2018 World Cup Thread

[Ragnar]

Unfortunate game for Croatia. They dominated early on and found themselves down 0-1. Then came back to even it with a great goal. Then the penalty kick. That's where the downward spiral started. But I blame Vida, or whatever his name is for that. That poor attempt at a header to clear gave France that corner.

[ukhotstove]

The ref decided the outcome of the game, a poor ref tarnished one of the best finals for a good few years.

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

The ref decided the outcome of the game, a poor ref tarnished one of the best finals for a good few years.

I don't get this. It was clearly a hand ball, the replay showed this. It is also not like Croatia lost 2-1, the final score was 4-2. The way France turned it on in the second half leads me to believe that France would still have won that match even if that penalty kick wasn't awarded.

[TheMaus2]

Originally Posted by Hageneezz

So hoped Croatia would win. I don't like the playing style of France.

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Loved their style, loved the first half of the match. Shame Croatia fell apart in the second

[TheMaus2]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

I was neutral on who I wanted to win but hopefully Croatia comeback because that was blatant cheating by Friedman, posted earlier in the thread he's a dirty cheat.

Griezmann?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

I don't get this. It was clearly a hand ball, the replay showed this. It is also not like Croatia lost 2-1, the final score was 4-2. The way France turned it on in the second half leads me to believe that France would still have won that match even if that penalty kick wasn't awarded.

I "liked" this hand ball better than the won that let Russia advance vs Spain. The Croatian player's arm went down as he saw the ball heading to the ground. It looked purposeful.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Hageneezz

So hoped Croatia would win. I don't like the playing style of France.

I don't like France.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

I don't get this. It was clearly a hand ball, the replay showed this. It is also not like Croatia lost 2-1, the final score was 4-2. The way France turned it on in the second half leads me to believe that France would still have won that match even if that penalty kick wasn't awarded.

Sorry but it wasn't clearly a penalty, if it was clearly a penalty why did the ref take so long on the replay, why have countless people from casual fan to professional refs said it wasn't a penalty. When you've got time watch the replay again and you'll see both arms go down, it's human nature you jump your arms go up, you come down and your arms come down. You say France won 4-2, that means nothing as Croatia were always chasing the game, I played amateur football to a high level, if not for a dodgy knee I could have reached lower level professional football, when you go down you chase the game, your mentality changes, your tactics change. I'm a Croatian player yesterday I'm fuming my minds not 100% on the game because France are 2-1 up with a goal from a free kick earned by cheating and a very dubious penalty at best.

Just to clear up, it was an hand ball but not every hand ball is a penalty or free kick.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by TheMaus2

Griezmann?

Yeah Griezmann, when I've posted his name before I've checked the auto correct, however that post I didn't check auto correct that's why it says Friedman.

[TheMaus2]

https://streamable.com/oo4lh

griezmann is amazing

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by TheMaus2

https://streamable.com/oo4lh

griezmann is amazing

At what? Cheating?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NrVy3FzRfs

[ry1220]

Puppet Ronny did the exact same thing against Spain (twice) and I was told in this thread "clear and obvious fouls."

[TheMaus2]

I think flopping is actually a smart thing to do, despite what it has done to the game.

[ry1220]

Originally Posted by TheMaus2

I think flopping is actually a smart thing to do, despite what it has done to the game.

It's like Louis CK's bit about teaching his daughter not to lie.

How can you tell a kid not to use a thing that solves every possible problem?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by TheMaus2

I think flopping is actually a smart thing to do, despite what it has done to the game.

The day that cheating becomes acceptable in football is the day I’ll give up on it.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

The day that cheating becomes acceptable in football is the day I’ll give up on it.

So you give up? Cheatzmann was Man of the Match after all...

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Westheim

So you give up? Cheatzmann was Man of the Match after all...

No I think there's a difference, his getting away with cheating was down to a bad ref. I'm on about the day when people in football be they fans, players, managers etc think it's ok to cheat. I mean Griezmann as or still practises that dive, most dives are players running at speed being clipped then falling over aka Ronaldo even Deli Ali does it amongst others, Griezmann on the other hand starts falling over then kicks his foot out to make contact with the defender to do that on a regular basis isn't luck it's practice and that's what grates me.

I didn't like the thought of VAR but I hope they bring it in for more decisions, I know it's not perfect but hopefully it will cut out the cheating even if it's just a small % it's something.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

No I think there's a difference, his getting away with cheating was down to a bad ref. I'm on about the day when people in football be they fans, players, managers etc think it's ok to cheat. I mean Griezmann as or still practises that dive, most dives are players running at speed being clipped then falling over aka Ronaldo even Deli Ali does it amongst others, Griezmann on the other hand starts falling over then kicks his foot out to make contact with the defender to do that on a regular basis isn't luck it's practice and that's what grates me.

I didn't like the thought of VAR but I hope they bring it in for more decisions, I know it's not perfect but hopefully it will cut out the cheating even if it's just a small % it's something.

I stopped watching football when the diving got too excessive.

English players and the Premier League are no better than the others.

I read, with amusement, that Renaldo spent 14 minutes out of 90 flopping around on the ground after a recent match.

VAR is an attempt to reduce this..but it needs to go a step further. If a video review shows a dive, then an immediate yellow card should be given.

There may be games where two keepers, and three other players are left to play the game...but that's OK too.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I stopped watching football when the diving got too excessive.

English players and the Premier League are no better than the others.

I read, with amusement, that Renaldo spent 14 minutes out of 90 flopping around on the ground after a recent match.

VAR is an attempt to reduce this..but it needs to go a step further. If a video review shows a dive, then an immediate yellow card should be given.

There may be games where two keepers, and three other players are left to play the game...but that's OK too.

They're going to have to do something like that in order to stop it. Most of the flopping and pain is BS. How many times do we see guys shake off or avoid tackles, even get up right away when it is advantageous to do so?

If they are in that much pain maybe they should take a 5 minute break on the sidelines? I know that will never happen, but that would put a full halt to the practice.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

English players and the Premier League are no better than the others.

You may see the younger English players trying to get away with it but they soon stop, the english refs get wise and the media, fans etc ridicule them, same goes for most of the foreign players coming into the English game, they get found out they soon stop. That’s why the likes of Neymar wouldn’t come to England, they’d get paid the same but wouldn’t last 5 minutes. You watch Ronaldo when he played in England very little if any diving soon as he went to Spain the speedos came out, knew he wouldn’t get away with it in the EPL. Diving in the English game as got worse, however “no better than the rest” not even close, of the leagues I watch regular La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 are by far the worst and watching the Copa America and some South America football there even worse. Of what I’ve seen of the bundesliga and 2 bundesliga there not to bad unless Ribery and Robben aren’t on the field.

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I read, with amusement, that Ronaldo spent 14 minutes out of 90 flopping around on the ground after a recent match..

That was Neymar, he’d spent 14 minutes of the World Cup on the ground, even the best cheat would find it hard to spend 14 minutes on the ground in a game.