Davison Online

I’m expecting a Spanish victory, forcing me to eat crow over my longtime claims that Spain always disappoints at the World Cup. In fairness, I’ve always been right until this year, but I’d have to say that this Spanish squad has played very well. Since I think their possession game will stymie Netherlands, I’m picking them to win.

It’s not that Netherlands will be without chances given the firepower they’ve got on board, but I don’t think they’re as good defensively, and if David Villa gets hot, they’ll be in real trouble.

Netherlands is out there in orange looking like a crew of HazMat workers. Spain with the early possession. Spanish header nicely saved.

Bad defensive mistake—always control the ball on a turn, don’t let it just go—gives Netherlands a shot. Great, quick counter.

Villa has been called offside  a couple of times, but it’s close. Netherlands is really playing with fire there.

Yellow to Van Persie for another stupid challenge. He seems frustrated early about Netherlands lack of possession. Spain has really controlled the opening 15 minutes.

Yellow now to Puyol for a challenge that gets all kinds of player but no kinds of ball. Free kick to Netherlands. Saved. Not a bad shot with the Jabulani ball.

Yellow to Van Bommel. Why are they sliding through players like this? Honestly, stay on your feet.

Yellow to Sergio Ramos for the same thing. Good grief, we’re going to get people tossed for sure at this rate.

Yellow to De Jong for a karate kick into a Spaniard’s chest. That could have been a straight red. Man, there is all kinds of stupid going on out there.

A bit of fair play from the Netherlands. Spain’s keeper tosses the ball out near midfield after one of his players goes down. Netherlands inbounds and kicks it back to him. It hops high and with speed over the keeper’s head and, fortunately, doesn’t go into the net. He did manage a hand on it, though, so corner kick to Netherlands. They kick it to him in another display of sportsmanship.

0-0 at half.

Bronckhorst picks up a yellow on a Spanish flop. Lame.

Yellow to Heitinga for fouling Villa who flops around like a fish out of water. Foul, yes, but lame acting job to sell it.

Somebody is going to get tossed for sure.

Spanish keeper comes up huge in a 1 on 1 and saves the Spanish hopes. Robben had a great chance there.

Yellow to Capdevila for, uh, nothing, if the replay is to be believed.

Yellow to Robben for yelling at the ref after missing his second great breakaway chance of the day.

0-0 at the end of regulation. 30 minutes of overtime to follow.

Three Spanish flops in the box. No call. Good job, ref.

0-0 at the end of the 1st OT. Villa subbed out for Torres.

Heitinga gets tossed with a second yellow 4 minutes into the 2nd OT. Weak call. Looked very floppish. Dangerous spot for a kick though! For the next 10 minutes, Netherlands is down a guy. Will this be what Spain needs to make a breakthrough? Van Der Wiel gets a yellow on a trip. Didn’t touch him.

INIESTA! GOAL in the 11th minute of the 2nd OT period! Yellow to Mathijsen for yelling at the ref. Great half volley. Nothing the keeper is going to do about that.

Netherland tries gamely but no can do, and it’s Spain 1-0. Lots of arguing after by the Netherlands guys with the ref. Pretty classless, really.

Tags: World Cup soccer

[I'm blogging this after the match.]

Germany were hit by a flu bug prior to the match and won’t play Lahm or Podolski. Klose is out with a bad back. So this is hardly the Germany who got here, despite the return of Muller from card suspension.

Suarez returns from red card suspension for Uruguay and looks a rusty. Forlan, on the other hand, is magnificent. Loved his volley goal.

Anyway, an entertaining game won by Germany 3-2. Congratulations to both teams on a superb World Cup.

Tags: World Cup soccer

On the heels of the Germany’s 4-0 thrashing of Argentina, I think everyone expects a German victory against Spain. While I’m not one to write off David Villa, Spain’s star foward with whom everyone’s been impressed, I’ve got to agree that Germany certainly should win. I’m guessing 2-1.

Game has started tight and relatively boring, with Spain getting two decent chances, including one header that really should have been finished. Let’s hope somebody scores to make it interesting.

Nope. A few OK chances here or there—most of them offsides—but a relatively dull contest with the majority of the play in the middle third. We desperately need a goal here. 0-0 at half.

Spain with the run of play; Germany with a few good attacking chances but clearly back on their heels in the opening 20 minutes.

GOAL! Spain on a header from a corner! No chance for the keeper who looks rightly aggrieved. Really poor marking from Germany. 1-0 Spain.

35th minute. In with Gomez for Germany and on the Spanish side out with David Villa and in with Torres. Villa has played lights out and leads the Cup in scoring, Torres has been injured and has played awful by all accounts. I’m not sure this sub is a good idea.

Spain blows a major 2 v 1 counter. That should have been a goal, but it’s a clear sign the Germany has started to press forward out of necessity.

And it’s Spain! 1-0. I will have to revise my statement about Spain always disappointing. They played a great game today and deserved the win. Germany, honestly, looked flat. My favorite thing about Spain: No flopping. That’s a welcome change.

Tags: World Cup soccer

[Blogging this post-game.]

Exciting stuff from both sides. Loved Uruguay’s heart. Wish we could have seen them with Suarez up top with Forlan, but you can’t argue that his game-saving handball in the Quarter Final with Ghana didn’t deserve a straight red. Netherlands got their victory and it was deserved, but Uruguay gets my vote for most impressive overachievers. I see them as what I’d like the US team to be.

Tags: World Cup soccer

Now I like Germany in this one since I don’t think the Argentine defense is up to the task, but there’s no question it’s anybody’s game.

GOAL! Only three minutes in! Wow! The Argentine defense picked apart easily. That was horrible defending on the set piece. 1-0 Germany.

Tons of space in the midfield for Germany to attack. Yikes. If it stays this way, Argentina is toast. I’ll call that now.

First yellow to Otamendi of Argentina. It was a dive by the German.

Mueller picks up a yellow for a handball; he’ll miss the semi if Germany advances.

1-0 Germany at half.

Klose! In the 67th minute from Podolski. Great teamwork. 2-0 Germany.

Great run by Schwansteiger! Goal! Argentina are done for. 3-0 Germany.

Klose! A clinical counterattack from Germany. 4-0 Germany. About a minute left in regulation. Done.

Argentina simply outclassed, both in talent and tactics. Germany the odds on favorite to win it all.

Tags: World Cup soccer

I didn’t think much of the admittedly athletic Ghana team against the US; I expect a Uruguayan victory. No African team has ever made the semifinals, but perhaps this is a day of upsets. Either way, I’ve got to say that the Netherlands is clearly a favorite to make it to the finals, making tomorrow’s Germany v. Argentina game all the more important in the other bracket.

Gyan throws a nutty after the ref calls him on it. Replay clearly shows a handball.

Corner header on frame saved nicely. Replay looks like it was off the Ghana defender. Yikes.

Yellow to Fucile which knocks him out of the next one if Uruguay advance.

Suarez with a great shot off a throw-in in the 25th. Good save!

Ghana with a major chance off a corner in the 29th. Just misses. Oh baby, that would have been totally against the run of play, too. Uruguay is dominant in terms of possession and corners.

Ghana misses just barely wide on a counter in the 30th.

34th minute now and Ghana has had the run of play for the last 5 minutes.

Uruguay has used a sub to take off their captain. Not sure why so early. Injury, maybe? (Yep, later shot shows the player on the bench with an icepack on his knee. That’s got to be a big blow.)

Ghana misses another good chance on a header in the 38th. Dangerous chances.

Uruguayan player goes up for a header, comes down weird, and -boop- out like a light. Hope he’s OK. Alright he’s up and off. Uruguay will play with 10 for the remaining 5 minutes or so until half.

Ghana misses a bicycle kick in the box. Too bad, would have been awesome.

GHANA! Unbelievable left foot from distance! With only seconds until half. Replay shows the keeper screened and leaning the wrong way. Great shot gives Ghana 1-0 at half, and deservedly too: They’ve had run of play since the 29th minute. Wow.

Big action in the opening two minutes with the ref missing a call right outside the Ghana penalty area.

Yellow to Arevalo of Uruguay.

Yellow to Pantsil of Ghana, who got nothing but player.

Forlan! Puts in the free kick for Uruguay. Beautiful curved shot! 1-1! Replay shows the ball moving all over the place. Jabulani goal!

Yellow to Perez after 5 minutes of great action. It’s been a very good second half in the opening 15 minutes.

Suarez misses on a great cross from Forlan in the 18th minute of the 2nd. Geez.

The linesman on the Uruguay offensive side is having a hellish half, missing one offside call after another.

Suarez’ shot saved in the 25th. Should have passed it in rather than cranking up the power. Good save, nonetheless.

Yellow to Sarpei of Ghana for trying to pull Suarez arm out of its socket.

Great action in the 2nd half. Very entertaining.

To overtime!

Some chances. Big opportunity at the end. Handball! Yes, that’s a straight red, but what do you do? If it goes in the game is over. You have to hand it off the line and hope for the best. Actually, I thought the ref carded the wrong guy. That’s amusing in the midst of Uruguayan heartbreak.

He missed it! Oh my word. That was the game. To penalties, and I’ll bet, despite all the evidence in the world, the keepers continue to hopelessly dive to the corners instead of on just a few shots, standing in the middle.

Uruguay wins it 4-2 in penalties. Amazing. Highly entertaining game and Uruguay goes on by the barest of margins.

Tags: World Cup soccer

Two good teams, perhaps two great teams. Certainly two of the better sides in the tournament. Odds are high that it will be a pretty closed game. Despite Brazil’s fame for flair, Coach Dunga has them playing a very conservative style nowadays, which while it might not be thrilling from a fan’s perspective, gives them a much better chance of winning the tournament. It’s an obvious change after Brazil crashed out against France in 2006.

Wow Netherlands has started by flopping. They must think getting Brazil a man down is their best avenue for success. If you weren’t a Brazil fan already you will be when you see stuff like that.

Brazil offside in the 7th minute on what would have been a goal, but the linesman was correct. The Netherlands defense was picked apart pretty easily, something that should give Netherlands a bit of pause.

GOAL TO BRAZIL! Sliced the Netherlands defense right down the middle. Not even difficult. Looked like a tactical goal. Hard to say from the replay, but looked like the Netherlands’ defense was in a 2-3 with two central backs. One forward flashed across the two, another attacker coming in from the wing filled the space between and behind the two, and a beautiful pass put him straight onto goal. Great stuff! 1-0 Brazil.

Yellow to Heitinga of Netherlands. Looked earned but hard to see as most cameras missed it.

Free kick from 39 meters. Where’s Roberto Carlos when you need him? (Answer: Not on the team. Dunga didn’t pick him to the final 23.)

Fantastic run for Brazil down the left flank with a great dribbling effort, a fine pass and an even better shot from Kaka that was headed upper V before the keeper made a spectacular save. Excellent football!

1-0 at half.

Van Der Wiel gets a yellow for diving. Good.

Goal! Netherlands from distance! I’m not even sure at first look how that got in. Keeper just came out, ran into his own player and missed it. Horrible keeper error. 1-1.

Yellow to Nigel de Jong. He’ll miss the next game if Netherlands go through. Deserved.

Goal Netherlands! Header off a corner! OMG. 2-1 Netherlands! I didn’t see that coming. Brazil will have to attack now!

Melo is tossed with a straight red! Didn’t see it at first, but he intentionally stepped on a downed player. Sucks for Brazil, but good call, I thought. Brazil now at 10 men. They are falling apart.

Dangerous free kick saved.

Yellow to OOijer for time wasting. Also deserved.

Corners to Brazil, the first of which Lucio volleys and is saved, the second skitters across the goal mouth, the third the keeper saves.

Brazil with a dangerous free kick, but that should have been a yellow card. Can’t believe the ref didn’t give one for that. Off the wall. Nothing.

Three minutes of extra time. Two. One. None!

Netherlands win! Brazil is out! Wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.

Tags: World Cup soccer

In a battle of floppers, it’s almost like I can’t lose: One of the teams I dislike is headed out.

In the opening 30 minutes, Spain’s had the run of play with occasional chances for Portugal, notably a free kick from Christian Ronaldo that knuckled like crazy. The keeper did an outstanding job just to get in front of it. That’s the Jabulani in the nutshell right there. Other item of note: Not much flopping. I expected everyone on the pitch to fall down instantly and claim a foul as soon as the opening whistle sounded, but perhaps two flopping teams sort of cancel each other out. I dunno. I’m inclined to say the ref, who’s not given Christian Ronaldo the time of day for attempted flops, is calling a pretty good game.

Some good action, but 0-0 at half.

Second sees wild flopping by both sides and to his credit, the ref is having none of it. I love this guy.

Good save of a Spanish pointblank header 15 minutes in. Villa shot just wide seconds later. Spain getting better chances, but it’s still anybody’s game.

Villa scores! Lots of trick exchanges around the edge of the box; Villa breaks free; keeper saves the first, but Villa nets the follow-up. 1-0 Spain.

Portuguese keeper with another great save in the 24th minute of the 2nd. Ramos’ shot was headed in.

Alonso of Spain gets a yellow. Good call.

Villa cranks up another one requiring a nice save.

Yellow to Tiago, but bad call. Villa flopped.

On the brighter side none of Christian Ronaldo’s flops have worked so I still want to marry the ref.

David Villa out for a defender in the 87th minute. Spain better hope this doesn’t go to OT.

Costa of Portugal gets a straight red! Wow! I didn’t see it and I still don’t see it on the replay. Looks like a flop. Call off the wedding. Fitting somehow that Portugal gets nailed by a flop.

Three minutes of extra time. Portugal blows a chance. They’re still yapping at the diving Spaniard.

Spain wins 1-0!

Tags: World Cup soccer

A very closed game in the first half, with Japan getting a couple of chances from range. Paraguay’s trying to loft something in from the wings and head past the smaller defenders, but nothing so far. Given the style of play, we need somebody to score to break this open. Otherwise I fear overtime then penalty kicks.

A better, meaning more attacking second half, but to overtime we go for more of the same. Not much to say here other than neither of these teams will get out of the final 8 no matter who wins.

Oh look: It’s penalties. Who would have guessed?

Paraguay is busy hugging their keeper. They got all kinds of love for him, likely because they know it’s all up to him now. I’ve never been a keeper in a game that’s gone to penalties, but I’ve been in several as a kicker, and it’s relatively nerve-wracking no matter how confident you are in your abilities (and I’m pretty confident). I’ve only missed one of note, and I’m happy to report that we won the game anyway.

One item of note: Keepers should stay in the middle, at least on a few of these shots. Hitting the corners isn’t as easy as it looks, especially after you’ve run for 120 minutes. If it’s going to the corner, you’re probably not saving it anyway. Stay in the middle and you’ll likely save 1 or 2.

Anyway, Paraguay up first. In. Not savable. 1-0. Japan’s shot: In. Also not savable. 1-1. Paraguay’s second: Passed into the corner; keeper guessed right, but it didn’t matter. 2-2. Japan’s 2nd: Goal. 2-2. Blew it into the corner. No chance. Paraguay’s 3rd: In. Keeper guessed wrong. Should have stood in the middle for a better chance. 3-2. Japan’s 3rd: Off the post and out! 3-2 Paraguay! Paraguay’s 4th: In! Rocket down the middle. 4-2. Japan has to make this 4th shot: Goal down the middle! 4-3. Paraguay’s 5th will win it: Takes it slow, waits for the keeper lean and nets it to the other side! Paraguay wins!

Tags: World Cup soccer

[I'm blogging this post-game.]

I doubt there’s anyone out there who’s not a believer in Brazil, but if there is, this game should serve as an example of their greatness. Ironically, if you didn’t see the game but just looked at the stats, you wouldn’t know it: Possession was 50-50, corner kicks, fouls and shots on goal were all roughly equal. Yet Brazil were never threatened. The Dutch, who await Brazil in the quarterfinals, are going to need an incredible game to win.

Tags: World Cup soccer