Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic World Cup!!!!

Ann, the thought had crossed my mind. But really, it was down to England's lousy defending.

I must say, Germany seem to be doing a wonderful job of hosting the games. Everyone looks like they're having a great time.

Yvonne

We won, and we are first in our group!

Go Italy!

simona

Yeah, but these Germans are scary

Now, seriously... The whole country is sort of going crazy... The number of flags hanging from windows, cars, etc. just grows by the minute.

They even go as far as cancelling lectures when they are at the same time as Gemany's games. I got one cancelled last Tuesday (it was from 16.40 to 18.10; game was 16-18, more or less; students proposed it, Department accepted). The funniest thing was walking into the entrance hall of the Business Faculty and finding it full with people who were watching the game projected on the wall.

Brazil looked like they were taking a walk in the park against Japan, but boy were they good. It was good to see Ronaldo return to form and equal Gerd Muller's World Cup record I actually don't think he's that great a player, but he gets the job done and in the end that enough.

I went out early today and it was pandemonium I left the house before the game ended and listened in on the radio I was so elated! Now Guus better put Schwazer back in defence goal cos Kalac was terrible I can forgive the first goal that was a stunner and that was unsavable but that second goal shouldn't have gone in. Thank you Harry for saving us.

I am glad that most people seem to think that Germany is doing a good job as the world cup host. It sure does a lot for our country especially after it's been a while since we have really been united in anything .
Just a little while ago it was still unacceptable and uncomfortable for Germans to display their flags and show some patriotism and now we can finally do it like most other countries taking part in the Cup.

And now that Germany has moved on (something very few people here had thought possible), yes we tend to go a little nuts.

I am so looking forward to the game tomorrow and am hoping for a great match and maybe some more good luck for our team.

Natascha (who made sure she gets out of work in time)

I so wanted Japan to win.

Lets wait till the WM is over, I'm pretty sure Germany will be back to what was before in no time, not to mention, that then everybody will find out what our politicians have been up to during the time when nobody looks at them and they pratically can do what they want without any outcry of the masses.

I don't think we'll see that many flags afterwards or the togetherness feeling.
There is not really anything behind it but this one event. The feeling hasn't grown, it has no substance, many people are just swept up in the movement. It'll pass.

Not too many Americans posting in this thread! :rolleyes: Today was the last day of school for us, and I have cable tv in my classroom. So my official Social Studies lesson plan for the last week has been "Geography Through International Sport." I pull down my map, show the kids where the countries are that are playing, and tell them to watch the game. I'm not missing the World Cup for anything!

It's been awhile since I posted on the boards, but that would be due to my trip to Germany. I didn't go to any of the games (I was on a trip with my old high school) but we did get to experience all the hype. And let me tell you, it is crazy over there! I thought Americans went crazy over football, and we do. But this was nuts!

I think the craziest fans I saw were from Sweden. There was yellow everywhere! But the cities were filled with people from all over the world. And I have to say, soccer fans do know how to have fun! Good luck to all of those watching.

~Kristen

The crazy Swedish fans will be quiter now, because Germany just beat Sweden 2-0. That means Sweden is out of the World Cup, but Germany just advanced.

Congratulations, Germany!

Ann

I actually saw part of the Germany-Sweden game since I'm in Sweden at the moment and my mother-in-law wanted to watch. I don't follow soccer/football at all so I don't even know the rules. Either way, the four of us watching here in Sweden probably doubled the total number of Americans actually watching the World Cup with half of them not even in the country.

P.S. Poor Sweden

Yes, poor Sweden, I have never actually seen such a small group of fans singing so loudly, when Sweden was playing against England.
Just because of this they deserved a goal.
But I can't deny, that I'm glad Germany had made it so far. It would be quite a shame to lose, when they have so much support from their fans.
You won't recognize Germany right now, if you had ever been here.

Okay, okay. I'm getting slowly excited about the World Cup. Slowly. Confession time. At first I wanted France to be kicked out of the World Cup so the hype would stop here (it tends to drive me crazy that football is like the national sport here and nothing else matters)... but then I watched France-Togo the other night. And enjoyed it. Reminded me of the matches I watched at the local pub when I was in Manchester.

And I was actually happy France got qualified for 1/8 finals. The good thing is that I can support two teams: France, because hey, whether I like it or not, I'm French , and England, because... well, just because. Any time now I'm gonna put an English flag on my window to counteract the French flags around here.

Kaethel

We haven't played very well, we were too tense, and Australia has played a good soccer, but our portiere (goalkeeper?)and defense were great, and our player has been good to find a penality at the very last second, and Totti has kicked wonderfully. With great difficulty we won!

simona

Poor Australia! I feel so bad for them for losing like this. A penalty goal in the last minute of play! Yikes!!

I so wanted them to win against Italy because I am always rooting for the underdogs (except when Germany is playing <g>) and I just realized today that the Australian team has some pretty good looking guys.

Natascha

I'm sorry that Australia and Sweden are out because I was rooting for them I think Australia deserved to win! I can't believe that Italy got a penalty in the very last minute... some people said it wasn't even a penalty but I need to rewatch it to see if it was or not

Japan and Brazil was a great game! 4X1!!!! I was able to celebrate and watch the game with some Brazilian girls I met in San Diego and we had a blast! I felt like I was partying in Brazil It was sooo cool! I think Ronaldo made a lot of people shut up (even me ) after this last game but I still think Robinho and Ronaldinho are better players but it would be cool to see him setting up a new record so I hope he will score in the next game He did surpassed Pele's record though.

I can't wait for the game tomorrow! I know we'll have a hard time playing against Ghana but I'm sure we'll be able to get out of it alive

Keep going, Brazil!!!!

Raquel (who is really enjoying the World Cup but might end up without any voice left )

Thanks for backing us Aussies! I felt we were hardly done by, but our boys have nothing to be ashamed of we got through the group stage when people said we wouldn't and we held Italy very well and were unlucky to make the most of the chances we had. I'm proud of them and they have done a lot to raise the profile of the sport in this country. Hopefully now football will be widely recognised here as actually football I mean geez how does carrying the ball across the pitch qualify as football? Really the person who made that association shoud have their head checked! Well done boys and now that we are part of the Asian qualification division with a chance to play at the Asian Cup should we get through qualification we have a better chance of getting to South Africa in 2010.

Thanks for noticing how cute many of our squad is. Unfortuantely the cutest one was in crutches Poor Harry, that troublesome injury of his left him out of a game I'm sure he wanted to play in.

...

You're like... the best teacher ever! <g>

its actually kind of a joke really

most australians had never heard of the game (or never knew it was played after you left primary school)

after "we" beat uraguay suddenly we have 4 thousand pple going to germany to watch????

the thing is, in Australia we can now support our true colouurs (ie all those pple in leichardt can now go for their italian grandparent's herratige with no more angst over being disloyal)

we all knew it was not going any further anyway

and yet everyone is talking about our team being robbed


those of us not cought in the "Australia playing an international sporting tornament thus i have to watch tv at 3am" disease, are laughing our heads off now at the others who with tears in their tired eyes turned up very late to work today...

I felt the same way. Just because we got into the World Cup suddenly football is put on the map yet if we hadn't it would still be behind league, union and Aussie Rules. I remember last time in Korea/Japan how Channel 9 bought some of the viewing rights and I remember thinking 'would you all just shut up you obviously know nothing about the beautiful game so stop pretending you do.' It sounds cruel I know, but really Channel 9 doesn't win any points for that supposed special they had on the Sunday before the last group game and united all the football codes (in my mind there is only one sport worthy of actually being called football) in support of the Socceroos because they promoted the more dominate codes here in Australia all the time until Australia made onto the world's biggest stage. The late Johnny Warren did say 'I told you so' in reference to us making to another World Cup and we did and I think we exceeded all expectations it was a cruel way to lose a game though and some part of me wonders whether that Italian player captilised on the fact that Lucas was on the ground because he was nowhere near him when he slipped. I'm ranting I know and I know that Lucas probably shouldn't have left himself in that vulnerable a position and in the end the decsion is that of the referee. Though apparently the Spanish papers are saying that the referee (also from Spain) made the wrong decision in awarding Italy the penalty which I feel that someone should reveiw every match because there have been many matches of this World Cup in which the referee has made many a wrong decision. I'm proud of their acheivement though and hopefully with a new coach (Guus Hiddink is leaving us to coach Russia) we'll be ready to show the world again what we are made of.

Beethoven though I think you are absolutely right. I've been a football fan for nearly 10 years and I remember that 'Songs for the Socceroos' competition that SBS had and when I heard some of songs and they all mentioned that they watched the qualifier against Uruguay I felt that none of them had any clue as to what football really was. I think that if you really want the essence of football, the World Cup is a great place to start, but in particular look at the culture in South America in particular Brazil and Argentina these two countries really capture what it is all about.

This is what the front page of the most important Sportsnewspaper in Spain says about it:

Italia elimina a Australia de penalti injusto en el último minuto.

(Translation: Italy leaves Australia out with an unfair penalty in the last minute.)

It's sad, but Italy is probably the luckiest team on earth. They always have that kind of 'luck' 1994 (USA World Cup) one of the Spanish players ended up with a broken nose during 1/4 final (or was 1/8 final... my memory fails me) thanks to one of the italian guys (who obviously, kept on playing the match, while the Spanish guy bled and bled, and then bled some more :S) But that's what the do; they play 'ugly' (in every possible way) but make it through

Anyway, sorry Australia had to lose like that; it never feels good (though, I must say, the italians also know what it's like to lose thanks to the referee... Hiddink's Korea left them out in 2002, right before leaving the Spanish team out... And don't get me talking about that one referee... )