UEFA have drastically updated their MatchCentre to display the matches far more sensibly. I won't go into the changes, but let's just say it is much simpler to use and has much less scrolling! It also now displays team statistics, including results and averages of previous games between the two sides.
My complaints would be first that it is still not updated very well as the match goes on. It can take some time to get the 'live' results appearing, and corrections often have to be made so you can't trust what it says. [Portugal's own goal was originally credited to one of the Danish players]
Secondly, in the statistics section there are red (home) and blue (away) bars to show how many goals, cards, shots etc. each team has had. But while some of these are positive, others are negative. It can therefore be hard to see which team is dominating a game – if a team has a good number of shots but a low number of cards, it looks like an even game, but a good number of shots and high number of cards looks like a dominated game.
Most Unexpected Result: Armenia 3 – 1 Slovakia. Surprising because Armenia are 89 points lower in rank than Slovakia, who were in the World Cup!
Most Expected Result: Hungary 8 – 0 San Marino. Because San Marino are... one of the worst international football teams in the world.
Most Embarrassing Result: Serbia 1 – 3 Estonia. Serbia helped Estonia to their victory with an own goal in extra time at the end of the second half. This was the first of two own goals scored today.
Most Promising Result: Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. Holding Italy to a scoreless draw is fantastic for any team. Northern Ireland would have no shame in losing to Italy, but drawing shows that their victory against Slovenia was not a fluke result. More importantly, Northern Ireland are the only team in the British Isles who didn't lose tonight! (England weren't playing; Ireland lost to Russia; Wales lost to Bulgaria; Scotland lost to the Czech Republic)
Most Unusual Result: Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark. Why Unusual? Portugal scored all the goals! At least they managed to win despite this.
Cleanest Game: Spain 3 – 1 Lithuania; Moldova 0 – 1 Netherlands; Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. No cards of any kind. Spain continue the way they were going in the World Cup before the final (they were the only team to get no cards in the group stages). However, it's a very clean game for the Dutch. And Northern Ireland earn more kudos for not getting any cards against Italy, who have been known in the past to dive.
Dirtiest Game: Wales 0 – 1 Bulgaria. In this awful game one Welsh player – defender Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest) – got a straight red card. His teammate Sam Ricketts (Bolton) got a yellow, as did four Bulgarian players including another Bolton player.
Showing posts with label slovakia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slovakia. Show all posts
28/06/2010
Day Eighteen: 28/6/2010 (again)
Brazil and Netherlands up to standard
Is there any surprise today? Just as yesterday, the teams live up to expectations as Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 (Slovakia's final goal came from a penalty), and Brazil beat Chile. Slovakia's goalscorer Vittek now has 4 goals, which matches Argentina's Higuain's amount. But with Slovakia out, Higuain just has to score once to go top.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.28, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range - 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.94, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range – 10
Predictions for tomorrow: Japan to beat Paraguay, Spain to beat Portugal.
Is there any surprise today? Just as yesterday, the teams live up to expectations as Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 (Slovakia's final goal came from a penalty), and Brazil beat Chile. Slovakia's goalscorer Vittek now has 4 goals, which matches Argentina's Higuain's amount. But with Slovakia out, Higuain just has to score once to go top.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.28, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range - 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.94, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range – 10
Predictions for tomorrow: Japan to beat Paraguay, Spain to beat Portugal.
Day Eighteen: 28/6/2010
Note: I'm graduating tomorrow from university so I may have trouble posting on time with family around, but I'll try!
Netherlands vs Slovakia, Brazil vs Chile
Really, do I need to give the statistics for these games? I will anyway, but just looking at the teams gives you the answers as to which side seems dominant.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, incidentally, is the second of three Europe-on-Europe games in the knockout stages. The other teams from around the world will not be playing European teams again until the next round. At least we know for sure, three European sides will make it to the quarter-finals.
Netherlands are ranked 4th, and Slovakia are ranked 34th. This is a 30-place difference! So point one to Netherlands.
Their only game against Slovakia resulted in a draw, so no points given.
Since this is Slovakia's first World Cup, the Netherlands win point three automatically.
And in terms of this cup, Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, while Slovakia have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Netherlands.
So the stats say Netherlands will win.
Brazil vs Chile is South America on South America. Brazil have the reputation, but Chile are like a second division side taking on the Premier League champions - going for it with all they've got!
Brazil are ranked first. This gives them point one without even looking at Chile, who are ranked 18th.
In the competitive record, these teams have met 71 times. Chile have won 8, drawn 13 and lost 50, with 57 goals for and 159 goals against! Point two to Brazil.
From 1994-2010, Brazil have qualified for every World Cup and even won it! Chile have only qualified twice - being banned in 1994, and making the final 16 in 1998. So point three to Brazil.
And finally, in this World Cup, Brazil have a 2-1-0 record in the group stages, while Chile have a 2-0-1 record. Point four to Brazil.
All the same, I'd like to see the little guys win for a change.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, Brazil vs Chile
Really, do I need to give the statistics for these games? I will anyway, but just looking at the teams gives you the answers as to which side seems dominant.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, incidentally, is the second of three Europe-on-Europe games in the knockout stages. The other teams from around the world will not be playing European teams again until the next round. At least we know for sure, three European sides will make it to the quarter-finals.
Netherlands are ranked 4th, and Slovakia are ranked 34th. This is a 30-place difference! So point one to Netherlands.
Their only game against Slovakia resulted in a draw, so no points given.
Since this is Slovakia's first World Cup, the Netherlands win point three automatically.
And in terms of this cup, Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, while Slovakia have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Netherlands.
So the stats say Netherlands will win.
Brazil vs Chile is South America on South America. Brazil have the reputation, but Chile are like a second division side taking on the Premier League champions - going for it with all they've got!
Brazil are ranked first. This gives them point one without even looking at Chile, who are ranked 18th.
In the competitive record, these teams have met 71 times. Chile have won 8, drawn 13 and lost 50, with 57 goals for and 159 goals against! Point two to Brazil.
From 1994-2010, Brazil have qualified for every World Cup and even won it! Chile have only qualified twice - being banned in 1994, and making the final 16 in 1998. So point three to Brazil.
And finally, in this World Cup, Brazil have a 2-1-0 record in the group stages, while Chile have a 2-0-1 record. Point four to Brazil.
All the same, I'd like to see the little guys win for a change.
20/06/2010
Day Ten: 20/6/2010
Italy continue to be bad, Brazil give no surprises
A shocking game from reigning world champions Italy, who have once again only drawn with supposedly-inferior opponents. New Zealand are the second-lowest FIFA/Coca-Cola ranked team in this World Cup, so what does that say about the Italians? The last time the reigning champions failed to win their first two matches in a World Cup was France back in 2002.
First, the card stats. There have been:
4 red cards
5 double-yellows to a single player in the same game
8 players have received two yellow cards in separate group-stages games
85 players have only had one yellow card
The two teams with the least cards given are North Korea and Spain, having not had any, although both teams are yet to play their second group stage matches.
The roughest team so far is Serbia, who have received 8 cards so far including one player sent off with two yellow cards against Ghana. This is partly because of their participation in the nine-card game.
The first game played today was Paraguay against Slovakia. Paraguay held Italy to a 1-1 draw in their first game, which is a mixture of good Paraguayan and bad Italian football. Slovakia lost 2-0, and also had three yellow cards, having previously drawn with New Zealand. If Italy beat Slovakia they will qualify, but if they draw then Paraguay have to beat New Zealand to go through. If Slovakia (somehow) beats Italy, they will qualify provided Paraguay lose. So this group is (surprisingly) anyone's game.
After Italy's disappointing draw with New Zealand, you can only assume that they're not going to retain the cup. A lot of supposedly-good teams this year are failing to do well. France and England have done especially poorly, and after a fantastic start, Germany have also fallen behind. However, Argentina and Brazil are doing well, and we've yet to hear from Portugal.
The big news is that France's star player Nicolas ANELKA has been sent home, and the entire French squad has disputed this decision, and thus refused to train. It remains to be seen how well they will fare against South Africa.
Brazil had another good match against Ivory Coast, winning 3-1. It's Brazil's second victory this World Cup, and continues their fantastic record. Ivory Coast is team led by ex-England coach Sven Goran-Ericcson, who led England to the quarter-finals of the last two World Cups. He may not have been able to beat Brazil, but bringing Portugal to a 1-1 draw is fantastic!
Goals per game: Mean - 1.97, Median - 2, Mode - 2, Range - 5
Cards per game: Mean - 3.93, Median - 4, Mode - 3,5, Range - 8
A shocking game from reigning world champions Italy, who have once again only drawn with supposedly-inferior opponents. New Zealand are the second-lowest FIFA/Coca-Cola ranked team in this World Cup, so what does that say about the Italians? The last time the reigning champions failed to win their first two matches in a World Cup was France back in 2002.
First, the card stats. There have been:
4 red cards
5 double-yellows to a single player in the same game
8 players have received two yellow cards in separate group-stages games
85 players have only had one yellow card
The two teams with the least cards given are North Korea and Spain, having not had any, although both teams are yet to play their second group stage matches.
The roughest team so far is Serbia, who have received 8 cards so far including one player sent off with two yellow cards against Ghana. This is partly because of their participation in the nine-card game.
The first game played today was Paraguay against Slovakia. Paraguay held Italy to a 1-1 draw in their first game, which is a mixture of good Paraguayan and bad Italian football. Slovakia lost 2-0, and also had three yellow cards, having previously drawn with New Zealand. If Italy beat Slovakia they will qualify, but if they draw then Paraguay have to beat New Zealand to go through. If Slovakia (somehow) beats Italy, they will qualify provided Paraguay lose. So this group is (surprisingly) anyone's game.
After Italy's disappointing draw with New Zealand, you can only assume that they're not going to retain the cup. A lot of supposedly-good teams this year are failing to do well. France and England have done especially poorly, and after a fantastic start, Germany have also fallen behind. However, Argentina and Brazil are doing well, and we've yet to hear from Portugal.
The big news is that France's star player Nicolas ANELKA has been sent home, and the entire French squad has disputed this decision, and thus refused to train. It remains to be seen how well they will fare against South Africa.
Brazil had another good match against Ivory Coast, winning 3-1. It's Brazil's second victory this World Cup, and continues their fantastic record. Ivory Coast is team led by ex-England coach Sven Goran-Ericcson, who led England to the quarter-finals of the last two World Cups. He may not have been able to beat Brazil, but bringing Portugal to a 1-1 draw is fantastic!
Goals per game: Mean - 1.97, Median - 2, Mode - 2, Range - 5
Cards per game: Mean - 3.93, Median - 4, Mode - 3,5, Range - 8
15/06/2010
Day Five: 15/6/2010
North Korea battle well against Brazil!
Some info on the ages of goalscorers:
Oldest scorer: 33 years, 7 months, 26 days – JI Yun Nam (North Korea) against Brazil
Youngest scorer: 20 years, 9 months, 0 days – Thomas MUELLER (Germany) against Australia
Mean age: 27.5
Mode age: 29 (5 players)
Range: 13
Interestingly, nobody has scored more than one goal yet. Let's hope that changes soon! Tomorrow: info on the times the goals were scored during the game.
So today we had New Zealand verses Slovakia (two teams lucky that there's only one good team in their group – Italy – so they have a chance of going through). This game resulted in a draw, and New Zealand defender Winston REID made the best use of injury time to score a goal in the 93rd minute. Reid is the second-youngest goalscorer, aged 21. Between him and the next-youngest is a gap of about three years. Slovakia's Robert VITTEK, who plays his football in Turkey, had scored in the 50th minute. He's 28 – which fits the goalscorer profile better!
Next up was the Ivory Coast, playing Portugal. You'd think Portugal would win, but like many other supposedly-good teams this tournament, they failed to impress, only getting a 0-0 draw with the African side. There were three yellow cards in this game, including one for Christiano RONALDO, who's well known for his diving – and his winking!
Finally, the North Koreans won the hearts of the world as they played against Brazil. Brazil will always be one of the best teams, having never failed to qualify for a world cup, and won it five times as well, most recently in 1998. They scored two goals and gained a yellow card in a clean game, but North Korea managed to hold back Brazil for the entirety of the first half, and Korean defender JI Yun-Nam, the oldest scorer in the World Cup so far, got a last minute goal to show just how good their team are. I may not approve of the country's government, but I care for the players. I was especially moved by JONG Tae-Se's passion.
Goals per game: Mean- 1.571, Median – 1.5, Mode – 1,2, Range - 4
Cards per game: Mean – 3.643, Median – 3, Mode – 2,3,6, Range – 6
Games seem to be getting cleaner, and the goals more interesting. Tomorrow is the sixth day of the tournament. Group H round off the first matches, and South Africa play Uruguay in their second games.
Some info on the ages of goalscorers:
Oldest scorer: 33 years, 7 months, 26 days – JI Yun Nam (North Korea) against Brazil
Youngest scorer: 20 years, 9 months, 0 days – Thomas MUELLER (Germany) against Australia
Mean age: 27.5
Mode age: 29 (5 players)
Range: 13
Interestingly, nobody has scored more than one goal yet. Let's hope that changes soon! Tomorrow: info on the times the goals were scored during the game.
So today we had New Zealand verses Slovakia (two teams lucky that there's only one good team in their group – Italy – so they have a chance of going through). This game resulted in a draw, and New Zealand defender Winston REID made the best use of injury time to score a goal in the 93rd minute. Reid is the second-youngest goalscorer, aged 21. Between him and the next-youngest is a gap of about three years. Slovakia's Robert VITTEK, who plays his football in Turkey, had scored in the 50th minute. He's 28 – which fits the goalscorer profile better!
Next up was the Ivory Coast, playing Portugal. You'd think Portugal would win, but like many other supposedly-good teams this tournament, they failed to impress, only getting a 0-0 draw with the African side. There were three yellow cards in this game, including one for Christiano RONALDO, who's well known for his diving – and his winking!
Finally, the North Koreans won the hearts of the world as they played against Brazil. Brazil will always be one of the best teams, having never failed to qualify for a world cup, and won it five times as well, most recently in 1998. They scored two goals and gained a yellow card in a clean game, but North Korea managed to hold back Brazil for the entirety of the first half, and Korean defender JI Yun-Nam, the oldest scorer in the World Cup so far, got a last minute goal to show just how good their team are. I may not approve of the country's government, but I care for the players. I was especially moved by JONG Tae-Se's passion.
Goals per game: Mean- 1.571, Median – 1.5, Mode – 1,2, Range - 4
Cards per game: Mean – 3.643, Median – 3, Mode – 2,3,6, Range – 6
Games seem to be getting cleaner, and the goals more interesting. Tomorrow is the sixth day of the tournament. Group H round off the first matches, and South Africa play Uruguay in their second games.
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