Individual Matches Thread

[JohnnyK]

The betting before the start of the tournament said Iran are a better team than Angola, and scraping a 0-0 draw vs Mexico does not change that in my opinion.

I've taken a bit of 2.16 Iran on the Zero Handicap Line.

[colo colo]

Agree with that 100%. This is similar to yesterday's Paraguay situation when everyone was focusing on the small possibility that T&T could qualify but, in reality, it was obvious they were the worst team in that group by a distance. If Angola is as poor as I think they are they won't even get a draw out of this. Backed Iran accordingly at 3.05. Hard to believe price has moved so much.

[stump]

The french squad for the 23/06.

it will be a 4-4-2 (when there is not Zidane, its possible)

Suspended: Zidane , Abidal

Def: Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Silvestre
Milfielders Def: Vieira (cap.), Makelele
Milfieldes Off: Ribéry, Malouda
Forward: Trezeguet, Henry

----------------------------------------------
For tomorrow:

For me the odds who go down will be:

Back Brazil 1.3
Back Brazil Over 1.8
Back Italy Under 1.69

[JohnnyK]

Don't know if anyone else saw the Iran v Angola game but Iran were definitely the better side and could easily have won.

Tonight I think Ivory Coast are too short at 2.1. OK they've been a bit unlucky to lose their first two games but surely there isn't that much between these sides? Drogba suspended too.

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Ivory Coast coach Henri Michel can pick from a full-strength squad, with the exception of suspended Didier Drogba.

Kanga Akale is expected to come into the side, while Michel has hinted he may blood some other youngsters.

Serbia & Montenegro, playing their final game before the countries split politically, are without the banned Mateja Kezman and Ognjen Koroman.

Meanwhile, Ivica Dragutinovic, Dusan Basta, Albert Nadj and Danijel Ljuboja are all injury doubts.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivory Coast (probable): Tizie, Eboue, K Toure, Boka, Meite, Zokora, G Toure, Akale, Romaric, A Kone, B Kone.

Serbia & Montenegro (probable): Jevric, Basta, Gavrancic, Krstajic, Dragutinovic, Ergic, Duljaj, Stankovic, Vukic, Zigic, Ljuboja.

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)

[ilunga]

No Ljubola for Serbia. Pity as he's their best forward imo. At least Milosevic and Kezman aren't playing. I actually think the Ivory Coast price is alright. You can see from reading the quotes that their motivation is high. Can't say the same about the Serbs. I'm on the Ivorians for small stakes. Let's face it they would have qualified out of every other group.

[Cupid Stunt]

Spot on Ilunga
Ivory Coast should be backed tonight....even without the Drog.

[Cupid Stunt]

IC 1-0 down already

[Cupid Stunt]

Now 2-0 down
I give up.

[jonnygold]

2-1 and Rodriguez is kicking this off big-Mexican-style. 6 yellows and a red by HT

I decided to protect my booking ton-ups sell by buying the spread on this. Thank god I almost wish i was watching him in action, rather than the Argie match.

[jonnygold]

Spreadfair don't even know what to requote at
131-133

[keyser soze]

85 books at HT

[ilunga]

I layed no red. Almost backed the penalty market as well. This guy is mental. Could MU at anything.

[Cupid Stunt]

2-2

I wonder

[JohnnyK]

To be honest, the red cards and bad refereeing in general take the edge off this tournament for me. Hopefully Serbia will hold out here but it's still annoying that they have to spend 45 mins with backs to the wall because they only have 10 men.

The only consolation when betting is that it does work in your favour sometimes, but surely we should be watching 11 v 11 in almost every game.

[JohnnyK]

QED

Well done guys, at least someone benefitted.

[Cupid Stunt]

I've been betting on football a long time but NEVER before have a side I backed come back from 2 down and won.
Feels great and makes up for Argentina hitting the post and not the back of the net.

[JohnnyK]

I'm not gonna whinge about losing the bet, I'm even more certain now that Ivory Coast should never have been 2.1 to win this game, and as I said the luck evens out in the long run.

But watching that game sums up why I am quickly losing my passion for football. The Ivory Coast fella basically got sent off in the last minute for attempting to play the ball and someone nicked it away 0.001 secs before he made contact.

Players rolling around on the floor for no reason, the whistle blowing every 30 secs, yellow cards, red cards, penalties awarded for having the ball blasted at your arm from 5 yards, the game is a joke.

(Rant over)

[Cupid Stunt]

Johnny....I watched a video the other night of a Chelsea game from the early 70's when Osgood, Hudson and Cooke were in their prime and the thing that hits you, apart from the muddy pitch, is the complete lack of diving and the incredibly hard tackles players had to endure, even from behind. To a man, they all picked themselves up after each bone-crunching challenge, wiped the blood away and continued. The skill level was just as high, if not higher than today...the only difference was the pace of the game.
Give me yesteryear anytime.
I too am very disillusioned with the game as it is today.

[Walter]

If you watch the highlights again watch the ref ponce around the box before the winning penalty is taken. He literally sashays around the back of the pen taker like a ballerina. It was like a bad comedian doing a bad sketch about a bad ref. Unbelievable.

Pleased for the Ivory Coast though.

[ilunga]

Marco 'Dracula' Rodriguez is a loony. He's not your typical referee. I think it's daft to read too much into one refereeing performance. By and large the refereeing has been good. It's been refreshing to see some of the refs punishing diving, imaginary card waiving, etc I was also pleased that FIFA didn't crack down hard on Harry Kewell and instead gave Markus Merk a dressing-down over the swearing incident. Marco and a few of other muppets will be weeded out now to leave the best 16 refs.