They knew they had to be primed for their first game though. I wonder if some of the others were fully wound up for their first games.
I think they look the best unit though.
Brazil looked very tired.
Flip flop
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They went on to put in a very impressive performance, particularly in the second half and only for Ronaldo magic they’d have won that game.
The subsequent performances of Germany, France, Argentina and Brazil also have not really done much to write them off.
Dunphy here can’t stop talking about the rugby in Melbourne yesterday morning.
Wouldn’t argue with that, they also had most to prove too though given the shenanigans of the previous few days. It bizarrely may have galvanised them. England will blow Tunisia away tomorrow before collapsing
Was Ballack not one of the biggest bottlers in football history? I’d have a far higher opinion of Schweinsteiger. The way Schweiny put his body on the line in the last WC, he led them through really grueling matches against the Ghanans and the Algerians.
Ballack played in fairly shit German teams with guys like Metzelder, Bernd Shcneider, Kehl, Tim Borowski, Janker, Ordonkor, Hitzelsperger, Arne Friedrich etc backboning the sides
He was the talisman for that those sides who made a WC final, which he missed through suspensions after scoring the winner in the SF, a WC SF and a European Championship final. The German teams which came after those sides were of a much higher caliber.
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Lahm and Schweinsteiger played in similarly average German sides in 2006 and 2008 which punched above their weight.
The fact that they were in those teams had a lot to with them punching above their weight.
They were then the lynchpins providing the experience and leadership which oversaw the transition of the side from 2010 on.
And Ballack was their talisman.
In vastly superior sides.
Kilbane reckons Griezmann dived and went looking for the peno.
Kilbane isn’t very bright.
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I like Kevin but he’s very wrong on this one.
He gets everything wrong. He has the benefit of multiple replays of a situation but refuses to back down on his initial incorrect call.
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Croatia look to be sending Nikola Kalinic home from the World Cup.
There’s always one.
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ANother bland boring European team. I hope Sweden lose all 3 games.
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Any Youtube links to this?