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The second Semi-Final sees:

Croatia 2 England 1 AET. England probably had the best of the first half with a Trippier free kick putting England in front. In the second half, England wilted and, unfortunately, reverted to type, unable to keep the ball for long periods and looking rather sluggish. Croatia eased themselves back into the game with the equalizer coming from Peresic. That woke England up a bit but they have been unable to create goal-scoring opportunities from open play. The extra time period was 50-50 until Manzukic punished on a sleeping Jphn Stones for the winner. Overall, Croatia desrved it. The have gone to extra time again and they will have one day's less rest for the Final than France.

So, the third and fourth place game with be Belgium v England on Saturday with Final France v Croatia on Sunday.

Best wishes,
Steve

Gutted for little Tripps - what a goal he scored. Christian Eriksen you have a rival [;)]

But then there were two - and two losers to play the game no one wants to play. A chance for Southgate to play the likes of Welbeck and co presumably?

A final between two teams that Shunwick said the following about. One should burn in hell, the other wouldn't get far and was weak. Both comments coming after draws (in ordinary playing time) against Denmark. Denmark btw, was the worst team in the knockout tournament despite being the only team that didn't lose to neither of the finalists...

Hindsight is a beautiful thing

France Croatia....

I'm back 20 years ago when we were singing [:)]

libérez Laurent Blanc
Thuram président!

free Laurent Blanc (he got a wrong red card)
Thuram president (he scored 2 goals during this match, the only ones of his 141 international appearances)

ORIGINAL: ernieschwitz

A final between two teams that Shunwick said the following about. One should burn in hell, the other wouldn't get far and was weak. Both comments coming after draws (in ordinary playing time) against Denmark. Denmark btw, was the worst team in the knockout tournament despite being the only team that didn't lose to neither of the finalists...

Hindsight is a beautiful thing

Well, France and Denmark should burn in hell for serving up that obscenity. And I haven't changed my mind about Croatia, I really don't think they are a very good team - they just haven't played anyone good so far. The final should be the most one-way final for a long time. However, it remains a mental test rather than just a technical and tactical test so anything is still possible.

Best wishes,
Steve

Did you notice Stones (the guy that bashed Colombia) claiming a penalty -10 mn before the end IIRC- when absolutely nobody touched him [:D] raising his arms -his chums quickly imitated him- from the ground: "we want VAR, we want VAR".

Yes, right, and I want 10 million euros too.

So looks like some (filthy team) antics are more equal than others eh.

Warspite at the game:

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

Did you notice Stones (the guy that bashed Colombia) claiming a penalty -10 mn before the end IIRC- when absolutely nobody touched him [:D] raising his arms -his chums quickly imitated him- from the ground: "we want VAR, we want VAR".

Yes, right, and I want 10 million euros too.

So looks like some (filthy team) antics are more equal than others eh.

warspite1

No, no one noticed something that didn't happen. Might help if you watched the match. It wasn't Stones it was Maguire that claimed he was fouled - just like Lovren did at the end of the first half. Both sides appealed for VAR and both were rejected.

It was a world cup semi-final - Croatia were losing when they appealed - England were losing when they appealed. Both (presumably) genuinely felt there was a foul - both were touched - but neither was anywhere near sufficient to warrant a penalty.

But filthy tactics? Just about every team at this world cup asked for VAR at some point. Filthy tactics is scuffing the penalty area with one's studs - not claiming for a penalty if one believes they've been fouled. Good grief [8|]

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

Warspite at the game:

warspite1

Well that could have been me - except as my posts across two threads will testify, at no point did I say we would reach the final - in fact quite the opposite (see WITP-AE post 83) so I certainly wouldn't be tempting fate by holding a World Cup replica.

Like every true English football fan I'm gutted we couldn't beat Croatia, but like every English football fan that is honest in their assessment, I accept we simply didn't deserve to be in the final. England always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - we do it so well - and last night was no exception.

1-0 up against a team that were all over the place in the first half - and signs that Lovren and one or two others were getting upset and with the potential to lose their heads. Croatia was an older team that had come through two successive 120 minutes plus the mental test of penalties. Surely they would tire? England were 45 minutes from a World Cup final.

What happened next was sadly all too obvious to predict. England sat back (whether through a game plan or they simply froze I don't know) and allowed Croatia - a team with some very talented players (including one of the finest midfielders in the modern game) - to play. Croatia needed no second invitation.

When was the first time Subasic even saw the ball in the second half? So instead of attacking Croatia and forcing them to tire it was England's supposedly younger and fitter players that wilted. How Lingard remained on the pitch is something Southgate needs to answer. He did nothing offensively and was so knackered he failed to track back leaving poor Tripps on his own. The space afforded to Croatia on the left was ridiculous.

Why was Kane playing as a midfielder or even a winger? I suspect he felt he had to come back to get the ball - he was simply receiving nothing from Alli, Lingard or Sterling/Rashford. Nothing.

At least when we lost to Germany in 1990 and 1996 we can arguably say we were unlucky to go out (Germany's flukey goal in 1990 and England hitting the post in extra time in 1996 + Gazza centimetres from contact). Last night though we were lucky to keep the score at 2-1.

ORIGINAL: STEF78

France Croatia....

I'm back 20 years ago when we were singing [:)]

libérez Laurent Blanc
Thuram président!

free Laurent Blanc (he got a wrong red card)
Thuram president (he scored 2 goals during this match, the only ones of his 141 international appearances)

warspite1

And I read somewhere recently that that was Blanc's only sending off in his international career. To be cheated out of playing in his home World Cup final like that was an absolute disgrace.

The Croatian team is the bravest of this tournament.[&o]
The French coach (DéDé the p****) is the luckiest of this tournament.[:D]

well for those feeling bereft of football today, your annual reminder that the first qualifying rounds of the Europa league have started ... which of course brings the annual competition among Scottish clubs to be the knocked out before August.

However, we may have to wait till the next round for such events last year. Suspect that Hibs have the beating of the champions of the Faroese league (though as it is Hibs best not to assume too much) and I fear that Rangers will fail to provide glee for 65%[1] of the city of Glasgow by being knocked out so early as they managed last year.

[1] this statistic may be a wee bit made up but is on the assumption that about 35% support Celtic and the other 30% despise both Rangers and Celtic but that the sheer idiocy of having had to cope with the Orange Order in town last weekend may have an impact on the level of 'support' for Rangers.

Hard luck for England, odd to see a likeable set of players after the Terry et al years. Good thing is that the core of that side has 3-5 major championships in them as a collective, unlike say Belgium who might manage to nurse their current generation of players into the next Euro Finals? - but no further (and its not obvious who they have coming through to replace them).

ORIGINAL: loki100

Well for those feeling bereft of football today, your annual reminder that the first qualifying rounds of the Europa league have started ... which of course brings the annual competition among Scottish clubs to be the knocked out before August.

And since we are slowly returning to reality, can I just point out that Braintree are currently sixth in the National League and in a playoff place. [:)]


Best wishes,
Steve

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Like every true English football fan I'm gutted we couldn't beat Croatia, but like every English football fan that is honest in their assessment, I accept we simply didn't deserve to be in the final. England always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - we do it so well - and last night was no exception.

Once again, my faith in TBD has also been shaken. They stuck with the bracket, all the way up to the top. Only to completely disappear at the end. I shouldn'ta bet it all on them-I knew they'd disappear. As a new TBD follower, I'm gutted. [:(]

ETA: Reminiscent of my bets against the Harlem Globetrotters. I tell you, the Washington Senators were DUE! [:@]

ORIGINAL: loki100

Hard luck for England, odd to see a likeable set of players after the Terry et al years.

warspite1

What? John Terry? Unlikable? Surely not?.....[:D]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Like every true English football fan I'm gutted we couldn't beat Croatia, but like every English football fan that is honest in their assessment, I accept we simply didn't deserve to be in the final. England always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - we do it so well - and last night was no exception.

ETA: Reminiscent of my bets against the Harlem Globetrotters. I tell you, the Washington Senators were DUE! [:@]

warspite1

Pure frontier gibberish..... I presume this is some sort of colonial humour what?

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Like every true English football fan I'm gutted we couldn't beat Croatia, but like every English football fan that is honest in their assessment, I accept we simply didn't deserve to be in the final. England always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - we do it so well - and last night was no exception.

ETA: Reminiscent of my bets against the Harlem Globetrotters. I tell you, the Washington Senators were DUE! [:@]

warspite1

Pure frontier gibberish..... I presume this is some sort of colonial humour what?

Sorry, meant the Washington Generals:

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

Overall, the Globetrotters had defeated the Generals over 16,000 times in their combined history.[:D]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy



ETA: Reminiscent of my bets against the Harlem Globetrotters. I tell you, the Washington Senators were DUE! [:@]

warspite1

Pure frontier gibberish..... I presume this is some sort of colonial humour what?

Sorry, meant the Washington Generals:

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

Overall, the Globetrotters had defeated the Generals over 16,000 times in their combined history.[:D]

Didn't the Generals win once?

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: warspite1


warspite1

Pure frontier gibberish..... I presume this is some sort of colonial humour what?

Sorry, meant the Washington Generals:

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

Overall, the Globetrotters had defeated the Generals over 16,000 times in their combined history.[:D]

Didn't the Generals win once?

Not the time I bet on them. [;)]

Also, technically, it was the "New Jersey Reds" that beat them in 1971: 100-99. It seems the Globetrotters were too busy entertaining the crowd and mugging for photographs that they lost track of the game and the score. They (the Generals) overcame their 2,495 game losing streak. [:D]

ETA: https://sportshandle.com/best-betting-s ... etrotters/

Oops. Sorry, Warspite1. Didn't mean to derail this thread yet again. Shouldn't you lot be talking about that exciting third place match coming up really soon?