The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup

[Bogball XV]

Now I'm glad I backed Klose to be top goalscorer at 30/1.

aye, he'd need to beat the 3 goals he managed in the bundesliga to be in with a shout.

my humble apologies by the way, not there yet, but he has 2 more games guaranteed and they'll try and help him out if they're in the 3rd place play-off.

[ludermor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miroslav_Klose
I was checking how many goals Klose has scored in the World Cup and his page has been updated already to include todays game! He has some record, 5 goals in the 02 world cup, 5 in the 06 Cup and 4 so far this time.

[ross4life]

i wonder would Argentina have done better if Zanetti wasn't left at home & they didn't leave there best CB Samuel on the bench,

[Bogball XV]

I never thought this game would go any other way, but I feel sorry for Maradona and Argentina, they're at least approaching the game in the right way imo, pity he left so many decent players at home.
The Germans are a lovely side to watch too, their semi with spain (hopefully) could be a cracker.

Maradona is my all time sporting hero but sympathy for him as Argentinian manager, no chance. Argentina were contenders for the World Cup in spite of him not because of him...

4 nil now

i know what you mean and I agree, yet i do like his approach, not getting bogged down in tactics and statistics etc, wanting to play the beautiful game (although they didn't do that today), also, not dropping messi for the greece game as it would have been a sin to deprive the public of seeing him play was pure class!

[Bogball XV]

i wonder would Argentina have done better if Zanetti wasn't left at home & they didn't leave there best CB Samuel on the bench,

cambiasso, milito, lopez.....

they should have won the last world cup too, but had an awful muppet of a manager then too.

[paco]

Game over. I really like Germany, they play great football. Looking at their age profile, they're going to be a serious team for the next 3 or 4 major tournaments.

I think we could say the same about Argentina. Messi, Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria will all be 26 and Tevez will be 30. 4 years should be plenty of time to find some half decent defenders as well, they couldn't really do much worse!

[mountainboii]

Now I'm glad I backed Klose to be top goalscorer at 30/1.

aye, he'd need to beat the 3 goals he managed in the bundesliga to be in with a shout.

my humble apologies by the way, not there yet, but he has 2 more games guaranteed and they'll try and help him out if they're in the 3rd place play-off.

I was thinking along the same lines as you a month ago. Hard to believe that he's managed more goals in the World Cup finals than in a whole league campaign.

[mountainboii]

Game over. I really like Germany, they play great football. Looking at their age profile, they're going to be a serious team for the next 3 or 4 major tournaments.

I think we could say the same about Argentina. Messi, Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria will all be 26 and Tevez will be 30. 4 years should be plenty of time to find some half decent defenders as well, they couldn't really do much worse!

And a half decent manager to pick them in the first place.

[paco]

Capello for Argentina.

[Capt Pat]

Ghana will have most of that team back as well for the next tournament. England have missed the boat and it will be held in Brazil. Look for Brazil, Ghana, Argentina and Germany to be smi finalists in 4 years time. That is of course as long as these teams can mind themselves off the field and pick good managers. Diego is not a good manager.

Argentina had no plan B today and when plan A didn't work they had no hope. What a waste of talent that team is without a good manager. The best striker in the world going into the tournament was Milito and he hardly got half a game, Higuain is decent but not nearly as good as Milito, they both could have played in the closing stages today.

Don't get carried away Germany fans, Argentina were rubbish and Muller is out for the semi final possibly against a very good Spain team.

[ross4life]

No European nation has ever won the World Cup outside of Europe. Now that Argentina are out, only Uruguay and Paraguay can keep this 80 year old record from being broken, which seems pretty unlikely.

[Capt Pat]

Another thing to note is at the start of the tournament Franz Beckenbauer said that he expected the Germans to get to the semi finals at least. He is not known for shooting his mouth off. The Germans were expecting this while nobody at least in the British Isles saw it coming. I think with Argentina and Brazil gone they might now expect to win it.

[magickingdom]

the germans look so assured on the ball, if klose had hit the target that time there would be no way back for argentina. if im right a european team has never won the wc outside europe, this could be our time

it sure could be magickingdom , come on germany , spain and holland we are behind ye all they way 

i'm a proud european....

[longrunsthefox]

I was chatting to someone back from the World Cup and said it is a fantasic atmosphere. Anyway he had one of those vuvuzelas (no different to palstic horns sold at GAA groiunds  a few years ago, only longer). It was in the Coca Cola logo and he said if anyone had one with any other brand or maker it was not allowed in or else made to stratch iit off. It is a cynical comercial world out there.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Another thing to note is at the start of the tournament Franz Beckenbauer said that he expected the Germans to get to the semi finals at least. He is not known for shooting his mouth off. The Germans were expecting this while nobody at least in the British Isles saw it coming. I think with Argentina and Brazil gone they might now expect to win it.

I don't think anyone in Ireland saw it either.