419 replies to this topic

[AllseeingEye]

Second youngest team in the WC even with the nearly 40 year old right back Dani Alves in the lineup; Brazil is a machine that churns out quality footballers like we do hockey players.

[AllseeingEye]

WOW. Cameroon scores with less than 5 minutes injury time to go. Can they slay mighty Brazil? They still may not advance but what a great achievement if they can hold on.

[Victoria Watcher]

Pretty solid win today by Netherlands.

Nice to just watch one game at a time for the rest of the tournament.

[Victoria Watcher]

Babylon Bee:

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the men's national team was dealt a crushing 1-3 loss by the Netherlands, the United States expressed deep relief to no longer have to go on pretending to like soccer.

 

"Hoo-boy, I didn't think I could keep that up another day," said local man Aaron Bronson. "Thank God for the Dutch!"

 

After twelve grueling days of trying to get excited about a ball mostly being passed backward, celebrations broke out across America as its World Cup run came to a close. "I know we only have to fake being soccer fans every four years, but it's been a brutal couple of weeks," said local bar owner Greg Jaster. "We scored three goals in SIX HOURS of soccer! And I have it on good authority from a Brazilian buddy of mine that our last goal was actually an accident. I'm trying to be a good patriot and cheer for our team, but come on."

 

 

https://babylonbee.c...-to-like-soccer

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 December 2022 - 05:01 AM.

[AllseeingEye]

Haven't had the opportunity to see France yet but wow they are a quality side and loaded with offensive talent. Entertaining as hell to watch too, very much full value for their world # 4 ranking. Poland honestly did well to stay within 0-1 at the half, and had some quality chances of their own. Gotta think though that France will not only get to the Final 8 but are a real threat to get to the final. Maybe the most creative team I've seen yet.

 

I've seen tongue in cheek reporting like the BabylonBee article in the past and while it had a grain of truth re American sporting tastes then, the fact is futbol is now pushing number three for the most youth+adult participants in the sport in 'Murrica, and growing. Basketball - which easily wins my personal award for the most unwatchable and uninteresting professional sport in person or especially on TV - remains number one amongst US sporting participants. Oddly and yes I looked this up, the fastest growing US sport in terms of players is reputedly.....pickleball....

Edited by AllseeingEye, 04 December 2022 - 08:12 AM.

[AllseeingEye]

Holy moly take the opportunity if you can to catch the next France game. Kylian Mbappe is an electric offensive player and easily the most creative one I've seen thus far in this WC. The coming out of a global superstar I think. He scored two magnificent goals in the win over Poland ending with shots of stunning ferocity and accuracy. Whoever wins England - Senegal I should think will be the clear underdog vs France.

[FogPub]

England-France it is, and that one will be must-see TV I think.

[AllseeingEye]

England-France it is, and that one will be must-see TV I think.

 

100%; my English lineage would like to see the Three Lions advance - but my inner football purist would not at all mind seeing the offensively creative and highly gifted French squad win to set up the possibility of a France - Brazil final if the stars all aligned. Especially if Neymar can recover and get back in the Brazilian lineup that would be a thing of beauty IMO.....

[Victoria Watcher]

Especially if Neymar can recover and get back in the Brazilian lineup that would be a thing of beauty IMO.....

 

They say he is a go for today.

[Victoria Watcher]

Why any team wants to go to penalties is beyond my understanding.

But since half time both Croatia and Japan have played like they want to settle this with the 50 / 50 prospect of penalty shots.

[AllseeingEye]

Not sure any team 'wants' to go to penalties necessarily, more a function IMO that the longer the game remains tied no one wants to be THAT guy who makes the fatal mistake that leads to defeat. That said - and I don't follow either team here so I don't know their penalty kick stats, percentages or tendencies - some teams may gamble on playing for the draw depending on their confidence in their penalty kickers.

 

One reason why John Herdman got heavily criticised was in allowing Alphonso Davies to pick up the ball and take the penalty against Croatia in spite of the fact he hadn't played in three weeks, was coming off an injury and above all because he's not a specialist in penalty kicks: Jonathan David is/was and by a very wide margin. 

[AllseeingEye]

Also look at the physical form of today's goalkeepers: they're bigger and taller and lankier and longer than ever before and have a much better chance of making a save than previous generations. Back in the day anyone over 6' was often tagged by default as a goalie. Some of these guys here are 6'6" and taller.....

[AllseeingEye]

....annnnd Japan crashes out....just awful shot taking by them in the penalty kick phase. Croatia full value for the win. Croatian keeper stops THREE Japanese penalty kicks!

[Victoria Watcher]

Well the second game today wasn’t much.

[AllseeingEye]

Spain flames out against Morocco as yet another football giant bites the dust in penalty kicks. Good for Morocco, played a smart tactical game while Spain appeared to lie back and when they did foray into the Moroccan end they just couldn't solve the defence. Spain looked tentative and they paid for it.....

[Victoria Watcher]

First Portugal 🇵🇹 goal was a real feat of physics.

Rolling to the win now.

[Victoria Watcher]

Who is Goncalo Ramos? Benfica forward replaced Cristiano Ronaldo at World Cup and scored hat trick of goals for Portugal

https://www.sporting...7qyklgsb4cdv1ho

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 December 2022 - 01:03 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

These games could all be good.

 

• I'll say Portugal beats Morocco in the least-close game.
• I'll say France beats England but I'll be cheering for England.
• I'll give the nod to Brazil.
• And I'll say Netherlands narrowly beats Argentina, or loses on penalties.

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 December 2022 - 06:51 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Here are some odds now.  Brazil and Portugal pretty heavily favoured.  The other matches much more close, with England/France being the closest - at least according to those betting.

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 December 2022 - 08:07 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

I don't gamble so I don't look at odds and +/- but simply what my eyes tell me.

 

Haven't seen Argentina play but any team with a motivated Messi on board is a serious threat. And he has played very well and led his team thus far, as expected. I don't think they'll win it all this year - but OTOH I wouldn't be shocked if they did. Cristiano Ronaldo frankly is past his best before date as a player, is a bit of a prima dona and now a potential distraction with the side show/angst between him and their HC.

 

Portugal is supremely talented but I don't think they win it this year. Brazil is Brazil, seemingly always *the* team but very beatable on any given day especially with the quality of teams remaining this year.

 

Morocco has done splendidly to get this far but I don't think they have the offense to hang with the teams at this high end of the draw. I'm always impressed by the Dutch; for a nation with a small population they are always competitive, always hanging in the top 5 - 10 ranked teams, and have produced some of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport. That said this is not their year.

 

Croatia has, unsurprisingly, played very well and is a veteran-laden team so nothing would surprise me insofar as where they ultimately finish. I don't think England has the horses to stay with France which has been by far the most impressive team I've seen this WC. I don't believe the English, who haven't been terribly impressive in the two games I saw, will have an answer for Mbappe and Giroud. That said the two squads are close so if they somehow could neutralise Mbappe - and no one has yet - they do have a chance to advance.

 

For what its worth my prediction/guess ultimately is a Brazil - France final. If Neymar is truly healthy I say Brazil will edge out the French for the win just because they are Brazil. If not, if he is anything less than 100%, I think this just might be France's year.