phelps

on today's eightfinals...my commentary is just "meh!"... the game I had most expectations on, it turned out to be a total disappointment...Slovakia started too slow in the first period, but still managed to avoid any further trouble and raised their game a little in the second part...then, when it looked that they were gaining some confidence, the US scored just at the beginning of the central period after a bad defensive mistake by the Slovak defenders (there was also a missed changed, I tink) and immediately after that, 2 stupid penalties (especially the senseless check-to-the head-and-neck-area from Caikovsky, which cost him a lethal 5-min+game misconduct) came at the same time to kill all the Slovak hopes...the following 2-man advantage situation gave the US a quick 2-0 lead and then it was all downhill for them... Slovakia had some chances on counters but their forwards (mainly Marek Daloga) missed them by going to weak one-on-one against the US goalie Zapolski...and there's no way you can score against him in that way... finally, after another goal by the US just before the end of the second period, the game soon became just "garbage time"... SLO vs NOR wasn't also the most entertaining game of the Olympic tournament, but at least it was close, very close...so close that it went down to the OT... finaly, Norway won it, but I still have more than a doubt about the game winner...imho, there was a goalie interference as big as the Oslo Fjord, but the refs did see it in a different way and up north can start the party for their best result since many, many years... GER vs SUI...twice "meh!" as expected it was a game played well below the capability of both teams, with the German plan executed with perfect effectivness as they normally do against their arch-rival from Switzerland... the early goal by GER (thanks once again to the stupid head check and consequential 5min+game pen against the Swiss Cody Almond) was levelled by the team with the Red Cross at the beginning of the second period...then it was all tactics, clinches, holds and no good play...to high the prize money for a win to take any risk and give the neutral audience some satisfaction... the logical end of a game like this was a tie...and a tie we had...then, in the first minute of the OT it was GER to take advantage of a defensive impasse by the Swiss and sadness came down in the streets of Bern, Zurich and the rest of Switzerland... FIN vs KOR...I didn't watch the game...so, I have no idea of how it really went, but I can say for sure that I'm quite surprised by the not-so-large win by the Finns...but fortunately for the hosts, I guess that they didn't play at their best pace to save some energy for tomorrow's quarterfinal match... tomorrow I can't wait for USA vs CZE and CAN vs FIN among the men's quarters... meanwhile OAR vs NOR I think it's gonna be a massacre in favor of the mighty Russians and SWE vs GER doesn't get me inspired as the other 2 games named above... so, I guess that 2 games would be enough to fill my daily schedule for tomorrow (the remaining 2 will be relegated to the highlights only)...

I don't think there are many chances for Germany... the group stage game doesn't count for anything...it was played at a turtle's speed by both teams, with Germany being very well organized on D (as usual) and Sweden just waiting for the clock to run down to 0... we can say it was the classical matinèè, with most players not even well woken up (that leading to some big defensive mistakes, which unfortunately both teams' forwards didn't take any advantage from)...

[hide] Men's Tournament Knockout Round February 20th - February 25th, 2018 Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Bronze Medal Match and Gold Medal Match Quarterfinals Date & Time (GMT +9) Nation 1 T1 T2 Nation 2 February 21st 2018, h. 12:10 Czech Republic 1 United States February 21st 2018, h. 16:40 Olympic Athletes from Russia 4 Norway February 21st 2018, h. 21:10 Canada 1 Finland February 21st 2018, h. 21:10 Sweden 3 Germany [/hide]

with just 2 good (actually, 1 very good) skaters and 2 just average girls, we didn't have any other choice...we've been already lucky to get passed the Netherlands in the last lap of the semis...that was our masterpiece (and our best chance of getting a medal, knowing well what you just wrote above...no chance that a race with those 3 would run quiet and clean until the end)...

however, I watched carefully the final for the second (and third) time... and I guess that China was DQed because of an impeding with 2 laps to go (when there was the definitive Korean move)... but also the final push just on the line was somehow subject to a possible penalty (it wasn't that fair, "innocent" so to say)...

all of them... in any session there's one panel for the men's events and one for the women's...

sure...but since it all started with my post, I feel a little guilty (in this specific circumstance)... however, once again I agree...it should be a general rule not to spoil other sports results in different threads (meanwhile it's obvious that the specific thread for each sport can have live commentaries)...

sorry, guys! it wasn't my intention to make a spoiler...it's just anger for what happened at the Gangneung Arena... however, it's official...no DQ for Italy...so we can enjoy our 8th medal of these Games...

it will take some time...be patient (however, Fourcade did the same move in the pursuit final straight and he wasn't DQ...so, probably we'll be, of course...you can't judge the same thing twice the same way )...

this time I agree at 101%

German clean sweep incoming, I fear...

actually the man ahead has the right to choose his lane...but I guess that Windisch did it a bit too late, when he already entered the marks (where you can't change lane anymore)... so, I guess a DQ would be correct...but after having watched the Short Track before... I want that Gold back before paying a tribute to justice...

this goes directly beside Seoul 1998 Olympic boxing and Korea/Japan 2002 football world cup... they didn't do anything so clearly sh*tty yet...but now they've gone beyond big time... shame to Korea and to those fuc*in' corrupted judges...

there are Countries buying Ahn Yoon Soo (making him jus Victor An), other can only afford to rent Cynthia Mascitto...

naaa...it was VK who impeded the German, who fell down and took the Dutch with her... for what concerns Prosvirnova, if only the tv director did show the right replays...

those judges!

strike! NED to be DSQ, I guess...

penalty (and yellow card, too..but it doesn't mean nothing, since her Games are over)...

Christie is clearly injured after the 1500m race fall... but she's tough... it looks she's through, but I think there's room for an impeding penalty...

for sure finishing last in a preliminary group with 4 points it's unusual, strange and frustrating... but this Olympic Tournament format is so idiot... however, your team has already shown some good stuff...I mean, you've been able to come back from a quick 0-2 against the mighty Russians (OK, they did fall asleep after the second goal, but still you have to be able to take advantage of such things)... and also against the US boys they didn't play that bad...of course they made some capital mistakes, but you have to expect a young a newly formed team to have some inconsistency problems and to make some mistakes due to the lack of experience in many guys in the roster (and, as good and well accepted by the team as he is, a foreign coach sometimes is not ideal in this kind of situations)... if I have to find something that I really didn't like, I have to say that especially in the last minutes of regulation and in the OT of the game against Slovenia I saw too many selfish plays, too many guys trying to go always and only one-on-more than one against the Slovenian defencemen...they wasted quite a good number of scoring chances because of that...and when it matters most (especially in games when you get few scoring chances like the playoffs ones), I don't think SVK it's a team that can afford to have this kind of attitude...they must be effective, they must capitalize on any small chance, be like ants and not cicadas... in any case, I think tonight it's gonna be a close match and you have all the chances to come up with a different result from last week's game and "fill your contract"... p.s. I guess these last 2 posts should rather be placed on the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament's thread...

Sergei Litvinov (URS), Seoul 1988 Hammer Throw Olympic Champion passes away at the age of 60... http://www.sportstarlive.com/athletics/olympic-hammer-champion-litvinov-passes-away/article22801356.ece R.I.P.

last time he ran for nothing (his 6.37 in Clemson will never be ratified because there weren't the electronic starting blocks), but this time nobody will take the record off him... Christian Coleman runs 6.34 over the 60m dash at the US Champs in Albuquerque... https://www.iaaf.org/news/report/christian-coleman-world-record-us-indoor-cham meanwhile, Seoul 1988 Hammer Throw Olympic Champion Sergei Litvinov (URS) passes away at the age of 60... http://www.sportstarlive.com/athletics/olympic-hammer-champion-litvinov-passes-away/article22801356.ece

thanks...I think I'm going to record it and watch it later in the morning (since there's not much goin' on until 11 a.m.)...