Kickoff

Posted on by

Anyone taking Costa Rica tomorrow? For the sheer perversity?

Just wondering.

This entry was posted in A Fistful Of Euros, Culture, Germany and tagged , by Doug Merrill. Bookmark the permalink.

About Doug Merrill

Freelance journalist based in Tbilisi, following stints in Atlanta, Budapest, Munich, Warsaw and Washington. Worked for a German think tank, discovered it was incompatible with repaying US student loans. Spent two years in financial markets. Bicycled from Vilnius to Tallinn. Climbed highest mountains in two Alpine countries (the easy ones, though). American center-left, with strong yellow dog tendencies. Arrived in the Caucasus two weeks before its latest war.

9 thoughts on “Kickoff”

  1. My Dad is ;)… The thing is, this time around, Germany don’t need a “Sparwasser-moment”, they don’t need to be hit over the head to get going, they need to start believing that Linker was right, regardless of the factual correctness of his quote, they need more of France’s ’98 spirit – “La victoire est en nous”. As I think I already said in another thread, my bet is a “classic” semi-final, Germany-England, preferably decided by penalty shoot out (23:21) and Italy vs Brazil. After that, no one knows.

    But whatever the outcome: let the games begin!

  2. I am, but for sheer value rather than perversity, as they’re 16-1 to win on Betfair and I’d say they have more than a 6% chance of victory.

  3. Today’s matches …

    Germany – Costa Rica; 3-1

    Poland – Ecuador; 2-2

    And you better believe it !! 🙂

    Oh and Brazil as winners of the trophy … sorry I just do not seem anybody else taking it at the moment.

  4. “my bet is a “classic” semi-final, Germany-England”

    Tobias, according to the match schedule I have in front of me that would be statistically impossible. They can only meet in the final or in the first round right after the group sessions (in which case either Germany or England will have to end second in their respective groups).

    Summary: or they eliminate each other in the 8th finals or they both push through to a clash in the final.

    Same goes for Italy versus Brazil.

    A semi-final Netherlands-Brazil would be totally cool and possible. Well, in theory at least.

    I hope you did not put any money on these fictitious semis 😉 Unless, of course, I need glasses.

  5. Guy, if it really is Germany against Engliand in the semi-finals, the Germans will win on penalties. I’d put money on it.

  6. Snowbird, Germany and England will never meet each other in the semis. Not even when both of them win all their previous matches.

    As to penalty-taking, yes, I believe Germany to have an advantage there.

  8. Guy,

    just checked, you’re right, and I am wrong. About the semifinals, of course, not the quarterfinals, for usually predicting Germany’s success in world cups has defied any intelligence, artificial or other. But I’d love to a match against the oranjes… maybe with a brief Rijkard and Völler spitting contest. That would be grand 😉 Btw, did that orange helmet become a bestseller?

  9. “Btw, did that orange helmet become a bestseller?”

    If I am not mistaken, it was banned. Really 🙂
    Anyway, good luck tonight (not that you would need it against CR)

    PS: Please, no spitting contests anymore.

Comments are closed.