> Former US uber-phenom FREDDY ADU, now
25YO, was on trial at Dutch side AZ ALKMAAR the past six days but was told
today he will not be offered contract. ..
Match 64: GERMANY v.
ARGENTINA
Date: Sunday July 13, 2014
Venue: Estadio do Maracana, RIO
DE JANEIRO
PANDO! or GORDO? Pando!
(anything would be better than the '10 Final)
DRESSING
ROOM CHALK TALK:
GER > It's good news if you see GER sending balls in
from the flanks (77 crosses: 28 left-49 right) - If they are in control
of the match they keep the ball in the middle of the pitch .. .. Their
offensive build-up usually ends up with a shot in the box - Of their 79
shots, 53 were in the box .. ..
ARG > As GER attacks from the R/Flank, ARG attacks from
the L/Flank (107 crosses: 71 left-36 right) .. .. It will be good news
if they press to the byline (69 attacking set-pieces; 41 for GER) .. ..
Of their 83 shots, they are not afraid on the long-range assortment, 36 of
their 83 shots have from above the box .. ..
It all
started a bit wonky for GER didn't it? SAMI KHEDIRA pulled up lame in pre-match
warmups and CHRISTOPH KRAMER had to be shuffled into the first-11 at the last
minute .. ..
ARG
allowed GER to do as hey wished in two-thirds of the pitch, dispossessed them
in the attaching-third and then countered .. .. When ARG got to the byline there
was
> MANCHESTER UNITED has stopped 2014-15 season
tickets sales at 55,000 after a crunch to buy tickets due to the arrival of
LOUIS VAN GAAL. ..
Match 63: BRAZIL v.
NETHERLANDS
Date: Saturday July 12, 2014
Venue: Estadio Nacional,
BRASILIA
PANDO! or GORDO? Gordo?
Again, there is a place for the WC CONSOLATION MATCH, no matter what
the media says > It affords the opportunity for a side to win the last of
their seven Festival matches and go home with a little bit of hardware .. ..
And, there is nothing wrong with a 90-minute kick-round the day before
the Final .. ..
1st
With
a pleading, encouraging Brasilia behind them, the poor BRA defence reared it's
head again with a terrific release ball from ROBIN VAN PERSIE setting ARJEN
ROBBEN free and was hauled down by THIAGO SILVA who was lucky
-> 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
-> A massive lightning storm hit the RIO beach area
right at KO of the BRA v. GER match, knocking out power to most of Copacabana
Beach ~~ a sign, perhaps?.. ..
Match 61: BRAZIL v.
GERMANY Qtr
Date: Tuesday July 8, 2014
Venue: Estadio Mineirao, BELO
HORIZONTE
PANDO! or GORDO? Gordo?
DID THEY, OR DIDN'T THEY?
Did BRA lay down: THEY DID
Did BRA lay down on purpose: THEY DIDN'T
Did BRA prepare enough: THEY DID
Did BRA prepare enough with decent competition: THEY
DIDN'T
Today was the 'perfect storm' answer to whether
> BRA Superstar NEYMAR is ruled out
of the remainder of the WORLD CUP with a fractured vertebrae.. ..
Match 60: ARGENTINA v.
BELGIUM L8
Date: Saturday July 5, 2014
Venue: Estadio Nacional,
BRASILIA
PANDO! or GORDO? Pando!
1st Both
sides probed early on, feeling each other out, but in the 8th minute a
deflected R/Flank cross fell perfectly to GONZALO HIGUAIN in M/Box and
he sweetly volleyed the R/Footer > L/Left for an amazing 1-0 lead so early
on .. ..
BEL
didn't threaten from close in and only after
Stellar USA center-back MATT BESLER has
intense interest from English Premier League & German Bundesliga clubs
after a phenomenal WC performance.. ..
Match 53: FRANCE v.
GERMANY L8
Date: Friday July 4, 2014
Venue: Estadio do Maracana, RIO
DE JANEIRO
PANDO! or GORDO? Pando!
1st Both
sides probed early, not looking to go bananas in the 88% humidity, GER looked
somewhat shaky early with a couple of poor, unforced TOs > Perhaps due to
the flu going around the GER Camp?
But,
in the 13th minute, it was the indivisible GERs that struck first .. .. Off a
FK from TONI KROOS, MATS HUMMELS made a R/Box run and his flashing
header came off the bar and into the net .. .. FRA did try to
MLS Expansion Side, ORLANDO CITY FC sign former
Brazil Captain KAKA as their first big-name signing.. ..
Match 55: ARGENTINA v.
SWITZERLAND 
R16
Date: Tuesday July 1, 2014
Venue: Arena de Sao Paulo, SAO
PAULO
PANDO! or GORDO? Gordo?
1
As
ARG has looked like they were playing their way into the Festival, they again
looked very pedestrian in the first-45 .. .. In their opener v. BIH, they
didn't attempt a single cross in the 1H, and while they hit in 7 balls early
on, none of them looked very appetizing .. ..
On
the other side of the pitch, SUI did carve out a couple of nice chances early
on, especially in the 27th minute when XHERDAN SHAQIRI got loose on the R/Byline
and his perfect ball > GRANIT XHAKA at the penalty spot ended up being a
tame roller right to GK SERGIO ROMERO .. ..
SHAQIRI
set JOSIP DRMIC loose with an instinctive release ball and DRMIC was alone,
bearing down on ROMERO, but his soft L/Footed chip landed harmlessly in ROMEROs
arms .. .. One would think that SUI won't get many more good chances and they
have to sink one, or else .. .. 0-0 @ HT .. ..
2
SUI
must have decided to play for ET/PK coming out on the pitch for
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