Sunday (Round of 16 - Day 2) World Cup OPEN Thread
Sun, Jun 29
11:30 a.m. ESPN Netherlands vs. Mexico Fortaleza 51
3:30 p.m. ESPN Costa Rica vs. Greece Recife 52
http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2014/02/espn-schedule-2014-f…
That was a rip from Sneijder! Great technique to hit that.
The Dutch will win this before PKs.
They better be careful else they might not make it through extra time to get to PKS...
Mexico is in deep now
A penalty kick in extra time.
Wow. Shit just got real.
Oh snap!
Holy cow, Ochoa needs to save his best for last...
He is such a wanker--just as much of a douchebag as he is talented. Crap way for Mexico to lose this game.
Where was your comment for that one?
"The irony of Robben not getting a penalty there." I said that, disregarding his name, because he is usually looking to make the most of any little touch in the box, with the 2010 final being the exception. It was a penalty in the first half. That doesn't justify diving for another penalty towards the end of the game. You do what you can to win your team the game. Great, the Dutch won as I expected. But that was a very crappy way to lose if you're a Mexican. And Robben continues his reputation as a Bambi on ice in the box.
If the call is made in the first half the result is more than likely the same. Unfortunately, Mexico had it taken from them in injury time. Both teams had reason to be furious with the officiating.
So he flops. Many soccer players regardless of country flop.
Dutch goals at 88' and 94'. Mexico's going home
Poor Damn Mexico.
Netherlands 2 Mexico 1
Wow. Just like that.
We're not out of the woods yet, gentlemen.
But when was Sparty playing today?
Seriously tough break for Mexico. They had it and lost it because of that penalty. And it wasn't even contact too. As blatant a dive as can be.
So either way the Dutch ought to have scored 2 goals.
deep into the tournament.
Man, what a choke (or 'wow they got cheated,' depending on how you view it. Either way it sucks to lose like that in the last five minutes. Obviously worse if it wasn't a good foul. I'd have to see a replay). I wasn't rooting for Mexico but I don't wish that kind of reversal of fortune on any fan.
And people think soccer will ever be big in the United States? I'd pray that our national identity would keep us from ever winning games in the manner the Europeans expect to win most of their games, by flopping and crying to the more than coniliatory referees.
Diving happens all the time in the NBA, and people accept it, but when it happens in soccer it's apparently the worst thing ever.
Diving in the NBA is so much less significant and so much less prevalent than it is in International Soccer. It's not even close.
But I think flopping is more annoying in soccer. Scores are so infrequent that one successful flop has a disproportionate impact on the final outcome of a game.
Agree. It occurs in a lot of sports (football is another - think WRs against DBs), but in soccer it has the greatest impact. I still enjoy soccer but it's a part of the sport that's frustrating.
Because it's not "diving" in the NBA. They stand in, take the charge, and they either get the call or they don't. Then they keep playing.
They don't writhe around on the ground like little girls, pretending they're hurt.
but not the same way they do in soccer. Flopping is a huge part of how teams generate offensive chances in soccer. Frustrating to see teams lose our surrender goals because of some guy acting like he got shot
I enjoy soccer, but I hate seeing that behavior get rewarded every single game
And driving into the lane to draw contact isn't a huge way to generate points in basketball? How many times do you see someone exagerate getting fouled so the ref sees it? And in soccer, the only reason a PK is more 'significant' is that a denied goal scoring opportunity is very significant. The punishement has to be equal to the infraction. If it was the other way, and teams didn't get PKs so 'easily', then D's would just hack down offensive players all the time in the box.
The best solution, I can think of, is to get more refs. Asking basically one guy to see these things from like 20 yards away with 10 people in his sight path is a bad position to be in. Even in basketball, they have three guys covering an extremely smaller space.
It definitely happens in basketball, too, but in a sport where a team might score 100+ points, individual scoring plays generally don't have the same impact as they do in a sport where teams can win 1-0. The impact of penalties on wins and losses in this sport is huge, there's no denying that. And for that reason, referees also let more contact go in the box than they would elsewhere, which is also a problem.
I think there should be two separate levels of penalties - one for stuff that is technically a foul by the book but not really severe, and another for nasty, red card-level stuff and/or something that clearly prevents a scoring chance. Have the first lead to a free kick outside the box, and the second to a PK.