Russia World Cup 2018 Thread

I'm fascinated at the lack of 0-0s.
23 games without one from the opening game. That's the highest since 1954 when there were none.
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
The World Cup ball is looking dubious now and perhaps explains all the 1-1 and 1-0 scorelines and all the set piece goals. Peru are a technically good side and almost all their shots yesterday flew over the bar. Some sites have mentioned how slick surfaced and light it is.

Damn you FIFA and Adidas and all your marketing bolloxology, just make a ball that is not a beach ball.
:R1:R1:R1
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It's simple, get your body over the ball, didn't we all learn that as kids? They all lean back and lash it and up goes the ball.


@Isslander @Cuky I can see it happening. I think Iceland can beat Nigeria, they've been very disappointing.
 
Fair result in the end, Iceland looked slow, maybe the heat got to them. The missed penalty didn't help. Now we only need to beat Croatia and trust that the other match has a decent outcome.
 
Isslander said:
Fair result in the end, Iceland looked slow, maybe the heat got to them. The missed penalty didn't help. Now we only need to beat Croatia and trust that the other match has a decent outcome.
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In fairness @Isslander , the Nigerian lad Musa would make an antelope or cheetah look leggy and fatigued. I can see the Super Eagles doing alot more damage to Argentina next. :COAT::COAT::COAT:
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
In fairness @Isslander , the Nigerian lad Musa would make an antelope or cheetah look leggy and fatigued. I can see the Super Eagles doing alot more damage to Argentina next. :COAT::COAT::COAT:
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Unfortunately me too. But we'll finally have a keeper in front of the goal this time, so you never know.
 
Belgium seems to be the only big team to take games and finish them off properly. Russia have also scored plenty of goals but they are not really among the big boys and also probably on the magic juice.
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
In fairness @Isslander , the Nigerian lad Musa would make an antelope or cheetah look leggy and fatigued. I can see the Super Eagles doing alot more damage to Argentina next. :COAT::COAT::COAT:
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That must have been how he played when Leicester were scouting him. It's interesting that yesterday they changed to the formation that they played in the second half against England in the last friendly. With that formation they were the better side second half after having looked awful in the first half of that game.


@Isslander Belgium looked like a team going forward today and they have a lot of options. I wish we had the opportunity to leave Dembele out of our midfield. They did mention in commentary that the Belgian press had said the only top team they have played since Martinez took over was Spain who they lost to though so they are reserving judgement until they play one of the better teams.
 
mattmid said:
That must have been how he played when Leicester were scouting him. It's interesting that yesterday they changed to the formation that they played in the second half against England in the last friendly. With that formation they were the better side second half after having looked awful in the first half of that game.


@Isslander Belgium looked like a team going forward today and they have a lot of options. I wish we had the opportunity to leave Dembele out of our midfield. They did mention in commentary that the Belgian press had said the only top team they have played since Martinez took over was Spain who they lost to though so they are reserving judgement until they play one of the better teams.
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@mattmid , when the Belgian press say "better teams", do they mean England ? :THINK::THINK::THINK:
 
Do we have any German forum members ? Congratulations, but of course given your team's legendary mentality that makes hardened steele seem weak, you were never in doubt. :KING:
 
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Tom said:
Hello.
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Hello Tom and well done to your countrymen last night. I never doubted they would come back.
My team's (Ireland) greatest ever result was beating world champions Germany in a 2015 Euro qualifier 1-0 in Dublin. But Germany even then pummeled us for the whole game and we snatched a late winner. :SHOCK:
 
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Isslander said:
Fair result in the end, Iceland looked slow, maybe the heat got to them. The missed penalty didn't help. Now we only need to beat Croatia and trust that the other match has a decent outcome.
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Thing is @Isslander , have you seen India or China anywhere at the World Cup ? Combined population of about 2.8 billion people and they can't field a football team to rival Iceland, for errrr,
all the tea in China. :SHAKE::SHAKE::SHAKE:
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
Hello Tom and well done to your countrymen last night. I never doubted they would come back.
My team's (Ireland) greatest ever result was beating world champions Germany in a 2015 Euro qualifier 1-0 in Dublin. But Germany even then pummeled us for the whole game and we snatched a late winner. :SHOCK:
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Shane Long, I remember quite clearly :D
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
Thing is @Isslander , have you seen India or China anywhere at the World Cup ? Combined population of about 2.8 billion people and they can't field a football team to rival Iceland, for errrr,
all the tea in China. :SHAKE::SHAKE::SHAKE:
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In 2011, Iceland was in 122. place on the Fifa list, below the well known footballing nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a place I admit I didn't even know existed before then. Getting to the Euro or World Cup was a very distant and pretty much impossible dream back then. But a few years later, with England beaten to reach the Euro Finals, anything seemed possible. People here are pretty hyped that we got in there, and even if our next match is the last one, it's still pretty amazing. This is very much the golden age of Icelandic football, with both the men's and women's teams doing well (The women could have their first WC next year, they have already been to the Euros three times). And who knows, with these great achievements the kids are obviously more interested in getting into football and traning hard, seeing what it can accomplish. So the future is bright.

Interesting tidbit about Albert Guðmundsson (PSV), a player who has not been used yet:
Albert is from a family of footballers. His father is former international striker and (after UEFA Euro 2016) world-famous TV commentator[6][7] Guðmundur Benediktsson. Albert's mother is former international Kristbjörg Ingadóttir, daughter of former international striker Ingi Björn Albertsson, who held the record for most goals in the Icelandic top division from 1987 until 2012.[8]

Father of Ingi and thus Albert's great-grandfather was former Milan and Arsenal striker and later Minister of Finance Albert Guðmundsson, Iceland's first professional footballer.[9] All four generations have scored for the Icelandic national team.
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It is a shame that Albert hasn't had a chance yet, apart from the hilarious bit of his father having to do commentary on his own son playing in the World Cup, he is a very skilled and promising attacking player and could have made an impact against Nigeria.
 
@Isslander: I'm absolutely astonished by what Iceland has been doing these last few years in football. Did you guys invest in football academies there, or something like that? The leap of quality is immense!
 
@Vadim I think we know better than that by now :LOL: A great performance going forward albeit against an awful team but still worrying to see how Panama got in behind us easily a couple of times and that will be our undoing I think. Unless we can outscore them all :D


@WhoAteMeDinner Has Shane Long scored since for anyone? :D
 
I was listening to the radio on the way to work today, and they were talking about this time four years ago.

Roy Hodgson was interviewed after a 0-0 with Costa Rica (with England out of the tournament), saying he was pleased to have "given the fans something to cheer about".

Whatever happens next (e.g. a drubbing from Belgium and then Colombia), at least we've had something to cheer this year.
 
Would it be better to finish second?
Pre tournament all the teams I would have liked to avoid seem to be on the same side of the draw.
Saying that we will probably go out to Japan :D
 
Japan really surprised me yesterday. After struggling to beat Colombia who had 10 men for virtually the whole game and going 1-0 down to Senegal I thought there was no way they'd come back and get something from the game. I hope Colombia get out of the group as I do enjoy watching them but hopefully finish in the same position as we do so we avoid them.

There certainly seems a confidence about our squad. Whether it's misplaced we shall find out soon enough. It's a shame it won't be a true game against Belgium really (assuming changes for both sides) as it would be a good test to see how both sides shape up against a team that can trouble them at the back. Anyway like Chris says at least we've had something to enjoy from them this world cup whatever happens now.
 
mattmid said:
Japan really surprised me yesterday. After struggling to beat Colombia who had 10 men for virtually the whole game and going 1-0 down to Senegal I thought there was no way they'd come back and get something from the game. I hope Colombia get out of the group as I do enjoy watching them but hopefully finish in the same position as we do so we avoid them.

There certainly seems a confidence about our squad. Whether it's misplaced we shall find out soon enough. It's a shame it won't be a true game against Belgium really (assuming changes for both sides) as it would be a good test to see how both sides shape up against a team that can trouble them at the back. Anyway like Chris says at least we've had something to enjoy from them this world cup whatever happens now.
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You are mucho realistic @mattmid dude, it is shame many England fans and the media are not calm and keeping things in perspective too. Frank Lampard you idiot. :R1:R1:R1

Very tough to call how England would handle either Colombia or Japan, that group was far tougher than what Engalnd and Belgium had to face. :?
 
WhoAteMeDinner said:
Have Portugal and Iran gamesmanship on overdrive tonight killed VAR for good ? :NONO::NONO::NONO:
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No FIFA seem to love VAR, so it will never disappear.

I just can't believe from the World Cup how many penalties are being given after review which would not of been given normally - Most correctly, some massively incorrectly like Iran's last night.

There is 2 main problems I don't like about VAR:-
1. It seems to take the responsibility away from the ref, everyone calling for a review after a non decision - I reckon I could now easily become a FIFA referee as if I get a decision wrong some guy (full kit wanker - can't believe they turn up in their full ref kit in a studio) in a studio will tell me in my ear piece and I go to a screen and look at what happened.

2. It causes too many delays, not just for decisions to be made, but also they now review every goal to make sure there is no offside or foul play.. So teams celebrate go back to centre circle and wait till the ref says - Yes the goal can stand.

I don't know if you can tell or not but I am not a fan of VAR, it should only be used if the referee calls for it to help a decision, not to give a penalty a minute later because a player moans or someone in a studio says that was a pen mate.

It also doesn't get used for other things it could help with, players falling over because they been flicked on the leg and go down holding their head for a long period of time - As the Americans call flopping.
Bad tackles don't seem to be punished - Pique should of gone last night, no doubt about it - Why was VAR not used then.

It seems FIFA only want VAR to assist in giving penalties and making games higher scoring than they would be normally.

It would be interesting to see the % of penalties which have been given through VAR and those given normally.
 
@bsmaff , great post, totally agree. FIFA inexplicably love VAR. But Irish TV pundit and former midfield maestro Liam Brady thinks it is the FIFA mafia up to their old tricks and using a VAR committee or yes men to steer games in the direction of the big teams and big name players.

Last night's game looked very bad in that respect. :CURSE::CURSE::CURSE:
 
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