Monday, June 30, 2014

A weekend of thrills at the World Cup

From where I sit it looks like the first four knockout games have given plenty of talking points...

via thenewstribe.com

To begin with does Brazil have what it take to actually win the tournament? An upstart Chilean side gave the host team all they could handle and more. Quite frankly the Brazilians looked sloppy in defence and were not fully deserving of the win. Columbia is next and that will hardly be a walkover. The Colombians showed nicely against a shorthanded, but game Uruguay team. Costa Rica managed to make history by qualifying for the quarter-finals in a match that was a stone drag. Costa Rica tried to hold on to a 1-0 lead against a Greek squad that seemed to forget they were up a player. Even in the closing stages as the team traded chances the Greeks still didn't manage to produce a winning goal. However, the match of the weekend was the delightful Netherlands-Mexico affair. The teams traded chances and domination as the game ebbed and flowed. Most great games also have a tinge of controversy and this was no exception. Was Arjen Robben guilty of diving? Yes. Was he fouled? Yup. Therefore, it's a penalty. The Mexicans can complain all they want, but the correct call was made. Here's a simple way to avoid getting called for a penalty - don't foul inside the box. Add to that they still produced a chance to tie after the PK and it was a scintillating game. And there's still four more to go.

At least that's how I see it, and I sit in the cheap seats.

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