Sam's PANDO! or GORDO? # 26 (July 9 - Match Day 23)

-> NED forced out of their team hotel earlier in the week after outstaying their contract; And which team went out in PKs? Coincidence?.. ..  

Match 61: NETHERLANDS v. ARGENTINA  Qtr                    

Date: Wednesday July 9, 2014   

Venue: Arena de Sao Paulo, SAO PAULO

PANDO! or GORDO? Pando!

Neat, cheeky game of cat-and-mouse by both sides with ARG looking more dangerous early on without being exposed, or broken down .. .. Both sides probed without either side turning the ball over needlessly .. ..

1st  ARG gout out on the flanks when they could, pumping in 6 crosses (1 left; 5 right) with EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI doing most of the labor on the R/Flank .. .. ARG forced 7 attacking set-pieces and kept NED at bay for most

of the first-45 .. ..

Marshaled by ARG MF JAVIER MASCHERANO, NED wasn't able to punch in their first cross until ROBIN VAN PERSIE wrapped his foot around one in the 22nd minute and didn't get their first set-piece until the 32nd minute .. .. For all his hard work, MASCHERANO got knocked a little loopy in the 27th minute off a flashing head-butt and alarmed the ARG bench when he stumbled to the ground after he seemingly walked away from the collision .. .. 0-0 @ HT .. ..

2nd  Although not sharp, and a bit loose in their passing, NED tried to come forward (10 crosses + 4 attacking set-pieces) and had their best chance when ARJEN ROBBEN was set free in the L/Box late in the 2H and only a warrior slide-tackle by MASCHERANO forced the ROBBEN shot out for a CK - The first/only NED shot in the ARG box in regulation time .. .. 0-0 @ FT .. ..

Extra  1H) Both sides came forward a bit, with both sides looking for an opening with the only shot from either side being a bomb from ROBBEN that was easily saved .. .. An unfit ROBIN VAN PERSIE came off without a shot in the match with NED using their last sub on him .. .. 

2H) With both sides teetering on the edge of the lottery, some really decent chances deep into last-15 .. .. In the 115th minute RODRIGO PALACIO was set free in the L/Box but his rushed header went right to VELTMAN for an easy save as did MAXI RODRIGUEZs volley in the 117th .. .. At last, a shot for NED in the ARG box in the 120th minute when a nice []-ball to DIRK KUYT just above the spot saw his volley ricochet harmlessly away from goal .. .. Still 0-0 @ ET .. ..

PSO  It didn't start well for NED who went first when RON VLAARs R/Footer down the middle was saved .. .. LIONEL MESSI, ARJEN ROBBEN, EZEQUIEL GARAY all rammed home their spot-kicks until the reliable WESLEY SNEIJDER had his R/Footer > L/Left saved again by SERGIO ROMERO .. .. After SERGIO AGUERO & DIRK KUYT scored their PKs, WC hero MAXI RODRIGUEZ had a chance to propel ARG into the WC Finals and his R/Footer scorched into the U/Left despite JESPER CILLESSEN getting a palm to it .. ..

Not sexy, or breathtaking, but efficient > That's how you win a Championship ~ Unlike the uber-emotional wrecks known as BRA, ARG runs for each other, is organized and has someone capable of the unbelievable ~ The exact formula you need to grab the Rimet Trophy .. .. ARG have now kept clean sheets in 4 of their last 5 matches and seem perfectly poised to the GER machine .. ..

Here it is, my WORLD CUP FINAL PREDICTION .. ..

ARGENTINA-2

GERMANY-1

(in regulation)

NED MoM: none

ARG MoM: JAVIER MASCHERANO (club: Barcelona)

The ARG equivalent of the USA destroyer JERMAINE JONES, the Barca center-back plays in the MF for his country and gallantly relinquished the Captaincy to LIONEL MESSI after the 2010 WC .. .. Made tough 1-v-1 stops on ROBBEN & SNJEIDER and showed terrific passing vision, even after the knock to his melon in the 1H .. ..

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WIN OR GO HOME?

What happens when you get to the 2014 World Cup for your first match .. ..

If you LOST your last Friendly before your first Group Match = 1W – 1L – 2D = 5 pts

If you WON your last Friendly before your first Group Match = 9W – 9L – 2D = 29 pts 

If you DREW your last Friendly before your first Group Match = 2W – xD – 2L = 6 pts 

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EXPERIENCE! Yeah, or neh?

How players do when they came to BRA with 5 caps, or less .. ..

Ramon AZEEZ (NGA), Eder BALANTA (COL), Oliver BOZANIC (AUS), Diego COSTA (ESP), Matteo DARMIAN (ITA), Lukas DIGNE (FRA), Cedric DJEUGOUE (CMR), Antoine GRIEZMANN (FRA), Anel HADZIC (BIH), Adnan JANUZAJ (BEL), Maksim KANUNNIKOV (RUS), Sead KOLASINAC (BIH), Aissa MANDI (ALG), Shkodran MUSTAFI (GER), Gabriel PALETTA (ITA), Juan QUINTERO (COL), Morgan SCHNEIDERLIN (FRA), Luke SHAW (ENG), Raheem STERLING (ENG), Tino SUSIC (BIH), Jose Juan VAZQUEZ (MEX), Alex WILKINSON (AUS), YUN Suk-Young (KOR)

11W -- 12L -- 5D

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  PANDO! or GORDO? SIDE OF THE TOURNAMENT 

Managers: Jorge Luis PINTO (CRC)

Louis VAN GAAL (NED)

GK: Keylor NAVAS (CRC)

D: Giancarlo GONZALEZ (CRC) -- Philipp LAHM (GER)

M: Jermaine JONES (USA) -- Toni KROOS (GER) -- Javier MASCHERANO (ARG) --

Arjen ROBBEN (NED) -- James RODRIGUEZ (COL)

F: Tim CAHILL (AUS) -- F Lionel MESSI (ARG) ◘ -- F Thomas MULLER (GER) ◘

Bench: MF Charles ARANGUIZ (CHI) -- MF Andrew AYEW (GHA) --

F Karim BENZEMA (FRA) -- D Matt BESLER (USA) D Danny BLIND (NED) --

F Joel CAMPBELL (CRC) -- MF Juan Guillermo CUADRADO (COL) --

F Olivier GIROUD (FRA) -- D Mats HUMMELS (GER) -- D David LUIZ (BRA) --

MF Luka MODRIC (CRO) --  GK Manuel NEUER (GER) ■ -- F NEYMAR (BRA) --

GK Guillermo OCHOA (MEX) -- MF OSCAR (BRA) -- MF Andrea PIRLO (ITA) --

MF Paul POGBA (FRA) -- MF Juan QUINTERO (COL) --  MF Brian RUIZ (CRC) --

F Alexis SANCHEZ (CHI) ■ -- F Xherdan SHAQIRI (SUI) -- F Mathieu VALBUENA (FRA) --

F Enner VALENCIA (ECU) -- F Robin VAN PERSIE (NED) -- D Mario YEPES (COL)

◘ - denotes 2010 Pando! or Gordo? Starting Side of the Tournament

■ - denotes 2010 Pando! or Gordon? Honorable Mention of the Tournament