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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2014 21:09:41 GMT
I am not yet fascinated by this event which just started. I am one of those fickle people who only pay attention to certain important championship events (football, rugby, tennis) and not at all to normal national league play.
Nevertheless, here I am in front of the opening game of Brazil vs. Croatia and just the fact that it is tied 1-1 after the first half already has me spellbound, so I know that I am going to be hooked.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2014 21:56:59 GMT
It's a good thing that Brazil won 3-1, because the penalty that made the score 2-1 was a total travesty.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 12, 2014 23:02:37 GMT
Pretty much the same, I only watch World Cup and Euro Championship national matches. I too was glad the Brazilian squad scored their third. The dive that resulted in the PS fooled me in real time, but not in slo-mo replay.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 13, 2014 15:23:18 GMT
Yes, some of the sides dive so much that it should be an aquatic sport event...
I missed the first match as I was in the annual general meeting of a neighbourhood association. Yep, flags everywhere, and indications of the best cafés and bars to follow the respective sides.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2014 15:15:52 GMT
Well, I bet just about every non Spaniard in the football world got a delicious serving of Schadenfreude about yesterday's Netherlands-Spain match result.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 18:39:00 GMT
My neighbourhood is strangely quiet tonight, but the reason is obvious: Algeria lost its match against Belgium. Up until 6pm there has honking and shouting in the streets.
Frankly, I am quite happy for Belgium, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
I imagine that excitement is building in both Mexico and Brazil right now, as they will be opposed in less than 30 minutes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 20:45:14 GMT
Wow, if Mexico-Brazil ends 0-0 that is not good news for Brazil although they will almost certainly advance to the next round.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 6:09:22 GMT
In World Cup trivia, I was reading that of the 736 players in the competition, 56 of them were trained in France, 44 in Germany and 42 in England. Even the sensational Mexican goalie Guillermo Ochoa who prevented Brazil from scoring yesterday, plays for the French team of Ajaccio.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 21:28:09 GMT
Oh wow, World Champion Spain eliminated in the first round! Then again World Champion Italy was eliminated in the first round in 2010.
"The harder they come, the harder they fall."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2014 19:06:09 GMT
Already eliminated: England, Spain, Cameroon, Australia...
Any others?
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2014 20:07:31 GMT
Italy?
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Post by fumobici on Jun 20, 2014 20:10:06 GMT
Italy is still alive, they can even advance with a draw with Uruguay last I checked.
Well France, this is getting a little awkward. How many goals will enough be?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2014 20:29:36 GMT
I absolutely love Switzerland and I am embarrassed by the score. I don't want them to be crushed so mercilessly.
But they have not beaten France in 22 years.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2014 21:08:28 GMT
I feel bad for Switzerland even though they saved their honour with two goals near the end.
At the same time, I am rather amazed that France is not officially qualified yet and has to wait for another match.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2014 17:30:33 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Jun 21, 2014 18:07:41 GMT
While there are quite a few Algerians where I live, the epicentre of "le petit Maghreb" is a bit east of here. I would have headed there if Algeria had won; it is just a short bicycle ride and they are very enthusiastic fans.
I live in the heart of our traditional "Petite Italie", and many Italy supporters converge here. There was the silence of a tomb yesterday.
Are Italy confronting Uruguay? That should be interesting. (As in neigbhouring Argentina, a high percentage of Uruguayans are of Italian descent).
I usually follow the Cup far more closely (all those handsome young men in kit - we can't see much of our ice hockey players) but I've been very busy with other things, from work on a festival to bureacratic crap.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2014 18:25:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2014 18:38:01 GMT
There is no denying that Skakira is one of the most qualified singers for a World Cup song.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2014 19:37:39 GMT
The African World Cup song is also quite appealing.
But here is the official Brazilian World Cup song.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 17:46:30 GMT
Honking, shouting and flag waving are in full swing in my neighbourhood. The Algeria-Portugal match will begin in 75 minutes and both communities have huge populations in France.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 19:22:43 GMT
Honking, shouting and flag waving are in full swing in my neighbourhood. The Algeria-Portugal match will begin in 75 minutes and both communities have huge populations in France. How can that be? Portugal and the U.S. play this afternoon.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 19:43:51 GMT
Yes, I just realized that when I heard shouting in the street and looked to see who was beating whom.
Algeria is playing South Korea and is leading 2-0 at the moment.
My confusion came from the articles here that were saying that Algeria and Portugal absolutely had to win their matches today.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 20:14:23 GMT
The Fennecs are now leading 3-1. I think it's going to be a long night around here, particularly if Portugal wins later.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 20:32:21 GMT
Wild in the streets as the score goes to 4-1.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 20:57:11 GMT
Very noisy joy in the streets for 4-2. It looks like they will be blocking traffic soon.
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Post by htmb on Jun 22, 2014 21:00:34 GMT
I can hear honking all the way down here in the 3rd.
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Post by htmb on Jun 22, 2014 21:21:28 GMT
And now, along with the car horns, I'm hearing yelling and something that sounds like very loud fireworks. Are you exploding up there, Kerouac!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 21:42:25 GMT
It is going on and on and is not likely to stop any time soon. I will be posting a video. My own corner is nowhere near the noisiest or most active, because that it Barbès-Rochechouart.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2014 0:00:43 GMT
OMG!!! U.S. and Portugal end with a tie 2-2!!!!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2014 0:52:35 GMT
And here is what it is like when you live in an area with a significant Algerian population...
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