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2018 World Cup

DanTheHorn

By DanTheHorn
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MoJames

MoJames 8,241

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7 minutes ago, IPoopOnWhoop said:

Give me Argentina, Portugal, Mexico, and Belgium with Belgium over Argentina up top.

Spain, Croatia, Switzerland, and England with Spain over England on the bottom.

Spain over Belgium 2-1 in extra time for the cup, although I would much rather the opposite happen.

From today's thread

Uru - Fra > Fra

Braz - Bel > Bel >> Bel

 

Spn - Den > Spn

Swe - Eng > Eng >> Eng >>> Bel

 

Won't happen but I wouldn't mind seeing this.

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Zepol87
Zepol87

This morning was awesome. I love this damn thing

Schulz2.0
Schulz2.0
strangulation!
strangulation!

- Adolf Hitler, 1939

Napoleon

Napoleon 8,600

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10 hours ago, Cameltoe said:

In 1990 the world cup games weren't broadcast in the USA. My dad hunted down this new concept called a "sports bar" inside a bowling alley on North IH-35 that had a "satellite connection" for obscure sports events.

 

10 hours ago, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

1990 was on cable.  Some of the knockouts were on TV live too.  I think it was one of the Turner networks (TBS/TNT) that had the coverage.

 

10 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

yeah i remember watching the 90 wc when we lived in dallas so it must have been on somewhere.


I'm fairly certain that the 1990 games were all shown on Univision, because I remember watching them during the middle of the day. I don't know if I just remember the USA matches or everything, because there was a TV showing matches in a lounge area. 

We didn't have cable, but I remember watching Argentina beat Italy in the semifinals and the final vs West Germany. I also remember watching Schillaci scoring a bit in the group stages, so Italian matches had to have been on some form of Free TV as well. 

NOTE: I was in Dallas for the entire 1990 World Cup.

From the New York Times - July 8th, 1990

When Argentina plays West Germany for the World Cup championship this afternoon, the match from Rome will be seen on not one but two American networks: on Ted Turner's TNT service, which appears on many cable systems, and on Univision, which broadcasts in Spanish both over the air and on some cable systems.

Some homes can get both networks. Many can see neither. If possible, it may be best to try to tune in two sets at once to watch the same game on both networks at the same time. Even then, the two halves might not equal a whole.

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/08/sports/world-cup-90-us-viewers-get-a-faulty-picture.html


1990 FIFA World Cup Broadcast Rights in the USA: 

-TNT in English
-Univision in Spanish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_World_Cup_broadcasters

 

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8,600

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While looking at a Facebook page for NRJ Energy Zurich, which had some taunting of the German National Team, I then also tried to fined a minions video from their FB page on YouTube. Well, I didn't  find it, but I did find this.

 


It kind of has me pumped up for Saturday.

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Hagbard Celine

Hagbard Celine 10,749

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guardian

10 things learned in group

When does England’s semi-final kick off?

Gareth Southgate’s team is now in the “easier” half of the draw and everyone with an England shirt on can plot a route to the last four or, if you’re feeling really optimistic and totally blind to the country’s record on the big stage, the final itself. ‘Well played lads’ screamed the headline on the front page of The Sun, after an understrength England side lost 1-0 against Belgium to avoid a quarter-final with Brazil. This is the same nation that has won two knockout matches at major tournaments – against Denmark and Ecuador – since Stuart Pearce tucked away that penalty against Spain at Euro 1996. Colombia, for the record, were quarter-finalists four years ago and they’ve won six of their last eight World Cup games. Be careful what you wish for.

 

Croatia are the team of the tournament so far

Croatia were viewed as dark horses in some quarters, fancied to go deep into knockout rounds, although it is debatable whether such a tag was appropriate for a squad that contained players such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic. Either way, they have been the star turn thus far. When the draw was made, Croatia’s was the group of death. Nigeria had arrived with a reputation for youthful dynamism; Argentina’s spoke for itself while nobody could underestimate Iceland. Croatia made short work of all three, particularly Argentina in a statement performance. They did not even need to beat Iceland but they did so anyway, with a starting XI that showed nine changes to illustrate the depth of Zlatko Dalic’s squad. Modric has been outstanding while all around him there has been slickness, savvy and ruthlessness. The players believe they can top the achievement of their country’s Class of 98, which reached the semi-final.

 

Fair play? No way

So Japan are the first country to qualify for the last 16 via Fifa’s fairplay rule. There’s a certain irony to that, given that Japan played out the final eight minutes plus added time of their game against Poland trying, in the words of their coach, to “stay put”. They had no interest in passing forward, attacking, tackling or - the unthinkable – scoring an equaliser to take control of their own destiny. Instead, Akira Nishino, the Japan coach, openly admitted that he decided to totally rely on events 400 miles away in Samara and, with that in mind, sent on a sub to preach the importance of killing the Poland game by essentially not playing a football match any more. It should be noted that Poland were not blameless in those miserable closing stages, yet they did at least have the excuse of being 1-0 up. Japan, on the other hand, threw in the towel when they were losing against a team that had already been eliminated, and left Colombia to do the job for them. Doesn’t sound much like fairplay.

 

Milinkovic-Savic is made for Mourinho

At the time of writing Manchester United transfer target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s presence at the top of the table for metres run at Russia 2018 looks like a variation on the old Mrs Merton Paul Daniels joke. So, José Mourinho: what first attracted you to very tall workaholic midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic? For now the stories linking the Serbian with a move from Lazio to United are no more than stories. But he would be an apt signing. José has a type. He likes big men who run and have skill. Milinkovic-Savic ticks all three, combining some fine point skills in attacking areas with an insatiable energy. And of course being 6ft 3in doesn’t hurt. Mladen Krstajic had instructed his team to play with a freedom and without fear in a must-win game against Brazil and at times Milinkovic-Savic and Nemanja Matic were effective in shutting down Brazil’s dinkier midfield. For Brazil this was the lesson for later. For those with an eye on his potential transfer Milinkovic-Savic looks a fine player in this company. He goes home without a goal or an assist. But he is only 23 and would stiffen Mourinho’s options in the way Mourinho most likes to be stiffened: more power, more height and a willingness to run relentlessly.

 

Is this the most open World Cup ever?

Can you pick a winner with even the slightest degree of confidence? The draw for the knockout rounds may have taken on a top-heavy appearance, with several of the traditional elite certain to see each other off well before the semi-finals, but this World Cup did not need that kind of help to be unpredictable. There has not been one standout team and nor are there any remaining in the round of 16 on whom one would confer absolutely no hope. Brazil look as if they are slowly clicking into gear while Croatia and Belgium have enjoyed impressively sleek, comfortable progress through the groups; everyone has a fairly long set of pluses and minuses against their names, though, and it makes for a fortnight in which further surprises are virtually certain. Perhaps this is what happens nowadays when teams are flung together at relatively short notice, bereft of the infinitesimal levels of detail to which Champions League contenders’ strategies are compared. But the Champions League is, for all its quality, entirely predictable at the sharp end; nobody can say the same here and it feels like a refreshing boost for the sport as a whole.

 

Mexico’s small problem

While size isn’t everything, Mexico’s coach Juan Carlos Osorio had a long think about the kind of impact it had as his team tried – and struggled – to play to their own style against an opponent with very different strengths. The height differential between Sweden and Mexico was striking before kick off as the two captain’s shook hands – Sweden’s Andreas Granqvist towered, almost 10 inches taller than Mexico’s Hector Herrera. Across the teams, Sweden’s starting XI was an average of roughly three inches higher than the Mexicans. Osorio complimented Sweden on how they played to their advantage, going direct, even if it was obvious it wasn’t his vision of football. “I deeply respect that way of playing,” he said. “It’s quite amazing to realise you can play in the same manner every game and compete and beat teams that play in a different way like we did. You compete with what you have. But as far as playing talented football? I don’t think so.” He was then asked whether he would sacrifice his principles for results – is losing playing beautifully more appealing than winning playing functionally? Osorio exhaled. “Fantastic question!” he exclaimed. He came to the conclusion it was OK to lose playing badly in this specific condition because they qualified. But without qualification he wouldn’t feel the same way. His job, he felt, was to try to find some middle ground, to play with flair but also be more defensively switched on. The footballing culture clashes bring into sharp focus the search for balance. Winning at all costs versus aesthetics is food for thought going into the knockouts.

 

The Swedish team was on average around three inches taller than their Mexican opponents. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images Will France and Denmark regret taking it easy?

The gold standard for World Cup collusion was the 1982 Disgrace of Gijon, but at least West Germany scored against Austria before both teams stopped playing to mutual benefit. France and Denmark on Tuesday clearly had no interest in scoring at all during a soulless 0-0 draw that could deserve its own moniker. The misery of Moscow? The lemons at Luzhniki? Gaming the knockout rounds is common, but rarely does it look so cynical. The level of play was so low that it was unclear whether both teams hoped for a draw or were intentionally trying to lose to avoid facing Argentina next round. Not that it would make much difference. Croatia could easily spank either of these teams, and if there is any cosmic justice, both France and Denmark will be expelled from this tournament with great force in the round of 16. “We sacrificed everything to get the point and take us to the next level,” Denmark coach Åge Hareide said after the match. Including dignity and any hope of becoming a fan favourite at this World Cup with otherwise excellent football.

 

A modern low for African football

Five teams, five first-round exits. It is the first time Africa has not been represented in the last 16 since 1982 and an equally unbecoming statistic is that this year three of those sides were out of the running before matchday three. Only Egypt failed to put up any kind of fight; Morocco and Nigeria both played well enough in spells to feel frustrated while Tunisia were competitive and a decent Senegal side was, in going out on fairplay points, plain unlucky. The theories and explanations will nonetheless abound and it is worth remembering that every country, federation and set of players has its own culture and context that make sweeping conclusions very unwise. But it is still a worrying development, especially given that the mean level at which these countries’ players operate for their clubs is now so high. Perhaps this is one of the issues: is player production, often led by European interests through academies across the continent, being industrialised to the extent that some countries are producing too many of the same kind of footballer? That is only a taster of a complicated debate but one undeniable fact is this: it would be a better World Cup if the Confederation of African Football (Caf) could be represented in the knockout stage.

 

You don’t have to actually win to win

Panama were 6-0 down when Felipe Baloy scored against England, but that did not stop thousands of them going wild in Nizhny Novgorod or millions of them doing the same 7,000 miles away – and nor should it have done, so you can stop your sneering. On Panamanian television, the commentator’s voice cracked and he began to cry. “My country has scored!” he shouted. Yes, they were beaten then; yes, they were beaten again on Thursday; and, no, they haven’t won a game. They have also let in 11 goals. So what? They were there, and that is quite something.

 

The Panamanian league was founded in 1988. Of their squad, only five play in Europe: at Dinamo Bucharest and Dunakska Skeda plus one in the B team of Deportivo de la Coruña and two in the B team at Gent. This was no surprise. The coach had said that there were four possible results – win, draw, lose and get hammered – but he knew there were really only two, and they all did. But they competed and there were no recriminations. That moment made it all worthwhile.

 

Baloy, who scored a goal that was everyone’s, and the player many of them would have chosen for this moment, was embraced by family and friends; his embrace with teammate Blas Pérez was particularly symbolic. “It’s been a long career, with lots of falls and lots of sadness,” he had said before the tournament. At 37 years and 120 days, he is the oldest debutant scorer at the World Cup. More to the point, he will forever be Panama’s debutant scorer. The country hopes to have another chance – being at the World Cup is vital for their development, a first step rather than a last – but he, along with the five others who are retiring now, will not. This was it. Together they represent a generation that did something extraordinary.

 

England’s squad depth a concern

Gareth Southgate was loathe to admit it, but what was most evident from England’s defeat to Belgium was a lack in true squad depth. The younger players, like Trent Alexander-Arnold or Ruben Loftus-Cheek, may have benefited from the run out in a match which determined leadership of rather than qualification from the group, but none of the new guard really did enough to displace a regular first-choice. Eric Dier looked ponderous in central midfield compared to Jordan Henderson, a player who suddenly felt progressive. Marcus Rashford, a scorer of spectacular goals but not a regular pilferer, and Jamie Vardy combined are a downgrade on Harry Kane. Loftus-Cheek, at present, is not as dynamic as Jesse Lingard or Dele Alli, while Alexander-Arnold, excellent as he was on competitive debut, lacks Kieran Trippier’s delivery at set-pieces. It was a good night for the absentees, and the hope is they will have benefited from the rest. Southgate will cling to the belief all those tried in Kaliningrad will be able to make an impact off the bench, like the cameos from Rashford and Loftus-Cheek against Tunisia, but this was a reminder those who began the tournament in the team are probably the best England possess.

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Hagbard Celine

Hagbard Celine 10,749

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There is this moment when it hits you. When you realize that what will become soccer’s fabled history, the stories grandfathers will tell grandkids, is unfolding before your eyes. And man, there’s nothing like it. Nothing at all.

 

It is Cristiano stepping up to the free kick. Toni Kroos standing over Germany’s, now or never. Messi withering away amid an Argentinean meltdown, then five days later staring ignominy flush in the face.

 

They’re the moments that eventually bring unflappable professionals to tears. They’re the moments in which legacies are written. They’re the moments that pummel us into disbelief before they’ve even transpired, for the outcome, no matter what it is – a late Argentine winner? Or an early Argentine exit? – will be described as unbelievable.

 

They’re what make the World Cup so enchanting. And the 2018 World Cup group stage had sooooo many of them.

 

It had Portugal 3, Spain 3; it had Mexico’s blitzkrieg. It had Argentina’s shambolic collapse, then rapturous recovery. It had Balkan politics and hatred; Peruvian and Moroccan beauty unrewarded; frantic final days. And of course, it had Germany, out, for the first time ever. The defending champs, out, again.

 

It had 20 89th-minute-or-beyond goals, 12 of which were equalizers or winners. It knocked five of eight top seeds off their perch. It called upon the cruelest of tiebreakers. It gave us everything we could have ever asked for from a sporting event.

 

And yet FIFA is about to detonate all of it.


The World Cup is expanding and changing

We have one more. One more 32-team whirlwind. Eight more four-team round-robins to revel in.

 

 
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick-completing free kick against Spain was one of the many special moments of the 2018 World Cup group stage. (Getty)
In 2026, the men’s World Cup is expanding to 48 teams. And the group stage is getting the ugliest makeover you’ve ever seen. Foursomes are becoming threesomes, from which two teams will still advance. Three games are becoming two. Simultaneous deciders are disappearing. Dead rubbers – meaningless quasi-exhibitions – are replacing them.
 
It will be as awful as it sounds.

Why the 48-team format will suck away group stage drama
Think about all of those moments. All of the tension and excitement. All of the indelible significance. Almost all of it will be flushed away.
 
Portugal vs. Spain won’t happen. Neither will Mexico vs. Germany, Argentina vs. Croatia, or even Switzerland vs. Serbia.
 
Countless others won’t matter. Argentina, in a three-team group with Iceland and Nigeria, with games in the same order, would have gone into this past Tuesday’s match knowing even a one-goal loss would have seen it through. Germany, in a three-team pod with Sweden and South Korea, wouldn’t have been on the brink of elimination when Kroos stood beside the ball in the 95th minute. And four days later against the Koreans, all it would have needed was a draw, even if Kroos hadn’t curled in an inch-perfect beauty.
 
There will be few, if any, pressure-packed encounters for favorites. There will be more France-Denmarks and England-Belgiums. There will also be more England-Panamas.
 
Oh, and everything that happened this week? The dizzying, decisive third games? The down-to-the-wire drama that Groups B, D, F and H delivered? No longer possible.
 
There will be the occasional Senegal-Japan, which was good fun. But rarely, if ever, will we get anything like we’ve been blessed with in 2018. How do we know? Well, we can use our imaginations.
 
What a 48-team World Cup would look like in 2018
Based on the 2018 qualification cycle and the October 2017 FIFA rankings, and keeping actual 2018 groups together where possible, here’s what a 48-team 2018 World Cup might have looked like:
 
Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia
Group B: Portugal, Iran, Morocco
Group 😄 France, Congo DR, Australia
Group 😧 Argentina, Iceland, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Serbia, Uzbekistan
Group F: Germany, Sweden, South Korea
Group G: Belgium, Tunisia, Panama
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Japan
Group I: Spain, Paraguay, Burkina Faso
Group J: Peru, Denmark, Honduras
Group K: Switzerland, USA, Uganda
Group L: Mexico, Ireland, UAE
Group M: England, Costa Rica, Syria
Group N: Colombia, Northern Ireland, Zambia
Group O: Italy, Egypt, Trinidad and Tobago
Group P: Chile, Croatia, New Zealand
 
 
The best 32-team World Cup groups will be stripped of one of their favorites. The worst will become our only hopes. Balance will become imbalance. Brazil-Costa Rica – a game that brought a stoppage-time winner and sobs of relief – will become Brazil-Uzbekistan. Germany-Mexico will be replaced by Mexico-United Arab Emirates.
 
Will we get an earth-shaking upset or two? Yeah, sure. But very few. And with two of three teams advancing, upsets will essentially be mulligans.
 
Just as it seemed the rest of the world was catching up to the bluebloods – a big reason the past 15 days were as special as they were – the new format will artificially deepen the divide. The group stage – still three-fifths of the tournament – will die before our eyes.
 
The benefits of a 48-team World Cup
Here’s the hope: That eventually, Brazil-Uzbekistan will become Brazil-Costa Rica. That the gap between Brazil and the ninth of nine African World Cup teams in 2038 will be just as wide as the gap between Brazil and the fifth of five African World Cup teams is now.
 
The hope is that an expanded World Cup will present opportunity to the have-nots. That the mere prospect of a World Cup, now within reach, will encourage investment in the sport. And that lucrative appearances at the quadrennial event for nations like China, Canada and Kenya will pour money into the game in those countries – money that can be used for youth development, the type that will eventually fuel the national team’s rise.
 
Expansion will also stimulate fan interest in nations that would have previously considered themselves international soccer outsiders. That’s another key piece in the growth of the game.
 
But here’s the problem: None of that is the chief driving force behind the move to 48. The motives are political and financial. Every one of FIFA’s 211 member associations that is now closer to a 2026 World Cup berth will vote to re-elect FIFA president Gianni Infantino next year. And with more games (80 vs. 64) and more countries engaged, the global governing body will win back some of the millions of dollars it lost as sponsors bolted amid the recent corruption scandal.
 
Sacrificed for financial and political gain will be the greatest sporting event on earth, and our enjoyment of it. A whole 60 percent of it will be harmed, diminished by greed. The format is disastrous.
 
It is still not finalized. FIFA still has time to save itself from itself. But if it doesn’t, we might never have another 2018 Germany. We might never have all the excitement that accompanied their crash. We will never have another group stage like this one.
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Hagbard Celine

Hagbard Celine 10,749

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the size, shape and circumstances of this tournament varied from 1930 until 1998, so to effectively count all-time "relevance" i paged through the wikis to get the Final Four for each tournament, because it's the only thing consistent from 1930 to today.  In 2 cups there was a final group, not a final game.  For your entertainment, here's the all-time relevance chart, team not here or gone, wins/final4appearances:

5/11 brazil 38 50 58 62 70 74 78 94 98 02 14

4/13 germany 34 54 58 66 70 74 82 86 90 02 06 10 14

4/8 italy 34 38 70 78 82 90 94 06

2/5 argentina 30 78 86 90 14

2/5 uruguay 30 50 54 70 10

1/5 france 58 82 86 98 06

1/2 england 66 90

1/2 spain 50 10

 

0/5 netherlands 74 78 98 10 14

0/4 sweden 38 50 58 94

 

0/2 austria 34 54

0/2 czechoslovakia 34 62

0/2 hungary 38 54

0/2 poland 74 82

0/2 portugal 66 06

0/2 yugoslavia 30 62

 

0/1 belgium 86

0/1 bulgaria 94

0/1 chile 62

0/1 croatia 98

0/1 south korea 02

0/1 soviet union 66

0/1 turkey 02

0/1 united states 30

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cmontexas

cmontexas 3,248

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Euro already suffered this summer letting more than 2 teams advance from each group, leaving very little drama until the knockout rounds.

The only logical way to do 48 without cannibalizing the group stages would be 8 groups of 6 with 2 from each group advancing

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Speedtrucker

Speedtrucker 2,063

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ce8083_adidas_telstar_18_world_cup_match_ball_01.jpg
 
Telstar_Mehta.png



I think the first time a tourney ball was changed from group to knockout was the 2016 Euro Cup.

Adidas had a group stage Beau Jeu ball and then the Fracas ball was in play in the knockout rounds.

7017204a3d08e70f88f743548e5a1cf9.png

The errejota at the summer olympics was the same pattern with different color scheme.

I’d expect Adidas to keep the idea in play going forward.
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Captain Ron

Captain Ron 12,793

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I know that many have said that more soccer is a good thing. But I think with the talk of moving to more teams is not that great. I'm pretty sure that most of this is said by Hagbard above, but I must share it:

This tournament has balance. The groups are weighed really well. The great teams don't all get cakewalks, and generally every group has a few matchups that see teams pretty well matched up. Getting out of the group for most teams is an accomplishment and for most, can't be taken for granted. Sure, you sometimes have a group that is just has a team or two that is far and away better than everyone else, but in most cases, they are not.

Getting in isn't automatic. The qualifying has drama. Look at this year, we had Italy, the US, Chile all miss out on the last day of qualifying. Good teams miss out. It means something to get to the World Cup. You add 16 more teams to the mix, you're just making sure that all the good teams get in and frankly getting in won't mean much at all.

Hagbard's right, they don't have to make the change - hope they realize it's a mistake.

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WBT

WBT 20,411

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Is this already the best round of 16 ever?  There's been a 4-3 score and a comeback from down 2-0 to win 3-2.  There was Cavani's brace before coming up lame.  The two games yesterday weren't as exciting but both went to kicks and we had the latest occurrence of heavily favored Spain bowing out to the hosts.  We had Mexico, like clockwork, going out in there normal spot, by dos a cero no less.  Hopefully tomorrow closes it out with 2 more good games.

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Hagbard Celine

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Hearts sank like lost shoes in a muddy field in Manchester when the news emerged last week. Derision, resignation, bafflement: United had a perfect opportunity to rid themselves of Marouane Fellaini but instead they gave him a new contract.

If one listened to some of the wailing, it felt as if Fellaini was an irritating house guest, the sort who puts his shoes on the couch and takes bites out of the cheese. The time had come for him to move on but United not only invited him back in for a brew, they made him up a proper bed in the spare room.

And then there is Nacer Chadli. It was, to say the least, an eyebrow‑raiser when he was even named in the Belgium squad for Russia: one had to look up where he was playing his club football and, as it turns out, it was still West Brom. Not that he had actually played much: he had spent virtually the whole season out injured, making his call-up even more baffling. This was not Brazil fretting on Neymar’s fitness: this was Nacer Chadli.

And yet these two unwanted toys, discarded in the minds of many, were the men who saved Belgium. One could almost hear the snorts when they were introduced, proof that Roberto Martínez was a smooth‑talking snake-oil salesman, not a manager but a motivational speaker with some coaching badges. Fellaini and Chadli? Pah!

Shows what we know. Or, it shows that football generally, and this World Cup specifically, is absolute chaos. Nothing can be predicted. Nothing can be planned for.

This is a tournament where Russia look like potential champions and Germany are sulking at home for the first time since before the war. A tournament where Thomas Müller and Andrés Iniesta have been virtual irrelevances but Fellaini and Chadli are game-changers.

Before the game the talk was about a more conventionally desirable player. On Sunday Eden Hazard was asked about the departure from the tournament of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and what that might mean to him.

It was framed as creating a vacancy for a tournament-defining star, a chance for Hazard to translate his frequent brilliance for Chelsea on to the international stage. “It’s time to shine,” he said, with a sort of dead-eyed certainty.

He started as if that was his big aim, the juices flowing from the off. There was a driving run through the middle, a delicate flick with his right foot, a finger‑stinging shot with his left. He seemed more aggressive than usual: not in the tackle but in his movements. Fine skill combined with a point to prove.

But as the game progressed he faded, though he did hit a post after Japan’s first goal. He might take it as an insult that Martínez went for the hammer and smashed the emergency glass, reaching for the sinewy tree that goes by the name Fellaini. Insult it might be, but it worked.

Perhaps, if nothing else, this game might provide some succour to despairing United fans. Really, they should know what Fellaini is there for by now. He is an impact substitute, a creator of chaos to turn to when order and sound planning have not worked.

Assuming he is used in these sorts of circumstance, as the plan B muscle, he is a perfectly fine option – effective, ugly, not capable of elite football, not capable of much that is recognised as football at all, really, and yet someone who can change matches.

Which is what he did here. Japan almost looked cocky in the minutes after they scored their second through Takashi Inui and then, when Fellaini and Chadli were introduced, it was as if they looked to the sidelines and thought: “Is that all they’ve got? This is in the bag, lads.”

Well, it was not in the bag. It was very much out of the bag. Thanks to Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli, Belgium’s golden generation live to fight another day. What a world.

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Guest Lobo

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I knew a girl in Santorini named Caldera.  She had this boundary...when you crossed it...she came.  

What were we talking about?  Today...prefer Switzerland over Sweden because they are the most Germanic nation left.  Nothing against England, would be funny to see them lose on the eve of our Independence Day.  But don't like Colombia for myriad reasons.  One by one, how old friends are gone.  Who is left to cheer for?  I doubt the officials left Croatia beat Russia on Russian soil.  Somehow that fucked up team gets to the Semi's and a guaranteed 4th place.  

Back to Uruguay.  Never even met anybody from there, but at least they speak my family's native tongue.    

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sidis

sidis 9,731

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2 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

I love this cup! With the exception of Brazil and perhaps England all powers are gone. 

I think England pulls it off today. Really don't know about this first game. Just hope neither sits back. 

umm, brazil, france, uruguay, and england is all the powers gone?  mkay.

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sidis

sidis 9,731

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so three of the eight total teams that have actually won a world cup (including one of five teams that have won multiple times) are not "powers." 

there are currently four of nine teams that have won a combined nine world cups but only power.

gotcha.

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