2018 World Cup Thread

[charliepanayi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vYnEGIcXVY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBxwX1myxqc

[Spuuky]

I will be even angrier at Sergio Ramos than I am now if Salah misses the World Cup.

[The Captain]

I really think Salah should aim to come back for the second round of fixtures. You KNOW Uruguay will play chippy and are a far superior team anyway, so he and Egypt should aim for maximum points against the rest of the group and attempt to fight out a draw without their talisman against them.

I actually think Uruguay could make a deep run this year but I need ti sit down with the full bracket before I make my predictions.

Take care all.

[Bubba]

I have honestly no idea who will win the World Cup. Can’t call it. I’ll wait to see who gets to the final and make a decision then... probably.

[Cell]

Never look past ze chermans.

[Freya]

US isn't in it this year so I don't get to root for my underdog country. WHO DO I EVEN ROOT FOR NOW? Maybe i'll root for my neighbor, Mexico. I don't even know

[Psychotic]

France comfortably have the best squad so I've voted for them. Those of you who were here for the 2014 World Cup will know this is the kiss of death.

[The Captain]

Been reading about a lot of darkhorse love for both Belgium and Columbia but I'm not sure either of them could get past Germany in their end of the bracket.

Just a little over 2 weeks away!

Predictions coming after the final 23's are announced.

Take care all.

[Shauna]

As always I root for Spain even though I don't know anything about the ol' pigball.

[Rocket Edge]

It's really hard to call this WC, but I have a hunch for Brazil. Can't see France going all the way. I hope Sergio Ramos suffers a broken leg and ends his career. Despise the lad.

[charliepanayi]

It's really hard to call this WC, but I have a hunch for Brazil. Can't see France going all the way. I hope Sergio Ramos suffers a broken leg and ends his career. Despise the lad.

Considering he's 32 and has already won a load of trophies with Team Evil and Spain, not sure it would make much difference this point.

Good to see the media getting behing England...oh no wait they're engaging in some BS about Raheem Sterling's tattoo. The Sun are total scum.

[Crop]

France will be the team to beat, they're my pick of the tournament.

Just kidding, football is coming home.

[Loony BoB]

I have honestly no idea who will win the World Cup. Can’t call it.
This. I'm inclined to say Germany because when in doubt, Germany. I can see so many teams lifting it though... really intriguing to find out what happens.

No idea who I'll be going for, if anyone. I'll just be rooting for the United players to do well rather than a team, probably.

[Old Manus]

I fancy France. England look boringly set up to relive either 2004/2006 or 1990 with the possibility of facing Portugal or Germany in the quarters (if they even get out of the group...). A lot of rubbish teams in this tournament, which means a decent chance of a minnow going pretty far. Egypt were my dark horses to get to the semis or the final until Salah decided to fall over.

The 'controversial Russia World Cup' stuff is probably actually going to end up being bigger news than the tournament itself. Just waiting for some idiot like Sol Campbell to warn of fans coming home in coffins.

[charliepanayi]

I fancy France. England look boringly set up to relive either 2004/2006 or 1990 with the possibility of facing Portugal or Germany in the quarters (if they even get out of the group...). A lot of rubbish teams in this tournament, which means a decent chance of a minnow going pretty far. Egypt were my dark horses to get to the semis or the final until Salah decided to fall over.

The 'controversial Russia World Cup' stuff is probably actually going to end up being bigger news than the tournament itself. Just waiting for some idiot like Sol Campbell to warn of fans coming home in coffins.

I'm expecting Putin to declare the return of the USSR any day now.

Even with Salah, not sure Egypt will make it past Spain or Portugal in the last 16 if they get there. Considering how poor Groups G and H are, I wouldn't be surprised to maybe see a surprise QF team like Poland or Senegal from Group H. In fact, I can see it now, Poland beat England in the second round, Nigel Farage implodes with rage.

[Flassing]

French have a powerful looking team, at least on paper. We'll see how they are on the pitch. I voted "someone else" and I think that someone else could be Croatia. Pretty damn strong starting 11 when you look at it.

[Bubba]

I'd be happy if England got as far as the quarters before we inevitably get seen off by the Germans. It'd be nice to get through the groups and win at least one knockout game. I can't even remember when we last won one of those...

[charliepanayi]

I'd be happy if England got as far as the quarters before we inevitably get seen off by the Germans. It'd be nice to get through the groups and win at least one knockout game. I can't even remember when we last won one of those...

v Ecuador (second round, 2006). I think that and the second round match against Denmark in 2002 are the only knockout games England have won in the World Cup or the Euros since Euro 96.

[Spuuky]

My rooting interests, in no particular order:

Senegal, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Iceland

Definitely want them to not win:

England, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgium

Everyone else falls somewhere in between.

[Loony BoB]

My rooting interests, in no particular order:

Senegal, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Iceland

Definitely want them to not win:

England, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgium

Everyone else falls somewhere in between.
Curious for your reasoning for backing / disliking each of these, if you're willing to offer! I can hazard a few guesses but some of them I'm not so certain on, particularly Mexico and Belgium.

Sadly I don't think your rooting interests will win it, but it would be amazing if they did and I'm sure the entire world would enjoy it!

[Spuuky]

Of course my rooting interests will not win, if they might win they wouldn't be my rooting interest any longer.

Mexico is the rival country of the country I would normally root for, so of course I am not rooting for them.

Belgium is just slightly too favored, although it'd be better than all those other perennial powers like Spain/Germany/Italy (if they were qualified)/etc. And I don't like Courtois or Fellaini, and they eliminated the US from the last World Cup.

[The Captain]

Here we go, prediction time! It's wide open though I think the heavyweights are left standing at the end with a few big upsets mixed in.

Group A:
Uruguay
Egypt
Russia
S. Arabia

Top heavy group, but, if Salah doesn't play the first game, that probably decides first from second. Uruguay are my darkhorse team in this tournament

Group B:
Spain
Portugal
Iran
Morocco

Also very top heavy though Iran could sneak up on someone. Spain look like a dominate team at this point in the draw...

Group C:
France
Peru
Denmark
Australia

France clear cream of the crop and it'll be a dragout fight for second place. I think Peru is inspired by their talisman returning to the roster and have been battle tested in qualifying.

Group D:
Argentina
Croatia
Iceland
Nigeria

Argentina clear favorites here and though I'd love another Iceland upset, I think after their run in the Euros, they won't sneak up on anyone this time. Croatia has a strong core as well and could surprise.

Group E:
Brazil
Switzerland
Costa Rica
Serbia

Brazil are firm favorites here too but the 2nd team could be any of the others. Serbia are a team in turmoil at the top and Costa Rica has trouble scoring so Switzerland should sneak in with all those crazy X factor named players.

Group F:
Germany
Mexico
Sweden
S. Korea

Ho, hum, Germany advance. It's what they do. Mexico clear second best team in this group too, though it would have been interesting to see what Zlatan could have done.

Group G:
Belgium
England
Tunisia
Panama

If England could find a way to draw Belgium, they might be able to top this group. However, I think they have just too much firepower for England to keep up with. Still, a good second place is enough to advance and keep the locals somewhat happy.

Group H:
Senagal
Columbia
Poland
Japan

The true toss-up group. Any one of the top 3 could finish anywhere with Japan, though talented, still lacking overall. Poland is the most overtly reliable on one player though and should Lewandowski not fire, the team won't advance.


Knockout Round:

Uruguay over Portugal - a real rock fight. I expect 2 red cards and maybe 6 yellows. The winner of this game has a real shot to go far in the World Cup. I think Uruguay is just a bit more balanced.

Egypt over Spain - KARMA.

France over Croatia - Croatia are a dangerous team but France has just too much firepower for them to keep up with.

Argentina over Peru - The fairytale ends here for Peru.

Brazil over Mexico - Brazil comes here with a point to prove and they keep the train running on a collusion course with revenge.

Germany over Switzerland - Insert Swiss neutral joke. Germany advance.

Belgium over Columbia - Could be a real firecracker of a match but I think Belgium have so much talent they win out here.

England over Senegal - Could just as easily see England slip up here but they find a win to grind out a 1-0 win with someone else scoring but Harry Kane claiming it.


Quarterfinals:

France over Uruguay - This could all change if Uruguay comes in at full strength. However, I just feel like they will be undermanned and not be able to keep up with France's attack.

Argentina over Egypt - My heart wants Egypt BADLY. But my head still knows that actual Messi is better than new Messi. What a run this would be for Egypt though.

Brazil over Belgium - Game of the tournament, hands down. First team to 4 goals wins.

Germany over England - Germany. Advance. On. Penalties.


Semi-finals:

Brazil over France - Brazil will be desperate to avenge the last semifinal it was in and they will take the game to France. This could be another first to 4 goals game.

Argentina over Germany - A lot of this result would be based on the draw Argentina has. Playing Peru and Egypt would leave them with just more left in the tank at this point.

Final:

Argentina over Brazil - Brazil will have gone through a gauntlet to get to the final and while they have the guns and talent to win, Messi (and Argentina) finds a way and wins the one trophy that has been eluding him.

Golden Ball: Messi, Neymar or Griezmann

Golden Boot Winner: Messi, Neymar or darkhorse Timo Werner

Breakout Player: Goncalo Guedes, the "New" Ronaldo of Portugal.



Here's hoping for great games, upsets and no big injuries.

Take care all. Allez, allez, allez!

[Loony BoB]

Germany over England - Germany. Advance. On. Penalties.
That's giving England way too much credit for me. :D

[Psychotic]

I don't know, now that England play 5 at the back I can see us grinding out some boring as hell 0-0's.

[The Captain]

Would England getting to the QF be deemed a success by their fans?

I rate that for Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany nothing but the title is acceptable.

Then for Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Uruguay, making the final is acceptable.

For every other team, advancing to the knockout rounds would be a success.

But England.... what really are their ambitions?


Take care all.

[charliepanayi]

England fans will probably be ecstatic if they made the QFs considering how the last decade or so has gone for them

[Psychotic]

Yeah, making the QFs would be fantastic. The media and the knobheads who call into radio talk shows will still say it's a disgrace though, and Raheem Sterling will be burned at the stake.

[Cell]

Quarter Finals would be progress for England.

[Bubba]

Imagine if Portugal won the World Cup? Ronaldo, already the greatest player in history, will never be touched for the rest of time.

[Spuuky]

Ronaldo, already the greatest player in history except for the fact that he has a contemporary who is better than him.

[charliepanayi]

Zidane was better than Messi and Ronaldo

Really can't see Portugal winning it, they had their moment at Euro 2016 anyway.

[Loony BoB]

Ronaldo, already the greatest player in history except for the fact that he has a contemporary who is better than him.
Ronaldo can carry Portugal, who are probably worse than Argentina, for which Messi doesn't seem to be able to manage with. I sometimes wonder how Messi would manage in a different team than Barcelona. Both are incredible players of differing styles though. Shame we'll never see them on the same side, because that would be something special.

[Psychotic]

How many international titles has Messi won while being attacked by a really angry moth?

[Spuuky]

Ronaldo can carry Portugal, who are probably worse than Argentina, for which Messi doesn't seem to be able to manage with.???

Competitions both these teams have been at in the last decade:

World Cup 2014, Argentina 2nd place, Portugal group stage
World Cup 2010, Argentina round of 8, Portugal round of 16

Are there others? Or are you counting things like Portugal doing well in European tournaments and Argentina not?

[Old Manus]

Messi's habit of not quite managing to replicate his Barcelona genius for Argentina is pretty well documented, though it does look like he's done better in the last few years. Ronaldo really did win Euro 2016 on his own though, the rest of the team were rubbish. Saying that I'm not getting drawn into a Ronaldo v Messi debate :erm:

[Loony BoB]

Indeed. Was gonna reply directly but Manus has covered the gist of it.

[The Captain]

Created a little fantasy World Cup league if anyone feels like playing:

https://fantasy.fifa.com/en/leagues?code=446576696E5F4B232337333736332323576F726C642532304375702532304672656E7A7925323123234B515 14D4859555A


And to be fair, Portugal pretty much won the Euro final WITHOUT Ronaldo as he went off injured pretty early on and the team actually came together and pulled out the win. He did some heavy lifting to get them there though. As much as Messi did to get Argentina to the World Cup final in 2014.

Still, I'm team Salah :)

Take care all.

[Rocket Edge]

I'll join that shiz Cap. Who do you guys think is the best player in the world currently playing? Can you really say it's Ronny/Messi anymore?

[Cell]

At the minute, Messi is definently the better footballer as Ronaldo is aging he's more of a penalty box striker now as he just doesn't have the legs anymore.

Away from them, you're probably looking at Suarez, Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah as potential candidates to replace them.

[Psychotic]

I've joined the FF league.

Also, yeah, I think you can still say it's Messi and Ronaldo. Their era is definitely in its final throes though.

[Bubba]

I've joined the FF league.

Also, yeah, I think you can still say it's Messi and Ronaldo. Their era is definitely in its final throes though.

... and Portugal’s World Cup win will be the messy climax.

[Loony BoB]

Can you really say it's Ronny/Messi anymore?
I mean, you can, but there's much more debate than there was before, they're no longer the monsters streets ahead of everyone else that they once were.

[Rocket Edge]

I would have a few players level or ahead of them at the minute but then again I don't avidly follow La Liga so I'm not entirely sure. I think we could see a lot of people talking about Neymar as the best player in the world after the tournaments over. I think he's the best player ATM myself.

[Loony BoB]

I really don't know about Neymar. He's expensive, but he's scored 19 goals in 20 games in the French league, which to my knowledge doesn't have better defences than the four leagues generally regarded above him. I know it's tough to judge someone on such a simplistic statistic, but when you have Ronaldo scoring 26 in 27 appearances and Messi scoring 34 in 36, both in a better league, and Salah also scoring 32 in 36, also in a better league... I just don't feel Neymar is going to ever be regarded as the best while in PSG unless they do amazingly well in the Champions League, which they didn't. I guess he could perhaps manage it if he did well in the World Cup and won it but yeah. If he's better than Ronaldo, Messi and Salah, he certainly hasn't got the stats as a forward to show for it.

I think he's up there but he's not the best at present.

Perhaps the best player in the world right now is a defender or a midfielder instead of a forward? For me there just aren't standout performers this season.

[The Captain]

I really don't know about Neymar. He's expensive, but he's scored 19 goals in 20 games in the French league, which to my knowledge doesn't have better defences than the four leagues generally regarded above him. I know it's tough to judge someone on such a simplistic statistic, but when you have Ronaldo scoring 26 in 27 appearances and Messi scoring 34 in 36, both in a better league, and Salah also scoring 32 in 36, also in a better league... I just don't feel Neymar is going to ever be regarded as the best while in PSG unless they do amazingly well in the Champions League, which they didn't. I guess he could perhaps manage it if he did well in the World Cup and won it but yeah. If he's better than Ronaldo, Messi and Salah, he certainly hasn't got the stats as a forward to show for it.

I think he's up there but he's not the best at present.

Perhaps the best player in the world right now is a defender or a midfielder instead of a forward? For me there just aren't standout performers this season.

Neymar might have the most potential but the issue is just as BoB said, he's playing in a watered down league. Both him and Mbappe very well could be Top 5 in the world but they need to prove it against more consistent competition.

Two other fun questions as we round the final turn:

Will Mexico's little "party" effect them in any way?
Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland?


Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland?
Portugal? Probably Egypt though. Not sure on Poland but Argentina has a plethora of excellent players. Aguero and Messi are just the cherry on top.

[The Captain]

Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland?
Portugal? Probably Egypt though. Not sure on Poland but Argentina has a plethora of excellent players. Aguero and Messi are just the cherry on top.

Egypt is probably right though I'd also give a shout to Poland where Lewandowski scored 16 of the teams 28 goals in qualifying!

Relying just on him is part of why I don't think they'll qualify for the knockout round.

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Perhaps the best player in the world right now is a defender or a midfielder instead of a forward? For me there just aren't standout performers this season.That's the tricky thing. It's so much easier to judge Messi and Ronaldo by their goal counts. But what if David De Gea is just as good of a goalkeeper as they are forwards? How do you measure it?

And then, is it even right to judge forwards on goal alone? I know the old school view is yes, but if they're in a system where their job is to do something else, and they do that job well, why is scoring a goal better?

The example I can think of as a Liverpool fan is Roberto Firmino. He's scored 25 this season in all competitions which is really respectable, but it's not quite so impressive when compared to a certain Egyptian team mate. But I think - and I appreciate there are not a lot of people outside of Liverpool fans who think like this - he's actually a better player than Salah because the work he does off the ball, both out of possession in making tackles and in possession in making runs, helps the team more. I don't think it's that unreasonable to say Salah wouldn't have scored anywhere near as much if, say. Harry Kane was Liverpool's no. 9. But then Firmino probably wouldn't have been as effective either if Kane replaced Salah in the line up, so it works both ways.

I guess we'll see how effective the two of them are without the other in the World Cup!


Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland? They didn't qualify, but Wales (sorry Manus). I would agree about Egypt and Poland on paper, and also you could probably make a case for Colombia.

[The Captain]

Makes me sad that Bobby probably isn't going to start for Brazil, but will be one hell of a super sub off the bench.

De Gea as the world's best player is a very interesting theory too. Has there ever been a time when a goalie was considered the best player in the world?

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

De Gea as the world's best player is a very interesting theory too. Has there ever been a time when a goalie was considered the best player in the world?Just once, 1963 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Ballon_d%27Or). A very familiar name is in joint eighth place. Maybe he really is a vampire after all...

[Rocket Edge]

I felt the same about Neymar before he left PSG and was playing for Barca. But as you said it's almost impossible to judge really? Many pundits say scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football so you can imagine why they side with forwards so often.

You could also look at it as who's the most influential player you could bring in if you had a blank cheque. I'd class someone like De Bruyne as more essential than Ronaldo there.

As for your question - I think you're on the money with Lewandowski and Salah as their more relied on players because they seem to perform well for them when asked the question. I know Poland had the likes of cannon fodder in their qualifying group but the amount of goals Lewandowski got was staggering. I'm really looking forward to Group H. And yeah Wales/Bale definitely is an example close to home that we see. It used to be Roy Keane with Ireland.

[Crop]

Mexican, USA and Canadian joint bid for the expanded world cup has gone through. What an utter disaster. I mean, not quite Qatar levels of disaster, but a different kind!

[Loony BoB]

Also, wow, that Spain coach stuff huh?

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I don’t really have anything to say about the World Cup, but I’ve never understood why forwards are mainly considered for the best player. I guess scoring goals is one of the more exciting parts to watch. As someone who played soccer most of my life. I always felt forward was the easiest position to play as long as the rest of the team is doing what they should. Goal keeper is one of the hardest (and most fun) to play. I was worst at defense. Not that this has much to do with the players you all are talking about. I haven’t watched soccer in a few years now, so I can’t speak for any of the players.

[Rocket Edge]

Mexican, USA and Canadian joint bid for the expanded world cup has gone through. What an utter disaster. I mean, not quite Qatar levels of disaster, but a different kind!
Why is it a bad thing? A WC in these countries makes me absolutely syked for it. Ireland will qualify. They MUST qualify.

[Crop]

Mexican, USA and Canadian joint bid for the expanded world cup has gone through. What an utter disaster. I mean, not quite Qatar levels of disaster, but a different kind!
Why is it a bad thing? A WC in these countries makes me absolutely syked for it. Ireland will qualify. They MUST qualify.


Well Mexico has already hosted it twice since 1970 and the USA has hosted it already in my lifetime, and I'm still in my 20s. How about giving another country a go?
Not to mention the travel times, not just for the teams but for the fans too. Not only is it tiring, inconvenient and expensive but won't there be travel restrictions between the countries?
And don't get me started on the expansion of the world cup, we already get a fair few awful games with 32 teams, there are going to be some serious unwatchables in there, especially with some many players tired and jetlagged from the likely travel times between games.

And if they're intent on hosting it across a number of countries, get on over to the UK!

[charliepanayi]

Expanding to 48 teams is daft, but I have no problems with USA/Canada/Mexico hosting (god knows it's better than Qatar). Everyone would have whinged anyway if they'd given it to Morocco. Mind you, maybe Mexico should have got all of it, as I always say they guarantee a great World Cup.

[Spuuky]

USA has hosted it already in my lifetime, and I'm still in my 20s. Someone who was born during that World Cup would be 32 years old when the next one kicks off. That isn't really that frequently for one of the only places in the world that's actually got enough soccer stadiums already built to manage an event of that size. Especially given that UEFA countries weren't eligible to bid.

CONCACAF was the region that will have gone by far the longest without hosting by then, so who exactly in CONCACAF do you think should be hosting a 48-team major international soccer tournament?

[The Captain]

48 teams sure is a lot! I too worry we'll see far too many watered down group stage games but on the bright side, since the US is a co-host, we already qualified for it! All hail 2026 golden ball winner Christian Pulisic!

Take care all. Allez allez allez.

[Old Manus]

Meanwhile at the Premier League:

"It's World Cup day! We can't have people focusing on players from foreign leagues - publish next season's fixtures!"

Meanwhile at the agent of every player who isn't at the World Cup:

"My client is like, totally fed up or something. He wants to leave. I've already told all my media chums so they can still get on the back pages during this tournament"

[Crop]

USA has hosted it already in my lifetime, and I'm still in my 20s. Someone who was born during that World Cup would be 32 years old when the next one kicks off. That isn't really that frequently for one of the only places in the world that's actually got enough soccer stadiums already built to manage an event of that size. Especially given that UEFA countries weren't eligible to bid.

CONCACAF was the region that will have gone by far the longest without hosting by then, so who exactly in CONCACAF do you think should be hosting a 48-team major international soccer tournament?

Canada? They have experience hosting world sporting events, the base infrastructure and the money to grow it and the social liberal society that hosting so many different people needs. But you may be right, the idea of the US hosting it again was one part of my problem.
If its gotten to the stage where the tournament is so big that only wealthy nations that have massive infrastructure already in place then what's the point 90% of the nations in FIFA bidding? Just rotate between the US, Brazil and Spain or something.

If I could change another thing it would be joint bids going up against single bids. I'm not saying Morocco was the right country to choose but I don't think any nation could have competed with such a powerful joint bid. I don't think it should have been sanctioned.

But hey ho. Everything about football inside a football stadium I love with a huge passion, everything outside the stadium about football I can't stand. Maybe I'm just bitter!

[Bubba]

It’s started!!

Predictably comfortable start for Russia. Lovely finish by Cheryshev for the second. I reckon they’ll score a third not long after half time then see the game out.

I’ve got this £100M in the bag :cool:

[Psychotic]

how the fuck do you keep doing this bubba

[Bubba]

Greedy Russian bastards ruining my prediction.

Luckily, to win the £100M I just need to predict win/lose/draw. When I win I’ll buy all active members here a PS5 on the day it’s released. You both deserve it.

:monster:

[Bubba]

Just been reading a BBC article on Paulo Guerrero, the Peruvian striker who tested positive for cocaine. They lifted his ban for the World Cup and the story is fascinating.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44415647

[Psychotic]

Just been reading a BBC article on Paulo Guerrero, the Peruvian striker who tested positive for cocaine. They lifted his ban for the World Cup and the story is fascinating.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44415647Blimey. That is awesome, glad that he's able to play.

[Loony BoB]

Nice positive start to the World Cup by the hosts. Not a fan of Russia having the World Cup for the political reasons but the guys on the pitch have nothing to do with that. Didn't watch the match but I'm told they played with real positivity from the start.

[Bubba]

Presumed Salah wouldn't be starting so I went for a draw in the Egypt v Uruguay match.

Let's keep my £100M bet alive!

[Loony BoB]

Even with him starting or on the bench it's a tough call.

[Bubba]

Yeah, I mean Uruguay should be the favourites now. I can see it being tight and low-scoring though. I'm going for 0-0.

[Psychotic]

Uruguay have definitely looked a cut above. I hope Mo can come on and do something wonderful though but I doubt he's going to be at 100%.

[Bubba]

Yeah, I mean Uruguay should be the favourites now. I can see it being tight and low-scoring though. I'm going for 0-0.

75425

[Psychotic]

What is the origin of this 100m money thing? I feel like I've missed an important episode of the Bubba show and I can't enjoy the spicy memes until I understand the context.

also damn luis that was baaaaaaad

[Bubba]

As it stands, I'm two-for-two!

75426

[Psychotic]

Oh bloody hell you kept that quiet. Could've shared the wealth :colbert:

Though I'd have backed a Uruguay win here so :monster:

[Psychotic]

Oh bloody hell you kept that quiet. Could've shared the wealth :colbert:

Though I'd have backed a Uruguay win here so :monster:GOD DAMNIT BUBBA

[Bubba]

75427

[Bubba]

If games ended after 88 minutes I'd be a perfect 2-for-2 with my scoreline predictions too.

Well done on predicting the Uruguay win. My one consolation is that you have the exact same chance at winning the £100M as I currently do.

They've done this bet for the last two World Cups too and no-one has even got the group stages right. In 2010, literally every bet was off after the first game when Switzerland beat Spain 1-0.

[Old Manus]

Having drawn Uruguay in the office sweep that performance didn't really fill me with confidence.

[Psychotic]

Having drawn Uruguay in the office sweep that performance didn't really fill me with confidence.Trade you for Denmark.

[Crop]

I ran my sweeps in the office, had the second pick and got Germany. Think there will be conspiracy theories going round if they win!

[charliepanayi]

That own goal was something special.

[Psychotic]

well I guess that sorts out Ronaldo vs De Gea.

edit: ouch, that second though

[Bubba]

De Gea clearly concussed.

[Psychotic]

De Gea clearly just a trout Rob Green.

But really, never get a man bun if you're a keeper. This is what happens.

[Bubba]

75429

[Psychotic]

What a goal and what a match!

[Psychotic]

Hey so remember when we talked about who the most one-man team is?

welp, think we missed it

Apart from Ronaldo, Portugal were pretty troute. Like, Quaresma, the actual FIFA 04 stalwart himself is still knocking about? And Jose smurfing Fonte? Bloody hell.

[Old Manus]

One man team and I absolutely fucking love it. Over to you lionel

[Bubba]

Only one star of the tournament so far...

75445

75446

[Psychotic]

You make a compelling argument. I'll be sure to write to FIFA to ask them to give Uruguay's 3 points to Portugal.

Also while Ronaldo will get the headlines, I genuinely think Isco was the best player on the pitch. He was smurfing outstandingly good, what a pleasure to watch him.

[Psychotic]

oh god Australia France Iceland Argentina?! I'm English, I'm meant to hate all of these countries! The games are really getting good now. France will have to seriously buck their ideas up if they are to meet their potential.

[Spuuky]

I must say, VAR has been good and effective in this World Cup so far.

[charliepanayi]

Poor Peru. That penalty was awful though.

[Psychotic]

Hard to know if Argentina or Nigeria are the biggest disappointment in that group. Maybe the latter. I mean, sure, we expect more from Argentina but at least they tried to play and ended up stifled by bus parking. Nigeria didn't really look interested at all. They reminded me of, dare I say it, England at their worst.

[Psychotic]

Wow, the holders have so ger-many problems.

[charliepanayi]

Germany to finish second and play Brazil in round 2? Or maybe even go out in the group stage?! Long way to go of course, they lost a group match in 2010 (as did Spain) and still reached the semi-finals. But Sweden is a tough game up next.

[Bubba]

Coutinho...

Meh, shinned it.

[Psychotic]

Coutinho...

Meh, shinned it.Agreed. Jammy smurf. Presumably he won a competition to be in this Brazil side.

Also, theory: Neymar has the most punchable face in world football.

[Bubba]

My suspicions before this World Cup have been validated... Anyone could win this.

I love the positivity around the England camp. I know better than to trust in that though. Still, if there was any World Cup there for the taking, so far... this is it.

[charliepanayi]

Teams often start the World Cup slowly, so not surprised to see nobody looking imperious so far (aside from Ronaldo on his own!)

[Psychotic]

Prediction for England: 1-1. First half good, second half not so good.

[Bubba]

England 3-0 Tunisia

Rashford to come off the bench (potentially replacing an injured Kane) and be England's star of the tournament.

[charliepanayi]

Hopefully Tunisia or Senegal will be better than the other three African teams have been so far. I think England will win this one 2-0 though.

[Old Manus]

Also, theory: Neymar has the most punchable face in world football.You misspelled Firminho.

Currently top of the office WC results prediction league :smug:

[Psychotic]

Also, theory: Neymar has the most punchable face in world football.You misspelled Firminho.So did you... (https://d3j2s6hdd6a7rg.cloudfront.net/v2/uploads/media/default/0001/60/thumb_59773_default_news_size_5.jpeg)

[Old Manus]

:shobon:

[Old Manus]

WORLD CUP WINNERS 2018 CONFIRMED

[Psychotic]

Prediction for England: 1-1. First half good, second half not so good.lol

I meant quarter instead of half i guess

[charliepanayi]

Chris Waddle on Radio 5 saying England should be four goals up every minute or so and throwing a tantrum over refereeing decisions. Almost makes me long for Mark Lawrenson.

[Bubba]

Prediction for England: 1-1. First half good, second half not so good.lol

I meant quarter instead of half i guess

:colbert:

[Psychotic]

I legit don't understand why England can't handle a team that parks the bus. You all play in the Premier League, 15 teams in the league are sodding bus parkers. This is your bread and butter!

[Bubba]

75468

[Bubba]

:cool:

[charliepanayi]

England labouring to a victory against a limited team? Business as usual then.

[Psychotic]

75468Shut up Mr 3-0 Rashford! :lol:

Good. Although we can have the usual England were trout complaints, Tunisia were trout. I'm not really big on patronising the so-called lesser nations and imho that was poor. They just sat back and made a plan of kicking England players and throwing themselves to the ground at every touch. Eventually you're going to get punished on a set piece. England were there for the taking and were rocked when Tunisia had that 10 minute spell in the first half. If they'd pushed forward I bet they could've scored again and England would've been smurfed.

Where from here? I think maybe switch out Young for Rose and perhaps Alli for Loftus-Cheek. I was actually really surprised and impressed by Loftus-Cheek, I thought it was a pretty uninspiring sub at first but at least he was driving forwards and going for it.

[Bubba]

Pfffftttt

Money talks.

[Crop]

I'd love to say I loved that game, but it was too tense for me! What an ending though, great stuff, great feeling.

[Bubba]

WORLD CUP WINNERS 2018 CONFIRMED

[Psychotic]

Indeed.

In all seriousness, after seeing Germany, Spain, Brazil and Argentina all fail to win we can be really pleased with that.

[Bubba]

So teams are not measured on head-to-heads this year and it's back to goals for/against. What happens if everything is level?

So England beat Panama 3-0, Belgium beat Tunisia 2-1 and then we draw the final game 0-0. How are the groups decided then? Is it minutes goals were scored in?

I mean I doubt it will happen but what if?

[charliepanayi]

So teams are not measured on head-to-heads this year and it's back to goals for/against. What happens if everything is level?

So England beat Panama 3-0, Belgium beat Tunisia 2-1 and then we draw the final game 0-0. How are the groups decided then? Is it minutes goals were scored in?

I mean I doubt it will happen but what if?

1. fair play points

first yellow card: minus 1 point;
indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
direct red card: minus 4 points;
yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;

If still level:
2. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

[charliepanayi]

Indeed.

In all seriousness, after seeing Germany, Spain, Brazil and Argentina all fail to win we can be really pleased with that.

Yeah, but in fairness they were all playing teams miles better than Tunisia. Terrible refereeing or no, England need to be less wasteful against better teams. Or just have Kane take every shot.

[Psychotic]

The others I'll grant you, but I don't think Iceland are actually that much better than Tunisia :p

Also, first red card. Surprised it took so long! Colombia are in a real spot of trouble now.

[Old Manus]

Conceding a set piece header to the Japanese is a truly unforgivable offence.

[charliepanayi]

Own Goal for the Golden Boot!

[Bubba]

This has to be some kind of record for penalties at a World Cup

[Psychotic]

Seeing an obviously unfit Mo Salah looking all sad makes me only wish even harder for someone to properly end Ramos's career. Ideally Luis Suarez actually bites his throat out.

[charliepanayi]

This has to be some kind of record for penalties at a World Cup

Almost a record for own goals anyway (5 currently, 1998 had 6)

[charliepanayi]

Seeing an obviously unfit Mo Salah looking all sad makes me only wish even harder for someone to properly end Ramos's career. Ideally Luis Suarez actually bites his throat out.

Ramos may be bad but even he didn't make the rest of the Egypt side play rubbish or Hector Cuper play horribly conservative football (did they even try to beat Uruguay?)

[Psychotic]

Ramos may be bad but even he didn't make the rest of the Egypt side play rubbish or Hector Cuper play horribly conservative football (did they even try to beat Uruguay?)Hmm, I'm not sure if I can believe this. I demand you provide proof to back up your wild claims that Ramos had nothing to do with any of that. Until you do, I hereby officially ban him from ever joining Eyes on Final Fantasy. That'll teach him.

[Bubba]

Ramos may be bad but even he didn't make the rest of the Egypt side play rubbish or Hector Cuper play horribly conservative football (did they even try to beat Uruguay?)Hmm, I'm not sure if I can believe this. I demand you provide proof to back up your wild claims that Ramos had nothing to do with any of that. Until you do, I hereby officially ban him from ever joining Eyes on Final Fantasy. That'll teach him.

Do we even know he isn’t a member already? If he is then he’s definitely been banned at some point.

- SerLagunaramos86 drunk tanked for referring to Loony BoB as “the spawn of Satan”
- SerLagunaramos86 given a lifetime ban from EoEo for posting full body nudes of himself. He objected to the pictures being taken down. He said they should have “left his tackle in”
- SerLagunaramos86 banned for having multiple accounts. The accounts for LimitLegBreak, RedcardXIII and ThreeMatchBanon... have been removed.

[Old Manus]

This Cristiano fella is tidy isn't he

[Psychotic]

World Cup goals scored by Luis Suarez: 6
World Cup goals scored by Bubba: 0

Checkmate.

[Bubba]

Money made betting on the World Cup through the Sky Bet app - Bubba: £68
Money made betting on the World Cup through the Sky Bet app - Suarez: £0

Checkmate

[Psychotic]

I'd be more impressed if he didn't make that much money in 30 seconds. Or in other words, the time it takes to get sent off for biting someone and then leaving the pitch. Or the time it takes for you to... well, never mind. It's personality that counts.

Fuck Ramos etc. Was hoping for Iran to snatch a result. I'm not a huge fan of negative tactics but then imho that's precisely what tiki-taka is, so... :monster:

[charliepanayi]

That somersault throw-in was really something.

[Spuuky]

The predictable worst day of the world cup. Three heavy favorites beating three soccer minnows, all in 1-0 matches.

[Bubba]

That somersault throw-in was really something.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kane’s last minute goal but this was the best moment of the World Cup so far.

[Spuuky]

I don't know, this is way up there:

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/384/359/4bc.gif

[Old Manus]

The best part is that is Premier League legend Alou Cisse. Did a double take when I first saw him.

[Psychotic]

Didier Deschamps is just another Pulis/Allardyce/Mourinho.

Argentina are 2015-16 Spurs vs Chelsea. Absolutely lost their heads and trying to straight up kill every Croatian player they can find. That Modric goal though, woof.

[charliepanayi]

If Higuain could shoot straight, Messi would have his World Cup now.

[Rocket Edge]

What an awful month for goalkeepers! It's like Space Jam since Ramos decided to elbow Karius.

Still though, what sort of goalkeeper decides to do a chip over a player inside their own box. xD

Croatia are real contenders. I feel sorry for Messi.

[Old Manus]

I don't. He was as useless as the rest of the team. Bloke completely gave up before the third goal went in. He's meant to be the captain!

[Bubba]

Embarrassing by Messi and Argentina. Croatia definitely look sh*t hot though. Don’t fancy getting them in the later rounds.

Messi should be the player dragging his team to a result. Another team this World Cup conceded three goals, to an even better team, but had their talisman score a hat trick and save their necks.

Proof yet again that unless surrounded by world class players... Messi is far from world class.

[charliepanayi]

Embarrassing by Messi and Argentina. Croatia definitely look sh*t hot though. Don’t fancy getting them in the later rounds.

Messi should be the player dragging his team to a result. Another team this World Cup conceded three goals, to an even better team, but had their talisman score a hat trick and save their necks.

Proof yet again that unless surrounded by world class players... Messi is far from world class.

That's like saying Ryan Giggs was overrated because he couldn't get Wales to a World Cup. Messi can't work miracles, without him Argentina might not have qualified at all (he scored the vast majority of their qualification goals), such is the shambolic state they've been in of late.

As for Croatia, they've started really well but they've only had to play Nigeria and Argentina so far, and both were terrible. I also remember they got people excited in Euro 2016 before they slumped out against Portugal. Could be a good clash with Denmark/France in the second round though.

[Psychotic]

Yeah let's be honest, with the exception of Aguero and maybe Otamendi the rest of that Argentina starting XI was dog troute. It's a mix of has-beens, never-weres and not-quite-yets.

I mean for god's sake Willy smurfing Caballero, Mr Subs Bench himself, as your #1 goalkeeper? Even in the absence of Romero, what the actual smurf? He would be behind even Joe Hart in the pecking order if he was English! And look, I love Javier Mascherano but the fact that he's now playing in China speaks volumes. It'd be like if England was still handing a starting berth to Wayne Rooney or Michael Carrick.

[Spuuky]

I don't really understand why Dybala isn't starting for them.

I forgot the other best moment of the World Cup so far:

"In my opinion Keisuke Honda is the best Japanese player of all time. And if any of you listening agree with me, you might say we are in a Honda Accord"
-Guðmundur Benediktsson, Icelandic commentator

[Psychotic]

Coutinho is just going out of his way to ruin 2018.

[charliepanayi]

I like how Costa Rica decided to use up any sympathy they might have got for that late goal by ramping up the play-acting beforehand. Doh!

[The Captain]

Are we all missing the obvious inevitable ending for this world cup? Russia beating Mexico on a dubious free kick that goes through a faulty wall followed by Trump congratulating his "good friend" Putin and using this as a too obvious reason to once again whip up support for the dumb border wall? "See, Mexico DID pay for the wall."


Through about a Round and a half, I've been impressed by Belgium, England and Croatia the most so far. Brazil and France are so talented that even when they get frustrated they still manage to find a way but I feel like they could see trouble if forced into a real match with a team that wants to attack them as well.

As for Argentina, enjoy Messi's last game potentially as I think he definitely hangs up his international boots after this tournament. He had the look of a player who wants to be put out of his misery. I couldn't tell if he was shirking his defensive responsibilities or was told to sort of save energy only for offense. Neither option helps Argentina at all.


Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Bloody Germans.

[charliepanayi]

Gibbering with excitement over that goal. Amazing!

[Spuuky]

Gotta respect ze drama even though Sweden actually should have been up 2-1 due to the PK earlier that wasn't called on the first of Boateng's three yellows.

[Bubba]

Erm... I don’t even know what to say right now

[Psychotic]

Erm... I don’t even know what to say right nowIt wasn't bad. Actually, it was good. Jolly good, even. More than adequate ball kicking all round really.

[Old Manus]

CHAMPIONS CONFIRMED

[Psychotic]

CHAMPIONS CONFIRMEDElevate coming home status to "It's".

[charliepanayi]

This World Cup is definitely not making the expansion to 48 teams look smart

[Fox]

Truly amazing. England have now beaten not only Tunisia, but also a team playing in their first ever World Cup finals, who scored their only World Cup goal to date in the very game that England defeated them!

I don't think there can be any doubt that this is the greatest England team the world has ever seen.

[Psychotic]

Okay yeah I get what you're going for and why, but then given how England have stumbled in games like this time and time again in the World Cup, and given that seeing them score 6 in the finals is quite literally a once in a lifetime experience, I don't see the harm in enjoying it and dreaming of what might be for a little while.

I mean, when England do inevitably get knocked out there'll be plenty of time to be miserable then (another four years to be precise) so smurf it let's have some fun while we still can.

[charliepanayi]

England's possible second round opponents in order of difficulty:

1. Colombia
2. Senegal
3. Japan

[charliepanayi]

Me, my Dad, my brother and my brother's fiancee when Iran missed that chance at the end: WHOOAOARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[Psychotic]

I see you baby.

Iago Aspas.

[Spuuky]

The best possible thing would be Ronaldo opening with a hat trick and Messi with a saved PK in a 1-1 draw to a defensively solid, lesser side, prompting all the pundits to say Ronaldo is the Greatest and Messi is the Worst; and then in the third game of each group, have Ronaldo with a saved PK in a 1-1 draw to a defensively solid, lesser side and Messi getting a hat trick.

[Rocket Edge]

^^^ Scoring a great goal to bring your side through is good enough I think! What a finish by Rojo! Poor Nigeria. I have an affinity for teams that aren't Euro/South America in the WC, but as a neutral I'm happy seeing Argentina go through.

[charliepanayi]

If Brazil top their group and Germany finish second, then one half of the draw is looking a lot tougher than the other.

[Rocket Edge]

The left hand side is stacked as it is. Either England or Belgium could have a much easier time getting to the semis depending on Thursdays result.

[The Captain]

While I'm sure everyone will love Ronaldo VERSUS Messi in the QF, both of them face some insanely tough Round of 16 matchups first. Uruguay played a real complete game against Russia and France is France, so talented but maybe not as good as sum of its parts? Those games could really go either way.

I really don't want to root for Russia but would love to see them knock out Spain. They are in Moscow so maybe some home cooking....

Croatia could be sitting pretty right now.

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Germany out to a VAR goal? Frank Lampard sends his regards hahahahah this is the best world cup i love you korea you give them a jolly good thrashing

[Loony BoB]

Wasn't quite a thrashing until the very end, but oh boy was it nice to watch. Mostly because I wanted Mexico to go through (I greatly dislike Sweden's coach, gutted they won), but also because it's always awesome to see a big side go out early.

Was watching both games and it was hard to know which to keep an eye on, both really good games with lots to pay attention to.

I popped a vote for Germany before the WC began because I didn't know who would win and defaulted to Germany based on that - one of those rare occasions I'm delighted to have picked wrong. :D I'm still rooting for Belgium overall for the win but I doubt they'll do it. I just want someone a bit different to win rather than the France/Italy/Spain/Germany/Brazil/Argentina "one of them should win it really" group. Always nice to get a surprise. Fingers crossed, but I still do expect one of those six teams (well, four now) will probably end up on top.

[Shauna]

That was an exciting 10 minutes

[Psychotic]

Sorry BoB, Italy are gonna walk it.

[The Captain]

What has become apparent is that the supposed gap between the have's and have-not's is not the same as it used to be. When you have the the teams made up of all the "world's best" players struggling to break down the likes of South Korea, Nigeria, Morocco, etc, it shows that anything is truly possible in this tournament. Also, do no bet on repeat winners.

Frankly, now I wouldn't be surprised if somehow Brazil found a way to lose as well since everything is so upside down. Who would we say is the favorite? I think Croatia have played the most complete tournament so far with Uruguay a close second.

Perhaps we should default to how the Simpsons predicted it: a Mexico- Portugal final.

https://deadline.com/2018/06/the-simpsons-world-cup-prediction-portugal-mexico-video-1202418026/

Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

Croatia, Belgium and (oh my) England are the ones I'd say have played best so far. Uruguay won all their games but they haven't genuinely dominated anyone like you'd expect (only managing 1-0 against two of the weakest teams in the tournament while winning 3-0 in an all-but-dead-rubber against Russia) despite being in what is almost certainly the easiest group out there. It'll be interesting to see them play in the knockout rounds to see if they can continue to keep clean sheets against the best of the rest. Portugal first up for them...

I agree that the gap is definitely not what it used to be. I hope that continues in the knockout rounds and we'll get some awesome games. :D


Sorry BoB, Italy are gonna walk it.
xD Literally in their dreams and only that. I did mention only four were still in it! But they are one of the usual six, even if they aren't in this World Cup, when it comes to "Well I guess it'll be one of them". I guess I just like an underdog, and those six are pretty much always the ... overdog... or something.

EDIT: Just realised it's France vs. Argentina so that is one less team in the quarter finals from the usual six too! Down to three potentials. :D Hell yeah.

[charliepanayi]

Not sure I'd rate Belgium and England as the most impressive teams so far seeing as all they've played are two of the worst teams in the tournament. Croatia look decent but I wouldn't be surprised if Denmark go and knock them out now the way these tournaments often go.

[Bubba]

Never look past ze chermans.

Lol

[Bubba]

75501

[Psychotic]

Bit insensitive to ask a dragon for the cross of St. George.

[Loony BoB]

Not sure I'd rate Belgium and England as the most impressive teams so far seeing as all they've played are two of the worst teams in the tournament. Croatia look decent but I wouldn't be surprised if Denmark go and knock them out now the way these tournaments often go.
Yeah, it's really pot luck at this point, most of the teams going through could easily knock each other out if one side forgets to turn up. And fair point regarding Tunisia/Panama being as poor as Egypt/Saudi Arabia when it comes to competition. Although Belgium/England did manage to perform much more dominantly than Uruguay. It remains to be seen what'll happen tonight but I'm hoping for a good game. Gutted Lukaku is out, would have been cool watching him face up to his United colleagues.

[Bubba]

I think that proves Danny Rose was never gonna be a first-team player.

[Psychotic]

Well what do you know, Adnan Januzaj DID turn out to be the greatest player of all time after all.

Wonder what Dani Pacheco is up to these days...

[Bubba]

So... it’s Columbia with Falcao and (potentially) James Rodriguez. Our record is good against them but those stats are often misleading. I hope that loss hasn’t stopped any kind of momentum we had.

Also, there are no World Cup matches on today. What’s that sh*t all about?

[Psychotic]

They're good, but Quintero is scarier than both of them!

[Loony BoB]

Belgium B vs. England B taught us a lot about nothing to do with the first choice teams. :up: I would also have probably rested loads of players if I were England manager, but it does mean they're arguably (alongside Belgium) the least truly-tested side in the last sixteen now.

[The Captain]

QF Predictions because, why not?

France V Argentina -

Something still doesn't seem right about France. They have all the attacking power in the world and should honestly be the favorites in a lot of ways. Maybe this is the game they put it all together? Or maybe, with the weight lifted (not really) off of Argentina's shoulders, they find a way to steal this game in extra time? That feels right. Argentina 2-1 in ET.

Uruguay V Portugal -

It's the dream matchup the world wants, Messi versus Ronaldo for a shot at the semi-finals, but someone forgot to tell Uruguay that. This team reminds me of some of the old Italian squads, score a goal, scrap and find a way to cross the finish line without conceding. I think Portugal do score, probably Ronaldo, but Uruguay get through them in the end. Their biggest concern is whether they can advance without a red card, as always. Uruguay 2-1.

Spain V Russia -

Call it a hunch. I think some kind of Putin inspired collusion is going to happen here as Russia beats Spain with a very dubious penalty called late. Spain seem very weak at the back as Morocco really opened them up just as Portugal had and I think if Russia really put themselves in the right position, they will be rewarded. Russia 3-2 in very suspicious fashion.

Croatia V Denmark -

The best team in the tournament so far has been Croatia. They have played the most complete games and seem the most balanced team overall. They take on a Denmark team that are fortunate France didn't want to play in the final game and can be beaten especially if Croatia finds a way to mark Eriksen. Croatia have not conceded from open play yet and I think that streak continues. Croatia 2-0

Brazil V Mexico -

My how fortunes can change with one game. Mexico went from looking like they could be a real darkhorse to literally carrying off South Korean fans after they were gifted a spot in the knockouts. Brazil still don't seem like they are putting it all together but I think they have just too much firepower. Brazil 3-1

Belgium V Japan -

Belgium are everyone's darlings for the last couple of tournaments but it might finally be justified. The squad is deep and has game-breakers all over the field. Japan will be disciplined, they will defend, and they SHOULD play Honda the whole 90 but probably won't and will lose 3-1.

Sweden V Switzerland

This might be the closest matchup to a toss-up in the round of 16. Both teams are cagey and Sweden really showed something by absolutely beating up on Mexico. Switzerland for their part proved they can hang with the big boys when they drew Brazil and I think another bit of Shaqiri magic seems them through in ET. 2-1 on ET for the Swiss.

England V Colombia

If James is healthy, this could prove a real challenge for England. Colombia have a team full of zest and creativity but James is what really binds them all together. Without him fully fit, which is likely, England actually look solid and resourceful enough to see this through. England 1-0


A day off to breathe and think about where LeBron goes next before diving right back in!

Take care all.

[Bubba]

France 1 - 1 Argentina (Argentina on penalties)
Uruguay 1 - 2 Portugal
Spain 3 - 0 Russia
Croatia 1 - 0 Denmark
Brazil 3 - 2 Mexico (AET)
Belgium 3 - 0 Japan
Sweden 0 - 2 Switzerland
England 2 - 1 Columbia

[charliepanayi]

France
Portugal
Spain
Denmark
Brazil
Belgium
Sweden
Colombia

[Loony BoB]

France 1 - 0 Argentina
Uruguay 1 - 1 Portugal (Portugal on penalties)
Spain 3 - 0 Russia
Croatia 2 - 0 Denmark
Brazil 2 - 1 Mexico
Belgium 4 - 0 Japan
Sweden 0 - 1 Switzerland
England 2 - 2 Colombia (England on penalties... just for giggles)

Honestly I don't have a fucking clue.

[Psychotic]

Can't wait for Uruguay to smash Portugal and for Suarez to prove once and for all that he is superior to Ronaldo. I look forward to Bubba breaking down in tears and desperately trying to throw shade at Suarez to hide his feelings of shame and inadequacy at the Uruguayan's now undisputed superiority to his idol.

Anyway France, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Sweden, England.

[Bubba]

Can't wait for Uruguay to smash Portugal and for Suarez to prove once and for all that he is superior to Ronaldo. I look forward to Bubba breaking down in tears and desperately trying to throw shade at Suarez to hide his feelings of shame and inadequacy at the Uruguayan's now undisputed superiority to his idol.

You forgetting about one thing 75504

[charliepanayi]

Not a bad start to the knockout stage

[Psychotic]

Great fun! And two absolutely delicious goals. Somehow I think Uruguay v Portugal will not have as many goals...

Also, Mbappe. Wow.

[The Captain]

Not a bad start to the knockout stage

France has always been capable of this. If they’ve really put it together, watch out.

Also, what in Pele’s name was that starting lineup by Argentina? I almost feel like their manager wanted to be fired.

Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

Messi & Ronaldo: The greatest two players to ever play football and never score in a world cup knockout game. Bizarre!

I was going for France and Portugal. Uruguay were delicious when attacking but apparently didn't know how to attack unless they weren't winning. It reminded me of watching Manchester United's season, just sitting with 10 men behind the ball the moment they're in front despite having such good attacking options. Frustrating to watch. Portugal were like the other half of United - they were great at getting into the final third and didn't quite know what to do once they go there. Complete opposite of the game earlier in the day when neither side gave a crap if they were in front, it was non-stop attack from both sides and could go down as the best game of the World Cup.

[Psychotic]

Today's games were wonderful. You sort of have that expectation in knock out tournament football that you're going to get a tight, nervy affair but these were anything but.

I guarantee that if Portugal and Argentina qualify for Qatar 2022, Messi and Ronaldo will both be there. Quote this post in four years if I'm wrong and mock me.

[Bubba]

Suarez should not have been given an assist for that lucky first goal. It was a clear shot that was going way wide. It’s a good job Uruguay have Cavani.

Also... 75505

[Loony BoB]

I guarantee that if Portugal and Argentina qualify for Qatar 2022, Messi and Ronaldo will both be there. Quote this post in four years if I'm wrong and mock me.
Yeah, I don't doubt it. Messi is a guarantee, 34 isn't the end of the world for him. Ronaldo 36 right? Doable considering how much he takes care of himself. The only thing that could change that for Messi in particular is that I suspect he may actually, permanently retire from internationals. Ronaldo wouldn't do that at all, but Messi has done it before temporarily, I wouldn't put it past him to just do it for good this time. We'll have to see what happens.

[Spuuky]

Ronaldo would be 37 and 3/4 years old at Qatar. It wouldn't surprise me if both Messi and Ronaldo were at Qatar but it would surprise me if they were both still Messi and Ronaldo, the best players in the world at the time.

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, no chance of that.

[The Captain]

For Messi I think a lot will depend on who the manager is. He definitely did not get along with the current one though I doubt he has the job much longer.

Ronaldo I could see being an impact sub by 2022 and wouldn’t put it past him to still have some magic in his boots.

Mbappe really put down a marker moving forward and especially if Cavini is badly hurt could take France all the way. I’m still amazed there were no red cards between Uruguay and Portugal.

Very interested to see what Croatia and Spain look like today and whether more Russian collusion is in the works.

Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

I am very glad I opted to miss this game in favour of enjoying the sunshine at the botanical gardens. What I'm reading about the game makes it sound awful to watch.

[Psychotic]

Stop having Iago Aspas take important set pieces!

[charliepanayi]

Who needs collusion when you can have Spain passing about aimlessly for 120 minutes without trying to score

[Psychotic]

Who needs collusion when you can have Spain passing about aimlessly for 120 minutes without trying to scoreIndeed. I lost count of the number of times I saw their players just walking, walking, as they passed between themselves.

Please let this be the last we ever see of Tiki Taka.

[The Captain]

KARMA FOR SALAH.

Very conflicted right now because Russia just won me a lot of pools but this also means Putin is happy.

Take care all.

[charliepanayi]

They should have brought Rodrigo on much earlier, he actually provided some pace. Awful strategy from the start. At least you expect Russia to be dull, they're a limited team. Spain have the talent to be much better.

[Psychotic]

And this means one of Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Colombia or England will be in the World Cup final. Now that is smurfing exciting - not one of the usual suspects!

Calling it now, 1958 rerun.

[charliepanayi]

Except this time, the star teenager who wins his team the World Cup is French

[charliepanayi]

Everyone suddenly remembering that yesterday was the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the knockout stages

[Bubba]

Calling it now, 1958 rerun.

That was a classic. 18-1 shot Mr. What won by thirty lengths.

Spain had 120 minutes to win that game. I too hope this spells the end for Tiki Taka. Their sad devotion to that ancient religion didn’t help them conjure up a winning goal.

[Loony BoB]

Croatia and Denmark has been pretty even. I feel like Croatia have been far, far less fluid in their attacks in this game. Good tactics by the Danes? Fatigue? Who knows.

[Loony BoB]

How Denmark still have ten men on the pitch is beyond me. It shouldn't have even been a regular penalty, he was taken out with an open goal to tap into and Croatia should have had a penalty without a goalkeeper to shoot against. It's akin to "may as well hamdball any goal that's about to go in so it's a penalty instead of a goal." It makes me realise why rugby has penalty tries.

EDIT: No idea why I'm so annoyed but I really am! xD

EDITRA: Justice!

[Psychotic]

Wow, what absolute drama at the end! Two polar opposite shootouts too. De Gea had nothing on Schmeichel and Subasic.

[charliepanayi]

How Denmark still have ten men on the pitch is beyond me. It shouldn't have even been a regular penalty, he was taken out with an open goal to tap into and Croatia should have had a penalty without a goalkeeper to shoot against. It's akin to "may as well hamdball any goal that's about to go in so it's a penalty instead of a goal." It makes me realise why rugby has penalty tries.

EDIT: No idea why I'm so annoyed but I really am! xD

EDITRA: Justice!

Good points, but it wasn't the goalie that conceded the penalty.

Some shockingly bad penalties in that shootout.

[The Captain]

Was that the most amount of kick saves in a non-hockey game? Wow.

Either Russia or Croatia in the semi-finals! Croatia looked very tight at times but sometimes you just have to find a way to win, looks be damned.

Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

How Denmark still have ten men on the pitch is beyond me. It shouldn't have even been a regular penalty, he was taken out with an open goal to tap into and Croatia should have had a penalty without a goalkeeper to shoot against. It's akin to "may as well hamdball any goal that's about to go in so it's a penalty instead of a goal." It makes me realise why rugby has penalty tries.

EDIT: No idea why I'm so annoyed but I really am! xD

EDITRA: Justice!

Good points, but it wasn't the goalie that conceded the penalty.

Some shockingly bad penalties in that shootout.
I didn't mean the goalkeeper should be sent off, but that if a player is taken down with nobody at all between him and goal then they should get a free shot at goal, rather than a defended penalty. The goalkeeper can re enter play after the goal is inevitably scored. The player who gives the foul should be sent off.

[Spuuky]

Was that the most amount of kick saves in a non-hockey game? Wow.Hey, kick saves happen constantly in indoor soccer.

[Loony BoB]

I don't often care that much about diving but the rolling around by Neymar had me fooled and I thought something had legit happened, then I saw what actually happened and was so annoyed. At first it was because the BBC only showed an angle where it looked like the Mexican guy just picked up the ball and that was it, but then I saw a thing on YouTube showing the Mexican guy had literally planted his foot, studs and all, on top of the ankle of Neymar while picking up the ball which is absolutely bad news, but the way Neymar reacted made me disgusted with him regardless.

[Psychotic]

Gutted for Japan.

[charliepanayi]

I don't care how much of a prat Neymar is, I hope Brazil crush Belgium in the quarter-final now!

[Bubba]

Fellaini on a late charge for the golden boot

[Loony BoB]

Belgium and Japan just played the most dignified game of football I may have ever seen in my life and it was awesome to watch. Both teams played excellently and there was no anger between players outside of maybe one brief moment of fuming by a Japanese player at the corner of the pitch and that's it. After the previous game with Neymar being generally pathetic throughout, it was a delight to watch.

[charliepanayi]

I think it's a bit cheeky of Shearer and Klinsmann to criticise Neymar for his antics when they were both happy to cheat when they played! Klinsmann at least had the honesty to look embarrassed when asked about it.

[Loony BoB]

charlie: I'm curious as to why you want Belgium to get crushed by Brazil. Because they beat Japan? Fairly? With dignity and respect given to Japan throughout? Genuinely baffled as to what you have against Belgium who were happy to offer hugs and arms over the shoulders of the Japanese players after the match and didn't cheat once, while Brazil - and particularly Neymar - have been diving left right and center.

As for the issues of theatrics, how do you solve it fairly? My opinion is that if someone shows excessive signs of pain such as Neymar did, they should be ordered off for treatment. The foul can still be given, perhaps even a red card, but if you're in that much pain you shouldn't be on the pitch, you clearly need medical attention - off the pitch - while the the rest of the players carry on without you until you are deemed okay. That should be at least two minutes off the pitch for you if you are rolling around like that and screaming in agony. If you can get fixed up faster than that then perhaps you should just stand up and shut up.

[charliepanayi]

Yeah, I just want them beaten because they came from 2-0 down to beat Japan in the last minute. I don't care if it was fair or not, I just feel bad for Japan. Plus I want to see a Brazil v France semi-final.

[Loony BoB]

I mean you do you man, but I think it's pretty silly to cheer on a team known for cheating and deceit instead of a respectful but still attractive team to watch, just because the respectful team beat Japan.

If I were Japan, I'd want Belgium to win it. I'd always like to go on to say that the team who knocked me out of a tournament was the best one. If I lose to a team that loses the next round, it just makes me thing I wasn't good enough for the next round if the people that beat me weren't either.

Japan did great, and I'd love for them to have gone through, but now Belgium are probably the team I feel would be the best and most dignified winners, the kind that Japan would want to win. Most of the other teams left in the competition have something that irk me about them. Croatia, Belgium and England are the teams I'm cheering on at this point, and perhaps a little bit of support for France too. I hope Belgium win it. :D My ideal quarter final winners would be:

- France, because I don't like Suarez and I really like M'bappe. Pogba factor I suppose, too, but I'm not a massive cheerleader of him.
- Belgium, because I am more and more disgusted by Neymar the more I watch him, and because Belgium have such an incredible lineup that could actually win it for a relatively tiny nation.
- Croatia, because I like their team, style and work ethic. Although they were lacking a lot of that in the last match, which is concerning. Not really bothered about Russia. I don't like Putin's policies but I don't blame the players for that.
- Hopefully England for the other one because I want them to do well for the sake of the four (I think that's right) United players in the squad, plus I don't like the Swedish coach or the Swiss for bringing politics into football. If England goes out to Colombia, I'll go for Colombia, probably.

[Psychotic]

If I were Japan, I'd want Belgium to win it. I'd always like to go on to say that the team who knocked me out of a tournament was the best one. If I lose to a team that loses the next round, it just makes me thing I wasn't good enough for the next round if the people that beat me weren't either.You were cheering for Liverpool in the 2016 Europa League final then, were you? :p

[Bubba]

1-0 England.

There’s only one goal in this and I think we’ll get it.

[charliepanayi]

Yeah, I'd agree. But this half of the draw is really awful in comparison to the France/Brazil/Belgium/Uruguay half at the moment.

[Loony BoB]

If I were Japan, I'd want Belgium to win it. I'd always like to go on to say that the team who knocked me out of a tournament was the best one. If I lose to a team that loses the next round, it just makes me thing I wasn't good enough for the next round if the people that beat me weren't either.You were cheering for Liverpool in the 2016 Europa League final then, were you? :p
...I wasn't even watching it. :shobon: But I do tend to go for any English team when they're in the final just because I want them to increase the English UEFA Coefficient because I want England to be rated higher than Spain xD

I saw this coming once England started pissing about. They were doing well, then they started getting sloppy pretty quickly once they were in front. They were getting suckered into duels as well when they didn't need to, admittedly due to Colombia baiting them with awful aggressive and anti-sportsmanlike tactics.

[Psychotic]

That was an awful 90 minutes of football and I don't think I want to watch anything more with Colombia in it ever again in my life. That's not to say England have been outstanding either though. Ugh.

[Loony BoB]

Let's see if I can get my shits'n'giggles prediction correct. Not the 2-2 but England on penalties. I think they'll get knocked out honestly because I'm not confident about Pickford or even the likes of Lingard/Rashford for penalties but I still hold hope.

[Psychotic]

fuck off colombia!

one of Russia, Croatia, Sweden and England in the WORLD CUP FINAL. Mad!

[Crop]

Oh my god YES!

[Spuuky]

I don't like the Swedish coach or the Swiss for bringing politics into football. I tried to google anything about this regarding the Swedish coach but I wasn't able to find anything. What exactly did he do?

[Old Manus]

Final redemption for Southgate

[Loony BoB]

Honestly I just don't like his general angry nature, he gets into a rage over basically anything. A foul that was nothing? Get in the face of the fourth ref, spitting all over him while you shout your words in his face. There was also a ruckus over the Germans celebrating a goal against his team in the dying minutes, his camp took massive offence to it, not sure why. There's also... and I don't fall into this part of thinking because I have no evidence to it, for me it's just how angry he gets that makes me dislike him... a lot of talk of him being low key racist but personally wouldn't be surprised if that's just because he didn't pick Favourite Player #12345 for the World Cup squad. Allegedly there are really good strikers that could have been picked but he only picks "100% Swedish" players. Not 100% certain what that means but I guess it means there were immigrants that could have played for Sweden but he didn't select them.

[Psychotic]

I don't mean to make this personal, but do you not think your less-than-subtle jabs at the Kingdom of Sweden have arisen because you are from New Zealand and the acrimonious history your two nations share?

[Spuuky]

Just to be clear we're talking about the Sweden coach who was in favor of his team's open statement against the racism directed against one of his non-white players of a different ethnic background, right?

The one who was upset at a German celebration that the Germans themselves apologized for and for which multiple officials of theirs were banned from the field for the next game?

Alright, seems fine to me. He seems to have done alright picking players considering the obliterated Mexico, beat South Korea, won their group (which was a very tough group), and won their round of 16 match so far.

[charliepanayi]

And they knocked out Holland and Italy in qualifying.

[Loony BoB]

I don't doubt his ability as a coach at all. He's done amazingly well. I just don't like the guy. Wasn't aware the Germans apologised.

As for the racism thing, it's all hearsay for me, I just noticed it when I was checking out tweets about him after he was raging like an alcoholic at closing time at the ref. I've never seen the guy smile. Not my kinda guy. I don't have any real issue with the Swedish players, though - when watching their team in the matches I managed to watch, they didn't resonate with me on any level, so I only have my dislike of the coach to go on. :p

EDIT: Well, that and what Psy said. :D

[Spuuky]

I also thought it was interesting that you list Belgium's tiny size as one of the reasons for liking them, even though of the 7 other teams left, 3 have smaller populations than Belgium (a couple significantly smaller).

I, personally, want Belgium to lose because they have eliminated my primary rooting interest from each of the last two World Cups.

[The Captain]

It might be recency bias but this really has been the most entertaining World Cup I can remember. We've had games of all sorts from a literal track meet in Argentina-France to the last goal wins wonderment of Belgium-Japan to the absolute rockfight that was England-Colombia.

I was fascinated by what Southgate said about practicing penalties, that he had his players TELL the goalie in training which way they were going to shoot ahead of time and then still had to make it. It really seemed like it paid off here. This group of relative underdogs might really have a chance to win this whole thing.

Neymar has always had a reputation of being about himself before the team and his theatrics definitely rankle. I watched the Brazil-Mexico game in a small bar that had no neutrals and even the Brazilian fans kind of smirked when Neymar "almost died" after being stepped on, on the sidelines. I may be biased but I only want Brazil to win it all if Bobby Firmino plays more. Otherwise, would not mind seeing another upset here.

Final four predictions?

Uruguay over France IF Cavani is healthy. If not, France wins a blowout, 3-1
Brazil over Belgium unless Roberto Martinez learns his lesson and plays two holding midfielders. 2-1
Croatia over Russia with the Putin caveat that anything can happen, 2-1
England over Sweden 1-0 in ET because England can't have it easy.

Do we think Harry Kane will end up with the Golden Boot?
Who do you think has been the player of the tournament so far? A lot of players to choice from.

Take care all.

[charliepanayi]

France/Brazil/Croatia/England - though I'm most uneasy about the France prediction. Uruguay are pretty tough.

[Loony BoB]

My gut says it's going to be France, Brazil, Russia, Sweden. I hope I'm wrong and Brazil get given a lesson in how to win while playing fair, Croatia rediscover their form from the group stage which went out the window for the last game, same for England.

I'm aware there are smaller nations than Belgium, but I have more than just the one reason for liking them. Affinity with players, liking their style of play, stuff like that goes a long way.

[Old Manus]

I think France will have too much for Uruguay who are a bit one dimensional. Brazil v Belgium could be a cracker and I would love it if the Belgians did a 7-1 on them, but they are the new Old Spain - massive chokers. Croatia should get past Russia fairly easily. I'm sorry, but the Russians are rubbish. Spain should have turned them over.

Why do England always seem to have a game against Sweden in major tournaments? I can't see them being tougher opposition than Colombia.

[charliepanayi]

Though I am sticking with my France prediction I think Brazil will be very tough to beat, they're basically the 2002 side all over again.

[Psychotic]

Why do England always seem to have a game against Sweden in major tournaments? It's the European version of Argentina v Nigeria. World Cup 2002 was the best, putting all four in the same group.