Group A 1. Uruguay - 3 pts +1 GD 2. Australia - 1 pt +0 GD 2. Greece - 1 pt +0 GD 4. England - 0 pts -1 GD England 1 - 2 Uruguay Australia 1 - 1 Greece Group B 1. Finland - 3 pts +1 GD 1. Wales - 3 pts +1 GD 3. France - 0 pts -1 GD 3. Japan - 0 pts -1 GD France 0 - 1 Wales Japan 0 - 1 Finland Group C 1. Brazil - 3 pts +2 GD 2. Portugal - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Tunisia - 0 pts -1 GD 4. Romania - 0 pts -2 GD Portugal 1 - 0 Tunisia Brazil 2 - 0 Romania Group D 1. Denmark - 3 pts +2 GD 2. Costa Rica - 1 pt +0 GD 2. Latvia - 1 pt +0 GD 4. Egypt - 0 pts -2 GD Denmark 2 - 0 Egypt Costa Rica 0 - 0 Latvia Group E 1. Argentina - 3 pts +2 GD 2. Czech Republic - 3 pts +1 GD 3. South Korea - 0 pts -1 GD 4. Switzerland - 0 pts -2 GD Argentina 2 - 0 Switzerland Czech Republic 1 - 0 South Korea Group F 1. Holland - 3 pts +2 GD 2. Colombia - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Cote d'Ivoire - 0 pts -1 GD 4. Georgia - 0 pts -2 GD Holland 2 - 0 Georgia Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 5 Colombia Group G 1. Norway - 3 pts +2 GD 2. Ukraine - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Jamaica - 0 pts -1 GD 4. Morocco - 0 pts -2 GD Norway 2 - 0 Morocco Ukraine 1 - 0 Jamaica Group H 1. Sweden - 1 pt +0 GD 1. Serbia & Montenegro - 1 pt +0 GD 3. Turkey - 1 pt +0 GD 3. Chile - 1 pt +0 GD Sweden 1 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro Turkey 0 - 0 Chile
Group A 1. Uruguay - 4 pts +1 GD 2. Greece - 4 pts +1 GD 3. Australia - 2 pts +0 GD 4. England - 0 pts -2 GD England 1 - 2 Uruguay Australia 1 - 1 Greece England 0 - 1 Greece Australia 2 - 2 Uruguay Group B 1. Wales - 4 pts +1 GD 2. France - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Finland - 3 pts -1 GD 4. Japan - 1 pt -1 GD France 0 - 1 Wales Japan 0 - 1 Finland France 3 - 1 Finland Wales 0 - 0 Japan Group C 1. Portugal - 6 pts +2 GD 2. Brazil - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Tunisia - 3 pts +0 GD 4. Romania - 0 pts -3 GD Portugal 1 - 0 Tunisia Brazil 2 - 0 Romania Portugal 1 - 0 Brazil Tunisia 1 - 0 Romania Group D 1. Denmark - 4 pts +2 GD 2. Costa Rica - 4 pts +1 GD 3. Latvia - 2 pts +0 GD 4. Egypt - 0 pts -3 GD Denmark 2 - 0 Egypt Costa Rica 0 - 0 Latvia Denmark 0 - 0 Latvia Costa Rica 2 - 1 Egypt Group E 1. Argentina - 6 pts +4 GD 2. Switzerland - 3 pts +0 GD 3. Czech Republic - 3 pts -1 GD 4. South Korea - 0 pts -3 GD Argentina 2 - 0 Switzerland Czech Republic 1 - 0 South Korea Argentina 2 - 0 South Korea Czech Republic 0 - 2 Switzerland Group F 1. Holland - 6 pts +3 GD 2. Colombia - 3 pts +0 GD 3. Georgia - 3 pts -1 GD 4. Cote d'Ivoire - 0 pts -2 GD Holland 2 - 0 Georgia Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 5 Colombia Holland 3 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire Georgia 3 - 2 Colombia Group G 1. Norway - 6 pts +4 GD 2. Morocco - 3 pts +1 GD 3. Ukraine - 3 pts -2 GD 4. Jamaica - 0 pts -3 GD Norway 2 - 0 Morocco Ukraine 1 - 0 Jamaica Norway 3 - 1 Jamaica Ukraine 0 - 3 Morocco Group H 1. Serbia & Montenegro - 4 pts +3 GD 2. Turkey - 4 pts +1 GD 3. Sweden - 1 pt -1 GD 4. Chile - 1 pt -3 GD Sweden 1 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro Turkey 0 - 0 Chile Sweden 0 - 1 Turkey Chile 0 - 3 Serbia & Montenegro
Group A 1. Uruguay - 7 pts +2 GD 2. Greece - 4 pts +0 GD 3. England - 3 pts +0 GD 4. Australia - 2 pts -2 GD England 1 - 2 Uruguay Australia 1 - 1 Greece England 0 - 1 Greece Australia 2 - 2 Uruguay England 3 - 1 Australia Uruguay 1 - 0 Greece Group B 1. Wales - 5 pts +1 GD 2. France - 4 pts +1 GD 3. Finland - 4 pts -1 GD 4. Japan - 2 pts -1 GD France 0 - 1 Wales Japan 0 - 1 Finland France 3 - 1 Finland Wales 0 - 0 Japan France 0 - 0 Japan Wales 0 - 0 Finland Group C 1. Portugal - 6 pts +1 GD 2. Tunisia - 6 pts +1 GD 3. Brazil - 3 pts +0 GD 4. Romania - 3 pts -2 GD Portugal 1 - 0 Tunisia Brazil 2 - 0 Romania Portugal 1 - 0 Brazil Tunisia 1 - 0 Romania Portugal 0 - 1 Romania Brazil 0 - 1 Tunisia Group D 1. Costa Rica - 7 pts +4 GD 2. Denmark - 4 pts -1 GD 3. Egypt - 3 pts -2 GD 4. Latvia - 2 pts -1 GD Denmark 2 - 0 Egypt Costa Rica 0 - 0 Latvia Denmark 0 - 0 Latvia Costa Rica 2 - 1 Egypt Denmark 0 - 3 Costa Rica Latvia 1 - 2 Egypt Group E 1. Argentina - 7 pts +4 GD 2. Czech Republic - 4 pts -1 GD 3. South Korea - 3 pts -1 GD 4. Switzerland - 3 pts -2 GD Argentina 2 - 0 Switzerland Czech Republic 1 - 0 South Korea Argentina 2 - 0 South Korea Czech Republic 0 - 2 Switzerland Argentina 1 - 1 Czech Republic Switzerland 1 - 3 South Korea Group F 1. Holland - 9 pts +5 GD 2. Georgia - 6 pts +4 GD 3. Colombia - 3 pts -2 GD 4. Cote d'Ivoire - 0 pts -7 GD Holland 2 - 0 Georgia Cote d'Ivoire 4 - 5 Colombia Holland 3 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire Georgia 3 - 2 Colombia Holland 2 - 0 Colombia Georgia 5 - 0 Cote d'Ivoire Group G 1. Norway - 7 pts +4 GD 2. Morocco - 4 pts +1 GD 3. Ukraine - 4 pts -2 GD 4. Jamaica - 1 pt -3 GD Norway 2 - 0 Morocco Ukraine 1 - 0 Jamaica Norway 3 - 1 Jamaica Ukraine 0 - 3 Morocco Norway 1 - 1 Ukraine Morocco 0 - 0 Jamaica Group H 1. Serbia & Montenegro - 5 pts +3 GD 2. Turkey - 5 pts +1 GD 3. Sweden - 2 pts -1 GD 4. Chile - 2 pts -3 GD Sweden 1 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro Turkey 0 - 0 Chile Sweden 0 - 1 Turkey Chile 0 - 3 Serbia & Montenegro Sweden 1 - 1 Chile Turkey 1 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro
Knockout Round Uruguay vs Czech Republic Wales vs Georgia Portugal vs Morocco Costa Rica vs Turkey Argentina vs Greece Holland vs France Norway vs Tunisia Serbia & Montenegro vs Denmark
Knockout Round Uruguay 1 [4 - 3] 1 Czech Republic Wales 0 - 4 Georgia Portugal 0 [3 - 2] 0 Morocco Costa Rica 1 - 0 Turkey Argentina 0 [4 - 5] 0 Greece Holland 1 - 2 [OT] France Norway 1 - 0 Tunisia Serbia & Montenegro 1 - 0 Denmark Quarterfinals Uruguay vs Georgia Portugal vs Costa Rica Greece vs France Norway vs Serbia & Montenegro
Quarterfinals Uruguay 0 - 1 Georgia Portugal 0 - 1 Costa Rica Greece 0 - 2 France Norway [OT] 2 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro Semifinals Georgia vs Costa Rica France vs Norway *Note: NOR-SCG goals: Venicchi (40'), Carew (44'), Carew (120')
I was pretty shocked too, but I'm not complaining. I had a much easier time with Tunisia in the 2nd round than I would have if Brazil didn't choke in the group stage. Also I am very surprised how well I am doing with Georgia... I absolutely destroyed Wales and actually outplayed Uruguay. And then I lucked out again with Costa Rica upsetting Portugal in the quarterfinals... wow, Georgia to the championship? Could it be possible...? We'll see, I'll probably play the semifinals this weekend.
At least I was consistantly bad with them this time around. If you wanna talk choke, look at the bottom of page 1. I qualified to the WC with USA and beat Italy in the first match... then I was up 2-1 on Japan and lost 2-3, and then, needing only a draw vs Austria to advance, lost to them 0-1. A draw would have been: Glad to see someone is interested at least. I'll try to add more than just scores for the next round (small recap).
The Dream Continues When the Republic of Georgia were drawn into their WC Qualifying group with Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, no one picked them to even win a game. Instead, they won the group and qualified directly for the World Cup. Then, drawn to an even tougher group, against two previous quarterfinalists, Cote d'Ivoire and Holland, as well as the tough Colombians, again there was "no chance" for advancement. And it looked like the skeptics were right this time, as Georgia fell hard against Holland, losing 2-0 in a game where they even admitted "we had no chance to win, they were superior in every aspect". However, the same day Colombia and Cote d'Ivoire battled each other to a 5-4 Colombian victory which opened the door for the Georgians. The door opened wider when Georgia knocked off Colombia, 3-2, in the next round and Cote d'Ivoire failed to get revenge on Holland, who picked up their 2nd straight World Cup Finals victory over the Elephants. They didn't even need extra time this time around. So heading into the final matchday Georgia and Colombia were level on points, but Colombia had Holland, brimming with confidence, and Georgia had Cote d'Ivoire, who even before the match said they had "no interest in seeing Colombia go through." The 5-0 result was suspicious to say the least, but Colombia failed to upend the Dutch, and Georgia benefitted from Cote d'Ivoire's collapse. It was on to the Sweet Sixteen. And this time, luck was on their side, and Georgia, for the first time in this World Cup campaign, were the favorites. Wales, who were having a shocking campaign themselves, had upset hosts France in the opener and then managed draws against Finland and Japan to push it through as group champions. But Wales were all out of tricks as Arieraze recorded a hattrick and Georgia rolled, 4-0. The Cote d'Ivoire result was less suspicious now, and Georgia were on their way to the quarterfinals. Surely this was the end of the road, facing two time champions Uruguay, who had snuck past the Czech Republic on PKs, the former Soviets got off to a rough start, but held their nerve, and the Uruguayans, until half time. Ten minutes after break the unthinkable, Anunetsi broke through and scored, 1-0 to Georgia! Unlike the last round, Uruguay couldn't find an equalizer, and Georgia were on to the semifinals. More good fortune came in the other side of the bracket. Portugal were looming in the horizon for the Georgians, but instead the Costa Ricans earned a famous 1-0 victory of their own to move on instead. Now the two of most unlikely teams were to meet in the semifinals, with a shot at the World Cup on the line. Georgia were up for it. Just five minutes into the game Iashvili, who had been the star of the team the entire campaign, showed his skill on the left wing and picked out Ashisakedakpia who came storming into the box. There was no hesitation as Ashisakedakpia smashed the ball into the net, and it was 1-0 to Georgia just like that! The Georgians perhaps started thinking ahead, to an encounter against either the defending champions, France, or Norway, and allowed the Ticos back into the game. Gomez got around the defense and managed to get into the box. Logaina made the save but conceeded a rebound. Another Costa Rican forward was there and about to tap it home when Khigalisuimi obliterated him, earning a yellow card and giving the Ticos a slightly tougher shot, from the penalty spot. Wanchope stepped up and placed the ball easily past Logaina, 1-1 and only 15 minutes in! It was shaping up to be a cracking game, but instead of pushing for a 2nd goal, both teams became nervous and didn't want to conceed another. So instead of a free flowing, high scoring game, it became a tough, hardhitting affair. Anunetsi went down with an injury for a bit, but Georgia responded by putting Lonez out for a couple of minutes due to a hard hit from the captain, Kaladze. All in all the game produced few chances for the rest of the half and both sides were relieved to go into half time at 1-1. In the 2nd half Georgia tried to open the game up a little, but just when things started to go their way, the Ticos ruthlessly took down Iashvili, forcing him to be carried off on a stretcher as well. There were now more injuries, 3, than there were goals, 2, and it was becoming ugly. The American ref was doing nothing to help the situation, players were often fouled softly and got no call, so they would go in with a harder tackle. For a moment, both sides forgot about scoring and it was nearly a brawl on the field. In fact, it was such rough play that resulted in what will go down in World Cup history as one of the most famous goals ever. Costa Rica had the ball in their backend and were easily passing it around, to loud cheers of "Ole!" in the crowd when Kobiashvili came crashing in, chasing the ball which was under control of Margeliz. Margeliz saw him coming and tried to turn to tap the ball back to the keeper, however, when Kobiashvili hit him, it caused the kick to be a little harder than a "tap" and the ball was too fast for the keeper, rolling past him and right into the net! An own goal from Costa Rica, completely untouched by the Georgians, and it was 2-1! Kobiashvili took credit for the goal, running to the corner flag and celebrating with his teammates, but it has to go down as an own goal, possibly the most famous in World Cup history. Costa Rica had essentially eliminated themselves from the championship match, as only 15 minutes remained in the match. The Ticos attempted to push forward, Wanchope and Gomez took some shots, but Logaina was on the prowl and denied anything that came into the box. Ten minutes, then five. The clock seemed to be flying and there was nothing Costa Rica could do to slow it down. Georgia, who had impressed so many by reaching this stage without using defensive tactics, went into a complete bunker and did not care for possession at all. Any loose ball was booted as hard as possible towards the other end of the field. The Costa Rican defenders would collect and send it back, but they just could not break the bunker. Ninety minutes ran out and into stoppage time, Costa Rica continued to push, but there was nothing to be gained. Finally the whistle blew and it was histeria for Georgian supporters. Their first ever World Cup appearance and they were going to the finals, to meet either Norway or defending champs/hosts France. Costa Rica, shocked, will await the loser of the other semifinal in the third place match. Georgia 2 - 1 Costa Rica Ashisakedekpia (5'), Wanchope (14'), Margeliz (74' OG) Starting Lineup (3-4-3) Logaina _ Khigalisuimi Kaladze (c) Alikrasyubari _ Adorlponi Tskitishvili Kobiashvili Anunetsi _ Arieraze Ashisakedakpia Iashvili
I just wanted to have as many national teams in the game as possible, so I did a "search" for players by nation in Master League mode for all the nations without national teams in the game. Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana each came up with 20+ players, so I created both (I just finished Ghana recently, they will be in the next World Cup I do), and Georgia came up with 11... and it worked out perfectly enough to fill every position and have a starting lineup (3 forwards, 4 midfielders, 3 defenders, and a keeper). I don't have any subs though. :/ I also found that Mali has enough players to make a team, but they don't have a keeper. So I haven't decided if I'll be able to create them or not yet. Other than those 4 (Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Georgia, and Mali), I don't think there are enough players to make any more teams.
Hmmm that sounds interesting. This is why i stick with Fifa they already have the teams and everything setup, however they never have a WC version.
Champs Looking to Repeat France clashed with Norway in an attempt to reach the finals for the third time in four World Cups (WC98, WEWC I, WEWC II). Despite conceeding home field advantage and facing reigning champs, the Norwegians were confident that they could book a place in the finals for themselves. To most serious fans, this was the championship, as both sides were favored to cruise past Georgia (but then again, weren't the Czechs, Colombians, Ivorians, Uruguayans, and Costa Ricans?). With so much on the line, the game started tense as expected. Norway's staunch defense held it's ground against Henry and Zidane while Solskjaer and Flo struggled to get into range for shots against Barthez. The first half passed without a goal, but not without a lot of action. Both sides each had a few good attempts, but Myhre and Barthez were ruthless in defending their nets and kept the 0s on the board in the first half. Midfield play was tight and very tense with neither side wanting to give away the ball that could cost their side a championship. Riise, Iversen, and F. Johnsen were fearless, going toe to toe with the mighty French players and often winning balls to send forward, at first trying to pick out Solskjaer and Flo, but eventually settling for Carew. In fact, the French defense had clamped down so much on the nervous Norwegian attack that by the 2nd half the Norwegians had completely given up trying to work the ball through on the ground and became one-dimensional, looking for Solskjaer or Iversen to fly down the left flank and send a prayer into the box, hoping to connect with Carew. The tactic wasn't working, but it was showing more promise than anything they had previously tried in the first half, so they kept at it. France weren't stupid though, and eventually caught on to the Norwegian's tactics and began to put extreme pressure on the flanks to prevent attacks down the corners. This killed the Norwegian attack and the team struggled to even threaten the goal for a good portion of the 2nd half. Rushfeldt was put in for Iversen to try to increase the attacking on that flank, but it wasn't enough and Norway still struggled. France on the other hand were also having problems, as they kept getting stuck on the Norwegian back line. Lundekvam, Berg, and Johnsen were playing lights out. Bergdolmo was a workhorse, playing along side Riise in a defensive midfielder role, it was like a 5 man backline, with the other "midfielders" falling back as well to keep the powerful French attack at bay. Johnsen became Henry's shadow and Riise had no fear taking Zidane on. As the game progressed Norway continued to be pushed back, eventually falling into a bunker of some sort with a period of over 5 minutes of possession inside their own half. Long balls were sent to Carew who won them, but without anyone to play to, quickly lost them. Twenty minutes left, then fifteen, then ten. It didn't look like anyone was going to score. Then, in the 81st minute, a run down the right produced a chance for France. Eventually the ball found its way to Trezeguet's feet, and he calmly knocked it past a helpless Myhre, 1-0 to France. A few minutes later Norway had a chance. Solskjaer got into the corner he had been so desperatly trying to for the past half hour, but the cross was blocked. It didn't go far and he recovered, a step over saw just enough hesitation by the defender and Solskjaer made his move to go by, but the defender recovered enough to step in front of the forward and knock him over. The world held it's breath... no call. Solskjaer lay on the ground, and the ball was cleared. Norway was livid! Solskjaer chased down the ref to argue, but was ignored. France held possession for what seemed like eternity. Riise managed a steal but was called for a foul, again, Norwegian blood boiled as complaints and eventually insults were hurled at the ref. France loved it, time was wasting and they were leading. Eventually the clock would run out, and the non-call would turn out to be Norway's last chance to equalize, a chance they never got. After the match Solskjaer explained "Of course I was furious. With time running out and after all the struggle to get into a position to cross the ball, then not being able to because of a foul that the referee has the audacity to not call just because we are playing here in France in front of 70,000 French fans... it's totally unacceptable. I won't go so far as to say it cost us the game, because I don't even know that I would have been able to pick out Carew and have him head it in, but I'm just saying, because of that no-call, we never got a chance. We never got a chance to equalize. That was our only attack after their goal, and to have it end like that... it's just heart breaking. We will try to recover to face Costa Rica, and while in the future Third Place will be seen as a great result for this nation, right now, it's not even a consolation. We don't even care right now." Norway 0 - 1 France Trezeguet (81') Starting Lineup (3-4-3) Myhre _ Johnsen Lundekvam Berg _ Riise Bergdolmo Iversen <-> Rushfeldt (69') F. Johnsen _ Flo Solskjaer Carew Third Place Match Norway vs Costa Rica Championship France vs Georgia Cote d'Ivoire - "We're Ready for the Next Cup" Dreams of reaching the quarterfinals again turned into a nightmare as Cote d'Ivoire crashed out of the World Cup with 3 straight losses, including a 2-3 loss to rivals Holland and two humiliating defensive performances that saw the team give up 5 goals apiece to Colombia and Georgia. Mexico's campaign was even worse, forced into the playoffs after losing out to Jamaica (of all teams), the Mexicans were shot down, 1-2, by Shevchenko's Ukraine, who ended up being eliminated with Jamaica in the group stage. The two sides decided to meet in an exibition match to try to get back into stride for the next World Cup. The match started fairly slow, with Mexico exposing some weakness in the African backline but failing to take advantage of it. Finally the Cote d'Ivoire midfield came together and started up an attack which was capped off in the 25th minute with a great pass by Drogba to set up Kalou for an easy tap into the net. Mexico attempted to respond by sending Blanco free down the middle, a sure goal indeed, until Toure caught up with the striker and took him down from behind. A fight nearly broke out and in the end, the Arsenal defender was sent off with a red card. Mexico threatened heavily on the free kick but somehow didn't score. Cote d'Ivoire calmed down, made a slight formation change by moving the wingbacks towards the center, but did not commit anyone else to defense, leaving only Zokora and Boka at the back. The Mexican forwards licked their lips as they headed into half time, they knew the goals were about to come pouring down in the 2nd half. And they did, on Mexico. Cote d'Ivoire's coach sent a strong message to the team; that they weren't going to bunker down and try to hold a 1-0 lead with only 10 men, they were going to have to keep working and outscore the Mexicans if they wanted to win. And the players got the message, and did just that. Within the first minute after the restart Kalou stole the ball from a Mexican and repaid the favor, assisting Drogba for an easy goal in an exact reversal of the first half connection. Just minutes later Cote d'Ivoire were streaking down the field again, and once again it was Drogba smashing the ball past Sanchez, 3-0 after only 4 minutes of play in the 2nd half! They weren't done yet. An odd stoppage of goals came for about 15 minutes, but sure enough, Cote d'Ivoire broke through again in the 68th minute and made it 4-0 when Kalou knocked in his 2nd goal of the night. In the 72nd minute the Mexicans finally took advantage of Toure's absence as Borgetti stormed down the middle and poached an air through ball past Gnanhounan to reduce to 4-1. This was a bad idea, as it woke the Cote d'Ivoire offense up again, and sure enough, they responded within a minute as this time it was Die who smashed home the shot. Mexico countered with a Blanco goal 4 minutes later, beating the keeper on a long chip shot, to which Cote d'Ivoire unleashed all their wrath against the Mexican defense. First, Dindane turned his defender inside out and rocketed the ball past Sanchez for 6-2. Then Kalou, less than a minute later, headed in his 3rd goal for a hattrick, and a 7-2 lead. Then, of course, Drogba had his say one more time, right before the end of the game. In the 88th minute he knocked in his 3rd, to earn a hattrick of his own, and elevate the score to 8-2. Mexico was in shock, stumbling off the field with their mouths hanging open, as if they couldn't believe what had just happened. No one else could either and it was a massive celebration by the Ivorians, with captain Domoraud boasting that "this is just a sign of things to come. Bombing out of the World Cup? No more, we'll be ready for the next cup! Holland, and everyone else, look out!" Cote d'Ivoire 8 - 2 Mexico Kalou (25', 68', 78'), Drogba (46', 49', 88'), Borgetti (72'), Die (73'), Blanco (77'), Dindane (79') Starting Lineup (3-4-3) Gnanhounan _ Boka Toure -> (34') Zokora <-> Tebily (78') _ Domoraud Die Ettien Akale _ Kalou Drogba Dindane
Meh, it didn't really matter for the outcome. Before the match it was Georgia - 3 pts -1 GD, Cote d'Ivoire - 0 pts -2 GD... Colombia finished with 3 pts -2 GD so no matter what happened the winner of Cote d'Ivoire vs Georgia would have advanced. If Cote d'Ivoire wins by 1 then they have 3 pts -1 GD and both Georgia and Colombia have 3 pts -2 GD, so Cote d'Ivoire advances. If it's a tie then Georgia has 4 points and advances. If Georgia wins (like they did) then they have 6 points and obviously still advance. Keep in mind that Cote d'Ivoire gave up 3 goals in the previous game to Holland... and also conceded 5 goals in the opening game against Colombia. So just put this one up there with Argentina 6 - 0 Peru... be suspicious but you can't confirm anything. And the outcome didn't make much of a difference because Colombia wasn't going to advance no matter what.
UEFA Claims All Medals - Norway Takes Bronze As usual, the third place match was wide open with both teams attacking constantly with little reguard for the outcome of this "meaningless" match between the two sides who failed to reach the championship. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opened it up either further when he scored just 49 seconds into the match to make it 1-0 to Norway. The bombardment didn't stop there, Torre Andre Flo struck 4 and a half minutes later, around the 5 minute mark, to make it 2-0 and give Norway the bronze for sure. Costa Rica did threaten back. As the first half went on Norway got irresponsible with the ball and constantly had too many players forward. The Ticos finally made them pay on a counterattack by Wanchope who drew in the last defender, Johnsen, before dishing it off to Fonseca for the easy tap in. Norway got caught cold again, just after the second half started when Wanchope found himself wide open in the middle of the penalty box. Before anyone could react, the ball was already in the back of the net and it was 2-2, a tie game in the 48th minute for the first time since the 49th second. Of course Norway had the answer though. A couple crosses into the box couldn't find Carew, so the team went to the other wing and just as in the 5th minute, it was Torre Andre Flo's header that once again beat the Tico keeper. At 3-2 with 15 minutes left Norway was content to run the clock out to avoid overtime, and controlled the ball well to waste time. But just to make sure, Carew's sub H. Flo knocked a pass into Solskjaer who made a brilliant touch on it to go around the defender and find himself face to face with the keeper. He had scored after only 49 seconds had passed, and now again with just about 49 seconds left in the match. The game ended soon after, 4-2, and Norway earn third place. Norway 4 - 2 Costa Rica Solskjaer (0', 90'), T. Flo (5', 74'), Fonseca (37'), Wanchope (48') Starting Lineup (3-4-3) E. Johnsen _ Johnsen Lundekvam Berg _ Riise Bergdolmo <-> Bakke (83') Iversen Rushfeldt _ Flo Solskjaer Carew <-> H. Flo (83')
Fantasy or Reality? Dream Comes True for Georgia While the team has needed a fair amount of luck to get this far... a spill by the Austrian keeper, the self-destruction of Cote d'Ivoire, Wales reaching the knockout round, Portugal being upset, and an own goal from Costa Rica... at this point, you have to say they deserve it. They've taken advantage of their chances and they have played amazing defense throughout the campaign. The team has only given up 7 goals in 9 matches, including shutouts of teams like Czech Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, and Uruguay. Could they take the final step and do the unthinkable? Win the World Cup? France struggled through qualifying, going through the play-offs to reach the cup, and then losing to Wales in the opening game. But since then, they have been on form, advancing from the group and taking out Holland, Greece, and Norway on their way to the final. Oh yeah, and they also happen to be the defending champions; winners of the last World Cup. So the stage was set for the ultimate story of David vs Goliath; France vs Georgia. Right from the start it looked like the run was over for Georgia. With no subs, something they haven't had for the entire campaign, Georgian fans all held their breath as star striker Iashvili took a brutal shot in the 2nd minute of the game and had to be carried off on a stretcher, reducing the team to 10 men. Everyone was able to breath a sigh of relief when he came back onto the pitch about 4 minutes later, but he was still hurt and would be somewhat ineffective for the rest of the game. He did what he could though, and it was better than playing a man down. In fact, Georgia still went through Iashvili quite a bit on offense, and his injury maybe helped calm the team down a little, because he had to be patient with the ball to control it and make a good pass around the roving French defense. Around the 8 minute mark Henry got the ball and ran right through the Georgian defense but Logania made a sprawling save to keep the team alive. In fact, after the game, team captain Kaladze admitted that the defense "were absolutely terrified whenever Henry, Zidane, or Trezeguet got the ball on [their] half of the field... because one mistake and *snap*, it's a goal for France". It would turn out that Logania's save was all they needed though, because after that it showed that Henry wasn't invincible, and they could actually step up to challenge him. That's exactly what they did. Khigalisuimi, who had been quiet for the entire campaign, finally became a name the announcers needed to call regularly as he continually shut down the French attack. On one occassion he stopped Henry three consecutive times, and not only stopped the super star, but he took the ball and started a counter attack with it each time. Georgia's tactic of "defense through offense" was played out to perfection in the first half. The team attacked for the majority of the half, and while it produced few chances to score, it kept the ball away from France, and away from their goal, which is what the system was designed to do. And then the entire game changed in the 40th minute when a through ball over the top to Ashisakedekpia made it to the stirker and he went in for the shot. The last defender caught up with him and knocked the ball away before the shot left the striker's feet, but the back leg came in, taking out Ashisakedekpia and forcing the ref to call a foul. No card was shown, but it was a dangerous free kick. As usual, Kobiashvili stepped up to take it. But after much deliberation he backed off and went into the box so that Iashvili could take it. France prepared for the shot as Georgia's top goal scorer lined up his shot, but then shocked the whole stadium as he ran up to blast the ball and then lobbed it into the box. The French hadn't kept up with Kobiashvili and he was wide open at the post. The ball coming in was perfect and he headed right past an unsuspecting Barthez... pandamonium in Paris: 1-0 to Georgia!!! Kobiashvili was nearly booked for "excessive celebration", but the ref didn't have the heart to do it, so play resumed. France were shocked and played out the remaining 5 minutes relatively quietly, getting to the break trailing by a goal. At half time Georgia's coach must have said good work and keep it up, but France's coach clearly got the team pumped up to come back out. At the start of the second half it was all France all the time as they just came at the Georgians. Khigalisuimi, Kaladze, and Alikrasyubari all tried to hold their line, and with support from midfielders Tskitishvili, Adorlponi, and Kobiashvili, Georgia was able to survive a lot of threats from the potent French offense. Logania had a couple of saves to deal with, but after about 10 minutes of siege, the French still hadn't broken through. Georgia finally found their legs again and went back on the prowl. A couple of shots were easily scooped up by Barthez, but at least it was Barthez, not Logania, doing the custodian work. Around the 70th minute a harmless cross came into the box that was cleared by the French defense fairly easily. It went out to around midfield where striker Ashisakedekpia was hanging around, as he was tiring and hadn't pushed up so far. He collected the ball with acres of land inbetween him and the nearest defender. A couple of steps towards the goal and he noticed an opening. The striker set himself up and fired a rocket that will go down in Georgian folk lore... screaming past Barthez and into the upper left corner. The commentators could only stutter in their amazement: "UNBELIEVABLE!!" And it was... the scoreline even more so: 2-0 to Georgia!! France were absolutely stunned, and allowed Georgia to come at them again. This time the ball went out for a corner. Earlier Iashvili had assisted Kobiashvili for a header. This time Kobiashvili sent the ball into the box and Iashvili cemented his legacy as a national hero as he rose up above the French defense and headed it into the net. It was 3-0 to Georgia! The dream was coming true, and it was a nightmare for France. Zidane was subbed out to try to provide a spark, but it was all over. The entire French team looked like zombies on the field. They were so stunned that they couldn't do anything. And Georgia were flying on cloud nine, running in the 80th minute as if the game had just started. The last 10 minutes disappeared into the night and when the final whistle blew you had to pinch yourself to make sure it was real... did it really happen? Yes! Georgia are World Cup Champions!!!!! Georgia 3 - 0 France Kobiashvili (40'), Ashisakedekpia (71'), Iashvili (74') Starting Lineup (3-4-3) Logaina _ Khigalisuimi Kaladze (c) Alikrasyubari _ Adorlponi Tskitishvili Kobiashvili Anunetsi _ Arieraze Ashisakedakpia Iashvili
World Cup II Knockout Round Recap Round of Sixteen Uruguay 1 - 1 Czech Republic (4-3 PKs) Wales 0 - 4 Georgia Portugal 0 - 0 Morocco (3-2 PKs) Costa Rica 1 - 0 Turkey Argentina 0 - 0 Greece (4-5 PKs) Holland 1 - 2 France (Extra Time) Norway 1 - 0 Tunisia Serbia & Montenegro 1 - 0 Denmark Quarterfinals Uruguay 0 - 1 Georgia Portugal 0 - 1 Costa Rica Greece 0 - 2 France Norway 2 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro (Extra Time) Semifinals Georgia 2 - 1 Costa Rica France 1 - 0 Norway Third Place Norway 4 - 2 Costa Rica Championship France 0 - 3 Georgia Georgia's Road to the World Cup Qualifying: 2 - 1 vs Austria Qualifying: 1 - 0 vs Czech Republic Qualifying: 1 - 1 vs Hungary Group Stage: 0 - 2 vs Holland Group Stage: 3 - 2 vs Colombia Group Stage: 5 - 0 vs Cote d'Ivoire Knockout Round: 4 - 0 vs Wales Quarterfinals: 1 - 0 vs Uruguay Semifinals: 2 - 1 vs Costa Rica Championship: 3 - 0 vs France
Winning Eleven World Cup III Draw WEFA has decided to allow Argentina to host the cup this time, so they will qualify automatically. Holders, Georgia, will also qualify automatically. However, there are three new teams who will be participating in qualification for the first time: Surinam, Mali, and Ghana. Surinam has been placed in the CONMEBOL (South American) region while Mali and Ghana are, obviously, in Africa. Asia has complained about the format for the last two cycles, as their teams only have 3 teams per group, thus only one spot per group instead of 2 like everyone else, so WEFA has decided to group Asia with Africa for the upcoming cycle. Witht the additions of Mali and Ghana, there are now 16 teams combined, so they will have 4 groups of 4 with 8 spots between them. With 15 groups total, plus the two automatic qualifiers, there will not be any play-off spots for this year's World Cup. So third place is no longer an option for some teams to sneak into the World Cup as in the past, everyone will have to finish top 2 in their group to reach the Finals. The draw was released this morning, and for the first time it was actually seeded based on previous results. CONCACAF Costa Rica Jamaica Mexico United States CONMEBOL - Group 1 Brazil Chile Ecuador Surinam CONMEBOL - Group 2 Peru Uruguay Colombia Paraguay CAF/AFC - Group 1 Senegal South Korea Nigeria Saudi Arabia CAF/AFC - Group 2 South Africa Morocco Egypt Mali CAF/AFC - Group 3 Japan Cameroon Australia Ghana CAF/AFC - Group 4 Cote d'Ivoire Tunisia Iran China UEFA - Group 1 England Italy Turkey Slovakia UEFA - Group 2 Netherlands Hungary Russia Denmark UEFA - Group 3 Greece Switzerland Belgium Scotland UEFA - Group 4 Czech Republic Romania Finland Sweden UEFA - Group 5 Spain Poland Croatia Germany UEFA - Group 6 France Slovenia Serbia & Montenegro Latvia UEFA - Group 7 Portugal Austria Ukraine Ireland UEFA - Group 8 Norway Wales Bulgaria Northern Ireland Qualified Argentina (Hosts) Georgia (Holders) *I will likely be playing as the bolded teams in qualifying, plus Georgia when the Finals start. I may not end up playing as Surinam, and might try a second UEFA team since my group with Norway is really boring (I guess this draw is making up for when I had Spain, England, and Croatia in my group last time), so we'll see.