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Post by dem bones on Jun 14, 2018 12:47:52 GMT
This thread has lone voice howling at the moon written all over it, so let's get started. As ever, will be concentrating on all the great stuff - outstanding performance(s), flash of skill, foul of the tournament, most negative team, worst match, biggest fix, "the game that shamed football," gloomiest fans, ghastliest TV commercial, etc. Today. Group A: Russia v. Saudi Arabia: Possibly the all-time least glamorous opening fixture of any world cup since time began, but we live in hope the two lowest ranked teams in tournament can magic up a thriller. If not, tomorrow schedule looks tasty.
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 14, 2018 15:15:33 GMT
This thread has lone voice howling at the moon written all over it, so let's get started. As ever, will be concentrating on all the great stuff - outstanding performance(s), flash of skill, foul of the tournament, most negative team, worst match, biggest fix, "the game that shamed football," gloomiest fans, ghastliest TV commercial, etc. Today. Group A: Russia v. Saudi Arabia: Possibly the all-time least glamorous opening fixture of any world cup since time began, but we live in hope the two lowest ranked teams in tournament can magic up a thriller. If not, tomorrow schedule looks tasty. No, no, no, no, no!!!
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 14, 2018 15:16:08 GMT
This thread has lone voice howling at the moon written all over it, so let's get started. As ever, will be concentrating on all the great stuff - outstanding performance(s), flash of skill, foul of the tournament, most negative team, worst match, biggest fix, "the game that shamed football," gloomiest fans, ghastliest TV commercial, etc. Today. Group A: Russia v. Saudi Arabia: Possibly the all-time least glamorous opening fixture of any world cup since time began, but we live in hope the two lowest ranked teams in tournament can magic up a thriller. If not, tomorrow schedule looks tasty. No, no, no, no, no!!! Well, unless something spooky happens; then I shall rely on you to report.
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Post by mattofthespurs on Jun 15, 2018 7:27:44 GMT
Decent match. SA started well and then lost all composure and, too often, the ball.
VAR in play but not noticed (although all goals are checked. The second in particular had a massive offside that was missed by all).
Looking forward to the three matches today and four tomorrow!
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Post by dem bones on Jun 15, 2018 8:16:43 GMT
Russia 5 Saudi Arabia 0Russia, written off as no hopers before a ball was kicked, responded with a full throttle performance, admittedly versus desperately poor opposition who gave up the ghost at two nil. Super-sub Denis Cheryshev provided a brace of goal-of-the-tournament contenders. As ever, opening ceremony - featuring Robbie Williams, Aida Garifullina, V. Putin, a trim-looking 'Fat' Ronaldo, and the official match ball (which had just spent eight weeks aboard a space station) - had slightly hallucinatory Eurovision Song Contest/ Jeux Sans Frontières (ask your ancestors) feel to it. Spookwatch: Nothing to report yet but early days. Today! Group AEgypt V. Uruguay: Group BIran V Morocco: Portugal V Spain :
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Post by ripper on Jun 15, 2018 15:33:58 GMT
I was expecting a dull 0-0 draw between Russia and Saudi Arabia, not a goalfest. Difficult to tell at this stage if Russia are going to confound critics and escape the group as SA were so poor. Surely Uruguay and Egypt will give them far sterner tests.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jun 15, 2018 15:34:57 GMT
There's a World Cup going on?
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Jun 15, 2018 16:01:52 GMT
There's a World Cup going on? And what is it?
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Post by Mike Brough on Jun 16, 2018 9:09:35 GMT
There's a World Cup going on? And what is it? Well, last night it was a thing of beauty, flowing , committed football, graced by football's greatest narcissist. If the narcissism is wholly earned, is it still narcissism?
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Post by ripper on Jun 16, 2018 9:53:35 GMT
Portugal vs Spain was by far the best match so far. Wonderful free kick by you-know-who to get the draw for Portugal. I am sure that neutrals could have stood another hour of that with ease. I hope we shall see many more games of that quality and excitement during the competition.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 18, 2018 12:05:38 GMT
It's back! Vault's amazing up to the micro-second World Cup results service! Friday Group AEgypt 0 Uruguay 1: Terrible first half with only an outrageous dive by the Pharaohs' Abdallah El Said to relieve the tedium. Much the same until last 15 mins when Uruguay finally woke up. Luis Suarez, the sky blues talismanic half man, half Chupacabra, had a shocker, missing a sitter, blocking Edison Cavani's goal bound shot with his fangs, even failing to get send off for retaliatory punch at opponent's private parts. Group BIran 1 Morocco 0. Dour contest settled by spectacular injury time own goal. Horrible match to watch. Huge result for resilient Lions, PR disaster for Nike who, sucking up to Trump, refused to provide them with boots, thereby ensuring their sportswear sales across Asia flat-line. Portugal 3 Spain 3. If we see a better match over next four weeks we can consider ourselves spoilt rotten. Sure, Ronaldo's second owed everything to David de Gea's misguided Joe Hart tribute, but no question his was outstanding individual performance in a magnificent game. Ultimately, draw probably suited both, though Spain will feel they should have won it after a Nacho Fernández screamer put them in front for first time in match. Saturday 16th Group CAustralia 1 France 2. Socceroos desperately unfortunate not to have taken a deserved point from scrappy game. Les Blues squad of superstars needed a dubious penalty, a brilliant Hugo Lloris save (from his own player) and cruel deflection to see off a typically dogged Aussie performance. Denmark 1 Peru 0: Can't comment as missed second half. Inca's had better of first 45 but skied penalty cost them. Group DArgentina 1 Iceland 1: The bearded asteroids continue to smite the world, their dogged resistance messing with Messi's mind to point where he fluffed dubious penalty. Superstar support cast equally ineffectual. As ever, @rvkgrapevine put it best. "We knew #ISL would give #Messi some trouble, but we didn’t realise he’d end up a broken man, dropping to his knees, begging Birkir “horror hooves” Bjarnason to accept him into the Ásatrú religion." Croatia 2 Nigeria 0: Denied their magic shirts, the Super Eagles failed to put in anything resembling a performance. Croatia ground out unconvincing win courtesy of an own goal and a penalty conceded while defender was temporarily insane (see also Samuel Umtiti's moment of lunacy versus Australia). Sunday 17th Group ECosta Rica 0 Serbia 1: Watched this, can't recall much about it bar Kolarov's fab free-kick. Got a bit feisty toward end, bonus scrap on the sidelines. Brazil 1 Switzerland 1: Neymar's mob battered the Swiss for approx. half an hour, should have had more to show for it than Coutino's super scorcher, then, inexplicably, took their foot off the gas. A disputed net-busting header by iron neck Zubar bags equaliser. Exceptionally high foul count, with #1 Samba pin-up on receiving end of 95% of them. Group FGermany 0 Mexico 1: Chucky sure made it a HORROR SHOW for the "jinxed" World champs. Germany still likely to retain the damn thing but need to get their act together as 0-1 flattered them. National celebrations at final whistle reportedly caused an earth tremor in Mexico. Imagine if they come through the dreaded "game five." Today Group F: South Korea V. Sweden: Group GBelgium V. Panama England V. Tunisia
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jun 18, 2018 12:23:42 GMT
It's back! Vault's amazing up to the micro-second World Cup results service! Friday Group AEgypt 0 Uruguay 1: Terrible first half with only an outrageous dive by the Pharaohs' Abdallah El Said to relieve the tedium. Much the same until last 15 mins when Uruguay finally woke up. Luis Suarez, the sky blues talismanic half man, half Chupacabra, had a shocker, missing a sitter, blocking Edison Cavani's goal bound shot with his fangs, even failing to get send off for retaliatory punch at opponent's private parts. Group BIran 1 Morocco 0. Dour contest settled by spectacular injury time own goal. Horrible match to watch. Huge result for resilient Lions, PR disaster for Nike who, sucking up to Trump, refused to provide them with boots, thereby ensuring their sportswear sales across Asia flat-line. Portugal 3 Spain 3. If we see a better match over next four weeks we can consider ourselves spoilt rotten. Sure, Ronaldo's second owed everything to David de Gea's misguided Joe Hart tribute, but no question his was outstanding individual performance in a magnificent game. Ultimately, draw probably suited both, though Spain will feel they should have won it after a Nacho Fernández screamer put them in front for first time in match. Saturday 16th Group CAustralia 1 France 2. Socceroos desperately unfortunate not to have taken a deserved point from scrappy game. Les Blues squad of superstars needed a dubious penalty, a brilliant Hugo Lloris save (from his own player) and cruel deflection to see off a typically dogged Aussie performance. Denmark 1 Peru 0: Can't comment as missed second half. Inca's had better of first 45 but skied penalty cost them. Group DArgentina 1 Iceland 1: The bearded asteroids continue to smite the world, their dogged resistance messing with Messi's mind to point where he fluffed dubious penalty. Superstar support cast equally ineffectual. As ever, @rvkgrapevine put it best. "We knew #ISL would give #Messi some trouble, but we didn’t realise he’d end up a broken man, dropping to his knees, begging Birkir “horror hooves” Bjarnason to accept him into the Ásatrú religion." Croatia 2 Nigeria 0: Denied their magic shirts, the Super Eagles failed to put in anything resembling a performance. Croatia ground out unconvincing win courtesy of an own goal and a penalty conceded while defender was temporarily insane (see also Samuel Umtiti's moment of lunacy versus Australia). Sunday 17th Group ECosta Rica 0 Serbia 1: Watched this, can't recall much about it bar Kolarov's fab free-kick. Got a bit feisty toward end, bonus scrap on the sidelines. Brazil 1 Switzerland 1: Neymar's mob battered the Swiss for approx. half an hour, should have had more to show for it than Coutino's super scorcher, then, inexplicably, took their foot off the gas. A disputed net-busting header by iron neck Zubar bags equaliser. Exceptionally high foul count, with #1 Samba pin-up on receiving end of 95% of them. Group FGermany 0 Mexico 1: Chucky sure made it a HORROR SHOW for the "jinxed" World champs. Germany still likely to retain the damn thing but need to get their act together as 0-1 flattered them. National celebrations at final whistle reportedly caused an earth tremor in Mexico. Imagine if they come through the dreaded "game five." Today Group F: South Korea V. Sweden: Group GBelgium V. Panama England V. TunisiaAm I on the wrong website?
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Post by Shrink Proof on Jun 18, 2018 15:15:54 GMT
Am I on the wrong website? IIRC, there were World Cup threads in this cathedral of crud during previous competitions. I for one salute dem's resilience in forcing himself to endure some truly dire contests; if he sat through Iran v Morocco it may well be that he is not yet back on solid food.
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Post by ripper on Jun 18, 2018 15:36:58 GMT
Morocco vs Iran I have to agree was awful. It seemed to deteriorate as a spectacle as time went on.
At the moment, Renaldo has the bragging rights over his superstar rivals from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and Spain vs Portugal remains the best game so far imo.
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Post by helrunar on Jun 18, 2018 16:43:02 GMT
Am I on the wrong website? IIRC, there were World Cup threads in this cathedral of crud during previous competitions. I for one salute dem's resilience in forcing himself to endure some truly dire contests; if he sat through Iran v Morocco it may well be that he is not yet back on solid food. That sounds worthy of a Guy N. Smith novel... cheers, H.
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