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