2018-06-30, 15:14 | Link #5941 |
Snobby Gentleman
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Monterrey, México
Age: 43
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This World Cup will be long remembered not only because of the large amounts of own goals, penalty shots, and last minute goals awarded, as well as controversial decisions coming from the VAR, but also due that in this day marked the farewell and good-bye to two aces:
- Lionel Messi for Argentina. - and Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. Uruguay 2 - 1 Portugal. The match Uruguay vs Portugal during the first half was played dull and bland, and the Uruguayans pretty much scored the first one by chance. However, it wasn't until Portugal netted the equalizer in the second half that both teams awoke and from there the game turned out full of adrenaline and exciting, at least for about 25 minutes after the equalizer. It was good to see the Uruguayans being cautious not to leave Cristiano alone for him to get any chances at dealing damage in their goal area. Moreover, Gavani for Uruguay brilliantly led his team to victory with his second goal in the same match. First quarter-finals game will be Uruguay vs France. |
2018-07-01, 02:11 | Link #5944 |
大佐
Join Date: Jun 2013
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I think Deschamps is stifling the team with his overly careful style. He should've put more emphasis on possession-oriented ball. Now you have a team that has been centred onto defensive counter-football, but can they still play good defense when they are forced into a possession-type of football?
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2018-07-01, 11:55 | Link #5945 |
Snobby Gentleman
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Monterrey, México
Age: 43
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Russia defeats Spain and goes to quarter-finals.
So, basically, the Russian strategy became an endurance game to resist all the way from after scoring the equalizer to the penalty shootout and paid-off with Spain, eventually, wearing themselves down at extra time. Just in one match Ignashevich fell hard from that own goal in order to rise redeeming himself by scoring his penalty shot at the shootouts. However, the true star of the match was the Russian goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev. I mean when Spain shot its last penalty I thought Aspas blew away the ball, however, the video repetition clearly showed how the ball bounce off from Akinfeev's foot as if kicked it away. Spain 1 - 1 Russia Penalties (3 - 4) |
2018-07-01, 12:20 | Link #5946 |
I Miss NEET Life
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Formerly Iwakawa base and Chaldea. Now Teyvat, the Astral Express & the Outpost
Age: 44
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Highlight of the match:
"I'm late for school! Watch out! Senpai!" Out of principle, I am still rooting for my team. But deep inside, after seeing how that Russian campaign is savage for the big boys, I am hoping for Belgium to win, for the best Belgian joke ever.
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2018-07-01, 15:56 | Link #5947 |
Snobby Gentleman
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Monterrey, México
Age: 43
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Another eighth finals match that got resolved in the penalty shootout.
Unlike the game Spain vs Russia, both the Croatian and Danish teams played evenly in the field from regular to extra time. Neither of them conceding terrain from the other as well as pressuring each other back to their side of the field. Likely, the focus this match will be remembered for would be Croatia keeping on the suspense factor after Modric failed the penalty shot three minutes before extra time had run out, that could have spared the Croatians further anxiety. Nevertheless, both teams had to resolve the score in the penalty shootouts which became a contest between Sukovich vs Schmeichel. Both teams failed and scored equally with Modric redeeming himself for the previous shot he failed at extra time. At the end, Sukovich rose while Schmeichel fell in the shootouts. That's how the penalty shootouts must be full of drama, adrenaline, anguish, and with both teams playing the same level. Croatia 1 - 1 Denmark Penalties (3 - 2) Second quarter-finals match: Russia vs. Croatia. Last edited by Guido; 2018-07-01 at 21:46. |
2018-07-02, 15:44 | Link #5952 | |
大佐
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Quote:
Japan today was quite different. Sure, they played defensive, but they regularly mixed in some good possessions with the ball. They played as offensive as a team could have, facing such an overwhelming favourite. I also don't agree that they should've played more defensive. Japan's problems were mainly twofold. One is bad goalkeeping. Kawashima's defence against the corner prior to the 1:2 was pitiful. Such a ball needs to be punched far out of the danger zone. Two is simply the physical disadvantage. Every high cross into the penalty area was high danger since the Belgians were effectively a head's length taller than the Japanese. Only the 3:2 was bad defensive awareness by the Japanese. You must never allow a goal as a result of a counterattack following a corner that was intercepted by the goalkeeper. If somebody would've just positioned himself in front of Courtois after he caught the ball this counter would've never happened.
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2018-07-02, 15:44 | Link #5953 |
Sleepy Lurker
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Nun'yabiznehz
Age: 38
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Having little interest in soccer and not being in the mood to watch the telly this evening, I practically had a minute-by-minute summary of what was going on just listening to the expletives, moans of disappointment and squeals of excitement emanating from my neighbor's house (they left their doors and windows wide open due to the sweltering heat). Then I heard the big vocal explosion and now all I hear are car horns in the streets. :-/
...And my mother was actually rooting for Japan, hoping that a loss would put an early end to all this soccer hoopla. But well, congrats to the Red Devils, I guess.
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2018-07-02, 17:57 | Link #5954 | |||
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: A city with a small mountain in the middle
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Quote:
Quote:
Yeah, Spain were very passive while Russia did nothing. But as you probably saw a lot of football like I do, how you get through to the next round matters very little when you have reached single elimination matches. It's either you do or you don't, especially when Japan were so close of creating one of the biggest upsets in recent World Cup history. Quote:
In the first half, I told my friend that Japan were defending a little bit like how Portugal defended against France in the Euro final. For some reason, I saw none of that after Japan scored 2 goals. On the last goal, I was more furious about why Japan did not pull 6 or 7 players back into a defensive position against possible counterattacks. The thing that Belgium dreaded most, except for losing the match, was to take the match into extra time. If Japan held the line, Belgium would have burned all energy reserves they needed against Brazil. When I think of how Japan crumbled, I can only think of the match in which France led 3-1 against West Germany in Sevilla (1982) before they got scored on twice and finally lost on penalties. I wasn't born back then, but older folks told me how it felt for the French back then. Today's result is as close as you can get to that extremely cruel moment. Now that it is over, I only hope there is a future Japan head coach somewhere (Japanese or foreign, it doesn't matter) who saw today's match and who will drill Japan to play a very tight defensive game when needed to. That was how Aimé Jacquet was able to break the curse of Sevilla 1982 and then win the World Cup at last. |
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2018-07-03, 16:03 | Link #5958 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
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I will call this Euro cup 2018 from this day on. And I can't really congratulate England because they didn't deserve it. Whoever made the decision to choose this referee needs to be called out on that. Because that was clearly favoritism that he was doing trough the match.
A disputable penalty, clear corner not given, horrible decisions and many more things.
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