Semi Final One: Netherlands vs Uruguay
1- FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Netherlands are 4th, Uruguay are 16th and the worst-ranked team left in the competition.
2 – Previous matches: Only three. One draw, and each team has won one.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Netherlands failed to qualify in 2002, but made the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 1994, and came third in 1998. Uruguay only qualified in 2002, and didn't make it past the group stages.
4 – 2010 Group Stages: Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, Uruguay a 2-1-0 record.
5 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Netherlands are 21-10, Uruguay 10-1.
So with Uruguay the outsiders, and all the stats against them, Netherlands have every chance of winning this game and getting into the final. My prediction is for the Brazil-beating team to win!
Showing posts with label uruguay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uruguay. Show all posts
06/07/2010
05/07/2010
Semi-Finals: The Players
Let's take a look at the teams remaining in the competition. Most of them have players who play all over the world, except for Germany, whose players all work in their home nation.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
04/07/2010
Quarter-Finals Summary: 4/7/2010
Sorry that I've completely failed to post the last few days. It's been busy here. Anyway, Brazil were defeated by the Netherlands, and Uruguay beat Ghana in penalties after Gyan failed to get an in-game penalty at the end that would have put his team through. Oops!
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
01/07/2010
The Quarter Finals: Continental Drift
Now we're up to the final eight teams in the competition. They come from three continents, but how does this compare to previous competitions? We were only ever going to get three European teams through, as a twist of fate meant they ended up playing each other instead of nations from other continents.
The perceived European dominance of football has been severely dented this year – only three sides made it from here, and most of the teams come from South America. In previous years, there was a European dominance, with maybe a couple of teams from South America. Even in 2002, Europe had more representation, and the other teams came from a wide spread of continents.
There has never been a World Cup winner outside of Europe or South America, and it looks like that will continue this year. Only Paraguay of the South American teams remaining has not won a cup, but only Germany from the European sides has done so. So it is possible that we may get a new World Cup winner this year – I'm supporting Spain.
| Continent | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 |
| Africa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Asia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Australasia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Europe | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| North/Central America0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| South America | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
The perceived European dominance of football has been severely dented this year – only three sides made it from here, and most of the teams come from South America. In previous years, there was a European dominance, with maybe a couple of teams from South America. Even in 2002, Europe had more representation, and the other teams came from a wide spread of continents.
There has never been a World Cup winner outside of Europe or South America, and it looks like that will continue this year. Only Paraguay of the South American teams remaining has not won a cup, but only Germany from the European sides has done so. So it is possible that we may get a new World Cup winner this year – I'm supporting Spain.
The Quarter Finals: Odds
Eight teams have been eliminated from the competition, and eight remain. Obviously, the bookies have now had to revise their odds. In comparison to last time, the odds have changed a bit. The change (+ if you get more back, - if you get less back) is shown after the odds. Let's take a look at the teams. As before, the odds are bet365.com, Ladbrookes, William Hill (10.00am 1/7/2010):
1-Brazil. Brazil are, unsurprisingly, still top. They easily took care of Chile. They're up against Netherlands/Holland next, who are also a good side. (12-5, 9-4, 5-2 -)
2-Spain. Viva la Espana! They managed to beat Portugal, and now face Paraguay. Not too hard for the Euro Champions. (11-4, 3-1, 11-4 -)
4-Netherlands. Now the third-best in the competition, but they face Brazil next. Can they do it? (7-1, 7-1, 7-1 +)
6-Germany. Germany easily beat a terrible England team. They play Argentina next, who are another fantastic, England-beating side. (7-1, 6-1, 13-2 -)
7-Argentina. And Argentina are just below Germany in the rankings. Both countries have won cups before, so there's pressure at home for more. (4-1, 7-2, 9-2 -)
16-Uruguay. They face Ghana next, and have done well so far in the competition. They are the third of four South American sides still in the competition! (14-1, 14-1, 16-1 -)
31-Paraguay. Paraguay face Spain. They're a long way down, but can David beat Goliath this time? (40-1, 40-1, 50-1 +)
32-Ghana. The last African nation left. They have a nation upholding them, but they're playing Uruguay. (33-1, 33-1, 40-1 -)
The biggest changes were with Ghana (decreasing) and Paraguay (increasing). Paraguay have taken Slovakia's place as outsiders.
1-Brazil. Brazil are, unsurprisingly, still top. They easily took care of Chile. They're up against Netherlands/Holland next, who are also a good side. (12-5, 9-4, 5-2 -)
2-Spain. Viva la Espana! They managed to beat Portugal, and now face Paraguay. Not too hard for the Euro Champions. (11-4, 3-1, 11-4 -)
4-Netherlands. Now the third-best in the competition, but they face Brazil next. Can they do it? (7-1, 7-1, 7-1 +)
6-Germany. Germany easily beat a terrible England team. They play Argentina next, who are another fantastic, England-beating side. (7-1, 6-1, 13-2 -)
7-Argentina. And Argentina are just below Germany in the rankings. Both countries have won cups before, so there's pressure at home for more. (4-1, 7-2, 9-2 -)
16-Uruguay. They face Ghana next, and have done well so far in the competition. They are the third of four South American sides still in the competition! (14-1, 14-1, 16-1 -)
31-Paraguay. Paraguay face Spain. They're a long way down, but can David beat Goliath this time? (40-1, 40-1, 50-1 +)
32-Ghana. The last African nation left. They have a nation upholding them, but they're playing Uruguay. (33-1, 33-1, 40-1 -)
The biggest changes were with Ghana (decreasing) and Paraguay (increasing). Paraguay have taken Slovakia's place as outsiders.
Day Twenty-two preview: 2/6/2010
It's time for the first two quarter-final matches. Brazil vs Netherlands are first, and then Uruguay vs Ghana. Let's compare the teams.
Brazil vs Netherlands
Two strong teams here. Brazil are first in the world, Netherlands are fourth. It will be a close game, but Brazil just edge this one out.
In their nine previous matches, Brazil have won three, Netherlands have won two, and four have been drawn. I'd say this one's a tie.
As for previous World Cup ability, Brazil won in 1998 which gives them the point. Some Brazillian players who were in that game are still on the team now!
Finally, group stage performance. Brazil have a 2-1-0 record, but Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record. So the final point goes to Netherlands.
This means it's a close match, with Brazil having a slight advantage.
Uruguay vs Ghana
Uruguay and Ghana are some of the weaker teams in the competition. Uruguay are 16th in the world, and Ghana are 32nd. That's a difference of 16 places. So Uruguay win this point.
In their only previous game, it came out as a draw, so this one's also a tie.
In the last four World Cups, Uruguay only qualified in 2002, when they went out in the group stages. Ghana qualified for their first World Cup in 2006, but made it to the final sixteen. This point goes to the Africans.
As for group stage performance, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while Ghana are 1-1-1. So Uruguay get the final point.
Once again, the stats say it could be close.
My predictions: Netherlands and Uruguay. I would love Ghana to get through, and be the best African nation of all time, but I don't think they will win. As for Brazil/Netherlands, I think the Dutchmen will edge it out of desperation.
Brazil vs Netherlands
Two strong teams here. Brazil are first in the world, Netherlands are fourth. It will be a close game, but Brazil just edge this one out.
In their nine previous matches, Brazil have won three, Netherlands have won two, and four have been drawn. I'd say this one's a tie.
As for previous World Cup ability, Brazil won in 1998 which gives them the point. Some Brazillian players who were in that game are still on the team now!
Finally, group stage performance. Brazil have a 2-1-0 record, but Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record. So the final point goes to Netherlands.
This means it's a close match, with Brazil having a slight advantage.
Uruguay vs Ghana
Uruguay and Ghana are some of the weaker teams in the competition. Uruguay are 16th in the world, and Ghana are 32nd. That's a difference of 16 places. So Uruguay win this point.
In their only previous game, it came out as a draw, so this one's also a tie.
In the last four World Cups, Uruguay only qualified in 2002, when they went out in the group stages. Ghana qualified for their first World Cup in 2006, but made it to the final sixteen. This point goes to the Africans.
As for group stage performance, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while Ghana are 1-1-1. So Uruguay get the final point.
Once again, the stats say it could be close.
My predictions: Netherlands and Uruguay. I would love Ghana to get through, and be the best African nation of all time, but I don't think they will win. As for Brazil/Netherlands, I think the Dutchmen will edge it out of desperation.
26/06/2010
Day Sixteen part one: 26/6/2010
Uruguay's dry spell is over
Uruguay played South Korea in the first match of the day. It was raining all through the match, and coming down harder in the second half. The South Americans began well with an early goal, and were unfortunate to not be given a penalty from a Korean handball. Korea took the second-half by storm, however, and had the majority of the possession throughout the match. They eventually got a goal back, destroying Uruguay's clean sheet for the first time in the competition. Uruguay went 337 minutes without any team scoring against them.
Then Uruguay had a fantastically lucky goal that almost hit the post, giving Suarez his third goal in the competition, which puts him well into the Adidas golden boot competition. ITV and FIFA both agree it's one of the best goals so far. After holding on for 13 more minutes, the South Koreans were put out of the World Cup after a fantastic final 16 game.
Later: USA vs Ghana.
As evidenced by the change of title, I'm now branching out into other sports. Also to come: Formula 1 race 9 qualifying.
Uruguay played South Korea in the first match of the day. It was raining all through the match, and coming down harder in the second half. The South Americans began well with an early goal, and were unfortunate to not be given a penalty from a Korean handball. Korea took the second-half by storm, however, and had the majority of the possession throughout the match. They eventually got a goal back, destroying Uruguay's clean sheet for the first time in the competition. Uruguay went 337 minutes without any team scoring against them.
Then Uruguay had a fantastically lucky goal that almost hit the post, giving Suarez his third goal in the competition, which puts him well into the Adidas golden boot competition. ITV and FIFA both agree it's one of the best goals so far. After holding on for 13 more minutes, the South Koreans were put out of the World Cup after a fantastic final 16 game.
Later: USA vs Ghana.
As evidenced by the change of title, I'm now branching out into other sports. Also to come: Formula 1 race 9 qualifying.
Day Sixteen Preview: 26/6/2010
We have every qualifying continent but Europe represented today! Who will win? I predicted yesterday that Uruguay and USA will win. Do the stats bear this out?
Uruguay/South Korea
Ranked 16 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, Uruguay are far ahead of South Korea, who are only 47 – the worst-ranked team in the finals. Point one to Uruguay.
In their five confrontations, there was one draw, and Uruguay won the other four matches – most recently in 2007. Point two to Uruguay.
In the World Cups 1994-2010, Uruguay have only qualified twice, not making it out of the group stages in 2002, and failing to qualify in 1994, 1998 and 2006. South Korea, however, qualified for all five Cups, coming fourth in 2002, but mostly staying in the group stages. Point three to South Korea.
Comparing group performance just at this World Cup, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while South Korea have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Uruguay.
This suggests the South Americans will win.
USA/Ghana
Ranking: USA are 14, while Ghana are 32 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings. Point one to USA.
In their only confrontation, at the 2006 World Cup, the USA were defeated 3-1 by Ghana. Point two to Ghana.
In the World Cups 1994-2010, the USA qualified each time, making it to the quarter-finals in 2002 and the final 16 in 1994. Ghana have only qualified in 2006 and 2010, but have made it to the final 16 each time. Point three, just about, to the USA.
By performance at this World Cup, USA have a 1-2-0 record, while Ghana have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to USA.
This suggests the USA will win.
Will my predictions bear out, or will the weight of Africa's support spur Ghana to victory? No teams have any extra disadvantages from disqualified players, so it's all down to the skill of the players.
Uruguay/South Korea
Ranked 16 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, Uruguay are far ahead of South Korea, who are only 47 – the worst-ranked team in the finals. Point one to Uruguay.
In their five confrontations, there was one draw, and Uruguay won the other four matches – most recently in 2007. Point two to Uruguay.
In the World Cups 1994-2010, Uruguay have only qualified twice, not making it out of the group stages in 2002, and failing to qualify in 1994, 1998 and 2006. South Korea, however, qualified for all five Cups, coming fourth in 2002, but mostly staying in the group stages. Point three to South Korea.
Comparing group performance just at this World Cup, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while South Korea have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Uruguay.
This suggests the South Americans will win.
USA/Ghana
Ranking: USA are 14, while Ghana are 32 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings. Point one to USA.
In their only confrontation, at the 2006 World Cup, the USA were defeated 3-1 by Ghana. Point two to Ghana.
In the World Cups 1994-2010, the USA qualified each time, making it to the quarter-finals in 2002 and the final 16 in 1994. Ghana have only qualified in 2006 and 2010, but have made it to the final 16 each time. Point three, just about, to the USA.
By performance at this World Cup, USA have a 1-2-0 record, while Ghana have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to USA.
This suggests the USA will win.
Will my predictions bear out, or will the weight of Africa's support spur Ghana to victory? No teams have any extra disadvantages from disqualified players, so it's all down to the skill of the players.
22/06/2010
Day Twelve: 22/6/2010
France fail as Argentina shine
Here's some goalscorer age stats:
The youngest goalscorer is unchanged from last time: Germany's Mueller, aged only 20. The oldest goalscorer is Mexico's Blanco, who scored a penalty against France aged 37. The mean age of a scorer is 27.2, and the median is 27.5, with a lower quartile of 25 and an upper quartile of 29, suggesting most goalscorers are in their late 20s. Indeed, the age with the most goalscorers is 29.
A fantastic game for South Africa, but disappointingly they failed to get through to the next round of the World Cup as Uruguay only won 1-0 against Mexico - goal difference was the deciding factor. France have shown themselves to be a terrible team – they went through more than 338 minutes of World Cup matches without scoring a single goal – which is two-and-a-half matches from this year's cup, and one-and-a-half matches from last year's cup. So Mexico go through on goal difference (+1) as second in their group.
The referee of the France-South Africa game did not do a fantastic job – the first goal was off the shoulder of South African KHUMALO, and the red card against GOURCUFF that brought France down to 10 men was probably undeserved. There has been a lot of bad refereeing in this tournament so far, but let's hope we have a few good refs to choose from to take the Final.
France head home to face a government enquiry into the mess they've ended up in. The only two previous times they have failed to get into the knockout stages – 1966 and 2002 – they were in Uruguay's group each time, and failed to get more than a single point. South Africa are already at home, so there's no long distance to travel for their players, but they put on a great final performance.
Argentina played Greece as South Korea took on Nigeria in the second pair of games today. There was fantastic play in the South Korea/Nigeria game that kept the other two teams guessing as to who would go through. After missing an easy goal in the second half, Yukubu then scored a penalty his team earned to get them on level terms again with the Asian side. All the players were flagging by the end, and struggling to keep going.
Despite a terrible lack of possession for Greece, they held Argentina off their first goal for 77 minutes before DEMICHELIS finally scored to bring the South American side in the lead. They eventually won 2-0 with some fantastic play. To nobody's surprise, Argentina successfully qualified winners of group B to play against Mexico. South Korea go on to face Uruguay.
Predictions for tomorrow: England and USA to qualify from group C, Germany and Serbia to qualify from group D. I would say Germany and Ghana if they weren't playing each other, and I expect Germany to win this game, and Serbia to beat Australia.
We have two South American, one mid-American and one Asian side through to the next round of the World Cup so far. If my predictions prove correct, then three European and one North American side will join them.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.14, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range – 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.92, Median – 4, Mode – 2,3, Range – 9
It seems goals are increasing, and the roughness of the games is decreasing.
Here's some goalscorer age stats:
The youngest goalscorer is unchanged from last time: Germany's Mueller, aged only 20. The oldest goalscorer is Mexico's Blanco, who scored a penalty against France aged 37. The mean age of a scorer is 27.2, and the median is 27.5, with a lower quartile of 25 and an upper quartile of 29, suggesting most goalscorers are in their late 20s. Indeed, the age with the most goalscorers is 29.
A fantastic game for South Africa, but disappointingly they failed to get through to the next round of the World Cup as Uruguay only won 1-0 against Mexico - goal difference was the deciding factor. France have shown themselves to be a terrible team – they went through more than 338 minutes of World Cup matches without scoring a single goal – which is two-and-a-half matches from this year's cup, and one-and-a-half matches from last year's cup. So Mexico go through on goal difference (+1) as second in their group.
The referee of the France-South Africa game did not do a fantastic job – the first goal was off the shoulder of South African KHUMALO, and the red card against GOURCUFF that brought France down to 10 men was probably undeserved. There has been a lot of bad refereeing in this tournament so far, but let's hope we have a few good refs to choose from to take the Final.
France head home to face a government enquiry into the mess they've ended up in. The only two previous times they have failed to get into the knockout stages – 1966 and 2002 – they were in Uruguay's group each time, and failed to get more than a single point. South Africa are already at home, so there's no long distance to travel for their players, but they put on a great final performance.
Argentina played Greece as South Korea took on Nigeria in the second pair of games today. There was fantastic play in the South Korea/Nigeria game that kept the other two teams guessing as to who would go through. After missing an easy goal in the second half, Yukubu then scored a penalty his team earned to get them on level terms again with the Asian side. All the players were flagging by the end, and struggling to keep going.
Despite a terrible lack of possession for Greece, they held Argentina off their first goal for 77 minutes before DEMICHELIS finally scored to bring the South American side in the lead. They eventually won 2-0 with some fantastic play. To nobody's surprise, Argentina successfully qualified winners of group B to play against Mexico. South Korea go on to face Uruguay.
Predictions for tomorrow: England and USA to qualify from group C, Germany and Serbia to qualify from group D. I would say Germany and Ghana if they weren't playing each other, and I expect Germany to win this game, and Serbia to beat Australia.
We have two South American, one mid-American and one Asian side through to the next round of the World Cup so far. If my predictions prove correct, then three European and one North American side will join them.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.14, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range – 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.92, Median – 4, Mode – 2,3, Range – 9
It seems goals are increasing, and the roughness of the games is decreasing.
16/06/2010
Day Six: 16/6/2010
Disappointment for South Africa
Here's some time news for goals:
Latest goal: 95 (90+5') minutes – Alvaro PEREIRA (Uruguay) against South Africa
Earliest goal: 4 minutes – Stephen GERRARD (England) against USA
Mean time to score: 53 minutes
Median Time: 53.5 minutes (same as mean)
Lower Quartile: 36.5 minutes
Upper Quartile: 79 minutes
In other words: Most goals are scored towards the end of the first half, but during most of the second half.
Onto the day's news. Chile unsurprisingly beat Honduras 1-0 after a first-half goal. Their scorer was Jean BEAUSEJOUR, in minute 34 (so a fast goal according to the stats). He's 26 years old, and plays for a Mexican team called America. For a striker, he's a rubbish goalscorer, having only taken 2 goals in 28 international matches. There were three yellow cards, and two of those also went to Chile. So far, only three teams have managed to avoid getting any cards – both Korean teams and Spain.
Talking of Spain, they played well against Switzerland, but were shocked when their weaker opponents scored against them. Spain were unable to return the favour, so Swiss player Gelson FERNANDES who scored is probably especially jubilant. Spain avoided any yellow cards, but Switzerland picked up four, including one for their goalkeeper Diego BENAGLIO, breaking the goalkeepers' run of good behaviour this tournament.
But it was South African goalie Itumeleng KHUNE who really ruined the goalies' profiles as he gained a straight red card for his conduct in their game against Uruguay. Finally we had a player who scored two goals, as well-known Diego FORLAN scored in the 23rd minute, and then with a penalty in the 80th minute. This makes him the current top scorer in the 2010 World Cup.
Goals per game: Mean – 1.647, Median – 2, Mode – 1,2, Range - 4
Cards per game: Mean – 3.47, Median – 3, Mode – 3, Range – 6
Tomorrow, we see France take on Mexico (and hopefully play better) as a David-and-Goliath battle takes place in the form of Argentina on South Korea. Data to come on the country the goalscorers play in.
PS: Each day of the weak I'm going to release different data. Monday: Cards and goals of the different positions. Tuesday: Ages of goalscorers. Wednesday: Times of goals in matches. Thursday: Countries that goalscorers usually play in. Friday: How many own goals/penalties/other goals. Saturday: Ages of card receivers. Sunday: Card statistics (yellows/two yellows/reds).
Here's some time news for goals:
Latest goal: 95 (90+5') minutes – Alvaro PEREIRA (Uruguay) against South Africa
Earliest goal: 4 minutes – Stephen GERRARD (England) against USA
Mean time to score: 53 minutes
Median Time: 53.5 minutes (same as mean)
Lower Quartile: 36.5 minutes
Upper Quartile: 79 minutes
In other words: Most goals are scored towards the end of the first half, but during most of the second half.
Onto the day's news. Chile unsurprisingly beat Honduras 1-0 after a first-half goal. Their scorer was Jean BEAUSEJOUR, in minute 34 (so a fast goal according to the stats). He's 26 years old, and plays for a Mexican team called America. For a striker, he's a rubbish goalscorer, having only taken 2 goals in 28 international matches. There were three yellow cards, and two of those also went to Chile. So far, only three teams have managed to avoid getting any cards – both Korean teams and Spain.
Talking of Spain, they played well against Switzerland, but were shocked when their weaker opponents scored against them. Spain were unable to return the favour, so Swiss player Gelson FERNANDES who scored is probably especially jubilant. Spain avoided any yellow cards, but Switzerland picked up four, including one for their goalkeeper Diego BENAGLIO, breaking the goalkeepers' run of good behaviour this tournament.
But it was South African goalie Itumeleng KHUNE who really ruined the goalies' profiles as he gained a straight red card for his conduct in their game against Uruguay. Finally we had a player who scored two goals, as well-known Diego FORLAN scored in the 23rd minute, and then with a penalty in the 80th minute. This makes him the current top scorer in the 2010 World Cup.
Goals per game: Mean – 1.647, Median – 2, Mode – 1,2, Range - 4
Cards per game: Mean – 3.47, Median – 3, Mode – 3, Range – 6
Tomorrow, we see France take on Mexico (and hopefully play better) as a David-and-Goliath battle takes place in the form of Argentina on South Korea. Data to come on the country the goalscorers play in.
PS: Each day of the weak I'm going to release different data. Monday: Cards and goals of the different positions. Tuesday: Ages of goalscorers. Wednesday: Times of goals in matches. Thursday: Countries that goalscorers usually play in. Friday: How many own goals/penalties/other goals. Saturday: Ages of card receivers. Sunday: Card statistics (yellows/two yellows/reds).
11/06/2010
Day One: 11/6/2010
The surprise is: France fail to shine!
What do you think about vuvuzelas? I want one, but being an Englishwoman in Scotland, I'd not get one with an England flag on it. The vuvuzelas sound awesome the first time you hear them. After a while, however, your brain is filled with the sound and you start to get a headache. According to Wikipedia, they can get up to 127 decibels! A few vuvuzela stats:
50,000 were shipped to the UK before the World Cup. On the day it was announced that South Africa would host the World Cup, 20,000 were sold in the country. They are incredibly popular, multicoloured things that even children find easy to play, and sound like a horde of angry bees. However, they have been part of South African tradition for ages. We will certainly be hearing more of these in the future – both at football matches, and in the news.
Back to the game. First, South Africa versus Mexico. It seemed like a relatively boring game, but at least goals were scored! Four yellow cards were given out, two per team. Mexico used all three of their substitutes, while South Africa only used two.
South African goalscorer Siphiwe TSHABALALA (yes, I did copy-and-paste his name) is 25 years old, and plays for the Kaizer Chiefs! Yep, the band really is named after a South African football team. I didn't know that either. He was also named man of the match.
Mexican goalscorer Rafael MARQUEZ is slightly older, at 31, and plays in Spain for Barcelona, so you know he's good. Unfortunately, one good player does not a good team make, which is why Mexico's international reputation needs a bit of work.
In the second game, France and Uruguay were disappointing – especially France, who you'd expect to do well. They came to a 0-0 draw. All-in-all, seven yellow cards were given out, one of which was a second yellow that got a Uruguayan sent off.
The sent-off Uruguayan is Nicolas LODEIRO, who's only 21 years old! He plays for Ajax in the Netherlands, and has only played five games for Uruguay. It looks like that won't be increasing any time in the future, since he received his second yellow.
There was an Asian flavour to the refereeing in this match, with Japanese referee NISHIMURA Yuichi. He is 38, and the Fifa website lists his hobbies as 'golf'. He's into his seventh year of refereeing. His first assistant is also Japanese, and the other is South Korean.
Goals per game: Mean – 1, Median – 1, Mode – 0,2, Range - 2
Cards per game: Mean – 5.5, Median – 5.5, Mode – 4,7, Range - 3
Tomorrow: Three games! Group B kicks off, along with the first half of group C.
What do you think about vuvuzelas? I want one, but being an Englishwoman in Scotland, I'd not get one with an England flag on it. The vuvuzelas sound awesome the first time you hear them. After a while, however, your brain is filled with the sound and you start to get a headache. According to Wikipedia, they can get up to 127 decibels! A few vuvuzela stats:
50,000 were shipped to the UK before the World Cup. On the day it was announced that South Africa would host the World Cup, 20,000 were sold in the country. They are incredibly popular, multicoloured things that even children find easy to play, and sound like a horde of angry bees. However, they have been part of South African tradition for ages. We will certainly be hearing more of these in the future – both at football matches, and in the news.
Back to the game. First, South Africa versus Mexico. It seemed like a relatively boring game, but at least goals were scored! Four yellow cards were given out, two per team. Mexico used all three of their substitutes, while South Africa only used two.
South African goalscorer Siphiwe TSHABALALA (yes, I did copy-and-paste his name) is 25 years old, and plays for the Kaizer Chiefs! Yep, the band really is named after a South African football team. I didn't know that either. He was also named man of the match.
Mexican goalscorer Rafael MARQUEZ is slightly older, at 31, and plays in Spain for Barcelona, so you know he's good. Unfortunately, one good player does not a good team make, which is why Mexico's international reputation needs a bit of work.
In the second game, France and Uruguay were disappointing – especially France, who you'd expect to do well. They came to a 0-0 draw. All-in-all, seven yellow cards were given out, one of which was a second yellow that got a Uruguayan sent off.
The sent-off Uruguayan is Nicolas LODEIRO, who's only 21 years old! He plays for Ajax in the Netherlands, and has only played five games for Uruguay. It looks like that won't be increasing any time in the future, since he received his second yellow.
There was an Asian flavour to the refereeing in this match, with Japanese referee NISHIMURA Yuichi. He is 38, and the Fifa website lists his hobbies as 'golf'. He's into his seventh year of refereeing. His first assistant is also Japanese, and the other is South Korean.
Goals per game: Mean – 1, Median – 1, Mode – 0,2, Range - 2
Cards per game: Mean – 5.5, Median – 5.5, Mode – 4,7, Range - 3
Tomorrow: Three games! Group B kicks off, along with the first half of group C.
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