All things Football (soccer) related

[warspite1]

Lolz [:)]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... ussia.html

If Belgium win tonight, Russia will be praying for an England win and Croatia for a Sweden victory [:)]

[Zorch]

Which World Cup Team Is The Best At Wasting Time?

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/wh ... ting-time/

[shunwick]

The second Quarter-Final sees:

Belgium 2 Brazil 1. Another cracking game in a World Cup of cracking games. Belgium got off to a lucky start when a Brazilian elbow put it in his own net. And then.... a fabulous goal from De Bruyne put Belgium 2-0 up. From then on it was a case of relentless Brazilian pressure until a exquisite Coutinho pass found the head of Augusto to bring the game back to 2-1 in the 76th minute. The Brazilians had their chances. A couple of Neymar dives probably worked against them when they had a decent penalty shout turned down. It went to VAR but no penalty was given. Courtois had two or three really good saves to Belgium in it. So, Belgium become the second team through to the Semi-Finals where they will play France. Brazil are going home.

Best wishes,
Steve

[VPaulus]

ORIGINAL: shunwick
It went to VAR but no penalty was given.

That was such a clear penalty, how VAR could have ruled it out. [X(]

[TulliusDetritus]

Two magnificent first class football matches. France and Belgium are clearly one level above the remaining teams. The Croats have talent too but not sure they have a finished product.

I hope the Belgians put their golden generation to good use and bag the whole thing. But the French might be too strong, who knows.

[shunwick]

ORIGINAL: VPaulus

ORIGINAL: shunwick
It went to VAR but no penalty was given.

That was such a clear penalty, how VAR could have ruled it out. [X(]

It was only clear on slow motion replay. But perhaps Brazil (Neymar) had cried wolf so many times they gave it no more than cursory look? Logically, any fraudulent penalty claim is an attempt to cheat the VAR team. Too many fraudulent attempts is going to prejudice VAR against you. Such is human nature. That's my theory anyway. The VAR team have a cop-out clause in that it has to be a clear and obvious error by the Ref. It doesn't always work like that but it's a convenient excuse if (even subconsciously) they are miffed at the Brazilian (Neymarian) diving.

In addition, the ball was going out and did that Brazilian foot make sure that it made contact with the Belgian leg? Despite all of that I still think it should have been a penalty.

Best wishes,
Steve

[VPaulus]

The penaltu was not over Meymar but over Gabriel Jesus.
You don't need the slow motion to show it's a clear penalty, although they must have seen it in slow motion. As you said it, there's no excuse, not even a convenient one.

[shunwick]

ORIGINAL: VPaulus

The penaltu was not over Meymar but over Gabriel Jesus.
You don't need the slow motion to show it's a clear penalty, although they must have seen it in slow motion. As you said it, there's no excuse, not even a convenient one.

Yes, the Gabriel Jesus and Vincent Kompany incident.

But it was Neymar who set up the pattern of Brazil diving for penalties.

Watching the BBC broadcast, my first reaction was that it was not a penalty. They then showed four replays each from a different angle. It was only on the fourth replay that I could clearly see it was a penalty.

The real problem here is that there is still confusion over how the Ref + VAR team work. It resembles some arcane ritual rather than high tech help for referees. It is not clear why some incidents are checked while others are not. We know that VAR did review the Gabriel Jesus incident because the Referee, who gave a goal kick, delayed the taking of it until VAR had completed its review.

But what happens when the review is complete? The Ref gets a message over his ear piece, but what does that message say? Since the VAR team cannot overide the Ref's decision, I very much doubt if the message says that it was a penalty or that you got that decision wrong. I don't know but I suspect that the message says that the review is complete and the Ref can view the incident on the pitch-side VAR station if he wants to. This is where the Neymar diving comes into the equation and the case for the Ref to be bothered isn't helped by the theatrical rolls of Gabriel Jesus.

Brazil may well have badly acted themselves out of the World Cup.

Best wishes,
Steve

[JWW]

Ah, welcome to the mysterious world of video review of sports events. We Americans, though we suck at soccer, I mean football, are quite used to seeing obvious fouls not called and then reviewed and....still not called...in football, I mean American football, and other sports.

By the way, with Germany knocked out -- I spent five years in Germany during the Cold War and absolutely love Germany so consider Germany my second home team -- I have adopted Belgium as my new World Cup home team for 2018 after their last two games that have been so exciting that some of my friends who don't even like soccer, I mean football, have enjoyed them. I have gotten comments like, "I don't really understand everything that happened, especially that guy rolling around like he had been broken his leg and then suddenly getting up like nothing had happened, but it sure was exciting to watch." They understand a fast break (counterattack) goal at the "buzzer" (Belgium-Japan) and a team hanging on for dear life at the end (Belgium-Brazil). And there's England. Since we're cousins and all and since we speak roughly the same language and since my family name comes from England I always pull for England. How about an England-Belgium final. That's my dream game now.

Soccer, I mean football. I played a good bit back in the 20th Century. Keeper. Have the scars to prove it. An extremely low level amateur adult team in Louisiana and various company and post teams in the Army, including being thoroughly embarrassed in pickup games against teams of middle-aged German men in Germany in the 1980s. But thoroughly loved it.

Okay, that's my contribution. Go England! Go Belgium!

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: shunwick

ORIGINAL: VPaulus

The penaltu was not over Meymar but over Gabriel Jesus.
You don't need the slow motion to show it's a clear penalty, although they must have seen it in slow motion. As you said it, there's no excuse, not even a convenient one.

Yes, the Gabriel Jesus and Vincent Kompany incident.

But it was Neymar who set up the pattern of Brazil diving for penalties.

Watching the BBC broadcast, my first reaction was that it was not a penalty. They then showed four replays each from a different angle. It was only on the fourth replay that I could clearly see it was a penalty.

The real problem here is that there is still confusion over how the Ref + VAR team work. It resembles some arcane ritual rather than high tech help for referees. It is not clear why some incidents are checked while others are not. We know that VAR did review the Gabriel Jesus incident because the Referee, who gave a goal kick, delayed the taking of it until VAR had completed its review.

But what happens when the review is complete? The Ref gets a message over his ear piece, but what does that message say? Since the VAR team cannot overide the Ref's decision, I very much doubt if the message says that it was a penalty or that you got that decision wrong. I don't know but I suspect that the message says that the review is complete and the Ref can view the incident on the pitch-side VAR station if he wants to. This is where the Neymar diving comes into the equation and the case for the Ref to be bothered isn't helped by the theatrical rolls of Gabriel Jesus.

Brazil may well have badly acted themselves out of the World Cup.

Best wishes,
Steve

warspite1

Agreed. Delle Alli got a (fully justified) reputation for diving and it cost him (and Spurs) last year. There was a stonewall penalty against Manchester United that wasn't given - and who can blame the referee for not giving it? He didn't want to appear another mug conned by the player so played safe and didn't give it. Can't blame the ref in those circumstances.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: shunwick

Belgium 2 Brazil 1. Another cracking game in a World Cup of cracking games.

Best wishes,
Steve

warspite1

Agreed - I thought we were going to witness another Germany vs Brazil 2014 at one point. If Belgium's passing/shooting had been even better they would have been out of sight by half time. Brazil seemed so open at the back.

So its to be an all European final. But the burning question is: Will the 6/7 continue into the second semi?? [:)]

[rico21]

So we are going to face our brother country, Belgium.
Positive side:[:)]
-The match is not played in Waterloo.
-The English will not help them.[&o]
-The coach is not called Napoleon.
Negative side:[:(]
-This looks like a civil war.
-We are south of Belgium, so southerners.
- Everyone knows that in a civil war, it is better not to be a southerner.
Random side.
-I hope the Russians will not poison the match.

Conclusion:
Best win!

[warspite1]

Seriously? Does this guy live in a bubble?????

Martin Keown

Former England defender in Russia on BBC Radio 5 live

I am really interested to see how we shift Sweden's two central defenders today, and I think Raheem Sterling will be massive for England. Sweden will kick off and it will be a long ball, a bit like the old Wimbledon, but we have moved our game on and they haven't. There is nothing to fear and let's show that today.

What a totally and utterly brain-dead comment to make [:@] How much does he get paid for spouting such mindless nonsense?

"Nothing to fear"? What, apart from getting beaten by a team that have seen off Holland, Italy and Germany.....

"We've moved our game on and they haven't"? Really? Even if that is true (dubious statement) then that does not mean that we are going to automatically beat them does it?

"really interested to see how we shift Sweden's two central defenders today"? Right so its definite that we will do this. Not if we do it.

Absolutely ridiculous [:@].

[warspite1]

Just over an hour to go. The nerves are starting to build. A World cup quarter final is normally BAU for the likes of Germany and Brazil but is a big deal for both England and Sweden.

Sweden have been to the quarter finals (or equivalent) 5 times to England's 7 - but Sweden actually have done better at this stage. England have won just 2 of their Q/F's while Sweden have won 4 - only failing once in 1934.

I am so nervous.....[:(]

[warspite1]

C'mon England!

[Chickenboy]

What's all this then? Something going on with your regional soccer tourney?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

What's all this then? Something going on with your regional soccer tourney?

No, its the third of four quarter finals of the football World Cup - the world's favourite game played by almost every country on the planet.

Next?


[:)]

[warspite1]

Is anybody listening to the BBC coverage? I want to strangle Martin Keown - his commentary is truly, truly awful.

Has anyone seen Delle Alli or Jesse Lingard? There is a rumour that both are playing for England today....

[shunwick]

The third Quarter-Final sees:

England 2 Sweden 0. A nervous start from both teams who both decided to take things slooooooooooow. A thumping header from Maguire on 30 minutes put England ahead. Sweden managed to cause a few heart-attacks but Pickford dealt with them comfortably. The second half saw a sharper Swedish team pushing gently for an equalizer but without success. A second goal from Dele Alli put England into panic mode which the Swedes capitalized on in terms of possession and a couple of really nice moves which should have given them a goal if the Football Gods had been smiling upon them. The Pickford saves were decent but they were not the most amazing saves in the history of the universe. Neither was England's performance "perfect in every respect" which was one of the comments from the BBC commentators.

So England become the third team to book a place in the Semi-Finals where they will meet the winner of Russia v Croatia. Sweden go home.

Best wishes,
Steve

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

What's all this then? Something going on with your regional soccer tourney?

No, its the third of four quarter finals of the football World Cup - the world's favourite game played by almost every country on the planet.

Next?


[:)]

Ah. I heard that it was all about certain usual suspect European teams against other European teams. You know, a regional soccer tourney. Hardly representative of the world, mate. [:'(]