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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 19:22:50 GMT
Wake-up call on '18 as Haidos picks it up in the Argie half. He finds space and fires, going close...but the ref calls offside on him.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 19:25:20 GMT
Messi breaks free towards the area on '22. He finds a dinking pass to Aguero who goes forth. Messi's body language is saying pass it back to me now but Aguero takes a shot himself, screwing it well wide.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 19:44:43 GMT
Goalmouth scramble on '40 as Martnez shot is parried and Aguero's follow-up header is denied as the ball is then sent astray. Now at the other end Haidos (was it) just can't slide enough to meet the cross in and misses his chance by inches, like Gascoigne in Euro 96. Meanwhile sections of the Argentine crowd are chanting 'Diego, Diego'... yes, those were the days indeed.
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jun 23, 2019 19:45:27 GMT
The two sides observe the national anthems in the 28c heat, in this reasonably well-filled bubbling sundrenched cauldron of a stadium. Qatar mean business. "We have not come here," they say, "to take pictures of Lionel Messi." That's a very good line! The lower ring of the stadium looks pretty empty. My brother is there and he confirms it. It seems that tickets cost the same on the lower ring as in the upper ring, but you couldn't choose your seats - the system assigned them to you, in theory randomly, but obviously they sold the worst seats first. The organisers made a big mistake with pricing. Argentina playing in Porto Alegre should have been a sold-out event, even if it is against Qatar.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 19:49:33 GMT
Rawi!! Oh the Qatar man's free-kick deftly pierced the Argy wall and smashed the post, with keeper beaten! How unfortunate. The ref blows up for the break and as it stands, with Colombia beating Paraguay 1-0, Argentina would face Venezuela in the knockouts.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 19:53:23 GMT
My brother is there and he confirms it. It seems that tickets cost the same on the lower ring as in the upper ring, but you couldn't choose your seats - the system assigned them to you, in theory randomly, but obviously they sold the worst seats first. The organisers made a big mistake with pricing. Argentina playing in Porto Alegre should have been a sold-out event, even if it is against Qatar. I was wondering at that! Quite ridiculous seating.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:13:59 GMT
No doubt, Argentina being made to work for it here. There's a free-kick in prime Messi territory some 35 yards out. But again he decides to float one in looking for someone's head. Two free-kicks, two non-shots from the number 10.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:19:14 GMT
An hour gone and yet another ineffectual Argentina 'attack' is cleared. The Qatar defence will head these assaults away all day long. But will Argentina yet break through? But at this rate, don't write off Qatar.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:23:22 GMT
Messi again feeds Aguero just outside the area. Chance, but Aguero's effort is stifled for a corner. The corner comes in low - Aguero off the post!...Aguero again close range, no he's denied by the block - another corner...but it comes to nothing.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:28:36 GMT
Aguero has a vicious crack on '64 but keeper Sheeb is well placed to deny him. Colombia go two up v Paraguay.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:32:11 GMT
Afif on the edge of the area. He's got an Argentine on him just enough to put him off and he scuffs it wide on '71. Look at his face. He knows he should have done better than that. Huh? Colombia second goal disallowed?
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:35:04 GMT
The ball is played in to Messi who is 18 yards from goal. As the ball leaves his boot Messi immediately looks to the sky, eyeing the ball as it lifts off. It was more vertical than horizontal, it has to be said.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:37:28 GMT
All those vacant lower stand seats really are a sorry sight to behold, thanks to the organizers.
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Post by DrKrippen on Jun 23, 2019 20:42:31 GMT
Thanks for the updates stag.
U21 Germany vs Austria is 1 - 1 late in the match also.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:44:55 GMT
GOAL! Argentina surely seal their spot in the knockouts on '82 as Aguero picks up the pass 35 yards out and goes on to score a great individual goal.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 23, 2019 20:54:42 GMT
The ref blows up. Argentina qualify but it was a less than impressive outing for them. They'll play Venezuela next. Colombia 1 Paraguay 0. As for Qatar they've got, what, three years to add experience to their team of youngsters for the WC.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 25, 2019 12:07:32 GMT
A Cavani header in the 82nd minute saw Uruguay see off Chile last night but not before Louis Suarez had provided some off the wall entertainment. His first half solo assault on the Chile goal saw keeper Arias deflect the ball out of play with his left hand and Suarez instantly waving his arms for handball against the keeper who was well within his area. Suarez then seemed to acknowledge his tomfoolery and smiled sheepishly with his hands on his head. But he wasn't finished yet when ten or fifteen minutes later a spectator invaded the pitch dressed as a chicken. At one point the invader took possession of the ball and was taken down by an efficient if wild kick from Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara. Suarez, racing towards the ref, immediately implored him to book Jara for the 'challenge' on the chicken.
That aside, Uruguay go through from their group along with Chile. Japan and Ecuador miss out from Group C, playing out a one-all draw in the other group game.
The quarter finals :
Brazil v Paraguay
Venezuela v Argentina
Colombia v Chile
Uruguay v Peru
BRAZIL 11/10
URUGUAY 9/2
ARGENTINA 11/2
COLOMBIA 6/1
9/1 BAR
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jun 25, 2019 14:05:44 GMT
But he wasn't finished yet when ten or fifteen minutes later a spectator invaded the pitch dressed as a chicken. That is a dangerous thing to do in the presence of Suárez!
On paper the only one of those four match-ups that isn't a foregone conclusion is Colombia x Chile, but of course anything can happen - even Venezuela knocking out Argentina, considering how poorly Messi and co. have been playing. Also, I just read that in the 2011 and the 2015 editions of the Copa America, Brazil also played Paraguay in the quarter-finals and lost on penalties both times.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 28, 2019 0:49:39 GMT
20 minutes in and it's Firmino who has come closest with an early assault on goal which he might have converted on any other occasion. But keeper Fernandez got to it well. It's all square at this ridiculous time of night, with at least 65 minutes of play to come.
Brazil 0 Paraguay 0.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 28, 2019 1:03:53 GMT
Paraguay string together a nifty series of passes but can't penetrate the Brazillian box at all on the half hour.
But wait, here they come again and Brazil are exposed at the back. Chance for Gonzalez but his effort goes out for a corner. Gonzalez gets on the end of it but his effort is thwarted by Alisson. Paraguay are now getting braver. But Brazil are largely in control, and on the run of play if they don't win this I'll eat my hat.
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