[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by khoj

And what a shot, a cracking left footer from left side of Uruguayan half into the top far corner upright post & into the net from yards out by the Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst wearing the no 5 jersey. Was more like a missile.


On top of that as I finish typing the above an equally blistering left footer from top of the D by the no 10 Uruguayan Diego Forlan. The shot looked like going dead straight but turned out to be a gentle banana curving to the left of the Dutch goal keeper, sending him in the wrong direction and kissing his fingertips as it met the net. If I heard right the man has scored after 8 years!! If so must be after 8 years in a World cup match.

I think you have heard wrong. If you are talking about Diego Forlan, He had already scored 3 goals in this world cup and this was his fourth one.

I hope the Paul the octopus is wrong this time or else he will definitely end up on someone's plate. But, I do feel for Spain though. If it were any other team than Germany that was facing them, I would have supported them.

So, I guess it will be the Die Mannschaft vs Oranje for the final, a replay of the 1974 final.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Alright, it's official now. The octopus has picked Spain to win. This one isn't a fake news item. It's being reported by AP and there is a video as well.

World Cup 2010: Paul The Octopus Predicts Spain Victory Over Germany - Goal.com

Yes and his predictions to-date have come true.

[MutantX]

I hope germany wins today. Germany is a young team and most didnt expect it to make it to the semis even.

[kunaldhami]

Paul was wrong in Euro2008 against match between Germany v/s Spain only, so I hope he is making same mistake again.

Octopus Paul predicts Germany's exit in the semifinal - Off the field - Football World Cup - Sports - The Times of India

[benbsb29]

While i like the German team, i would want Spain to win since i have a bet placed on them.

I watched yesterday's game till the 83rd minute, when the Dutch were leading 3-1. Thought it was all over and switched off. This morning, saw the score was 3-2. :O

[Ho0ligaN]

you didnt miss anything, the dutch completely let their guard down in the last 5 minutes. They weren't scoring on easy chances they created through counters, they were drunk with excitement about going to the semis I guess. The same thing happened in the match against Brazil. Both matches scoreline should have easily read 4-1 or 5-1 :P

[mkh]

Originally Posted by unoczar

Paul is going to be called "THE OCTOPhussss..." after tonight when germany beat the H*** out of spain!

It was wrong the last time these 2 teams met, so looks like its 8th sense goes awry when these 2 play. Surely it will have zippo impact on the minds of players, they are well above all this
BTW curious to know- did it predict they will lose to Serbia?

[ghodlur]

My bet is on Germany winning today by a 2 goal margin. and it will be Netherlands who will be taking the cup.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by anurag_p80

Nope. They leave the race today. Even paul the octopus agrees

The octopus isnt playing though

[suman]

Originally Posted by mkh

BTW curious to know- did it predict they will lose to Serbia?

Yes. And someone had photoshopped the Serbian flag to Spanish which is why there was a big hue & cry initially. And then Paul actually selected the Spanish one yesterday...........

[Gilead]

It's going to be a good game tonight. Spain will be a lot more organized than Argentina and space in the midfield will be at a premium for both teams. Spain, being the more creative of the two teams, should find better openings, but whether they will convert their chances remains to be seen.

Torres is in the worst form of his life, but he does pull the defenders around himself thus creating openings for Villa. Lots of talk about him not starting today, but I think he will start.

Shame that Germany will be playing without Mueller.

[anurag_p80]

Torres is in the worst form of his life, but he does pull the defenders around himself thus creating openings for Villa. Lots of talk about him not starting today, but I think he will start.

Yes, he will start, and he is big time due. Hope he scores today. Might see Fabregas/ Llorente in the second half if he does not.

Shweinsteiger and Khadeira will make it really difficult in the midfield for Spain, and the attacks will come from the flanks. However, the La Roja being really good at keeping the ball, should be able to open up the German defense. Iniesta, Alonso and Xavi will hold the key in attack, while Capdevilla and Busquets will have to cover the flanks and provide cover to Puyol and Piquet. Only concern in defense is Puyol, seems to be getting slower by the day, else Spain should be able to soak up the German pressure. Finishing is another big concern. All said, they play like they did against Paraguay, and they will get mightily thrashed. Hope for an open game and may the better (Read Spanish) team win

[clevermax]

Hoping to see an incredible game tonight, be it Germany or Spain !!

[JLS]

Netherlands already reached final, still not many people believe they will lift the cup. (total 17 votes for them)
I have not seen this type of example of team marked underdogs many times - I think all the better for thyem, they do not have pressure of expectation on them.

For today's match my bet would be on Spain, they are silent performance and I believ ethey can withstand pressure better.

Regards,
JLS

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by JLS

Netherlands already reached final, still not many people believe they will lift the cup. (total 17 votes for them)

Because many had already voted for Brazil and Argentina. Changing votes is not an option.