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Joined: 15-05-2024
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Subject :Day 11 in 100 words or less We must remember that people are seeing a World Cup for the first time,
Day 11 in 100 words or less We must remember that people are seeing a World Cup for the first time, just dont tell them it isnt always like this. Cheap Kings Jerseys China . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy. Portugal 2-2 USA Football is a funny old game. Last week the USA struggled to keep the ball, were not at their best, and still won. This time they treasured the ball far better, were absolutely outstanding, and didnt win. This World Cup has been an absolute blockbuster and some of its main characters have been counter-attacks, comebacks, headers, and substitute goals. All four starred together in an incredible last scene in Manaus. Portugal were on the ground, seemingly knocked out in Brazil, flat out on their back with the referee standing over them about to wave his arms and end their misery. They knew they were out of the fight. Angry, petulant, disappointed they were a wounded bunch. Then, like a boxer swinging one last right hook at an opponent just for the sake of it, they delivered a stunning final moment to another monumental match in Brazil. The clock read 94:25. Michael Bradley picks up the ball and has no outlets to pass the ball to. Eder, the Portugal striker who came on early in the first half finally did something valuable by making a crucial tackle. 94:28 - Nani counters with pace, looks up and sees Cristiano Ronaldo on the right side. It was the first time the talisman was in that zone where he could put a pass in. (stats powered by Opta) 94:31 - Ronaldo had just enough time to take one touch, look down at the ball, look up and deliver an absolutely incredible cross. 94:33 - Silvestre Varela then runs into the box and delivers a powerful header into the mix. The USA victory and place in the last 16? Gone in eight seconds. It was a fitting dramatic finale to an enthralling game in the Amazon. It will be remembered for the final scoreline, the Ronaldo pass, and the USA comeback, but we shouldnt forget about the tempo. The game was stretched throughout, played at an incredible pace in exhausting conditions. Watching it we learned many things. We learned that Portugal have very little depth. Anyone who has followed this small, yet proud football nation would tell you they already knew that but this exposed it even deeper. Anyone who criticizes Ronaldos performance would be best served to look at what he had to work with. They lost Helder Postiga early, threw on Eder and effectively played with 10 men for the second successive match. The sight of the worlds finest player having to play up front in the second half and get absolutely no service was an all too familiar one. A sad tale of what could have been. Nani scored a goal but was very disappointing the rest of the way, giving the ball away far too much. Joao Moutinho is a special player but his sparring partners, Miguel Veloso and Raul Meireles are not at the form of Euro 2012. Theyve been hammered by injuries, admittedly, but this was one of the worst showings by a Portugal team in two decades. Last week they could blame Pepe and a brilliant German attack. On Sunday their excuses ran out and they will likely fly home on Friday as another European team humbled in Brazil. Jurgen Klinsmanns team were by far the better side and will be happy to be on four points through two games but it is far from job done. Indeed, it could turn out to be what might have been. Sure, Jurgens new mates and old mates can kick a ball around for 90 minutes in Recife on Thursday and both go through but anyone who thinks Germany would agree to that are kidding themselves. Germany are in Brazil to win the World Cup, not risk playing a close game with an inferior country, where a bad bounce or poor decision could end up costing them the chance to progress or, even, win the group. If the game is even as it enters the final 25 minutes I could see the two teams defending deep and giving up very little but until then I expect Germany to use the game as an opportunity to get back the tempo and attacking guile that was missing against Ghana. Belgium 1-0 Russia The 2014 World Cup has been billed by some as the greatest ever but then Fabio Capello arrived in a time machine from 2010 to remind us just how easy a game can be killed off. It almost worked. To be fair, the dullest game of the tournament so far was not all Russias doing. An average Belgium defended deep and rarely got playmaker Eden Hazard into the game, looking to settle for a point they know would have helped them win the group. The schedule makers also played a small part in the snoozefest. Every team in this World Cup, Mexico vs Brazil aside, had four or five games off in between group games but all the teams who played on Sunday play again on Thursday, giving them just three days off before a crucial group finale. Thankfully, Belgium decided to find some extra gears in the last ten minutes and for the second successive match their changes made a difference. Substitute Kevin Mirallas got the best out of Hazard and the two combined on the goal, scored by another sub, 19-year-old striker Divock Origi. The extra gear found by Belgium showed, again, they can reach another level when required and also left Russia embarrassed that they couldnt. Russia were organized and clearly had a game plan that almost worked and it is hard to be too critical of that based on that game but the bigger question mark over this teams methods is do they have it in them at all to play a more open, expansive style that will be needed against Algeria to progress? This World Cup has made a mockery of players and coaches who have tried to play like it was 2010. Capello gets one last shot to prove otherwise, against Algeria. How did that work out for him in 2010? South Korea 2-4 Algeria Missed by many, this was a fantastic game. Algeria are a real threat to Russia. They are strong in attack, have a fine, technical leader in Sofiane Feghouli who can glide by midfielders and can score. Admittedly, South Koreas defending in the first half was woeful but Vahid Halilhodzics side deserve tremendous credit for sensing their opportunity to finish the game off early. It has been a good couple of days for African football. Man of the day Nominees.... Vincent Kompany - on a day where most of his teammates were average, the Manchester City skipper was fantastic in the middle of the Belgian defence. Islam Slimani - he got his first start at the World Cup and it wont be his last after he tormented the South Korean backline. Clint Dempsey - talk about a big game player. Not blessed with any one outstanding trait, he just seems to pop up in big moments. Jermaine Jones - After a brilliant display on the left of a midfield diamond against Ghana, he was asked to come more centrally this time and had a superb match. Cristiano Ronaldo - he was far from his best but, just like Lionel Messi on Saturday, he had his moment. Winner Cristiano Ronaldo - a defensive liability in the first half, clearly not fit, playing with a bunch of average players, sulking and then he does that. Wow. Whats next Australia vs Spain & Chile vs Netherlands (12pm/9am) Croatia vs Mexico & Brazil vs Cameroon (4pm/1pm) Burning question for Mondays games Can Chile win the group and finally carve open a path to the late rounds that doesnt include nemesis Brazil? Stat of day 11 Silvestre Varela became the 16th substitute to score at this World Cup. Wholesale Kings Jerseys . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Cheap Swingman Kings Jerseys . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. He considered undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy to fix his arm, but announced in August his decision to have Tommy John surgery. http://www.cheapsacramentokingsjerseys.com/ .com) - Devan Dubnyk stopped all 30 shots fired his way and made several big saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the strategy of the CFLPA, the Oilers hiring of Bob Nicholson, the Alouettes firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman and the U.S. Open. Gary Lawless, TSN Radio - My thumb is down to the ill-fated strategy of the CFLPA and the underwhelming results theyve achieved once again. Disorganized and delusional best describe the players union in this latest CFL labour impasse. Their first offer was inflammatory and unattainable. They followed up with a series of retreats and eventual surrender. The CFLPA has followed the lead of legal counsel Ed Molstad since 1974. Lacking best describes the results. The CFLPA needs to represent its constituency with a spirit of inclusion and a face of diversity. The union must look inward and evolve. Questions must be asked and answered and hard decisions executed. The CFLPA finds itself at the intersection of change and rot. Its time to pick a new route. Steve Simmons, Sun Media - My thumb is up to Edmonton Oilers owner Darryl Katz for going outside the family and hiring Bob Nicholson to oversee everything that is Oiler. This isnt necessarily a hockey move as much as it is a business move but in either area Nicholson is clearly equipped for the challenge. And this is a challenge both in the standings and from what Katz wants from the newly formed business called Oilers Entertainment Group. Sports is no longer about only wins and losses. Its so much about veneer. In Edmonton, there will be a new downtown arena, an area to grow around it, a footprint for the future. When Nicholson took over Hockey Canadaa, it was a small disorganized operation, lacking in business acumen. Cheap Kings Jerseys Authentic. He left it as a hockey corporation. The Oilers are fortunate to have him. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated - My thumb is down to the Alouettes for the firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman. Three months after coach Tom Higgins hired Worman, he canned him - before Montreal had played an exhibition game. Higgins was right to act sooner rather than later, unlike 2013 when the era of occupationally-challenged head coach Dan Hawkins lasted five games. But the abrupt dismissal speaks to the dysfunction of the franchise, whose owner, Robert Wetenhall, hired Higgins without involving GM Jim Popp. The Alouettes used to stand for quality on the field and steadfastness off it. If the Worman saga is an indication, soon the only thing the Alouettes will stand for is O Canada. Dave Hodge, TSN - My thumb is up to the U.S. Open golf championship, with emphasis on "open". To win the Masters, you have to be invited. To win the Open, you have to qualify, and everyone is eligible to try, which means anyone from anywhere can win. And that creates interest because "anyone" can be someone like 49-year-old Fran Quinn, who put his name on the leaderboard with a first-round 68. Who is Fran Quinn? He has one year of experience on the PGA Tour. Last year? No, 1992. He played in 18 events that year and he missed the cut 12 times. This year, he has played one event - on the Web.com Tour, golfs development league, if you will. Fran Quinn is still playing at Pinehurst - he followed his 68 with rounds of 74 and 79. He wont win. But he had a chance to win. 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