| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russia (H) |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Uruguay |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Egypt |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Saudi Arabia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
Posted on 06/19/2018 10:41:19 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Every four years there’s a new ball for the World Cup—and every four years players are unhappy with it. Maybe it’s too light and has too much lift, like the 2002 Fevernova. Or maybe it wobbles unexpectedly in the air, making it harder for goalies to predict its motion, like the 2006 Teamgist. Or maybe the ball suddenly changes speed, dropping out of the air and causing accidental handballs, like the 2010 Jabulani.
At the World Cup level, these tiny changes in a ball’s aerodynamics can legitimately impact a team’s performance, so the intense scrutiny of the World Cup ball is perhaps to be expected. “You could argue that it’s the most important piece of equipment in the most popular sport in the world,” says John Eric Goff, Professor of Physics at University of Lynchburg.
Adidas designs every World Cup ball, and on top of being a big seller for them, engineers at the company are constantly a little closer to the perfect ball, Goff says. The ideal soccer ball is a pimple-covered, perfect sphere, its surface just subtly textured enough to keep the airflow around the ball slightly turbulent. Unintuitive as this might sound, the ridges and pimples on the ball make it more aerodynamic, helping the ball to fly through the air more stably.
The Telstar 18, the design for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is as close to a perfect sphere as you can get.
(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...
I wonder if the announcer would dare stroll through Jo’burg now that all the infrastructure and especially the security/police presence are gone.
Oscar Pistorius is a murderer but there’s a reason he and others lived behind walls and gates and owned firearms.
I can’t watch soccer. But I enjoyed playing it in high school. I was a good goalie. Let the other idiots run their brains out!
Unfortunately, Lewandowski is the only good player on the Polish team, they were atrocious.
Yep It’s worse than that. Only eight different countries have ever won the cup: Brazil five times, Italy four times, Germany three times, Argentina two times, Uruguay two times, France once and England once. England won in 1966. Most of the counties competing with in the tournament are mere cannon fodder for the 4-6 elite countries.
Seems the soccer ball designers need to visit a Titleist golf ball manufacturing/engineering facility and learn how the dimples affect the dynamics of the ball when in flight.
Or Messi missing the PK against Iceland.
That’s because Tom Brady isn’t there.
Russia all but qualify for knockout stage with win over Mo Salah’s Egypt
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/19/russia-egypt-world-cup-match-report
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia (H) |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Uruguay |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Egypt |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| Group A | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 RussiaRUS |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 6 |
2 UruguayURU |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
3 EgyptEGY |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
4 Saudi ArabiaKSA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 |
| Group B | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 IranIRN |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
2 PortugalPOR |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
3 SpainESP |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
4 MoroccoMAR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Group C | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 FranceFRA |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
2 DenmarkDEN |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
3 AustraliaAUS |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
4 PeruPER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Group D | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 CroatiaCRO |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
2 IcelandISL |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 ArgentinaARG |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
4 NigeriaNGA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Group E | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 SerbiaSRB |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
2 BrazilBRA |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 SwitzerlandSUI |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
4 Costa RicaCRC |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Group F | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 SwedenSWE |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
2 MexicoMEX |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
3 South KoreaKOR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
4 GermanyGER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Group G | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 BelgiumBEL |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
2 EnglandENG |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
3 TunisiaTUN |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
4 PanamaPAN |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| Group H | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 JapanJPN |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
2 SenegalSEN |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
3 PolandPOL |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
4 ColombiaCOL |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
Portugal vs Morocco
Winning the Euros two years ago means Portugal can no longer rely on a ‘dark horses’ tag.
Uruguay turn to golden oldies against Saudi Arabia
Uruguay will field a veteran side containing seven players aged 31 or over against Saudi Arabia
Spain in danger as Iran smell blood - one World Cup slip can prove costly
You can be as slick as you want, have all the stars you like, and can have shown immense character in shrugging off the last-minute removal of your manager -- but one slip now has the potential to render those advantages ancient history.
Ronaldo scores a goal 1-0.
In minute 4.
His fourth goal now.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it........
"Doctors initially thought the injury was just an ouchie, but after examining the player more extensively, they gravely concluded it was in fact the dreaded boo-boo."
HT: Portugal 1-0 Morocco
When did you think you’d ever be excited to watch Morocco play soccer.
I have to say I really love the World Cup.
I might have to become a Ronaldo Super Fan.
He’s bamboozled several PK’s in major tournaments. Not sure why he is still taking them. And quite frankly, if little Iceland can shut him down, then Croatia shouldn’t have much of an issue either.
1-0 is not a good way to live in the WC but Portugal win and get three points.
FT: Portugal 1-0 Morocco
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