Into The Semi-Finals
These were very disappointing games. These were games that only fans of the four teams involved would watch to the end.
France 0-1 Germany
Hummels of Germany scored the only goal 11 minutes into the game and the next 79 minutes consisted of people finding novel ways not to score. Ball possession was 60-40% in both halves, Germany dominate in the first and France taking over in the second, but neither developed a rhythm to their game. Germany controlled the midfield and France was stymied. Germany played the midfield well, but couldn’t execute an accurate attack on the goal.
Brazil 2-1 Colombia
This was an ugly game. People weren’t faking injuries because there were plenty to go around. Brazil scored goals at 7 minutes and 68 minutes and Colombia didn’t net the ball until the 80 minute mark.
Brazil will be playing Germany without its captain, Thiago Silve, who picked up his second yellow card. They will also not have Neymar available as he suffered a fractured vertebra which will require immobilization to heal. This was not a ‘beautiful game’.
Neymar just recovered from thigh and knee injuries that occurred earlier in the game with Chile. I saw the incident that supposedly caused the injury and I don’t get it. He is a 22-year-old professional football player, but he suffers a broken vertebra from an open-handed push? I think he needs some tests done to find out what’s going on, because he seems to be injured badly with the application of minimal force.
3 comments
Yep, agree with your eval of yesterday’s games. They were painful to watch.
I believe it was the knee driven into Neymar’s lower back that caused the injury.
It seemed quite clear on the replay we watched several times and I would go so far as to argue that the clear act of driving the knee into the back as happened constituted striking and deserved a red card.
Even without the knee it seemed Zuniga’s behavior was worth yellow yet no foul was called at all.
If the referee didn’t see it, which is very possible, he can’t call it, which is why there needs to be instant replay. You can get really pushy if you are obviously going for the ball and it is in the area. I was a defender and there was I reason I never forgot my shin guards or cup. I missed the replays with the knee, and only saw the push.
What I’m worried about is that the kid has a medical problem that isn’t being dealt with because he is so valuable to the teams he plays on. Team doctors just want to get players back on the field because their paycheck comes from the team.
That game was a gang fight and not the level of football that these teams are capable of playing. Silva should never have done what he did, because he is out for the next game also. Brazil had better hope that Germany doesn’t start to play football again, or it will be a blowout.
Agreed, especially re Neymar’s ongoing injury issues.