The Official 2014 World Cup Thread

[SO91]

World Cup previews from Zonal Marking. Informative stuff, especially if you want a better understanding of teams you may not know as well.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/category/world-cup-2014/

Started with Group A. Up to Italy's preview as of this post.

 

[Stout]

It all begins today!

 

[slinslin]

This opening ceremony is incredibly boring.

 

[Stout]

This opening ceremony is incredibly boring.

Didn't know it had already started. ESPN is just starting coverage now.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Didn't know it had already started. ESPN is just starting coverage now.

It is/was on ESPN3. I actually agree with slin. Boring.

 

[Stout]

It is/was on ESPN3. I actually agree with slin. Boring.

Well, the pre-game on ESPN was 90% commercials.

OMFG, own goal Brazil! WOW!!!

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Well, the pre-game on ESPN was 90% commercials.

OMFG, own goal Brazil! WOW!!!

They deserved it. Croatia played a great first half.

 

[slinslin]

Brazil looks atrocious defensively but so does Croatia. They really miss Mandzukic they could have gone 2-0 ahead.

But thats what you get with Marcelo and Alves at left back. Marcelo should never be starting for Brazil. Fillipe Luis from Atletico is a much better LB.

Also Hulk to me is a joke. In the Russian league he might get away with his muscle build and running probably half the distance that is the standard for a player. Hulk, Fred, Paulinho, Gustavo these guys would not have made former Brazilian World Cup teams.

Also David Luiz for 50 Million Euros - Paris is really stupid.

 

[slinslin]

They deserved it. Croatia played a great first half.

They played a good first 15 minutes. Since then Croatia has been very underwhelming. Their midfield is more talented than Brazil but Modric and Kovacic are invisible.

 

[Stout]

Wow, an absolute gift to Brazil. That penalty call was a joke. It should have been a yellow for diving.

 

[Stout]

And an equalizer whistled off for no apparent reason. Croatia is getting boned, hard core.

 

[Stout]

Wow, and the third goal directly after yet another clear foul by Brazil, which again was not called. By my count, this game is 2-1 Croatia. Very poorly officiated match. The ref did well early on, but as the calls became crucial, he gave Brazil not just every benefit of the doubt, but the clear advantage. A shame, really. Great effort by Croatia.

 

[slinslin]

And an equalizer whistled off for no apparent reason. Croatia is getting boned, hard core.

That was definitely a foul on the GK, however the penalty for Brazil was NEVER one in a million years and obvious as it gets.

Can't let Brazil go out early , need to calm the rioting masses.

Croatia's keeper was a disaster. A good keeper stops all the goals, he had the penalty and failed to punch it out the other 2 goals from that distance he has to stop.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Wow, and the third goal directly after yet another clear foul by Brazil, which again was not called. By my count, this game is 2-1 Croatia. Very poorly officiated match. The ref did well early on, but as the calls became crucial, he gave Brazil not just every benefit of the doubt, but the clear advantage. A shame, really. Great effort by Croatia.

Agreed. I was thinking the exact same thing.

They were really hard done by this game. They played a hell of a match considering the opposition.

 

[slinslin]

Gustavo should have gotten a red card not a yellow.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

That was definitely a foul on the GK, however the penalty for Brazil was NEVER one in a million years and obvious as it gets.


Croatia's keeper was a disaster. A good keeper stops all the goals, he had the penalty and failed to punch it out the other 2 goals from that distance he has to stop.

Have to agree with this.

 

[slinslin]

Alves should have gotten a red too that was hard to see though.

 

[slinslin]

We have many referees in Europe that call games on the highest level regularly. Yet for the World Cup we get referees from 4th rate countries when it comes to soccer that have no experience at the highest level. That is a joke.

Howard Webb is a joke as well of course but still.

 

[Stout]

That was definitely a foul on the GK, however the penalty for Brazil was NEVER one in a million years and obvious as it gets.

Can't let Brazil go out early , need to calm the rioting masses.

Croatia's keeper was a disaster. A good keeper stops all the goals, he had the penalty and failed to punch it out the other 2 goals from that distance he has to stop.

No doubt! I liked the quip about how he's so holy he spends ten days a year at the monastery, and that now he has more to pray about.

 

[SO91]

That was definitely a foul on the GK, however the penalty for Brazil was NEVER one in a million years and obvious as it gets.

Can't let Brazil go out early , need to calm the rioting masses.

Croatia's keeper was a disaster. A good keeper stops all the goals, he had the penalty and failed to punch it out the other 2 goals from that distance he has to stop.

I wasn't able to watch the whole match (watching from work - don't ask about my productivity for the next couple of weeks), but you're absolutely right. The keeper was atrocious.

 

[SO91]

http://gfycat.com/ArtisticSecretBalloonfish

Not sure how to embed this type of gif.

 

[Mulli]

No doubt! I liked the quip about how he's so holy he spends ten days a year at the monastery, and that now he has more to pray about.

My wife said the goalie is goinghave to whip himself all night for that game.

 

[Mulli]

Mexican team doesn't care about rain, they just pretend fans are throwing urine at opposing team. Boom!

 

[slinslin]

That was not a penalty that Spain got.

 

[Neo]

I came out of a meeting and checked the score of the Netherlands vs Spain game. Immediately I went to another website because I thought it was more likely that ESPN was wrong than Spain conceded 5 goals in their opening game. Wow. I had thought they would be in the final. Maybe not.