LiberalCommunist

No extra-time. No injuries. No suspensions. No drama. Advantage Spain. Clear favourites now.

Can the Spanish bore France into submission tonight? I hope so, as we are far better suited to beating them.

What they lack in talent they make up for in shithousery. This will be difficult to overcome. Probably the biggest danger is us scoring first, sitting back encouraging them on to us while the ref tries to even things up. No place for hiding this time.

Rentaghost. --------------- Now there's something I have given no thought to for over 40 years, but now I'm strangely intrigued to find footage of. I thought that zaniness might well have been some psychedelic mushroom trip of my teenage years, but it turns out it was just a tv show from a time before that. Side note, that horse had some moves!

Steve Gibson on the phone to human rights after the Norway coach threw that water bottle at the substitute. LOL

Okay, so it wasn't a foul on Kane. But, why did we get one non conclusive glancing view of it? Other games I've seen there's four of five different shots of it, while the whole fucking team petitions the ref. So lets just not have VAR. Simple.

Unusual for me, I feel quite optimistic. Just hope VAR doesn't do us tonight.

Although we did have a 90 minute storm break the other night, and they came back out and played.

Imagine being chucked out of a competition for this infringement. It still seems utterly ridiculous. An over reaction so great, that the football world will not know what to do the next time a serious breach of regulations comes to light. The lines are now so blurred, you'd need VAR and five working days to understand if it touched the line. Thankfully, for my sanity, we won another season in the best league in the world. So I won't dwell on it.

VAR still adds no real benefit to the game. We have more controversies than before its implementation. Decisions are still unclear, but now we just give more people more opportunity to make a subjective decision that can be result critical. And now we've seen it roll back play further to include incidents which shouldn't be in the same phase. We've seen refs allow play to continue, only for one team to be so vocal and demanding, that it influences the officials into looking for infringements. You could ague that's correct, but surely a more passive team like say Japan who don't get in their face and argue and debate every contentions decision will not be officiated the same way. I despise what it has added to the game. The Governing body seemingly have a mechanism that allows the cream to float to the top, and that is the opposite reason it was brought in for, or so we were told.........

Frustrating how they let the argies off the hook, but its down to them, not the ref. Some of the last minute defending was criminal. Painful to watch unfold.

I'd say there were shades of our first leg with M'boro reflecting on last nights world cup game. They looked like a distracted team, caught in the headlights of a drama far bigger than them. Like our team in the first leg of the play offs, as spygate broke out, we looked intimidated, rattled & disjointed. It was a bizarre performance, in both cases. Off field events clearly making a big difference. Belguim are a better team, but that result looked exaggerated.

This could well be the game that brings the curtain down on Ronaldo's international career. Whatever you think of him, he is firmly embedded into modern football history with a cult like status. I get the feeling he's going to somehow cling on and be alive in the next round. He's hard to shake. Lets find out....................

Really gutted for Quansah. I thought he looked really good up until that reckless challenge. I can't believe just how much trouble the RB slot has caused. It does feel somewhat cursed.

Worth watching this just for the Brazilian royalty in the crowd. Those faces brought back memories. Not all good.

Overturn the red, I'm fine with that. But suspend it for a year? What does that mean. Is this the same bunch who dealt with Ronaldo's red in the qualifiers? Remember that? So corrupt, they don't even hide it. That goes for all the Governing bodies.

Leicester's rebuild is going to be massive. Proper exodus going on.

Way outclassed. A co host has fallen. Now for the next.

This could be a rather interesting game. Very different to the last few. I think they will set out to come at us, with energy being a key focus. They will expect us to tire quickly, and struggle with the altitude, which surely will play a big part. But if we get out tactics right, we should be able to counter that, and actually use it to benefit our game with more space in front, allowing us to create better chances. Hell, I'm more excited for this than those low block bullshit performances we've struggled to overcome. Bring it on.

In 2002 I went to the pub to watch England at 8am, can't remember what game, but drank half a pint, felt sick, went home and fell asleep. The pub can fuck right off this time. That is some ungodly hour to have company, let alone be drinking in a establishment.

I'm with you guys, the goal should have stood! But. There's apparently a microchip in that ball that detects the touch. Science ruins it yet again.

Portugal Croatia, best game of the tournament so far. That was amazing. I nearly shed a tear for the Croatia Veterans at the end. Oh what a way to go out. Modric, Perisic, you will be sorely missed. Anyone who missed it, make a cuppa and settle in for ten minutes of the most exciting highlights!

Yeah, I saw some of his flashes of ability. A glimpse into what he perhaps might do. But always in inconsequential games. When someone else has done the hard yards and got us into a winning position. But when you really need a break out player against a good team, he would be absolutely invisible. Again, I'm hoping we get the really determined to succeed version this coming season, but I'm not holding my breath.

These games are now moving so fast I didn't even realise Almiron has already served his one game ban. The start of the tournament felt so slow, now the games are almost coming round too quick.

I still have hope for Fellows, but that was worse than mediocre from him last season. I was expecting big things. Barely got sporadically okay performances.