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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2010 20:27:12 GMT
So, the Miss Americas resisted the Brits. That certainly surprised the European commentators.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 13, 2010 12:27:49 GMT
The English, to be precise. The Celtic nations have their own sides.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 16:20:38 GMT
True. And Algeria lost today, so the neighborhood is eerily quiet. (There was plenty of noise before the match began, not to mention a mutiplicity of police vans "just in case".)
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Post by lagatta on Jun 13, 2010 16:59:08 GMT
Yes, here too. I have Algerian neighbours, and their three boys are furious supporters. Ghana did win, which might get a bit of a response from Sub-Saharan Africans, but not as much as Cameroun or Côte d'Ivoire would get in Paris...
A significant Maghrebi population is a fairly recent phenomenon in Québec. We have an old established Arab population, but mostly from Lebanon and thereabouts. The police were out in force here when Algeria qualified, as they took over Jean-Talon a bit east of here which has become a little Maghreb, but the crowd was utterly peaceful, just happy.
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Post by lola on Jun 13, 2010 17:04:22 GMT
Funny how nationalism comes out around this. I didn't think I cared, had picked England more or less randomly to back, and yet yesterday when I got to watch the last 10 min I really didn't want to US to lose.
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Post by spindrift on Jun 13, 2010 18:58:50 GMT
The blasted world cup is ensuring that my favourite tv programme won't be broadcast for the duration.
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Post by hwinpp on Jun 14, 2010 2:14:31 GMT
I'm quite happy with the results ;D
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Post by palesa on Jun 14, 2010 7:01:43 GMT
I am not sure my nerves can take the world cup, I seem to get a bit emotionally involved in the games. No, I don't really like soccer!
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Post by happytraveller on Jun 14, 2010 7:20:32 GMT
Poor socceroos. That was really painful to watch. I expected them to at least defend a bit better. Oh well...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2010 11:06:03 GMT
It's just the first match. Some of the winners will stumble in the next game and some of the losers will show unexpected resources.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 14, 2010 17:47:08 GMT
Well done Japan. Ora gli azzurri scende in campo...
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Post by lagatta on Jun 14, 2010 20:02:49 GMT
Un grande silenzio nel mio quartiere adesso, con gli Azzuri in campo. Odd, Italy have scored, and I don't hear much of a cheer going up. Some car horns now. I have to go to the market, so I'll cycle through the main drag where many neighbourhood bars, restos and cafés are located. I'd been working, so not out watching the match and a confession - I don't much like the current Italy side...
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Post by fumobici on Jun 14, 2010 20:30:48 GMT
I'm not sure whether the draw with Paraguay was more uninspired or uninspiring. Close call either way.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2010 20:49:39 GMT
On the evening news tonight, they were talking about how the German team has become the French team of 1998, because it is very ethnically mixed when it wasn't in the past. That's because Germany changed its nationality laws to allow citizenship to persons born of foreign parents on German soil.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 15, 2010 0:28:11 GMT
About time. Yes, their side is much more multiculti and multicolore than in past incarnations.
Very uninspiring Italy-Paraguay match.
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Post by happytraveller on Jun 15, 2010 10:05:58 GMT
Very uninspiring Italy-Paraguay match. I think most games have been rather uninspiring so far...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 18:19:14 GMT
I think that if the North Koreans have trained their players the same way they train the flash card mobs in their stadiums to portray stunning revolutionary images, the Brazilians do not stand a chance.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 15, 2010 21:46:41 GMT
NK looked fully the equal of Brazil in the opening half. The commentators said there's a widespread rumor afoot that all the "fans" cheering for NK at the matches are actually Chinese hired to pose as actual N Koreans! I guess real N Koreans aren't let out to play on the probably justified fear that they will never return.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 21:57:25 GMT
North Korea was quite good. The French commentators were hoping that they would manage to tie the score in the final minutes. I'm quite sure that there are very few North Koreans attending the World Cup games in South Africa, but I very much doubt that anybody needs to be hired to support the team. People love underdogs, and they are top underdog this time around.
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Post by cristina on Jun 17, 2010 3:26:47 GMT
So, I couldn't watch the Spain-Switzerland game today because it happened early while I was at work. But I did manage to see the resulting score. Well, that sucked.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2010 4:42:17 GMT
My sympathy, but I was absolutely thrilled for Switzerland, which is normally eliminated from all championships in round one.
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Post by cristina on Jun 17, 2010 4:47:22 GMT
My sympathy, but I was absolutely thrilled for Switzerland, which is normally eliminated from all championships in round one. Yeah, yeah, me too. But this was Spain! I would have been more engaged with SUI if it had been, say, Germany. Or Brazil. I'm sorry. I must go off and cry for a moment.
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Post by palesa on Jun 17, 2010 9:15:46 GMT
I am just sitting in a corner weeping this morning I am still backing my boys though, I am no fair weather supporter.
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Post by happytraveller on Jun 17, 2010 9:37:16 GMT
My sympathy, but I was absolutely thrilled for Switzerland, which is normally eliminated from all championships in round one. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2010 9:40:24 GMT
France-Mexico tonight. All of the polls say that the French think that the French will lose. There are some "humorists" on the radio talking about the diet of the Mexican team being guacamole laced with cocaine. Talk about stereotypes!
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Post by palesa on Jun 17, 2010 9:53:41 GMT
I am willing to go and distract any players necessary, in any way posssible to give Bafana Bafana a chance .... so we need a draw for Mexico and France tonight and then we need to beat France. Any suggestions? It may be minus 2 degrees at night but I am willing to strip, pole dance, shag them all out ... quick I need suggestions
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Post by fumobici on Jun 17, 2010 20:16:58 GMT
Christ France looks bad out there on the pitch. They are being savagely outplayed in every aspect of football fundamentals. Baffling to see a team in a World Cup mailing it in like the French have.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2010 20:51:23 GMT
France was as bad as expected. They can pack their bags.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 18, 2010 1:23:08 GMT
I missed the match because I had a work-related event (launch of a festival). Saw some giddy Mexico supporters in cars with flags and very glum France fans in a bar very popular among amis des Bleus, caught the loss but didn't realise it was 2-nil. Ghastly.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2010 8:03:30 GMT
One of the free newspapers distributed in the metro has an excellent headline this morning:
Out of Africa
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