The cards are wiped out after the group stage but that's it. Any cards acquired during the knockout stage are cumulative. So, Ballack is out like sauerkraut.
Neuville, on the other hand, will still be able to play in the final. Despite receiving his "second" yellow, it counts as only his first due to the fact that the card he got against the Americans was a case of mistaken identity and was subsequently overturned by FIFA officals.
As for Ballack, it was a necessary foul; perhaps it'll play out like '98 when Blanc sat for the finals and the French won anyways.
I watched it, albeit at a more respectable hour - 9:30pm Brisbane time. Last night's result couldn't sit too well with all the England supporters on TTP. After 5-1 in Munich, who would have thought Germany would be in the final and England would be eliminated in the quarters? Martin Tyler's commentary was as always very good - and funny. This German team is unbelievable, probably because (as Tyler pointed out) they aren't playing with the arrogance that they've played with in the past. There's no pressure on them to win, so they go out and get the results needed.
The question I have is who will fill in for Ballack?
Daz: Sour grapes? I do agree, though - Neuville is the worst for diving. Come to think of it, so are Ramelow, and Klose.
A very entertaining half of football. Brazil are definitely taking command of the game but Turkey do look very dangerous on the counter-attack. My question for One Dart is this:
What score should I take for the updated half-time score? I still believe Brazil will win but I am concerned about the Turkish counter-attack.
Captain who is looking for One Dart's half-time expertise in betting.....
The camera work pissed me off because they didn't show any of the shoving between the two teams, but the commentator kept talking about it. FIFA probably didn't want that to be shown
Roberto Carlos has been shite all tourney!!! Well, maybe except for his Free kick... This match is going to be worse than the Brazil/England match!!! ZeeGermans are boring!!! Although, for some reason Slav fancies their style!!!