Neil Young - Little Wing

Chocolate Watchband - Gossamer Wings

Boy, an interesting golden boot award chase, I sure don't want to jinx anyone.

https://uk.soccerway.com/international/world/world-cup/2018-russia/group-stage/r32579/

Kane

Ronaldo

Lukaku

Cheryshev

Diego Costa

And that's just the beginning.

It isn't about FIFA in this case.

http://www.football-oranje.com/world-cup-1978kidnapconspiraciesand-another-dutch-final-defeat/

Actually, I think Scotland had some sort of memorable game as well.

Quote

The game against Scotland is still remembered as one of the all time classic World Cup games, thanks to Archie Gemmills jinking run and finish, while Johnny Reps blast from 30 yards into the top corner wasn’t too bad either.

But a good article, one can believe what they want. I think it was a pretty awful World Cup where Peru threw a match for Argentina to advance. Lots of articles on it and all world cups.

...

So, I'm sure one has read up or remembers how Argentina made the Dutch wait for the National Anthem.

Accusations of speed use by the Argies, that's pretty well known.

Throwing games for Argentina to advance, grain shipments from Peru, call it a great World Cup. We can all read up on it ourselves.

By the way, this is why they play these games at the same time now, so no one can cheat.

I definitely would not say '78 and there's lots suggesting that World Cup was pretty corrupt.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2098970/Argentina-cheated-World-Cup-1978-says-Peru-senator.html

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Argentina 78 was pretty good, unless you come from Jockland.

I really enjoyed '90 despite a lot of draws, '86 too, '94 is said to be a very good one with a lacklustre final.

There's a lot of parity, read equality in these teams, that's why Iceland did well at the Euro, that's why Sweden came back despite the heartbreaking loss to Germany. That's why South Korea played so well versus Germany.

If England play Japan, I think there's a good chance of that, assume nothing,

And that's who I assume will be England's opponent, Japan. very methodical.

Mexico played the game of their life vs. Germany imo.

Sweden played one of their best ever as well......today versus Mexico.

Serbia today? I give them a chance.

VAR, it's not so much against domestic referees, bad reffing has been very detrimental to the World Cup,

EuroCup has been good enough, I'd say.

OFFSIDE, Korea pushed one through, probably won't count...heckuva suspsense here, SK may go up.... maybe not... I think it will be a goal...

GOOOOL KOREA

Leading scorer for Germany all time, Miroslav Klose, it really shows you how much he did for the Nationalmannschaft,   I suppose Michael Ballack did a lot for them too.

Heck, even if Germany don't advance, over the long term, always almost being in the finals or semis of the Euro or World Cup, you'd have to be happy if you were a German fan.

I watched South Korea play Mexico, they were pretty good. I wouldn't always be talking down these other teams....I turned the Germany/Korea game on, that Sweden Mexico match is really something though, memorable....especially after the way Sweden got swatted down just this past weekend, heartbreaker.

Germany 0 0 Korea, sorry, I had it up with my picks....let's see....

14 minutes ago, Husky said:

That certainly would explain how a midget was able to out-jump a 6ft goalkeeper.

Super Maraio

 

Let me be clear, it is in Maradona's background, whether he did that in Mexico,  I certainly do not know.  Maradona is a ton of talent,  sort of revolutionized the game and also with an asterisk. Those Tour de France cyclists did that blood doping, I personally wonder about Zizou, I don't mean to knock him. Just the way things are.

Swedes given a chance at a PK, it looks real to me..... that would make it 2-0 if they make it....

Maradona is from my era when I started watching football. He's larger than life, I don't even mind him as a human being with his personal foibles; but it appears pretty clear, doping and not just cocaine probably influenced his play. He may not be by a long shot the only footballer who has.  It would not surprise me if some other 'stars' might have done some blood doping.  So, Maradona has an asterisk by his name. I don't think he did it in an overly sinister way, I think a lot of "speed", amphetamine was used in South America during that time.

No way to I consider Messi, without a billion dollar half of the Spanish world/euro champion midfield, the best player in the world.

This is not a politics forum, I will say, Argentina seem to have a decent president now.  I don't know if this current president would be into this Falklands/Malvinas activism but I doubt it.  In May, Boris Johnson went to Argentina to honour the war dead, I thought on both sides of the conflict (this is also the 2nd time a British dignitary has done something like this: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/19/boris-johnson-to-lay-falklands-wreath-in-argentina-latin-america-trip  

Argentina were a troubled country for quite a number of years or decades. They have also had good basketball teams in the Olympics and so on. They seem to be on the right track now.

Yes, that's a penalty:

Croatia look like one of the best to me, I think Mexico is as well. I'm not positive if Mexico is going to route Sweden though later on. For the Swedes, win or go home.  The match has me baffled some.  Serbia's not a bad team either but they are playing Brazil.

Most penalty kicks  ever in the group stage in this World Cup ( https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/world-cup/news/thanks-to-var-the-world-cup-record-for-most-penalty-kicks-has-been-shattered-in-russia-2018-group-stage/ ). I'm not saying this is good or bad, we are in uncharted territory.  It seems most games have a penalty kick awarded. At times, there seems the danger of exchanging penalties. That happened in Australia vs. France, France given a pk, then, minutes later, Australia.  In older World Cups, it seems one could watch 3 or 4 games, no penalties given.

1 hour ago, Husky said:

Var is Great

Not sure if you guys following UK coverage (more suppressive) will have seen this, but it was shown on the coverage from the 'cameras on the other side of the pitch'.

Suppressive? It's Russia who is 138th out of 180 countries for freedom of the press, I'm sure as heck not going to believe them. Non-free elections and on down the line.

As the announcers have said quite a few times, ARG has defeated NIGERIA 4 times in the WC. It's wanting to avoid that 5th time I think is really motivating the Super Eagles.

These matches really get crazy if it's down to the last 5 minutes and a team faces elimination if they don't score.

I don't know about giving a pen for this, if they do....looks like it bounced around the Argentine.

Moses is saving Nigeria....