The 2018 FIFA World Cup

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Indeed! It was fun to watch (unless you were a Panama supporter). I have not seen England play like that nationally ever I don’t think. Back in the nineties they made the semifinals of the World Cup and the Euro Championship, but not much since then. Still, they have to play that way consistently, have that kind of command, fluidity against an established soccer team before I’ll believe it. The next match against Belgium will be very interesting. If England can get into the semifinals I think they have a real shot. That would be a big deal for me; I have wanted to watch England win the Cup in my lifetime - I was beginning to despair of that. Still I don’t want to jinx them. I will be surprised if they play like that against Belgium and in the quarterfinals. Panama is nothing in soccer terms, no offense to anyone.

I absolutely LOVED Germany against Sweden. That second half, down to 10 men, and you could not really even tell. That is what I meant by Germany needing to really want and show it. I love their skill and intensity; I know it is kind of cool to hate them but I just can’t relate to that. It was an inspiring, classic performance, by far the best match of the World Cup so far. One you remember.

Because I follow several teams, the worst thing that happens to me is when they draw each other in matches later on. It can get really stomach turning. I win and lose. 😐

This is getting good!
 
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It’s difficult for me to watch most of the games, but I did get to see Germany vs Sweden. I couldn’t believe how well Germany played with 10 men! They made it look like Sweden had the disadvantage.

Loving this World Cup! 😃
 
Yep, the whole thing, but really that second half was absolutely superb. Almost scripted perfection. You cannot help but admire that. Germany has brains and heart - fortitude; that is why they are so scary. (But I mean is not the point of watching soccer to watch great soccer…?) It is going to break my heart when they go out, I will tell you that, especially after that.
 
Croatia? Poland?

Uruguay seems to have a good team.

i don’t normally watch soccer i just looked over the FIFA website yesterday and looked at the groups.

i would prefer our country drop the NFL
and take up soccer. i guess we didn’t qualify this year. that must have hurt!
 
Yes it really is too bad the US is not there; I think more Americans would be following the Cup. Still the World Cup is always a lot of fun to me, a real world event, a fun one, not a confrontational one. Uruguay is always good, they play exciting games. All the South American teams. And Portugal, Spain, of course Brazil, Argentina. They are the ones that give me nightmares. I don’t support them but I do watch.

The best matches are played early on, now, in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals sometimes. By the time we get to the final the two teams who made it through are so battered and exhausted (sometimes injured), they can hardly get through the 90 minutes. Also the pressure makes them more cautious, conservative, defensive - which means boring. I am supposed to be watching France/Denmark right now but it didn’t record for some reason - the score was 0-0 so maybe that was a lucky miss. Tomorrow is a big day for me anyway.
 
Korea 2, Germany 0. What an unexpected result. Germany finished in last place in the group. The Germans had reportedly been hoping to repeat their 2014 victory, when they won the World Cup for the fourth time.
 
BartholomewB said:
The Germans had reportedly been hoping to repeat their 2014 victory
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Of course they were hoping that—all title holders have defense of the title as their goal. Their performance during this tournament has been dismal, though. I’m disappointed for them, but certainly not surprised.

Mexico had a bad day but they were awesome in their first two matches so I’m happy they advance.
 
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FollowChrist34 said:
The best matches are played early on, now, in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals sometimes. By the time we get to the final the two teams who made it through are so battered and exhausted (sometimes injured), they can hardly get through the 90 minutes. Also the pressure makes them more cautious, conservative, defensive - which means boring.
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On the first day of major competitions, everyone has an equal chance. Spirits are high and the atmosphere is relatively relaxed. Once teams start getting eliminated, that starts to change. When the knockout rounds begin, the goal isn’t to play well—it’s to win. Everything changes at the point where a single match means someone goes on and someone else goes home.

For me, the best matches are played in the first week. In terms of quality of play, it tends to go downhill after that.
 
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ProVobis said:
I believe they have shootouts in case of ties.
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Indeed, but whether or not it gets to that point, when the final whistle is blown someone goes on and someone else goes home. Such is the nature of the knockout rounds. Matches at this stage are all do or die.

I am, thank you! 🙂 Are you?
 
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Totally agree. A lot of people just watch the final, right, and they are sitting there thinking ‘My God, this is awful.’ The World Cup is a novel; you have to know the story to get the ending. Every chapter. You get out what you put in.

Did you catch Germany’s demise this morning? Out with a whimper. I of course wanted them to go all the way because I love watching them but I knew realistically they would get knocked out. I have never seen the title holders repeat in my life. Still…South Korea, round of 16? It all started when they lost the first match to Mexico. I think they were tired, human all too human - besides they had a great run last time around; I don’t think anyone can deny them that. I thought they would get into the quarterfinals, maybe even semifinal - get knocked out by Portugal, Spain, Argentina, something like that. At least I would get a few more matches to watch. Oh well. They should have played their best guys right from the start - really pushed until they had a goal or two. Hindsight is always 20/20. If England goes out I am going to be desperately looking for a team. France just seems to be a bit of a dud and they are set to face Argentina in a few days I think. I could be teamless very soon here.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
When the knockout rounds begin, the goal isn’t to play well—it’s to win. Everything changes at the point where a single match means someone goes on and someone else goes home.

For me, the best matches are played in the first week. In terms of quality of play, it tends to go downhill after that.
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I only watch soccer (football) a few times a year at most, and then I watch the World Cup, so I admit almost complete ignorance of the sport or the quality of play. I’m still trying to figure out things like yellow cards and calls of someone being offside.

So I’m not really understanding your comment above. How can a team win if they don’t play well?

In the US, when we have our major sporting events – e.g., the Superbowl (American football) or the World Series (baseball) – teams that don’t play their best or play cautiously are the ones that go home empty handed.
 
Gertabelle said:
How can a team win if they don’t play well?
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Cheat. Play dirty. Park themselves in front of their own goal to stop their opponents from scoring then hope for an error they can take advantage of to score themselves (an approach known as a “catenaccio”). Among other things.

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en.m.wikipedia.org
 
Yikes. I can see how that would be incredibly boring to watch, even if it is effective in preventing the other team from scoring.
 
Indeed. I always counsel those unfamiliar with a team sport not to try getting into it by watching the knockout rounds of an international tournament. Yes, these are the best players of their respective countries, but they aren’t necessarily playing their best game in the later stages of a major competition. 😑
 
Brazil 2, Serbia 0. The Brazilians were worried that it was going to be a dangerous game, but it turned out to be a pretty easy win. In the next round it’s going to be Brazil vs. Mexico, which the Brazilians can reasonably feel more optimistic about, I think.
 
BartholomewB said:
Brazil 2, Serbia 0. The Brazilians were worried that it was going to be a dangerous game, but it turned out to be a pretty easy win. In the next round it’s going to be Brazil vs. Mexico, which the Brazilians can reasonably feel more optimistic about, I think.
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¡Vamos Mexico!​

 
BartholomewB said:
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Gertabelle:
¡Vamos Mexico!
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¿Wanna bet?
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Um, nope.

😂

Still gonna cheer for Mexico. :+1:t4: :mexico:
 
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