Monday, July 02, 2007

Argentina v Colombia - Match Coverage


VAMOS ARGENTINA!
National anthems are being played.
Everything is set!
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6th minute - CRESPO heads the ball and hits the cross-bar after a MESSI's corner kick. The ball bounced off the line.
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9th minute - Colombia scores. FERREIRA shoots after a VARGAS set play. Edison PEREA deflected the ball into Argentina's net as Gabriel MILITO was clearly leaving him on-side.
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18th minute - MESSI is fouled by RODALLEGA inside the box.
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19th minute - CRESPO takes it and makes it 1-1. But he got injured by kicking the ball as hard as he could. He is off. Substituted by Diego MILITO.
Unlucky for Hernán, one of the top-scorers in the Copa America with 3 goals. Like Roque SANTA CRUZ, ROBINHO and Salvador CABAÑAS.
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29th minute - VERON tries his luck from the distance. CALERO saves.
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30th minute - RIQUELME is fouled near the box. Colombian fouling at every opportunity. RIQUELME takes it, CALERO saves again.
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34th minute - Great cross by ZANETTI from the right. RIQUELME heads the ball and it goes in near the post. Argentina 2-1 Colombia.
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40th minute - ARIZALA tries from outside the box, PATO saves and Gabriel MILITO is first to the rebound to clear the danger.
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44th minute - ROMAN makes it 3-1 with a fantastic free-kick. MESSI created that chance with a mesmerizing run that forced the defense to foul him. Argentina 3-1 Colombia.
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HALF TIME
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SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY
No substitutions for Argentina.
Colombians keep fouling.
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58th minute - Amazing team play. Impressive movement. An action that started on the right with MESSI combining well with RIQUELME. ROMAN opened to CAMBIASSO who crossed for Diego MILITO. He touched the ball and CALERO saved in two times.
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73rd minute - CASTRILLON scores with a header. PATO is at fault, but he headed the ball without being very pressured. Argentina 3-2 Colombia.
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82nd minute - ARIZALA almost surprises PATO with a very long distance effort that hits the bar.
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89th minute - RIQUELME sets up Diego MILITO but CALERO saves it and the ball rebounds on Diego and goes out. A glorious pass by ROMAN.
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90th minute - Fabian VARGAS, former Boca Juniors player, fouls Esteban CAMBIASSO from behind and sees red
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92nd minute - TEVEZ heads the ball down to Diego MILITO who scores after a slight deflection on Iván CORDOBA. Argentina 4-2 Colombia.
FULL TIME!
Argentina joins Mexico and Paraguay in the quarter-finals.
But now Argentina needs to beat Paraguay in order to win Group C.

163 comments:

  1. Gabriel MILITO is having another shocker.

    Left PEREA onside when the Colombian score.

    Now sees the yellow card and will miss next match. At this point, this sounds like good news, as he clearly is not his usual self.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PENALTY KICK FOR ARGENTINA!

    Foul on MESSI!

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  3. Might see some fisticuffs in this one. Very physical play from Colombia.

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  4. Crespo is hurt taking the penalty.

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  5. Anonymous6:13 pm

    Ok, common Milito..this is your chance..GO GO GO.

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  6. The great Cata Diaz prepares to show his stuff. Don't let me down Cata ! CataDiaz is the password to my bank account !:)

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  7. Unlucky for Hernán. But I can't say the same about Diego MILITO.

    This is his first chance to play a competitive game for Argentina. He will have 70 minutes to show what he can do.

    VAMOS DIEGO!

    By the way, CRESPO is not the all-time second top-scorer for Argentina (only behind Gabriel BATISTUTA).

    CRESPO now has 35. MARADONA is third with 34.

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  8. Johnny! That's some very very personal information! hahahaha!

    Cata will surely play against Paraguay then.

    Come on Argentina! We can beat Colombia!

    What worries me is that we are not passing the ball too well tonight.

    Guys...is it me or that ARIZALA's foul on MASCHERANO deserved a red card instead of a yellow?

    And CRESPO! 20 minutes, one header that hits the bar, one goal. He's great!

    Wonder if this injury will keep him out of the Copa for good. Hope not!

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  9. you guys see how veron and messi are displacing to the left?

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  10. Whatever Crespo hurt, he knew right away. Usually not a good sign.

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  11. Anonymous6:20 pm

    guys..do you know where i can get a live feed over the internet..im at work :( and will be relying on you guys. Thanks

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  12. Alwin, I think you will have to download a program.

    It's kind of complicated. You'll also need a great broadband speed.

    I can try GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!

    RIQUELME! 2-1!

    Great header!

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  13. sopcast or pplive

    anyway, go roman!

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  14. Roman !! Nothing to it. Sunday afternoon at the park !

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  15. Oh God, I'm really 'suffering' through the game right now, as they say.

    Just far too much going wrong.

    Come on, Diego!

    And Seba, I agree Arizala should have been off (and the GolTV commentators did too).

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  16. ROMAN. Oh, Roman.

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  17. everything i wanted to see. lateral displacement of messi and veron, zanetti pushing for width, heinze staying and relieving pressure from mascher.... doing good

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  18. We are starting to look confident and relaxed up front. As long as the defense holds up-we are off and running.

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  19. You see? He scores for Boca, he runs 40 yards at top speed and clearly enjoys it!

    He scores for ARGENTINA (for fuck sake!), he doesn't even celebrate. Just walks away. Without a smile. Anything.

    Very extrange!

    From what I'm seeing so far, great game by VERON and ZANETTI.

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  20. Anonymous6:27 pm

    Ok, 2-1 up great news. Seba mind letting me know what is the software, i think the "OFFICE" broadband is kinds good ;)

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  21. MESSI with a good run, a pass to CAMBIASSO whose shot is very weak and deflected. Could've been a great chance.

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  22. Seba, I am surprised at you ! Acting like a crazy man is expected in La Boca, but not on the international stage !

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  23. Alwin, Rio posted the names of the softwares:

    SOPCAST is quite good.

    PPlive and also USEE.

    Try SOPCAST first. Sorry...don't have a link handy for you.

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  24. Johnny...I use this comments box to unleash the beast! hahaha!

    Colombia almost there. PATO saved and Gabriel MILITO cleared the rebound.

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  25. we want blood!

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  26. Well done Gaby Milito. Really redeemed himself there.

    Alwin, this website may help: http://www.myp2p.eu/

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  27. La Pulga dodging hairs on the beast. He looks like he is on a mission tonight.

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  28. Anonymous6:34 pm

    Very physical, almost cynical Colombian side.

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  29. Is that a little better !

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  30. Anonymous6:35 pm

    GOLAZO, RIQUELME!!!

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  31. I'M WEARING ROMAN'S SHIRT RIGHT NOW

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  32. Still not passing fluently, I think.

    Nice run from Messi.

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  33. Where's soyderiver esta noche ?

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  34. ROMAN. I always believed.

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  35. Anonymous6:38 pm

    I hope Tevez have a chance.

    Asian Fan

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  36. Anonymous6:39 pm

    Linda, thanks for the link and thanks for all the updates here. Its like watching the game through text,wonderful :)

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  37. Anonymous6:40 pm

    riq u r fantastic....

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  38. Comments were unavailable for a while. I'm back now.

    What a great feeling it is to follow Argentina with you.

    And let me tell you, I'm loving our team in this Copa.

    It is like I have an extrange feeling that I'm sure we can and we will score anytime!

    I'm also wearing the Albiceleste (but with no number).

    I guess the picture I've uploaded before the match, really helped ROMAN!

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  39. Well, this is great fun watching this demolition of Colombia. I almost forgot I had a cold until I sneezed on the keyboard. Yuck !

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  40. ok, i wanna see ONE offensive upgrade coming off the bench. basile can save one for his heart conditions.

    let's see some action from lucho or tevez man. 3-4-1-2 or go 4-3-3.

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  41. Anonymous6:47 pm

    too much fouling, ruins the whole match

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  42. I love our team too, Seba, although the defence still starts out shaky. They do look better now.

    Let's see what Diego Milito can do and hope that Crespo isn't too badly injured.

    I already have a women's Argentina shirt with no number, but it's too cold to wear (winter over here). But now I want another one with Roman's name and number.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Oh and you want to hear something funny?

    Last thursday, a certain work-mate called LEO (Brazilian, of course!), called me just after the USA scored the opening goal. He stayed on the phone and soon after, we scored the equalizer.

    Guess what happened tonight?

    Colombia scores. Phone rings. Leo laughs. I ask him to stay right where he is. He's watching the game. He sees Roman is about to take a free kick and hungs up.

    Too late! MESSI gets fouled in that play. Penalty kick. 1-1.

    And then, nobody rings me anymore!

    Shame on them! hahaha!

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  44. linda. that was an offside trap that didnt work well. it's the opposite of inexperience, in a way too much experience. So nothing to really worry about IMO

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  45. Anonymous6:49 pm

    I have my Crespo shirt on now. I hope his injury isn't severe.

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  46. The NYTimes blog said Crespo pulled a hammy. I hope not. Not a good thing if he did, and he could be out a while if so. So Diego has gotta strap it on the rest of the way.

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  47. Good point, Rio. And I agree that I'd like to see either Lucho or Aimar and definitely Tevez in the second half.

    Veron's having an okay game. I wasn't impressed with him last game, but this is better. Zanetti's just brilliant.

    The Columbians really are very physical. Not impressed.

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  48. Anonymous6:54 pm

    Tevez is a highly motivated and highly skilled player and I hope he can come in asap. I am sure Tevez is itching to go..

    Asian Fan

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  49. I don't like the hard fouls either, but from Colombia's perspective they don't have much choice, plus they are probably very frustrated after the Paraguay humiliation. I hope they don't go overboard in the second half.

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  50. Anonymous6:57 pm

    3-1 up should sound safe, we might not want to risk or aggravate any injuries to key players. Could not agree more to bring on TEVEZ and LUCHO for the next 45. Maybe we can prserve MESSI.

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  51. Anonymous6:58 pm

    I am here! too bad i dont speak chinese :(

    Oh well at leasst I can see it live. :)

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  52. What's the deal with Coco's do ?

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  53. stupid goltv commentators. croatia in 2006 wc? lol. Serbia and Montenegro too hard to remember.

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  54. Anonymous7:07 pm

    must be the humidity Johnny. :)

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  55. Anonymous7:07 pm

    SOPCAST works...THANKS BEZILLIONS guys..Woo Hoo..Here we got..i got a Spanish Commentary ;)

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  56. The crowd ole-ing every touch of our team. Love it.

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  57. milito = as slow as his brother

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  58. Took the words out of my mouth Rio.

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  59. Anonymous7:12 pm

    Alwin-

    which channel are you watching on sopcast?? I have a chinese feed.

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  60. Anonymous7:14 pm

    its called (Argentina vs Colombia VIVO // Makaikosports.tk)..boy what a move..could have been a great goal..great incchanges of passes..Superb feed i have here.

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  61. Yum...yum...pizza is here! hahaha!

    Perfect evening!

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  62. Anonymous7:15 pm

    :( i tried that channel. no success there.

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  63. Anonymous7:16 pm

    woot!! the spanish feed is working!! Yay!! thanks Alwin!!

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  64. protect our players. put on tevez

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  65. Anonymous7:16 pm

    Soyderiver.. its (13249 Argentina vs Colombia VIVO // Makaikosports.tk)

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  66. Very very very happy for you Alwin!

    That's SUPPORT!

    Hope the boys can give you more reasons to smile in this second half.

    MESSI. It's time for me to say it: I LOVE YOU! WITH ALL MY HEART!

    You are as brave as you are skilled!

    Don't ever stop!

    Oh...boy...now he is injured. Took a blow to his chest.

    Another red card that stayed in the referee's pocket...

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  67. Colombianos flirting with a red now.

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  68. Anonymous7:18 pm

    Soyderiver..no problems..this is superb..haha..i got an alternative already

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  69. Another fine understated performance from Mascherano. Like a rock.

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  70. yep, in mascher we TRUST

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  71. Masche is brilliant. Messi is fearless as ever. That was no play-acting. Should have been a red.

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  72. veron needs to stfu

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  73. And then he gives Veron a cheap yellow. Gutless.

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  74. and i'm totally surprised columbia isn't even making sub to try change the tempo here.

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  75. tevez for messi, come on basile. be nice!

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  76. Pizza is really getting in the way of my comments! But there isn't much to say.


    Now both teams appear to be "happy" with the result.

    But I would like us to score a couple more goals so we have the benefit of a draw against Paraguay in the last match to win our group.

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  77. Damn it PATO!

    2-3 now.

    What the hell?????

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  78. Man, do we get killed on corners or what !!!!

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  79. columbian substitution
    now they are 3-4-1-2

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  80. Ok, step it the fuck up now !

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  81. Anonymous7:26 pm

    way the go ZANETTI, will this end up in a goal, possesion, Messi to G.Milito, are we going to emulate the 26 passes goal..we still keeping the ball, oh we lost the ball..but got it back and lost it again..well i'm really excited to watch my first "ONLINE""LIVE" goal, common guys.. :)

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  82. Oh God, not again.

    Substitutions, NOW. Messi looks really tired, for one.

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  83. Anonymous7:27 pm

    DAMN!!!!!

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  84. ..... another sub

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  85. goltv guy said this guy is forward. so 3-4-3

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  86. Anonymous7:29 pm

    We seem to suffer from defending from set-pieces. A serious cause for concern

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  87. Lucho about to come in.

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  88. then veron off

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  89. LUCHO in for VERON.

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  90. yep, veron gone. let's go

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  91. Anonymous7:32 pm

    What is the meaning of "NANCHAYALEE NANCHAYALEE"..just before MESSI shot the ball into the keepers arms. Kinda enjoy the LIVELY commentary..if only i could understand :)..Common boys..Hang in there

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  92. next would be tevez

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  93. Good sub. Veron looks beat.

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  94. Rio, our tactics wizard!

    So what now?

    I was thinking AIMAR in for RIQUELME (who is looking tired and slower than usual).

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  95. Okay, my nerves are frayed again. We need to stop letting Columbia have possession.

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  96. MILITO is tooooooo slow.
    crespo = big lost. now what, this is going to be a problem

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  97. Alwin! You're making me laugh here!

    NANCHAYALEE???

    No idea! They were probably asking him to shoot!

    Great work from AYALA, blocking what looked to be a dangerous shot.

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  98. Agreed with Johnny. Good to see Lucho.

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  99. ok, better hold defense. put in gago for messi, play negative just for few minutes

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  100. Anonymous7:36 pm

    On edge at the moment unless an insurance goal is scored or the ref blows the whistle.

    VAMOS TEVEZ!

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  101. Anonymous7:36 pm

    Haha..the repetition of words is realy fun and he is like rapping,what can i say.. "Goodshit" dude

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  102. Rio! Give Diego MILITO some time! He'll show you what he is capable of doing.

    Now MESSI is off. TEVEZ replaces him.

    GREAT GAME BY MESSI!

    Received the fouls that ended in our 1st and 3rd goals and was a nightmare for Colombia.

    VAMOS CARLITOS NOW!

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  103. it's cool. no negative football from basile. we should have faith in him

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  104. basile is wearing a jacket?

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  105. Anonymous7:41 pm

    Now i hear him say "TIKATEVE" "TIKATEVE" "TIKATEVE" when TEVEX was having the ball..i have no idea but it sounds interesting to know.

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  106. and we have to keep milito at number 9 for the rest of the tourney?

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  107. Overdue red. Finally.

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  108. this redcard should of happened when mascher got the cleats from him in first half

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  109. Slow but sure.:)

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  110. Anonymous7:44 pm

    GOL MILITO!

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  111. Born in Racing Club! hahaha!

    See Rio? Trust him!

    Was lucky with the deflection, but how many times BATISTUTA scored a goal like that?

    FULL TIME!

    4 goals per game?

    Where should I sign?

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  112. Just like him, isn't it? Good for Diego Milito.

    4 goals per game is great, Seba, but our defence is still worrying me, especially at corners and freekicks.

    I didn't like the way we played for about 20 minutes of the second half. Too complacent. They gave me some real frights. But hey, I'm proud of the way the team just keeps going and keeps scoring.

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  113. Anonymous7:52 pm

    we win!! A bit scary but a win nonetheless.

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  114. Anonymous7:52 pm

    Diego Milito was the first Argentine player to score a live online goal for me..i will always remember this day. Thanks guys for making my day at "WORK" and thanks for all the links and support you gave me and also a big thank you to my office for the great broadband connection..haha :)

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  115. this will be a problem. I dont think basile expected to lose crespo, and milito was really a second rate sub option.

    in WC u get 1 more slot so u can bring a safety guy, here we dont, we only have palacio as universal 3rd forward sub. i guess milito will have to stay for rest of the tourney, that's a double bah right there.

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  116. Anonymous8:00 pm

    Rio,
    I think we should give D.Milito more time because you have to understand he is rarely given a chance for the national team and its only time he gels in well. His goal scoring records speaks for itself in LA LIGA and as much as we know CRESPO can deliver, i think we should have more faith in D.MILITO to deliver, cause i belive that he can.

    Cheers,
    Alwin

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  117. is it just me or are we adapting a on/off switch mentality. it's almost as if we were bored and stopped playing in that 2nd half and just put it on cruise control. even after the goal, we played in that lethargic way we did in the 2nd half vs Ivory Coast. It was only after the cross bar shot from half way did we wake up....

    and btw, I'm a big Tevez fan so I am very biased when I say this, but man, this guy just makes things happen. albeit, we stepped up a gear after the aforementioned cross bar shot, but Tevez and Riquleme combine so well and as always, Tevez is involved in another goal.

    I love Messi but he just doesn't mesh will with the Riquleme / Veron combo. Give Messi Aimar and Lucho and I think we will see the best of Messi. One thing Messi does allow us is that he can penetrate the middle of the pitch with his mazy runs and he needs guys to get him the ball back fast (Aimar/Lucho) whereas Roman likes to keep the ball.

    But Roman is just so dynamic with Tevez. I really think we have to play Tevez more; he's in the form of his life.

    Also, Milito just sucks. What makes a true Argie number 9 special is not so much speed, but acceleration when required to get to the right spot at the right time to finish. He is not of that ilk. Why did we not just put Tevez in for Crespo. So what if we lose out on height. If the shorter guy is ten times better than the taller guy, you can't justify Milito taking his place just so we can use his height.

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  118. well alwin, it's not a choice now. he's the only target person we have if crespo can't play, so we can only hope him living up to his reputation and put some critical ones in.

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  119. swami, number 9 has to be physical enough and tall enough because he doesn't just get those short breakaway chances. he's also gotta be there for set plays and sometime fight for the ball in the box when it's moving slowly.

    tevez + messi + milito, now that's another choice. with both of them u at least relieve some pressure from the target person. and he can be more stationary at good position to wait for the ball, instead of dropping back to meet the ball, which forces him to sprint.

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  120. and with 6 points in the pocket, i really dont see why we shouldn't play 4-3-3 next game.

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  121. I agree with Alwin.

    Swami, very good comments and welcome to our blog.

    But let me disagree with you on Diego MILITO.

    He's got three chances, he scored one, and the keeper saved the other two (one with a great move as we all thought the ball was going in).

    I understand COCO's decision of sending MILITO to replace CRESPO.

    He sees them as big target-men. He needs a reference inside the box, someone who can worry the defenders in there, while MESSI or TEVEZ make their runs on the outside.

    It's just the way it is and that's why MILITO went to this Copa America as CRESPO's main back-up.

    TEVEZ is not competing with MILITO for a place in the starting lineup. TEVEZ is competing with MESSI and COCO is in-love with Lionel.

    I quite agree with COCO and his logic.

    And just the same advice I gave Rio: Trust Diego MILITO. You'll see he is a deadly scoring maching. Give him time to adapt. Maybe one full game. Then you'll see!

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  122. fair enough Rio, of course that is what is NECESSARY of the number 9. but I mentioned what makes at number 9 SPECIAL. but I get your point...

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  123. seba..

    I've been on this blog before, been posting as Anonymous. too lazy to sign up.. lol

    I see the spanish league a lot and am familiar with him. but he doesn't go well with Riquleme. Riquleme likes to set things up, take his time OR throw a long one time pass and usually this is where Tevez is at his best b/c Roman finds Tevez one on one with his D-man and he excels in those situations (think vs Serbia, last game vs US).

    I just think Coco has put all our best players on the pitch and not worried about how they will all mesh. Messi doesn't seem to gel with Roman. But you have to include Messi. Veron, I love him as a player, but his time has passed. He's lost a step and would love to see Lucho in his place full time with Maxi when healthy replacing Cucho.

    This unfortunately leaves no room for Tevez/Aimar but they can come on as super subs. but the present lineup to me has no balance. We can get away with this vs South American teams but Euro teams with their consistent long balls will catch our slow footed D napping. And it has already happened this tourney a few times.

    and btw, Pato stinks.. when are we going to get a real GK.

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  124. I agree with Rio - we need a target man, so 'Enzo' Milito is it for now.

    As for Messi and Riquelme, I think they work together well enough. They'd probably work even better if Aimar or Lucho was on the pitch to support them, but then we'd have to drop Cambiasso or Veron.

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  125. I am still supporting Pato. We need to knock some heads around in the box before and during the set pieces. We are not physical enough in front of Pato. That will change against Paraguay with Cata Diaz down low.

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  126. I'm going to have to agree and disagree with Swami about Pato. The first goal should not of been in. Offside or not, a goalkeeper should react either way. Sadly, that's not what happened with the first goal. The second goal you can't really fault him all that much. He did get a hand on it and it was a powerful header. Personally, I wouldn't start him versus Paraguay. I would just like to see what one of our subs can do, thats all(because to be honest, with the way Paraguay is playing I doubt he'll be able to make the key saves we need). But that's just me.

    I'm still not completely sold on G Milito. I know in one of my comments following the USA game I said maybe its the way the States were playing, but I doubt it. Seeing as how he's missing the next game, I'd start in Burdisso, but who knows. Veron I still don't know why he's on the team. I really don't see the guy in 2010, but maybe Coco does. Who knows.

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  127. BTW, the post above(roy) is me arg10.

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  128. Anonymous8:55 pm

    THAT was stressful. Even more so because I was watching it in a room full of Colombians (only Argentinian in the room). We still need to improve and now Pato had a horrible game (it's an epidemic among defense apparently). Both those goals were saveable. Messi played extremely well as did Riquelme and Masche (LOVE him). However I still don't like the Riquelme/Veron combination (actually I was extremely worried that Veron was going to start fighting with someone). I think Aimar is a better partner for Riquelme, they just understand each other better. Aimar or Lucho (probably Lucho since he is Veron's substitute and adds that defensive heft that we obviously need).
    Again I'm glad that we won but I saw the Paraguay game beforehand and they just seem to be much more in sync than we are which worries me for Thursday.

    -argentinafan

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  129. in the long run, we will have ustari stepping up. It's unfortunate that he was injured in training, but maybe it's just god's way of telling him to be patient...
    Carrizo only carries the last name of the great one, Ustari has the hands of Amadeo Raul Carrizo.

    Veron = most trustable outside mid after Maxi, at least in general opinion (me excluded).
    Lucho sucks. I don't criticize him much but he's there only because Maxi isn't 100%. otherwise veron bench and lucho wouldn't of had the spot.

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  130. Anonymous9:15 pm

    If only Maxi hadn't have been injured. However he would have had to serve his suspension for the fight after the Germany game in the WC. Was that 1 or 3 matches?

    -argentinafan

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  131. Anonymous10:04 pm

    Argentina need to find a GK asap. I can stand Pato,him and Coloccini(AKA Sideshow Bob) are my most disliked players on the team. I know Coloccini is not on the team but still! Man in the 2nd half, Argentina played uninspired football. I love them but they want to give us fans a heart attack.I'm telling myself, this team can score at will, and it makes me wonder why they do not. I hope and prey Crespo is OK, I am not a fan of Milito, for some reason he reminds me for a Palermo(Who played for Argentina) Cavenaghi( who???).Higuain is set to be the future, but is he really? I was not really fond on him thinking about playing for France yeah you were born there but your not French. We have been spoiled by big strikers like Caniggia,Batistuta and Crespo. Hernan has always been one of my favorite players even though he missed that PK vs England in 98 but Argentina still won.

    Now back to the game, can someone tell me why they are passing the back backwards? Attack,Attack,Attack, I want to see scores line 5-1, or 6-0 the same way Argentina did to Ecuador in 2004. Argentina did win 4-2, but I think that scoreline does not justify ANYTHING. Some will say goals are goals, and the set up to Riquelme was very nice and his FK was amazing. Now Milito had a few chances, god knows what he was doing when he had 1 on 1 vs the GK, I believe if that was Tevez or Crespo that was a goal. I think I have made my peace.

    P.S. Great website Sebastian, I have been reading most of your blogs since 2006 WC on soccernet. I will register soon. My name is John, or Johnny(I know their is another John around here, so I wont create that name, so ppl wont get confused) but most ppl call me Jack.

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  132. Anonymous10:43 pm

    What a game. I do not think I have been as nervous in too many games. I am getting used to early morning shocks. But how do you people manage to type in comments while watching the games.

    Roman was good. Mascharano was brilliant. I think tactically, there was a lot of improvement over the previous game. There ws a lot more movement on both the flanks....as well as interchanging of flanks.

    But we need to stay awake for 90 minutes. We cannot take it easy after taking lead.

    I guess some of us are bing too harsh on Diego. A striker feeds on self- belief and few minutes in the first team can really improve his confidence and I hope he utilises this opportunity to cment his place in the national team. He may not have the pace of a no.9 but he is a proven goal scorer.

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  133. Anonymous10:54 pm

    Jack,

    Please be patient with DIEGO MILITO and LUCHO GONZALEZ. You are entitled of your opinion and i respect it but in my opinion, both these players have not been given enough chances in the National team, especially MILITO. I have seen CRESPO miss many 1-on-1's too, its just that D.MILITO only had his first 1-on-1 in the Albiceleste jersey.

    Rgds,
    Alwin

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  134. Anonymous11:44 pm

    Alwin, I just can not see Milito as a player for Argentina in the future.He will have his spell, just like Palermo did. He will be 31 in the next WC, and do you want him as your striker? Hell some ppl might say they will take a 34 n half year old Crespo over a 31 year old Milito. I can not say what the future of the #9 will be for Argentina. Think about, Messi,Tevez, Aguero as some of our strikers, sounds amazing right? But why do you think Pekerman sub'd Crespo for Julio Cruz vs the Germans and not Messi? Size. Higuaín is a big boy, I believe he stands 6 feet wo his kicking boots. His heart I question, he thought long and hard about either playing for Argentina or France, turned down a lot of call ups from the Youth team, and skipped out on COPA America (I believe) so he can get some rest. I think he is forgetting him and Gago are in the same boat, left ARG same time, arrived in Madrid the same time and well Gago made the trip and Gonzalo is hmmm, not too sure. The number 9 will be left in the air. Now I think the hardest player Argentina will have to replace I think will be Ayala. For some reason I think Ayala,zanetti, MAYBE even Crespo will hang it up on the Argentine side. Just the age, and I think Crespo might want to play for the WC Qualif, but if he wants to play that will mean he will want to go to South Africa.

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  135. Anonymous11:57 pm

    Just an FYI. If Argentina do not beat Paraguay they will likely face the Mexicans. If Argetnina does win they will likely play Uruguay,Venz, or Peru. So would you like to play? Personally I hate the Mexicans, just because the way they play is UGLY! I hate their GK Oswaldo who has to be 1 of the dirtiest players I have ever watched. So I would like to face the Mexicans, just because their fans think they are OHH so great when they beat a 2nd rate Brasilian team and a Ecuador(Enough said).....

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  136. Saurabh, I agree, we've improved in some aspects - like playing along the wings - but other aspects definitely need work.

    I have faith in Diego Milito's ability. He's a bit paceless, yes, but you don't need pace to be a great finisher - which I think he is.

    As for Higuain, Jack, I'm still not convinced about his ability to lead the line, and more importantly whether he has the necessary desire to play for Argentina after the way he turned down the U20 call-up.

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  137. I hope we don't play Mexico because they're always up for it against us and I don't want our team to spend all their energy trying to break down Mexico and run out of stream (see: 2005 Confederations Cup, 2006 World Cup).

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  138. Anonymous12:31 am

    Unfortunatel my country didn"t broadcast the live match in preliminary round but I Check from the net and will review on the tape tonight .Did Aimar get involved in this match ? I thought having him in the field make the team play more exciting and balance .Hope our team will go through Paraguay easily ,Vamos Argentinos
    .....Tonymed

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  139. Anonymous1:50 am

    What are the permutation of results in the 3rd games that would end us up playing with Brazil? Is there a possibility of this happening in the Quaterfinals?

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  140. Anonymous1:51 am

    I totally Agree with linda, With Mexico we consume all the power we have and beat them and then some else comes and gets the cake easily.

    I am sorry to say this, but that was a very lousy goal keeping yesterday by our goaly, and I guess that was the same reason we lost the last world cup, poor goal keeping!!!!

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  141. Anonymous8:04 am

    Looks like Crespo will miss rest of the toruney.
    ,Jack

    http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=443010&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901

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  142. Anonymous8:16 am

    All Argentina needs to do is beat Paraguay, they(Paraguay) will likely sit back.It will either be Mexico,Venz,Urugauy or Peru if argetnina do not beat Paraguay. If Argentina wants a cake walk they will want to play Peru.Venz will be tough just because they are the hosts, Uruguay(Do not have to say much there) or Peru(I have a smirk across my face).I see Argentina getting the WIN 2-1. I am quite upset seeing Crespo out, he has looked great in his form. I hope their is a miracle and he returns.

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  143. Very doubtful about Crespo. He says it would take a miracle. If you watch his right leg during the penalty kick, you can see some weird action. My guess is a badly strained quad, or a tear. He/we were fortunate the ball found net. He should have consulted Samson before he cut his locks.

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  144. It sucks to see Crespo go out like that. Like it was written in the article, he's 31 and its only his first Copa and he's tied for top goal scorer. I'm not hating on Milito or anything, but I liked our chances better when Crespo was there:(. But we'll see versus Paraguay how Milito does(assuming he starts). Here's to a speedy recovery!

    -Arg10

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  145. Anonymous11:08 am

    I think he looks lovely without all the hair. He should never ever grow it back. Very nice to look at, hehe. Another reason to be sad that he won't be playing in the tournament any more (the other being that he looked to be in great form goal-scoring wise).

    That was actually very funny about watching the game with the Colombians. The other girls in the group were complaining that Argentina had much better looking players than Colombia.

    The other more relavent comment (to the game) is that the atmosphere among the Albicelestes players does not change whether they are winning or losing. They lamented that for a while the Colombian players did not have the same mental coolness (though that changed in the second half).

    Just thought I'd provide perspectives for the opponent's fans :)

    -argentinafan

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  146. Argentinafan-perhaps you can email Coco some hair advise, though at this point I am not sure if the problem is his hair or the shape of his noggin. Reminds me a bit of when Muhammed Ali nicknamed Ernie Shavers the "Acorn". But hey, I love Coco, weird ass hair/head and all.:)

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  147. in the second half we were playing smart. by playing the ball back like that you avoid contact with the opponents. Columbian played physical yesterday, in the hot humid weather, coco's choice was definitely wise, and riquelme did an excellent job controlling the pace.

    and the goltv commentator was retarded to think the columbians gave up in those 15 minutes. they just couldn't get to the ball. if they force themselves into contact with our players, they would of drawn alot more fouls than they did. they had 21 fouls yesterday, and i say at least 20% of their fouls weren't even called.

    possession football doesn't mean offensive. possession defensive football like spainish teams used to play is completely different from what we did yesterday. we were in an offensive setup, which usually gain possession through speed. But to waste time like that you can't have speed, something hard to do with 4-3-1-2, but they did well.

    against paraguay.... bahh, king of negative football. we should just get a draw and let them ahead. so neither side had to fight and the game could just be 'negotiated'.
    maintain moral, rest players. everything else should be after these priorities. so burdisso for milito, gago+ mascher dm, put all the subs in and play 4-2-3-1 IMO.

    host or brazil, neither is great choice anyway. i say screw it.

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  148. Anonymous2:31 pm

    Speaking of a future #9, what about Maxi Lopez??

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  149. maxi lopez seemed to be sucking with Mallorca. julio ricardo cruz is probably better than him.
    I don't know how milito compared to cruz, but he's definitely better than maxi lopez.

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  150. Anonymous2:54 pm

    Dang. Maxi seemed so full of promise. Seems like Barca is good place for killing our strikers.

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  151. Anonymous3:11 pm

    Maxi Lopez,Cavenaghi, all waste of talent when it comes down to strikers.Maxi was never a great striker for River but Cavenaghi was. Just really disapointed in Cavenaghi going to Russia to play.It is really hard to live up to the hype.Lucho Figueroa had a nice spell with Argentina, he is still at a good age should be in his prime. Hell he has scored 9 goals in 15 games for Argentina. Never been a fan of his but wow 9 goals in 15 games for Argentina always puts a smile on my face. But not too sure if he will get called up. You know the funny thing is, he has played his best football for Argentina, every other place he has been OK. I think he might of been an option if he did not get hurt b4 the WC. I think he would of take Julio Cruz's spot.

    ,Jack

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  152. Anonymous3:25 pm

    Maxi was good for River, bad thing for him was playing with Cavenaghi. Just wasn't enough goals to go around. I like Maxi's physical nature, tall and strong. Not the quickest guy on the pitch but good in the air. Something we could use.

    Spot on with Figueroa. I think he will be back in the mix once the qualifying get started.

    Yeah bad move going to Russia for Cavenaghi. Hopefully some time in France will be what he needs to get back on track.

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