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2018 World Cup Thread

Spain and Morocco draw 2-2, Portugal and Iran draw 1-1. Spain wins the group, Portugal is 2nd. Iran got a penalty in stoppage time to tie it and almost got the winner a minute later but hit the side netting. Ronaldo should have seen straight red late in the match for striking an Iranian players face, but only saw yellow after video review. Fox’s rules guy said it should have been red.

The first knockout matches are set. Uruguay plays Portugal and Spain plays Russia on Saturday.
 
andyt said:
Fox’s rules guy said it should have been red.

The first knockout matches are set. Uruguay plays Portugal and Spain plays Russia on Saturday.
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For once I agree with "Dr" Joe. That would have been a red for anybody not on the Balon d'Or finalist list on an annual basis. Iran ... boy, I feel for those guys. That last chance was a beauty and he JUST failed to get his foot around it. Morocco and Iran go home, but probably with more dignity than Portugal and Spain take with them to the knockout round. Both sides fought like lions and should be proud of their showings in a tough group.

Portugal gets a Uruguay side that aren't exactly loaded for bear aside from their two big name forwards, but who are playing their usual brand of almost casually flawless team defense. That's a tough nut to crack. Russia versus Spain? Hoo. Tough to pick against Spain, but playing Russia in Moscow ... the way Spain have finished thus far? That's no easy task. I wouldn't be too surprised to see either Iberian team out in the next round ... or both if you pushed me.
 
Group C is done. France wrapped up group play with another fairly lifeless performance ... a 0-0 draw with Denmark. Those two finish 1st and 2nd and that sets up Denmark with Croatia from Group D for the first knockout round ... unless somebody thinks Nigeria is going to beat Argentina by 5 goals or more. France will have to wait for an opponent until later today, but could will probably be facing the winner of Nigeria/Argentina. The night games have been nuts though, so don't discount Iceland either I guess since Croatia has next to nothing to play for today.
 
Group D ... Argentina get a late winner to eake their way to the knockouts. Croatia likewise got a late winner to emphatically take the group. They get Denmark, Argentina get France.
 
Group F is over and the defending champs are out. Sweden beat Mexico 3-0 to win the group. Mexico finish 2nd. South Korea beat Germany 2-0 with 2 goals in stoppage time. Germany finish last in the group and and become the 4th defending champ in the last 5 World Cups to be eliminated in the group stage.
 
andyt said:
Group F is over and the defending champs are out. Sweden beat Mexico 3-0 to win the group. Mexico finish 2nd. South Korea beat Germany 2-0 with 2 goals in stoppage time. Germany finish last in the group and and become the 4th defending champ in the last 5 World Cups to be eliminated in the group stage.
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I'm going all adolescent girl. O.M.G. What a final 20-30 minutes across both matches (which is when I tuned in). Well played by South Korea.
 
Schnit got real this afternoon in Russia, kids. Mexico BARELY avoids going home, because who didn't figure the Germans would eventually get that draw with Korea? And then that 2nd Korean goal send the world spinning.

And for the record, today is why Mexico aren't in the elite group of contenders. They've got the talent to be there, and the depth. But when they have the chance to put their foot down on a crappy Swedish side and cruise to the group win ... nope. They make a few changes, decide to sit back and play the trap and counter game against a team that NEVER attacks and you get what you bloody well deserve. I guarantee that if they had come out charging and attacked early with half the intensity they had against Germany in the first half, they'd have walked the dog today.
 
No weirdness in the night games for once. Brazil takes Group E with a 2-0 result over Serbia. Costa Rica finally scored, but their 2-2 draw with the Swiss served only to send the Swiss into the knockouts in second place. Brazil gets Mexico. Switzerland gets Sweden ... and frankly the better end of the bargain.

For Mexico, their quest to make it past "Game 5" looks like an even bigger windmill after today's results. Brazil have some knocks in the back end, but are still ... Brazil.
 
Group H is complete and the fair play tie breaker has raised its ugly head. Poland beat Japan and Colombia beat Senegal by 1-0 scores. Colombia wins the group, Japan and Senegal tied on points, goal differential, goals scored, but Japan advance because they had 2 fewer yellow cards than Senegal.


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andyt said:
Group H is complete and the fair play tie breaker has raised its ugly head. Poland beat Japan and Colombia beat Senegal by 1-0 scores. Colombia wins the group, Japan and Senegal tied on points, goal differential, goals scored, but Japan advance because they had 2 fewer yellow cards than Senegal.


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Not only that, but the winner has a rougher road to the semis with the Brazil/Mexico winner in the round of 8, whereas the loser has to get by Colombia but then the winner of Sweden/Switzerland. Both sides are rotating heavily for this one. It could be really ugly, which is too bad, it had been shaping up to be a good game.
 
andyt said:
Group H is complete and the fair play tie breaker has raised its ugly head. Poland beat Japan and Colombia beat Senegal by 1-0 scores. Colombia wins the group, Japan and Senegal tied on points, goal differential, goals scored, but Japan advance because they had 2 fewer yellow cards than Senegal.


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I have absolutely no problem with the fair play tie breaker. It has been in the rules for this tournament from day one, so this is no surprise to anyone actually playing the game. Plus, there's WAY too much hacking, grabbing and "oopsie" elbows in the game, even though all some fans can talk about is diving and fake injuries. I say set rules and live with them. Like grownups.
 
The only issue with the fair play tie breaker is that it's so very dependent on the ref since especially when it comes to international competitions, there is such difference in the frequency of refs giving out cards. Granted, I don't have a better idea.
 
VinatieriDefinesClutch said:
The only issue with the fair play tie breaker is that it's so very dependent on the ref since especially when it comes to international competitions, there is such difference in the frequency of refs giving out cards. Granted, I don't have a better idea.
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1. I haven't seen a better idea. Not a single one, even from people I respect like Grant Wahl. Shots, expected goals, blah, blah blah ... cards are more of a direct reflection of the intended separation than ANY of those. Do I love it? No, but it's a lot more fair than people are acting like.

2. I'm struck yet again his morning with all this outrage over a tie breaker that was sitting right there in writing and not a single soul complained about until it was applied. And, nobody ever really complains about it when fair play is applied in other scenarios in the sport ... like Champions League or UEFA tournaments. I'm chalking it up to World Cup syndrome. You know ... people assign more weight to the World Cup for no reason other than they themselves only really pay attention to the World Cup and not, let's say ... the English Championship or Scottish Premiere League or MLS or League MX or any of the hundreds of other leagues that play thousands of matches every single year that inform that month and change every four years that garners so much attention.

3. I've been surprised to find that I actually think VAR has evened out the quality of officiating in this tournament, which has generally been all over the place in the past. I thought refs would be gun shy, but for the most part they haven't. I thought the reviews would go the way they do all too often in American sports where you end up just as puzzled by the video assisted decision as you were the initial call, but for the most part the reviews have been quick, consistent and fair ... and in general an improvement on the fairness of matches.
 
So ... the knockout round brackets are a thing that exists

Side A

Uruguay/Portugal
France Argentina

Brazil/Mexico
Belgium/Japan

Side B

Spain/Russia
Croatia/Denmark

Sweden/Switzerland
Columbia/England

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I like England or Spain to come out of Side B and have no idea what the expect out of Side A. That half of the bracket looks like an absolute crapshoot. If pushed, I'd lean towards the winner of the likely Brazil/Belgium matchup in the Quarters, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if one or even both of those two lost in the Round of 16. It's wide the heck open.
 
First elimination game was a doozy. France take down Argentina 4-3 behind a brace from Mbappe and a rocket from Ben Pavard that leveled things after France had been stung by a early 2nd half goal by Mercado. Argentina got the tactics all wrong, as befits a team managing itself. Playing Messi as a false nine? Who thought that was a good idea, boys?

So of the two most disorganized under-achievers amongst the favorites, France was the one to get their mess together. And if they can carry this play forward they are well capable of going deep.
 
VinatieriDefinesClutch said:
That ref in the Portugal vs Uruguay was pure trash. He should absolutely not be calling another game in the world cup. Just trash.
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Correct. He couldn't handle the moment and tried to just turtle. Reminded me a lot of the newer breed of NHL refs ... most of whom think they're out there to support the linesmen or something. He choked. I didn't think either side particularly benefited though. Everybody got away with stuff.

Uruguay 2 Portugal 1 ... a deserved outcome, I thought. Cavani with the brace (and just a lovely touch on the winner) before going out with what looked like a calf injury. Ronaldo was good, but Uruguay defends like nobody else in the tournament. He found some space but not nearly enough. Good game. Bad ref.
 
I will say there definitely should have been a penalty for Portugal late in the game, but I wouldn't be surprised if the defender made that foul knowing that the ref was not going to call it.

In a positive, by ignoring everything that happened the game, the ref correctly ignored every time Suarez went down grabbing his head when nothing got close to contacting his head.
 
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