couw Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 The Czech team managed to secure their participation in the finals by beating Finland three to nil earlier this evening. ← Erm, that's not quite right; the Czech team qualified for the play-offs, they didn't qualify directly; only the two "best" second-placed teams qualify directly, and those are either England or Poland, and either Croatia or Sweden (whoever finish second in their group). ← yes, sorry about that. This is too complicated for me to keep up with, sitting in front of a German Fernseher, where we only get this shitty friendly play between Germany and China today... ← My heartfelt condolences, that must be dreadful... ← ah, but at least it's in ARD, which means we get Günter Netzer to comment at halftime and afterwards and damn if that isn't worth a long tedious game. Lots of humourous to and fro between him and the guy who presents the blahblah. You get all these little stings between the two and then some pretty accurate, but off the wall assessments by Mr. Netzer. Just switch to ARD in 45 minutes or so and catch some of it, I'd say. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 It looks like France will qualify directly after all, they are 3-0 up against Cyprus, while the score at the Irish Republic v. Switzerland game is still 0-0. ← It's still halftime now. Going back to sit in front of the TV set to watch that second half... ← Good luck and enjoy! Quote
porcy62 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 I don't have to watch football this evening, we got the qualification in the previous turn. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 Denmark will be not be taking part next year, they finished third behind Turkey. ← And neither will European champions Greece, they finished fourth. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 I don't have to watch football this evening, we got the qualification in the previous turn. ← So did we, way ahead of the other teams. Quote
brownie Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 Even with a 4-0 victory over Cyprus, France failed to impress. But at least they qualified for the World Cup Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 I've watched parts of the England v. Poland, France v. Cyprus and Netherlands v. Macedonia games, and got extremely bored... Crap all around Quote
sidewinder Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 A couple of good goals on the England game. They have half-way redeemed themselves. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 A couple of good goals on the England game. They have half-way redeemed themselves. ← OK, maybe I was being too negative, but they still didn't impress me. Quote
ASNL77 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) I've watched parts of the England v. Poland, France v. Cyprus and Netherlands v. Macedonia games, and got extremely bored... Crap all around ← I thought France were pretty good tonight against Cyprus considering what was at stake. They scored some good goals and with Henry and Trezeguet out, they proved they can still be a dominant force. The main thing was to qualify and they have done the job. They have never really been convincing throughout this qualifying year but Trezeguet only played one game out of ten, Henry was out of form and then injured. The World Cup will be tough and there is a lot of work to do to build a competitive team, but we have the players to beat any team. No major surprise in the European qualifying groups apart from Spain being the runner up of their group and the Ukraine topping theirs. Edited October 12, 2005 by ASNL77 Quote
Jim R Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Posted October 12, 2005 I've watched parts of the England v. Poland, France v. Cyprus and Netherlands v. Macedonia games, and got extremely bored... Crap all around ← I guess it's a fact of life in some of these late-round games. At any rate, consider yourself fortunate that you at least got to see England, France, and Netherlands in action. The network that brings us games from europe has not aired much at all in terms of the elite teams. We keep getting Bulgaria and Belarus and Slovenia and Lithuania and etc etc... I was just glancing at the european standings on this page (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/t/grou...x.html?zone=eur), and couldn't help seeing the rather absurd irony of the BUDWEISER sponsorship all over the place. I understand it, and I know it's all about the $$$, but even I don't drink that shit. Oh well, at least it wasn't Coors Lite™ The U.S. sure stunk it up against Costa Rica. Ouch. Almost makes me want to turn my attention to another sport. Amazing what one lousy game can do to dampen your enthusiasm/optimism. Quote
kenny weir Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 Well, I guess there'll be a lull after qualifyingn is over, but I'm still a little surprised how pumped I'm getting about all this. Last Sunday, the Socceroos thumped Jamaica 5-0 in a friendly in London. It was one those matches: Did we make them look lousy by being so good, or were they so lousy they made us look good? Y'now? Still, it was clear that new coach Gus Huddink is having a major impact, and everyone is now wishing he'd replaced Frank Farina a long time ago. Things still look scarily patchy in the defence department. Australia's South American opponent - Uruguay, Colombia or Chile - will be known later this morning. A big break came Australia's way when it won the right to host the home leg of the two games last, so they'll return from South America knowing exactly where they stand I'm veering between gloomy pessimism and the merest twinkle of optimism. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 Well, I guess there'll be a lull after qualifyingn is over, but I'm still a little surprised how pumped I'm getting about all this. Last Sunday, the Socceroos thumped Jamaica 5-0 in a friendly in London. It was one those matches: Did we make them look lousy by being so good, or were they so lousy they made us look good? Y'now? Still, it was clear that new coach Gus Huddink is having a major impact, and everyone is now wishing he'd replaced Frank Farina a long time ago. Things still look scarily patchy in the defence department. Australia's South American opponent - Uruguay, Colombia or Chile - will be known later this morning. A big break came Australia's way when it won the right to host the home leg of the two games last, so they'll return from South America knowing exactly where they stand I'm veering between gloomy pessimism and the merest twinkle of optimism. ← It's Uruguay again... Tough job for Guus Hiddink and the team. Let's hope the result will be better than last time. Quote
brownie Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 I thought France were pretty good tonight against Cyprus considering what was at stake. They scored some good goals and with Henry and Trezeguet out, they proved they can still be a dominant force. The main thing was to qualify and they have done the job. They have never really been convincing throughout this qualifying year but Trezeguet only played one game out of ten, Henry was out of form and then injured. The World Cup will be tough and there is a lot of work to do to build a competitive team, but we have the players to beat any team. No major surprise in the European qualifying groups apart from Spain being the runner up of their group and the Ukraine topping theirs. ← Wish I could share your enthusiasm. The only action I'll probably remember from yesterday's match with be Zidane's opening goal. A masterpiece! But seeing the French team fighting to the last minute for its place in the World Cup in one of the less difficult qualifying groups leaves me little hope for our chances in Germany! Hope I'll be proved wrong Quote
Jim R Posted October 13, 2005 Author Report Posted October 13, 2005 I still haven't had the opportunity to see the Australian team. Hopefully soon. Well, the Costa Rica debacle is behind me (us) now. Using primarily younger players, the U.S. dominated Panama tonight, scored two quality goals, and surpassed the mexicans to become group winners. A shutout for backup keeper Tim Howard, who is trying to get back to top form after a few struggles lately. I see that the Dutch went 10-2-0 in their 12 qualifiers, and Portugal 9-3-0. Hard not to be impressed by that. I hope the U.S. doesn't face Portugal in the early rounds again... they'd be out for some serious revenge for '02. :rsmile: Quote
kenny weir Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 Yup, Chile or Colombia would have been better for us. Still in with a chance, though. Man after all this hectic fun at qualifying, waiting until June for the real stuff to begin will be a drag. Quote
king ubu Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 I was just glancing at the european standings on this page (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/t/grou...x.html?zone=eur), and couldn't help seeing the rather absurd irony of the BUDWEISER sponsorship all over the place. I understand it, and I know it's all about the $$$, but even I don't drink that shit. Oh well, at least it wasn't Coors Lite™ ← Hey, there's only one real (and tasty!) Budvar! Quote
Jim R Posted October 13, 2005 Author Report Posted October 13, 2005 I was just glancing at the european standings on this page (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/t/grou...x.html?zone=eur), and couldn't help seeing the rather absurd irony of the BUDWEISER sponsorship all over the place. I understand it, and I know it's all about the $$$, but even I don't drink that shit. Oh well, at least it wasn't Coors Lite™ ← Hey, there's only one real (and tasty!) Budvar! ← Pour! Quote
B. Goren. Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 I thought France were pretty good tonight against Cyprus considering what was at stake. They scored some good goals and with Henry and Trezeguet out, they proved they can still be a dominant force. The main thing was to qualify and they have done the job. They have never really been convincing throughout this qualifying year but Trezeguet only played one game out of ten, Henry was out of form and then injured. The World Cup will be tough and there is a lot of work to do to build a competitive team, but we have the players to beat any team. No major surprise in the European qualifying groups apart from Spain being the runner up of their group and the Ukraine topping theirs. ← Wish I could share your enthusiasm. The only action I'll probably remember from yesterday's match with be Zidane's opening goal. A masterpiece! But seeing the French team fighting to the last minute for its place in the World Cup in one of the less difficult qualifying groups leaves me little hope for our chances in Germany! Hope I'll be proved wrong ← brownie, I share the same thoughts with you. The French team looks better than the 2002 team, but still nothing to write home about..... Quote
B. Goren. Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 ....and the draw for the European play-off matches for Germany 2006 will take place tomorrow, Friday 14 October, at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Quote
Jim R Posted October 13, 2005 Author Report Posted October 13, 2005 Slightly off (the World Cup) topic, but my son asked me a quesiton yesterday while we were watching the U.S./Panama game. "Who has scored the most goals in their career?" Naturally, I said "Me" (which could be true, but let's not go there ). I thought maybe he meant who has scored the most goals for their country, which is a simpler question, but he meant overall- over an entire career in internationals, club matches, etc. I'm not sure I've ever heard an answer to that question. I assume that somebody would keep such records... but despite my years as a fan of the sport, I don't know the answer (or even who might be included at the top of the list). I have some ideas, but does anyone know? Quote
brownie Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 Jim, not sure if that's what your son was asking but the player who scored most goals in a World Cup is Frenchman Just Fontaine. Fontaine scored 13 goals in six games at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. That record remains unsurpassed nearly half a century later and is likely to remain so for a very long time... Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 Jim, not sure if that's what your son was asking but the player who scored most goals in a World Cup is Frenchman Just Fontaine. Fontaine scored 13 goals in six games at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. That record remains unsurpassed nearly half a century later and is likely to remain so for a very long time... ← Didn't France finish third in 1958? Brazil beat home country Sweden 5-2 in the final. It was Pele's first great tournament, and it was also the first World Championship I watched on TV. Quote
brownie Posted October 13, 2005 Report Posted October 13, 2005 Didn't France finish third in 1958? Brazil beat home country Sweden 5-2 in the final. It was Pele's first great tournament, and it was also the first World Championship I watched on TV. ← Yes, yes. Pele scored three of the Brazilian goals in that semifinal. Score at that semifinal was another 5-2 victory for Brazil. Pele's name is etched in my memory since What a sublime player he was! And what a pleasure it was watching those fantastic Brazilian games. France could not be beaten by a better team! Quote
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