Friday, 27 June 2014

BRAZIL 2014 WORLD CUP QUIZ: Who wins the World Cup for acting? Find out which teams have spent the most time writhing on the field...

Painful: England midfielder Jack Wilshere holds his ankle in England's final match against Costa RicaA complaint as old as time - how much time football players spend rolling on the floor.


This World Cup has been one of the best in recent memory, but the teams have varied vastly in terms of how much time they've spent writhing on the pitch.

From genuine injuries to sneaky time-wasters, reasearchers at the Wall Street Journal have totted up every team's total time spent on the floor.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill's tips on diving or 'flopping'
Painful: England midfielder Jack Wilshere holds his ankle in England's final match against Costa Rica
Agony: Italy striker Mario Balotelli lies injured on the floor in Italy's 1-0 loss to Uruguay in England's Group D
Agony: Italy striker Mario Balotelli lies injured on the floor in Italy's 1-0 loss to Uruguay in England's Group D
Star man: But Neymar has been under fire from fans throughout his career for his time spent on the floor
Star man: But Neymar has been under fire from fans throughout his career for his time spent on the floor
Surprisingly for a side more noted for their physical approach in causing other teams damage, Honduras players have spent the most time writhing in agony.
At the other end of the scale, hard-as-nails Bosnia and Herzegovina spent just 24 seconds on the floor. Perhaps they should have taken more breathers, as Edin Dzeko and Co failed to make it out of the group stage.
England, meanwhile, are around the middle of the pack on three minutes and eight seconds.
And unfortunately for traditionalists everywhere, it seems that spending time laying on the pitch actually helps teams to win.
Tended to: Patrice Evra of France and Manchester United is helped by his team-mates while injured
Tended to: Patrice Evra of France and Manchester United is helped by his team-mates while injured
Back in blighty: Wayne Rooney clasps his ankle during England's ill-fated match against Uruguay
Back in blighty: Wayne Rooney clasps his ankle during England's ill-fated match against Uruguay
Clutching his face: Portugal's former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles lies injured against USA
Clutching his face: Portugal's former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles lies injured against USA
The data also counted the amount of individual injuries requiring treatment teams picked up, Brazil topping the chart with 17.
But teams to have lost matches in the group stages had around 40 injuries and 12.5 minutes on the floor, with winning sides succumbing to 103 injuries and four times as much time on the floor.
It seems the old adage of running down the clock rings true.

The full list - how long has each team stayed on the floor? 

Honduras 7m 40s
France 7m 19s
Chile 6m 58s
Nigeria 6m 25s
USA 6m 24s
Iran 5m 26s
Russia 5m 16s
Ivory Coast 4m 38s
Ecuador 4m 33s
South Korea 4m 31s
Croatia 4m 19s
Colombia 4m 9s
Uruguay 4m 7s
Algeria 4m 3s
Mexico 3m 58s
Costa Rica 3m 48s
Belgium 3m 23s
Brazil 3m 18s
England 3m 8s
Cameroon 3m 09s
Argentina 2m 48s
Greece 2m 39s
Japan 2m 5s
Germany 1m 58s
Ghana 1m 51s
Australia 1m 50s
Portugal 1m 49s
Spain 1m 49s
Holland 1m 39s
Italy 1m 36s
Switzerland 1m 21s
Bosnia 24s


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