World Cup Update; Huge Upset
Slovakia vs. Italy
The tears on Slovakia’s faces were supposed to show the result; the result of finishing last. The tears on the Azzurri’s faces were supposed to be the tears of relief, as they were able to hold off Slovakia.
But it wasn’t. It was all different.
Robert Vittek gave Slovakia 2 goals early, and Kamil Kopenuk scored on a perfect bouncer as Slovakia upset Italy to advance to the Round of 16, where they will play the Netherlands.
Antonio Di Natale scored with tons of open net on the left side for Italy, and Fabio Quagliarella scored in extra time for the Italians. But perhaps the biggest headline for Italy was Simon Pepe’s miss off the post late in extra time.
This is the first time that Italy has finished last in group play. France finished last in their group, so the defending champion and runner-up finished last.
Slovakia finished second with 4 points, and Italy finished with 2 points. Paraguay won the group with 5 points, while New Zealand finished third with 3 points.
#31 Paraguay 0, #78 New Zealand
Paraguay’s superb defense helped them hold the Kiwis to 4 shots and tie New Zealand 0-0 to secure first place in Group D.
#36 Denmark 1, #45 Japan 3
Keisuke Honda scored a goal on a penalty kick that hooked at the end, and he made a beautiful pass to set up a goal as Japan beat Denmark 3-1 to advance to the Round of 16. Japan will play Paraguay in the knockout round.
#19 Cameroon 1, #4 Netherlands 2
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored with about 70% of the net open as Holland beat Cameroon to seal first place in Group C with a 2-1 win over Cameroon. Robin Van Persie also scored on a 5-hole.
Wimbledon; A Marathon Tennis Match
The players needed Gatorade. The players needed water. The players needed food. The players needed victory.
But it didn’t come for either one of them. Not until 11 hours and 5 minutes passed, at least.
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played in a tennis match was postponed after one day, and in a match that lasted 4:32 longer then the previous longest tennis match as Isner beat Mahut 70-68 in a 7 hour 57 minute 5th set.
Isner finished off Mahut on a backhander on the left side that got past Mahut’s racquet and landed calmly. Isner put his arms in the air and dropped to the ground after his victory.
Isner, ranked 23rd, wasn’t able to finish off Mahut on the first day. Neither player was able to win 2 straight sets, which caused the long match.
Although this match was great, chances are Isner won’t make it that far. The match tired him out, and that will be key for the matches to come.
But this will be remembered for years to come.
The tears on Slovakia’s faces were supposed to show the result; the result of finishing last. The tears on the Azzurri’s faces were supposed to be the tears of relief, as they were able to hold off Slovakia.
But it wasn’t. It was all different.
Robert Vittek gave Slovakia 2 goals early, and Kamil Kopenuk scored on a perfect bouncer as Slovakia upset Italy to advance to the Round of 16, where they will play the Netherlands.
Antonio Di Natale scored with tons of open net on the left side for Italy, and Fabio Quagliarella scored in extra time for the Italians. But perhaps the biggest headline for Italy was Simon Pepe’s miss off the post late in extra time.
This is the first time that Italy has finished last in group play. France finished last in their group, so the defending champion and runner-up finished last.
Slovakia finished second with 4 points, and Italy finished with 2 points. Paraguay won the group with 5 points, while New Zealand finished third with 3 points.
#31 Paraguay 0, #78 New Zealand
Paraguay’s superb defense helped them hold the Kiwis to 4 shots and tie New Zealand 0-0 to secure first place in Group D.
#36 Denmark 1, #45 Japan 3
Keisuke Honda scored a goal on a penalty kick that hooked at the end, and he made a beautiful pass to set up a goal as Japan beat Denmark 3-1 to advance to the Round of 16. Japan will play Paraguay in the knockout round.
#19 Cameroon 1, #4 Netherlands 2
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored with about 70% of the net open as Holland beat Cameroon to seal first place in Group C with a 2-1 win over Cameroon. Robin Van Persie also scored on a 5-hole.
Wimbledon; A Marathon Tennis Match
The players needed Gatorade. The players needed water. The players needed food. The players needed victory.
But it didn’t come for either one of them. Not until 11 hours and 5 minutes passed, at least.
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played in a tennis match was postponed after one day, and in a match that lasted 4:32 longer then the previous longest tennis match as Isner beat Mahut 70-68 in a 7 hour 57 minute 5th set.
Isner finished off Mahut on a backhander on the left side that got past Mahut’s racquet and landed calmly. Isner put his arms in the air and dropped to the ground after his victory.
Isner, ranked 23rd, wasn’t able to finish off Mahut on the first day. Neither player was able to win 2 straight sets, which caused the long match.
Although this match was great, chances are Isner won’t make it that far. The match tired him out, and that will be key for the matches to come.
But this will be remembered for years to come.
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