Short update

Haven't been updating this blog for a long time.

Sport events that happened lately:

Copa America final - quite happy that it was Urugway and Paraguay who made to the final, not Brazil and Argentina. The game was good. I think that Uruguay victory was deserved, they were the better team on the pitch. However, Paraguay showed that they can play too. Great performance of both goalkeepers, Muslera and Villar. Villar was chosen the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

68. Tour de Pologne - started on 31th of July, and finishes today. Again, amazing speed, some surprises and again I don't think that a Pole is going to win the race. However, they are trying to show their best on each stage. Today it's to be decided if Daniel Martin or Peter Sagan is going to win the whole race. Or perhaps someone else?

Copa America: Uruguay vs Argentina 1-1 (5-4)

I was silently rooting for Uruguay to win this game... and they did! They pass through the quarterfinal of Copa America and moved on to the semi final.

Muslera made 9 (!) saves in the game, and saved also a crucial penalty in the penalty shoot-out.

Video highlights of the game can be seen here: link.

And the video highlights of the penalty shoot-out here: link.

Now I wish Paraguay won with Brazil today ;)

Fernando Muslera picspam - Serie A games

Small picspam with Fernando Muslera from recent Serie A games. Lazio against Bari, Palermo and Cagliari.



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Bari vs Lazio, Stadio San Nicola, 17 October 2010, Bari, Italy



Palermo vs Lazio, Stadio Renzo Barbera, 31 October 2010, Palermo, Italy.



Lazio vs Cagliari, Olympic stadium, 24 October 2010, Rome, Italy. Lazio's players Cristian Brocchi, Dias and Fernando Muslera celebreate after winning the game.

Serie A: Palermo vs Lazio 0-1 31 Oct 2010 video highlights

Found on Italian Soccer Serie A highlights showing some of Muslera's saves. It's worth watching!

Serie A: Palermo vs Lazio 0-1, 31 Nov 2010

Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was invincible in today's Serie A game. Palermo dominated the game, but Lazio managed to score the opening goal. Thanks to the defense the good result was kept and Lazio extended their lead at the top of the Serie A table.



Muslera was really great. Despite all efforts of Palermo's players and no matter what they did, Lazio's goalkeeper was always on the place to stop the shot. He made 8 saves, including two crucial ones in the last minutes of the game.

World Cup 2010: Fernando Muslera photos in Uruguay - South Korea 2-1, 25 June 2010

Fernando Muslera in Sampdoria - Lazio 2-0 game, 29 Aug 2010

Fernando Muslera in Sampdoria - Lazio 2-0 game, 29 Aug 2010.

Still haven't seen Muslera in Serie A game in this season. Need to catch this up.

World Cup 2010 goalkeeper saves video

YT user LCTrussell1992 posted an excellent video with some of World Cup 2010 best goalkeeper's saves.

Some of my favorites are there, like Muslera's, Villar's and Casillas's penalty saves, Eduardo's performance in Spain - Portugal game and Benaglio's in Spain - Switzerland game.

Link to the video: here.

Goalkeepers featured in the video: Diego Benaglio (Switzerland), Iker Casillas (Spain), Eduardo (Portugal), Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria), Tim Howard (USA), David James (England), Moeneeb Josephs (South Africa), Vincent Jung Sung-Ryong (South Korea), Richard Kingson (Ghana), Itumeleng Khune (South Africa), Hugo Lloris (France), Ján Mucha (Slovakia), Fernando Muslera (Uruguay), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Óscar Pérez (Mexico), Mark Schwarzer (Australia), Maarten Stekelenburg (The Netherlands), Mark Paston (New Zealand), Alexandros Tzorvas (Greece), Justo Villar (Paraguay).

The one I feel the lack the most is M'Bohli. He stopped USA team for 90' minutes in Algeria - USA game. But everything can't be put in one video.

Goalkeepers of the World Cup 2010 video slideshow

Wanted to put a video about World Cup goalkeepers, but I didn't have enough time to do this, so I decided to make just a slideshow with some favorite photos.



Music: K'naan "Waving flag".

Sadly the quality is not the best...

World Cup 2010: Uruguay vs Germany 2-3 10 July

What a thrilling game! Germany team playing with reserves due to illnes and injuries which ruled out key players. Uruguay showing their best - playing till the last moment, and at some point even taking up the lead.

One of the heroes of yesterday's match was for sure German goalkeeper, Hans-Jeorg Butt. It was fourth cap for 36-years old, and the first one on the international stage. Late debut. He was third goalkeeper at Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002. Olivier Khan and Jens Lehmann were ahead of him. The both don't play with the team any more, but Butt didn't became the no. 1.

Germany struggled with problems with goalkeepers in qualifiers to World Cup 2010. Robert Enke was supposed to become the no. 1, but he died tragically in November 2009, committing sucide. Injury ruled out Rene Adler, who was another candidate. The no. 3, Manuel Neuer, become the first-choice.

In the the third-place play off Loew gave Butt a chance. It was not only his first cap on the World Cup but also his last and he helped his team to won the bronze medal. He made very good saves, and the lost goals were not his fault. I liked the most the save when he stoped Diego Forlan twice. Also very good one to one save of Cavani's shot. For sure this match will be a nice memory for him.



Well, now a bit about Muslera. To put it nicely, his perfromance was far for being good. I'm afraid few will remember his good performance in the group stage matches and his penalty saves in the quarterfinal with Ghana. He didn't looked best when Uruguay lost the first goal. He saved Schweinsteiger's shot form the distance, but the goal was scored on the retake. But then again, where the defenders were to support the goalie? How many times others goalkeepers were slippery when it come to stop Jambulani and the defernders were on the place to clear the ball?

The worst was yet to come. Muslera fatally misjudged the cross when the second goal for Germany was scored. A goalkeeper just cannot commit a mistakes like this, not on this stage. Well, Julio Cesar did the same in Brazil - Netherlands match, but it's Julio Cesar, he is one of the best anyway, and can be sure about his postition. Muslera is at the beginning of his career and I wonder if his fatal performance might cost him a place in the goal in the national team.

Well, going to follow Muslera in Lazio anyway ;)

According to ESPN stats Butt and Muslera made 4 saves each.



Hans-Jeorg Butt


















































Fernando Muslera