The World Cup: Difference between revisions

** Italy is depised as much as envied for its "luck", being accussed by purists of playing ugly defensive football and making crappy performances in the group stage only to win the crucial match and advance to the next round with a last minute goal or awarded penalty kick (such as in the 2006 match against Australia; Italy eventually advanced to the final and won the title). This almost happened again in 2010, when the Italians got the chance to equalize a 2-3 result against Slovakia in the last minute and get through to the next round... and their striker failed. Endgame. The reigning champion is out in the group stage with less points than New Zealand.

** In the 2011 Women's World Cup quarterfinals, Brazil was leading the U.S. 1-1 in added time. Brazil's goal was off of an extremely controversial penalty kick, and Brazil took a 2-1 lead on a play that should have been whistled offsides. Brazil was getting booed even by the neutral members of the crowd for their dirty play and one of Brazil's players even stalled for time and miraculously recovered from her "injury" the moment she was stretchered off the field. The karma part? Because of her stalling, there were three minutes added on as stoppage time to the added time. In the 122nd minute, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOAJn8h6VAI American Megan Rapinoe crossed a ball into Abby Wambach that just missed the keeper's fingertips, which Wambach headed in for the equalizer]. The United States would then go on to win on penalty kicks to move on to the semifinals. Here's the [[A Worldwide Punomenon|kicker]]: if the Brazilian player had just played on instead of stalling for time, it's likely that the United States would not have had enough time to score their equalizer. Furthermore, remember that controversial penalty kick? The play also got one of the US players sent off, meaning the US [[Determinator|completed their comeback down one player]].

* [[Captain Obvious]]: Journalists ask winners of games, "So is that the result you wanted?". Few reply in the negative.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Ian Darke's excited "CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?" used to describe particularly amazing goals. He's used it for Landon Donovan's goal against Algeria in the 2010 men's tournament and Abby Wambach's against Brazil in the 2011 women's tournament.

** Since nobody cares very much who comes third and the pressure to succeed is off, this is often the most enjoyable game of the whole tournament.

* [[Cool Mask]]: Some Mexican fans dress in a very ''Lucha Libre'' style in the stands!

* [[Cultural Posturing]]: There's no greater forum for it.

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Happens with some regularity due to the weakest teams (usually from Asia, Oceania, Central America, and a few Africans) being seeded with the [[That One Boss|strongest ones]] in the group phase. Scores of 7-0 (Portugal vs North Korea, 2010, the [[Irony]] is that the North Koreans were expecting to get back at their elimination at 1966, then [[It Got Worse]]), 8-0 (Germany v. Saudi Arabia in Sapporo in 2002), 9-0 (Hungary v. South Korea in Zurich in 1954, Yugoslavia v. Zaire in Gelsenkirchen in 1974) or 10-1 (Hungary v. El Salvador in Elche in 1982 - the largest score in the competition so far) or happen every now and then.

* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: After the 1994 Cup, Cameroonian goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell and Colombian defender Andrés Escobar ended up paying for their countries early exits (the former got his house torched, and the latter got killed - see [[Serious Business]], below).

* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: The inaugural championship in 1930 doesn't have a third place match. Consequently the 3rd and 4th placed teams (USA and Yugoslavia, respectively) were determined by their overall performance.

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Plentiful. [http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/06/nandofit.jpg Look] at [http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/06/reinacasillasvaldes-reuters1.jpg these] [http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/04/davidvillatakemenow.jpg fine] [http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/07/spainsecrets.jpg examples] of [http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/08/fabio-ap.jpg estrogen-baiting][http://newscaster.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ITLAY-Champion-of-FIFA-2006-World-Cup.jpg gents]- and that's just from the 2006 and 2010 champions. On the other hand, there's no shortage of [[Ms. Fanservice|good-looking women]] in the Women's World Cup.

* [[Everything's Squishier With Cephalopods]]: Paul the psychic octopus [http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/26/paul-octopus-dead-psychic-world (R.I.P.)].

* [[Interrupting Meme]]: The vuvuzelas are '''''BRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!'''''

* [[It Got Worse]]: Zaire in 1974 subbed their goalkeeper at half-time because they were 3-0 down to Yugoslavia. They lost 9-0!

* [[Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics]]: Football coverage in general.

* [[Long Runner]]: Sepp Herberger (he of the [[Xanatos Gambit]] below) was appointed [[Weimar Republic|Germany]] assistant coach in 1932. He became [[Nazi Germany|Germany's]] coach after the coach Otto Nerz failed in the Olympics of 1936. He was first manager of Germany in 1938, but political pressure from [[Those Wacky Nazis]] forced 6 Austrians into his team and Germany lost (in the only case of a walk-over victory in the World Cup's history: Austria was scheduled to play Sweden, but due to them being annexed by [[Nazi Germany]], they withdrew). Despite [[World War Two|some turbulence involving Germany]], Herberger was reappointed manager (of [[West Germany]]) for their return to internationals after the 1950 World Cup, and he guided them to victory in 1954. He remained manager until 1964. This meant he had been part of the German World Cup set-up for 5 World Cups, the first 28 years after the last.

* [[Loophole Abuse]]: The whole "interfering with play" part of the offside law has been recently much abused by attackers.

* [[Loser Leaves Town]]: After the group stages for sure, Brazil vs Turkey in 2002 was a second match between the sides in the same tournament...

** A few (particularly Wales, Scotland and either side of Ireland) consider the England team to be this as well - just google "Anyone But England".

* [[Passing the Torch]]: Happens when the old man retires and the great new hope turns up.

* [[Psychic Powers]]: Paul the Octopus, who predicted correctly the winner of every match that involved Germany in South Africa 2010, and the winner of the final. Sadly, he passed away after the World Cup, but a [[Serious Business|shrine was built on his memory]] on the Oberhousen Sea Life Centre in Germany.

* [[Pyrrhic Victory]]: In South Africa 2010 Luis Suarez committed an intentional (and blatant) handball on the goal line in the dying moments of extra-time against Ghana to prevent them winning the match. It worked despite the penalty awarded, but the red card he received kept him out of his dream encounter with the Netherlands and his absence was likely a factor in Uruguay's subsequent loss.

* [[Serious Business]]: Andrés Escobar was tragically shot dead on returning home to Colombia in 1994 after scoring an own goal in his team's last game against the United States in Pasadena.

** Some have suggested it was a hit orchestrated by drug lords who lost millions betting on the game. [[Serious Business]] indeed...

** The incumbent Labour Party are thought to have lost the 1970 British general election (when the polling had suggested a victory) purely because England crashed out of the World Cup a few days before.

* [[Shirtless Scene]]: Players have felt the need for these before, now banned by FIFA (the rules do state that taking off your shirt awards you a yellow card). As Winston Reid of New Zealand proved in 2010, that hasn't killed them. The rules allow for the shirt trading after the game, however.

* [[Unnecessary Roughness]]: The Battle of Santiago (Chile 2-0 Italy), 1962.

** And the Battle of Bern (Hungary 4-2 Brazil), 1954 (not only had three expelled players, but also had a field invasion and a horrible brawl after the game).

** The Netherlands are involved in a few notable examples:

*** The 1974 The Brazil-Netherlands match is legendary for being a disappointment due to the violent play. One Journalist in the Netherlands found himself blackballed during the WC in 1974 for commenting on the roughness of the Dutch team.

*** The "Battle of Nuremberg" in Germany 2006 is the record-holder of red/yellow (4 red, 16 yellow) cards in the World Cup. Portugal would eventually win 1-0.

*** The second instance being in the final of South Africa 2010 with Spain, an image from which has the dubious honour of illustrating the [[Unnecessary Roughness]] page. It currently holds the record for cards given during a World Cup Final (13 yellow, 1 red). Neutrals pointed out that the Netherlands would have been ''fortunate'' to have 10 men on the pitch come half time, never mind the 11 they actually left with at the interval.

* [[We Used to Be Friends]]: In the modern World Cup, opponents who are team-mates in club football appear in opposition. Ronaldo and Rooney in 2006 would be a good example. Also the Boateng brothers, who faced each other in 2010 in Group D on the German and Ghanaian teams (apparently they're half-brothers and not that close IRL).

* [[We Win Because You Did Not]]: A draw for a poor team against a good team feels like a win for them! And a loss for the good team!

[[Category:The Beautiful Game]]

[[Category:The World Cup]]