The Community
General Category => Sports => Topic started by: Charger on May 28, 2018, 04:15:34 PM
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I've called football (or soccer) Footsy for a long time now just to avoid minsunderstandings between the two....so let's use Footsy here too when talking about the actual Football.
The world cup is gonna start mid June so it's almost here....
I got a 5€ free bet earlier today to put down on the team I think might win...I chose Argentina...didn't want to pick the obvious Germany because...well I just didn't want to...
I don't know how good Spain's new team is gonna be so as much as I loved the old team lot of players from that team are now gone...
Portugal was another choice of mine...but can they do what Spain did win the Euro championship and then the World Cup...I think not. They are probably one of the most stable teams but they do struggle making goals...and that's a big problem.
Brazil has a lot to prove after their complete and utter meltdown at their home olympics...but they are a bit of a wild card with very little team play and just individuals..
England....I hope they'll be able to shake their World Cup curse finally and make it far...but I still have my doubts...
I do hope some smaller countries are gonna make it far this year again...it's always great to watch countries you wouldn't expect to get far do....
But as long as Italy goes out fast I'll be happy... ;D
What are your predictions and thoughts?
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Although I'm English I have to be realistic about our chances, we usually qualify well and then under perform at the finals. It's the youngest most inexperienced squad in some time, but we have some good players. I expect to get out of the group stages and the first knock out round. After that any further would be a bonus.
As for who might actually win... well of course the usual suspects will be there or there abouts and if Germany won again I would not be in the slightest bit surprised... but as a slight outsider I might put a few scheckles on Belgium.
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I cheer for Mexico! I'm not worried about their chances, I just support them. Once they get knocked out, I go for another Latin American team.
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Obviously I'll be supporting Australia but they're gonna find it extremely difficult to get out of their tough group. I'll be supporting England too who I have a bit of a soft spot for, also given they have quite a few Spurs players in the squad, in particular Harry Kane who's an absolute star.
I'm gonna go out on a bit of a limb though and tip Belgium to live up to their potential and win their first World Cup.
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I don't know much about this sport, but I just found out that this event is going to take place in Russia. :o The Olympic Committee all but called this country a bunch of cheaters. Holding the World Cup there I believe deserves a red card. :redcard: Pun intended.
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I don't know much about this sport, but I just found out that this event is going to take place in Russia. :o The Olympic Committee all but called this country a bunch of cheaters. Holding the World Cup there I believe deserves a red card. :redcard: Pun intended.
:D
But the thing is these are decided years and years in advance...waaaaaaaaay before that whole olympic doping fiasko came out. And once they are decided they can't really be undone either...the sheer ammount of money that goes into these games is staggering with countries building stadiums and accommodations and what not...
Even to a bigger extent this thing is evident with the 2022 games in Qatar....they bribed pretty much everyone to get the games then dozens of people died while building the stadiums and still Fifa couldn't come out of the deal when those things came out and that all happened pretty soon after the location was decided....
But Fifa is a very corrupt organization...or atleast it was...I think it probably still is.
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Oh yeah, no question. FIFA is up to its eyeballs in corruption, possibly more than that.
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Looks like North America gets to host the 2026 games...
Pretty stupid choice again I'd say...part from Mexico no one even cares about soccer over there...ridiculous.
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Looks like North America gets to host the 2026 games...
Pretty stupid choice again I'd say...part from Mexico no one even cares about soccer over there...ridiculous.
You'd be surprised... Dallas in particular has a very enthusiastic soccer culture - The Dallas Cup is a global youth soccer event held annually, it's a pretty big deal.
And don't forget, we're a nation of immigrants, many of whom pay plenty to buy sports packages for their favorite sports. Lots of South Asians, for example, buy comprehensive cricket packages. The USA has a lot of African and Latin American immigrants and descendants thereof who will watch any soccer that's out there. We've got channels that will cover English Premier League, Spanish League, German League, and Liga Mexicana.
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I think you might have a bit of a point there zzz! BUT popularity wise it's nothing like it is here or south america.
But then again who knows...more people over there might get interested in it with the "home" games and all...
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Australia should've been awarded the 2022 WC. They had far and away the best bid and have proven time and time again they can host the big sporting events. They even paid off Fifa members to get their votes but were double crossed as Qatar had paid off the same members.
That's how corrupt FIFA are...
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^^^ I would like to have seen that. Perhaps the next bid could be a joint one with New Zealand, joint bids seem to be the way things are going.
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Australia should've been awarded the 2022 WC. They had far and away the best bid and have proven time and time again they can host the big sporting events. They even paid off Fifa members to get their votes but were double crossed as Qatar had paid off the same members.
That's how corrupt FIFA are...
Reminds me of the brilliant John Clarke series "The Games".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc7kqhsGAQc
I love how he can make intricate financial misdeeds into great comedy.
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Australia should've been awarded the 2022 WC. They had far and away the best bid and have proven time and time again they can host the big sporting events. They even paid off Fifa members to get their votes but were double crossed as Qatar had paid off the same members.
That's how corrupt FIFA are...
Yeah...ridiculous. Australia would have been a great host....also I think the weather would have been a lot better...or atleast less hot...as the games would have been in the winter there...rain might have been an issue though?
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Australia should've been awarded the 2022 WC. They had far and away the best bid and have proven time and time again they can host the big sporting events. They even paid off Fifa members to get their votes but were double crossed as Qatar had paid off the same members.
That's how corrupt FIFA are...
Yeah...ridiculous. Australia would have been a great host....also I think the weather would have been a lot better...or atleast less hot...as the games would have been in the winter there...rain might have been an issue though?
No not really. The weather can change very quickly in Melbourne, it's infamous for having four seasons in one day but rain is intimidate. Sydney can get torrential rain over a few days but Brisbane is more tropical so it rains more in the summer and temps can still be very mild in the winter. Perth is also mild this time of year and Adelaide is similar to Melbourne without the four seasons in a day.
In other news. Spain has sensationally sacked their coach on the eve of the tournament kicking off. Apparently he signed a deal in secret to take the reigns at Real Madrid after their World Cup campaign is done. The Spanish camp is apparently in turmoil.
Seems a ludicrous and over the top decision, particularly given they've replaced him with a Spanish Div 2 coach with one years experience.
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Never ever underestimate the importance of a coach. The players are playing the game, the coach's job is to play the rules. Spain is in trouble, absolutely.
Got the teevee on the Telemundo channel in my area so I can watch 'em all. I prefer watching the games in Spanish. Whatever energy the English-speaking commentators may have, the Spanish-speaking ones multiply that by 100.
Why is that so?
Because Andres Cantor, that's why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLTY214-gI4
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Pretty shocking indeed. Atleast they could have waited untill the games were over to fire him...but I do also understand the reason...
But it is hard to imagine this wouldn't affect Spains playing....a lot.
Opening kick is almost here...
Russia Vs Saudi Arabia...
This should techinically be a russia show but not by much...
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My predictions for today are:
Uruguay
Marocco
and Portugal
First I was gonna say a tie between Portugal and Spain but after all this coach hassle I believe there might be a bit of a turmoil going on inside Spain so that gives a slight edge to Ronaldo and his team of merry men.
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^^^
I'm going with a draw for Morocco/Iran and Portugal/Spain, and yes, Uruguay will have too much for Egypt
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Looks like Egypt is up to the task so far, 0-0 at the half. I think Egypt and Uruguay are definitely the teams to advance out of Group A.
I'll also go with Morocco and Portugal to win, along with Charger.
I got a lot of meetings today, though, so I'll have to watch them with the sound muted...
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Uruguay v Egypt is definitely a 2-sided affair, not like the blowout yesterday. I'm really enjoying the close calls and great defensive work.
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YEAH URUGUAY! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
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My goodness Uruguay was very toothless (pun intended) today...I got pretty worried about my money there for a minute but they did make that one needed goal so my bet is still alive.
But I have to say Egypt's bus was parked pretty well in there but still Uruguay was incredibly slow with their attacks...
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Iran and Morocco off to a sloppy start, but Morocco does seem to have the edge, as expected.
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Did I just see Morocco do an autogoal?
:ivan:
Group A is weak...
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So Iran won....strange considering Marocco controlled....
This is group B already by the way.
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So Iran won....strange considering Marocco controlled....
This is group B already by the way.
Whoops! :doh:
Let me rephrase... Group B is going to be Portugal and Spain, or Spain and Portugal. It's all down to who wins the game about to start...
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Go Portugal! :yes:
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL for Spain!
1-1
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL for Portugal! :woohoo:
2-1
Ronaldo gets his second, will he get the hat trick?
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What a fantastic first half...no slowplay in sight now!
And Cristiano Ronaldo is showing just why he is the best footballer in the world...some of his passes are just insane...oh yeah and he did two goals too... :smug:
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Wow, just a few minutes into the second half, and it's 2-2! What a match!
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2-3! Spain has had a powerful opening to the second half!
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OH MAN RONALDO IS LINED UP ON A PENALTY KICK
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
And yes, I held down the O for as long as Andres Cantor was using it!
Ronaldo got the hat trick and it's 3-3!
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Extra minutes are ticking away, looks like we got a tie game.
Yep, final result, tie game. Well played, this match!
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A great match, could have gone either way so a draw is probably fair.
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Fantastic match...I did lose some money...I had to separate bets one with Portugal and Uruguay winning and one with Marocco winning and tie for Portugal and Spain...both failed damn it. :D
Ronaldo is the man though...that free kick goal was INSANE!
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Four games tomorrow and three more on Sunday... and I'm going to have to record them and watch later. I may just watch the Nigeria, Brazil, and Mexico games, as that may be all I have time for.
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Fantastic match...I did lose some money...I had to separate bets one with Portugal and Uruguay winning and one with Marocco winning and tie for Portugal and Spain...both failed damn it. :D
Ronaldo is the man though...that free kick goal was INSANE!
Yah I took Portugul as I thought they were good value all things considered into a couple of Aussie rules football games that are happening over the weekend and I'm out in the first leg. Sounds like it was a ripping match though, unfortunately it was on at 4am here so didn't see it.
These first up group matches can throw up some funny unexpected results so be wary of that. Here's hoping it throws up a very funny unexpected result in the Australia vs France game this evening which is on at the much friendlier time of 8.30pm here.
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Group B Standings:
Iran 1 win
Portugal and Spain 1 tie, each
Morocco 1 loss
For now, Iran is in first place in Group B. :lol:
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4 Matches today
As much as I want to support Australia (as I do have some bad memories putting money on France's certain win in a certain Euro Cup against certain Greece) I do fear they can't win...but if France is in a bit of a turmoil again, which seems to be a constant state of the team nowadays who knows...they might be able to squeeze a tie...doubt it though.
Iceland is much tougher than it might seem last Euro Cup proved that...BUT Argentina should win this...
Peru Denmark...now that's anyone's guess...I'll go for a tie.
Croatia should win over Nigeria...Nigeria is good but Croatia's got Modric.
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It's still 0-0 France / Australia, but my predictions for today are:
France (but I'm rooting for the Aussies)
Argentina (But I would like to see Iceland perhaps sneak a draw)
Denmark
Croatia
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Australia's holding their own. Both teams have had chances, probably France the better of the chances. The French are diving and flopping all over the place and of coarse the ref is falling for it.. :-X
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0 - 0 At the half. France are expected to win and are really gonna press in the 2nd half so hopefully the Aussies can open them up on the counter and score. Then it'll be game on...
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Australia's back in it after France went 1 - 0 up after a VAR penalty.
1 - 1
Game on...
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Quite a surprise to come back home and see 1-1...France seems to be struggling again a big...which ofcourse is good for the Aussies! Now I'm really rooting for them!
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They fought hard the Aussies but turned it over too often in dangerous spots and France got a lucky goal in the end. We can beat Peru & Denmark so we're well and truly in this group as long as France can do the job on both those teams as well.
Have to say, I've only watched one full game in this WC and I'm already over the diving and feigning of injuries. Hernandez for France will earn an academy award nomination the way he's going.
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Bit of a lucky goal indeed...and France wasn't all that good to be totally honest from what little I saw..
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France was able to keep the pressure on and it paid off with the penalty shot and the lucky shot later on. I liked Australia's defense, but they're going to need to control the ball more to develop offensive scoring opportunities.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
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An embarrassing match, really. Very bad team of France, unable to develop the game. The players didn't move, no ball call in the game. Everyone looks at each other and does nothing. The most technical players were absent against a strong but weak technically and tactically Australia team.
Once and for all, when a defender tackles the ball played by one player of the other team, the rule is simple: you have to touch the ball FIRST, and not cut in half or bump the player without taking care of the ball.
The rules are defined by the fifa for the whole world, including the southern hemisphere.
I hope I watched the worst match of this tournament.
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I think the penalty that France got was there, but there was what looked like a slight deviation of the ball when when the Australian swung his foot through indicating he got a slight touch on it before he clipped the Frenchman's heel but it wasn't conclusive enough on the video to not pay the penalty.
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Since when did Steven Tyler become the Peru manager? :)
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I agree. This penalty is very severe.
The whole team is burned at the stake now through medias. The real/fake video of Griezmann sponsored by Piquet to announce his non-transfert to Barcelona has angered all the country. His only chance was to play very well today. Too bad for him.
the diamond Mbappé has been transparent. WTF ?
Very disturbing for the future even if they are able to go very far, theoretically.
They must do everything to be forgiven quickly, otherwise Zidane will become the coach much faster than expected but after a crisis of big disappointment.
We'll see next Thursday against Peru.
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Since when did Steven Tyler become the Peru manager? :)
Ah Ah !! I saw that too ;D .... or Roger Waters meets Iggy Pop !
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^^^ Yes you're right it could be Roger Waters instead!
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Watching Croatia v Nigeria now... I can still cheer for Nigeria, even if they're losing, right? :-\
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Watched the Croatia vs Nigeria match...great playing from Croatia...Modric was ace as usual...that man is Xavi of Croatia for sure.
But that Nigerian Moses...oh....my....god... And the award for most divings goes to....
I mean come on...the guy did the exact same dive at the exact same place atleast 4 times AND got away with it too...should had a yellow after the second one already....that was atrocious. I have never EVER seen anyone dive that much in a single match...and doing it so obviously too...
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Predictions for today are:
Costa Rica vs Serbia = Draw
Brazil vs Switzerland = Brazil
Germany vs Mexico = Germany (but rooting for Mexico)
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Sooo, how's Norway doing then? ???
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Sooo, how's Norway doing then? ???
I think they're doing as well if not better than The Netherlands and Italy ;)
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Norway hasn't qualified for a World Cup since 98. At least they can say they're the only national team that's never lost in any of its games against Brazil.
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Predictions for today are:
Costa Rica vs Serbia = Draw
Brazil vs Switzerland = Brazil
Germany vs Mexico = Germany (but rooting for Mexico)
My predictions were and are ofcourse exactly the same.
I was also thinking that Costa Rica vs Serbia will be the first 0-0 of the games.
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Sooo, how's Norway doing then? ???
I think they're doing as well if not better than The Netherlands and Italy ;)
I hope we beat Italy atleast... Damn poseurs. The Dutch are probably too stoned to play anyways... :P
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Not much chance of Norway beating Italy. I don't think anyone can beat Italy in this year's World Cup. :problem:
In other news, GO MEXICO! They are definitely playing a lively game, some great shots on goal. Germany showed up to work, as well, so this is shaping up to be a strong match, like Portugal v Spain.
EDIT: I can't keep track of the shots on goal, those goalies are really earning their pay today!
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL POR MEXICO!!!!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!
Oh man, that was electrifying to watch! SIGUE MEXICO!
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Oh man....What has happened to Germany? Pretty useless playing...defence play is totally worthless.
And Mexico is playing extremely happy footsy now. A very enjoyable thing to watch for sure!
I guess the Wrold champion curse continues...unless Germany manages to change something they might actually be the flop of the games this year.
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the South American teams have evolved well. No good omen for Thursday against Peru. Mexico is very surprising of vivacity , speed and freshness while the Germans are passive and heavy. But wait for the end of the match. If Mexico wins, it will be the surprise of the first round with the draw of Argentina.
Watch out, Germany is coming closer to Ochoa ... The pressure is rising !!
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¡VIVA MEXICO!
What a match that was!
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A pretty much a total meltdown from Germany.
We could already start talking about the World Champion curse here..there was a lot of the same visible here than there was in Spain's playing 4 years ago.
Quite sad indeed. I was expecting more from Germany...much more.
But then again Mexico was just as good as I expected them to be...But was it their goodness or Germany's weakness that they won...who knows.
Are we gonna have a third surprise for the day and the Swiss could beat Brazil...now THAT would be awesome!
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You know how in Star Trek the original series, a landing party with nameless extras wearing red shirts generally meant their life expectancy was quite short? Well after 25 minutes of Brazil vs Switzerland I fear the nameless Swiss Red shirts are not long for this world!
EDIT: The moment I posted this Brazil took their foot off the gas and let the Swiss back in!!
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Well the Swiss didn't win but they did tie things up....Great match from them I have to say...and a somewhat weak match from Brazil.
The Swiss managed to change their play quite a bit during the break and Brazil couldn't...instead if anything they started to slow things down and Switzerland took advantage of that.
This was a bit of a surprise filled day I'd say...Germany losing, Brazil tied and Serbs beating Costa Rica...
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Brazil looked bored at first and then after it was 1-1, they were uninspired. Swiss held on, don't think they'll be going far in the finals, should they get there. I don't see Brazil going far, either, if they're not going to take this seriously. That Mexico-Germany match or the Portugal-Spain match, those were what I expect the winning teams to look like. Brazil did not look like a winning team.
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That Mexico-Germany match or the Portugal-Spain match, those were what I expect the winning teams to look like. Brazil did not look like a winning team.
That is very true indeed.
Today we'll finally get to see how Belgium and England will do...although both have a fairly easy opponent so...but then again...easy and easy...
Winners should be
Sweden
Belgium
England
and all by a bit of a margin too...I'm expecting Belgium to do atleast 4 goals.
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^^^ I'll go with those results but Sweden / South Korea might be a draw.
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If teams could score points for stepping on each other, this Sweden-Korea game would be 137 to 133... and it looks like it's heading to a draw. Korea is lively, but can't get an offense together. Sweden is just taking it easy... are they waiting for Korea to tire itself out from tripping their players and then sweep in and score a goal in final minutes?
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the Swedes finally get fouled in the right place and score on a penalty kick. A goal's a goal, but this doesn't bestow any more confidence in this Swedish team.
These guys need something to get all pumped up for the game... gosh, if only there were some Swedish bands that made energetic, catchy pop tunes? :problem:
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And then a Swedish guy manages to fall over all on his own, while everyone else is standing around. Wow. The Gods of Football should punish that team.
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The diving/flopping and feigning of injury/time wasting has always held me back from truly loving the sport. The refs should be dishing out yellow cards but they mostly always choose to ignore it which only exacerbates the problem. Deadset sissy sport.
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And it's official: Sweden wins a 1-0 draw with South Korea.
And, yes, I do mean it was a 1-0 draw. If it wasn't for that penalty kick, all we'd have in this game is tripping, stomping, and the occasional falling-over completely without context.
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Korea was quite unarmed against Sweden like I expected...
My bet was 2-0 for Sweden though so no money... :(
But yes this was probably the most foul ridden match so far....lots of little fouls and trips and whatnots.
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So far, Belgium-Panama is a lively match. Belgium keeps trying to get Panama to crack, but the lads from the isthmus are holding on pretty well. I don't think Belgium walks away with this, but I do expect them to eventually break through.
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Damn...what has happened to Belgium?? This isn't the team we saw 2 years ago at the Euro Championships. Very bland playing and slow even at times...Naturally Panama had that bus parked there pretty tightly but still...I expected so much more.
Again though a lot of foul whistles which slowed things down and that was obviously bad for Belgium.
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Wow, that last Belgian goal just came out of nowhere! Now that's what I call a convincing move. Looks like they woke up. Well played, Belgium!
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Good rebound from Belgium...now during the second half we saw the team we should have seen from the start.
And now if just England could do it's job and not mess up that'd be nice.
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It's 1-0, England favour, and the Tunisian goalie went down...
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^^^ I think the goalie was nursing an injury before the game and has strained it again.
England looking good at the moment.
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... until that guy elbowed the Tunisian in the goal box... penalty kick makes it 1-1.
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Very nice and peppy first half from England...
And the first really wrong Penalty kick verdict that I've seen so far...I do not understand why VAR did not step in...definitely a wrong call. The Tunisian guy ran straight into Walker's arm..there was nothing there....
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England gets one in extra minutes, they kept wearing down on Tunisia, looks like they've got it.
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HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
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^^^ Do you like Harry Kane? :)
Mightily relieved, Tunisia were no pushover even though they didn't offer much in attack, their tactics were a bit dirty though.
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HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Yeah, he's good, no question.
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Glad to wake to the news that England won and particularly my man from Spurs scored. How the hell did they miss that obvious penalty to him?
Watching the highlights it seems England dominated the match and peppered the goals but weren't clinical enough to find the back of the net. Very solid performance from England though.
P.S Australia was the Guinea Pig in this VAR >:(
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We've had VAR in the UK for the last year. Let's just say it had some teething problems!
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^^Yeah first time in the WC though.
We've had it in our league as well and it failed in the biggest game of the year.
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^^^ Do you like Harry Kane? :)
I do now as he made me some money! :D
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Talking about the live review?
In the USA, some referees go nuts with it. Others know to use it as a tool and then move on quickly after a brief review. It's plagued some teams in the last season, but thankfully it didn't impact the Super Bowl. Gene Steratore finally got called up to ref that event and I was glad to see him there.
Yes, I have a favorite NFL referee. Deal with it. :P
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Today's predictions:
Colombia vs Japan ... Draw
Poland vs Senegal ... Poland
Russia vs Egypt ... Russia but I'll be rooting for Salah, err I mean Egypt! ;)
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This is a pretty darn tricky day...hard to say for sure
But my predictions go
Colombia (this could also be a tie)
Poland
and a Tie for Russia and Egypt...
In the papers some people have been praising Senegal but I don't know...
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Columbia 1 goal down and a player down after 5 minutes, but Japan are not making the extra man count and Colombia fully deserved their equaliser. Nearly half time, I can only see Colombia winning this now unless they get tired towards the end. It's been an enjoyable game so far.
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Well, Colombia-Japan is a tie game so far. I just tuned in and saw the 1-1 score.
I'm rooting for Colombia, Senegal, and Egypt today. I like cheering for Latin American and African teams because I like the music and the food from those continents, more or less. :)
Won't be surprised to see Poland and Russia win, though.
Group F action on Saturday, those are the games I want to see most, because MEXICO!!!
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Yet another dive and another easily fooled or dodgy referee that saw Columbia equalise. Hope Japan puts them to bed in the 2nd half.
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Well, Japan just got that 2nd goal. That one guy caught serious air when he jumped to head it into the net.
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Well that was a big surprise...
But the early Red was an indicator...Colombia played extremely well during the first half and got a nice freekick goal in too but the second half was a Jap show...they started to take advantage of Colombia's one man down situation.
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Senegal did a wicked bank shot off the Polish defender, 1-0. Go Senegal!
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Very bad luck for Poland but then again they also played rather poorly...
It's clear that Senegal doesn't have a whole lot of skill or techincal abilities but they have a lot of speed and one guy named Mane....and they have the bus parked in their own defence zone.
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And Senegal gets one when the goalie's out of the goal! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
GO SENEGAL, YEAH!
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Looks like Group H became the underdogs win group...nothing wrong with that.
Let's see now if Mo Salah will play and if he will can he get anything done or will Russia continue with the homegame thrill!
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Well, Russia got a rebound off an Egyptian to get the goal. 1-0.
Update: 2 more goals... what happened, the Russians drink their PED juice during halftime? :rolleyes:
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Russia is playing very strongly indeed! Granted neither Egypt nor the Saudis are very good but still...they might actually win their group which is something I never would have expected. They are gonna give Uruguay a run for their money that's for sure!
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I expect Uruguay to roll over Saudi Arabia, so, yes, it should be Russia and Uruguay advancing out of Group A. The crystal ball is also very clear about Group G: It's England and Belgium for sure there. In Group B, I expect Portugal and Spain to beat both Iran and Morocco, so they'll advance.
I don't feel ready yet to make calls for the other groups, although I'm pretty sure about Group C sending France and Denmark. Australia might surprise us, but I'm not banking on that.
I'm holding out hope for Mexico. I think it can beat both Sweden and South Korea to be the top team in its group. I'll bet that the Germans also blast through Korea and Sweden. Germany's a tough team and neither Korea nor Sweden showed enough fire in their match to look like they could be the equal of the Germans. There's always a chance, though, that Germany gets draws and winds up getting knocked out due to Sweden having won over Korea.
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Today is gonna be a goal rich day me thinks!
Portugal is gonna wipe the floor with Marocco
Urugay is gonna redeem themselves now with Saudi Arabia
and Spain is gonna pound Iran to the floor.
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Can't argue with those predictions, Charger.
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Not quite the goal ritch match that I expected but Ronaldo did what he does best and Portugal in the lead!
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Looks like the Portuguese are going to run a public service ad about what a box is.
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Good solid match again from Portugal. I was hoping for bit more goals but I'm just glad that they won even if I didn't.
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I thought Morocco were unlucky not to at least steal a draw.
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I think Uruguay is in trouble in this match... it's already 1 minute into it and they haven't scored yet... :banana:
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This is a complete meltdown for Uruguay... took 20 minutes plus to get that first goal... heads will roll, for sure! :rofl:
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Actually Saudi Arabia are looking quite good going forward, although their defence is a little suspect, I could see them scoring.
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Actually Saudi Arabia are looking quite good going forward, although their defence is a little suspect, I could see them scoring.
I agree...considering how they played the opening match this is quite an improvement. But ofcourse Uruguay is a team of completely different legue.
But again I can see Uruguay having some trouble playing forward. This kind of playing might be enough at this stage but against Russia and who ever comes next this will not do.
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Or, quite possibly Saudi Arabia doesn't do so badly against a team that's not all hopped up on PEDs?
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Or, quite possibly Saudi Arabia doesn't do so badly against a team that's not all hopped up on PEDs?
That's a bold accusation..got any facts to back that up?
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Or, quite possibly Saudi Arabia doesn't do so badly against a team that's not all hopped up on PEDs?
That's a bold accusation..got any facts to back that up?
Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll... Russia's still not compliant with anti-doping protocols and the FSB is known to be working with Russian sport... it would be naive not to think that Russia would not somehow find a way to evade anti-doping controls, either to benefit their own athletes or to introduce false positives for the competition.
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Or, quite possibly Saudi Arabia doesn't do so badly against a team that's not all hopped up on PEDs?
That's a bold accusation..got any facts to back that up?
Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll... Russia's still not compliant with anti-doping protocols and the FSB is known to be working with Russian sport... it would be naive not to think that Russia would not somehow find a way to evade anti-doping controls, either to benefit their own athletes or to introduce false positives for the competition.
Perhaps so but there is no evidence of any drug or steroid use here. I do not believe it is fair for anyone to just be throwing accusations like this without any evidence one way or another.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of a doubt...just like I do everyone else.
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I'm in the security business, so it's my job to look for suspicious conditions.
Especially those involving Russia.
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Fair enough...quite understandable actually...
Which is not something that can be said about Iran's playing right now...I mean OH MY GOD that is some disgusting playing....absolutely FUCKING disgusting. 95% of the time they've got every single player in their own penalty area! Talk about parking the bus! I have not seen playing like this since...well 4 years ago when Iran played in the world cup the last time.
Sure it might be sort of productive to them but it is still absolutely disgusting playing and hideous to watch.
Worst game of the cup so far for sure...and most likely the worst one we'll see.
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Ironic that both Portugal and Spain scored 3 on each other, but only 1 vs. Morocco and Iran... although, 20 mins to go in the SP-IR game, they might get another.
UPDATE: They did not. The irony stands.
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I'm in the security business, so it's my job to look for suspicious conditions.
Especially those involving Russia.
Did you just invite a bunch of Russian spy-bots and "troll factories"..? ;D
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Definitely something not right about Russia. No team in this WC has been able to play at the frenetic pace for the full 90 minutes as they have.
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Definitely something not right about Russia. No team in this WC has been able to play at the frenetic pace for the full 90 minutes as they have.
I don't know much about the Russian football league on what their game load is but most european leagues have quite hectic seasons plus Euro cup plus champions league...and virtually all Russian players are only from the Russian league so I would imagine they've had quite an ammount less games than most other players so naturally that would have an effect as well...they might just be more rested too.
But I don't know...I just don't want to be pointing fingers without proof.
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Definitely something not right about Russia. No team in this WC has been able to play at the frenetic pace for the full 90 minutes as they have.
I don't know much about the Russian football league on what their game load is but most european leagues have quite hectic seasons plus Euro cup plus champions league...and virtually all Russian players are only from the Russian league so I would imagine they've had quite an ammount less games than most other players so naturally that would have an effect as well...they might just be more rested too.
But I don't know...I just don't want to be pointing fingers without proof.
Give that Icarus a watch and then maybe you might be more inclined to not give them the benefit of the doubt.
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^ Yeah, that was an amazing documentary. Icarus.
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Leaving the doping speculations behind and getting back on topic.
The first match of the day is pretty interesting Australia vs Denmark...The Aussies played rather good footsy in their first match against France and Denmark took a win from Peru...I can see this one going either way really...but I'm rooting for Australia.
France should win Peru but frankly they weren't exactly great in their first match and the unity still isn't there...maybe because of Griezmann who does not have the reputation of a team player or a nice guy.
Argentina was really in dire straits against Iceland and Messi messed up a penalty kick which probably did not help with all the pressure that's on the little guy. So they have to win today but Croatia is no easy mark not by a long shot. In fact they are pretty damn strong.
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Today's games look a little one-sided, I'll go with:
Denmark (but rooting for the Aussies) actually this could easuky be a draw.
France (but rooting for Peru)
Argentina (but rooting for Croatia)
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I think Australia are a big chance if they can stay organised at the back and keep Eriksen in check. The Aussies have a lot of fighting spirit, don't underestimate them.
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Yet another VAR penalty kick...we've seen a lot of these for sure.
All in all a fairly even teams...
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1-1 at the half. :drama:
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Australia created more chances and got in behind the Danes quite a few times. Denmark remain an aerial threat. Gonna be a nerve-racking second half
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Yes the Aussies are looking more threatening, but the Danes can't be dismissed just yet.
The Aussies were lucky to get the penalty decision (it was not deliberate and it didn't prevent a goal) but they deserved to be 1-1 at the break.
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Uneventful second half.
Even steven teams...Some good chances for both teams but just no goal.
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Was a good clean game, not much staging or fouls. We played well and deserved more out of that game. Surprised we didn't bring on Cahill when Nabout went off with a popped shoulder though.
Much respect, in both games the Aussies have hung around well after the final whistle and thanked all their supporters where's France and Denmark couldn't have got off the pitch quick enough.
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So if Australia beats Peru and Denmark loses to France, we'll have a tie for second place in that group. Wondering how deep that tiebreaker would have to go, though, as the games in that group have been pretty tight, with low scores. It may be that if France beats Denmark 1-0, Australia would possibly be the one to advance based on points.
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I think teams tied and can't be separated by normal means (i.e. goal difference) are being split on fair play rules, so the team with the fewest red and yellow cards go through.
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I doubt it will get to that...the number of goals usually is enough....
Let's see if France gets it's game going now...
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I doubt it will get to that...the number of goals usually is enough....
Let's see if France gets it's game going now...
They just did. :smug:
Not surprised, they've been putting lots of pressure on Peru's goal, just a matter of time for one to get through. Peru is not taking it to the French enough, if they win or tie it will be a stroke of truly amazing luck.
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Very lively playing from both teams I'd say.
France has indeed gotten their game going a little bit...they changed their playing a bit from the Australia match and that seemed to have worked.
Peru is struggling a bit against France's defence...and against their attacker as well I suppose.
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That's that for Peru, now for France to beat Denmark and Australia to beat Peru so we can do some fancy maths about which team advances.
Just got back from lunch to see Croatia-Argentina at 0-0. If Argentina doesn't win, it could get knocked out after this round, depending on the Iceland-Nigeria outcome.
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Argentina's players seem to be spending a rather large amount of time writhing on the ground... should we notify whoever is responsible for Russian theater awards?
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Argentina just doesn't seem to get the machine going now...it's really kind of sad...Croatia is much more active and dominant even.
It is quite possible Argentina won't make it forward from the group stage....
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Croatia 1 , Argentina 0 !!
incredible croatian goal because of unbelievable mistake of the argentine goal keeper !!!!!!!
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Croatia 2, now! Croatia is the hot team and Argentina will go home in a few days if either Nigeria or Iceland wins.
Update: Croatia got that third goal and Argentina's team may be facing some grim faces at the airport when they get home... :death:
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What a meltdown for Argentina!
Beautiful goal for Modric though!
Well I'll take the blame for Argentina as I put my money down on them to win the whole thing this year! ;D
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^^ can you put some money on Denmark now then to help us Aussies ;D
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^^ can you put some money on Denmark now then to help us Aussies ;D
:D
Today's an interesting day again
Brazil should win Costa Rica but I doubt it will be an easy match for them though
Iceland and Nigeria are gonna achieve the very first 0-0 tie of the games
Serbia and Switzerland are gonna be very even too but I put my faith in the Swiss that they'll be able to score once.
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Iceland is the bet of the day. They have so much spirit that team. That Viking War chant is something else. Brazil should get the job done and I'm tipping a draw in the other game.
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I'm going for:
Brazil
Iceland
Switzerland, but it could be a draw.
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Pretty powerless playing from Brazil again....very static too. Not the kind of Brazil you'd expect...and now we've had one and a half matches of it already...
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Bra-Crc may be the first 0-0, especially since it will mess up Charger's pick.
Please, Charger, do not predict that Mexico will win anything. I want them to go far in this competition. C:-)
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I didn't see the first half, looks like I didn't miss much. But the start of the second seems to indicate that Brazil have remembered what football is.
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Bra-Crc may be the first 0-0, especially since it will mess up Charger's pick.
Please, Charger, do not predict that Mexico will win anything. I want them to go far in this competition. C:-)
Ahahaha! :D
Well thankfully Brazil got their act together on the second half...
And 2-0 keeps my bet alive....
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Just hoping for Iceland or Nigeria to win, not tie. 0-0 at the half...
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The Spanish-language channel I'm watching keeps playing that Mexico goal against Germany in its ads. I do not get tired of seeing that! :)
Also really happy to see that 2-0 score for Nigeria! Looks like they got over their jet lag or whatever threw them off their game last week.
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Damn stupid Nigeria...and falling Moses. Twice again that idiot has been diving like a dolphin. Ridiculous and still no card....worst diver in the games for sure!
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I don't care because they won.
:applause:
Next up is Serbia v Switzerland.
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I don't care because they won.
Well I do and more so BECAUSE they won.
This should be a very even match...but I am rooting for the Swiss!
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Serbia already 1 up, but it may just spur the swiss on.
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I don't care because they won.
Well I do and more so BECAUSE they won.
This should be a very even match...but I am rooting for the Swiss!
BRB, I need to put money on Serbia...
Oh, would you look at that, they're ahead 1-0!
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I don't care because they won.
Well I do and more so BECAUSE they won.
This should be a very even match...but I am rooting for the Swiss!
BRB, I need to put money on Serbia...
Oh, would you look at that, they're ahead 1-0!
I really should start putting money against the teams I'm rooting for...ofcourse I still wouldn't win any money but atleast my teams would win....
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Wow, Switzerland just sent that goal in from downtown... what a shot!
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Wow, Switzerland just sent that goal in from downtown... what a shot!
Indeed that was a thing of beauty!
Good to see the Swiss win...made this group interesting again!
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Today's predictions:
Belgium vs Tunisia = Belgium
South Korea vs Mexico = Mexico
Germany vs Sweden = Germany (but I'll be rooting for Sweden)
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^^^
That's pretty much 100% accurate.
Let's see if there will be a surprise again...Germany better get their act together or else...they're out!
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Oh my lord what fireworks during the first half!
Belgium is on fire now!
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5-2!!
Good heavens!
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It is great to watch the perky game of Mexico but my god what a bunch of assholes their fans are!!!
I have never heard such booing EVERY SINGLE TIME the South Koreans get the ball...completely idiotic behaviour.
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Oh my goodness...
Germany is struggling now!! Seriously so!
The world champion curse lives on?
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Three great games. Belgium went wild, Mexico dominated, and Germany reached deep, down a man in the last minute.
Pretty sure Mexico advances and I think Germany will beat Korea and move up.
Watch out for Belgium, though!
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
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I was out for much of yesterday so didn't get to see much of the play!
Today's predictions:
England vs Panama. Shoudl see a win for England but we're quite capable of cocking it up!
Japan vs Senegal. No idea! So I'll go with a draw!
Poland vs Colombia. I'll go with Colombia
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Today's matches are very hard to predict...
Part from the England game ofcoruse...this should be a lock for England...if not...oh man...
Japan and Senegal....Japan played very well during their first match, but so did Senegal...and there is always one surprise African team that advances so I'll go with Senegal here.
Poland v Colombia...Colombia's first match was "ruined" by the early red card they got so it is hard to say what their true power is now...Poland was surprisingly weak with Senegal so...I'm gonna go with Colombia here...but might be a tie too.
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Okay so England just annihilated Panama in just the first 45 minutes!! This is insane!
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Yeah would've been good to be drawn in Group H. England and Belgium have virtually been given a passage through to the round of 16.
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I missed the first half... AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!
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I missed the first half... AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!
You missed quite the goal extravaganza! England and Harry Kane were on fire...granted Panama was really really weak and the two penalties were very stupid faults...
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The final rounds of the Group stage start today which means 4 matches and 2 played at the same time....which sucks as you can't watch them all then...but it is understandable why it is done this way too obviously.
Anyways..
Uruguay vs Russia: Meaningless game for both as they've already advanced. Might be a tie...
KSA vs Egypt: Meaningless as well since both are out...but Mo Salah would want to make a goal so I'm thinking Egypt will win.
Spain vs Marocco: Marocco is already out to they might be fast and loose which should benefit Spain...this might be a goal extravaganza again.
Iran vs Portugal: Portugal is gonna be in trouble against the insane bus defence of Iran, but one corner or one free kick will give Ronaldo the chance to sink one in.
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^^^ I can't argue with that, Spain vs Morocco could be another 6-1.
I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
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I want to shout here to the scandal concerning the rights of diffusion of this World Cup. I've been following football World Cups since Argentina '78. So far I've always had access to all matches in a totally free way.
This year, Bein Sport bought all the rights in France, minus France which are free broadcasted on TF1, a private channel.
From the start of the round of 16, except France, all matches are on Bein. The quarter-finals too.
Scandalous !!!!!!!
Bein can put their 8 € subscription as deep as possible in their asses.
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I want to shout here to the scandal concerning the rights of diffusion of this World Cup. I've been following football World Cups since Argentina '78. So far I've always had access to all matches in a totally free way.
This year, Bein Sport bought all the rights in France, minus France which are free broadcasted on TF1, a private channel.
From the start of the round of 16, except France, all matches are on Bein. The quarter-finals too.
Scandalous !!!!!!!
Bein can put their 8 € subscription as deep as possible in their asses.
Wow...that sucks major ass!
Luckily we still get all matches for free...but if one's into Hockey or F1 you gotta pay big bucks to see all of those....I don't really care for either so not a big deal.
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
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I want to shout here to the scandal concerning the rights of diffusion of this World Cup. I've been following football World Cups since Argentina '78. So far I've always had access to all matches in a totally free way.
This year, Bein Sport bought all the rights in France, minus France which are free broadcasted on TF1, a private channel.
From the start of the round of 16, except France, all matches are on Bein. The quarter-finals too.
Scandalous !!!!!!!
Bein can put their 8 € subscription as deep as possible in their asses.
We had a very similar issue here too. The World Cup has always been shown on free to air here on SBS which is a multilingual multicultural government funded tv station.
The government cut funding to the station last year so the executives in charge of running the station in their wisdom decided to sell off most of the rights besides one game each night to one of the major telco companies here to cover the shortfall in government funding.
The Telco company is Optus and offers a sport station as a streaming subscription service. It cost $15 a month if you're not an Optus customer. Problem is, Australia has not got the infrastructure and is not equiped to deal with such an in demand streaming event.
Our internet is shotty and a long way behind the rest of the world and subsequently subscribers have had all sorts of issues trying to stream it, drop outs, buffering and lagging etc.
The whole nation was outraged that not only did we have to pay to watch something which has always been on free to air TV but also Optus has not been able to deliver the product. At one stage the government even stepped in and warned them to get their act together.
In the end Optus couldn't guarantee that it's service would work smoothly to all subscribers so have been forced to let SBS show all the matches until at least the rd of 16 in which it'll be reevaluated again. Optus has also had to offer refunds to everyone that had paid for it and also made its sports channel free to everyone until August 31.
The whole thing has been a complete debacle.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-21/optus-financial-fallout-from-floptus-world-cup-fail/9893338
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Free to watch here on Telemundo, for sure. :) ¡Viva Mexico!
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I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
;D
Well Ronaldo is a bit smug but considering all the talent he's got I think he has the right to be a bit smug... :smug:
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I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
;D
Well Ronaldo is a bit smug but considering all the talent he's got I think he the right to be a bit smug... :smug:
The man is quite amazing. As we say in Texas, "It ain't bragging if it's true!"
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I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
;D
Well Ronaldo is a bit smug but considering all the talent he's got I think he has the right to be a bit smug... :smug:
The man is quite amazing. As we say in Texas, "It ain't bragging if it's true!"
Well said by you Texans!
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Just tuned in to the Urugay-Russia match and it's already 1-0, Uruguay! Go Uruguay!
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Wow, that was a great action on the corner kick! Nobody saw that one coming!
Uruguay 2-0!
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I think the short fallings of the Russians are now being found out. But they're through to the next stage which is what they would have hoped for really.
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:redcard:
Smolnikov is sent off, now the boys from Uruguay ought to make this a goal-fest.
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So naturally when I predict a low score win or a tie based on Uruguay's last preformances NOW they find the ability to score... :(
Oh well...Russia one (or two) goals in and Uruguay nothing and my bets are still alive.
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^^^ I can't argue with that, Spain vs Morocco could be another 6-1.
I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
same here ! :rofl:
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So naturally when I predict a low score win or a tie based on Uruguay's last preformances NOW they find the ability to score... :(
Oh well...Russia one (or two) goals in and Uruguay nothing and my bets are still alive.
So I'm pretty sure Uruguay will now score another goal, because the Gods of Football demand a sacrifice of Charger's bets!
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
any link for view on line , KDC ?
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^^^ I can't argue with that, Spain vs Morocco could be another 6-1.
I sorta hope Portugal get knocked out, I know Ronaldo is a great player and all that, but I just want to punch him everytime I see his smug face... and I'm normally mild mannered!
same here ! :rofl:
TEAM PORTUGAL WORLD CUP STRATEGY
(not very) TOP SECRET
1. Get the ball
2. If you are not Ronaldo, pass the ball to Ronaldo
3. If you are Ronaldo, do what comes naturally, then slide after you score
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Uruguay 3-0!
The Gods of Football have accepted Charger's sacrifice!
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
any link for view on line , KDC ?
There are some links towards the end of this article below, but I don't know if they are viewable outside of the UK without using a VPN. Hope it helps Tyr.
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/ (https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/)
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Uruguay 3-0!
The Gods of Football have accepted Charger's sacrifice!
But I screwed them! Since KSA scored against Egypt my bet fell apart earlier already so I made a live bet saying Uruguay WILL score one more and voila I won! :problem:
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Well, you're a regular Gilgamesh there, warring against the gods!
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
any link for view on line , KDC ?
There are some links towards the end of this article below, but I don't know if they are viewable outside of the UK without using a VPN. Hope it helps Tyr.
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/ (https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/)
thanx KDC but sadly this does not seem to work off UK :cry:
:mopey:
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Portugal over Iran, 1-0
Spain and Morocco tied, 1-1
I did not expect Morocco to get its first goal against Spain...
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:zomgwtfbbq:
Both Group B games are in a tie!
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So it'll be Uruguay v Portugal and Russia v Spain in the Round of 16. Given what happened today with Spain and Portugal, Uruguay could pull a win and Russia might just keep it competitive...
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
any link for view on line , KDC ?
There are some links towards the end of this article below, but I don't know if they are viewable outside of the UK without using a VPN. Hope it helps Tyr.
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/ (https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/)
thanx KDC but sadly this does not seem to work off UK :cry:
:mopey:
There was a section right at the end about VPN from outside the UK, but I got the impression from the article that they might need to be paid for, which is no better than the situation that you find yourself in. :(
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So it'll be Uruguay v Portugal and Russia v Spain in the Round of 16. Given what happened today with Spain and Portugal, Uruguay could pull a win and Russia might just keep it competitive...
Well frankly both Uruguay and Portugal pretty much play the same style of footsy so it's really hard to say who'll move onwards...I'll be rooting for Portugal ofcourse but that's just me. :)
Iran got a bit of a free goal today though...and Ronaldo missed a penalty...that doesn't happen to often...great save by the Iranian golie.
Did not see the Spain game so I don't know was Spain having problems or did Marocco's playing style just caught them of guard...
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^^^ Spain were poor but Morocco did play quite well.
VAR was not used well in either match tonight, it was not a good advert for the system.
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^^^ Spain were poor but Morocco did play quite well.
VAR was not used well in either match tonight, it was not a good advert for the system.
Okay....I kind of thought it couldn't have been Spain's best work... ;D
And yes to the VAR atleast on the Portugal match...Ronaldo shouldn't have gotten that yellow...it should have been either a straight red (which obviously it couldn't have been) or nothing and the penalty kick was false too as Cedric did not play the ball with his hand...
But it is what it is...VAR was suppose to stop mistakes but in the end it's still the ref that calls the shots and this ref called it wrong...twice.
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In the UK all major sporting events legally have to be broadcast on "free to air" channels, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon etc. The BBC and ITV are sharing the broadcast again this year as they always do. I think there would be blood on the streets if it went to a subscription channel.
any link for view on line , KDC ?
There are some links towards the end of this article below, but I don't know if they are viewable outside of the UK without using a VPN. Hope it helps Tyr.
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/ (https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-watch-world-cup-for-free-on-tv-online-3663452/)
thanx KDC but sadly this does not seem to work off UK :cry:
:mopey:
There was a section right at the end about VPN from outside the UK, but I got the impression from the article that they might need to be paid for, which is no better than the situation that you find yourself in. :(
OK ..... thanx for all guys, The Community lives for ever
3,2,1 :
(https://media.giphy.com/media/lobbVsKeXhtvy/giphy.gif)
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Agreed that the VAR was a waste of time. Just make the call, everyone yell at the ref, and then get back to the game.
And it sounds like Tyr needs the Sky Sports package...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MusyO7J2inM
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Today's forcasts:
Australia vs Peru, I'm just edging towards the Aussies but I think it may be a draw
Denmark vs France, I'll go with France, but expect it could be a draw
Iceland vs Croatia, we've not seen Iceland at their best yet, so I'm going with them.
Nigeria vs Argentina, probably Argentina, but I'll be rooting for Nigeria to get through to the last 16.
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Today is an extremely difficult day...
Australia vs Peru...neither team has managed to make a single in-game goal yet which makes me think that this might be a 0-0 but from what I've seen the Aussie's might have a slight edge.
Denmark vs France...Denmark needs a tie to advance for sure, France it already done it so there isn't much in it for them...they might even use their b-players for this one..Draw is a strong possibility
Iceland vs Croatia...Iceland hasn't been the team it was 2 years ago and Croatia is on fire now so Croatia all the way here.
Nigeria vs Argentina...Argentina NEEDS to win there is no two ways about it. Also Nigeria has Moses who has proven time and time again he's the worst diver in the whole games and should have had atleast 3 yellow cards already so I cannot root for a team that has such an idiot in their ranks anyways...also ofcourse I said Argentina would be the Champion this year so they have to win!
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Come on Aussie’s and France, can you please beat Denmark.
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Peru's play has been way off, picking Australia to win this one.
France is going to beat Denmark. The French are in the hunt, for sure.
Croatia beats Iceland. Iceland's play is not going to match what the boys from Zagreb are bringing.
Nigeria beats Argentina. Argentina is listless and searching for answers. Nigeria is confident, say what you will about Moses, the team can pull it together.
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Peru scored a goal and the Aussies look like they're having trouble figuring out how to answer back... which makes me wonder...
Did Charger make a bet on Australia?
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Charger did...but he also bet a tie so it's still open...
France and Denmark might be 0-0....
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Charger did...but he also bet a tie so it's still open...
TRANSLATION: Australia is going to lose.
And Peru scores another goal...
And Australia scores another yellow card...
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Charger did...but he also bet a tie so it's still open...
TRANSLATION: Australia is going to lose.
And Peru scores another goal...
And Australia scores another yellow card...
Yup...looks like i killed Australia... :(
Bugger.
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You got the 0-0 on France/Denmark, though.
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Meaningless though unfortunately...
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Fun facts: Costa Rica is yet to score in the World Cup... and Uruguay and Croatia are yet to be scored on.
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Messi finally put Argentina in the lead, 1-0, and the crowd goes wild. But Argentina must win to have any hope of advancing, while Nigeria could tie and still advance, especially if Croatia wins today.
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Finally MESSI scores...took him long enough...
And also I gotta say it took Moses nearly 35 minutes before he took his first nose dive...that took longer than anyone could have predicted.
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You got the 0-0 on France/Denmark, though.
the most awful game since the beginning of the tournament.
Shameful.
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If we 'll meet Argentina next Saturday and I really afraid of that, the team will come back to France sunday and Deschamps will be replaced by Zidane this summer.
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If we 'll meet Argentina next Saturday and I really afraid of that, the team will come back to France sunday and Deschamps will be replaced by Zidane this summer.
Maybe replace him even if they advance to the round of 8. France can do so much better.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has made it 1-1 with a penalty kick. Argentina is in danger.
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You got the 0-0 on France/Denmark, though.
the most awful game since the beginning of the tournament.
Shameful.
I think the last round of games will all be deadly boring if the teams are already through, I expect the England / Belgium match to equally tedious.
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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL por Argentina and the crowd goes wild again!
If they can hold on and keep Nigeria from drawing fouls in the goal box, they can do this.
BTW, the announcer that does all the big "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" shouts just went hoarse with emotion. Lots of Americanos Latinos cheering for Argentina...
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Croatia pulled ahead 2-1 and the Argentinian crowd goes just as wild as if they had scored!
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And what a save at the last minute - Argentina advances, along with Croatia.
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I won...I cannot believe I won! Two bets too! 1-2 score and wins for Argentina AND Croatia! That don't happen too often! :D
the most awful game since the beginning of the tournament.
Shameful.
Well it was a safety play for both...writing was in the air for that...But it wasn't really because France sucked or anything, they just took it easy...sure not very entertaining but as said it was to be expected.
But France vs Argentina...now that's gonna be something....
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Especially since Argentina woke up.
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For todays matches:
Mexico vs Sweden. Should be a good game, if Mexico rest players and take it easy Sweden could win, but under normal conditions I will go with MEXICO.
South Korea vs Germany. As much as I would love to see Germany knocked out at this stage, I really can't see South Korea beating them, so GERMANY.
Serbia vs Brazil. Brazil are not the team they were (but still good) and Serbia are better than I expected. This could be a draw which is all Brazil needs, so a DRAW.
Switzerland vs Costa Rica. I have to go with Switzerland, Costa Rica have tried hard but have come up short. I'll go with SWITZERLAND.
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Those predictions sound about right Charlie...
Mexico vs Sweden...Mexico doesn't need a win, but Sweden does and that opens up counter attacks for Mexico...not a lot of goals but maybe one for Mexico.
South Korea vs Germany...Should be a cake walk for Germany now that they've gotten their game going..they need 2 goals to advance for sure and that's what they'll get.
Serbia vs Brazil...Brazil can live with a tie but I'm sure they want to win the group too..but serbia has a good defence so I'm expecting a low goal game...might even be a tie
Switzerland vs Costa Rica...I seriously doubt Costa Rica will be able to make a single goal in this tournament...the Swiss will sail through...cause with a win here they have a change to win the group...but then again they might not want to win because then they'd have to face germany...Mexico might be a better choice for them...so who knows how this turns out...might even be 0-0
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I think Sweden can get Mexico provided they've got that heartbreaking loss to Germany completely out of their system. Still won't be enough to get them through to the knockout round as Germany will beat South Korea and they won't make up the goal difference on Mexico. Brazil should at least get a draw against Serbia to get them through and the Swiss will beat Costa Rica.
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I'll go with Mexico-Germany-Brazil-Switzerland.
Just like Argentina reached deep, I think Brazil's team will do the same to convince everyone it belongs in the round of 16. Mexico is through, but they want to keep sharp. They want to keep that momentum, because that's a big part of their being able to win.
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I'm a little late with this update, but goal for Sweden... well played to them, and not good to see a player have to get carried off the field.
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With about 30 minutes in both matches to go... Germany are out. They need to turn things round and hope Mexico can overturn a 2-0 deficit to Sweden.
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Sweden up 2-0.
Dammit, Charger, did you bet on my Mexico?
:frustration:
Then again, Mexico should have had a shot for when the Swedish goalie shoved that one guy to the ground... but then a different again, Mexico's having a laugh today. Are they trying to let Sweden win, just to keep Germany from advancing?
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Sweden up 2-0.
Dammit, Charger, did you bet on my Mexico?
:frustration:
I most certainly did... :(
Again I do have to say the Mexican crowd is a truly a bunch of goddamn idiots. It's absolutely sickening to listen to....
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Charger bet on Mexico, thereby dooming them...
:disappoint:
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AND THEN THEY SCORE GOAL NUMBER THREE
Charger, seriously! A little courtesy in not betting for the team I want to win!
:whatudo:
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No goal for Germany in the last 20 minutes before a Katastrophic elimination ?
just incredible !
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AND THEN THEY SCORE GOAL NUMBER THREE
Charger, seriously! A little courtesy in not betting for the team I want to win!
:whatudo:
:sorry:
Germany is out...the World Champion curse continues...they join Spain's club.... :(
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KOREA SCORED A GOAL???
Charger, I think you can actually make more money off of having teams hiring you to place bets than the bets themselves... :banana:
Also, that's a keeper for a smiley...
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Meanwhile, the Mexican fans are going insane now that they know Korea scored, they don't care about getting trolleyed by Sweden.
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A super loss day today...my goodness...
Poor Germany though...I feel their pain...
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Korea 2 - Germany 0 during the 5 very last minutes !
can't believe it !
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Charger, I think you can actually make more money off of having teams hiring you to place bets than the bets themselves... :banana:
Also, that's a keeper for a smiley...
Ahahahaha! Indeed...I guess I should start marketing my services...
And yes I had to look for that smiley...saved it too for further use!
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Brazil v Serbia started now... it's a must-win for both teams, with Switzerland likely to beat Costa Rica.
Of course, if Charger put money on Switzerland...
:aggression:
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Serbia started the match quite energetically and Brazil was struggling a bit but they got their goal...
And no I did not bet for Switzerland I bet for a tie so the Swiss are safe in their lead!
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Crazy stuff Costa Rica scored twice!
What a round this one...
Crazy.
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Germany knocked out after going down 2 - 0 to South Korea :o Stunning result. Mexico can thank their lucky stars.
You'd probably have to say Croatia has been the most impressive tean in the group stage. Won all three games in a pretty strong group scoring seven goals and only conceding one.
I'm still sticking with my original tip Belgium though.
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Croatia has been really strong...but it's not surprising considering they've got Modric and Rakitic...
Kind of an interesting day toda..
Japan vs Poland...Poland has been a huuuge disappointment and Japan has been better than anyone could have expected...so I'll go with Japan on this one.
Senegal vs Colombia...Colombia wasn't the same it was 4 years ago and Senegal has played pretty strongly...but I'm still rooting for Colombia here.
England vs Belgium...I know a lot of people are putting big expectations on this one but the truth is both teams have advanced and there is no reason for them to go head to head here with their a-teams...instead they'll probably give their b-teams a chance...this might be another France Denmark thing...0-0
Panama vs Tunisia....will Panama do Costa Ricas and surprise here...I'll say no. Tunisia even got two goals against Belgium.. Tunisia will win this meaningless fight.
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I wouldn't argue with those predictions.
The only thing I would say is that the England manager has said they intend to go out to win and not sit back, but there will probably be a few changes but Harry Kane is supposed to be keeping his spot. I don't know what the Belgian manager has said about their tactics.
Personally it would be better if England won the group because then they would play on Monday rather than Tuesday... I've got things planned Tuesday which would make seeing the match awkward!
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Both Group G matches are 0-0 at the half... Watching Senegal v Colombia, Senegal being conservative. They don't have to win, just not lose.
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Senegal eliminated by conceding more yellow cards than Japan. A shame but they didn't create much today and Colombia upped their game in the second half.
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Colombia did it! They're going forward! At least one more game with fans wearing curly blond wigs, a la Carlos Valderrama. :)
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First time going all the way to the Fair Play points to determine who continues on...quite interesting indeed...but this was the most even group of them all so that's not really a surprise.
4 Yellow cards to Japan -4
6 Yellow Cards to Senegal -6
Japan advances Senegal is out!
And both of my bets crashed and burned like the hindenburg.
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And both of my bets crashed and burned like the hindenburg.
You have awesome power.
Please bet strongly against Mexico.
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And both of my bets crashed and burned like the hindenburg.
You have awesome power.
Please bet strongly against Mexico.
Ahahah! Well in the next one I probably will!
And lineups for England vs Belgium are up and both go with B-teams as I expected... Should be a 0-0 then unless there will be penalty kick.
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First half pretty much what I expected...playing safety...
But in the other one Panama has scored!! Now Tunisia need two!
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Belgium got their goal!
Fried potatoes > Warm beer :lol:
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Tonights result for England and Belgium just shows us that Belgiums reserves are better than England reserves. :)
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It also means Belgium plays Japan next while England are facing a tougher task against Colombia. Some mouth watering match ups in the rd of 16.
The yellow card rule sucks btw
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The yellow card rule sucks btw
I think it's actually a pretty good one...better than just a lottery anyways!
Yeah today's matches went pretty much as I expected...betted result on the England Belgium game and won which was nice...also had 0-0 which then would have given me a double win as Tunisia won too but alas that was not to be...
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The yellow card rule sucks btw
I think it's actually a pretty good one...better than just a lottery anyways!
Well yellow cards can be a bit of a lottery, particularly with the amount of blatant diving/cheating that goes on. Refs can dish em out when they're not warranted don't give them when one was warranted.
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Yeah, it's "in case of a tie, we'll let the refs choose who advances."
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Get both teams together in the city where their rd of 16 match it to be played and have a penalty shoot-out. Would be great anticipation and great TV.
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Get both teams together in the city where their rd of 16 match it to be played and have a penalty shoot-out. Would be great anticipation and great TV.
I do agree that naturally the refs have bit different criteria for giving out yellow cards so that is an issue...but it has to be decided somehow based on the merits of the matches played...them the rules.
While Penalty shoot-out might be entertaining for the audience it wouldn't be fair to the teams...they've already played against eachother. Also I am not a big fan of penalty kicks because luck is such a huge factor in them. Sure there's a skill element and most importantly a nerve element but in the end luck plays a big part too.
I'd much rather see matches solved on the field not on the dot.