Tweaked Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 If the Group F games have close score lines, the group results could see saw back and forth for 2 hours. The scoring of just one goal could mean diving into the second or third or fourth tiebreaker to figure out who is in or out. Hoping for a fascinating day of WC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 23 hours ago, DonRocks said: Mar 4, 2010 - "Germany v Argentina: We Can Lift the World Cup, Says Diego Maradona" on telegraph.co.uk This is what I had in mind. https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-ryan-bailey/maradona-thought-german-striker-ballboy--soccer.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 In Group G play this morning, England makes the case for not expanding the World Cup. This group was always going to be England v Belgium and after playing their tune up matches they meet on June 28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Tweaked said: In Group G play this morning, England makes the case for not expanding the World Cup. This group was always going to be England v Belgium and after playing their tune up matches they meet on June 28. You have to love the reaction of Panama fans after their only goal though. Last time England didn't even qualify while Costa Rica did from the same group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Time for conspiracy theory. It is in the interest of Poland and Columbia to draw this afternoon with lots of goals. 3-3, for example, with Lewandowski and James both earning hat tricks. Don't see the benefit of either one winning; would the winner realistically hope to advance with a draw in their last game, expecting the loser (who'd be out of the World Cup at that point) to win their last game decisively? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 A Colombia beat down of Poland concludes Round 2. I have no idea what to make of Group H, other than Poland is eliminated. Tomorrow is the start of Round 3 matches, filling in brackets, and finding which teams will pair off in the knock out stage. The quest continues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 The knock out brackets begin to fill up. Uruguay tops Group A, host Russia finishes second. Group B...that's why they play the games at the same time! Crazy finish to Group B play...Spain down late against Morocco before securing a vital point. Iran ties it up against Portugal on a VAR penalty review, then they have the break away they need in the dying minutes to win the group no less(!) but alas it's in the side netting. Spain and Portugal advance decided by...total goals scored(?) Uruguay 1A v. Portugal 2B Russia 2A v. Spain 1B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 In Group C, Peru and Australia came out to play, with the La Blanquirroja taking down the Socceroos 2-0. Scintillating stuff. Conversely, France and Denmark only needed a friendly draw to advance and draw they did 0-0. No need to pull a hammy in this one. Group D. Farewell plucky Nigeria. Farewell brave Iceland. France 1C v. Argentina 2D Denmark 2C v. Croatia 1D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 My bracket is perfect through C, but will fall with D. I have Argentina 1 and Croatia 2, which can't happen, but we'll see if we get those two reversed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 If Germany win 2-1, they better hope Sweden does not win 2-1 because they would be out due to Boateng's red card (all other tie-breakers would not yield a resolution). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 BOOM! Our first upset. The defending champions are out. This is the third WC in a row that the defending champions have failed to get out of the group stage. (Germany in 2018, Spain in 2014, Italy in 2010). With their beat down of Mexico, Sweden wins the group. Thanks to South Korea, Mexico finishes second, despite their loss. In the afternoon matches, it came down to a tale of chances: Brazil took theirs, Serbia did not. Brazil wins the group, Serbia goes home. I didn't watch the Swiss v. Costa Rica match, but CR finally got on the board in a 2-2 draw. Frankly, a disappointing tournament for the Ticos. Sweden 1F v. Switzerland 2E (Battle of the Sw) Mexico 2F v. Brazil 1E (Can Mex get past their round of 16 jinx?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 I had the Mexican game on but didn’t really watch. Did they play as bad as the scoreline suggests? I was impressed with Mexico after their victory over Germany but I’m no longer impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Mexico dominated possession for long stretches, had decent chances, but it just felt like one of those games where they weren't going to score. Swedish defense was stout. Sweden scored on a kind of busted play, a penalty kick, and fluky own goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Germany earned their loss. They never looked dangerous in the attacking third. * Spurs are now the leading scoring team at the WC with 8: Kane (5, England), Son (2, Korea), Eriksen (1, Denmark) * Yes, I know this isn't a stat that's tracked. Just some fannish pride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 http://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/3546922/england-and-belgium-must-finish-runners-up-to-avoid-possible-brazil-qf-meeting England v Belgium is looking like it will be a hack fest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovehockey Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 6 hours ago, DanielK said: Germany earned their loss. They never looked dangerous in the attacking third. * Spurs are now the leading scoring team at the WC with 8: Kane (5, England), Son (2, Korea), Eriksen (1, Denmark) * Yes, I know this isn't a stat that's tracked. Just some fannish pride. Last I heard the leading scorer in the WC is own goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 2 hours ago, lovehockey said: Last I heard the leading scorer in the WC is own goal. Only 7 so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 9 hours ago, DanielK said: * Spurs are now the leading scoring team at the WC with 8: Kane (5, England), Son (2, Korea), Eriksen (1, Denmark) Tied by Barca. Paulinho 1, Coutinho 2, Suarez 2, Messi 1, Rakitic 1, Mina 1. Maybe Kane will break the tie tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Here's the standings after this morning's games: Real Madrid 9 Barcelona 9 Tottenham 8 Manchester United 6 Atletico Madrid 5 Spurs need some help to stay level in the first round. I don't think it will come from Kane today - England really wants to lose the game if at all possible. But they have 3 on Belgium and 4 on England, so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 On the final day of Group play, England got the goal they needed to finish second in the group, thus avoiding Japan/Brazil/Mexico/Argentina/France/Portugal/Uruguay. Colombia topped their group, but now face questions of a James injury. Senegal, Africa's last hope and most entertaining team, were eliminated on FIFA Fair Play points. The brackets are set: Top bracket Uruguay v. Portugal 6/30 2pm France v. Argentina 6/30 10am Brazil v. Mexico 7/2 10am Belgium v. Japan 7/2 2pm Bottom bracket Spain v. Russia 7/1 10am Croatia v. Denmark 7/1 2pm Sweden v. Switzerland 7/3 10am Colombia v. England 7/3 2pm Tomorrow we face the cruelest day of the WC...the day with no football. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 I guess my perspective is weird. I played and knew the game, and think I know it now, but I haven't followed top level soccer in years. I watched much of the Belgium v. England match yesterday. Without having World Cup perspective drilled into my head it seemed strange to watch a match played in the world's number one tournament wherein neither team was giving all out; many top players on both side were being rested. Don't like that in a tournament of such consequence. Every match should matter. It doesn't make sense to me. Regardless those were excellent players and frankly I enjoyed the flow of the game with opportunities to score at both ends. Excellent players played hard. The goal was a thing of beauty by a highly skilled player with knowledge. He got the ball in striking distance with only one defender on him; moved and faked quickly before other defenders could converge, created room and an opening for a shot, saw the goal, saw the opportunities and ripped off the perfect shot at one of the corners. BOOOM BOOOM https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/video/1266244163912 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovehockey Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 42 minutes ago, DaveO said: I guess my perspective is weird. I played and knew the game, and think I know it now, but I haven't followed top level soccer in years. I watched much of the Belgium v. England match yesterday. Without having World Cup perspective drilled into my head it seemed strange to watch a match played in the world's number one tournament wherein neither team was giving all out; many top players on both side were being rested. Don't like that in a tournament of such consequence. Every match should matter. It doesn't make sense to me. Regardless those were excellent players and frankly I enjoyed the flow of the game with opportunities to score at both ends. Excellent players played hard. The goal was a thing of beauty by a highly skilled player with knowledge. He got the ball in striking distance with only one defender on him; moved and faked quickly before other defenders could converge, created room and an opening for a shot, saw the goal, saw the opportunities and ripped off the perfect shot at one of the corners. BOOOM BOOOM https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/video/1266244163912 The 1st-place team in that group was destined to end up in what is considered to be the harder Round of 16 bracket. Going into the game England and Belgium were both headed to the Round of 16. But they were tied in points (6 each) and goal differential; one of the other tiebreakers put England in 1st. So to be blunt, England probably didn't mind that they lost and slipped to 2nd place. Not that they should think that they're on the easy train to the final. The last 10 minutes or so of Japan's last game was an exercise in wasting time; Japan knew they were through into the Round of 16 even if they lost and Poland was just happy to be able to go out with a win. Crowd was very unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 2 hours ago, lovehockey said: The 1st-place team in that group was destined to end up in what is considered to be the harder Round of 16 bracket. Going into the game England and Belgium were both headed to the Round of 16. But they were tied in points (6 each) and goal differential; one of the other tiebreakers put England in 1st. So to be blunt, England probably didn't mind that they lost and slipped to 2nd place. Not that they should think that they're on the easy train to the final. The last 10 minutes or so of Japan's last game was an exercise in wasting time; Japan knew they were through into the Round of 16 even if they lost and Poland was just happy to be able to go out with a win. Crowd was very unhappy. I do recognize that the seedings process creates this. Imho it’s a pity. It’s the biggest tournament in the most popular sport in the world. I just think every match should be played out to the fullest. My $0.02. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 If I had money on the game, I would've been real pissed. Roberto Martinez (Belgium manager) said the result isn't important but Gareth Southgate spewed all kind of b.s. regarding how they want to win, keep their momentum, etc. So I had England winning with 2 goals in my ESPN Match Predictor challenge. Now I want to kick GS in the nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovehockey Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 If you take another look at Belgium's goal, after it was scored another Belgian player smacked it back into the net for emphasis. The ball bounced back and hit him in the head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 On 6/27/2018 at 12:51 PM, Tweaked said: BOOM! Our first upset. The defending champions are out. This is the third WC in a row that the defending champions have failed to get out of the group stage. (Germany in 2018, Spain in 2014, Italy in 2010). What does this tell us? Should WC-winning teams be put out to pasture and overhauled? Perhaps winning Confederations Cup with a so-called B team should have been a fat hint to Germany's team management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 7 minutes ago, Sasha K said: What does this tell us? Should WC-winning teams be put out to pasture and overhauled? Perhaps winning Confederations Cup with a so-called B team should have been a fat hint to Germany's team management. This is no different than Olympic teams - athletes age 4-years in-between events. You don't want to break up a winning squad, but Father Time rests undefeated. I kept reading headlines about Germany being "arrogant" - was this true? Also stories about their midfielders getting beaten in the open pitch because they were getting tired. --- Mbappé became the first teenager to score two goals in a match since Pelé did it 60-years ago. Coco Rico! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 2 hours ago, DonRocks said: This is no different than Olympic teams - athletes age 4-years in-between events. You don't want to break up a winning squad, but Father Time rests undefeated. There is more to it, apparently. A 4-year-older France crashed in 2002, but then an 8-year-older France, with many of the same players, made it to the final game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Sasha K said: There is more to it, apparently. A 4-year-older France crashed in 2002, but then an 8-year-older France, with many of the same players, made it to the final game. And there were no Goldberg Variations recorded in the 60s or 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Catching up: England enters uncharted territory after enduring and winning a penalty kick shoot out. Belgium and Japan play the best 45 minutes of the tournament (so far). Friday's matches: Uruguay v France, Belgium v Brazil. Saturday's matches: English v Sweden, Russia v. Croatia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 10 hours ago, Tweaked said: Belgium and Japan play the best 45 minutes of the tournament (so far). Dammit, I watched the first half not the 2nd half with all the goals. Still it was interesting if only because the two teams had very different threats and skill players who they were trying to set up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Uruguay falls. No Cavani hurt. Belgium survives. South America are out. France v Belgium Tuesday at 2pm. A spot in the final awaits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasha K Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 If there should be an England Russia semi-final, the English better bring their own water. Jan 21, 2005 - "Brazil Revive Drug Row after 15 Years" on theguardian.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Gareth Southgate's lying ways has paid off. By saying they want to beat Belgium but then playing the B team, GS positioned England in the junior varsity bracket. While Columbia is still petitioning for a rematch due to VAR irregularities, England took on Sweden, a team that barely qualified for the World Cup. Sterling proved yet again he has no finishing skills, but he worked hard. And England is through to the semis - and I'm slightly richer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Croatia failed to win in regular time, which made me poorer. But they eventually drummed out the overachieving host country. Semi-finals will be 🇫🇷 v Belgium 🇧🇪 and England v. 🇭🇷 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 8 hours ago, Sasha K said: If there should be an England Russia semi-final, the English better bring their own water. Jan 21, 2005 - "Brazil Revive Drug Row after 15 Years" on theguardian.com Tranquilizer? Maybe they should have used a laxative instead - they could have blamed it on "the food." 🙃 All the treachery of Palio di Siena, with 100-times the gravitas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Breaking transfer news. CR7 signs with Juve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said: Breaking transfer news. CR7 signs with Juve. To put things in perspective, what would be a comparable event in another sport? Is this like LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers, except global in scope? (Note also the "Ronaldo or Messi" thread, which is essentially our "2014 FIFA World Cup" thread.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 CR7 is coming off 3 straight Champions League titles. No other team has won even 2 consecutive Champions League titles. LeBron only won 1 with Cleveland and that was a few years ago. CR7 leaving Real Madrid is bit of a shock (especially since Juve is paying 105 million Euros as a transfer fee for someone with very few great years left). Lebron leaving Cleveland isn't a surprise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share Posted July 15, 2018 France v Croatia. The World Cup Final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve R. Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I love it when there's actually a score of more than 1 by either team. What a treat. Congrats to France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I don’t get the first goal. Griezman wasn’t fouled. France should never had that free kick. It led to a score. Don’t know why is wasn’t VARed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 Apparently those types of fouls weren't eligible for VAR at the WC (at least that is what one of the announcers said) Although some articles online seem to contradict that, so beats me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 On 7/10/2018 at 8:28 PM, Ericandblueboy said: CR7 is coming off 3 straight Champions League titles. No other team has won even 2 consecutive Champions League titles. LeBron only won 1 with Cleveland and that was a few years ago. CR7 leaving Real Madrid is bit of a shock (especially since Juve is paying 105 million Euros as a transfer fee for someone with very few great years left). Lebron leaving Cleveland isn't a surprise. Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2017 and 2018 per Forbes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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