Posts from The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Auto-translated

The Slovaks made the most of what they could. Ukraine didn't score a single goal in 3 hours of play... what else can you expect besides elimination? The chance of reaching the playoffs was a fluke, especially since Greece isn't the kind of team that deserves to play in the 2010 World Cup... it would have been better if Croatia or Sweden had qualified. Based on this performance, neither Greece nor Ukraine deserves to represent Europe at the World Cup. Mykhailichenko is still inexperienced, not all the young players put in their best effort, and it's a pity for the older players on the team.

And why aren't the Greeks worthy?:) Okay, they might play in a boring way, but they do it tactically and skillfully:) The French didn't deserve to win, but the Greeks played as they know how. They have a team of strong players, what else could you expect from them?:)
And by the way, the Ukrainians conceded a goal from a low shot;)

Why aren't the Greeks worthy?

Leaving a group where there's only Switzerland... and who are the Swiss anyway? ... typical European underachievers ...
The Greeks beat them twice, drew with Israel and Moldova, and in those same 180 minutes against Ukraine, they only managed one goal...
The game was soft and boring, and there's no visible tactic... it's that Ukraine lost and played worse, not that Greece won... with that kind of play, the Greeks wouldn't have gotten past anyone else in the playoffs.

I completely agree with Alex R. This is a Greek style of play: defense in the 10th zone, counter-attacks, and set pieces. That's how they won the European Championship. They simply don't know how to play any other way.

With a game like that, the Greeks wouldn't have gotten past anyone else in the playoffs.

That's how they won the European Championship.

Tieru, you're actually contradicting Alex, but just so you know:)

Getting out of a group where there's no one besides Switzerland, and who are the Swiss anyway? ... typical European underachievers ...

I disagree. The Swiss are potentially stronger than the Slovenes, and many other average European teams. But that's not the point.
The Greeks aren't top-tier players, but they know how to do what the coach wants them to do. Therefore, it's unfair to say that they didn't deserve their spot. And the fact that they only managed to score 1 goal is simply their style. When they won the European Championship, they also didn't score many goals in those matches, and they don't have any outstanding attacking players. There was Stelios at one time... I don't remember his last name, he played well in Bolton, but in the national team, he still maintained the overall game plan.

P.s. I hope the French play in this World Cup just like they did in 2002, when they didn't score a single goal. They are the ones who didn't deserve to qualify for the championship.

According to a source from FIFA headquarters: FIFA officials have launched an investigation into two incidents that occurred during the qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup: Thierry Henry's handball, which allowed him to make a goal-scoring pass, and France scored a goal that put them in the World Cup; and what object was thrown at the Russian national team's goalkeeper, how it ended up in the stands, why the reserve referee tried to conceal the fact and state what it actually was, and why the match delegate did not include this in the report. The investigation will continue until 6 p.m. (Moscow time) on Saturday, and a decision will be made based on its results regarding a replay of the French match, as well as a technical defeat for Slovenia or a replay of the match at a neutral stadium, without fans.

I have encountered this information in various parts of the internet, but I cannot confirm anything. There is no official link to the news.

P.s. I hope the French team will play in the current World Cup as they did in 2002, when they didn't score against any opponent. They are the ones who least deserve to be in the championship.

I hope the French team will play in the current World Cup as they did in 2006: rolleyes
P.S. This is not a "jab"; I have always liked the French national team.

Regarding the FIFA investigation, it's most likely a hoax, so don't even think about hoping for anything.

Key moments.

Henri is definitely a character :D
But essentially, he did everything to get his team to the World Championship, and he succeeded.

But essentially, he did everything he could to get his team to the World Championship.

Should his actions be an example for others?:)

Should his actions be an example for others?:)

Not at all. However, it was this very moment that led the team to the World Championship :)

However, it was this moment that led the team to the World Cup.

I doubt it. Such goals cannot simply be attributed to a referee's mistake, or rather, the referees! There were two violations of the rules:
first, Henry was offside, and second, he used his hand.
But in general, it's funny... could it be that in some cases, everything is so predetermined that even such an obvious and glaring moment will be simply swept under the rug.

Tieru, you are contradicting Alex, but just for the record.

Tieru clearly stated that he agrees; you either didn't read carefully or didn't understand. The Greek team at that European Championship and the current Greek team are completely different... yes, they weren't particularly impressive in terms of match quality back then, but the style of Juventus, Bayern, or Dynamo Kyiv, however boring it may be, is effective and requires skill from the players. In this case, I repeat that it wasn't the Greeks who won, but Ukraine lost... the Greeks are nowhere near showing that kind of game.

French national team forward Thierry Henry agreed that a replay of the return playoff match against the Irish would be a fair solution. “To be honest, I feel uncomfortable about what happened. I apologize to the Irish players, who undoubtedly deserved to be at the World Cup. I think that a replay of the return match would be a fair solution,” Henry said, somewhat unexpectedly. “I said it before, and I am willing to repeat it: in the key episode, I handled the ball with my hand. I did not try to use deceptive tactics at that moment, nor at any other time. It was an instinctive reaction that I did not fully control.” “Unfortunately, football players do not have the opportunity to watch a video replay to see exactly what happened in a particular episode. We only see the reaction of those on the field, and we can only see everything when it is happening. If people saw everything in real time, they would notice that it was just an instinctive reaction. I repeat, I do not deny my guilt and I apologize to the Irish. Replaying the match would be fair, but it is not up to me to decide such matters,” concluded the captain of the French national team.

Added 25 minutes later
They said that we don't need a foreign striker in the national team! If they had paid enough, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, Kaka, Fabregas, Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo would have come to help Russia win this game. Arshavin said that we don't need a foreigner – that's his heroism!!! I'm laughing at the comments

you need to PLAY football...

The Slovenians really didn't impress with their game. Their attack plays on the principle of "let's just run and hope for the best." Their defense conceded few goals only because there was no one to put pressure on in the group: the Slovaks played with the same primitive football, and the Czechs and Poles were locked in a stalemate.
1-2 decent forwards would make a mockery of the Slovak defense, and there will be about a dozen or so such teams at the World Cup, starting with Spain and ending with Cameroon and Ivory Coast.
Belyaletdinov, even not in his best form, scored 2 goals with the complete helplessness of the Slovak defense; he could have scored a third.
Any team that is a finalist, even if not full of stars, with well-coordinated teamwork, like Paraguay, Mexico, or Korea, is better than the Slovenians – more cohesive, smarter.

How did we lose to them? In my opinion, the main reason is that we sold all the players who could create and score at the level of European national teams to the West at once. Arshavin, Zhirkov, Pavlyuchenko, Pogrebnyak, and Belyaletdinov were leaders in their clubs, showered with attention and adored by fans. After the sale, they turned into benchwarmers, sitting on the benches in England. Our main stars did not adapt to their new status, hence the decline in morale.
Those who remained in Russia still do not reach their potential before the World Cup games; they are more like followers (except for Akinfeev). Despite all my respect for Zyryanov, Denisov, or the Berezutsky brothers.
Therefore, the 2009 national team is much weaker than the 2008 national team, even with the same players.

Forecast:
Slovenia will fail miserably in the group stage of the World Cup, ending up among the worst teams along with the Slovaks, Honduras, and New Zealand.

Russia will get time to rebuild. Hiddink will most likely leave (it's a pity, but the example of Advocaat is too tempting). Oil prices will slowly rise, and 3-4 of our stars will return from England to Russia next year. The national team coach will most likely be Russian. Being in the first pot gives a chance for an easier group in the new Euro qualifying round.

We will calmly and without nerves watch the World Cup, and the final between an African team (Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast) and a Brazilian team is quite possible.
In general, America, Africa, and Asia have really selected the best, I can't remember when there was such a strong World Cup. On the other hand, Spain, the Netherlands, England, and Italy are very good, but the climate is unusual for Europeans.

P.S. I feel sorry for the Irish; they played evenly against Italy and France in 2 games each; they are a tough team.