OT: FIFA World Cup 2018 - Final week Edition

[Rapala]

What the heck, you need to really stick with commenting on hockey not soccer lol.
Everybody wastes time I extra time, since the beginning of soccer.
I do agree that Mbappe did something wrong there, and he did get a yellow card. It is what it is, people are just upset because their team lost.

The game is and has been "broken" for quite some time now.
I'd love it if the fourth official had a kill switch.
When the game was created way back then there was a standard of FairPlay that the players teams and managers all lived by.
It's understandable that in this day and age with the sheer amounts of money changing hands that winning trumps all.
European Football dwarfs everything on this side of the pond.
It's barely a game anymore and that is a shame.

 

[JianYang]

If FIFA clamps down on the super obvious stuff, just by calling the most blatant offenders of time wasting and excess embellishment, that would be a start on a culture shift.

Also, sometime down the road, and I don't expect this anytime soon, but I believe video review will evolve and effectively discourage such behaviour, at least at the egragious level.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Don't blame France for that. This is what soccer has become. The players and teams use whatever tactics work and the powers-that-be who run the sport decided a long time ago that they're okay with the diving, embellishing and time-wasting. The NHL is no different. As long as refs keep making calls that benefit the cheaters and weasels like Marchand, the more of them and their tactics we will get. All France was doing is taking advantage of things that are already ingrained in the sport. Maybe if England was better at playing the game like sissies they wouldn't have to wait 52 years to get into the World Cup finals. Playing the game with any degree of sportsmanship or honor is fine if you don't mind losing to teams that stretch the rules in order to win.

England has been 100x worse than france this world cup and look where they are. Right up there too. England has definitely figured out how to play like a bunch of cheaters too.

If only Habs fans would do this to Molson's car when he leaves the Bell Centre.

Whoever does that would be bigger losers than the habs. It's a really shit thing to do.

 

[DangerDave]

I was pretty disappointed with the way France ended the game last night. What was such an entertaining first 60 quickly dissolved into something unbearable to watch.

I'm hoping Croatia wins since I just don't see how England could possibly beat France. Croatia can control the game from the midfield and have a much better defense.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

I was pretty disappointed with the way France ended the game last night. What was such an entertaining first 60 quickly dissolved into something unbearable to watch.

I'm hoping Croatia wins since I just don't see how England could possibly beat France. Croatia can control the game from the midfield and have a much better defense.

I want England to go to the final so they can be thrown to the lions and the world can see them being eaten alive on the biggest stage in the world

 

[Tuggy]

I want England to go to the final so they can be thrown to the lions and the world can see them being eaten alive on the biggest stage in the world

Careful what you wish for

 

[Michelangelo]

It's coming home

 

[MXD]

The only thing coming home is a bunch of drunken English middle-aged landwhales on Saturday after a loss against Belgium.

...Which is sad, because I actually like England.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

England has been 100x worse than france this world cup and look where they are. Right up there too. England has definitely figured out how to play like a bunch of cheaters too.

No England player did what Mbappe did by grabbing the ball then kicking it away from a player trying to do a throw in.

I've watched a lot of the World Cup & rare was the team that put on a display like France did at the end of this game. Brazil which often gets tagged as a team that does this type of thing were better behaved.

This year's World Cup was all about Neymar's flops, but Mbappe already looks like he wants to wear that crown for the next World Cup. I expect the memes to roll in in 2022 if he doesn't mature.

It was a good game without too much nonsense up until about the 70th minute then France went above & beyond.

I guess we'll see how today's game is played, but it's not a good look for the sport.

 

[Laurentide]

It's coming home

"It's coming home" sounds a lot like Leafs fans after the Tavares signing. I've often equated England fans with Leafs fans because they are similar in some ways. Both have a sense of entitlement despite having nothing tangible to base it on, both have gone a half century without winning a championship. Both have a very high opinion of themselves despite being humbled by opponents on a regular basis.

I enjoy watching England lose almost as much as I do watching Italy lose. Nothing I love more than knowing Tony Marinaro is unhappy because his favourite team in his favourite sport didn't even make the World Cup tournament.

 

[le_sean]

Mbappe is 19. He’s going to do stupid shit.

People are only mad because it was so blatant. But it’s not any different than a ball going out of bounds and a player walking to it painfully slow, getting there then dropping it for a teammate even further behind, who is also walking. That’s apparently fine and it happens every single game.

 

[MXD]

Seriously, I should probably cheer for England, but then I look who is cheering for them and immediately start do die a little inside.

And that's without even getting started with their terrible sports media.

 

[Michelangelo]

I'm cheering for England just to watch the ensuing chaos

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

Seriously, I should probably cheer for England, but then I look who is cheering for them and immediately start do die a little inside.

And that's without even getting started with their terrible sports media.

I cheer for France even though their supporters are unbearable. Just enjoy man.

 

[MXD]

I cheer for France even though their supporters are unbearable. Just enjoy man.

Again : Belgium, France, England and Croatia were basically my four teams (in that exact order) when this this started.

Then England started to win and Croatia definitely "leaped" them in my "preference" order.

English arrogance is infinitely worse than French arrogance (at least as far as soccer is concerned), and that's really a feat.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Mbappe is 19. He’s going to do stupid ****.

People are only mad because it was so blatant. But it’s not any different than a ball going out of bounds and a player walking to it painfully slow, getting there then dropping it for a teammate even further behind, who is also walking. That’s apparently fine and it happens every single game.

It's not fine. It's stupid and it needs to be addressed. But obviously taking it a step further is going to draw more ire than something that's just been allowed to take part.

No one is complaining when they trap the ball at the corner of the pitch and dare the other team to get it.

 

[Le Tricolore]

I'm cheering for not France. GO NOT FRANCE!

Ideally England.

 

[Laurentide]

Again : Belgium, France, England and Croatia were basically my four teams (in that exact order) when this this started.

Then England started to win and Croatia definitely "leaped" them in my "preference" order.

English arrogance is infinitely worse than French arrogance (at least as far as soccer is concerned), and that's really a feat.

The arrogance of the French comes from having actually accomplished something in the era of color TV. England last won the World Cup in 66 and from everything I've seen and read about what went on, it appears as though the only reason they won it then was because the fix was in. They were credited with a goal that didn't cross the line and the referee, who was Swiss, only called it a goal after consulting with the linesman even though that linesman only spoke Russian and Azerbaijani and couldn't understand a word the referee said and vice-versa. Of course, that particular World Cup was staged in England and because people couldn't afford to travel like they can now, the success of the tournament was largely dependent on fans already in England to attend games. The best way to ensure sell-out crowds was to ensure that England stayed alive until the end.

 

[ahmedou]

Liberté Égalité N'golo Kanté

 

[Harry22]

The arrogance of the French comes from having actually accomplished something in the era of color TV. England last won the World Cup in 66 and from everything I've seen and read about what went on, it appears as though the only reason they won it then was because the fix was in. They were credited with a goal that didn't cross the line and the referee, who was Swiss, only called it a goal after consulting with the linesman even though that linesman only spoke Russian and Azerbaijani and couldn't understand a word the referee said and vice-versa. Of course, that particular World Cup was staged in England and because people couldn't afford to travel like they can now, the success of the tournament was largely dependent on fans already in England to attend games. The best way to ensure sell-out crowds was to ensure that England stayed alive until the end.

As a France supporter all my life, 2007 to 2013 was painful (I call it the failed Benzema-Nasri era). But in the last 20 years they are probably one of the most successful football nations in the world.

- 3 World Cup finals (in 6 World Cups)
- 1 World Cup title (going for 2 on Sunday)
- 2 European Championship finals
- 1 European Championship title

Heck even before that they won a Euro in 1984 and a couple of World Cup semi-finals in the Platini era. That loss in the 1982 WC SF against Germany still haunts a large portion of French fans. 1-1 after 90 minutes, France take a 3-1 lead in the first half of extra time before Germany scores 2 late ones to tie and force PK's. Such a painful loss. Also in 1986, after a tough QF win against Brazil in tough conditions, they played on a days less rest against Germany in the SF and loss. Platini deserved a World Cup man.

England has been nowhere near this level of success and still need to show they can win at this level. They haven't played tough opponents to get where they are.

 

[admiralcadillac]

No England player did what Mbappe did by grabbing the ball then kicking it away from a player trying to do a throw in.

I've watched a lot of the World Cup & rare was the team that put on a display like France did at the end of this game. Brazil which often gets tagged as a team that does this type of thing were better behaved.

This year's World Cup was all about Neymar's flops, but Mbappe already looks like he wants to wear that crown for the next World Cup. I expect the memes to roll in in 2022 if he doesn't mature.

It was a good game without too much nonsense up until about the 70th minute then France went above & beyond.

I guess we'll see how today's game is played, but it's not a good look for the sport.

That was a singular instance that was rewarded with a deserved yellow card.

What else?

When you say "put on a display" you are necessarily referring to a repeated and prolonged series of offenses. Outside of Mbappe, playing fetch with the ball while its live is a totally fair tactic.

In this case it was one instance, from the worst offender on the team. Watch Colombia - England if you want a display throughout the whole game.

Harold Kane fell more than DD in the playoffs.

 

[NotProkofievian]

As a France supporter all my life, 2007 to 2013 was painful (I call it the failed Benzema-Nasri era). But in the last 20 years they are probably one of the most successful football nations in the world.

- 3 World Cup finals (in 6 World Cups)
- 1 World Cup title (going for 2 on Sunday)
- 2 European Championship finals
- 1 European Championship title

Heck even before that they won a Euro in 1984 and a couple of World Cup semi-finals in the Platini era. That loss in the 1982 WC SF against Germany still haunts a large portion of French fans. 1-1 after 90 minutes, France take a 3-1 lead in the first half of extra time before Germany scores 2 late ones to tie and force PK's. Such a painful loss. Also in 1986, after a tough QF win against Brazil in tough conditions, they played on a days less rest against Germany in the SF and loss. Platini deserved a World Cup man.

England has been nowhere near this level of success and still need to show they can win at this level. They haven't played tough opponents to get where they are.

Yep. I picked France as my work cup team after 1998 (because let's be real about Canada) and they've been good to me. Euro championship and 2 world cup finals is more success than the Habs have had. The Benzema-Nasri era was a f***ing farce. Luck of the draw: sometimes a country's premier talent are primadonna losers. I have a good feeling about these guys, though.

 

[Harry22]

Yep. I picked France as my work cup team after 1998 (because let's be real about Canada) and they've been good to me. Euro championship and 2 world cup finals is more success than the Habs have had. The Benzema-Nasri era was a ****ing farce. Luck of the draw: sometimes a country's premier talent are primadonna losers. I have a good feeling about these guys, though.

Benzema was fine but he won't lead a team to anything on his own. They had to rebuild after Zidane retired. 2006 was all Zidane but that final appearance kept Domenech's job through 2010. Domenech was terrible and 2010 was just a total disgrace. They started turning it around slowly. I always felt their peak would come in 2018-2022 period. They are still a young team but clearly winning a World Cup would put them up there as one of the best French teams ever.

 

[Tourist]

Prime Benzema was a legit player. Nasri had the talent to be relevant but he has the brain of a small, dimwitted bird.

France deserve to win it all. Best team top to bottom in this tournament. Overall, they've been one of the best football nations since their win at home. I'd like to see them rewarded with another World Cup title.

 

[le_sean]

Prime Benzema was a legit player. Nasri had the talent to be relevant but he has the brain of a small, dimwitted bird.

France deserve to win it all. Best team top to bottom in this tournament. Overall, they've been one of the best football nations since their win at home. I'd like to see them rewarded with another World Cup title.

A sad era for French football.

I remember when Yoann Gourcuff was the “next Zidane”