The Knockout Stage. Some say this is when the Cup truly begins. This is when
it gets serious.
It shouldn't be a surprise that Germany's a little stressed over it, but
given who he plays...
|
There you are, Germany! I was looking
all over for you! |
Germany is in a dark room, watching tape of Canada's match
against Holland.
|
What are you doing? |
|
Can't you see? I'm watching film of
my next opponent. No matter who it is, I can't take him
lightly. What did you want? |
|
Ve? |
|
You said you were looking for me.
What do you want? |
|
I want to see what you were doing! |
Germany turns back to the television, ignoring Italy.
|
You seem worried. Who do you play?
Holland? |
|
Somehow I'm playing Canada. |
|
Who? |
|
Precisely. How am I supposed to craft
a game plan against I country I know nothing about? |
|
Have you ever played him before? |
|
FIFA says I played him in a friendly
a couple years ago... but I don't remember anything
about that match. Hungary, Greece and Russia are easy. I
play them all the time. |
|
You'll be fine! You're Germany! We're
in Germany! You'll win for sure. |
|
I can't be over-confident. Canada
beat Japan so he must do something right. |
|
But I'm sure you'll win. Hey, if you
won't take my word for it, why don't you ask Paul? |
|
The octopus? That's a fantastic idea! |
Finland's not the only nation with a football-following animal
friend. Paul the Octopus gained fame in 2010 for correctly picking
the winners in all seven of Germany's matches in the FIFA World Cup,
as well as Spain's win over Holland in the final.
Germany preps two feeding boxes, one with a German flag and one with a
Canadian flag.
|
You'll have to feed him. I don't want
him to pick me just because I'm standing here. |
|
No problemo! |
They walk to the tank, but he's not there. After poking around,
they smell something nearby. Something awfully delicious... they run
to the kitchen.
|
...and if you wanted to, you can even
top it with katsuobushi. |
|
That's dried tuna, right? |
|
Indeed. |
|
Wow, I've always wanted to try
takoyaki! I like all kinds of seafood, but I haven't
even thought of eating octopus too! |
Germany is stunned, Italy is slowly backing towards the door.
|
Ah, hello Germany. Did you need
something? |
|
... |
|
Is something wrong? |
|
...how on Earth did you lose to
Canada? |
|
Who? |
Paul the Octopus died last October.
Round of 16
Germany vs. Canada
Austria vs. Turkey
Paul's first victim in the 2010 World Cup? He's in the studio with Cuba.
|
G'day everybody! Time to get serious!
It's the start of the Knockout Round: 16 teams remain
and will be whittled down one at a time until a single
champion stands. |
|
There's no more room to have an off
day. If you lose now, you're all done. Should be
interesting as not even our host got through the group
stage unscathed. |
|
Only six of the sixteen left have,
and one of them plays tonight. But our first match is a
compelling one as tournament dark horse Canada has a
tall task against host Germany. |
|
It's a tough draw for Canada. I
really feel for him. After an early upset against Japan
and a thrilling last-minute win over Belgium, Canada
earned a ton of supporters, especially after a certain
other North American team failed to advance. |
|
Those ton of supporters may find
themselves drowned out by the hometown crowd. |
|
For all we know, that ton of
supporters may have been the hometown crowd. But they
won't be changing sides today, that's for sure. I sat
down with Canada earlier today to get his thoughts. |
That's right- in-studio interviews! If anyone's going to survive an interview
with Cuba, it's Canada.
|
Well, for someone with next to no
World Cup experience, you're sure making a name for
yourself. |
|
I hope so. This is something where I
really hope they don't confuse me for America. |
|
No way! Sounds like everyone's on
your side for this one. With America, everybody hopes he
flames out early. |
|
Looks like he did. |
|
Always the crowd-pleaser, him. Take
us through that moment now that you've had some time to
dwell on it. |
|
It was one of those all or nothing
things. I never let myself get frustrated, because even
though Belgium kept taking the lead, I stayed in it and
kept on pushing. Then I got one through and... wow. |
|
The good news is you're still
playing. The bad news is you have to go up against
Germany. |
|
I know, eh? But I wasn't expected to
beat Japan, so you never know. I'm just going to play my
game and hope for the best. No matter what happens, I
feel like being here is enough. The entire country will
be watching me play. |
|
Well, best of luck to you. Show 'em
what our continent's capable of! |
Through the magic of television, Cuba's back in the studio!
|
Advancing may be enough for Canada,
but it certainly is not for Germany. He has his eyes on
the trophy and this is but the next step. |
|
Absolutely. After losing the 2002
Final in Japan, Germany is dead set on winning this time
around. Vietnam's with our host in Leipzig. |
|
Germany, you're known for
meticulously preparing for each opponent. What challenge
does having a surprise like Canada pose for you? |
|
It's a terrible challenge. I had
expected to be playing someone like Holland or Japan
today. Canada must be a strong competitor to get this
far. I must be ready for him. |
|
Did you come up with a strategy
you're satisfied with? |
|
I hope so. He has a dangerous attack,
especially from midfield. I'll have to attack harder and
be ready for him to strike back. |
|
Good luck today Germany. I'll talk to
you after the match. |
And away we go!
Day
16- Leipzig |
Match 49 |
Round of 16 |
|
GERMANY |
vs. |
CANADA |
|
Germany jumps out of the gate, hoping to overwhelm Canada early.
|
Germany attacking hard, not letting
Canada get a word in. Gets into the box, shoots from an
angle, tipped up into the air! Bounces right in front of
him and he taps it in! Germany strikes early! |
|
That's how you set the tone early in
the game. I'm sure Germany would have been happy scaring
Canada into submission. Actually getting a goal is
outstanding! |
2' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 1, Canada 0
That summarizes Germany's strategy- dominate with the ball, keep Canada on
his toes and prevent him from advancing with it. What Germany really excels at
is defending Canada's side of the field. His strikers pressure defenders and
prevent Canada from clearing it upward.
Germany can't keep this up forever. Canada starts to find some openings and
at least gets it downfield. He gets a couple shots at around the ten minute mark
and starts to get a bit comfortable down there.
|
Canada's getting a lot more
opportunities now. Twelve minutes in and already he
might be figuring some things out. |
|
Passes up, but Germany gets a steal!
Passes forward, looks like a breakaway... no, Canada
gets there in time and kicks it out. Germany will have a
throw-in. |
|
Both sides sending men over to that
half. |
|
Short throw to the side. Canada
trying to prevent a cross, a little too aggressive and
he's whistled with a foul. Free kick for Germany. |
|
Doesn't really have an angle to take
a shot, but he can try some other things. |
|
Sets it up... shot along the ground
hard into the box. Quick kick towards goal, clang! Off
the post! Canada gets it back and survives a scare. |
Both sides get some pretty good opportunities as Canada starts to feel a bit
more confident about staying competitive.
|
Canada gets it back deep in his
territory, sends it to midfield, stolen! Germany runs
forward, right past the defenders! He gets an open look!
Keeper gets a piece of it, sends it off the post.
Germany rushes in, gets there and cleans it up! It's
2-0! |
|
Right when Canada was starting to
feel like he was in this one. Definitely a defensive
lapse there. It was a heck of a steal and a great run
for Germany, but Canada has to be more on the ball that
that if he wants to hang around. |
18' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 2, Canada 0
Germany effectively kills any Canadian momentum. He dominates ball possession
again, getting off a number of threatening shots. Canada is shell-shocked for
several minutes, and even when he does recover and start getting downfield, he's
too fast and whistled offside.
By that time, the defenses are starting to pick up, especially around
midfield. Several minutes go by between shots, giving Germany even more
confidence.
|
Germany again fouled along the side
of the box. He had a free kick from about the same spot
twenty minutes ago. |
|
Last try clanged off the post. Let's
see if he tries something different this time. |
|
No, sir, it's a low shot, one-timer
to the near post- IN! This time his aim is true and
Germany leads 3-0! |
|
That takes some cajones! The exact
same set piece he barely missed before works this time!
Canada did not correct his defense and things are
getting out of hand now. |
30' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 3, Canada 0
While Germany tries to slow things down, Canada does get a few scares.
|
Canada down the side, gets off the
cross, off a defender but the keeper dove for it! He's
out of position, ball bouncing to the net! No, Germany
gets to it first and clears it away in the nick of time! |
He doesn't give up.
|
Canada holding the ball for a while
as the first half draws to a close. Settles for a long
shot, Germany jumps in the way of it, bounces away.
Canada slides in with the shot, curls past the keeper
and IN! Canada's on the board on a surprise effort late
in the first half! |
|
Kinda sloppy defense in an otherwise
solid first half for Germany. Either way, good on Canada
for trying that one and it's something to build on as he
goes into halftime. |
43' - GOAL (CAN) - Germany 3, Canada 1
That does it for the half. Canada is somewhat reassured as he goes in.
Germany answers to Vietnam.
|
Great start to the match Germany...
not a great finish. Any worries after giving up that
late goal? |
|
Bad positioning all around on that,
but otherwise I'm content with the effort. I do not plan
on slowing down my attack though. That seems to be the
best way to hold him off. |
|
Good luck in the second half.
Australia? |
|
Thanks, Vietnam. Does that late goal
play into Germany's strategy at all? |
|
If anything, it proves that he's
right. When you're gunning after Canada, he falls apart
well enough. It's when you let him shoot forward and
sneak the ball through that he becomes dangerous. This
is exactly why Holland struggled against him early, and
then beat the pulp out of him. |
|
As for Canada, what can he do? |
|
He's gotta play for more breakaways.
I know it's exactly what Germany's expecting, and I
wouldn't be surprised to see more of an offside trap,
but it's worked the best for Canada and he can't afford
to plan too many men around the box. |
|
Well, let's return to Leipzig to see
how this plays out. |
Germany gets it back quickly and heads right back down.
|
Germany trying to reestablish his
head, gets into the box, stopped by Canada's defenders.
Canada passes back, misplayed! Keeper sets things
straight before Germany gets back and they clear it
downfield. |
|
Uneasy moment there for Canada. A
little faster and Germany may have pounced. |
|
He does pounce on the clearance,
stealing it away. Canada runs after him, gets there,
kicks it ahead and out. It'll be a corner. |
|
Sloppy stuff there for Canada. Bad
way to start a half. |
|
Corner's away, Germany heads it off
the keeper, gets a second shot- GOAL! Germany does
capitalize and makes it 4-1 quickly! |
|
Should never have happened. That's a
chance Canada should never have given up, especially
this early in the half. |
46' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 4, Canada 1
Germany tries to slow things down while Canada tries to speed things up.
Canada gets a couple shots, but Germany is ready for it and deals with it
calmly.
He keeps this up for several minutes, advancing very slowly most of the time.
One time, he charges ahead and gets a breakaway that Canada just barely gets in
front of. Once in a while, Germany pushes forward to assert himself. One time
Canada even uses this to his own advantage, getting a cross off on a
counter-attack that is headed off the crossbar.
Things play out this way until midway through the second half when both sides
are creating chances about equally.
|
Germany's turn to threaten now. Good
pass down the side of the box. Draws a defender over,
passed into the box, got it, chips it around the keeper
for another goal! |
|
Nice teamwork and great positioning
from Germany. That was a well-organized attack and
Canada just fell right into it. Germany looking
increasingly untouchable as the game goes on. |
67' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 5, Canada 1
Canada doesn't give up.
|
Germany trying to get up to midfield,
Canada in with the steal! Passes, and again! Up to the
edge of the box! Shoots from long range, tipped by the
keeper... not enough! Goal! |
|
Very nice! Probably too late now, but
it was a nice way to generate an opportunity and caught
Germany off guard. Who knows what that can do? |
74' - GOAL (CAN) - Germany 5, Canada 2
Germany remains undeterred even as Canada continues moving forward. He seems
to be in a shell for the longest time...
|
Canada's attack stalls and Germany
gets it back. He charges ahead! Wow, he's moving now,
down the side into Canada territory, hard pass into the
box, gets off a shot! Off the keeper and in! Germany
adds one more in the closing minutes! |
|
Heh, guess he just wanted to send the
crowd home with a smile. We're well past the point where
Canada can come back. |
84' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 6, Canada 2
The more Canada tries to score, the more Germany gets these chances as well.
He gets a late corner kick.
|
Germany with a corner kick in the
final minute of play. Short corner crossed in, header
toward the back of the net, keeper dives... can't get to
it and Germany will add a seventh as we head to stoppage
time. |
|
Doesn't matter what you put on, it
won't be enough. Germany adds one more to close out an
impressive, dominating victory! |
90' - GOAL (GER) - Germany 7, Canada 2
As the whistle blows, Canada slumps his shoulders. As thrilling as the ride
was, and as exciting as it was to get noticed, it just came to a pretty quick
stop... and the crowd goes wild.
Day
16- Leipzig |
Match 49 |
Round of 16 |
|
GERMANY |
7:2
FT |
CANADA |
|
2'
18'
30'
46'
67'
84'
90' |
Klose
Podolski
Podolski
Podolski
Klose
Klose
Ballack |
Referee THA |
Radzinski
Hume
|
43'
72' |
Vietnam finds Canada in the tunnel.
|
Well, you turned some heads in the
group stage, but you looked pretty outmatched by
Germany. Did you feel like you could have performed
better or was he just better? |
|
Germany is really good and I knew playing in
his country would be difficult. I guess I'm not entirely
surprised by the result. |
|
Do you still feel like it was a
successful run? |
|
Absolutely. I was happy to get this
far, and I hope people saw that I can play soccer. Maybe
I'm not as good as Germany, but I think I did my part to
make the tournament interesting. |
|
And you got farther than America. |
|
I can't complain about that. |
|
Thank you. Back to you, Australia. |
|
So group stage surprise Canada drops
right off the bat in the Round of 16. |
|
And that should come as a shock to
nobody. It's fun talking about surprise teams like
Canada and Belarus in the group stage, but when we get
to the knockouts the better teams usually show up and
dominate. |
|
As was the case here. Germany played
well in a tough Group A, but we haven't seen him on his
game like this. |
|
Part of that's the level of
competition. He could have played better against Greece,
but Hungary and Russia both are capable of giving him
fits. The fact that he held them off should tell you how
good Germany really is, and it really showed when up
against a lesser opponent. |
|
Germany certainly poses a threat to
win it all. |
|
You bet. He'll play the winner of our
next match between Austria and Turkey, but neither of
them should pose much of a problem if he plays like
this. |
|
But there's certainly some intrigue
with tonight's Austria-Turkey match. |
|
Here we have a team that overperformed in
the group stage and a team that underperformed. Austria
is solid, but ranked far below England, Korea and
Norway. Yet he played solid, mistake-free football and
got through it with seven points. |
|
Two wins and a draw with top seed
England. Turkey was not as successful. |
|
No, Turkey just barely advanced out
of Group D, which had two Baltics in it. After a strong
win against Lithuania, a critical own goal late cost
him a win against Latvia. Had the last set of matches turned out
just a bit differently, Latvia could have been playing tonight. |
|
Both Wy and Taiwan are in Munich and
they spoke with our combatants before the match. |
|
Turkey, what is your mindset going
into this next match? There have been times when you've
been well, but mistakes almost cost you the tournament. |
|
I'll be more careful when heading the
ball around my goal if that's what you're asking. I
think a lot of folks have written me off after that, but
I'm ready to make up for it tonight. |
|
What are your thoughts on Austria? |
|
Oh, we go way back. Puts up a better
fight than you think. Back in our heydays, we had some
pretty epic battles. Guess he's okay at football too. |
|
He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. |
|
Guess I can't either then. Should be
fun! |
|
Thanks, Turkey. Taiwan, what's the
report on the other end? |
|
Austria, advancing from your group is
certainly a positive for you, but how far do you think
you can go? |
|
There is no limit to how far I can
go. Turkey is strong, but a disciplined defense should
be able to stop him. And if I get past him, I've handled
Germany before. |
|
You sound pretty confident. While
your matches against England and Korea were close, you
dominated Norway very well. Are you gaining more
confidence on the pitch the more you play? |
|
I always play confident. I go out
there expecting to win and I won't settle for anything
less. |
|
Well, good luck out there. Anything
else, guys? |
|
That'll do it. I don't know about
you, but I'm looking forward to this one. |
|
Absolutely. Let's get things started
in Munich. |
Day
16- Munich |
Match 49 |
Round of 16 |
|
AUSTRIA |
vs. |
TURKEY |
|
Austria gets an early breakaway and puts Turkey on his toes right off the
bat, but Turkey is able to stop it and his other advances. Actually, Turkey is
pretty quiet in the early minutes, using a more defensive-minded approach. He
moves up slowly, gets up for a shot here and there and is more careful with the
ball than he has been in previous games.
Not that he doesn't get chances.
|
Austria trying to get into the box,
stolen by Turkey, who passes up quickly, and again to
midfield, runs right through the defense! Turkey all
alone all the way to the box! Gets in and Austria's
keeper pounces on it... gets away! Austria's defenders
get there before Turkey can. |
|
Conservative as Turkey's been so far,
he still knows what to do when he smells blood. Close
call there. |
Austria slows things down as well to prevent any future sneak attacks, so the
next several minutes go by without a lot of action. Both sides plan and get off
a pretty good shot, but it takes a bit for anything big to happen.
|
Turkey goes down the side, finds an
opening and shoots in a cross. Gets a head to it, off a
defender... GOAL! Austria's defender got a piece of it
but the sharp header still gets inside the far post!
|
|
Totally different strategy for Turkey
this time around and we're seeing the results of it. He
knows a relentless attack won't work against Austria.
Heck, it didn't work against Latvia. By playing close to
the vest he avoids mistakes and sets up solid goals like
this one. |
16' - GOAL (TUR) - Turkey 1, Austria 0
Austria responds with a bit of a push, but Turkey is back and ready for it.
He anticipates, takes care of it and pushes back a little bit harder than he had
before.
Still, Austria continues to persist.
|
Austria searching, several men
forward. Turkey supplying good pressure. Austria passes,
good move around the defender gets an open shot...
DIVING SAVE! Turkey's keeper makes the catch and shuts
down the threat! |
Some scary stuff keeps Turkey from pursuing anything. He holds back, only
making a quick counter-attack when the opportunity presents itself. Otherwise,
he's patient and runs down clock frequently.
Austria later tries a similar strategy, but Turkey supplies additional
pressure and prevents Austria from even getting close to the box. This lets
Turkey get a couple turnovers and set up a couple good shots. Austria switches
to something with a little more luck.
|
Austria picks up the pace, passes
across midfield, may have some room, no! Brought down
hard. This may draw a scolding from the official. |
|
*holding yellow card*
Too rough, Turkey. That's a booking! |
|
Good call. Things have been pretty
mellow so far, but from what we've seen of Turkey and
the way things have been going, this match could really
explode soon. Seychelles trying to diffuse anything
early. |
|
It's a long free kick for Austria.
Kicks off to the side. Quickly crossed in, headed... off
the crossbar! Turkey gets it out of there, lucky break
for him as Austria nearly equalizes. |
Turkey smiles at his good fortune and tries to capitalize.
|
Turkey with a long pass forward,
Austria's not ready! Turkey with the breakaway! Shot is
saved! Austria gets it back, loses it! Turkey with
another shot, another save! |
|
Scary moment there for Austria.
Turkey caught a couple breaks in the last couple minutes
and while he's not showing it, Austria's getting
flustered a bit. |
Turkey continues to dog Austria while the dogging's good.
|
Turkey passing around quickly,
looking for something, passes to the corner, charges to
the box, has Austria beat... Austria swoops in with a
hard tackle! Whistle blows! |
|
He wasn't in the box yet, was he? |
|
Don't think so, but he would have had
a clear shot! |
Turkey winces at the strike to his leg, but pops up and
quickly turns to the official. Seychelles charges in and pulls out a red card.
|
Taking down an open shooter: that's a
red card! |
|
Oh, Austria loses a man after
interfering with a breakaway! |
|
Clearly a moment a panic from someone
usually so collected. Austria's not even arguing the
call, just gritting his teeth as his job becomes that
much harder. What a turn of events and Turkey is loving
it! |
Austria tries to push ahead with a strong attack, but Turkey turns him a way
and responds with a stronger one. Clearly, Austria is getting more frustrated as
the half comes to a close.
|
Austria, only down by a goal, but the
red card is going to make it difficult in the second
half. What do you do to regroup? |
|
It was a bad ending to the half. I
have to stay calm, think about it and hope I can come up
with a response. |
|
Was the red card out of frustration? |
|
Possibly. It was unexpected seeing
him playing so cautiously, but it had worked and I
wasn't going to let him attack just as successfully. |
|
Better luck in the next half.
Australia? |
|
Thanks, Taiwan. Not at all the match
we expected but I think Turkey deserves a lot of credit
in this one. |
|
He's a bit rambunctious but he's not
stupid. He knew his performances against Latvia and
Spain weren't going to get the job done, took a hard
look at his play and came out with a fresh plan. It's
working great and Turkey seems to have a new lease on
things. |
|
Most importantly, it has Austria
flummoxed. |
|
Austria has been a cool customer all
tournament, twice overcoming deficits against really
good teams. Turkey's played him just right. |
|
You might say he's played him like a
violin. |
|
You might. I wouldn't, though. But
with the man advantage, Turkey can just keep on doing
this in the second half. He should probably get one more
goal, but he could even get out of here with a 1-0 win. |
|
Let's send it back for the second
half. |
Turkey jumps out to a hot start, but Austria toughens up, shuts it down and
sends it right back down the pitch. He sustains an offense for a few minutes,
but Turkey is able to handle it and go right back down, earning a corner kick.
|
Kick's away, Turkey gets a header,
off the post! Right back to another man who walks it in!
Turkey gets some breathing room! |
|
With Austria at least threatening a
little bit of offense, a second goal is a good idea.
With his advantage, it felt like only a matter of time. |
49' - GOAL (TUR) - Turkey 2, Austria 0
Austria keeps trying to get down and get something going, but Turkey is
always there to stop him from getting close to the box. The game gets pretty
quiet as Turkey is content nursing his lead and preventing Austria from getting
anywhere.
It doesn't last forever, as Austria is eventually able to get a great shot
off, but Turkey makes another diving save to stop it.
Slowly, Austria begins to get things going a little. Once he shuts it down,
Turkey rushes back down, using his man advantage to set up some good shots.
|
Turkey has a few around the box. |
|
Not spreading too thin, but this is
more than he's put on offense than he has earlier in the
half. |
|
Attack's stalled, Austria takes over,
long pass to midfield. Connects and he rushes through,
past the defense! Austria with an open shot- what a
save! Spectacular save by Turkey to save his team. |
|
Turkey plays with fire just a little
bit and it's nice to see Austria nearly punish him for
it. It's looking bad for Austria but it's definitely not
over. |
Austria isn't in a panic mode, but he turns some decent shots. As the half
goes on, Turkey goes downfield for some speculative shots just to keep Austria
honest. He gets a few off and Austria is lucky to stop them.
As time winds down, Austria gets more desperate.
|
Austria building up troops outside
Turkey's box. Passes in, nothing there. Turkey gets it
back and sends it long. Gets past the defense. Quick
counterattack and Turkey has a breakaway! Gets into the
box, shoots! Knocked away but Turkey cleans it up and
adds one more! |
|
That's the finisher! Austria stacks
the box a bit more and Turkey punishes him. Feels like
Turkey's been waiting for that to open up all half. It
was only a matter of time... |
83' - GOAL (TUR) - Turkey 3, Austria 0
Austria tries again...
|
Austria still trying to get one to
head home with. Turkey shuts him down again, goes down
the pitch again! Finds another breakaway, takes another
shot! It's knocked away, Turkey with a diving header to
put it back in! Four-nil! |
|
Pretty much an identical goal to the
one twenty minutes ago. Just an all-around dominating
performance for Turkey! The red card helped but Turkey
executed brilliantly! |
Turkey ends up possessing the ball the rest of the game, pushing forward only
once to rub it in. The clock runs out and Turkey is ecstatic to advance to the
quarterfinals.
Day
16- Munich |
Match 50 |
Round of 16 |
|
AUSTRIA |
0:4
FT |
TURKEY |
|
|
|
Referee SEY |
Sukur
Ates
Ates
Ates |
16'
49'
83'
85' |
Wy finds Turkey celebrating on the pitch.
|
Turkey! Incredible win today. It
looked like you really changed up the game plan for
Austria. |
|
A little bit! Austria's a smart guy.
I knew I couldn't charge in blindly. I held back, waited
for chances and tried to disrupt his attack a lot.
Obviously, I can't complain about how it turned out. |
|
Now you face Germany next in Berlin.
What kind of mindset will you have for that? |
|
For him, I may need to cause a little
more trouble. I've got a pretty good fanbase in this
country, they've supported me the whole way and I'm
looking forward to a shot against the hosts. |
|
Good luck with that and we'll see you
in the quarterfinals. |
|
Sounds great! |
|
Thank you, Wy. Oi, what a performance
from Turkey! Played it cool, didn't make mistakes and
earned a clean sheet for his efforts. |
|
It's everything we didn't see out of
him in the group stage. I don't know if playing back
like that will do the job against Germany, but if he can
add a little more of the flair he showed us against
Lithuania, this is a scary opponent for Germany to be
facing. |
|
For Austria, it's a bitter way to go
out. The red card certainly hurt his chances, but this
game seemed to be Turkey's all the way. |
|
Austria had to fight to get here. He
should be proud to make it this far but it felt like he
let Turkey get the better of him this time. |
|
Well, with no group standings to
worry about, we'll be back here again tomorrow for two
more matches to crown two more quarterfinalists. |
|
Some fun ones too. Japan and Greece
are great friends, overcame tough opening losses to get
here and now face off against each other in the Round of
16. |
|
And if you thought Austria-Turkey was
a fun throwback, how's Spain-England suit you? Two teams
used to going far in the tournament will square off
tomorrow. One of them is going home. |
|
That'll do it for today. Congrats to
Germany and Turkey and we'll see you tomorrow. Adios! |
To Be Continued!
Got a bit convention rush in April, so I'm going to try to get one more
episode done before then. Here's hoping!
Return To Index
|