Why is there no world cup thread ?

[HoonDing]

Costa Rica 1 - 0 England

[JadedWolf]

Costa Rica 1 - 0 England

 

The way the English think of Suarez, I could see that happening. They would roll out the red carpet and escort the Costa Rican striker to their own goal while cheering him on, and applaud him after scoring.

Edited June 19, 2014 by JadedWolf

[Keyrock]

The hatred for Suarez is certainly strong with the crumpet eaters.  Today's events can only possibly fuel that hatred further.  The ****er is really good, though.  And he wasn't even fully fit.

[Keyrock]

How would you folks rate the best strikers in the world in right now?

 

Here's my list:

 

1) Messi

2) van Persie

3) Suarez

4) Ibrahimovic

5) Falcao

[Malcador]

Messi isn't a striker though, no?

[Keyrock]

Messi isn't a striker though, no?

If not a striker, then what would you call a footballer that puts the ball in the back of the net, and at an alarmingly high rate?

 

Edit:  I meant "striker" more as a guy who scores goals, has great ability to put the ball past the keeper, rather than a someone playing a specific position on the pitch.  Maybe I should have used the term "finisher" instead for clarity?

Edited June 19, 2014 by Keyrock

[JadedWolf]

How would you folks rate the best strikers in the world in right now?

 

Here's my list:

 

1) Messi

2) van Persie

3) Suarez

4) Ibrahimovic

5) Falcao

 

I would rate Suarez higher than van Persie to be honest, and even though Ronaldo didn't show much this tournament he would still certainly deserve a spot in the top 5 based on his performance the rest of the year. Remember that he has been playing while less than fit during the Portugal games.

 

Although Robben technically is not a striker, in his current form is up there with the greats. What a beast. Excuse me while I do include him in my best 5.

 

Based on today's performance, actually, I give Suarez the top spot. My list would be:

 

1) Suarez

2) Ronaldo

3) Robben

4) Messi

5) van Persie*

 

* To be honest, based on chauvinism and his showing this tournament. If based on the rest of this year, he'd come nowhere near the top 5. I would probably place one of the German chaps here if I were more impartial, but being Dutch I can't bring myself to do that.

Edited June 19, 2014 by JadedWolf

[Keyrock]

Come on Japan, knock Greece out of the tourney.  I can't stand watching Greece play.  Dreadfully boring team.

[JadedWolf]

Come on Japan, knock Greece out of the tourney.  I can't stand watching Greece play.  Dreadfully boring team.

 

You're a die-hard watching that match. I'll watch anything, but I am sooo skipping that.

[Keyrock]

I may not like the Greek team, but I don't agree with that second yellow for Katrouranis.  That was barely a foul and certainly not a yellow.

 

Edit:  Japan are pretty good at creating chances for themselves, but they have a glaring deficiency in the ability to finish.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Keyrock

[Keyrock]

**** yes, Costa Rica!  What a lovely cross to set up that finish.

[kgambit]

**** yes, Costa Rica!  What a lovely cross to set up that finish.

 

Great header by Ruiz. 

[Keyrock]

Justice after that ridiculous non-call on the obvious foul just a minute earlier.

[kgambit]

Justice after that ridiculous non-call on the obvious foul just a minute earlier.

 

Agreed. 

[Malcador]

Hm, had picked Italy to take this group, guess I was wrong.

[Tigranes]

No way Robben is a better striker than Van Persie or others, he's a bloody good one trick pony but he is still a one trick pony and his inability to pass to anybody is also a critical flaw. He's on great form this World Cup but one can remember many previous international games - and CL finals - where the same flaws made him just waste a lot of the team's chances. RVP with Suarez has been the best prem striker of the last 3 years and although United have been rubbish this season, he is a much more complete player with many different tricks up his sleeve.

 

Also, in terms of great strikers, Sergio Aguero should be in any list without question.

 

Costa Rica holding out 1-0 against Italy, filling that underdog hero role. Been very impressed with their tactical organisation and they've really taken their chances in a group filled with 3 pretty good but very rarely great teams.

[Keyrock]

This wasn't even a fluke victory, Costa Rica was flat out better than Italy today, significantly better.  It's crazy that from a Group of Death with Italy, England, Uruguay, and Costa Rica, Costa Rica wound up being the first team to get through to the knockout stages.

 

Hats off to them.

[Malcador]

Debatable how much of a Group of Death it was, seems to be in reputation (kind of like Germany's. Portugal looked pretty shoddy and Ghana and US were uninspiring, with the former playing pretty brainless).  Still, good for them, when they inevitably bend over England, it'll be even better.

[JadedWolf]

Costa Rica absolutely deserved it, well done to them. Italy looked really uninspired.

[JadedWolf]

I always find the beginning bit where all the players fold their arms a bit funny. It's like you've done something bad and they all want to show their disapproval.

 

From 0-0 to 0-2 in what feels like less than two minutes. Well, that was fast.

Edited June 20, 2014 by JadedWolf

[Malcador]

Yay, Giroud scored.   And then Matuidi.

[JadedWolf]

Oh my, that should have been the 1-2.

[Malcador]

Should have let Giroud take the penalty

[JadedWolf]

Good work by the keeper.

[Rostere]

Normally I don't care a lot about football. But this championship has been interesting for several reasons.

 

Firstly, it was interesting to see Iran's Rouhani tweet a pic of him sitting in a sofa with a football shirt, watching his team play. It shows that regardless of the current level of religious influence in Iranian politics, he "gets" what the modern Iranian public wants to see. It gets me thinking about how sports can actually change "real" things - what if Iran goes forward to the elimination rounds? Seeing Iran compete with the other countries of the world might change both some Iranians' view of their own nation's place in the world, and the outside world's picture of Iran.

 

Secondly, as my country did not even qualify, I have seen a lot of discussion about which countries people root for when they can't cheer for their own team. Several marketing efforts have also picked this mood up, with the result that every person in the entire country probably by now has had the discussion "Which is you second team?" at least once. I've seen a lot of this on Facebook, and frankly it is much more exciting, and allows for much more individual expression, than when you have the ability to cheer for your own team. Sports articles in newspapers have ceased being only endless navelgazing about our own team's composition, the tone of the reporters has also changed somewhat to something more resembling whisky connoiseurs, when they now devote their time to informing the public about all the (subtle) differences in tactics, recruiting processes, and historical background of all the other teams.

 

Seeing how both Spain and England has apparently been completely humiliated in the group rounds, maybe now they will also have some time over for that as well.