The final two days of pool play in Group D get underway today at 11:45 am PT with matches in Innsbruck and Salzburg. Hey, I went to both of those places this January.
OK, they are not my greatest pictures, but that's what I had available.
One match doesn't matter, and that's Spain vs. Greece in Innsbruck. The Spaniards have already wrapped up the group and they will play Italy in the next round on Sunday. The defending champion Greeks are already out of it.
The other match is for the last spot in the quarterfinals and that will be between Sweden and Russia in Salzburg. Both teams have a win and a draw, but the Swedes have an advantage in goal difference at +1 to -2 for Russia. So the Swedes just need a draw to advance. The Russians have to win. And the "lucky" winner gets to play the Netherlands in the next round.
Somewhere in Alameda, California, there will be a nervous man.
Which game is on ESPN today? Sweden-Russia I assume.
I always like Sweden, but being 1/4 Russian (that's the last quarter I hadn't mentioned yet!) I suppose I should root for Russia. But I just...can't. I want to punish Putin and this is as close as I can get. Go Swedes!
I like how soccer announcers say "If everything stays as it is, Russia will play Spain in the next round..." I know soccer is low-scoring and all, but 20+ mins into the game seems a little early to be looking ahead.
Russia's defense is suspect, as the Scot analyst pointed out, Sweden can come back.
10 I just thought they were being tasteful European announcers!
No, I knew they weren't there, just for anyone who didn't know that fact, the sound would also be a giveaway. That and the fact that the Scottish announcer went to take a shower for a few minutes.
No, their defense is going to have nightmares trying to keep up with the Dutch. I predict a 4-1 final. Maybe 4-2 if they can sneak another goal in.
Is there any other country that has that number of names for it and its people? The Dutch. The Netherlands. Nederlands. Holland*. Am I missing anything?
*As Wikipedia notes, "This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces." But they still sometimes refer to themselves that way.
22 Faith, yes - should be a great game. But someone's got to win. The Netherlanders (tee hee) are the only game I feel confident predicting. Spain looks very good to me; their second string took care of Greece today. I'm excited about all these matchups though.
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I always like Sweden, but being 1/4 Russian (that's the last quarter I hadn't mentioned yet!) I suppose I should root for Russia. But I just...can't. I want to punish Putin and this is as close as I can get. Go Swedes!
Russia's defense is suspect, as the Scot analyst pointed out, Sweden can come back.
Satellite outage. ESPN isn't sending its announcers on site until the semis.
You mean you didn't wonder why you never saw a shot at the beginning of the match with the announcers standing in front of the crowd?
No, I knew they weren't there, just for anyone who didn't know that fact, the sound would also be a giveaway. That and the fact that the Scottish announcer went to take a shower for a few minutes.
Greece is leading Spain!
But I don't care about the Swedish team, Bob.
Oh. You meant the other guy.
16 Time Machine? I've yet to have reason for using one so far, myself.
But the Checkerboards will prevail ultimately!
Is there any other country that has that number of names for it and its people? The Dutch. The Netherlands. Nederlands. Holland*. Am I missing anything?
*As Wikipedia notes, "This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces." But they still sometimes refer to themselves that way.
Or if you prefer the Spanish, "los Paises Bajos."
Not much faith in Portugal, eh?
I wouldn't mind seeing Jens Lehmann pull out the penalty kicks cheat sheet one more time from his socks.
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