Russia World Cup 2018

[Steamflogger Boss]

What's it with all the top teams playing like they're bored out of their mind? All the cannon fodder is starting to look competent in comparison. People are having delusions that we won't end up with the usual Germany/Argentina/Brazil/Spain quartet in the finals.

I think Germany or moreover Löw I suppose made fairly poor selections and decisions. Khedira belongs nowhere near the starting 11, and there are about 3 or 4 players that should at the very least be available as substitutes. With how dreadful Khedira was today I would guess that Löw will go elsewhere for that spot. Maybe Goretzka, or hell another defender and slide Kimmich up? I don't know, just someone in the line-up instead of Khedira. Mexico destroyed the German midfield with speed.

[bottino]

The majority of the fans and media here think that Brazil's manager is infallible and that he can do no wrong.
In that sense, today's match was a good wake-up call. Let's see if they learned the lesson.

Blaming the referee for the outcome of the match is pathetic; they have no right to complain after playing a 2nd half like that.

People over here love to trash Argentina, but Iceland presented a much tougher challenge for them than Switzerland presented to Brazil.

On another note, Mexico played a beautiful match, but I was negatively surprised with Germany's performance - didn't expected them to play that badly.

[null1024]

It looks like Brazil thought they were going to win just because they are Brazil. What a lazy match.

kinda mad I was at work during the match [didn't get to see ANY of today's matches, and I was looking forward to Mexico v Germany], but I'll probably watch it tomorrow because I'm a Brazil supporter and have always been
You'd have thought that last cup would have drilled that shit out of 'em though -- I'm still of the opinion that they shouldn't have even advanced as far as they did then just because they played so sloppily, well before getting absolutely bodied with 7-1 [god, that hurt] and then 3-0 [it's less memorable, but just as painful to remember]. Brazil's been tepid as fuck, and I'm hoping they cut that shit out.

as an aside, Iceland vs Argentina was a pretty cool match. Brilliant defense by Iceland. If Messi was actually on his game, they'd probably have lost, but I wouldn't count it entirely, there was some pretty damn good keeping and he was totally fucking blocked half the match, Iceland knew what they were doing, and Argentina... kinda played like it was just one guy and his groupies instead of like they were a team. They weren't terrible, but it was a pretty poor showing.

[Marc]

Some of the play acting I've seen so far is absolutely ridiculous.

VAR was actually used to reverse a correct decision yesterday, France's first goal against Australia was never a penalty in a million years. Ref made the right call, and VAR reversed it.

And of course, the turn of my home nation to do what they always do tonight... get everybody cautiously optimistic, then completely fail to deliver on the pitch.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Belgium looks great.

[d3vak]

Belgium looks great.

Just for the past 15 min.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Belgium looks great.

Just for the past 15 min.

They have so much talent they barely need to play a complete game.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Gonna pour one out for all the UK posters here.

[Mero]

England left their shooting boots at home so far..

[Mero]

Crap in the 2nd half but still managed to pull it out of the bag right at the end, which makes a change.

[__SKYe]

England's exhibition could have been better, but they certainly deserved the win.

And since they won, all the british in the forum can stop complaining -- at least for awhile.

[BIL]

This being my fifth consecutive cup since moving to the mother country, I've come to enjoy the atmosphere. It's like a nationwide episode of Fawlty Towers and everyone is Basil.

Spoiler

Some of the play acting I've seen so far is absolutely ridiculous.

Was getting a whiff of that bullshit during Brazil v Switzerland yesterday. Though that one dude got straight-up blammed square in his fucking face and managed to keep going, which almost equalised things.

I'll say one thing for the yanks, who I was bemused to learn got blown out of this cup's qualifiers by a loss to my Caribbean neighbours Trinidad & Tobago - I was very appreciative of Clint Dempsey taking a Ghanan cleat to the face and getting right back up with his bloody broken nose.

Spoiler

That rolling around covering your eyes shit is unforgivable.

[__SKYe]

This being my fifth consecutive cup since moving to the mother country, I've come to enjoy the atmosphere. It's like a nationwide episode of Fawlty Towers and everyone is Basil.

Spoiler

Oh BIL, you're so tough on the good old British team.

On a more serious note, although I always enjoy when the tougher teams lose early during the cups, because it makes it easier for my own team to win (at least it should ), I do get saddened that teams that were so good a decade or so ago, kind of just scrape by now, or don't manage to get into the group stage at all, like Italy this year.

Not that our team is very good, but we never were in the first place -- we have/have had great players, but they tend to not work that well on the national team. Nevertheless, I always hope they win.

Was getting a whiff of that bullshit during Brazil v Switzerland yesterday. Though that one dude got straight-up blammed square in his fucking face and managed to keep going, which almost equalised things!

I'll say one thing for the yanks, who I was bemused to learn got blown out of this cup by a loss to my Caribbean neighbours Trinidad & Tobago - I was very appreciative of that one guy who got his nose busted open by a blatant elbow and stood right back up with blood streaming down his face. That rolling around covering your eyes shit is humiliating to watch.

Unfortunately, this is mostly standard practice. One can only hope for stricter regulations regarding simulations or otherwise time-wasting maneuvers. Not that I think that it will change anytime soon, though it really drags down the overall quality of football matches when it happens regularly.

[BIL]

Oh BIL, you're so tough on the good old British team.

It's a national past-time, everyone's encouraged to join in and savour the pain.

"Thiiirty years of hurt / never stopped me dreaming!" "Been fookin fifty years now m8"

[M.Knight]

Oh man, the Tunisian team had some of the worst technical skills displayed in this tournament so far. The amount of failed passes is astonishing, and yet they kept on trying those fancy cross-passes. Not to mention the amount of free kicks and corners they gave and all the marking errors. Also, despite them sucking at not losing the ball when dueling English players, the defenders kept insisting on not kicking the ball to clear it away from their own goal but tried to duel the English strikers. And let's not forget that one time the Tunisian striker had a great ball coming to him but slipped and fell on the grass all on his own.

The two Tunisian goalies were not bad at all but the defenders really didn't help them at times. They managed to stop a lot of dangerous opportunities towards the end but those opportunities were based on one of their fuck-ups anyway.

That the English team barely got the win against this team says a lot about them I guess.

[Marc]

Good opening 20 minutes, poor after that, and wasted a shocking number of chances. Though Kane was rugby tackled twice in their box, both of which the ref was in a perfect position to catch?

[dan76]

Good opening 20 minutes, poor after that, and wasted a shocking number of chances. Though Kane was rugby tackled twice in their box, both of which the ref was in a perfect position to catch?

Yeah, the ref was useless and I think the VAR thing did flag up one of the incidents of England getting rugby tackled in the box but the ref ignored it. Still, it wasn't as if England played all that well. Just once I'd like the pundits to actually stop making excuses for the team. The latest one is it's a young side. I remember hearing that a few years ago and nothing came of it.

I'm not that bothered about the World Cup but it's always a bit more interesting if your country is still involved. I'll call it. Semi final penalty shoot out and were gone (!)

[Mero]

It's better than the shit we've seen at recent tournaments at least.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I'm still confused as to how Raheem Sterling starts. If any of you can explain that one for me I would be grateful. I assume he has compromising photos of someone high up.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Japanese stunner!

Tbf Colombia was playing with 10 men (deserved though) basically all game.

[__SKYe]

Yeah, Colombia was conditioned pretty much the entire game, but I still really liked Japan's game in the second half. On the final minutes of the 1st half it seemed as if Colombia would be able to keep up even with 10 players, but the second half was almost all Japan.

As an aside, I always found Baca's name funny because in northern dialect here, it is common to pronounce the v's as b's, so his name sounds like you'd say cow (Vaca). And as I was watching the game, I realized that the japanese watching the game's commentary on TV probably had quite a few giggles with his name as well.

[d3vak]

As an aside, I always found Baca's name funny because in northern dialect here, it is common to pronounce the v's as b's, so his name sounds like you'd say cow (Vaca).

Yeah, to us spanish native speakers that surname is funny too...until we turn 10 years old.

Too bad the Sánchez went for that kind of resort to prevent the goal. It wasn't justified at all, unlike that one time Luis Suárez saved his team on the match against Ghana on 2010.

[__SKYe]

Yeah, to us spanish native speakers that surname is funny too...until we turn 10 years old.

Alright, maybe funny isn't the right word, more like amusing (and it isn't like you'd laugh just by seeing/hearing it).

Too bad the Sánchez went for that kind of resort to prevent the goal. It wasn't justified at all, unlike that one time Luis Suárez saved his team on the match against Ghana on 2010.

Yeah, especially that early in the game. Japan scored anyway and his team ended up crippled for the rest of the match.

[Mero]

Poland fucking up badly atm.

[BIL]

What in the sweet fuck @ Sanchez's handball. Shot his own nuts off.

Spoiler

Though ala Brazil, the one goal Colombia did manage was a beauty for the ages. Hard to say how much Japan owed to Sanchez's bungle, but their second was superbly done as well.

[__SKYe]

Yeah, it was a beautiful goal.
Japan played superbly on the second half, but I think that they wouldn't have all that possession if Colombia had all their players. Not to mention that, with Colombia's fantastic attack, their goalkeeper would have been tested much more.

It's a moot point now, but it may cost Colombia their place in the next phase of the cup.

[bottino]

That's what you get for having Héctor Cúper as your manager - Egypt is out.

Russia has played well so far, but Saudi Arabia ( as expected ) and Egypt offered very little resistance; Uruguay definitely won't be an easy prey ( it's the most solid team in group A after all ).

They will likely face Portugal and Spain on the next phase - though luck for them, but I'm sure we will have a couple of exciting matches.

[neorichieb1971]

Senegals goal was pure class.

"Hey ref, can I come on?"

Runs on like road runner, badda dee, badda da, BOOM! GOOOOOAL!

I don't think that goal should have stood. At least not whilst the ball was in the attacking half of the field.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Ronaldo can't be stopped.

[Steamflogger Boss]

The stench of undeserved Portugese win is wafting through my monitor.