[ds968]

And remember, when you're in the stadium the players on the field are not the only attraction ..err, distraction . :-)

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[az968]

OK, now I'm a Futbol fan!

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[Langley968]

Arrived in Recife! Getting the rental car and a cell chip was another story !!!! Something's unfortunately have not changed in Brazil!

I was astounded by the amount of Mexican fans on the flight from Miami to Recife and also at the Recife airport... if depends on fan numbers, Mexico may have a chance.

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[ds968]

[quote name='Langley968' timestamp='1402505686' post='158499']

I was astounded by the amount of Mexican fans on the flight from Miami to Recife and also at the Recife airport... if depends on fan numbers, Mexico may have a chance.

[/quote]



LOL, one reason when the U.S. plays them the last venue you'd want for the match is Los Anegeles. Heck, they probably have less fans in Guadalajara or Mexico City .. Ok, and I'm going on record here ; no matter how many fans Mexico has NO chance, though they do always play Brazil very tough, pretty close matches. But what I meant, was no chance at the Cup. U.S. on the other hand, also plays very well and close matches with powerhouse teams ( Italy, Germany, Brazil ) so if they could only manage not to lose as they do against tier 2 or tier 3 teams, I'm keeping my hopes they'll go far.. dare we dream a similar result as in the 1980 Hockey world shocker ? Nah, that would take a miracle on top of a miracle .

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[Bulti]

Post some pics if you get the chance Jake!

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[Langley968]

I will try to take some interesting pictures.



Sitting at this moment on the varanda of my friends house, enjoying a nice tropical breeze. Beer is in the cooler, meat is ready for the barbeque, all in anticipation of the opening game later this afternoon.

Tomorrow I fly to Salvador to catch the Holland x Spain game live! That should be a good one...

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[flash]

i've been watching the news on this. REALLY glad i'm not there. stadium and other venues still not ready. strike at the airport. i just heard there was a 200 mile traffic jam trying to get into the city. that's just nuts. all this time to prepare and they still fumble it???

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[ds968]

wait for the Olympics there ..even with what seems to be a long time to still prepare for hosing the event, reports indicate they're so far behind, the expectations are not looking good. then again same thing was said about Russia and smehow they managed to pull rabbits out of hats at the last minute - hopefully Brazil will do the same. fingers crossed.

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[Bulti]

No discussions about goal or no goal this WC, ref can take a look at his watch wich tells him if the ball was completely over the line... How cool is that?

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[Langley968]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1402585999' post='158514']i've been watching the news on this. REALLY glad i'm not there. stadium and other venues still not ready. strike at the airport. i just heard there was a 200 mile traffic jam trying to get into the city. that's just nuts. all this time to prepare and they still fumble it???[/quote]



That why I decided to only watch games in the area that I am familiar with. Recife should not be as bad as São Paulo or Rio.

Brazil scored the first goal of the World Cup... Against their own net!!! At this moment they have tied it up and I expect a positive outcome.

We are watching the game at my friends place. Beer, armadillo meat, quail eggs, roasted quail... What's not to like??

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[ds968]

[quote name='Bulti' timestamp='1402604856' post='158528']No discussions about goal or no goal this WC, ref can take a look at his watch wich tells him if the ball was completely over the line... How cool is that?[/quote]



Very cool indeed ! The only problem is some referees won't be able to see their watches because they are legally blind...as the one officiating today's opening match and awarding a penaly on what was perhaps the most blatant dive of this decade, instead of handling Fred a well deserved red card for that shameful stunt. Sheesh, what a way to start tne World Cup ..

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[Langley968]

Dan - you are completely correct that the penalty was non existent. The Brazilians I was watching the game with all agreed. The saving grace was that Oscar scored the third goal, so that it cannot be said that they won because of the penalty. On Brazilian TV they showed the crowd leaving the stadium chanting: "The referee is ours" - you get the drift.

The Brazilian confidence in their team is somewhat low after yesterday's lacklustre performance.

I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to Salvador to watch Holland x Spain this pm. Should be a good one!!!!

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[ds968]

Jake, absolutely ; it does not take away from the fact that Brazil was the better team ( in the second half anyway ) and arguably deserved the game , it's just unfortunate that a call of that nature can affect the psyche of a team and completely turn a game on its head. But it's not the first time this happened and it won't be the last..and definitely not the only sport where horrendous officiating calls cause such things. So we take the bad with the good , and the good is always 90 % of the equation in this sport so all in all still great to watch. You scored ( no pun intended ) huge with tickets to Spain-Holland , I read that match is expected to be by far the most watched world wide out of any first round matches. I will be glued to the TV, but nothing compared to being there live !

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[Rap]

While I played soccer for two years in hs, I would rather watch grass grow or curling now. I suspect we dirt road mountain boys are just not as cultured as some of you big city fellaws.

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[Bulti]

[quote name='ds968' timestamp='1402636926' post='158547']



Very cool indeed ! The only problem is some referees won't be able to see their watches because they are legally blind...as the one officiating today's opening match and awarding a penaly on what was perhaps the most blatant dive of this decade, instead of handling Fred a well deserved red card for that shameful stunt. Sheesh, what a way to start tne World Cup ..[/quote]



Lol! You don't want to know what gets shouted at the ref or linesmen when attending a match of my beloved club... Not suitable for children. Or adults. Great fun!



And before anyone gets any compassion for these gentlemen: most of the time they really, really deserve it!

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[ds968]

'ya know, every 4 years ( in my micro-cosmos ) the 968 takes a distant second place in the heart and mind, giving way to the far greater global priority : football ! So climate changes, famine, become just petty distractions..for a month anyway.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.png" class="smilie" alt="" /> And just for kicks ( no pun intended ) I had to take a first-ever " selfie" in honor of Flaco .



   

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[Rap]

Which is why middle age guys shouldn't do a selfie! World cup or no. Would you try to pick up a drop dead 18 year old female? If she saw you that is! lol

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[ds968]

middle age ?! so I 'm going to live to 116 yrs old ? cool, I get to watch 14 more world cups and 1 final olympics



hey, anyone can pick up a gorgeous 18 year young lady ; most are naive enough at that age to be talked into anything. but modesty aside, the challenge is picking a gorgeous 35-40 year old woman ( peak age ) because they're the ones on the prowl for 18 year young guys . of course this is all conceptual, as a happily married old dude I would not even think of anything like that - my soccer balls are not the only two objects I value holding on to ..

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[ds968]

to all Dutch 968-ers and their compatriots : WOW !!!!!!!!! ( today's match , or rather today's complete dissection of the current world and european champions team, Spain )

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[Langley968]

WOW!!! Is the right term! What a historic game to have been at "in person". The Spanish fans were noisier at the beginning and had the support of most Brazilians present, until... the Dutch showed that they wanted it more. Then the crowd switched over to the Dutch side and the Ole, Ole chants when the Dutch players would touch the ball was deafening. I lost my voice towards the end of the game.

WOW!!! Is the right term! What a historic game to have been at "in person". The Spanish fans were noisier at the beginning and had the support of most Brazilians present, until... the Dutch showed that they wanted it more. Then the crowd switched over to the Dutch side and the Ole, Ole chants when the Dutch players would touch the ball was deafening. I lost my voice towards the end of the game.

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