Seriously, Chelski? I mean, I'd have eventually got over it if it was to Liverpool, Everton, or (chuckle) Newcastle. But Chelski? I suppose that might be marginally less disgusting than Spurs, but man, that's a close call.

True enough.
@rlum - Not sure about that one. Neither can defend, and neither has really been tested so far, so it should be an interesting matchup.

Germany controlled the game, the win could be much higher, but what your saying about Blatter is bullshit you are dissapointed and want a scapegoat. Blame the ridiculous english player and get a hooker :-)

By the way, Germany defeat Argentina in the quarterfinals in 2006 when Argentina had a much better team.

That's clearly not true.
If you actually read peoples posts rather than just jumping in like that you'd see acknowledgement Germany were the better team and deserved to win.
However, that does not mean Blatter is correct! That goal should have counted, and it is only his opposition to progress that means it didn't.

@ fig:

Argentina has the best group of strikers imaginable. It'll be a shootout, and Argentina will win. You have to double team Messi if you don't want him to score, and even then, he usually sets up Higuain for a goal...

Argentina's defense isn't that bad though... They've got talent on defense, it just pales in comparison to their offense.

I've got them winning it all, by the way. :-)

1. Germany were clearly the better squad today and deserved a decisive victory.

2. That said, Blatter is a moron who couldn't find his own ass with GPS and a team of Sherpa guides. Same goes for his mini-me, Platini, who was an amazing player and has absolutely demonstrated that he's a failure as an administrator.

What´s your problem with Blatter i don´t get it...

That he refuses to allow technology into the game, even thought it would help the officials do their job.

@bob - That's not quite true, he thinks he can find it - he just looks where the sun is

@fig
These defamation because of that? Do you really think he is the one who stands against that? They allready have an "goalreferee" in the European League.
The Fifa is an associacion nobody is forced to play within it...they have the right to define what football is, and if they don´t want such technology make your own leauges and kick within them as many people do in Germany...

Partially.
And partially because over there years I've found it harder and harder to believe he has the interests of football at heart.

I don´t no what you mean, the Fifa cares so much about the national associations, especially the the small and new ones. They help the women football with so much money, and courage. They all love football, have great footballplayer in their ranks.
I still don´t get what´s so outraging about Blatter, you say:
"over there years I've found it harder and harder to believe he has the interests of football at heart." What do you mean with that?

Well, maybe its just technology that annoys me - will have to think about it.

Do you really think keeping tech out the game is good?
Two examples FROM TODAY: Tevez & Lampard 'goals'

"You have to double team Messi if you don't want him to score"
So far Messi hasn't manage to score, not even against Nigeria or Greece...
That alone makes him the most overrated player in the world in my book.

"Germany will lose to Argentina next round."
How exactly is it going to happen with Argentina having a clown as a coach?

"It'll be a shootout, and Argentina will win."
Really? Yeah they will win like they did in 2006.
Germany has not missed even one single penalty shootout since 1974.

1) Marking messi out the game was a great idea from Greece, and I think we'll see it again. However, it should be noted in all his games he provided a number of assists - although against you this was only once the man-marking was relaxed.

2) Should be very close. Both teams can attack, neither can defend.

3) Its a truely astounding statistic isn't it.

hellat you clearly don't understand that messi is just passing to wide open players like tevez because he's being doubled (Though the second tevez goal was a beauty). Goal scoring is mostly about luck and being in teh right place at the right time. Messi's teammates have been sitting unnopposed right by the goal waiting for Messi's balls. Plus Mexico was practically mugging Messi the whole game. This didn't allow Mexico to open up the attack when they had the ball because they were so focused in the middle. Germany would be better off balancing between focusing on Messi and spreading it out.

"Germany has not missed even one single penalty shootout since 1974." umm they just missed one in this tournament...guess you weren't paying attention

Keeping the technology out of the game is acceptable, if you add 2 goalreferees.
England never got a title with these techologies, but Germany would had won this game either, same for Argentina
And yes their coach is a clown, what drugs make out of man...

He means in a shootout

@champ
"penalty shootout"...not penalty, do you know what that is?

von Moricke: I called Maradona a clown, not Capelo but I guess you are right Capelo is obviously a clown too.

The prob doesn't come from the coach, he succeeded with every team he managed until England. The players sucks that's all.

I have found video evidence showing the referee made the right call not allowing Lampard's "goal".

[img]http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o221/nv1962/england-germany-phantomgoal2.jpg[/img]

Haha nice. Also, nice try with img tags :P

@ hellalt: I don't think rlumley ment that they will go to a penalty shootout, but that since the attackers in this gamr (Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Ozil, Klose and Podolsky) are better than the defenders, the game will come down to who takes the most opportunities, instead of who marks their man better.

I disagree, but no one talkef about penalty shootout until you brought it up.

Yeah, that's what I meant Xapi.

Also, that was great Bob...

I think the key battle will be Ozil vrs Mascherano.

Bob Genghiskhan: Ha ha ha ha ha! Awesome!