The extra minutes are catching up to Croatia. They can’t push and defend. Hats off to France. They are playing like a champion today.
You're counting the Croatia own goal as a goal scored? Just curious what your point was. That one goal by Perisic was brilliant. But Mandzukic's was, shall we say, fortuitous. Russia played 11 guys behind the ball vs. Spain for over an hour and were lauded for their brilliant tactics (I failed to grasp the brilliance, personally). France certainly didn't play negative soccer today (they didn't bunker like Russia and, you know, they did score four goals), but I think they did employ a strategy in which they gave up possession and sought to wear down Croatia over the course of the match. All those extra minutes played, and one less day's rest time, weren't exactly a secret to the French. Croatia looked pretty gassed to me that last 30 minutes. Croatia is a fun team to watch, amazingly talented on the ball, great movement, energy. My heart wanted them to win today. But France has some thoroughbreds on their roster that Croatia couldn't match up against, and it showed, especially as the game wore on. And Croatia didn't do themselves any favors today, especially as regards shot accuracy and defending on set pieces. I wish this game could have been played with each team having the same number of days off.
I don't think anybody lauded it as "brilliant", just effective, and it is often used by teams to negate the talent of a "better" opponent. If that was the first time Spain had encountered it, there might be some brilliance, but I doubt that. I count the own goal because it was off a free kick that most of us realize was a dive, then scored by a player from the wrong team. The second goal was a handled ball on a bang-bang play that was initially called as a goal kick. Later in the game, another was waved off by the Ref, and a goal kick was given to France after a deflection, which should have been a corner. Fortune favors the prepared. When Portland scored on the Crew after Steve mishandled a ball on the ground, all the whining in the world would not overturn the call, same for Manzukic. It was a good bit of heads-up play, on both counts. France, for their part dove, stalled, fell and stayed down, and generally did the usual assortment of things that "win" games, but are much of the reason Americans continue to dislike soccer. My biggest hope is that video review gets used to put a stop to (or at least a damper on) those tactics. Every time you see a player "fouled" who gets hit on the shoulder, and grabs his face, then draws a yellow for it, should be given a yellow, even after the game. If embellishment draws a red, the offender is given two games off. Use it as a tool to make the game reward players, not actors. Take those first two goals, and the game plays out differently.
Hang on...sorry to drag this back up, but I was looking for another post and saw this. There IS NO Green Post Office. They're served by a collection of surrounding communities, an odd situation partly due to their very recent (for this part of the state) incorporation as a city.
Timon, for once you are wrong. You are somewhat correct that the only way you can get a Green zip code is getting one of the PO boxes at the Green Post office, and that Green is made up of five zip codes (we are Uniontown). But no Green Post Office? Check out whatever search engine you use or just the USPS website, and then get back to me. Hint: 4735 MASSILLON RD GREEN, OH 44232-9800 I am going to chalk this flub up to drinking for the WC. Edit: Six zip codes (I always forget the second Akron one).
Wiki sez: The city has no unique postal ZIP code; it is served by the Green post office, but only post office boxes are served by this ZIP code (44232); no street addresses in Green have this ZIP code. Green street addresses are served by 5 different post offices, covering different parts of the city: Two Akron post offices (ZIP codes 44312, 44319) One North Canton post office (44720) Clinton (44216) post office Uniontown post office (44685) So you are the best kind of correct: technically. Only just, though, and I'm pretty sure that's a recent innovation. But, I should have gone with the instincts.
It is a block or two away from me. I used to have the joke when I was a Powerseller on eBay that I single-handedly kept that place in business. Very convenient place.
That's what we were told by the postmaster, who came down to our show. She said she was from Green. YMMV.
I know many people from Green. None of them are served by the Green Post Office. It's a unique situation.