HALFTIME WHISTLE -


PARAGUAY - 0


JAPAN - 0


A pacy 45 minutes came to an end. Both teams had pretty much equal opportunities to score the first goal but missed them all, some by mere inches. Santa Cruz missed a superb chance to score, and Honda's long ranger flew across the goal when he had the GK beaten.

All of this promises to bring another explosive 45 minutes to follow. Let's see who breaks the ice first.

FULL TIME - Match #55 (ROUND OF 16 - #7) -



Don't let that scoreline fool you. It has been 90 minutes of intense, fast and really good football so far. Both teams have squandered lots of opportunities at scoring the goal, and Japan has been the worse culprit of this than Paraguay.

We go into Extra Time, folks. Pray for a goal in the next 30 minutes, or we will be witness to the first Penalty Shootout of WC 2010.

HALFTIME WHISTLE OF EXTRA TIME -


PARAGUAY - 0



JAPAN - 0


Hmm...dare I say that the Penalty Shootout looks very much a possibility? Match is locked in a stalemate.

Unless someone comes through with a moment of brilliance in the next 15 minutes, we go into it.

FULL TIME + EXTRA TIME - Match #55 (ROUND OF 16 - #7) -



Yep, I was right in my last post ^.

Angra should be happy now at last - PLENTY of goals coming up in a few minutes.

Yes that's right, folks - we now head into THE FIRST PENALTY SHOOTOUT OF FIFA WORLD CUP 2010!!!

FULL TIME + EXTRA TIME + PENALTY SHOOTOUT - Match #55 (ROUND OF 16 - #7) -



Absolute jubilation for Paraguay, as they win the Penalty Shootout 5 - 3, and move into the Quarter - Finals of WC 2010 for the first time in their football history.

Heartbreak for Japan and their numerous fans. The players looked inconsolable and utterly dejected as most of them broke into tears of anguish. Komano was the only one who missed, as his shot curled upwards and hit the top part of the goal and rocketed outwards to his immense disbelief, and his miss sent Japan out of the WC. However, they should be proud of their showing in this WC, as they firmly registered their name as a team to be reckoned with.

Two very different emotions in the end, from what was a fantastic game of football between 2 equally talented teams.

They should be very, VERY proud. They managed to beat Denmark. Yes DENMARK!!

HALFTIME WHISTLE -


SPAIN - 0


PORTUGAL - 0


Honours stand even at the end of the first 45 minutes. Although Portugal had clearly the better chances at scoring, Spain did miss quite a few themselves. Both teams' defenses wouldn't be too pleased at some of the lapses they showed.
Portugal though look hungry and raring. Spain seems half-ignited so far. Villa and Torres have made runs, but don't look as menacing as they did in the previous games. Christiano Ronaldo is yet to leave an impact in this game. I think he will be hoping to make one.
I daresay it will take a blast of daring and innovative individual brilliance to break this impasse. Which individual it will be...is difficult to tell.
It could go either way, folks. Let's see what the next 45 minutes reveal.

1 - 0 SPAIN!!

Its VILLA TIME! :D

1-0

Blah....

FULL TIME - Match #56 (ROUND OF 16 - #8) -



Portugal started off the second half in fine style with two superb attempts at goal which fizzed out.
Then, something happened suddenly to the Spanish. They took their game to a whole new level and suddenly the red shirts were pouring again and again into the Portuguese half of the field.
Attacks were relentless as Sergio Ramos and David Villa kept the pressure up till the 63rd minute when Portugal's defenses were finally caught sleeping. Iniesta's shot came off a defender and David Villa was at the right position at the right time.
1 - 0 to Spain.
Then it was a matter of keeping possession, which the Spanish did well into the last 5-6 minutes when Portugal suddenly showed some desperation in their football. Another glaring mistake by the referee resulted in a straight Red Card for Portugal's Costa who wasn't even watching where his own arm was, in his desperation to head the curling ball into the goal. It maybe deserved a Yellow at best, but no way in hell was it a Red Card offense.
The scoreline stayed the same through the 3 minutes of extra time, and the one final assault by the Portuguese fell flat.
Celebrations for Spain. A frustrating loss for Portugal. Christiano Ronaldo was left as just a ghost of his self in the end.

Good but slightly disappointing match to finish off the Round of 16.

This will be the lineup for the Quarter - Finals, which tee off in 2 days' time...





Are you salivating at the 3rd match on the above list yet?

Well, the sides who have played better football than the rest and have shown some sort of adaptation to the controversial ball have advanced on. Brazil & Argentina look like THE teams to beat, although Argentina has a bit more tough road to go through if it makes into the big Final.

But that is still some way off. For now, let's see some predictions.

My picks - Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Spain, although the Argentina - Germany match could go either way. Really torn about that one but I ll side with my childhood favorite and give them a very slight edge, who is named as Lionel Messi.

Good night, folks.

Brazil
Spain
Uruguay
Germany

Argentina
Brazil
Spain
Uruguay

Something to keep Angra happy, now that Denmark's gone for a long time and Netherlands is destined to follow suit -

http://guyism.com/2010/06/the-ultima...p-nations.html

;)

Blah.............

Netherlands
Uruguay
Germany
Spain

Ghana-Uruguay 0-2

Brazil - Netherlands 3-1

Good evening, good morning...wherever you are across the globe. Folks, lick your lips in feverish anticipation, because it is...

QUARTER - FINALS time!!!!


Two HUGE matches tee off tonight, the first one in just over 50 minutes...it will be the uber-confident NETHERLANDS taking on the unstoppable BRAZIL.

Two fantastic teams in terms of football talent, but in execution you will have to agree with me that Brazil hold a huge edge over the Europeans. There has been a lot of talk in the past 2 days about both teams and their tactical plays but Brazil is known to come hard when the game really matters it, so I won't be surprised if many of you side with me when I say Brazil goes into their game as favorites.


The other match tonight will be URUGUAY taking on GHANA.

Does anyone know the Brazil line-up today?

Is Elano fit and playing?

He's a sub today.

Ramires is also out due to two yellows.

Lucio, Maicon, Juan, Melo, Bastos, Gilberto Silva, Fabiano, Kaka, Robinho and Alves.

Netherlands are...IN A SHITLOAD OF TROUBLE!!!:D


1 - 0 BRAZIL!!

Robinhoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

HALFTIME WHISTLE -


NETHERLANDS - 0


BRAZIL - 1
(Robinho 10')


Whew! What a cracking half! 45 minutes of some of the finest, rough and pacy football you ll ever get to see.
Tempers started flaring within the first 5 minutes of the match itself, when Robinho yelled "FUCK YOU!" to one of the Dutchmen in loud and clear words. No love lost between the two teams, after all the tough talk in the past couple days which built up to this match.
And that superb 10th minute charge which saw Robinho blast the ball past the GK for the opening goal. He had earlier charged into the Dutch defense and scored too, but that goal was disallowed because of offside ruling.
The Dutch had some half-decent runs into the Brazilian half, but everytime Brazil's defenses stood firm. Lucio & Gilberto Silva particularly kept denying Arjen Robben & Wesley Sneijder any chances they might have had at the Brazilian goal.
And Brazil kept attacking right up to the half-time whistle. One of Kaka's turbo-charged shots was heading straight in, if the Dutch GK didn't get a last-minute hand to it to divert it away. And another blast by Maicon from the right saw the ball thud into the side of the net.
The ref was kept plenty busy with a lot of bookings in the first half itself. Both teams are on full-steam ahead mode, and they are not short of a word or two to each other. All in all, football at its most dynamic and roughest so far.
The second half promises to be a real cracker.

NETHERLANDS have THE EQUALISERRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!


1 - 1 PEOPLE!!

I disagree with the own goal. Seems like it was going in with or without the slight touch.

True, but they go with the final touch on the ball (if they see it). Ergo it is written as an Own Goal against Melo's name.

Would you believe THIS?!!!!!!!!!!

:eek:


THE DUTCH LEAD 2 - 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, he's got one now.

And the own goal scorer gets a straight Red!

Brazil down to 10 men, and trailing 1 - 2!

Brazil are showing their petulant side, they don't lose with dignity this lot. Still dangerous though with five mins left.

Wasn't he also right in front during Sneijder's header? He may have lost this one single-handedly.

Yep. He turned out to be a poor replacement for Ramires in the end.

3 minutes extra time, folks!

Brazil need an equaliser fast, or they go OUT!

Andddddddddddd


BRAZIL ARE KNOCKED OUT OF THE WORLD CUP BY THE NETHERLANDS!!!!!!!!!

Did not see that one coming.....................



Well done Holland

FULL TIME - Match #57 (QUARTER - FINAL #1) -




What a cracker of a match we just witnessed! And nobody, I dare say not even the Dutch team themselves, would have predicted that Brazil would be beaten in this match.
But the Dutch did it. Brazil are OUT of WC 2010.
The half-time did some sort of wonders to the Dutch team. They came out all guns blazing and persistently hammered away at the Brazilian goal, and eventually the Brazil defense cracked.
A terrible, terrible mis-communication and mistake between Melo and Cesar the GK resulted in both going for the ball when it had been curled in by Sneijder, and before Cesar could grab it, the ball deflected off Melo's shoulder and headed straight into the Brazilian goal. 1 - 1.
That gave a real shot in the arms to the Dutch forwards. They pressed on repeatedly and complimented by plenty of lapses by both the Brazilian forwards and defenders, won a very crucial corner on the far side. The ball was curled in and Sneijder coolly headed the ball in. The score read 2 - 1.
That rattled the Brazilians no end. It was a pretty hot-tempered match from the beginning, and it suddenly became a ill-tempered one too.
Melo kicked out viciously at Robben's thigh and got red carded. Brazil's troubles worsened as they were reduced to 10 men, and they still needed the equaliser to force Extra Time.
In the end, it has to be said that Brazil lost their cool and their minds to play competitive football during the last 20 minutes. They kept losing the ball repeatedly and even a series of corner hits by Maicon and Dani Alves couldn't result in the equaliser. Robinho, Kaka and the substitute Nilmar could do nothing through the final minutes and when the final whistle sounded, it was HUGE celebrations time for the Netherlands.
Bitter disappointment for Brazil. WC 2006 had seen them lose to France in the Quarters, and here they were knocked out in the Quarters yet again. They will go back home with heads bowed, a proud team letting their hot tempers get the better of their exceptional football skills.
Netherlands should be really, REALLY hyped and super-charged now. By beating the #1 team in the world, they must be having the World Cup in their sights. The confidence that they can beat the best in the world will rub through their entire team, and they will be raring to take on any teams left.

Shitfuck!!

ROFL!!!

I knew you would fall off your chair in the end. :D

And so we go into the second Quarter Final of tonight - GHANA taking on URUGUAY.

We already have had one HUGE upset earlier tonight...can Ghana do something similarly miraculous and pull off an against-odds win somehow?

With everything stacked against them, including the opinions and predictions of the football pundits, they have nothing to lose in giving it their best shot.

Let's see.

I hope Ghana gets destroyed.....but thats just me being a stubborn American