Group Stage Over
From the ‘crime’ desk, Luis “Jaws” Suarez of Uruguay was given a four-month ‘vacation’ from international football by FIFA for ‘unauthorized snacking’ during a game.
The survivors from the Group stage are:
A – Brazil & Mexico
B – Netherlands & Chile
C – Colombia & Greece
D – Costa Rica & Uruguay
E – France & Switzerland
F – Argentina & Nigeria
G – Germany & US
H – Belgium & Algeria
Results are from the BBC.
The US snuck into the Knockout phase on “Goal Difference” because they had the same number of points [3 for a win and 1 for a tie] as Portugal. The Goal Difference is calculated by adding all of the goals that a team scored against their opponents and subtracting all of the goals scored by opponents. The US had a GD of 0 while Portugal had a -3.
In the Knockout phase there are no ties and the losing team is eliminated. Overtime periods and penalty shootouts are used to prevent ties.
2 comments
I guess that takes a bite out of Uruguay’s chances against Costa Rica ;).
Teams tolerate Suarez’s ‘peculiarities’ because he can score, so Uruguay’s offense took a hit when he went off the rails. They will face Colombia in their first match, a tough competitor who would probably have won anyway, but they have a better chance now.
It was a stupid and unnecessary stunt that produced no advantage for the team. The referee didn’t see it, because the ball wasn’t near by and it produced no change in the game.