World Cup 2006: Czech Republic v Italy; Ghana v USA, as it happens

Group E - 'a group of death' (kick-off in 15 minutes!)

Table at the start
-----------------(GD) PTS
1. Italy__________(2)__4
2. Czech Republic_(1)__3
-------------------------
3. Ghana________(0)__3
4. USA_________(-3)__1

GD - stands for Goal Difference between goals scored and goals conceded.
PTS - is points gained. 3 for a win, 1 for a draw.
The top two teams will qualify for the next round-of-16.

Here are the 'what ifs' for qualification.

Italy: to qualify for the last-16, a draw with Czech Republic is enough. To qualify as group winners, Italy need to beat Czech Republic, or draw and hope that Ghana does not defeat the USA. Italy can narrowly lose to the Czechs and still qualify if Ghana draws, or the USA wins but fails to make up the goal difference.

Czech Republic: To qualify for the last-16, the Czechs must not lose. A win would see them overtake Italy and qualify, possibly as group winners if Ghana don’t win, or fail to make up goal difference. A draw with Italy would only be enough to go through, if there is a Ghana-USA draw, or if the USA win but do not score enough goals.

Ghana: If Ghana win, they will qualify for the last-16. They made do so as group winners if Italy-Czechs draw, or if Czechs win but Ghana scores more against the U.S.A. to beat the Czechs on goal difference. A draw could take Ghana through as long as the Czechs lose.

USA: The USA need to win. The best chance of American qualification is if Italy beat the Czech Republic and the USA beat Ghana. This would take the U.S. through. A Italy-Czech draw would require the USA to beat Ghana by 5 goals in order to qualify. A Czech win would mean that the USA would need greater goal difference than Italy, this would require a comfortable Czech win and a comfortable USA win.

Forza azzurri!


Ok, I have nothing against the USA players or teams per se, but I absolutely cannot stand the 'fans' who have never seen a soccer game, do not know how the game works, and all they want to see is goals. I also cannot stand those 'fans' who think the USA team must win, not because of playing ability, but simply because they're American and, as we all know, USA USA USA rah rah rah best in the world for everything. I had an 'encounter' with these wonderful 'fans' while at LAX, United terminal, last Saturday :puke: Unfortunately, I do believe that both the Czech Republic and Ghana are better teams than the Americans are at this point.

No aggressiveness at all.

Disposses American defender outside 18-yard box, takes the ball into the box and beats 'keeper

Headed goal from corner. The Czechs are in trouble.

-----------------(GD) PTS
1. Italy__________(3)__7
2. Ghana________(1)__6
-------------------------
3. Czech Republic_(0)__3
4. USA_________(-1)__1

CZE 0-1 ITA
GHA 1-0 USA

Strike in 18 yard box beats 'keeper. The USA could qualify if they get another goal and don't concede.

They're calling a very tight game both ways.

It was a foul inside the box.

where they give a free kick just outside the box. The guy was not in a position to score even if there was no foul.

Blame the player when he screws up, not the official when he calls accurately.

EDIT: The announcer is saying that it shouldn't count and the US players should be roughly beating up on Ghana. That's just dumb.

I'm not listening to the announcers. I was watching with no sound except right after the first 2 goals (I turned the "mute" off for a few seconds to see if there was any fouls or offsides that would have disallowed the goal)

For what it's worth, I've thought a few of the yellow cards (1 against the US & 1 against Ghana) were cheap & not worthy of cards... especially in such a high stakes game.

last time around were nonsense.

A lot of the US set pieces in the last 20 minutes or so turned up really bad - the free kick from Donovan from just outside the corner of the box was really deflating. Even a good hard shot that was saved/deflected would have at least given the US momemtum and allowed them to keep the pressure on... but, no, Donovan's kick was something out of a high school game. It looked like the US had some big guys out there, so the set pieces should have been stronger. And, the US got called offside like 3 times in a couple of minutes there in the 2nd half. That's a sign of not being all there mentally.

The US also played the first half of the 2nd half without the desperation & energy they needed to play with. Some of that was Ghana's strong play in the midfield and US fear of a quick counter-attack but, I didn't see a lot from Donovan and several others out there. I thought Donovan was supposed to be one of the US' best players?

Congrats to Ghana, though. They played a better game & were a better team.

Especially disappointing given his strong performance on Saturday. There was no rhyme or reason with the USA's attack. USA needed either Mastroeni (suspended) or JOB (possibly re-injured) to coordinate things on the field, set plays up.

Very disappointing, this whole World Cup. I hope this doesn't set US soccer back.

I've seen the replay about five times and still can't figure out what the apparent foul was.

Onyewu got his head cleanly on the ball, with his back to Pimpong -- ie. Onyewu won the ball, fair and square. The fact that the two made contact means absolutely nothing. Team USA got completely hosed on that, and that referee should be suspended by FIFA for the rest of the tournament (along with a couple of other referees). After that, Ghana simply sat on that score like Italy would, making it harder for the USA to tie it up.

That being said, Ghana played a much better, more spirited game than the USA. Landon Donovan, especially, played a bad game. But things might have been very different if the match wasn't decided by the referee (for the second USA game in a row.)

Converted penalty. USA in trouble again.

-----------------(GD) PTS
1. Italy__________(3)__7
2. Ghana________(1)__6
-------------------------
3. Czech Republic_(0)__3
4. USA_________(-1)__1

CZE 0-1 ITA
GHA 2-1 USA

runs round the 'keeper and passes the ball into an empty net.

Final Table

-----------------(GD) PTS
1. Italy_________(4)_7
2. Ghana_______(1)_6
-------------------------
3. Czech Republic_(-1)_3
4. USA_________(-4)__1

CZE 0-2 ITA
GHA 2-1 USA

It's a shame that the U.S. faultered early on against Czech Republic in the first game.

Since the Czechs lost to both Ghana & Italy by the same 2-0 score. If the US feels bad about itself in soccer, I bet the Czechs feel even worse after winning their first game so easily.

The 'hood is going NUTS. Horns blaring, flags waving and people standing on the main drag wrapped in flags a-whoopinana-hollerin'!!! I'm going back outside!

at school to take him to the orthodontist and a friend of his, who hadn't met me exclaimed, "YOUR MOMMY IS BROWN!" My kid gave him this "are-you-stoned-or-stupid-or-both" look and said "We have ALL the colours."

Same with my 'hood now, as it was in my childhood. We have EVERYBODY!
The atmosphere is so fresh, freundlich und zufrieden!