World cup 2018

[Jaded]

it looked rather boring; reckon both teams were playing with the awareness that a draw suited them so no point provoking the opposition! A drawback of the group format that was supposed to have been fixed by playing both final games simultaneously.

You'll never "fix" that problem - but the current format makes it much less common.

AIUI the simultaneous last game idea was introduced after Germany and Austria, IIRC, played out a spiritless nil-nil draw realizing they would both get through whereas if Germany won, Algeria would go through in second place. Might have been sort of 1978-ish. Might have been Switzerland rather than Austria. Or someone else. Point is, the current system doesn't stop that kind of "convenient un-match". It might be impossible to prevent in a group system, I'm not going to sit down and do the probabilities! Could always go to a fully knockout format... but that's probably for another thread, another time!

Fully knockout? Fewer money! No chance.

[Von Broad]

Most unimpressed with Maradonna's performance from the balcony. Hard to believe he was once a world class athlete.

He's a world class dope head subsequently I think. Another figure we all love to hate

I don't expect anything else from him but it would be nice to expect a bit more from the television companies - why the **** do we have to keep looking at the wanker during the game? I mean, like wtf? Then......if that's not enough...let's have another look at it after the match shall we! 

Oh well, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina through....hopefully Germany and Brazil get through later today 

And Messi's ball control...genius.

And the fans....have the folk from Central/South America get special deals on flights from Putin or something? they sure are there on mass. Good to see Peru get a couple of goals yesterday. You'd have thought they'd won it from how celebratory they were. Would have been nice to see a few more outsiders in the last 16.

[andyoxon]

...

And Messi's ball control...genius.

...

Good wasn't it     https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44624069

[Greenbank]

Could always go to a fully knockout format... but that's probably for another thread, another time!

2026 will all but be fully knockout.

48 teams in 16 groups of 3. Only two group games for each team and then the top two in each group go through to a knockout round of 32, etc.

The finalists will still only play 7 games during the competition (no change there as the 3rd group game just becomes the knockout round of 32).

I'd expect each group will be formed of a top 16 seed (or 13 seeds and 3 host nations), a mid tier (17-32 rank) team and a lower tier (33-48) team. The lower tier team would be expected to lose both which puts the two higher ranked teams through to the knockout competition. Any draws against the lower tier team will really put the cat amongst the pigeons (or goats in the vegetable patches) which is why it'll be treated by most teams as a pure knockout tournament.

[Mr Larrington]

And the fans....have the folk from Central/South America get special deals on flights from Putin or something? they sure are there on mass. Good to see Peru get a couple of goals yesterday. You'd have thought they'd won it from how celebratory they were. Would have been nice to see a few more outsiders in the last 16.

"Peru?  They cannae play!" ~ Ally Macleod, shortly before Scotland's 3-1 defeat in 1978

[LEE]

...

And Messi's ball control...genius.

...

Good wasn't it     https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44624069

I can't think of another player who could do what he did with 3 touches of the ball.  At every phase the ball ended up precisely where he wanted it to end up. 
Much more difficult than a (more spectacular) long-range shot.  It will take some beating as goal of the tournament.

[citoyen]

Most unimpressed with Maradonna's performance from the balcony. Hard to believe he was once a world class athlete.

https://youtu.be/CIygalhVZ00

[andyoxon]

Germany had better get a move on...

[Von Broad]

Germany had better get a move on...

Korea are a strange outfit, well organized, reasonable defence, come forward in numbers...but then suddenly look a bit clueless in front of goal, and all the hard work disintegrates.

[citoyen]

clueless in front of goal.

And with an alarming tendency to fall over. Some of them should get checked out for incipient narcolepsy.

[mattc]

Most unimpressed with Maradonna's performance from the balcony. Hard to believe he was once a world class athlete.

https://youtu.be/CIygalhVZ00

Oh my word! I had not seen that before.

Unfortunately I'm one of the sad f**ks who never forgave Diego for his handball against England. His behaviour since then has just cemented his reputation as a massive twat. As a result I've always copied the behaviour of the British provinces - I support whoever is playing against Argentina.

HOWEVER ... last night something strange happened. When Nigeria were on the verge of getting a penalty, and thus putting ARG out via a NON-handball, I was on the verge of bitterness-fuelled ecstasy.

But then ARG survived that scare ... and dragged themselves back into the World Cup. mainly through the genius of Messi, who I suspect is a proper sportsman (something Diego never managed). The rest of the team seemed to be properly fighting for the win too, with a passion; and they weren't even particularly dirty (by 2018 standards).

Looking back on their result, I actually feel they deserved it. (It was a cracking game of football all round. Shame about Nigeria, who probably deserved a last-16 place more than some teams. But that's sport ... ) I am on the verge of burying the hatchet; this team is nothing to do with Cheating Twat Maradonna, and I might actually root for them later in the tournament.

p.s. don't tell anyone about this. Especially anyone with an England flag on their property.
pp.s. Who are playing against Ronaldo/Portugal next??

[Von Broad]

And now there's a possibility Mexico could get eliminated if a certain team score....surely not, please.

edit: I've said VAR is a good thing 

well, well well....

[andyoxon]

 G v SK   

[Von Broad]

G v SK   

Fascinating stuff....definitely the moment when VAR came of age!

Apart from the last 20mins against Sweden if England had played like Germany over these three games we would have just said they were crap and don't deserve to go through.

[spesh]

Wie sagt man "schadenfreude" auf Deustch, bitte? 

[toontra]

I wonder if Shearer will continue his pathetic whining about VAR (in spite of it obviously working well in almost every case and maybe determining the correct outcome of this game  )

[Von Broad]

I'm pleased for Mexico more than anything.

[Von Broad]

I wonder if Shearer will continue his pathetic whining about VAR (in spite of it obviously working well in almost every case and maybe determining the correct outcome of this game  )

To be fair to Shearer, there have been some dreadful VAR decisions, but it's not the technology, it's how its being implemented that's caused the controversy.
The Iranian penalty against Portugal being a classic case. Ref was right to begin with and VAR should never have complicated things. How they made to ref review that decision was just crazy - he was then under pressure to change his mind.

With the decision today, VAR is able to show a factual error - errors that are difficult to see first time round by officials due to bodies obscuring a good perspective.

[toontra]

I wonder if Shearer will continue his pathetic whining about VAR (in spite of it obviously working well in almost every case and maybe determining the correct outcome of this game  )

To be fair to Shearer, there have some dreadful VAR decisions, but it's not the technology, it's how its being implemented that's caused the controversy.
The Iranian penalty against Portugal being a classic case. Ref was right to begin with and VAR should never have complicated things. How they made to ref review that decision was just crazy - he was then under pressure to change his mind.

With the decision today, VAR is able to show a factual error - errors that are difficult to see first time round by officials due to bodies obscuring a good perspective.

Fair point.  Perhaps they should broadcast the conversation between the VAR bods and the ref. (as in rugby and cricket).  Would have been interesting to hear what was said during the Ronaldo elbow incident:

VAR: "He clearly elbowed the player in the face so that's a red card"  Ref: "Yeah but that would mean he'd be out for the rest of the world cup - how about a yellow?"

Anyway, I'm just bored of Shearer's tedious moaning 

[D.A.L.E.]

it's not the technology, it's how its being implemented

This, for me. Woeful.

[De Sisti]

I still don't get it when footballers cry after they have lost a match (e.g. one or two of the German
players after their defeat to South Korea). I mean, they lost; they go home. It's not as if it's going
to have a huge detremental affect to their way of life. They are all extremely well paid for doing
something the like. Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know it's sport and a world cup, and some of them may
never play in one again. Get over it guys.

If I were to drop a bollox in my working environment, at worst it would be in my annual appraisal
(possibly missing out on a measly bounus), but it certainly wouldn't bring me to tears.

[De Sisti]

Anyway, I'm just bored of Shearer's tedious moaning 

Shearer got it right the other day when he had a go Linekar (who was making light of head injuries).

[toontra]

Anyway, I'm just bored of Shearer's tedious moaning 

Shearer got it right the other day when he had a go Linekar (who was making light of head injuries).

Even a stopped clock is right occasionally.

[Greenbank]

Don't mention the VAR.

(Not my gag...)

[Legs]

With Brazil looking likely to top Group E, a tactical loss tomorrow night would probably suit England very nicely.  The bottom half of the draw is looking a lot more open than the top...