World Cup - Do You Want To Talk About It?

I have no idea what to do or feel since Germany went out. Never experienced this before!

Oh, you mean that sporting even run by a crooked organization held in a country where I could go to jail for being gay? Nah. No thanks.

Wow, well Germany being out certainly made things more interesting. Always pulling for England but Germany was one of my favorite teams to watch.

Also the Brad emote made an appearance on the front page of Yahoo!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/telemundo-host-makes-racist-gesture-air-s-korea-rescues-mexicos-world-cup-2-200735305.html

@depecheloadsaid:

I started writing a thing that was going to ask you an honest question about whether you would be the sort of person who'd want to watch the World Cup anyway, but then I sort of realised that I'm not really sure what I was trying to say. So I'm just going to leave that thought to myself.

I will say this, though: I totally get you. FIFA has a horrendous track record, and there have been very few signs that anything is improving. And I'm English, and am vehemently opposed to Putin's administration and everything he and his cronies stand for; I felt that way before Salisbury, and feel even stronger now.

Unfortunately, football has something of a blinding effect on people like me, who would characterise themselves as progressives and supporters of human rights but love the sport and the spectacle of the world's biggest tournament. I was grumbling about a WC in Russia before the tournament, muted Putin's speech before the first match. But as soon as the football started, it was easy to forget about the politics and enjoy the competition. Maybe that's been made easy by the fact that it's been a cracking tournament so far, with mostly good football and tons of drama.

This tournament has also seen plenty of politics seep through, which is inevitable. Mohamed Salah chumming up to Ramzan Kadyrov is disgusting, as Kadyrov's human rights record is deplorable - yes it was during Ramadan, but it sucks to see footballers you like becoming political pawns. Same applies to Ozil and Gundogan prostrating themselves before Erdogan, who was using them as a political tool to gain support in Germany, where more than 1 million ethnic Turks were eligible to vote in the very recent elections. It's going to be even more of a talking point now that Germany are out. And then there was the somewhat brash statement of Switzerland's Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri celebrating their goals against Serbia by making "Albanian eagle" gestures with their hands - they're both native Albanian-Kosovan who emigrated to Switzerland during the war in the 90s, and those wounds are still fresh.

Some people won't be able to look past all the political turmoil and appreciate the World Cup as a football tournament. That's totally fine, but I feel like for a lot of people, their interest in football and the World Cup in particular can co-exist with the politics. That's almost certainly a privileged position, and we can recognise that, but we can't change it. As long as there are platforms for people to talk about the political, cultural, and social events and ramifications of an event like the World Cup, then I think there should also be a platform for people to discuss the actual football without getting too bogged down in the politics. We acknowledge that the politics is there, but we want to talk about the football as well.

@theoriginalatlas: I'm not a huge soccer fan but I've watched it in the past and had fun. I am actively boycotting this World Cup, as well as the next, due to FIFA's endorsement of anti-gay policies. I did the same with the Olympics when they were in Russia.

Sports don't matter.

Manuel Neuer losing the ball 70 yards up the pitch is probably the greatest thing. Second only to Joachim Loew sneakily trying to pick his nose as soon as the whistle went. It's weird to see England go into a third group game with progression already assured. This cup is anyone's.

Deutshland :'( o we'll there "used to loosing" ( don't mention the war). Still mindboggeling, let's go Sverige !

@depecheload: You can always watch it through unofficial channels...

@chen_96: Don't think that's the point of boycotting.

This Belgium England debacle is kinda weird loosing seems to be the better option.

so if Belgium wins it looks like this

Probably ending up playing against Brazil ( although Mexico has a big chance to )

If Belgium loses you get the better group.

Playing against Sweden or Switzerland.

Witch means both teams are going to try to loose ? Martinez coach of Belgium already said he wasn't going for a victory and he's setting up a lot off B players.

I don’t normally watch soccer so I don’t really understand the group stuff. How come Sweden ended up facing Switzerland instead of Brazil?

@boonsong: all the teams are divided in groups of 4, then internally play three games each, all facing each other once. These games then distribute points depending on the outcome (3 for victory, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss.) The top 2 teams from each group then proceed to play-offs. During these play-offs, the winner of one group plays against the runner-up of another.

Example:

Switzerland played in group E and ended up in 2nd place with 5 points (1 victory, 2 draws). They face Sweden whom won group F.

Fair play points!

@rahf: Ah thanks! That's interesting that the winner of one group face the second placer of another.

Also lol Japan right now. But they still in so.

@captain_insano: Depends, you can boycott something by not supporting (financially) it or by ignoring it completely. Doesn't have to be one or the other.

Also, Japan went from one of my favorites to go through to one of the least in less than 20 min.

I'm glad Japan moves on. I love watching them play. That first half was so great against Poland. Fast, aggressive, risks; no cards and only one minute of stoppage was necessary. If soccer was more like this than all of the acting, it'd be much more enjoyable.

Also a bold move on their part with about seven minutes left to run out the clock, relying Senegal not scoring. Right decision based on chances, though, I'd say. I'd be disappointed to move on that way (as many spectators are) but you play to move on.

Are both Belgium and England just not trying to score and instead rack up yellow cards?

They probably started the day wanting to finish second because they knew they'd likely play Japan. I have to say, I dislike this fair play tiebreaker intensely. What if you get a card happy official? Plus, it just encourages this kind of England-Belgium dross.

I vote Thunderdome if the teams are tied.

I thought Belgium picked up the pace in the second half; they were very attacking and looked pretty impressive.

England were floundering a bit, and that quality just wasn't there in the final third. Still, considering our three main attacking players -- especially the captain, Kane -- weren't even involved, they did surprisingly well. Pretty even overall.

Yeah, it was okay. Not a fan of the not-really-trying-to-win playstyles some teams have opted for when they know they're through. It has the potential to create some bad habits IMO.

I think we'll make the quarter finals at least, either way.

My for fun bet on Belgium to win the World Cup is looking surprisingly more optimisitc.

moment of the match Also agree on the fortnite stuff.

Seems like a legit chance at this point.

Fun to think about. They'd be by far the smallest country (both population and land area) to win since Uruguay in 1950.

Aw, i kinda hoped that Belgium would play normally until the last minute of extra time where they let their keeper score an own goal to get 2nd place :P

Honestly, it would be interesting to see how the FIFA would react to that. Can they sanction you for doing that?

@frytup: yes, it’s amazing the amount of talent they have been able to produce over the last 10 years for such a small country. But I guess countries like Holland/Netherlands is rather small as well and they have been doing similar things for years.

But this really is Belgiums golden generation at their age peak, so hopefully they can keep internal strife at a minimum and take this one home.

@tothenines: I am from Belgium and to be honest everybody here play's Football ( soccer ) like i am from a small suburb / rural village and the only sport you can practice is football it's really stupid if you wanna do other sports. For the longest time i wanted to do baseball cause i was kinda good at bating but that meant i had to travel to the other side of the country cause there only like 2 or 3 clubs. A lot off football clubs are investing big time in Football school's / Youth Training, so it only makes sense you get some solid players from time to time. Still to pretty impressive for a country who has around the same population as New York City.

@soulcake: Cool! And yeah your football infrastructure seems top notch. I’m from Denmark and even though we only have about half the population size of your country, the amount of talent produced here is nowhere near comparable to Belgiums currently. Even though we have the same football culture here, the only other mainstream sport I can think of is handball and that is still quite a distant second.

The Belgium league is no joke either now and I’d say it’s a step above even the Dutch eresdivisie. So it’s no wonder you produce such fine footballers, I just hope you can capitalize this World Cup because next World Cup De Bruyne is gonna be 31 and players like him don’t come around often.

@tothenines: Let's hope the world cup final is gonna be Belgium / Denmark :D.

@soulcake: Yes! Though one part of that equation would seriously surprise me haha, but that would be awesome! And is theoretically possible ;)

Belgium have been very good, but France just performed brilliantly, finally! I don't see them being able to overcome Pogba, Mbappe, Pavard and Griezmann, not now. England have no chance against them at that level if they keep it up, either, I gotta say.

We'll see, though. Game of the tournament so far. Feel bad for Messi, but what can ya do.

I got a feeling it's going to be a Spain/France final.

I'll predict Belgium/England for the third place play-off. Why not.

What an absolute mental performance from France! Although my dream final is Mexico/Croatia, I agree with @brunothethird on Spain/France.

THAT MATCH. That match is why it's been so infuriating to watch France sleepwalk through this tournament. This is what they're capable of. Unbelievable performances - 8, 9, 10 across the board. 10 for Mbappe, 9 for Matuidi, Griezmann, and Pogba, and maybe Pauvan. Argentina had no idea how to beat their pace and the quality of their passing except for fouling them. 4-3 is a very flattering score for Argentina; France's defending on Mercado's goal was poor, and Kante was for once not in position to close down Di Maria, who made a wonder strike. France's fourth goal, Mbappe's second, was perfect - Lloris, to Umtiti, to Matuidi, to Giroud, to Mbappe, who hit it first time and there was no doubt.

An unreal game of football. If France can play like this the rest of the way, then they have to be one of the favourites.

I was so prepared to hate this match, because both teams have under-performed, but it was the best match of the tournament so far, and that's saying something. France got their act together when they needed to, and Argentina were just hopeless for large spells of the game. Feel bad for Messi, but it was crystal clear in the group stage that the team around him wasn't good enough. It's always a shame when your best players can't get on the pitch, but developing world-class attacking players only works if you have a midfield that can get the ball to them and allow them to make runs and get into space. Argentina had too many great strikers to choose from, and nobody even close to that level in midfield to get the ball to them.

@brunothethird: @soccerpolska: At some point, Brazil are going to realise that their tactics don't need to just be "Neymar and 10 other guys". They have real talent around him now, not like last WC where they were hoping that Hulk and Fred would be good enough. Coutinho has been sensational, Firmino should be starting, Paulinho and Casemiro are an excellent midfield duo, and the defence has only conceded one goal. I'd take Brazil as the favourites right now, although I'm less confident in that having seen France play like that.

@soccerpolska:I would absolutely love it if Mexico got to the final; they've been my favourites to watch so far. I'll cross my fingers for them no matter what!

@theoriginalatlas: Brazil have been leagues better this tournament, definitely. I've enjoyed watching them, especially Coutinho and Neymar; fantastic stuff. I think they'll get to the semis at least, no doubt in my mind. For some reason I think the pressure will get to them a bit which is why I didn't pick them as obvious favourites -- the fans/nation can be quite harsh with their expectations of their team -- but it's never a good idea to write them off. They are the all-time legends of the game, and I'd be in awe if they won it yet again.

Anything can happen, though. I can't wait for the Uruguay/Portugal match.

This is the most open World Cup I can remember (since 1998). Great France/Argentina game but France can definitely be exposed.

Uruguay were good. The Suarez/Cavani duo was almost as strong as ever, though their first goal wasn’t pretty – more of a facer than a header, haha. Their second was absolutely first class.

Portugal did nothing wrong, they just couldn’t break through the amazing Uruguayan defense at all outside of set-pieces. Ronaldo had so few opportunities to line up a goal without them hounding him, which is always a successful tactic. Without your striker free to do damage, you basically don’t have a team.

Even so, without Nani… I didn’t see the same quality that nabbed them the Euro 2016 trophy. All eyes were on Ronaldo, but you need another top player like Nani to feed the flames sometimes, and I just didn’t see it from anyone else. His number of assists for the team is impressive; that’s an important cornerstone, setting other players up for the finishes. It’s a real shame he didn’t make the team this cup. No one quite filled that role today before Quaresma came on, but even him and Guerreiro on opposite flanks to feed Ronaldo didn’t bring the goods against that defense. Fernandes was just blasting balls for no reason by the end.

Pepe surprised me; he made a big error near the end, but he was disciplined, defended intelligently, and equalized beautifully, so. Gasp.

One big issue for me: Suarez acting up like he’d been shot in the head was sickening. He was fouled, but for god’s sake, there’s no to need roll around and scream and shit. I know if you don’t get the referee’s attention a lot of genuine fouls would go unpunished, but it needs to be eradicated. Make it a cardable offence and be done with it. If it’s a foul, the linesmen should tell the ref if he doesn’t see it straight away.

There were a couple of dives, too, which gained them nothing at all, so why even bother? Their skill as a team is so strong; it makes no sense to me. It’s 2018, get rid of it. And yet Quaresma was blatantly fouled in the final minute with no repercussions. Ronaldo could have equalized from the free kick there, easily. Hugely controversial decision by the referee IMO. I felt cheated on their behalf.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. Nothing explosive from Uruguay so far – I really miss watching Diego Forlán in this tournament – but I think the best team won, regardless of the few shitty moments. I don't fancy their chances against France, however. The QFs is as far as they go for me.

@brunothethird: Couldn't agree more on basically every point. Professional and classy performance by Uruguay, but they are a cynical team, and that dark part of Suarez's game is still there. He's such a joy to watch though, he just sees the game so brilliantly and makes moves off the ball like few others. I've always hated Pepe, and was pleasantly surprised to see him not do something stupid and get on the scoresheet, but the replays of the second goal show just how much of a mistake he made going for that header.

I don't know if it's the lack of one player like Nani for Portugal or it's just the level of quality throughout the squad is a bit low once you get to this stage of the competition, but I agree that they didn't play badly, they just couldn't get through Uruguay's organisation and dogged pressing of the ball. They're just a bit lacking in key areas; Bernardo Silva probably didn't get enough minutes at Man City, Quaresma is 34-years-old now, Fonte looked lost at times, and they don't have quality off the bench. Remember Renato Sanchez? How great he was at that Euros? Then he bombs out at Bayern and struggles to keep his place at Swansea. Shame.

I've always been a fan of Edinson Cavani, and it's been frustrating seeing him fail to convert chances and fade in big games, which are his two biggest criticisms. Tonight was him at his best, playing to his fullest potential. Boy, did he put a shift in, trotting back to help out the fullbacks, making runs and helping win the ball in midfield, and his pass to Suarez for the first goal and finish for the second goal were both sublime. A joyous player to watch when he plays up to his ability.

No idea how that Quaresma challenge wasn't a foul.

@theoriginalatlas: Well said; you mentioned a lot of possible factors I hadn't considered at all.

Cavani was a rock tonight, and he wore his emotions on his sleeves which is always nice. It clearly meant the world to him to do well on the big stage. I remember when I thought he was another Italian natural, way back when he played for Palermo, before realizing he was this Uruguayan star in the making. I'm half Italian so I was all excited about the 2010 World Cup assuming he'd be in the Italian squad, damn it!

If Suarez was just an okay player, I'd be way less bothered by the dramatics. Pepe is a perfect example, because you kind of expect bullshit from him, and he's a defender so who cares. With Luis it's like watching Nijinksi pretend he's being engaged by a sniper mid-performance, it's just ridiculous, ha.

Seriously though, that foul. We could easily be talking about how Ronaldo equalized and then Portugal won on penalties right now. I hate bad ref decisions.

The thing is though England doesn't have the same back line that Argentina do, they had more holes in that defence yesterday than a fisherman's net, let's not get too carried away, France played well (yet still conceded three) but Argentina made them look like world beaters, England would pose them a very different threat.

@shoguns_decapitator: I like getting carried away, it's half the fun. The World Cup is the only time I can make ridiculous guesses and predictions and then be smug if I'm accidentally correct!

Spain is putting me to sleep. Should I even watch the 2nd half?

@liquiddragon: Might as well have it on in the background, it seems ok from what I've watched of it so far, it might burst into life.

Spain attempting to bore Russia into submission, whilst Russia have been playing for penalties since about the half time whistle.

Sums up my feelings on this game pretty well.

This is honestly the result Spain deserves. This is what happens when you try to play a game of attrition.

Totally agree, it's all well and good to pass pass pass pass but if you do nothing with it what's the point? Diego Costa may as well of been sitting on the couch next to me watching the game.

Spain forgot it's not how many times you pass, it's who you pass to and when, that makes magic happen on a football pitch. That is the exact opposite of how I expected them to play. Russia as a nation is legendary for its ability to outlast the enemy and nab it in the final hour, and they just extended that ability to the beautiful game in textbook fashion. I won't say it was a good game of football, but it was an entertaining victory.

I'm glad I was wrong about Spain reaching the final, as that would've made the dullest WC for a long time, clearly.

I'll go with a Brazil/France flavour for now, that's my new blind guess.Edit: Just realized that's impossible. France/England then, why not.

So one of these will be in the final

Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Colombia, England

Interesting...

Croatia or England should make it i reckon.