Match 55 (R16) - Paraguay v Japan - PBP Thread [R]

looking forward to seeing japan continue to play well.

 

Can't believe Japan didn't even get a yellow for that nasty foul on Riveros.

 

Looking forward to some Japanese free kicks

 

05' 0-0 Paraguay left corner, outswings to 6-top left, and cleared. Japan is defending with numbers in their own half, and let Paraguay have the ball.

 

You didn't hear about FIFA's new rule?: There is no such thing as a bookable offence in the first 5 minutes.

 

CONMEBOL is overrepresented. Let's go Japan!

 

07' 0-0 #9 Roque Santa Cruz whips in a cross from 10m wide right, sails to 6-top far post. #10 Edgar Benítez goes up for a challenged header, #16 Cristian Riveros rushes in from about 10m with eyes rightward, never sees Benítez , and runs his face right into Benítez's right kidney, undercutting him. Both stay down. Even Japan's defenders come over to see if they're OK. Both resume.

 

Unless the referee is south american.

 

That Ortigoza dude looks like a little gremlin.

 

24 hours from now, I expect serious withdrawal symptoms to kick in.

 

Well one of these teams is going to the quarter finals. Both playing careful now.

 

seriously...

 

One each good chances for a goal.

 

20' 0-0 Paraguay play quickly from box top wide left, to #19 Lucas Barrios just inside the box, back to 20m 6-left. One-touch return pass finds Barrios in a seam. He executes a perfect left-spinning trap to split them, bursts in to 6-top left, flicks with right-outstep, but #21 Eiji Kawashima has closed the angle, and slide-blocks it across the goal mouth, where Japan chases it down and clears.

22' 0-0 Japan break up the right, cross to 22m box top right slightly behind a guy. He clangs/settles it back to 25m arc right into the stride of #8 Daisuke Matsui. Long shot dips viciously and hits the crossbar. Bounces high enough for Japan to try chasing it, but lands over for a goal kick.

 

Santa Cruz must do better!

 

29' 0-0 Paraguay left corner, outswings to 10m just left of the spot. #9 Roque Santa Cruz and a teammate both jump-and-twist away from goal. Ball pings off the first guy, off the back of Santa Cruz's head, and drops straight down to his feet, and settles itself literally <1 diameter from his shoes. Everybody looks around -- where's the ball? Santa Cruz finally acquires the gift at his toes, with nobody on him -- and snaps it just wide right Christmas came early -- but "all I got was a rock"

 

Ortigoza over Barreto or Santana. Seriously Tata?

 

35' 0-0 #20 Néstor Ortigoza gets into a bad 1-v-1 at his own -40m left -- #18 Keisuke Honda steals it, pings it centerward slightly behind the stride of a streaking teammate. That guy ignores the ball and keeps going Honda has to chase his own pass right-to-left to keep possession, turns upfield and carries to box top left. Curling cross to 8m far post, some traffic, but Paraguay clears.