OT: Association Football

[Twizzle]

So, Australia is ranked 38th in the world. We have just beaten Tunisia ranked 30, and Denmark ranked 10th.
This is an amazingly huge achievement by the Socceroos.
2 of the 3 goals we have scored at this tournament have been scored by current A-League players.
We really punch above our weight in the world of football.
There are plenty of teams ranked well above us that will be knocked out, some of them very highly ranked.
Belgium (2) Germany (11), Mexico (14) hanging on a knife edge, as are others.
Don't forget that Italy, didn't even qualify for the tournament.

all the media talk is the celebrations in Federation Square in Vic where people turn out in their droves to watch the game live

yet Sydney seems to offer nothing, surely we have somewhere in Sidanee where it can be seen in the open air live

 

[Suitman]

all the media talk is the celebrations in Federation Square in Vic where people turn out in their drives to watch the game live

yet Sydney seems to offer nothing, surely we have somewhere in Sidanee where it can be seen in the open air live

Darling Harbour this Sunday morning.

 

[Twizzle]

Darling Harbour this Sunday morning.

cool, so nothing at all until then, other than a few football clubs ?

I saw the Mariners footy club reactions on social media

 

[the phantom menace]

Yep, Dominic too worried about his LNP party pre-selections for the upcoming election to get anything going for the group games.

 

[the phantom menace]

Great win by Japan over Spain, putting Germany out. I love the way Japan play their football.

Some crazy results with Belgium dipping out before the round of 16 too?

 

[Twizzle]

Finally got a chance to watch the whole game V Denmark, very impressed with Australia's intensity, much better than I've ever seen in the past.

They seem to have this never say die attitude which enables them to punch above their weight, they just dont give up. I did like some of our attacking moves, not used to seeing that from an Australian team of the past.

We have improved so much.

 

[Suitman]

Finally got a chance to watch the whole game V Denmark, very impressed with Australia's intensity, much better than I've ever seen in the past.

They seem to have this never say die attitude which enables them to punch above their weight, they just dont give up. I did like some of our attacking moves, not used to seeing that from an Australian team of the past.

We have improved so much.

Yep, this is what I've been saying. We have been a rock. Frequently outplayed by better teams but somehow manage to stay in the games. Harry Souttar has been outstanding.

Also, our group was the only group that had two top 10 ranked teams in it. We were the lowest ranked team (by a distance), yet we ended up on the same amount of points as the current champions.

Anyway, Germany (11) and Belgium (2) have been knocked out.

Teams ranked above us that we scored more points on the table are: (we have 6 points)

Ranking/Points

USA (16) - 5
Iran (20) - 3
Wales (19) - 1
Poland (26) - 4
Mexico (13) - 4
Tunisia (30) - 4
Denmark (10) - 1
Spain (7) - 4
Germany (11) - 4
Croatia (12) - 5
Belgium (2) - 4
Costa Rica (31) - 3
Serbia (21) - 1*
Uruguay (14) - 1*

* (One game to play)

Belgium (2) went out despite having Croatia (12) and Morocco (22) and Canada (41) in their group.

Germany (11) went out despite having Spain (7) and Japan (24) and Costa Rica (31) in their group.

Spain this morning were 20 minutes away from elimination with Costa Rica leading Germany 2-1 at the 70th minute. Unfortunately, they capitulated and lost 2-4 to Germany so Spain went through.

Our achievements so far cannot be understated.

The only teams that have 6 or more points (so far) are

Netherlands
Senegal
England
Argentina
France
Australia
Japan
Morocco
Brazil
and Portugal.

We have exceeded all expectations so far and our wins should not be understated nor ridiculed.
I was expecting we'd be going out in the group stage and maybe jagging a point or two vs Tunisia and/or Denmark.

Are we a great team? Absolutely not.
Will we beat Argentina on Sunday morning? I highly doubt it.
But this has been a cracking World Cup (despite the location and original decision).
Also great for Asian football is that Japan topped Group E, ahead of Spain, Germany and Costa Rica.
I wonder what the odds of that would have been, as well as our group, before the tournament started!!!

 

[Suitman]

Well done Australia, but …
Two wins in two games is no fluke. The Australians went man-to-man with Denmark, and they were their equal despite the obvious gulf in class.

Fair play to the Socceroos. They competed for 90 minutes, took a few balls to the face with good grace and deserve their place in the last 16.

But let’s not carried away: they’re still one of the worst teams in the tournament. The incentive to win Group C has suddenly got huge.

Denmark knocked out of the World Cup - The Copenhagen Post

Distinctly average Australian team triumph 1-0 in must-win game

cphpost.dk

Wow, what a salty article. HAHA!!
If we are one of the worst teams in the tournament, what does that make Denmark, who couldn't jag a win at all?
I hope their plane trip home at this stage of the tournament is enjoyable.
BTW, the comments are hilarious.

 

[Gronk]

Wow, what a salty article. HAHA!!
If we are one of the worst teams in the tournament, what does that make Denmark, who couldn't jag a win at all?
I hope their plane trip home at this stage of the tournament is enjoyable.
BTW, the comments are hilarious.

I didn't watch the game live, but SBS showed a replay that night and I watched then. Honestly, I though that the Aussies held their own but the Danes just came across as one of those teams (you see them in all codes) who thought that they just had to turn up to win comfortably. Suck shit.

 

[Suitman]

I actually didn't see it that way. They threw everything at us yet got no reward. Our resistance was immense.
Then they got frustrated.
Tbh, Arnold has us playing as a far better team than our ranking suggests.
Kudos to him. The players despite being inferior to most other squad's, have self belief.

 

[Angry_eel]

Great win by Japan over Spain, putting Germany out. I love the way Japan play their football.

Some crazy results with Belgium dipping out before the round of 16 too?

That was one dodgy goal though.

 

[Suitman]

That was one dodgy goal though.

Yes it was, but according to the rules, it was legit.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Goes to show how prone soccer is to upset results.

 

[the phantom menace]

Live site now announced for Parramatta Square on Sunday morning, outside Phive.

Great job Parra Council.

Sydney’s football heartland to host two Socceroos’ World Cup live sites | City of Parramatta

Football fans will be able to cheer on the Socceroos at two special live sites in the City of Parramatta as they take on Argentina in a crucial World Cup round of 16 match this weekend.

www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

* And a second site for families in Rydalmere Park, it seems...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

That was one dodgy goal though.

Which goal are you talking about?

 

[the phantom menace]

Doninic Perrottett, man in touch with the people - not.

Yellow card for premier over Sydney’s late World Cup site

In NSW, doing something simple to benefit the public is an afterthought we’re shamed into by our Victorian friends.

www.smh.com.au

"But it seems that in NSW, doing something simple, cheap and obvious to benefit the public is an afterthought, or rather, one we’re shamed into by our southern friends."

 

[the phantom menace]

Round of 16 now locked in.

• Netherlands vs USA
• Argentina vs Australia
• France vs Poland
• England vs Senegal
• Japan vs Croatia
• Brazil vs South Korea
• Morocco vs Spain
• Portugal vs Switzerland

2am and 6am (AEDST), over the next four days from tomorrow.

 

[Twizzle]

Bring then on

 

[Poupou Escobar]

2am and 6am (AEDST), over the next four days from tomorrow.

Or as we like to call them in WA, 11pm and 3am

 

[Suitman]

Teams ranked above us that we scored more points on the table are: (we have 6 points)

Ranking/Points

USA (16) - 5
Iran (20) - 3
Wales (19) - 1
Poland (26) - 4
Mexico (13) - 4
Tunisia (30) - 4
Denmark (10) - 1
Spain (7) - 4
Germany (11) - 4
Croatia (12) - 5
Belgium (2) - 4
Costa Rica (31) - 3
Serbia (21) - 1*
Uruguay (14) - 1*

* (One game to play)

As expected, Serbia and Uruguay went out, so two more teams ranked above us.
Unsurprisingly, Uruguay's antics after the final whistle were deplorable.