I don't think anyone can see Chile beating Brazil ... can they?
They haven't beaten them in years, got demolished in qualification, and have most of their best players suspended.

Holland will continue to advance until they meet a team that knows how to win World Cups: Brasil, Germany or Argentina.

Can Chile beat Brasil? It's a long shot, but they have a chance. They played much better than Spain, and name by name, Spain is more than Brasil today (in my opinion).

However, Brasilians always bring that extra something to the court, that lets them resolve games in a couple of plays even when not playing that well.

So, I basically think that Chile will prepare for this game in a great way, and make a very good stand against Brasil, but it probably wont be enough.

Maybe Xapi, but seriously: look at the suspensions list!

the only thing I know is I wanna kill Osorio (did you see his error, the second argentinian goal), though the ref made an ugly mistake in the first goal, the one i really wanna kill is Osorio and Aguirre, the coach, for his incredible conceit and multiple errors in this cup (not to put chicharito as starter, to start osorio and guille franco).
I cannot blame Argentina anyway, and they'll fight a country which also won partly due to a ref error; what a mess

xapi, "that extra something" means luck, maybe?

No, it can't be luck when it happens so repeatedly.

Brasilians know what it is to win a World Cup, they have it in their blood, and no matter how lousy they are playing, they can solve a match in two or three plays. Case in point, the match vs Ivory Coast, they couldn't get a hold on the ball for the life of them, and Kaká, amongst three defenders, makes an incredible assist for Luis Fabiano, who hadn't touched the ball before, but he makes an incredible definition.

1 - 0, and the guys playing better have to start rowing from the back...

Don't worry your little heads, moppets. Papa Blatter has figured out how to make sure the reffing situation doesn't get out of hand...

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/fifa-cracks-down-on-stadium-screen-broadcasts--fbintl_ap-wcup-stadiumscreens.html

@ Figle: Yes, they have suspentions, but you have to think of it this way, player wise, the starter team of Chile is much less than the starter team of Brasil.

Chile's substitutes are not really that much worse than their starters, specially when compared to Brasil's starters.

So, Chile's chances come down to them making a great game plan, sticking to it, and "wanting it more" than their rivals. Even if they get those things, there's still the "extra something" Brasilians have. The difference between Waldo Ponce and his substitute is marginal compared to the rest.

Maybe, but by having to start with reserves they have a team that doesn't play together.

WIN!!1!

Comfort goal for Vittek, Dutchies going through! Go Schneidertje!!!

Slovakia only have themselves to blame for this loss. The opportunities were there, they just did not capitalize.

Whyy!!! That goal cost me 4pts in our league, and with it 2nd place :'(

How am I kicking ass with my fantasy squad and getting housed in my pool? Answer: overestimating the effectiveness of former Yugoslavian countries. Vittek has been a steal for me, and with my first two picks of Villa and Higuain, have meant that I pretty much have a straglehold on that league. In retrospect, however, I probably should not have picked Serbia in the third round of my team draft.

Anyone else getting tired of that ridiculous sounding Hyundai spokesman?

BBC all the way :D

That's the "extra something" right there.

Were they playing better? Not really, but they solved the match with two goals in 5 minutes.

Here's a toughie. If you're a wanted Nazi criminal, who do you pull for in the Germany-Argentina game? Do you root for the country that gave you the opportunity to commit crimes against humanity, or the country that shielded you from prosecution after it all went belly-up?

VVviiiiiilllllllaaaaaaaa!!!

Portugal 0 - 1 Spain
Victory to the best team... Nothing to say.
Terrible job from Portuguese coach... and I won't even comment on C. Ronaldo.

You can't blame both of them! If you feel Ronaldo was out of position, that's the managers fault. If you feel he was bad, that's his fault.

He was terrible...
but the coach was terrible too, specially when he took Hugo Almeida, that was the only one creating some danger to the Spanish goal, to put Danny playing...

Anyway, we (Portugal) don't have the same quality that Spain has: Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso, Villa, S. Ramos... too much for us.

A special reference to Iniesta... he is sometimes discrete, but if you pay attetion he is amazing. One of my favourite players atm.

The strength of the Spanish midfield is frightening - Brazil & Argentina are the only other nations that could have someone the calibre of Fabregas and not start them!

i've seen a nike tv commercial "write the future", which had drogba, cannavaro, rooney, ribery, ronaldinho, c.ronaldo as starts. was it cursed? every one of them is out the cup

And none of them played well (ronaldinho didn't even get there after all!)

Wasn't there a thread about this WC were someone laughed at a prediction that Uruguay would get far and France not? It isn't this one, clearly, but I can't seem to find it.

Oh, found it!

Chamois: "Can you trust a ranking where Uruguay and Chile are higher than France and Italy? As you said I must really like south america. "

http://webdiplomacy.net/forum.php?threadID=565692&page-thread=3#threadPager

So, I guess now that Portugal, England and the US are out, I'm alone in this thread... Where's rdrivera when you need him?

Hey Xapi, what's your opinion about Di Maria? (I support Benfica and he is just leaving to Real Madrid)

Personaly I think that he is not that good :)