as I predicted...Spain won Spain 2: Ghana 1 so first team for final: SPAIN hope the next is Germany...I hope we beat Nigeria I still can be right with my forecast.. this is what our boys wants: "Wenn man wie wir so nah am Ziel ist, wollen wir auch Weltmeister werden", jubelte Richard Sukuta-Pasu. Sukuta-Pasu (Bayer Leverkusen) - if we are already so close to the goal,then we want to become world cup champions.....(free translatation). Kicker: German team is also optimistic...so why should not be optimistic? http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/junioren/startseite/artikel/144670/
shit....Nigeria 2: Germany 1 before a break I hope in the second half will be better.. I still have hope..but Nigerians are strong. Here is German squad: Deutschland: Vollath, Strifler, Teixeira, Erb, Rausch - Rudy, Wolze - Kroos - Bigalke, Sukuta-Pasu, Dowidat P.S....Hey, german boys win it for me!!!..if we lose, i will get heart attack...
after 2:1 I still had a hope for 2:2 and prolongation...but as you see...Nigeria managed to score 3.goal...3:1 for Nigeria http://www.kicker.de/home/spielpaarungsbericht/object/800742 also Finale: SPAIN - NIGERIA I´m sooooooooooooo SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD
more attack, more aggressive...we simply probably slept in the first half..and now we lost 3:1.. catastrophe!...now Maximum Optimal will laugh me at becaue I did wrong forecast...
Everyone is wrong now and then and there is no reason to laugh about that. However, irrational exuberance or optimism that leads one to place a bet for thousands of euros that Germany will win the WC is another matter. I can only say that we would have many more financial bubbles and even bigger ones if the world of financial markets were populated with people with your "optimism." But we're just talking about a game so there is no reason to temper your optimism. In real life, however, I would say that there is a stronger case to be made for realism over optimism. The best combination in a person is enthusiasm combined with realism. The blindly optimistic I can do without.
I just returned from Suwon Sports Complex for Nigeria-Germany. My impressions: The Game (1st half) 01. Nigeria has athletes. They had a dangerous mix of sheer speed, quickness, plus soccer savvy. Not brilliant ball skills like Latin/South America -- no dribbling wizardry. But good enough at trapping, passing, enough skill to play heads-up, aggressive in looking for breaks and through-balls, fast everywhere (especially in defense), endless hustle in midfield, and a poacher/shooter in Christanus -- like a confident Eddie Johnson. Exactly the kind of team that could give a dour technical German team fits. 02. I arrived late, 1-0 at 15' (see #23 below). So Germany was already chasing the game. (Replays at fifa.com show that Nigeria swung a corner out, Germany headed clear to ~22m, Alfa sent in a Feilhabish volley, Vollath spilled it, Christanus poached and rounded him at 5m, and did a lunging sit-down slide-poke at the goal line to beat a defender.) 03. In midfield defense, Nigeria were quick to converge, confident in judging tight distances, and aggressive in lunges, so their big weapon was the poke-away. Germany's short passing ball control might be 2-diameter good (i.e. ball rebounds only 2 diameters from trapper's foot), but they could manage only 2-3 passes like that in a row, and then they'd make a 3-diameter mistake, and a Nigerian foot would always sneak in and disrupt for a steal. Germany's short-passing attack rate was about 3 balls into Nigeria's box all game vs. 40 balls poked away (and 100+ passes missed). Germany never seemed to appreciate the range of Nigeria's poke-aways, and kept playing the same short dart passes to "open" guys, which ultimately frittered away most of their possessions. 04. In final 1/3 defense, Nigeria played high-pressure at the top of the box, congesting all of the passing lanes. They were individually so fast that Germany's forwards never could gain separation for clear through-balls. 05. About 5 times Germany did spring a wide-open cutter at the top of box heading straight in, but the passing window was so tight that the final pass missed (by ~2 diameters or less). These happened sporadically, after Nigeria had overrotated for some reason or another -- Germany couldn't create them methodically, and had no idea when or where the next one would come. 06. Germany's Richard Sukuta-Pasu is a stud, and could overpower/outrun any Nigerian defender 1-v-1. But his wing forwards couldn't gain separation, so when he carried the ball from midfield himself, he had no outlets. When he played with his back to the goal at top of box, Nigeria man-marked him tightly, let him receive the entry pass, then jammed him (hip check) just as he turned, so that he could never catch up to his own ball, while other defenders lurked in the passing lanes to deprive him of support. He didn't get one clean look all game. Clearly Nigeria scouted him well, and game-planned to shut him down. 07. In attack, Nigeria could dribble fast, or play a decent short/wide passing game with overlapping runners, or send long through-balls to sprinters (which implies that they sprint, see, and try the pass), or shoot from long range. They did all 4 at about a B/B+ level. Their long passes often missed, they were just as susceptible to poke-away themselves, and their long shots were often easy catches by Vollath (Germany GK). But it's OK to be speculative on offense, particularly when you're already ahead. 3 jackpots will win a lot of matches, and the incessant probing and gear-shifts kept scrambling Germany's defense. 08. At 18', Alfa hoofed an outrageous speculative long shot from about 5m behind the box top corner to the far upper corner -- 35m if it's straight in. It deflected off a defender, homed in at center just below the crossbar, Vollath tipped it up, but because its lateral component was so significant, he couldn't get it high enough to clear the far post corner. 2-0, and Germany still hadn't settled down. 09. At 33', Germany won a poke-away duel at Nigeria's box top (IIRC they got the ball back while Nigeria was in defense-to-offense transition), and sent in a ball for Sukuta-Pasu running right to left. He dropped off to Kroos running left-to-right, Kroos cut back left to separate from 1 guy, and fired low left post from about 14m, just over a slide tackle (that he then tripped over, but who cares). 2-1, and if Germany could just keep doing that ... (But no, Nigeria didn't let either of them see that much open grass again.) The Fans 10. Nigeria had a fan section of about 200 people. 11. They all wore the same white-and-green shirt. 12. They stood up the entire match. And jumped up and down to the beat. 13. They had four trumpeteers. Playing 4-part harmony (or antiphony, with 3 on the refrain + 1 ace/soloist). Plus a big drum, and 2-3 handheld metal bell. They played two sets, of 50 minutes each. Non-stop. 14. They all sang. They all knew the words. Some songs had mandatory hand-waves and body swaying, and they all knew that, too. 15. So did Nigeria's players (and the hipper members of their coaching staff). 16. The rest of the stadium was disappointingly empty. 3500 total attendance, pitiful for a FIFA semifinal. (I didn't care about either team, but I figured, how many times in my life will FIFA put a semifinal within jogging (ahem -- ok, I walked the last bit) distance of my domicile, for $5 walk-up? Then the trumpets, and jumping up and down with Nigeria's fans, made me care about Nigeria.) 17. Late in the 2nd half, a Korean-led drum team set up a competing Germany cheering section. They didn't sing or jump up and down, and I think they were actually cheering "Ger-ma-ny!", which is inaccurate (Germans would say "Deutschland"). I couldn't really hear them over the trumpets, though The Game (2nd half) 18. Germany came out in full-fight mode, with frenzied berserker midfield pressure. Nigeria bunkered somewhat. For ~20 minutes, Nigeria couldn't advance the ball 15m beyond midfield -- Germany just wanted the ball back more than Nigeria's short-passing skills could keep it. With dominant possession, Germany launched waves of runs. Nigeria bent but never broke, and rope-a-doped Germany. 19. 4-5 Nigerians wilted with injuries/cramps -- real or faux. One guy actually took the stretcher ride, two guys waved it off. About the 3rd time they did this, the ref may have had enough -- a Nigerian fouled a German foray ~5m outside box top, ~1m from sideline, then went down with cramps. The ref awarded the FK, and the prone Nigerian was literally lying adjacent to the ball -- encroachment! The ref quite firmly ordered the Nigerian off the field -- "You're only 1 meter from the sideline, you've got one good calf left, use it" -- presently the Nigerian climbed to his foot, hopped twice, and lay down along the sideboard (out of our view). The Germans took the FK, it was cleared for a corner, they took that, it got cleared, Nigeria broke out, lost the ball, Germany brought the ball back and lost it -- and here comes the Nigerian trainer, puttering around the endline toward his player, who is still taking a breather with only his knees visible above the sideboard 20. Late in the game, both teams were ragged, but Germany was gassed, and running out of ideas. Nigeria always looked dangerous on the break, but lack wizardry/coolness in finishing, so they frittered away a dozen or so decent situations. 21. Nigeria's final goal sequence was truly bizarre -- FIFA's replay and description does not begin to describe it. IIRC, it goes like this: - Nigeria 2-1 Germany, 92.5' into 4' of extra time, so it's Germany's last gasp. - Nigeria gets a 3-on-1 at midfield, heads right up the middle. - Short pass to center ~30m out, 1-v-1 -- he rounds his guy and busts in, with flankers on both sides! - Dribbler lures last defender, drops short forward pass to the left guy, collides with that defender (which hobbles defender's ankle) ... - ... Vollath (GK) is frozen on the right, left guy shoots with left instep to center, nets! - Nigerian fan block screams. - Injured defender is bent over with one hand down to his ankle, the other arm up for offside. - AR flags left guy offside, NO GOAL. - Vollath also pleads for offside for 0.5 seconds, gets the call, and in one fluid motion, turns, digs ball out of his net, runs forward two steps, puts ball down, and (without straightening up from his crouch) goal-kicks the ball into play to his left wingback. - It dawns on Nigerian fan block that the goal was disallowed -- some air leaks out of their joy balloon. - Nigeria's right forward intercepts!! Passes left to Akinsola about 2m behind box top right. - Vollath, paralyzed in shock, is stranded off his line, still where he took the GK. Injured defender stands like Kerri Strug on one foot, he hasn't moved either from where he got hurt. - Akinsola, with his head up (Nigeria can do that), touches once, and lobs Vollath from 20m. (In FIFA's highlights, this is the lob you see arcing over Vollath's head.) - There is no doubt about this one -- ref immediately points to center circle -- the injured defender sits down -- Akinsola runs to the corner flag -- - It dawns on Nigerian fan block that it is a GOAL -- - It dawns on Nigeria's other players -- - It dawns on FIFA's Jumbotron operators du jour -- - 3-1. 22. As penance for being caught flat-footed, the Jumbotron operators make amends by showing the FIFA "Full Time" graphic, with final score and scoring summary, before the ref blows the final whistle. The game continues for another 30 seconds while the Jumbotron placidly, uh, predicts the future. We wonder: If Germany had scored on their final Hail Mary, would the Jumbotron update the scoring summary in real-time? I would pay to see that. Miscellany 23. I cannot jog from my lab to my apartment to the stadium in 30 minutes. It takes 40. Then I circumnavigated 330 degrees of arc around the stadium looking for the ticket booth. Should have turned right! 24. My camcorder tape lasts only from 16' to 30' -- interrupted by staffer zealotry (no doubt abetted by the completely unobstructed sightlines in the 98% of the stadium not in the lee of the Nigerian fan block). So I got only Alfa's and Kroos's goals. 25. We need some fans like Nigeria's fans! (Germany is thinking the same thing.)
many thanks for your wise advise, Maximum Optimal. yeah, to have a healthy balance between optimism and realism is important. However, it is not always easy for me to find this balance. I have to smile when you said that people with my "optimism" at financial markets could cause even more financial bubbles..at least financial markets would be worry about me... Back to Germany....we will play for place 3rd...as our seniour team did...and they played very good this tournament...so I´m proud of them..... oh, you mentioned our game during world cup 2006...i was so over-optimistic that I only saw victory of German team....maybe it was because of this wonderful atmosphere we had in Germany...and I did not want to miss it....I still think back at the wonderful time world cup 2006...I´m happy to saw life this big sport event in Germany....i think I must have been over super optimistic).... so thank you for your advice.. your friend P.S My signature below belongs to games against England
Off the highlights, Vollath looks at blame for the first two goals. The replays didn't show thhe deflection on the 2nd; it may have been just a curved (outside of the foot) ball. Or not. The bizarre sequence was ... ehm, bizarre indeed. But what an effin' lob.
From FIFA's highlights, the 4th mowed stripe fills the 16.3m (18 yard) box, and he fired from exactly the 3rd mowed stripe further out, so ~29m straight. He was ~4m left of the corner ~= 15m right of center. That's about a 30-degree angle, so 29 sqrt 3 ~= 50m. He beat Vollath from 50m! No deflection -- his shot was outswinging left all the way in, and Vollath underestimated the arc. Ball won at M-3 stripes (into Germany's half), to Sukuta-Pasu at M+1 stripe, dropped off at N-4 stripes (from Nigeria's box top), cut back at N-1, shot at N+0, exactly 18 yards. In real-time, during the Nigeria fan block crowd shot, you hear the fans saying "offside, offside" -- that's them realizing the first goal didn't count. Then you see the ball in flight (but not Akinsola's volley), and #5 Rausch collapsing backward. The slo-mo replay shows most of the sequence (except the midfield jailbreak and the interception on the right wing).
Good job. You've been showered with praises from the Nigerian soccer forum (cybereagles dot com) for what, frankly, is one of the best analysis we've ever come across.
Excellent write-up. With your high astuteness for numbers, I wouldn't want to be audited by you. Great job!
Germany beat Ghana 2-1 for third place... as for the championship game between Spain and Nigeria, apparently Soccernet fell asleep.... Anyway, FIFA says 0-0, into well into OT, 110 minutes gone so far, according to FIFA's matchcast....
To be fair to Spain, their legs were just too weary from the previous overtime games against France and Ghana. In soccer, you just have to score during regulation time to have a chance. Playing for overtime can only carry you too far. Today, it appears Spain paid for that tactic.
I´m happy with the 3rd place....our young team is very good and showed that their have really world class quality... the best player of the tournament, who got award: "golden ball" is German : Toni Kroos!!!!.. congratulation!!..so german player was the best player of the tournament!!!! http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/junioren/startseite/artikel/369605/ I think german soccer has a very good future...both our senior team and our young team are good..... German national team also have very successful qualification games for European cup....this weekend we won again....and we are first in our group...so I can be optimistic about german soccer! your bltleo
wow...Germany rock.. well it is about world cup in women soccer...Germany won against Argentina ...11:0..the highest victory in the history of the world cup of women soccer...man, are we good I explode from optimism...on Saturday German men team did beat Wales (European qualification game)...our young team U17 won 3rd place, won against Ghana.. and today...our women...made the history of the world cup in women soccer...they won 11:0 against Argentina...I think Argentina must be slowly schocked of Germany.. ..and of course I still remember our victory at new Wembley Stadium against England.. I just wanted to share my happiness with you your german friend bltleo
If anyone hasn't seen the winning German goal yet, it's a must-see. A 3 vs. 5 fast counter. We're talking about the US U-17's not being to match this ... the US senior team can't do this either. And that's a friggin' shame.