2022 FIFA World Cup

[Royale with Cheese]

 

[muppy]

I know that soccer games (In UK especially) can be unruly with over zealous fans. But Morocco has upped the ante on that and went straight up Criminally stupid  

 

SAD .  Yeah I would say their national team deserves some censure. Not that they can control them but it reads like their brand is now unsafe and yes even dangerous.

 

Idiots.

 

 

[Nextmanup]

I'll be watching both games this weekend, but this is easily the worst WC tournament I can remember, right down there with the one in South Africa.

 

The location immediately reduces expectations; it's just not in soccer country; the WC should NEVER be in a place like this.

 

Then you have Italy failing to make the tournament before it begins.  Now are down to a score of like C+ AT BEST before it begins.  Then Germany fields one of its worst teams in 30 years and bows out in disgrace...again.

 

Then America does what it does best: lose.  At this point, why watch?

 

No one playing deep in the tournament this year is a classically SOLID football team.

 

I am thinking of the epic semi-final match between Germany and Italy in 2006; either of those teams would mop up the field in this tournament this year.

 

I think I will root for Argentina; I don't need to see France win back to back championships. 

 

[Logic]

2 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I'll be watching both games this weekend, but this is easily the worst WC tournament I can remember, right down there with the one in South Africa.

 

The location immediately reduces expectations; it's just not in soccer country; the WC should NEVER be in a place like this.

 

Then you have Italy failing to make the tournament before it begins.  Now are down to a score of like C+ AT BEST before it begins.  Then Germany fields one of its worst teams in 30 years and bows out in disgrace...again.

 

Then America does what it does best: lose.  At this point, why watch?

 

No one playing deep in the tournament this year is a classically SOLID football team.

 

I am thinking of the epic semi-final match between Germany and Italy in 2006; either of those teams would mop up the field in this tournament this year.

 

I think I will root for Argentina; I don't need to see France win back to back championships. 

 

I respectfully disagree with the contention that this has been a below average world cup, at least in terms of the product on the pitch.

Location wise? Yeah. Agreed. The human rights abuses and outright criminality by the Qatari government have been disgusting, and almost put me off watching the whole tournament altogether.

Soccer wise? There have been upsets, tense battles, dramatic PK shootouts...And now, a final that should be absolutely riveting between Argentina and France. Messi's last stand vs Mbappe and the talented French team, looking to become just the third nation ever to win back-to-back World Cups.

I'll be watching, and I'm excited for the final. 

[US Egg]

French have the flu.

 

Vaccination malady?

[Talley56]

That was a great game.

[Logic]

Sensational final.

The most tense, dramatic, exciting soccer match I've ever seen.

Anyone who watched that and still thinks that soccer is boring just can't be helped.

Awesome ending for Messi, with the Copa and now the World Cup. Hard to argue that he isn't the GOAT.

I'm definitely going to a game in 4 years when the World Cup comes to North America.

[CircleTheWagons99]

Awesome weekend, Bills clinch playoffs and Argentina wins the world cup. Come BUFFALO. Make this best sports year of my life by winning the Superbowl, PLEASE!!!!!

[Dr Krentist]

Missed it live, but watched the highlights. What a match!

[Steve O]

4 hours ago, Talley56 said:

That was a great game.

Great game, but determining the winner by alternating penalty kicks is like determining the winner of the super bowl by alternating extra points 

[CircleTheWagons99]

2 hours ago, Steve O said:

Great game, but determining the winner by alternating penalty kicks is like determining the winner of the super bowl by alternating extra points 

No. Nothing like that at all. Saying that shows you know nothing of futbol. 

[Repulsif]

19 hours ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

No. Nothing like that at all. Saying that shows you know nothing of futbol. 

 

Many people find this is not an approprieate way to end a game (or a world cup final on top of that)

yes it's like asking RB/QB/WR/DL/etc kicking 10y field goal and deciding the winner by this way

[CircleTheWagons99]

42 minutes ago, Repulsif said:

 

Many people find this is not an approprieate way to end a game (or a world cup final on top of that)

yes it's like asking RB/QB/WR/DL/etc kicking 10y field goal and deciding the winner by this way

Its more like each team getting a chance to score a TD from the 2 to 5 yard line until one team cant. Those goals are worth the same as any goal.  Its not the best way to end it, but the game has to end. Its not baseball.

[Big Turk]

I have no idea what he is actually saying, but this is one of the greatest live sports calls I have ever heard in my life...and that is saying something when you've grown up listening to Ted Darling, Rick Jeanerette and Van Miller.

 

 

 

On 12/15/2022 at 1:54 PM, Royale with Cheese said:

Riots in Qatar between French and Moroccan fans.  One 14 year old boy killed.

 

**Correction** Riots in France and other European cities.  The Moroccan's are looting, rioting, destroying and fighting anything French.  The Moroccans apparently have been trouble in every World Cup game.**

 

I just wonder if this country will be banned from competing in a World Cup going forward?

 

 

Wonder how much of this is European news agencies trying to start issues regarding immigrants/foreigners.  There are a lot of people who want them out of their country...not just Moroccans abut all foreigners.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Big Turk

[muppy]

@Big Turklive call wow 🙂

 

 

 

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, muppy said:

@Big Turklive call wow 🙂

 

 

 

 

He was born and raised in Argentina and obviously very emotional

[Logic]

Someone who wrote an article for The Ringer about this game said it best:

Two things are true - 

One, penalty kicks don't feel like an entirely satisfying way to end a game that two teams have just spent over 90 minutes pouring out their blood, sweat and tears to win.

Two, penalty kick shootouts are one of the most unbearably tense, dramatic, amazing ways for a big match to end.

I feel that this is the truth. PKs DO sort of feel like an unsatisfying way to end things. On the other hand, they're undeniably exciting to watch.

At the end of the day, there's just no other fair and reasonable way to decide a match. The sport is too tiring, too grueling. You can't just keep having extra periods. The players would drop dead from exhaustion. At some point -- and roughly 120 minutes of action feels about appropriate -- you've just gotta figure out a way to settle the match that won't end in guys passing out on the field. PKs feel like the best solution. If anyone else has any alternate propositions, I'd love to hear them.

Edited December 20, 2022 by Logic

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

If anyone else has any alternate propositions, I'd love to hear them.

 

Eliminate most of the rules for substitutions in sudden death, turn off the clock and let them play until somebody scores.

If guys pass out on the field, so be it; you're a man down until you can sub somebody else in.

[Logic]

14 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Eliminate most of the rules for substitutions in sudden death, turn off the clock and let them play until somebody scores.

If guys pass out on the field, so be it; you're a man down until you can sub somebody else in.

A reasonable suggestion.

I'm not sure I prefer it to PKs, but maybe I would if I saw it in action.

 

[Simon]

22 minutes ago, Logic said:

A reasonable suggestion.

I'm not sure I prefer it to PKs, but maybe I would if I saw it in action.

 

 

I'm admittedly not a soccer guy so I'm coming from an outsider's perspective. But the last 15-20 minutes of that overtime (not sure if overtime is the right word for those two extra 15 minute periods?) was absolutely one of the most intense, dramatic and riveting sporting events I've ever seen. There were literally players on the sidelines shaking and crying while there was still 10-15 minutes of fighting left to go! I had zero rooting interest and I was on the edge of my couch with my eyes bugged out, involuntarily blurting creatively colorful language while my dog was staring at me on full alert trying to figure out what the hell was going on. 

Maybe it's because as an American I'm preconditioned toward overtimes, but I wanted to see more of that drama. When that time went off the clock and they moved on to penalty kicks, I pretty much totally lost interest. I kept it on long enough to find out who ended up winning but I was disengaged enough at that point that I didn't even watch half the penalty kicks. The goalies are just guessing and if you stuck me out there with a ball I'd have almost as much chance of scoring as the world class professionals; it's just random chance at that point. If they had kept playing until somebody scored like they had been in OT I'd have decided on the spot that I'd be watching more World Cup soccer in the future, but as it was I don't know if I'll watch it again because it struck me as so anti-climactic.