Big Question: Will you watch the final group games in which both teams are already eliminated?

June 20th, 2006 | by: WC Bob |

Today kicks off four straight days where games are played simultaneously. On some days both the of the games being played have huge significance. On other days, the teams advancing from the groups have already been decided and at least one of the games is essentially meaningless. We have our first example of that today when Poland plays Costa Rica with both teams already eliminated.

Even with this being the case, I plan on watching all the games. I haven’t missed one yet and I don’t intend to stop now. What about you? Will you watch the final group games in which both teams are already eliminated?

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SES

I plan on definitely watching the match between Germany-Ecuador as that’s going to be an interesting battle. I don’t know if I’ll watch the match between Costa Rica-Poland though as it is essentially meaningless as you said, but it’s also a good chance to save face and leave the competition graciously and with your dignity intact.
SES

One last comment:

I’m interested to know the outcome of the matches as it’ll be fun to know the placement of the teams in the next round. It could possibly determine who advances to the quarterfinals.
Miguel

It depends…if the game is at 3 a.m. (local time), I won’t be watching it. If it’s an earlier game like 10 p.m., then I probably will.
http://www.aresthetics.ch/trav elAdi

Yep, same here as Miguel. Tonight, I probably watch the Germany game. Get some sleep afterwards and get up to see the England game at 3am. Something like that…
http://poland.worldcupblog.org Os Davis

Hell, yes, i’ll be watching Poland v. Costa Rica! Poland’s only remarkable game in World Cup 2002 was game three after they’d already been eliminated thanks to a pair of losses… sounds familiar. Plus, face it: here in Euroland, it’s a great excuse to take the afternoon off work.
Jono

Hell yeah!
Claude

Probably not. I will watch Germany and Ecuador but not Poland and Costa Rica. I might skip back and forth between England-Sweden and Paragauy-TNT. Want to see if TNT will make it. Would be nice to see such an underdog make it to the knock out round.
Jen

I have been very busy lately. Lots of free lance work, lots of regular work….but one thing that has been consistent is my watching of the World Cup games. I am very fortunate that I work at home. I start my work day with the first match on and my tv stays on ESPN2 all day (ok, it gets switched to ESPN when they switch things up on me).

Thank goodness that my new DVR records two channels at once. I would not be happy with having to miss recording one of the matches.

This World Cup has made me a permanent football fan, now I just need to find a regular club team to root for :)

So, obviously, I plan on watching every match I possibly can.
Adelina

Might I recommend that you go with a well known club on the Euro circuit. Before you find one that suits you much better. It gives you a chance to get to know what ‘etiquette’ (lol, etiquette) is expected when you watch in your local sports bar? I live and breathe futbol since the Mexican upbringing means there are local clubs, state endorsed clubs, El Tri (our national club) and of course my Euro choices: Manchester United and Real Madrid. There’s the German clubs as well, they’re good too. Good Luck!
Steve

It depends which match. I wouldn’t miss Germany – Ecuador. Bu Poland-Costa Rica? Why? Just to say you’ve seen them all?

All in all, I’ve seen nothing to dissuade me from the belief that the World Cup is still the greatest sporting event of them all, even eclipsing the Olympics.
TheOne

No body remembers who comes up second place. They just lost and they are playing for nothing, they had their chance and they blew it. The match becomes meaningless, and am sure he players want to just get it over with. FIFA should not let them play such matches.
dan

Hey Bob, I’m close to being the ultimate World Cup zombie. The Portugal-Angola and Portugal-Iran game were the only ones I missed (though I switched off England-Paraguay at half-time, they were so insipid). I must watch Portugal in their next match against Mexico, ought to be a real thriller, that. But how are you going to watch both games at the same time?
Dave Hamilton

Coincidentally, a friend just offered me a ticket to Costa Rica-Poland today, but that isn’t interesting enough to me to drop everything I am doing, stress out rushing to Hannover, and see a meaningless game. With perhaps a day’s notice, I might have gone.

Dave hamildav@yahoo.com
dan

Oh, and I missed Brazil-Croatia too.
Herman

No doubt, I will watch them. Matches between eliminated squads could be possibly more attractive than those between winning teams (with less thrill, of course)
lala

since it clashes with germany-ecuador, and i’d be watching that, i’d have to watch the delayed for this. which is somewhat more boring. so probably not. but if it was a meaningless match that doesn’t clash with another, and at a non-insane time, i would!
kibic

Sure I will. Guess why?
diego

Sometimes, those “meaningless” games – because of the lack of pressure – turn out to be pretty entertaining. You never know what you might miss.
Get your DVR’s and picture in picture TV sets ready! :D
king kong

I’m actually going to miss both the Ecuador-Germany and Costa Rica-Poland games since I’ll be in class. I will have my laptop available for the LiveBlogs though. I’ll most definitely watch the two afternoon games (3pm over here). I feel bad for the people that have to watch these games at 3am haha. Reminds me of 2002..
diego

BTW, is Bob going to be blogging both games at the same time on a split screen???
I bet THAT would be quite entertaining to watch. Hehehe
so what

Do you stop sending you child to
school if he fails miserably in
his 1st year exam ?

To spin it another way:
If the team that you bet on going
through to next round fail to
make it after loosing first 2
matches, will it serve you any
comfort or purpose by watching
out its last match ?