
>> The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows:
>> - Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or
>> touched by a teammate.
> Yes, but this is not "passive".
>> - Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing
>> or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's
>> line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in
>> the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.
>> - Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball
>> that rebounds to him off a goal post or the crossbar having been in an
>> offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent
>> having been in an offside position.
All those situations are punishable by offside, thus I don't really call
them passive. Or I guess then that I don't understand what people mean by
"passive".
With your post I think I can now define it. Passive offside is when a
player is in an offside position and not punished by an offside infraction
using points 2 and 3 above in the opinion of the referee, but everyone else
on TV and RSS thinks he should have.
-- HASM
Benny
> From : alex....@gmail.com
>I was wondering the entire match how Ghana's midfield was able to
>dominate Brazil's and then it became obvious every time someone broke
>away face-to-face with the keeper: Their backline was practically
>playing as part of the midfield which allowed Brazil to tee off on poor
>Kingston.
>
>Strange and suicidal tactic as no one wins any medals for time of
>possession. And yes, Dujkovic is an idiot, Ghana is capable of so much
>more.
They're strong in defence and midfield but the attack is hopeless.
http://soccer-europe.com
Rss feed : http://soccer-europe.com/RSS/News.xml
Benny
>wow. it's surprise to hear that. it was certainly my favorite match so
>far, but france and spain are my two favorites, so i'm completely biased.
>
>fantastic result for france, but i still say that they are winning
>despite domenech.
>
>-richard
The same can be said of SGE and England.
Benny
>Grosso got it already.
Grosso didn't fall to the ground clutching his face after being touched
on the chest.
Erdal Paksoy
"HASM" <not_r...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:m3u065l...@127.0.0.1...
??? I don't remember stating my opinion on any specific play
involving points 2 or 3 in this thread. My original statement was about the non-call
on Henry on the Ribery goal, which is a rule clarification by FIFA that I like. I am sure many
will remember the 2 controversial goals by Brazil against Holland in 94.
The clarification was badly needed. I like it that there is more peril
now to playing the offside trap.
As for "passive", I was writing this in a hurry, hence a "loose" wording, which is why
I used quotes. I could have said "when the ball is not played directly to him" or "when he
does not touch the ball before any other player."
The obvious offside case is the first one: the player touches the ball played by a teammate.
In the second case, he does not touch the ball, but interferes/obstructs/blocks view.
In the third case, the player is actually passive if the rebound does not come to him.
If the ball goes in directly, he is still passive, the goal counts. If he plays the rebound he becomes active.
I guess you're a ref, so I understand why you are such a stickler.
Erdal
MH
Benny wrote:
> 27 June 2006
>
> SPAIN 1-3 FRANCE
> Villa 27 (Pen) Ribery 41
> Vieira 83
Surprised you aren't calling this a Ramos OG, as you are usually stricy
about these things. I am not 100 % sure Vieira's header would have gone
in on its own.
HASM
> My original statement was about the non-call on Henry on the Ribery goal,
> which is a rule clarification by FIFA that I like.
Agreed. And I like when you say the correct word "clarification", as
opposed to "new offside rule" we see in other posts.
> As for "passive", I was writing this in a hurry, hence a "loose" wording,
> which is why I used quotes.
I hate that "passive" wording.
> I guess you're a ref, so I understand why you are such a stickler.
I am. But I would be a stickler regardless :-)
-- HASM
Benny
>Surprised you aren't calling this a Ramos OG, as you are usually stricy
>about these things. I am not 100 % sure Vieira's header would have gone
>in on its own.
From that range I give the benefit to the player who shot.
Roman Figaj
> Surprised you aren't calling this a Ramos OG, as you are usually stricy
> about these things. I am not 100 % sure Vieira's header would have gone
> in on its own.
If the ball had gone wide otherwise, yes, but not this one.
Cheers
Roman
Benny
>First impression: not even a foul. Second impression: could be an obstruction,
>certainly more than a brush, but a borderline free kick nonetheless. Lasting
>impression: et tu, Henry?
>The goal off that free-kick left a bit of a bad taste, even though I wanted
>France to win.
>
>Similar thing happened with the Czechs. But then again, maybe it was just in the
>US.
Not in the US but the fact they were playing the US who are an average
side.
>Argentina were also practically crowned champions by some after the 6-0.
>They still have a looong way to go.
Tough matches against the Dutch, Ivory Coast and Mexico stand them in
good stead.
>Sagnol was pretty darn good too. I am still not convinced with France playing
>with only one forward. Henry does not have a lot of opportunities to combine
>with anyone.
>That's the problem with having two of the best defensive midfielders
>of the last decade. Domenech does not dare leave one on the bench. I can hardly
>blame him.
>Then you need a right and a left side midfielders. Add Zidane, and suddenly
>you're left with one
>striker. Unless you go with the more and more rare 3-5-2 (leave off the shaky
>Abidal),
>but I don't think you'd want to do that with the personnel France has. It's a
>bit of a tough spot to be in.
The difference yesterday was that all the play didn't go through Zidane,
Vieira and Ribery were also getting forward in support.
>.. leading to two goals. Surely, the answer is not leaving him on the bench for
>Trezeguet ... or is it?
If they play like they did against Spain then yes, Trezeguet would be a
better option against Brazil.
>I think Henry may do better against against Brazilian defenders.
Zidane and Ribery have the beating of Cafu and Roberto Carlos, they
don't need Henry for that and I expect Trezeguet will give Lucio and
Juan more problems.
dinny...@gmail.com
> which is an entirely different proposition.
"embellished the foul"?
Oh, I like that. That's right up there with 'collateral damage' as one
of great euphemisms.
Please stop trying to justify a cowardly act. Henry tried to get Puyol
carded pure and simple. Yes, he was fouled but trying to brush over his
subsequent reaction is pathetic.
Benny is right on the money. Only at this point Henry is set to scoop
the Diving Twat of World Cup gong.
Bob
<dinny...@gmail.com> wrote
> Oh, I like that. That's right up there with 'collateral damage' as one
Troll -O-Meter
0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9
^
|
Benny
>I thought the two referees were very good, talking to the players when
>necessary, not making the game into a stupid cardfest, and not making
>serious mistakes. I am not concerned in the least with Henry's
>theatrics: most forwards do it sometimes. The referees need to be
>alert, though. Henry doesn't do it too often but he did it yesterday
>(modern camerawork is unforgiving) and deserves the Twatty that Benny
>has awarded him.
As I have said in the past Roberto Rosetti is one of the best referees
in Italy. It must have been liberating for him to award a penalty
against a Juventus player.
>I didn't like the offside trap that Aragonés set up (with a set of
>players who rarely play that way, let alone play that way together). It
>was bound to fail.
>
>When a Spanish sports daily put up on its cover "We are going to retire
>Zidane", I knew there was trouble in the works. Anybody even midly
>superstitious knows that such a cover is an invitation to disaster. It
>was. Zidane played very well, played all 90 minutes, and proceeded to
>cap the game with a classic and personal vaccination. The provocation
>was dumb, the consequence, a brilliant goal.
>
>The Spanish press has suddenly come to its senses after the ridiculous
>hype. It's a national disease (I call it "triunfalismo"). A bullfighter
>has a good day and they declare him one of the greats. A team wins a
>couple of games and they are candidates for the WC title. A players
>scores a couple of important goals and they declare him to be world
>class.
Where does this leave Aragones?
>France was a class act within its limitations, playing at its rhythm
>(slowish, but yesterday very steady and secure), with only a few
>offensive tools that they used well. A clear defeat for Spain, a clear
>win for France, and a strangely interesting game to come between France
>and Brazil. Two teams with stars, both far from convincing so far, both
>with isolated flashes of brilliance. I think I am going to enjoy that
>quarterfinal match!
>
>Best,
>
>SMT
It has all the ingredients to be an absolute classic.