World Cup 2022

[Wolf29]

Conceding a late goal is a feature in football
The team defending their lead loses focus, the losing team takes it up a notch and momentum shifts,
yes 6 vs 4 looked pretty bad with acres of space for the Croatian counter attackers.

hehe yes I am familiar with late goal since I grew up as a Man United fan and they used to score a lot in the infamous Fergie time.

I just feel that they didn't learn from their past mistake. 1 week earlier, they conceded a goal in the 90 +2mins against Cameroon. So why push for a second goal and exposed yourself when you have the result in your hands.

I know that we usually think of Brazil as a team that plays flamboyant attacking football but if you look closer at their stats during the group stage, you would notice that they were not clinical enough upfront with 57 shots, 21 shots on target but only 3 little goals. On the other hand, they didn't concede a single shot on target against Serbia, Switzerland and it took Croatia 115mins to get one. Moral of the story, play to your strength and secure the result.

 

[Wolf29]

Semi-final predictions.

Argentina vs Croatia - Croatia
France vs Morocco - Morocco

Defense wins games. Will be a boring final.

I hope that you are right about Croatia . Before the start of the tournament, I had a few tiny bets on them and Denmark to win their group, reach the quarter final(+300), semi final(+900), final(+1900) and win the competition(+5000). I was mad when I saw how bad Denmark were and gutted when I noticed that Croatia was on the wrong side of the bracket with Brazil and Argentina.

I think that we are getting a boring final no matter who goes through. Croatia and Morocco are confirmed defensive teams. France has no issue playing counter attacking football like they did against Poland in the 1st half and England yesterday. I think the final will be Argentina - France with Argentina winning it in the end.

 

[jsanchez]

hehe yes I am familiar with late goal since I grew up as a Man United fan and they used to score a lot in the infamous Fergie time.

I just feel that they didn't learn from their past mistake. 1 week earlier, they conceded a goal in the 90 +2mins against Cameroon. So why push for a second goal and exposed yourself when you have the result in your hands.

I know that we usually think of Brazil as a team that plays flamboyant attacking football but if you look closer at their stats during the group stage, you would notice that they were not clinical enough upfront with 57 shots, 21 shots on target but only 3 little goals. On the other hand, they didn't concede a single shot on target against Serbia, Switzerland and it took Croatia 115mins to get one. Moral of the story, play to your strength and secure the result.

Very good points but i'll have to add, their game result and performance against S. Korea were very deceiving.
The vaunted Brazil playing flamboyant football is a myth (at least nowadays). Barely winning against Switzerland and Serbia
showed them to be a just above average squad (with many talented and flashy players no doubt). Serbia and Switzerland were not that good in hindsight.
And the team that lost to Cameroon is anything but a B team, even though the game was a bit meaningless.

 

[jsanchez]

Time for one last bold prediction (most of my predictions have failed in this WC)
Argentina-France final, Messi will win it.

...I think that we are getting a boring final no matter who goes through. Croatia and Morocco are confirmed defensive teams. France has no issue playing counter attacking football like they did against Poland in the 1st half and England yesterday. I think the final will be Argentina - France with Argentina winning it in the end.

See my bold prediction above

I think Giroud et. al will crack open the Moroccan defense.
I don't know if Morocco is a team that can come from behind, they have yet to concede a goal first lol

Messi's Argentina are highly motivated and have a lot of supporters in the stands. Looking forward to seeing the clash of styles.

 

[CrispyCrunch]

I feel like it’s Groundhog Day watching England at these tournaments. This is the World Cup of the underdog with upsets galore, except for England of course sticking to the status quo, beating lesser teams than them but losing the moment they come up against a team slightly better than them.

Only England could largely outplay their opponent in a knockout round, win 2 penalties but still find a way to lose the match.

When they zoomed out from Kane’s face in the build up to the second pen to show the full view, I immediately said “why is his run up so short compared to usual?” Of course he leaned back, got under the ball and ballooned it over. Supposedly he did the same thing on his second penalty against Frankfurt this year. Obviously hasn’t learned from it.

 

[danmand]

My bet is on France.

 

[Addict2sex]

What is the FIFA World Cup Trophy Made Of?

This infographic explores the history and composition of the FIFA World Cup trophy ahead of the 22nd edition of the competition.

elements.visualcapitalist.com

What is the FIFA World Cup Trophy Made Of?

What is the FIFA World Cup Trophy Made Of?
Soccer is one of the world’s most popular sports with approximately 3.5 billion fans globally.

It was in Uruguay, in 1930, that the very first FIFA World Cup was held. It has occurred once every four years since then (except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II).

This year, 92 years after its start, the 22nd FIFA World Cup tournament is scheduled to take place in Qatar. The highly anticipated event involves 32 national teams that will compete to win one of the most prestigious titles and a historic trophy.

So, what is the coveted FIFA World Cup trophy made up of?

The History and Composition of FIFA World Cup Trophies
Since its debut in the first FIFA World Cup tournament, in 1930, there have been two iterations of the World Cup trophy. Both trophies were made with a combination of metals and rare stones.

Until 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy, designed by the French sculptor Abel Lafleur, glorified the winning team. A redesigned version of the trophy by Silvio Gazzaniga replaced the original in the 1974 FIFA World Cup tournament.

The Jules Rimet Trophy
Commonly called the Coupe du Monde (French for World Cup), the Jules Rimet trophy was officially renamed in 1946, honoring the then FIFA president Jules Rimet on his 25th Anniversary in office.

The trophy had a height of 35cm and weighed 3.8kg. It was made of gold-plated sterling silver and featured Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, holding an octagonal cup. The base of the trophy was made from a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli. Golden plates were attached to each side of the base and they held the names of the winning teams from 1930 to 1970.

Since the beginning, it was agreed that the first team to win the World Cup three times would get to permanently keep the trophy. In 1970, Brazil marked its third victory by beating Italy in the finals and took the Jules Rimet trophy home.

However, in 1983, the trophy that even survived World War 2 was stolen from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and was never found. The only original piece of the Jules Rimet trophy in existence is the base that was replaced in 1954 to accommodate more winning-team names.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy
After handing over Abel Lafleur’s original trophy to Brazil in 1970, FIFA held a design competition in search of a new World Cup trophy. The association received 53 submissions from seven countries and Silvio Gazzaniga’s design of two human figures holding the Earth in their hands won the competition.

This new trophy is 36.5cm tall and weighs 6.17kg. It is made from 5kg of 18-karat gold and two layers of malachite. The base of the trophy is 13cm in diameter and the names of all winning teams since 1974 along with the years are engraved on it. This current iteration of the World Cup trophy can accommodate the names of 17 winning countries and years.

Unlike the Jules Rimet trophy, the current iteration of the trophy will not be handed over to a team definitively. It permanently belongs to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and is secured at its Zurich headquarters.

However, a gold-plated bronze replica of the cup referred to as the World Cup Winners’ Trophy is given to every winning team.

Battle Royal: The 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament is long awaited by billions of passionate soccer fans.

It could be the final opportunity for two of the world’s best players—Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi—to lift the World Cup trophy as they supposedly plan to retire from international games before the next World Cup.

This year, will your favorite national team be able to pose for a victory picture holding the golden trophy in their hands?

 

[jsanchez]

I feel like it’s Groundhog Day watching England at these tournaments. This is the World Cup of the underdog with upsets galore, except for England of course sticking to the status quo, beating lesser teams than them but losing the moment they come up against a team slightly better than them.

Only England could largely outplay their opponent in a knockout round, win 2 penalties but still find a way to lose the match.

When they zoomed out from Kane’s face in the build up to the second pen to show the full view, I immediately said “why is his run up so short compared to usual?” Of course he leaned back, got under the ball and ballooned it over. Supposedly he did the same thing on his second penalty against Frankfurt this year. Obviously hasn’t learned from it.

A bit unfair to Kane, I did think he hesitated a bit, all the pressure was on him not on Lloris.

 

[Wolf29]

Very good points but i'll have to add, their game result and performance against S. Korea were very deceiving.
The vaunted Brazil playing flamboyant football is a myth (at least nowadays). Barely winning against Switzerland and Serbia
showed them to be a just above average squad (with many talented and flashy players no doubt). Serbia and Switzerland were not that good in hindsight.
And the team that lost to Cameroon is anything but a B team, even though the game was a bit meaningless.

To be honest, even I thought they were an attacking team because I based myself on their individual talents, past match highlights and their stats during the world cup qualifiers where they were scoring on average 2.35 goals and conceding 0.29 goals in 17 matches. However, looking closer to their group stage stats was an eye opener for me as I understood that they were not as deadly in front but extremely solid at the back.

hehe yes that match against S. Korea was an illusion and didn't depict a true picture of who they were as a team.

Sure that match against Cameroon was meaningless but you have Ederson, Jesus, Fabinho, Anthony, Martinelli in a "B" team, there is not a consequent drop in level. This is why I think that most of the fault for their elimination is on the coach. He also didn't make Neymar take the penalty among the first 3 players which is simply mind blowing.

 

[Wolf29]

My bet is on France.

Honestly any of those 4 teams are deserving winners.

Are you guys surprised like me by how far France went? Before the tournament, I personally thought that they would be eliminated after the group stage as I had them finishing 2nd in their group and facing Argentina next. From May to Dec, their odds to win the world cup went from +350 to +700-800.

Why?
- From June to September, they were absolutely appalling in the Nations league and almost got relegated to the B league. They went 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses against Croatia, Denmark and Austria with 5 goals scored and 7 conceded.

- They had even more injuries with Nkunku, Benzema, Lucas Hernandez, Maignan, Kimpembe joining Kante and Pogba on the injury list.

- There were some internal drama going on like the sex allegations against the president of their federation, the Pogba-Mbappe witch doctor story and Zidane's shadows leaning over Deschamps's position. The French press was expecting a possible implosion like in 2010 in South Africa.

- Deschamps choosing to bring players like Pavard, Kounde and Lucas Hernandez as wing backs when those guys prefer to play as central defenders. He also didn't select real wing backs like Mendy(R. Madrid), Digne(A. Villa) and Clauss(Marseille).

- Griezmann poor form for both club and country.


Yes Mbappe is currently the best player in the world but he didn't contribute much yesterday. I also know that the coach reverted from a 3-4-3 to a more stable 4-5-1 and that Griezmann is back to form now but it is still amazing to see how well they did as a diminished team.

 

[Wolf29]

See my bold prediction above

I think Giroud et. al will crack open the Moroccan defense.
I don't know if Morocco is a team that can come from behind, they have yet to concede a goal first lol

Messi's Argentina are highly motivated and have a lot of supporters in the stands. Looking forward to seeing the clash of styles.

Extremely bold indeed !

The determining factor could well be on how many injured players that Moroccan team will have. That being said we can be sure that they will fight for their lives irrespective of who will start. I wouldn't be surprised if they can keep Mbappe quiet like England did. We can't exclude that this match goes to penalty shoot out and Canadian born Bounou could well emerge as the hero once again.

This is what they Moroccan coach had to say after they beat Portugal. The interview was in French so I had to translate: "We are the Rocky Balboa of this competition. We don't have as many individualities as the other teams but we got heart and worked hard. A journalist asked me 3-4 matches ago if we could win the world cup and I answered why not. Who can keep us from dreaming. Dreaming is free and we can't expect anyone to serve it to us on a plate. Today we sent a real message by beating the teams that we faced on our path. That being said, we still haven't achieve anything. We are 1 step away from the final and right now we need to rest. If we are at 100%, we will be a tough team to beat and this is the message that I want to communicate to our future opponent."

 

[Don Draper]

Sure, these incidents are remembered but they have zero bearing on their legacies.

They are first and foremost all remembered for being among the greatest athletes of all time.

But if someone has a personal grudge against an athlete, their perspective on their accomplishments is skewed by that person's bias.

Who has not succumbed to the passing of the years?

Well, and that's just it...isn't?

You can be a great athlete and an excellent professional.

You can be a great athlete and a shitty professional.

It's all Part & Parcel of the legacy you leave behind.

 

[AndrewX]

English fans fuming with hate after Mbappe was caught laughing at the penalty Kane missed.




French star Kylian Mbappe was pictured laughing after England captain Harry Kane fired his second penalty over the crossbar, as the reigning world champions earned a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals in Qatar.

Kane had earlier brought his side level from the spot after Aurelien Tchouameni's first half opener, equalling Wayne Rooney's England goalscoring record in the process.

The 29-year-old was required to repeat the feat in the 84th minute when England awarded a second penalty, just minutes after Olivier Giroud had headed France back in front.

Kane faced his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris for the second time in the dying minutes, but the goalkeeper was not required as the England captain sent the spot-kick over the crossbar.

The miss prompted a ruthless reaction from Mbappe, with the French superstar pictured brutally laughing on broadcast images.

Mbappe had previously suffered his own penalty heartbreak with France, after missing the decisive kick in his nation's shock shootout defeat to Switzerland at Euro 2020.

England were left to rue the penalty miss with Gareth Southgate's side unable to find a late equaliser.

Kylian Mbappe laughs at Harry Kane penalty as England exit World Cup

French star Kylian Mbappe was pictured laughing after England captain Harry Kane fired his second penalty over the crossbar, as the reigning world champions earned a 2-1 victory in the last eight tie.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[AndrewX]

In other news, the famous German goalie Manuel Neuer is out of the rest of the season with Bayern after he broke his leg skiing after Fifa.

Manuel Neuer: Germany and Bayern captain suffers season-ending skiing injury

Germany and Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer's season is over after the goalkeeper broke his leg skiing.

www.bbc.com

 

[shack]

Well, and that's just it...isn't?

Nope. Not at all.

Just because you don't like somebody because of their personality, it does not diminish their accomplishments one iota.

How their careers end as they get too old to compete as they did before, is insignificant. Nobody is immune to that. Almost every athlete competes waaay past their prime. The ego that drove them to believe that they're the best and they proved it, is the same ego that makes them believe that they still can do it. It's almost an inevitable flaw. Ali is almost universally accepted as the greatest, but he left the ring pummeled and a shadow of what he once was. But he's still the greatest. Ronaldo got benched for a game and a half, but he's still one of the all-time greats. Willy Mays is another. Probably one of the top 3 or 4 in all of baseball history, he was probably an embarrassment towards the end. Does anybody really give a shit and say that it diminishes career? Maybe if someone hated him for some unbeknownst reason. Otherwise, not one whit.

If somebody's career ends in and because of disgrace, a la Lance Armstrong, is much different than being relegated to bench player because of one's age and the concomitant loss of skills. It's the natural progression of things.

Feel free to hate Ronaldo, but your bias is meaningless when one looks at his overall career objectively.

 

[shack]

English fans fuming with hate after Mbappe was caught laughing at the penalty Kane missed.




French star Kylian Mbappe was pictured laughing after England captain Harry Kane fired his second penalty over the crossbar, as the reigning world champions earned a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals in Qatar.

Cup.html[/URL]

Was he actually hahahaing for several seconds or did the camera capture him at an instant of joy where it could interpreted as a full throttle guffaw.

 

[Wolf29]

Was he actually hahahaing for several seconds or did the camera capture him at an instant of joy where it could interpreted as a full throttle guffaw.

It was for several seconds but I think it was just because he was happy and not to mock Kane. We know that he is someone who is extremely ambitious and wants to win the Ballon d'or award so if France goes further and does the double, his chance of winning will increase significantly.

I doubt that he forgot that he also missed a penalty as well last year when France got eliminated at the Euro cup because of that.

 

[Don Draper]

Nope. Not at all.

Just because you don't like somebody because of their personality, it does not diminish their accomplishments one iota.

Actually, as a sports fan, I'm very confident that any athlete would prefer to be remembered as "an excellent athlete and a gentleman" rather than "an excellent athlete and an asshole". They both go together. It's not just about athletic achievement.

In this WC, Ronaldo didn't perform well because of age or lack of skills and that's the problem. He performed badly because of his petulant attitude. After being subbed off against South Korea he openly expressed his disdain and embarrassed his coach in the process. So much so that Santos said: "that Ronaldo’s attitude was becoming a distraction". CR7's selfish and childish attitude prevailed more than his skills. So as a responsible coach who has to stand his ground and keep face, he had to bench Ronaldo.

This is what hurt the team because his experience is so valuable on the pitch. He could have played more and the results for his team could have been different. They might have advanced. No player can put himself above the team or openly disdain your coach. Those conversations are to be had in private, not shown on the pitch.

This is what will be remembered about CR7 with his national team at the 2022 WC.

 

[jalimon]

It was for several seconds but I think it was just because he was happy and not to mock Kane. We know that he is someone who is extremely ambitious and wants to win the Ballon d'or award so if France goes further and does the double, his chance of winning will increase significantly.

I doubt that he forgot that he also missed a penalty as well last year when France got eliminated at the Euro cup because of that.

Exactly. He was just happy they remained in the lead. As for Kane's ball NASA has reported they spotted it after it's second orbit turn

As much as I am a fan of Messi and even more of Modric in this WC I am impressed by Griezman. He's playing a different position then his usual striker or right wing position. He's playing the position Pogba should be and, surprisingly for me, is mastering it very well. Without Kante and Pogba I was afraid France's midfield was too weak. Griezman is delivering the job so far.

 

[Insidious Von]

This is what will be remembered about CR7 with his national team at the 2022 WC.

Our honourable friend Donato Draper is being a hypocrite, he's trumping up CR7's flaws while ignoring those of his hero Messi. So let's balance the table.

Both CR7 and The Cockroach are tax evaders, CR7 ended up paying $20 million in arrears and fines while Messi got a kiss on the wrist from the Catalan Magistrate. Messi's heritage is from San Severino in Le Marche, yet he can't speak a word of Italian, he initially became a EU domestic from an Italian passport. His money grubbing ways was one of the reasons Barcelona we're financially driven into the ground. He hasn't won any trophies since Xavi and Iniesta retired, I hope Modric and Croatia kick his ass.

Last but not least, CR7 has too much class to shill for a terrorist State....who will win the WC, anybody but Argentina.

Ronaldo Nazario > Messi.