Brazil's Humiliating Defeat

[Ginger]

Well, I hope this does not annoy anyone but really, I had no idea when you all were talking about football you were talking about soccer.

You must make allowances for them, as they're foreigners.

[Barnaby]

Porsche's utter domination of Ferrari at the 1970 LeMans race? Early in the race, two privateer and one factory Ferrari had a huge pileup, and the second factory Ferrari missed a shift and blew his engine up avoiding it. The Porsche factory team finished 30 laps in front of the surviving privateer Ferraris.

It seems kind of an apt comparison to me, considering how Brazil self-destructed early on.

Hi Ginger,

I'm not at all familiar with auto racing and I apologize in advance if auto racing is too general a term to describe the sport.

Was the pileup perceived as the fault of the Ferrari team or just bad luck? This would make a difference I think. I don't think many people came away from the football/soccer match with the feeling that Brazil lost because of a bad break or two or three.

[Ginger]

Was the pileup perceived as the fault of the Ferrari team or just bad luck? This would make a difference I think. I don't think many people came away from the football/soccer match with the feeling that Brazil lost because of a bad break or two or three.

It was incompetence. Two factory Ferraris and a privateer were running in a tight group, coming up to lap another privateer. There came a sudden downpour, and the leading Ferrari braked suddenly (where he most assuredly should not have done so), causing the others to run onto him at approximately 100 mph faster than he was going. There was a godawful huge pileup, and the last car (Derek Bell driving, IIRC - he subsequently went on to become one of the all-time greats at that track), managed to miss it, but blew his engine up in the excitement. It was considered a great humiliation.

[Robert]

In chess, Fischer's demolitions of Taimanov and Larsen, both by the score 6-0, were pretty exceptional. However, chess is a game, not a sport.

[El White Chap]

Makes a change the Germans playing a country that they have not invaded in the past.

The German's did invade Argentina in a way, many nazi war criminals fled there looking for sanctuary following the fall of the third reich.

[Abby Normal]

I will give it a shot and try to answer my own question. What the example needs is a competition between two respected powers (not examples of an underdog defeating a power) where one completely demolishes the other in historic fashion.

The Clay-Liston fight? Assuming it wasn't fixed.

happens in the NFL superbowls. if we made a goal the equivalent of a touch down then it would be 49-7. although 7-1 still seems more of a blow out.

anyway Brazil was without two of their best players, one because of a yellow card stupid rule and one on a fagrant foul so I kind of feel sorry for them. especially since they are hosting. but then again they've been champs the most so they'll be OK.

[Barnaby]

happens in the NFL superbowls. if we made a goal the equivalent of a touch down then it would be 49-7. although 7-1 still seems more of a blow out.

I thought about Super Bowls but 7 goals just seems way more like 80 points than 50 points. Plus, I didn't have that "they will not recover from this" feeling for the Denver Broncos when they got destroyed. This one will hurt for Brazil until they win the World Cup again. That could be four years or that could be decades.

[Harry D]

Makes a change the Germans playing a country that they have not invaded in the past.

Hasn't Britain invaded far more countries than ze Germans?

[DVV]

Hasn't Britain invaded far more countries than ze Germans?

Yes - and that's a blessing. Those bloody Germans can't play rugby.

[DVV]

Halfpenny is indeed a fine player, Mike. Your appreciation of him is reciprocated

He will be playing for my club this year. And believe me, I'm sorry for Welsh rugby.
But the professional era is like that.
Now to be honest, he didn't impress me these last months.

Cheers Gareth

[Steadmund Brand]

I will give it a shot and try to answer my own question. What the example needs is a competition between two respected powers (not examples of an underdog defeating a power) where one completely demolishes the other in historic fashion.

The Clay-Liston fight? Assuming it wasn't fixed.

I take it you mean Clay-Liston II (sad thing is there is strong evidence that both fighters were fixed by the way).. but that is a great example....a better boxing example may be the Thomas Hearns VS. Roberto Duran fight in june 1984-- if you have never seen this fight may be worth checking out on Youtube..

Steadmund Brand

[Sam Flynn]

Now to be honest, he didn't impress me these last months.

Put Halfpenny in a more consistent team, and his worth will shine through. Personally, I'd play him at wing instead of full-back - a player of his talent deserves to see the ball more often.

[DVV]

He began as a wing - but journalists were wrong comparing him to Sean Williams. Both are short, but very different qualities.
Delon Armitage plays back in Toulon, and I don't think Halfpenny is better than him. Wing and kicker,ok.

[GUT]

G'day Abby

happens in the NFL superbowls. if we made a goal the equivalent of a touch down then it would be 49-7. although 7-1 still seems more of a blow out.

anyway Brazil was without two of their best players, one because of a yellow card stupid rule and one on a fagrant foul so I kind of feel sorry for them. especially since they are hosting. but then again they've been champs the most so they'll be OK.

I see it as a lot worse than 49-7 most football [soccer] matches average about 2 goals, [ie 2-0 or 1-1] so this one averaged 4 times the normal scores now it seems to me [and I don't get to see a lot of NFL] that the NFL average is between 20 and 30 points a game so in NFL they would need to score a total of about 100 points so more like 91-14.

[Barnaby]

I take it you mean Clay-Liston II (sad thing is there is strong evidence that both fighters were fixed by the way).. but that is a great example....a better boxing example may be the Thomas Hearns VS. Roberto Duran fight in june 1984-- if you have never seen this fight may be worth checking out on Youtube..

Steadmund Brand

I'm familiar with Leonard vs. Duran in the infamous "no mas" match but not hearns/duran. Will check it out. Speaking of Hearns, the Hagler/Hearns fight was a brutal knockout!