World Cup Volume 4

Sun&Mon, June 15-16.

An Irregular Series

ECU scores by way of picture-perfect service to an unmarked man in the box who finishes with a spot-on header.

The suisse are physical. Grabbing, chasing, bumping. They are generating good hard shots just outside of the box and strong low crosses from the corners of the box. Especially from the right side.

SUI seems unable to play any quick passing, so too ECU.

SUI seems to rely on two-level passing... thiis is likely in part due to the depth of the ECU defense.  ECU seems content to counter, and seemed so from the start. Doubly so now that they have a goal in hand.

Really like the SUI red kit. The vertical flank lines are pleasingly straight and plain.
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And now SUI scores! On a header by a marked man off a corner... he held his ground quite well against the ECU defender and got a very solid head on it.

More hard 20-25yd shots from SUI.

I do not appreciate the attitude problem of SUI. Lots of exaggerated falls, arms wide, palms up in the univeral sign for "whaaaaaat?" And complaining to teammates as well.

Looks like SUI got jobbed on that offsides call.  Can't be off on an opponent's play, right?

Looks like #9 from SUI didn't get the skintight shirt memo.

HOLY SUISSE STOPPAGE TIME GOAL!!!
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Argentina, thus fa, has benefitted from a ball bouncing off of a stationary defenderr into the net. BIH needed #3 to not cower on the cross and instead head it away.  He really ducked down to get under that one.

That Messi is just so quick and has very good vision.

Are the refs wearing golf shirts? Why would they have the spine-stipe for refs? The weird yellow-orange on yellow is a trip too.

MESSI GOAL!!!
I see it glanced off of a BIH defender, but that was all Messi.

Y'all gotta quit it with these fugazi whistles in the stands.

And BIH is back in it! The most dangerrous lead in the game is 2-0! 85min in, and now BIH has the lift in their step.

Yo, BIH, yyou're gonna wanna put more than 5 up against their 7 back wwhen you've got 5 or so minutes to score.

Feels like ARG has more men in attack and more men in defense. BIH just doesn't seem to be able to keep up. Or even "be" as frequently as they need to.

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And now we've moved on to The Day The Death Starts.

GER v POR

I always really enjoy the POR jerseys.  this yeah, so far, no exceptions.  When they founded "Portugal" did they just pick the best colours for their flag as the whole basis for a country?

Cool that POR is playing at the spot that they discovered... in kind of a weird colonial way.  That's the weirdness of world sport.  Quadruply o for the World Cup.  There is all this weird y'know... histroy behind the teams that has noting at all and everything to do with the team itself.

I like when players sing or mouth the words to their national anthems.  I like when folks attendings game do that too.

And TAKE YOUR HAT OFF.

This GER side really has one of the most... coherent set of players in the Cup.  The rest of the teams have more repeat-players.  Like, doubling up on identical players.


Anyway, on to the watching.