Yeah, except the matches in the last Copa America were horrible. Some kind of 2010 WC hangover. Even the England v Italy match was great from start to finish. The Italian defense was shocking.
Interesting that there have been no ties so far. That was far from the case in the group stages last WC.
WC 2010 first matches were: S. Africa 1 Mexico 1 Uruguay 0 France 0 - possibly the worst match in the entire tournament. And we have FOUR comeback victories. Many of the matches in last WC were completely done after 1-0.
We're halfway through the first round of games and yet to have a draw!!! Only one game with less than 3 goals (although it could be argued there were three goals). Would also like to note: UEFA yet to win a game against non-UEFA opposition (although there were only two such games so far).
Colombia? Are they one of the top 3 non-UEFA teams? Maybe, but that remains to be seen because Cote d'Ivoire (strongest CAF team) and even Japan (best AFC side) have a stake at that claim. Not to mention USA, Mexico, Ghana, Chile.
According to the betting odds they are. They were also 2nd, after Argentina, in qualifying and are ranked 8th in the world. This is the best Colombian side since Valderrama's. Ivory Coast is good. The USA is a joke.
Betting odds mean nothing. How highly was Spain and Uruguay ranked? We decide strength on the playing field.
Italy England should have been defensive, can't afford the loss, but it was all attack. Seems to be the game this go around. Can't wait till Monday and the "group of death" . No vuvuzela's! Ref's still sucking. Seems like the flopping is way down. Much better for the game.
One positive from the refs (who were excellent in the Saturday matches) is that they no longer seem to dish out cards like crazy as in some of the past Cups where you often saw a card for every foul which resulted in every team that went far into the tournament to have to deal with two or three suspensions throughout the tournament.
I think Vuvuzuela was the cause of low scoring games in group stage 2010 worldcup, the players couldnt concentrate while listening to that level of noise. In Knockout stage they were more used to it, so you saw a sudden boost in goals scored in knockout stage.
I think the weather is far more inviting even though there has been good downpours throughout some of the games. South Africa is a bit further south on the equator and it was winter in that part of the world. The vuvuzelas, a symbolic sound in 2010- I'm glad I'm not hearing it now. Actually I think that more African teams will advance than what happened in 2010. The equatorial climate in Brazil should help Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon.
I don't see the weather as a factor. The teams went to southern climes early. One game yesterday was 89 degrees with 74 % humidity. Cant remember which one it was when they said it. That's normal summer weather just about anywhere most teams are from. Golfed 18 holes this morning it was is way worse then that outside here today! Happy Fathers Day all........
Well the weather is one reason why the POMs wont advance... I'm not convinced this weather will help Germany either.
Other than the Mexico match, I'm quite surprised with how entertaining most of them have been so far. I hope it continues.
Has been a fun WC for now, lets hope it continues. We already have a couple of surprises and comeback results.
Three goals or more in every match except Mexico/Cameroon and an overall average of 3.46 goals per game so far. I think the reason goal scoring is up is that there simply aren't very many top quality defenders or defensive midfielders in the game any more. No more Vieira's, Baresi's, and Maldini's....these days defenders are more known for their attacking qualities rather than their ability to defend.
Not sure were to post this. NY Times ran a nice story about the (once upon a time) different style of play, not a reflection of the current style but I thought it was noteworthy enough. I found it funny that for Spain they didn't write about La Furia which was the traditional way they used to play . Enjoy http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/15/sports/worldcup/how-we-play.html
We aren't all the way through the 1st round group phase but this is shaping up to be one of the great ones. Well done Brazil (the country).
Good call. Both lined up with 5 man defenses and the first half was awful. 2nd half rescued by great substitutions. Match turned out to be quite good overall. Iran v Nigeria could be a stinker. Rest of the matches to close out 1st round look great.