World Cup: Portugal Bows Out to Spain; Ronny Sad

The party's over

Cristiano Ronaldo says he feels like a "broken man" following Portugal's World Cup exit and has denied attributing the blame for the country's failure to coach Carlos Queiroz.
Portugal were eliminated in the second round by Spain on Tuesday night as a David Villa goal secured a 1-0 victory for their Iberian neighbours. It meant Portugal departed the competition having failed to score in three of their four games in South Africa.
Former FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo was a marginal figure for much of the match and his conduct was also brought in question following the final whistle as he appeared to spit in the direction of a TV cameraman on the pitch.
The national team captain then told reporters to "talk to Carlos Queiroz" when asked to explain Portugal's defeat to Spain, but has since issued a statement through his agent to establish he was not seeking to apportion blame to the coach.
"I feel a broken man, completely disconsolate, frustrated and an unimaginable sadness," Ronaldo said. "When I said 'put the question to the coach', it is just because Carlos Queiroz was holding a press conference.
"I was not in a position to explain what was what. I am a human being, and like any human being I suffer and I have the right to suffer alone. I know that I am the captain, and I have always assumed and will assume my responsibilities."

In response to Ronaldo's remarks, Queiroz hinted he expected better performances from the country's captain who scored only one goal in South Africa.
"We are not unaware of those remarks, but we are not here to be friends with the players," Queiroz said. "One must never allow anyone placing himself above the best interests of the national side.
"Portugal needs Ronaldo, and Ronaldo needs the national side. But if this shirt unnerves some players, they have no grounds to be there."

Ronny venting his frustration at the proximity of the cameraman

and then spitting at the cameraman

World Cup: Horrible Tragedy

Police say man killed crying 2-year-old


McALLEN, Texas -- A Texas man accused of fatally beating his 2-year-old stepdaughter when she wouldn't stop crying as he watched a World Cup game has been charged with capital murder.
McAllen Police Sgt. Joel Morales says 27-year-old Hector Castro was charged Monday after his Saturday arrest. Castro is being held on $1 million bond at the Hidalgo County jail, where a booking clerk says he does not yet have an attorney.
Police Chief Victor Rodriguez says Castro told investigators the toddler wouldn't stop crying while he was trying to watch the U.S.-Ghana matchup Saturday.
Rodriguez says the child was severely beaten and suffered several broken ribs. Police say a screw or bolt was forced down her throat in an apparent attempt to make it look like she choked to death. [end story]

Not even sure what to say about this. 

World Cup: England and Mexico Going Home

I have to admit that it's getting harder and harder for me to write about the World Cup now that Portugal is the only remaining team that I support.  I despise everything to do with Diego Maradona and wouldn't cheer for his team if they were the only team left.  England is gone.  USA is gone.  Mexico is gone.  Yoann Gourcuff is gone. :)
Cristiano is the only one I'm cheering for now and so I have to have faith in the Portuguese to pull this one off.
England lost in a convincing fashion today to a well-organized Joachim Loew team.  Granted, the 4-1 score wasn't the real score.  England had a good goal by Frank Lampard disallowed.  In the grand scheme, you could say that's only one goal and shouldn't matter, but it would have tied the game at 2-2.  That DOES matter in how a team attacks or sits back.  With that goal gone, then a 3-1 score seems harder to overcome.
I don't have ill will for the Germans (although two scorers for them today are not REALLY German), and I like Loew so I won't be snarky about their win.
I would feel sorry for the English team if they had actually played this World Cup.  Everyone I know who supports them couldn't understand what they were waiting for...PLAY ALREADY!  We see them play so brilliantly for their club teams and they just didn't have the gumption to pull out a win.
Of course the British papers are calling for Capello's head, but the players should be questioned as well.
It seems to be a lingering theme that England has the worst luck/curse in WC play.
I'm ready for the EPL season already!

CHICHARITO scored!!!!!  So proud of our United man Javier Hernandez.  He scored in today's match with the Drug Addict's team.  3-1 was the final score, although one of the Troll Tevez' goals shouldn't have been allowed.  Go figure.  Wasn't good enough for United, and thoroughly belongs on a cheating team.  His coach should know a great deal about cheating...as he had a HAND in the 1986 World Cup win.
Argentina...zzzzzzzzzzzz....next.

Come on, Cristiano!!!  You're my only hope.

World Cup: Well, It Wasn't Meant to Be

In today's first match, Uruguay outlasted the South Koreans (with United's Park Ji-Sung) 2-1.  And the score in the second match was also 2-1, but not in favor of the United States, but Ghana...who scored in the fourth minute of extra time to secure their advancement into the quarterfinals.

It was a great run for the Americans, and I know that they must be disappointed.  We had many chances to score but just couldn't find the bag.  Four years is a long time to wait for the next Cup, but I hopes these young guys will stick it out because they found a solid team to compete.

Landon Donovan, who scored the penalty, agreed with my assessment...our team was young:

“We were a little naïve and at this level you can’t do that,” he said. “Ghana didn’t make things easy and they move on. We will learn from this and come back stronger, but it is hard to handle right now.”

World Cup: Details of French Drama Now Emerging

from le parisien:

French players voted on whether or not to issue an apology.  Everyone wanted to except Patrice Evra.

Yoann Gourcuff wanted to train and Franck Ribery goaded him, "Go on, Yoann, you'll be alone on the pitch.  Everyone will see you and you'll become a media star."

Evra enraged by Ribery's unscheduled appearance on TF1 (French broadcaster) Sunday, telling him..."You only think of yourself."

Evra and Eric Abidal had a heated two-hour discussion with Domenech on Sunday and Abidal urged him to "reassert control of the team."

Patrice Evra's lawyer wrote players' statement on the training boycott and sent it to Evra's phone.

and from Le Nouvel Observateur:

Hugo Lloris, Bacary Sagna, and Yoann Gourcuff wanted to train but were stopped by Ribery, Evra, and Abidal.  It almost came to blows on the bus.

World Cup: The Survivors of Group Play

Here are the countries still in it for the strange little gold trophy:  The pairings are A/B, C/D, E/F, G/H.  The winner of the first letter takes on the runner-up of the second letter.

(First listed is the winner of the group)

Group A:  Uruguay, Mexico

Group B:  Argentina, South Korea

Group C:  United States, England

Group D:  Germany, Ghana

Group E:  Netherlands, Japan

Group F:  Paraguay, Slovakia

Group G:  Brasil, Portugal

Group H:  Spain, Chile

The first knockout round will be complete on Tuesday.

World Cup: Oops, I'm in the Wrong Place!

Posted by Leander Schaerlaeckens
from soccernet
JOHANNESBURG -- The U.S. won its group and will play Ghana in the next round. Great!
Yes. Very well. But who will be there to root the Americans on?
A lot of Englishmen, from the sound of it.
The English, assuming they'd win Group C and thus play the runner-up of Group D in Rustenburg Saturday, had largely planned accordingly, snagging tickets for that game and arranging their travel to match.
And then the Americans went and won the group, meaning that England will instead play Germany in Bloemfontein a day later and six hours away.
According to British paper the Daily Mail, the crossed-up England fans are trying to get rid of the U.S.-Ghana tickets and hoping to get into the other game instead.
British Airways noticed a sudden spike in bookings alterations before England's game against Slovenia was even over.
Changing up the plans so dramatically might prove difficult on such short notice, meaning England will be the best-supported team in a game pitting the U.S. against Ghana.

The question is, Who will they root for? Their old colony or ... their old colony?

World Cup: The Knockouts Begin

Today the survivors of the Group Stage will begin their battle to make it to the Round of 8.  16 of the 32 teams have now gone home and the "one and done" mentality must start.  Each team no longer has three matches to get it right, if you lose...it's so long, see you in four years.

Uruguay and South Korea will start it off in the first match.  Uruguay boast prolific goalscorer Diego Forlan.  An elderstatesman, Forlan will try to keep his hot shoe in form.
South Korea are led by two goalscorers, Park Chu-Young, and Park Ji-Sung.  I suppose they won't "park the bus" like other teams do.  :)  Park Ji-Sung plays for Manchester United and has scored some brilliant and timely goals in the past for his club, let's see if he can do it against the stingy Uruguayan defense.

The second match is between the United States and Ghana.  The last time the two met in a World Cup, the Ghanans sent the Yanks packing.  It's payback time and the US certainly has the firepower to get the job done.  With the trio of Altidore, Dempsey, and Donovan (who scored the injury time winner against Algeria), Bob Bradley's group of fighters will definitely use their fitness to run down their opponent.

Come on, Yanks!!!

World Cup: Cesc Fabregas Picks USA to Go Far; Group H Nailbiter

Spanish striker Cesc Fabregas, who plays for Arsenal in the EPL, is writing for The Sun while he's in South Africa.  He picked the USA to go all the way to the Semis and also thinks that England will improve their game.
Spain has their own worries.  They need a win today to secure their passing to the next round, and they have to put up enough goals to ensure that Switzerland (who beat the Spanish in their first match) do not advance instead.
Spain plays Chile, who are top of the group right now with 6 points after two wins.  Spain are in second with 3, but only by one goal over the Suisse who have 3 points as well.
The group is still wide open...here are some scenarios:

If Chile beats Spain, they will go through.  If they draw with Spain, they would go through, but possibly not win the group.

If Spain beats Chile, they could top the group provided they score enough goals and not allow Chile to score any.  They could beat Chile and still not top the group if Switzerland put up a big goal tally.  If they draw with Chile, Switzerland would go past them with a win.

If Switzerland beats Honduras and Spain beats Chile, Switzerland could go through, but only if they improved their goal differential.  A 1-0 match would not help them if the Spain and Chile match was high scoring, as their goals scored would top that of the Suisse.  If Chile beats Spain, then Switzerland would only need to draw against Honduras to be second in the group.

Honduras, although they have 0 points, is still not out of it.  If Spain loses to Chile, and Honduras beats Switzerland, they could go through based on goals, but they would have to score enough to pass the goal differential or Goals Scored of the Suisse and Spaniards.

In short:

Chile only needs to draw to go through.

Spain, Switzerland, and Honduras need to win and win big to ensure their advancement. 

This group will go down to the wire today.  All of the teams will be attacking from the first whistle.  Expect physical matches. 

World Cup: Incredible Video about Team USA

Landon Donovan posted a message on twitter with a link.  He wrote:

"Not sure if you guys saw this but it brings tears to my eyes every time. Thank you all so much...we can't do it without you guys. Believe"

 It's an unforgettable video.

World Cup Day 14: Ciao, Baby!

The final matches of Group F were played today with Paraguay winning the group, followed by Slovakia.  The defending champions, Italy, finished last in their group with 2 points after a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Slovakia.  New Zealand, a team which most predicted to take last place in the Cup this year, finished one point ahead of the Azzurri.
I've made it known here repeatedly that I am no fan of Italy for two reasons:  1) they are cheaters.  They eliminated France's best player four years ago with an appallingly base act by someone so low that I won't mention his name here.  2)  They are diving cheaters.  When the game is down and they know they're not good enough they start diving.  They did this against New Zealand and garnered a point from a game they deserved to lose.  The worst part about this diving is that they condone it saying, "it's our style...it's part of the game."  As former Dutch player, Ruud Gullit says, "no, it's not a style...it's cheating!!"
Perhaps karma lent a hand in their defeat today, but you have to give Slovakia credit for shutting down their "style."
Marcello Lippi, the head of the cheaters, said that he took full responsibility and if the players went onto the pitch with fear, then it was his fault for not preparing them physically and psychologically.
Marcello, when NINE of your players are over the age of 30...one being almost 37 (and ironically as a defender having a hand in almost every goal scored against them)...then maybe you need a new strategy.
It's all water under the bridge, as Lippi will not be returning.
Maybe the Italian Federation should look at their "style" of play as well.  Everyone in the world knows that they are divers and Howard Webb, the EPL referee who was in charge of today's match didn't buy into that. 
Gianluigi Buffon, Italy's regular keeper, gave a stark view of his country's situation:

"We were a disappointment and everyone saw it," Buffon said. "The difference between 2006 and 2010 is that there are no longer enough players like (Francesco) Totti and Alessandro (Del Piero). He (new manager Prandelli) will have to start a new cycle and I hope he's got his ideas in order, because the current situation of Italian football isn't great."

This is the first time that two World Cup finalists (Italy, France) from the previous Cup have not moved on from the group stage in the next Cup.  Both countries need to regroup and find some direction.

Paraguay drew with New Zealand, 0-0, in a very boring match.  Not much to say there, but with the Paraguayans moving on to the next round, South American teams now have 11 wins, 2 draws, and no losses in South Africa.  I'm not so sure it's because those teams are the best, or just the other teams aren't that good.  As bad as Italy played here, nobody would have predicted Paraguay to top their group.

In other news, France returned home and received a cold shoulder from their countrymen.  Thierry Henry was taken to Elysee Palace to meet with President Nicolas Sarkozy.  The French people want answers.
Earlier, some players had indicated that they would forgo their bonuses because of what happened in South Africa.  Sarkozy said, "don't worry...there won't be any bonuses."

It's like an episode of "As the World Cup Turns"

World Cup Day 13: United States Tops Group C; England Advance

Associated Press


PRETORIA, South Africa -- Over and over, everything seemed to go against them.

A referee took away a win last week, and a linesman disallowed another goal Wednesday.

Now there was just 3 1/2 minutes left in their World Cup, just that much remaining until all the doubts about American soccer would rise again.
But then, in one of the most stunning turnarounds in World Cup history, Landon Donovan scored on a lightning fast counterattack 45 seconds into 4 minutes of injury time. With the most amazing late-game moment in American soccer, the United States beat Algeria 1-0 Wednesday and reached the World Cup's second round.

"This team embodies what the American spirit is about," Donovan said. "We had a goal disallowed the other night, We had another good goal disallowed tonight. But we just keep going. And I think that's what people admire so much about Americans. And I'm damn proud."

Former President Bill Clinton lingered in the locker room for 45 minutes after the game to congratulate the players. When Donovan scored, raucous cheers erupted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and even in White House auditoriums in Washington, D.C., according to e-mails sent to U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati.  [end story]

I still can't believe it.  After our good goal was denied again I deflated on the couch.  Did someone really not want us to win?  Having a win stolen from us against Slovenia by an inept referee was hard to swallow, but then for another blunder to occur in the next game.  How could it be that out of 32 teams, the United States was the only team to suffer this...and twice!!!?

But it didn't matter.  As Landon said above and DaMarcus Beasley said on twitter:
BIG win for us!!! Sooo proud of all 23 players! Thanks for all support from everyone, ALL fans! LOVE ya'll..

Right back at ya, DaMarcus.

Enjoy the victory in photos!

Clint's shot hits the post...

In the 91st...Landon finishes a ball passed from Jozy to Clint (who was upended by the keeper)

The celebration begins

US fans in South Africa go wild!

Traders at the NY Stock Exchange do too!!  Where are the painted faces?  :)

Run, Landon, Run!

Edson and Benny try to keep up!

Clint (8) and Jozy (17) who started the play find Landon

US mob scene at the corner flag!

Jozy Altidore...my Man of the Match.

Everton teammates Tim Howard and Landon Donovan savor the moment

A tweetpic from DaMarcus Beasley of former US President Bill Clinton and Edson Buddle in the lockerroom after the victory.

Now to England.  They advanced on a goal by Jermain Defoe in the 22nd minute.  It wasn't a pretty win (much like the United States) but it was a gritty win.  They had many chances like their American counterparts and came up short each time.  But a win is a win.  They are second in Group C and will face Germany or Serbia  (whomever tops Group D) for the knockout round.

Wayne Rooney came off in the last third of the game.  The announcer said he was hobbling earlier...let's hope that's not an injury for Wazza.  He hasn't played well in the group stage and today wasn't any different.  He had maybe one chance to score which is not like Roo at all. 

Oh my...not sure how much more of this I can take!

World Cup Day 12: The Axe Falls

Well today is the day that the French Farce was officially put to bed...from the South African standpoint.  Les Bleus have returned home, not even staying one more night in their palatial hotel on the coast.  To top it off the French government flew them home...*gulp*...coach!
Now the inquisition will begin, with Torquemada giving each player a public auto da fe..."Were you involved wis zis plot to shame our COUNTRY?" *lights fire*

The French public have already removed themselves from the whole nasty affair.  Today during the match with South Africa, the crowd watching across from the Eiffel Tower were booing their team and cheering for Bafana Bafana. 
Patrice Evra, who was the anointed captain (although he didn't play today), had this to say:

"France will know the truth. There is a cause for all this failure; several things will come out. Then, if people don't want to forgive, at least they will know the truth."

Evra then said the whole squad will "give up all the bonuses. We won't accept a single cent from the World Cup out of shame."

Maybe the preening, overpaid, poor excuses for patriots should repay the amount it took to care for them during their qualifying and shameful display in South Africa. 
I don't want to give the impression that I am dissing the entire team.  As was stated in the last few days, a few members lead the coup.  The other members basically became sheep; comply or we won't pass to you during the matches (Gourcuff for example), or when we become leaders of France you won't get cabinet positions and we'll make you eat cake.
Who knows how long this has been a problem.  Domenech certainly has been a firebrand during the qualification process.  His complete cluelessness has only been magnified in the fishbowl that is the World Cup.  Would we ever have been privy to the discord if some "traitor" had not alerted the French press?
Well, as awful as the revelation was, at least it gave us an answer as to why the runners-up in 2006 could barely muster enough energy to take a few shots on goal. 
Domenech will be crucified (although I'm sure he won't care as he knew long ago he would not be returning), but the team has acted dishonorably too.  Who in their right mind would think that staging a coup against ones own manager during the World Cup was a good idea?  I'm not seeing any hands.
Can they really blame their poor play on their manager?  Their bad passing, pathetic shots, and "selective passing," (Anelka and Ribery) can't be blamed on the man who isn't wearing boots.  These are highly-paid, well-trained footballers, who play and have played for the biggest clubs in the world.
Patrice Evra (whom I'm hoping gets a stern talking to from Sir Alex), was more concerned with "finding the traitor" who spilled the beans about the Anelka bustup.  Maybe Patrice should have put more effort into finding his game.
French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot called an emergency meeting Monday with the team to give them a little tough love.  Her words:

“It’s your kids, our children, for whom perhaps you will no longer be heroes. It is the dreams of your partners, your friends, your fans that you have perhaps broken. You have tarnished the image of France.

“French soccer is facing a disaster, not because it lost a match but because this disaster is a moral disaster,” Bachelot said. “The reality of the situation must be faced head-on. It is not merely just a bad period that must be gotten through, nothing will be like it was before."

Bachelot said the team were crying and applauding her words. 
They lost today 2-1, scoring their only goal of the tournament.  It didn't matter though, as it was obvious to the rest of us that they never had their hearts in it. 
Besides public apologies to their countrymen, they should also send a letter of apology to Ireland's National Team, for taking their chance to shine away from them...and through their own selfishness...wasting it.

Laurent Blanc.  It's your turn.

World Cup: France Fallout Avoidable says Zidane

ESPNdeportes.com went one-on-one with Zinedine Zidane at the French legend's news conference Monday in Johannesburg.

Zinedine Zidane is disappointed by France's on-field performances at the World Cup and doesn't agree with the team's actions off it.
But the hero of the 1998 championship team believes the former champions can win their last Group A game against South Africa.
Zidane said France's players should have trained Sunday instead of boycotting practice in protest of Nicolas Anelka being thrown off the squad.
While Zidane labels France's situation "sad," he does believe a victory Tuesday will help it get past its current predicament.
"This team has the possibility to get over this obstacle with this match. Everything can change for them," Zidane said Monday, adding France remains in contention for the title. "I hope they can still get out of this group. There is hope even if everything that has been said to now is the opposite."

France and South Africa have one point each from two matches, and will not progress if Mexico and Uruguay, both at four points, draw in their last Group A match.
Zidane said he could see a positive in defeat: it could shake the team clean of its problems with a coaching change imminent.

"If they lose there's a new coach in Laurent Blanc who will change all of this," Zidane said. "I don't think you can blame one player or another, but Laurent Blanc's arrival will change everything that is happening within the team."

The public rifts between France's players, coaches and national officials over Anelka, who was thrown off the squad for insulting coach Raymond Domenech, should never have happened, according to Zidane. France team director Jean-Louis Valentin also resigned from the French Football Federation amid the chaos.

"Nobody agrees with what [Anelka] said or did. What I can't defend is the fact that it came out," Zidane said. "In a locker room a lot of things are said, but they should never come out."

Zidane also denied reports he advised France before its 2-0 defeat against Mexico.
"To think that I could call the players and tell them how to play -- I mean, you have to be kidding me," Zidane said before explaining his relationship with Domenech. "I never had a problem with this coach, but I never had a good feeling for him. But I respected him in his position as coach. I was on the ship, I was captain of the team [in 2006]."
While Zidane, who said he had no plans to go into coaching anytime soon, laughed about having scheduled his news conference some time ago expecting an easy day. Instead, his former teammates' problems became the only talking point.

"Yes, I'm sad like a lot of people who support this team. Yes, I'm sad because we talk about everything but football," Zidane said. "We're all disappointed, me firstly, because I wore this jersey for a long time and the nicest thing I could have was to wear it."

Former South Africa player Lucas Radebe, who spoke at the event alongside Zidane, hoped South Africa could capitalize on France's problems while avoiding its own implosion.
"You know how important this next match is, so I hope there are no problems -- we can't copy France outside the field of play," said Radebe, who played against Zidane at the '98 tournament. "We know France has problems but that's not our problem. We have to focus our team. Possibly that can be an advantage for us."

The Dirty Tackle also had an interesting article about the financial fallout from the team's actions.

World Cup Day 11: Portugal Scores a Touchdown!

I know that I'm breaking from my normal routine of posting all of the day's scores at once, but I had to comment on the Portugal match on its own.  For one, they were incredible today.  And two, this blog is called "Cristiano will always be CR7."

The theme for this WC has been "Could Cristiano break his goal drought?!"  I'm sure Nike were wondering the same thing as their stars of the new advert were not impressive at all.  Cristiano (hadn't scored), Rooney (hadn't scored or played well), Cannavaro (Italy dove to a draw yesterday), Ribery (the French are in freefall), and Ronaldinho (at a party somewhere far from SA).  So the pressure had to be on the perma-tanned one to make good on the promise.
Portugal and North Korea last met in 1966 (a good year) at the WC in England.  Down three goals, the Portuguese charged back on the feet of Eusebio, who scored four goals.  North Korea had played Brasil very well in their first outing so Carlos Queiroz's men were not taking their threat lightly.
A little levity happened before the match when the announcers said that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il had a direct, secret line to the coach to give him tactical advice.  I imagine it would go something like this:

Kim:  "Find number seven and step on his feet then ask for his autograph."
Coach: "But...we are here to play football."
Kim:  "Hahahahahahahahahaha...oh yes, I forgot.  If you see Beyonce tell her she is bootylicious hehehe"
Coach:  "Ummmm...okay."
Kim:  "Oh yes, and if you lose, I have a special surprise for you."

Tactically from the Portuguese side, Carlos Queiroz decided to change it up a bit from the dull Cote d'Ivoire draw and replaced Danny, Liedson, and Paulo Ferreira with Simao, Hugo Almeida, and Miguel.

In the first ten minutes Portugal were pressing, much like they did in the Cote d'Ivoire match.  The pouring rain could not have helped matters as the pitch was water-laden and so was the ball.  Their passes were heavy, trying to slosh through the pitch and this caused the connections to break down.  Cristiano was having a hard time getting any through balls and he seemed frustrated by this. 
In the 6' Ricardo Carvalho, the Chelsea defender, headed a cracker of a shot that just nicked the post.  The Portuguese were equally frustrated by their corners.  Both times they didn't even make it off the ground.
Their pacing slowed down as Cristiano became uninspired and it looked as if the CIV match would be repeated.   Raul Meireles was taking wild shots, which didn't help, and his passing was horribly off-mark.
But the North Koreans, who had played so valiantly against the Brazilians, started to break down defensively.
In the 29' Meireles was given a cherry of a pass from Simao, and he slotted home!  I had just written on my pad, "get Meireles off...he's horrible today!!"  I was glad to be proven wrong.  From then on Raul played with heart and played a vital role until he was subbed off in the second.
The ref was making a few boneheaded calls, and I believe it was because he couldn't see through the downpour.  Tiago was booked in the 42' for nothing.  The NK player dove and of course the ref bought it.
Cristiano took a few shots on goal but nothing seemed too dangerous for the keeper.  In one instance he should have passed to his two compatriots who were standing in the box unmarked!  It looked to be another useless day for the captain.  He began to walk, lost possession, and wasn't defending, as was noted by the announcers.
Queiroz's halftime talk must have been stirring (he probably took a page from former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, and his hairdryer method).  I'm sure Carlos told them that a one-goal lead would not be enough and most certainly would give the CIV players some hope in their last game against the North Koreans.
Whatever he said worked.
In the 53' Meireles (who had previously been on my hit list) put a beauty through to Simao who smacked it home.  2-0 and a little breathing room.  But the North Koreans came back on the Brazilians so they couldn't let down.
They didn't.  Just two minutes later Coentrao (who has become a fabulous player) headed a ball to Hugo Almeida who put it home.  3-0.
Hold on though, the Portuguese weren't finished.  In the 59' Cristiano seemed to have a good chance to score as he scampered down the wing.  Instead, he slid a great pass to Tiago who scored easily.  4-0.
Cristiano had a great moment in the 70' when he smacked a shot that whacked the crossbar.  Would he be the only one NOT to score?

Cristiano, who had been a dubious selection as captain by many Portuguese, began to play his part very well.  Having a silly yellow from the first match, he made sure to keep the others tamped down.  Hugo Almeida became incensed by the ref and talked back.  Cristiano rushed over to stop him but it was too late and he received a card.  The camera showed them walking off and Cristiano imploring him to behave.  I'm sure he was reminding him that two yellows equal a red!
In the 79' one of the North Koreans slid in on Cristiano pretty hard and the camera showed his ankle a few minutes later...blood.  The ref didn't notice it obviously because he didn't make him go off.
Liedson came on in the 77' to replace Almeida and immediately made his presence known.  Duda chopped in a half-cross and the North Korean defense did a poor job of clearing it.  Liedson pounced on the loose ball and scored just three minutes after he was subbed. 5-0
I felt bad for Cristiano at this point.  He seemed sad that everyone else was scoring.  Sure he was glad for the win, but he is a natural striker and wants to get that monkey off of his back.
In the 86' he got his chance.  Another defensive breakdown for the Chollima and #7 ran for the loose ball, with an on-rushing keeper.  He clipped the ball up over the diving keeper's legs and the ball got lost for a moment...because it was on the back of his neck!  It slipped down to his foot and BANG!  Gooolllllllllllllll!  This was the one I was waiting for because it's my birthday today and I wanted CR to score for me!  He hardly celebrated, knowing that scoring the 6th goal wasn't as important as the first goal.  He kind of laughed to himself as he was congratulated by the players.  I'm sure he would have preferred to have hit a screaming freekick into the net, but it did count.  6-0.
Tiago scored once more in the 89' after Coentrao put a beautiful ball in for him.  7-0.
The goal differential has all but eliminated Cote d'Ivoire, unless the Brazilians hammer Portugal and CIV hammer North Korea.

CLICK HERE to see a highlight of all seven goals.

I laughed at one of the comments on ESPN.  "Who scored the touchdown for Portugal?" hehe

Overall a much better display from the Seleccao das Quinas. 
ESPN's headline said it all:

"The Magnificent Seven"

This is an awesome commercial featuring Steve Nash, with a not-so-subtle nod to Brandy Chastain!

Hugo Almeida scores the third goal

They got to do this many times today...

This pretty much sums up North Korea's day...

Thanks for scoring on my birthday, Cristiano!!!!

World Cup Day 10: Matches

Today's menu of footy consisted of powerful Paraguayans, Diving Italians, and Naughty Ivorians.


SLOVAKIA vs PARAGUAY

After drawing with the Italians 1-1, Paraguay changed to an attacking 4-3-3 with Santa Cruz, Valdez, and Barrios up front. Santa Cruz, the Manchester City striker who gathered more booty splinters this year than grass stains, helped keep the pace up front. 
The possession was fairly even, but Slovakia couldn't manage to find the goal.  Paraguay scored two, one in the 27' (Vela) and another close to the end (Riveros 86').  Slovakia only had one shot on goal...in the 92'.  It didn't go in and the Paraguayans won 2-0.  This puts them atop the group table with 4 points. 

NEW ZEALAND vs ITALY
grrrrrrrrr....the Italians.  I'm on record in this blog that I despise the Italians.  I will never forgive them for the 2006 incident with Zizou, they are smug and think their footy is the style everyone should play, and THEY ARE CHEATING DIVERSSSSSSSSSSSSS! 
The Kiwis, on the other hand, were not expected to even give the Italians beads of sweat (according to the Italian newspapers) and much less score.  But they did both! 
Shane Smeltz put the All Whites ahead in the 7' on a set play.  As the ball cross to the far post, Fabio Cannavaro (former World Player of the Year) tried to deaden it and it came off his knee and right on to the foot of Smeltz who guided it into the net.   The Italians couldn't believe it and of course tried to say that Smeltz was offside, but when Cannavaro touched the ball it didn't matter anymore. 
Now what to do?  The Azzurri took 23 shots for the entire match, but only 5 were on target.  The All Whites had an aswer defensively for all of their attacks.  So.....when you can't win fair and square, you play like an Italian.  YOU DIVE LIKE A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE THAT'S ABOUT TO BE DEPTH-CHARGED.
In the 29' Daniele de Rossi, of the Roma AS diving de Rossis, had his shirt tugged (slightly) and he fell in the box as if a sniper had hit him from the upper deck...pim pam pum.  Of course the ref bought his cheap theatrics and a penalty was awarded.  Vincenzo Iaquinta made an easy shot and now the match was tied at 1-1.  For his penalty celebration, Iaquinta ran backwards pointing to his nose.  I'm sure he was indicating what we all knew...that the Italians are a bunch of Pinocchios...and his nose would be getting bigger...or at least de Rossis would for his shameful diving. 
The rest of the match was dominated in possession by the Italians, but the All Whites kept thwarting their forward attempts.  In the waning moments New Zealand nearly took the lead...but it was not to be.
The Kiwis celebrated as if they had won the World Cup...and good for them!  They did draw with the reigning champions (grrrrrr), and of course I mean "champions" in the loose sense.

BRASIL vs COTE D'IVOIRE

Brasil were already atop their group with their less-than-impressive win over the North Koreans.  They were looking for a win against the Ivorians so they could advance to the next round.  The Canarinho were organized and always pressing, unlike their first match.  The Ivorians were just the opposite.  If not for some good defending this game could have been a 5-0 match.
Keeping the ball can mean everything in a match.  It's not that you have possession but what you do with it.  Brasil capitalized on their 68% possession by attacking the final third.  Luis Fabiano, the striker with Sevilla FC, pulled a Landon Donovan and hit the bag from almost the exact same angle in the 25'.  He was assisted by a sublime pass from Kaka.
Fabiano wasn't done though.  Right after halftime he put a left-footed shot into the net.  Sven-Goran Eriksson, the coach for Ivory Coast, claimed it was a handball and that the 2-0 lead killed the match.  He's right.  Fabiano touched the ball twice before he shot.
The Ivorians seemed to take their feet off the gas and put them on the Brasilians.  Several rough tackles later, the match started to boil over with pushing, shoving, harsh words, and even more rough tackles.  Elano, who scored the third and final goal for the Brasileiros (62') was stretchered off after a nasty studs-up to the shin.
Ivory Coast made it interesting when Drogba scored a beautiful goal in the 79' that caught the Brazilian defense by surprise.  The Ivorians appeared to finally have life but then the match seemed to deteriorate and Kaka was caught shoving a player in the 85'...yellow card.  I was ready for an all-out brawl on the pitch, and several times it looked as though it would happen.  The referee (Stephane Lannoy of France) was having difficulty watching all of the players.  Then Kader Keita, who had only subbed on in the 68', saw an opportunity in the 88'.  He ran up behind Kaka, who was looking in the other direction, and bumped into him.  Keita fell to the ground clutching his face.  Kaka had only nudged him with an elbow to push him off.  The idiot referee marched over and gave Kaka a second yellow...red card.  It was a pathetic display of officiating.  Kaka will not meet Portugal in the next match, though it hardly matters as they have already garnered their 6 points and are through to the next round.

Warren Barton, who is a footy pundit on FSC, thinks it is high time that FIFA takes post-game action on cheats like Keita.  FIFA regularly extends red card bans for players after reviewing matches, and Barton says that they should do the same thing for their biggest tournament in the world.  I agree.
I'm not saying that Kaka is a saint.  His first yellow card was warranted, and he was also physical with other players throughout the match, but his last yellow was a joke.

Fabiano and Kolo Toure fight for the ball

Who's your Daddy?  Obviously goalscorer Elano thinks that assist man Kaka is his!

The match starts to get nasty

And nastier

Of course Robinho (11) and his loud mouth would be involved...

Brasil were guilty of a few dirty plays as well

Drogba scores his beauty, but it wasn't enough

Kaka is shown his first yellow card...the second wouldn't be far behind

World Cup Day 10: France Update

"Everyone in the whole world is mocking us now.  I'm furious, because we're not playing football anymore."
--Franck Ribery

Hmmmmmm.  Franck Ribery was one of the conspirators in this French coup, so I'm not sure what he's going on about.  If His Highness had focused his energy on playing and not trying to run the show, maybe he would have been more effective on the pitch.

New reports suggest that Patrice Evra accused Robert Duverne of being the traitor who told the press about the Anelka/Domenech bustup at halftime.  I agree with Evra that whatever transpired in the dressing room had no business filtering into the mainstream, but I'm not sure Evra and company have grasped the overall picture yet.  EVERYONE IN THE MAINSTREAM ALREADY KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO LOSE.
Is this a veiled attempt to divert the attention from their pathetic play?  Because it didn't work.

What concerns me is that France will refuse to play their last match against South Africa or worse...be on the pitch but not play well (which would be hard to discern from their previous encounters).  That could upset the validity of the group stage table.  None of the Group A teams have qualified yet.  Uruguay and Mexico are atop the leaderboard with 4 points each.  Uruguay is in the top spot because their goal differential is +3, whereas Mexico has a +2.  France are sitting in third with 1 point, the same as 4th place South Africa, but their differential is a -2, and South Africa have given up 3 goals.
The tricky part of this is that both France and South Africa could go through if Uruguay beats Mexico.  They would have 4 points, but both would have to make up a goal differential (depending on how many goals Uruguay scored on Mexico). 
If France decided to be arses and not play hard (which as I said before would be hard to disprove), then South Africa might move on instead of Mexico.
The scenarios are unlikely, but not impossible.

France has big problems.  They have lost their trainer and director of football, their coach is an outcast, they've sent a player home, their country think they're fools, the footy press think they're clowns.
My prayer is that they don't go through so we won't have to hear about this anymore.

C'est finis.

"Tous ensemble pour un nouveau rêve"

All together for a new dream...

yeah, whatever.

World Cup: Quelle Horreur! France Completely Unravels!!!!!

Anelka was kicked off the team for a profanity-laced tirade against coach Raymond Domenech, whose tactics and management skills have been called into question.

"The French Football Federation did not at any time try to protect the group. They took a decision uniquely based on facts reported by the press," Domenech said, reading a statement on behalf of the players. 
"As a consequence and to show our opposition to the decision taken by officials of the federation, all the players decided not to take part in today's training session."

The latest chaotic scene also led to the resignation of France team director Jean-Louis Valentin.
"It's a scandal for the French, for the young people here. It's a scandal for the federation and the French team," Valentin said. "They don't want to train. It's unacceptable.
"As for me, it's over. I'm leaving the federation. I'm sickened and disgusted," said Valentin, who walked away from the training field, got into a car and drove off.

Valentin tells reporters what has transpired

The team arrived at training as usual Sunday and got off the bus to greet fans, but Domenech and France captain Patrice Evra stayed on the bus longer to talk.
When Domenech and Evra finally disembarked, fitness coach Robert Duverne was on the field putting down training cones. Evra then got into an argument with Duverne and Domenech walked over to intervene. Duverne then stormed off, throwing his accreditation badge to the ground.
Evra then handed a letter to the press officer, and the players, en masse, boarded the team bus and drew the curtains. The bus has yet to leave the area.
About 200 fans soon started walking away.
France drew 0-0 with Uruguay and then lost 2-0 to Mexico in their opening World Cup matches. But they can still advance to the knockout stages with a win over host South Africa, as long as Uruguay and Mexico don't draw in the other Group A match. [end story]

I AM SO CONFUSED!!!  Yesterday Anelka admits that he said something but, "it should have stayed inside the dressing room."  Patrice Evra says that there is "a mole who has leaked this information to the press and we must find out who it is."
But now the French team has refused to train "because the FFF got rid of Anelka based on information from the press."
?????????????????
It was reported yesterday that Evra was in on the meeting when they decided to send Anelka home.  Why didn't he speak up then?
It sounds to me like the French team aren't mature enough to handle the pressure of the World Cup and should all just get off the bus, get on a plane, and put this ridiculousness to an end.
Alexei Lalas of ESPN said, "why don't they just send Domench home and bring Laurent Blanc in now."

DIDN'T I SAY THAT YESTERDAY? THAT LAURENT BLANC SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD CUP INSTEAD OF DOMENECH?

Erik Bielderman of L'Equipe was interviewed on ESPN and he said, "the players have tried to wrest control from Domenech; he is not in charge at all.  Players like Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribery were telling Domenech who to play and what strategy to use."  If that is the case (and I imagine it is because Anelka is a documented prick referred to as "le sulk" by his countrymen) then it only supports my theory that they should have dropped Domenech before the World Cup when they had already announced that Laurent Blanc would be taking over.  In my mind that's when these prima donnas like Anelka, Ribery, Gallas, and company hatched their plot to "storm the Bastille" and create sort of a footy coup.  It's disgraceful.

Bielderman, when asked what the French should do about their third and final match, replied, "Domenech has to have only positive people on the bench so he should drop Ribery and Gallas."

I would really like to know what the bust-up between Evra and Duverne was all about.  I've seen the video and Duverne had to be restrained by Domenech.  My guess is Evra was telling the trainer that the team had decided not to train and he blew a gasket.  And rightfully so.  "We didn't get our way so we aren't going to train."

Trainer Robert Duverne (R) is held back by coach Raymond Domenech (C) from captain Patrice Evra

Evra returns to the tell the team what happened.  They then returned to the bus, closed the curtains and remained there.

The headline in L'Equipe said,

La Rebellion des Joueurs

I FEEL SO BADLY FOR IRELAND.  Yes, they are probably reveling in this French Farce, but you have to think how embarrassing it is that this French band of idiots took the place of a team who really wanted to play in the World Cup.  I can't imagine the Irish would be acting in this manner, can you?

I wouldn't want to be Laurent Blanc for anything right now.  I see Laurent contacting his agent and telling him to shop his skills around the EPL.  Would you blame him?

World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo Supports Wayne Rooney

from telegraph.co.uk

Rooney has failed to score in six appearances on football's biggest stage – two here and four in Germany four years ago – and he has become a major media target.

Ronaldo, who is preparing to lead Portugal out against North Korea in Cape Town on Monday, said Rooney was a class act but he was surprised that England have struggled in South Africa.

"I'm quite surprised they didn't win," said the Real Madrid star.
"Rooney fights a lot, he tries hard. But England have to try to win something."
Pressed further on Rooney, who was lashed for criticising England fans who booed the team after their drab 0-0 draw with Algeria on Friday, Ronaldo said: "Wayne tries very hard, he is always like that.
"But he is playing alone at the front and it is hard when nothing is coming to him.
"When teams don't play well, it always the big players' fault. Wayne is a great player and it is not his fault."
Ronaldo, who infamously winked at the Portugal bench after Rooney was sent off when they two teams clashed in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final, spent six years at United before his big money move to Spain.

World Cup Day 9: Matches

Cameroon is out, losing to the Danes 2-1. The Indominatible Lions had 23 shots on goal and couldn't get a second.

Netherlands edged out Japan 1-0 on a Wesley Sneijder strike.

Ghana and Australia drew 1-1.  Australia, for the second match in a row, went down a man.

For all the highlights of the games, click here.

Ratings are up for soccer in the United States.

FIFA will comment on the referee for the US/Slovenia match on Monday.  Sources say it's not positive for the ref.

World Cup: What's Wrong With England?

by Martin Rogers, yahoo sports

The most imagination and initiative shown by a man in an England shirt on Friday night came not from any of the national team’s players but from a mischievous fan who somehow sneaked into the team locker room after the match.

Just moments after Fabio Capello’s side dealt its own World Cup hopes a potentially fatal blow with a miserable 0-0 draw against Algeria in Cape Town, the supporter remarkably negotiated several levels of security at Green Point Stadium and approached David Beckham while standing just feet away from the dejected team. The fan’s actions in flouting stadium regulations can’t be condoned, but there were millions of patriotic Englishmen back home who wished Capello’s team could display as much determination and drive.

As one of the radical ideas to rejuvenate the England team, which has not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, former England player Stan Collymore, now an outspoken newspaper and radio pundit, has championed a revolutionary idea that is gathering a surprising level of support.
Collymore stated that England team members, millionaires all due to their riches in European club leagues, have had their will weakened by fame and fortune and are no longer sufficiently motivated to give heart and soul to their country. Furthermore, he says they have grown so accustomed to playing alongside highly technical foreign players for their English Premier League clubs that they are no longer comfortable performing alongside other Englishmen.
Collymore’s theory proposes that the England under-21 team should represent the nation, insisting the younger men are hungrier and more driven and would manage a higher level of performance than the current crop.

“The young lads still have it all to prove,” Collymore said. “They really want to be out there playing for their country and they wouldn’t hold anything back.”

England came into the World Cup as the third favorite with bookmakers after an impressive run through European qualifying and with striker Wayne Rooney in rampant form. However, a pair of disappointing draws in South Africa, first against the United States and then Algeria, have left the English in third place in Group C and in danger of being eliminated ahead of the knockout stage.
The complete lack of verve and spirit in either display has exacerbated the increasing level of discontent and ill-feeling towards professional soccer players in England. Even Beckham, in his new post as an assistant coach after injuring his Achilles tendon, has shown more emotion in his role as a frustrated spectator than anyone on the squad.

Several members of the England team have been involved in high-profile incidents that have soiled their reputation, from John Terry’s affair with a teammate’s former girlfriend to Rio Ferdinand’s ban for missing a drug test to Ashley Cole’s repeated marital infidelities. The public perception, one which only grows with each fresh controversy, is that leading soccer stars are a bunch of overpaid miscreants who believe they are above the law.
That stereotype could be tolerated provided the national side play with style and passion and “represent the shirt” that carries the famous Three Lions emblem. That fire, though, has been woefully and puzzlingly absent at this tournament.

The USA result could be attributed to opening-game nerves. The Algeria debacle was simply a spineless, toothless display of ineptitude against an inferior opponent. Against a North African side with no recognizable stars and whose players earn a tiny fraction of the monstrous sums paid to the England players by their EPL employers, Capello’s men could barely muster a shot on target.
The Italian has tried to instill some much-needed discipline in the team, banning cell phones, ketchup, flip-flops and the infamous WAGs (wives and girlfriends) among a series of hardline measures, yet it appears to have had a reverse effect. Taken out of the cocoon of their pampered lives, England has flopped spectacularly and embarrassingly.

The England side is touchy about criticism and has a frosty relationship with the British press. Just last week, midfielder Joe Cole joked that when the media followed the team on a safari on a day off “we were hoping they’d get eaten by lions.”
If the lions were as tame as the three on the England shirt during this World Cup, the journalists have nothing to worry about. [end story]

Stan Collymore has a point.  The players claim that representing their country is even more important than their club status (which as a United supporter makes me cringe).  Do they really have the motivation or is it all hype?  The USA still has much to prove on the world stage and their fight back in the second-half of the Slovenia match was proof of that.  England, you could say, has much to prove also because they haven't won anything since the year I was born...which would be...err....15 years ago (haha).  The Olympics have fallen prey to the same ideal...money, endorsements, instant fame. 
The USA basketball team, which dominated international play for so many years it doesn't warrant a count, is a prime example of the star player curse.  Losing in the Olympics to teams with very little basketball heritage was a cold bucket of water in the face for most Americans.

We invented basketball.

So in the Beijing Olympics, the USOC decided not to hire a pro coach to lead the team, but a college coach instead.  Mike Krzyzewski, the highly-successful Duke University basketball coach, took over the reins and instilled a new approach...leave your ego, Bentley, and Cristal at the door.  No pampering, no agents, no outside distractions, just hard training to make them into a unit.  It worked.  Backed by gritty play and teamwork (coupled with a little showmanship), the Americans once again stood atop the medal platform in Beijing.
Fabio Capello has tried to instill this same ideal into the England players.  He removed the distractions and made his team endure a bootcamp style training...but it hasn't worked.  They seem to resent the implication that they need to work hard to achieve anything.  These are highly-paid, very successful footballers.  They seem to find the motivation to perform for their clubs.  Are they so far up their arses that they've lost sight of daylight?
They have one match to make it right.

World Cup: Drama Drama Drama

I trawled the internet looking for international fan reactions from yesterday's matches and found that there was some unexpected and expected fallout. 

UNEXPECTED:

England striker Wayne Rooney was startled by the England fans' negative reaction to yesterday's match vs Algeria.  He  snarled at an ITV camera man: 'Nice to see your own fans booing you. If that's what loyal support is.... For ****'s sake.'   Here is another look at it courtesy of The Sun newspaper, a British tab.
Clearly Wayne was not happy to hear the boos and jeers from the England fans.  He's not used to booing after a game in Manchester, as the fans always clap the team off the field.  You could make the argument that these fans paid thousands of dollars to attend the matches with the hope that England would progress quite easily.  The media had hyped this (and Wayne is also in the fabulous Nike advert as the savior of England) to the hilt.  But United fans pay thousands of dollars to see them play and they never boo.
Wayne has always had a spot of temper and there is nothing more humiliating than to be a "favorite" and then limp home to a 0-0 draw.  As a sports fan I would NEVER boo my own team.  I have that opinion for several reasons.  First, I was an athlete myself.  I can't imagine anything worse than being on the playing field and hearing those boos.  Everyone has a bad game and yes, England has had two in a row for the WC, but booing them will only make them feel worse and possibly affect them for the next match.  England still has a very good chance of going through, thanks to the US's draw with Slovenia.  Second, the booing has a wider affect, in that it will make it into the international press and other teams will hear about it.  You know that Slovenia has heard about it (as they were reading about their "gifted" win this morning) and that gives them hope that England is falling apart internally, which can translate to the pitch.  Third, it's just plain rude.  If you think that your arse can do any better, then fine...boo all you want.  But I seriously doubt that ANYONE watching the England match yesterday in the stadium (except David Beckham) could have done any better.

To top off the on-pitch fan dissent,  the press were reporting that an irate fan had broken into the England dressing room after the match and came face to face with team mascot David Beckham, who was "startled" to be confronted by the fan.  The worry was that the fan had been there just after Princes William and Harry had visited the team to give them their support.  But today Becks and the princes claimed that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.  The fan merely came in and said "hello."  He didn't comment on England's play and was quickly ushered out by FIFA officials.   England has lodged a complaint with FIFA over the breakdown in security.  The fan did not have any official credentials but was wearing an England kit (shirt).
Prince William, who is president of the FA, joked at a reception later that night that, "Harry and I left the door open, that's why it happened, it was our fault."

 
EXPECTED:

Chief sports writer for The Sun, Steven Howard, wrote an alliterative masterpiece for the opening of his column about England's match:

"DRAB, dreary, depressing, disjointed, at times desperate and, overall, dull as ditchwater.

Thanks, England.
No wonder you were booed off the pitch by your own fans last night."

 I also searched the internet for the international sports press' reactions to the USA vs SLOVENIA match and found that there wasn't a single news outlet (although I don't speak Slavic so I could be wrong) in the world that thought the Malian referee called a good match and was right in pulling back the United States' goal by Maurice Edu.  Here are some of the reactions:

CONTROVERSY!
The Malian referee made a mistake and canceled the game-winner by Maurice Edu.
There was no offside or foul by Edu, which was what the referee called.  Moreover, penalties could  have been considered for a couple of grabs by Slovenians in the area.
AS--Spain

The Yankees (authors of 14 shots against only 7 for their adversaries) would  have won if the referee, very poor on Friday, had not refused the perfectly valid  goal of Edu (85th).
L'EQUIPE--France

"Things would have been a lot worse for Slovenia but for Coulibaly's extraordinary decision to rule out a third USA goal five minutes from the end.
With Slovenian defenders grappling and holding on for dear life, Maurice Edu powered his way into the danger zone to volley in from Donovan's free-kick.
But Coulibaly astonishingly ruled Edu had committed the offence and awarded a free-kick to the Slovenians."
The Sun---England

And the headline on the front of La Gazzetta della Sport from Italy:  Regrettable goal annulled. Bradley, the good son gifts one to the U.S.

The referee who made the grievous error today is no stranger to controversy.

QUOTES FOR THE DAY:
"This team has shown it keeps fighting to the end," added Bradley. "It's a credit to the mentality of the players, that they are willing to fight for 90 minutes. There was one moment in the second half it seemed like one point gained, and another when it felt like two points lost."


"I don't think the referee influenced the result." Matjaz Kek...manager of Slovenia

FRANCE...AU REVOIR
Football is hard when you can’t play together. Those were the words of Yoann Gourcuff after sitting on the bench for France’s humiliating 2-0 defeat by Mexico on Thursday night. A simple statement, but one that seems to sum up Les Bleus’ situation rather well.

The Bordeaux midfielder, dropped after France’s dismal opening draw against Uruguay, said his team-mates did not follow the instructions of coach Raymond Domenech.

Gourcuff, 23, said: ‘It was a collective failure. The guys didn’t do what the coach asked them to do. We were supposed to play on the counter-attack, but every time we regained possession we only had three players going forward. You can’t score playing like that against an organised team.’
Adding to their problems is the issue of Nicolas Anelka.  He apparently yelled obscenities at manager Raymond Domenech during the first half of their match with Mexico, when Domenech berated him for drifting out of position and threatened to take him off if he didn't comply with his wishes.  "Go screw yourself, you dirty son of a b****!"  but in French, so... "Va te faire encule, sale fils de pute!"  It seems Wayne Rooney wasn't the only one having a moment on the pitch.  But Nicolas squared off with his manager at halftime...and was replaced for the second half.  Refusing to publicly apologize for his profane rant, he has been sent home by France so he will not play the third match (as if it matters...he was ineffective for the first two).  Others think he should have been sent home earlier:

"What bothers me is Nicolas Anelka's performance in the first half. I saw a player strolling ... strolling in the World Cup!" former French player Bixente Lizarazu said. "He wasn't aggressive, wasn't interested in the game. Domenech took him off at the break, but should have done so before. You shouldn't play in a selfish manner, you have to show you're up for it."

He plays for Chelsea, Bixente...what do you expect?  This was Anelka's first call-up for the French National Team...and most decidedly his last.

Many comments from press and fans in France and beyond have wondered why the French federation did not replace Domenech before the World Cup.  The rationale by the federation at the time was, "don't upset the apple cart."  Hindsight is 20/20 of course and now that attitude seems rather...stupide.

Anelka returning to France

PHOTO OF THE DAY:

.....no words...