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Germany Wins Terrifically Entertaining World Cup
Assciated Press ^ | July 13, 2014 | JOHN LEICESTER

Posted on 07/13/2014 10:37:26 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper

Germany won the World Cup. Host Brazil won a world of new friends.

The now four-time champions, the first European team to win the World Cup on Latin American soil, earned the honor of lifting the most recognized trophy in sports with a tooth-and-nail 1-0 victory in a final as terrifically entertaining as the tournament itself.

For a 32-day showcase of football at its best, the winning goal was beautifully appropriate. Mario Goetze controlled the ball with his chest and then volleyed it into the Argentine goal, making difficult skills look so simple. Scored in the 113th minute, the mortal blow left Argentina too little time to recover.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, sitting in the VIP section, waved a clenched fist as Goetze celebrated. When referee Nicola Rizzoli blew the final whistle a few minutes later, Vladimir Putin reached across and shook Merkel's hand. The Russian president's country hosts the next World Cup in 2018.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: fifa; worldcup2014
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To: Berlin_Freeper

This is the one aspect of soccer that I wish could be improved. There’s so much subjectivity in calling fouls, in determining whether there’s a card, and deciding whether it’s a red or a yellow.

I don’t know how this could be avoided, except that maybe matches could be reviewed (after the match) and each referee given a numerical score rating whether they were consistent in the criteria they applied for calling fouls on each team and player. This wouldn’t be perfect, but at least they would know someone was watching their performance. It would also make it a bit more difficult for referees to be involved in match fixing.


81 posted on 07/14/2014 4:43:33 AM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: Berlin_Freeper

I always thought it meant Pig Loader or Corraler...but whatever, it’s kinda fun to say with a hitler accent. He had a rough game, though.


82 posted on 07/14/2014 5:39:29 AM PDT by gr8eman (A good rant should have the word "crap" in it at least 4 times!)
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To: cartan

I am sure NOTHING will get done in Germany today except lots of eating and drinking!


83 posted on 07/14/2014 5:40:36 AM PDT by gr8eman (A good rant should have the word "crap" in it at least 4 times!)
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To: AFreeBird
Did the paint finally dry?

Depends. Do they still show tennis on TV? If so then no.

84 posted on 07/14/2014 5:43:14 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: gr8eman

Looks like it, so far ;p


85 posted on 07/14/2014 5:44:48 AM PDT by cartan
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To: samtheman
"I’m not sure how the existence of the world cup caused you any inconvenience."

Hey now, don't be bringing that high-falooting logic and common sense into this! :>

86 posted on 07/14/2014 5:45:12 AM PDT by safeasthebanks ("The most rewarding part, was when he gave me my money!" - Dr. Nick)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

In the end, Messi’s career could be summed up in that errant free kick he took right at the end of the game.

Sure, he’s a nice player who scores a lot of goals, but I think he falls short in comparison with the true greats of the game.


87 posted on 07/14/2014 5:45:20 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: cartan

Finally a united Berlin could celebrate a World Cup title.

The 1990 win came a few months before official reunification.


88 posted on 07/14/2014 5:47:39 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: pieceofthepuzzle
This is the one aspect of soccer that I wish could be improved. There’s so much subjectivity in calling fouls, in determining whether there’s a card, and deciding whether it’s a red or a yellow.

It's a problem in most sports, especially football and basketball.

89 posted on 07/14/2014 5:48:47 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Lol, great clip, Messi Messi Messi.

He is such a great player. He and a few others were a joy to watch.


90 posted on 07/14/2014 5:49:48 AM PDT by LuvFreeRepublic
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To: Berlin_Freeper

It occurred to me just how tough it is to win a World Cup.

I mean everybody knows how great Germany has been over the years, yet it was 24 years since they won the previous one. Never take them for granted.


91 posted on 07/14/2014 5:51:17 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Yawn. But college football is about to get cranked up ...


92 posted on 07/14/2014 5:51:27 AM PDT by stinkerpot65 (Global warming is a Marxist lie.)
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To: al_c
"Soccer haters can’t ignore ... like modern day atheists are with Christians"

Absolutely perfect, 100% accurate, incredibly on point analogy! Good job. (I'm jealous I didn't think of it, actually). I'm dead serious in asking - do you mind if I use your point above as my tagline? Or at least paraphrase it when dealing with the bashers?

93 posted on 07/14/2014 5:51:29 AM PDT by safeasthebanks ("The most rewarding part, was when he gave me my money!" - Dr. Nick)
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To: dfwgator
Finally a united Berlin could celebrate a World Cup title.

The 1990 win came a few months before official reunification.

Oh, but that didn’t stop East Germans from celebrating as well. The wall came down in 1989 already, and when people drove to the Kurfürstendamm to celebrate, they came from all parts of the city, and there were many of these ridiculous East German Trabant cars among them :-)
94 posted on 07/14/2014 5:52:56 AM PDT by cartan
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To: cartan
Oh, and I remember seeing many GDR flags that day. People simply took whatever they had available!


95 posted on 07/14/2014 5:54:39 AM PDT by cartan
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To: Berlin_Freeper

I didn’t think Germany dominated the pitch the way they had in previous matches, but they did demonstrate that they were the superior team. The Argies put too much on Messi; one star can’t win against even a mediocre TEAM. And Germany was anything but mediocre.

The only disappointment in this cup for me was Holland. Once the Flying Dutchmen performed so well in the early rounds, I figured them to shoot it out with Germany for the Cup.


96 posted on 07/14/2014 6:05:50 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: safeasthebanks

Have at it.


97 posted on 07/14/2014 6:11:00 AM PDT by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: cartan

Yes, it was featured prominently in the movie, “Goodbye, Lenin” (One of my all-time favorite movies)


98 posted on 07/14/2014 6:14:16 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Eek, thanks for mentioning that movie. I have always wanted to watch it but never got around to it, somehow!


99 posted on 07/14/2014 7:18:44 AM PDT by cartan
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To: al_c

Good point and I agree.


100 posted on 07/14/2014 7:38:26 AM PDT by laplata (Liberals don't get it .... their minds are diseased.)
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