So Van Gaal may have been more lucky than brilliant? The Costa Ricans made 3 out of their 5 kicks (I think) which I'm guessing is about average. The Dutch were lucky that they made all five of their kicks. Do most players have their spot in mind before approaching for the PK? Or do they have a couple of options and decide based on the goalie's initial reaction? I've only noticed a kicker pause once or twice, which worked in those cases because the goalie tipped his hand too early.
Van Gaal had a good plan ready for that instance. He just had to hope it worked. Coaching is a lot of luck with good planning. If you watched closely, Krul was making his dive right before the ball was kicked. Maybe he did know where it was going to go. Even the 3 that beat him, he guessed correctly. Kickers will tend to go with there best shot in tense situations. There have been many books written on taking and stopping the penalty kick. The goalie almost has no pressure. He isn't supposed to stop it. His job is to distract the kicker into making a poor kick. The pressure is all on the kicker, who is humiliated when he misses. People have recorded percentages of makes at all different areas of the goal. Left, right, top, bottom, center. I read once that the goalie has the best change to stop a PK if he does not move right or left. 30% of kicks go to the center third of the net. That is where his best chance is to stop some of them. The further out, the lower his percentage drops to stop a kick. Most all kicks go in if they are top left or right, however, most kickers shy away from those difficult to hit spots. There is a mind game that goes on in those few seconds before the official blows the whistle.
In the Costa Rica game the sub goalie was coming out from the net before every shot and trash talking the kicker. I wonder if he was speaking Dutch or Spanish
Damn I feel for Brazil. To get pounded by a team you know you can beat at home because everything just unraveled on you sucks for them and their fans. As an LSU fan, I know this feeling, it sucks.
Due to the nature of soccer, once the score reached 2-0 the game was over. Brazil had no chance. How many times have you seen a baseball game where a team is down 4 or 5 runs and comes back to win? Or a football game where a team down by 14 or 21 points comes back to win or at least make a game of it? Apparently that can't happen in soccer. Even in the Superbowl when the Seahawks jumped all over the Broncos from the opening kickoff I watched thinking it was possible even into the third quarter for Peyton Manning to mount a comeback. I don't think Brazil fans felt that way.
Its Mick Jagger's fault that Brazil lost http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/socce...germany-match--brazil-lose-7-1-224902759.html
Germany vs Argentina. Not quite the match I predicted but it should be good none the less. So long Holland. See you in two years.
