^ awesome rivalry
Montreal-Toronto
Boston-New York
LA-SF
All great rivalries. But they pale in comparison with international rivalries.
I always thought the Rangers-Celtics rivalry was the greatest rivalry of any two clubs throughout the world (it was stopped for a short while but will resume in another year or two). As for all star games, the State of Origin in Australia was always the best. Hopefully, some day folks in the USA & Canada will become acquainted with these great series.
Yeah. Protestant Rangers - who have won more league titles than any team on Earth (a whopping 54) - were kicked out of the top flight a few years ago and sent down to the Scottish Third Division (now known as Scottish League Two) after suffering financial problems. It was very strange for one of Europe's biggest teams to suddenly be playing the likes of Albion Rovers, East Stirlingshire, Clyde and Montrose. So the Old Firm match between them and their Catholic rivals Celtic is rarer now, but it is still possible for them to play each other in the Scottish Cup and the Scottish Communities League Cup. They were promoted last season to the Scottish Championship, the second tier of Scottish football, so I think they will be back in the big time the season after next. My grandfather was a huge fan of Rangers.
Other big rivalries includen Sunderland and Newcastle; Manchester United and Liverpool; Aston Villa and Birmingham City; Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal; Norwich City and Ipswich Town; and Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion.
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The first match today in the 2014 World Cup is a mouthwatering affair between Germany and Portugal in Group G. Then it's the other two teams in Argentina and Bosnia's Group F playing each other - Iran vs Nigeria. Then it's back to Group G for Ghana vs USA.
Germany and Portugal met in the Quarter Final of Euro 2008 and again in Group B of Euro 2012. In the former Germany won 3-2 and in the latter Germany won 1-0.
Iran - nicknamed the Princes of Persia - have as their manager Manchester United's former Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz. This will be only their tenth game in a World Cup finals and of their nine previous World Cup finals matches they won just one - 2-1 against USA in France in 1998.
Nigeria - the Super Eagles - are winless in their last eight World Cup games (D2 L6). It’s the longest current drought among the 32 teams taking part in 2014.
Ghana and USA played each other in the Last 16 in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with Ghana coming out 2-1 winners after extra time.
They also played each other in Group E in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, with Ghana again winning 2-1.
Four of Ghana’s previous nine World Cup goals have come against USA.
The USA have only kept two clean sheets in their last 23 games at the World Cup.
Ghana scored more goals than any other team in the 2014 African World Cup qualifiers (25).
Here's Fernando the Hamster giving us his prediction for each match:
Germany vs Portugal
Fernando the Hamster: Group G 17 June - Germany VS Portugal - YouTube
Iran vs Nigeria
Fernando the Hamster: Group F 17 June - Iran VS Nigeria - YouTube
Ghana vs USA
Fernando the Hamster: Group G 17 June - Ghana VS US - YouTube
I like the technology used which verifies whether/if the ball crosses the goal line. Not sure that the referee went by it but in the future it will settle any argument as to whether the shot is a goal.
There seemed to be a few problems with it when it was used properly for the first time, which was in the France/Honduras match, to determine whether or not the ball crossed the line for the second goal (the whole of the ball, not just some of it, has to cross the line). At first it said it hadn't crossed the line and then it said it had.
Fifa should have gone for Britain's HawkEye, which has been used for a number of years at Wimbledon (which starts on Monday) and in cricket and, for the first time last season, in the English Premier League (the first domestic league to use goal-line technology), with no problems. Instead they decided to go for Germany's GoalControl-4D. Fifa can't do anything right.
Twitter Reacts to Goal-Line Technology Awarding France's 2nd Goal vs. Honduras
By Patrick Clarke , Featured Columnist Jun 15, 2014
Did it or didn't it cross the line? Even GoalControl didn't seem to know Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
FIFA and football fans across the globe got their first look at goal-line technology in Sunday's 2014 World Cup Group E showdown between France and Honduras.
The controversial goal was given in the 48th minute after the GoalControl system ruled that the ball came off of Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares and crossed the goal line. The goal put France ahead 2-0.
Squawka Football on Twitter breaks down the ruling:
Squawka Football ✔ @Squawka Follow
No debate. #FRA #HON #WorldCup
9:14 PM - 15 Jun 2014
205 Retweets 69 favorites Reply
Sky Sports Football details the controversial decision:
Sky Sports Football ✔ @SkyFootball Follow
The goal has been given, & it's the right decision. The stadium showed two replays, the first wasn't over the line,the second was. #FRAvsHON
9:10 PM - 15 Jun 2014
333 Retweets 151 favorites Reply
Many, including English sports presenter Richard Keys, weren't in agreement with the goal-line sensors and expressed skepticism over the new technology.
But former football referee Graham Poll believed the technology got it right in the end.
Footy Jokes on Twitter noted FIFA's tough luck:
Footy Jokes @Footy_Jokes Follow
Only FIFA could invent a goal line technology that increases controversy.
9:41 PM - 15 Jun 2014
424 Retweets 241 favorites Reply
The debate is sure to continue on Twitter and across social media, but it won't change the ruling or the result as France would add a third goal moments later to extend their lead.
In April, FIFA explained how the technology works in a
press release:
GoalControl is equipped with 14 high-speed cameras located around the pitch, with seven cameras focusing on each goalmouth. The ball’s position is continuously and automatically captured in 3D and the indication of whether a goal has been scored is immediately confirmed within one second to a watch worn by each of the match officials.
Although there will always be close calls in football and controversy when they happen, it's clear that the World Cup is better off with this new goal-line technology. After all, in the 2010 World Cup, England were on the wrong end of a missed call by the match official that would have leveled them 2-2 with Germany in the round of 16. The goal was not given and England went on to lose 4-1.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter talked about how that moment spurred the organization to adapt the new system, per CNN.com's
Astead Herndon:
"For me as FIFA president it became evident the moment what happened in South Africa in 2010. I have to say 'thank you Lampard'. I was completely down in South Africa when I saw that; it really shocked me, it took me a day to react."
This goal by Frank Lampard should have made it 2-2 in the Last 16 match between England and Germany in the 2010 World Cup. Bizarrely, however, the referee disallowed it, saying it hadn't crossed the line, and England went on to lose 4-1
Situations like that led FIFA to implement this technology, and while there will be debate anytime the ball doesn't ripple the back of the net, it's clear that the technology in place is there to get the call right, and certainly did in this case.
Twitter Reacts to Goal-Line Technology Awarding France's 2nd Goal vs. Honduras | Bleacher Report
