Yeah, particularly with the game on the line in a knockout game situation, the offending team basically turns a guaranteed goal into a die roll--even with evenly matched teams.
LOVE the result! The Netherlands are a very underrated team.
Two top 5 teams play, one loses, and everyone is shocked. If it were Spain, Portugal, Argentina, or Germany, the shock would have been less.
So is anyone else upset about the draw? How did Portugal not get into Pot 1? It's certainly made for some interest early knockout stage matches. #2 in the world versus #3 in the round of 16? #1 vs #4 in the quarters? Wow. Paraguay and Ghana are in some very good company.
I'm not a fan of the flops, but I don't hate them.
Nowadays, at least, it seems like a ref won't call a foul unless you flop. If you get elbowed in the face? No foul. If you get elbowed in the face and fall over? Foul. Flops are merely a way to get the ref's attention for a foul.
Unwarranted...
More on the topic:
In Houston, 20-30 minutes is probably a pretty normal amount of time to get to where ever you're going--say, to visit a friend or go to a restaurant.
My Iowa friends consider 15 minutes to be painfully long.
Bubbles aren't nation-specific.
No, I have to agree with Joker. England played terribly from start to finish, before they were down 2-0, when they 'tied' it (should have, at least), and afterwards. Germany looked much more put together for the entire 90 minutes.