Oof. Getting ugly.

 

I am still rooting for France, but I do have a soft spot for Croatia. Hoping they at least get another goal to make things interesting.

YES YES YES.   FRANCE.   2nd youngest team in the WC too.   2022  wow !

Props to Croatia for keeping at it, but France played mature and clever. Most goals in a final since 1966, only 1958 was higher scoring. 

Wish the final had lived up to some of the drama that the earlier games exhibited, regardless there were some really fun goals to get excited over. 

Overall I really enjoyed this year's cup. Lots of fun stuff and it always kept you guessing.

What. A Fuck. Ing. World. Cup.

I'm actually a little bit depressed it's all over because it was a legit great World Cup. I have very vague memories of Italia 90 so I'm not including that but out of the seven World Cups I have seen, it's the greatest one.

I'm very much in support of VAR but it can still very much come down to human error and the ref made a balls up on that decision so Croatia can feel hard done by there (and you have to feel bad for Modric having to trudge up there to collect his award. Not since, well, Messi in the last World Cup has a player looked so unhappy to win an award) but, overall, I think France are worthy winners. Them and Belgium were the two best teams in the tournament. 

Next year is one of those shitty odd number ending years when there isn't a Euros or a World Cup too.

There's the womens world cup next year.

Well, that makes me sound like a sexist pig.

I had no idea that was next year.

Which makes me sound even more like a sexist pig. I'll stop now.

Team of the Tournament?

Courtois, Varane, Godin, Pogba, Kante, Hazard, Modric, Lukaku and Mbappe are in along with 2 others I'm undecided about, out of maybe Trippier, Maguire, Coutinho, Perisic, Vrsaljko et al.

The BBC had Chadli's last second goal against Japan as Goal of the Tournament. I'd probably have slightly went for Messi's against Nigeria over Pavard's against Argentina. Messi's was a goal only a genius could score.

I almost fell out of my chair watching the rain pour down soaking everyone on the podium with the exception of Putin who had his own umbrella carrier 

Going by technique alone I still go with Nacho's goal against Portugal. 

And, of course, when the minions were dispatched to get more umbrellas, Putin's was still the biggest one.

On 7/15/2018 at 2:40 PM, Fuzzy Dunlop said:

Team of the Tournament?

Lloris; Vrsaljko, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas; Pogba, Rakitic, Kante; Mbappe, Griezmann, Hazard

What a World Cup. As an England fan, the Columbia and Sweden games stand out, more so the former with a penalty shootout win. Favourite game was South Korea vs. Germany and France vs. Argentina.

As ever, fuck FIFA and Neymar Jr.

Bonus:

On 7/15/2018 at 7:40 PM, Fuzzy Dunlop said:

The BBC had Chadli's last second goal against Japan as Goal of the Tournament. I'd probably have slightly went for Messi's against Nigeria over Pavard's against Argentina. Messi's was a goal only a genius could score.

Pavard's for me.

Are we still putting national team stuff here vs the other thread? 

 

7 hours ago, odessasteps said:

Are we still putting national team stuff here vs the other thread? 

 

THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let that fucking nitwit and his notebook stay as far away from American soccer as possible.

O’Neill and Keane Out as Irish bosses.

Mick in?