| World Cup 2006 thoughts 06/18 |
[Jun. 18th, 2006|06:11 pm] |
Time for a new WC06 thoughts...
3 more games occured today, 1 more qualified team for the 2nd round...
Today was not a great World Cup day. Let's start by the first game Japan vs. Croatia. This wasn't the most interesting game of the World Cup, both team had difficulties to score. Croatia showed that they were not the team that they were back in 1998, and Japanese tried hard, but they couldn't score. Nothing is played for either one of those 2 teams, but at least one of them if not both will be going home next Thursday.
The second game was Brazil vs. Australia. I used to think until about 5 or 6 days ago that Brazil would have no problem winning the World Cup again, well I guess I was wrong... What a disappointing Brazil. Ronaldinho isn't playing his best football, Ronaldo... let's not talk about it, all I can say is that the WC hasn't make us forget the problems he had with the Real Madrid this season, he just doesn't have the hype he had in 2002. Good thing for Brazil that they still have some individualities like Kaka or Adriano or Fred. Other than that you don't really feel like you see Brazil play. They are qualified for Round 2, and they won against Australia 2-0, but it wasn't deserved. The Australia team really played a good football. They had no complex against the Brazil stars, if the game would have been ending by a tie, that wouldn't have been scandalous at all, but well deserve. I'm quite sure that we will see the Australians go farther, they can do it, and they also have a very good coach, Guus Hiddink, who afterall brought South Korea to semi-finals 4 years ago, and he also have a good reputation in his home country Holland.
Third game... ouch... well my team, France, is playing against South Korea. Here's the deal first game France tied with Switzerland 0-0, they hadn't scored in World Cup since an infamous France vs. Brazil on July 12th 1998 at the Stade de France in Saint Denis... Emmanuel scored the 3rd goal of France sealing the 1st win ever of France in WC... 8 years have gone through and we can tell that this team is really not as good as it used to be. Some players are still in the team today: Zidane, Thuram, Henry, Vieira, Barthez. But the problem is that these players are now 8 years older, and obviously less fresh. Anyways this game against the Korean is the game that France has to win. South Korea in the other hand is a team that has shown a lot in those past 4 years. They made a wonderful WC in 2002 wher ethey finished 4th (before that they had never even won a single WC game) and their first game against Togo, showed that these guys are very dangerous and very fast.
Well the game start and France actually made a very good 1st half, the players played agressively, and it paid, 9th minute Henry scored !!! We really had the feeling that this France team was back. At the 30th minute Vieira shoot at the Korea goal, and the Korean keeper catch the ball behind the line... should have been a goal, but the ref doesn't see anything so no goal... France will regret that for a long time, especially with the turnout of the 2nd period. This second period was a distater for France, players just didn't play right, they lost their football, while at the same time the Koreans were still in shape, and at the 81st minute, what was gonna happen, happened... South Korea scored. 1-1, that's like a cold shower for the France team, and the Koreans kept pressuring France. Zidane got a stupid yellow card, which have the consequence of him missing the game against Togo next Friday, as well as Eric Abidal, who also received a yellow card. Since they already have a yellow card at the first game they are automatically suspended for the next game... well the game ended with the score of 1-1 after the Koreans almost scored a 2nd goal...
Well what to tell about this game? Well Korea have strong chance to advance, France is in deep shit for qualification, and we still don't know the outcome of the Switzerland vs. Togo, but that's gonna be a tough one. About the game, I'd say there is a part of bad luck with this goal that wasn't seen by the ref (which bring me to this question: Why is there no video for referees in football games???, almost all the sports have it, why not football ?)
The second thing is the strong coaching mistakes Domenech has made. Well it's not the first time he has made... just look at the selection (where in the hell are Pires and Giuly???). Zidane was obviously tired at the end of the game, why did he wait that he got a yellow card and the 90th minute to get him out. He should have let him go out at the 75th minute or so, at least he would have been there for the Togo game. Why did he let Trezeguet in at the 90th minute and not earlier??? I just don't understand...
The scary thought is that it might have been the very last game of Zidane, and it's a really bad way for him to go like that... |
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jbinthe615's journal
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