The World Cup Thread

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/19/fifa-refuses-comment-failure-var-award-harry-kane-two-penalties/

Investigation into whether VAR should have awarded Kane those penalties.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/19/fifa-refuses-comment-failure-var-award-harry-kane-two-penalties/

 

Investigation into whether VAR should have awarded Kane those penalties.

Time to bin the crap. Ref corruption/incompetence by 4 officials is much easier to defend than by 8.

Time to bin the crap. Ref corruption/incompetence by 4 officials is much easier to defend than by 8.

Eh?

Always liked Maya

I still do

Time to bin the crap. Ref corruption/incompetence by 4 officials is much easier to defend than by 8.

It's not like you to be against technological progress

Time to bin the crap. Ref corruption/incompetence by 4 officials is much easier to defend than by 8.

I'd stay away from any bridges, guns or medication for a few months.

Becoming a very very open World Cup. As I said yesterday, could quite easily see Argentina and Germany out in the group stage. Colombia v Poland is a massive game now - depending on the Senegal result, it could mean one of them goes out on Sunday.

Bednarek on the bench for the Poles.

Slightly odd that he plays both warm up games then doesn't start today (?)

This game is dreadful.

That goal was a pretty good avatar for this game.

Why have ITV employed an incomprehensible match commentator?

I still do not understand the foul awarded to the Tunisians for the penalty. The ball is being crossed in, neither player in the box has control of the ball, the defender is penalized for holding his ground. How is it Walkers fault that the guy tried to push him and fell over because he was weaker? If this was a foul, then every time a player is sheepherding a ball out that the other team touched last, the player trying to get the ball should just fall over and win a free kick. Can someone explain the specific offence here I don't get it.

Bednarek is on

Jan Bednarek is on at half time! Common Jan

I still do not understand the foul awarded to the Tunisians for the penalty. The ball is being crossed in, neither player in the box has control of the ball, the defender is penalized for holding his ground. How is it Walkers fault that the guy tried to push him and fell over because he was weaker? If this was a foul, then every time a player is sheepherding a ball out that the other team touched last, the player trying to get the ball should just fall over and win a free kick. Can someone explain the specific offence here I don't get it.

He raised his arm

Injured!!

Not good there from Bednarek

Not good there from Bednarek

Thats an understatement

Poland are the worst team I’ve watched at this WC. A disgraceful performance really.

Not good there from Bednarek

Can't help but feel a more experienced centre back would have ignored the lunatic running out of the goal at him and dealt with it, but I think the whole debacle was caused by Szczesny, even if Bednarek was also at fault.

We dodged a bullet with Krychowiak.

F**king useless.

Goal by Krychowiak. Lol.

I still do not understand the foul awarded to the Tunisians for the penalty. The ball is being crossed in, neither player in the box has control of the ball, the defender is penalized for holding his ground. How is it Walkers fault that the guy tried to push him and fell over because he was weaker? If this was a foul, then every time a player is sheepherding a ball out that the other team touched last, the player trying to get the ball should just fall over and win a free kick. Can someone explain the specific offence here I don't get it.

He raised his arm

He swung his arm back deliberately, the Tunisian made the most of it, but his elbow could have done a bit of damage - penalty imo.

We dodged a bullet with Krychowiak.

 

F**king useless.

But better than Bednarek.

Poland dreadful.

Egypt on the brink of elimination.

Russia have had it quiet easy playing two truly abysmal sides. Egypt have nothing apart from Salah

Bye bye Egypt.

Russia have had it quiet easy playing two truly abysmal sides. Egypt have nothing apart from Salah

They have, but I'm glad they're going through. It's a bit **** if the hosts get knocked out early on.

Thought after the first game that we should take a look at Russia's Dzuba...looks like a fantastic target man.

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Egypt responding by putting on Salah and Fellaini's love-child.

They Sphinx it’s all over, it is now.

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Corner shop owners in Liverpool stocking up on candles...

Penalty Egypt. Will Salah take it????

Another good use of VAR

Wasn't there a rumour we were looking at Golovin before the WC? If so, almost certainly too late now, as he looks a fantastic player.

Quite ridiculous how much attention Salah was getting from all the commentators. Pearce virtually celebrated when Egypt were given a penalty. Then he announced that "this is what [the Egypt fans] have been waiting to see" - no Jonathan, they would much rather see their team win, I'm sure. You'd think that they'd brought Bobby Moore back from the dead and he was playing for Egypt the way they were gushing.

Just seen the BBC user player rater has Salah as the best Egyptian and only behind two Russians. Ha! Looks like the rest of the population have been taken in by it too. Maybe if they had someone prepared to track back and run around they might not have lost. But I forget, this is a Liverpool hero we're talking about here, so nothing but praise and sympathy please.

Quite ridiculous how much attention Salah was getting from all the commentators. Pearce virtually celebrated when Egypt were given a penalty. Then he announced that "this is what [the Egypt fans] have been waiting to see" - no Jonathan, they would much rather see their team win, I'm sure. You'd think that they'd brought Bobby Moore back from the dead and he was playing for Egypt the way they were gushing.

 

Just seen the BBC user player rater has Salah as the best Egyptian and only behind two Russians. Ha! Looks like the rest of the population have been taken in by it too. Maybe if they had someone prepared to track back and run around they might not have lost. But I forget, this is a Liverpool hero we're talking about here, so nothing but praise and sympathy please.

If I had Salah in my team I’d let him do his thing and get the others to do the tracking back. Le Tissier comes to mind.

Salah is one of the very best in the world at what he is paid to do - scoring goals. He is exceptionally skilled at that. Trying to turn him into a defensive player too isn’t going to help the team.

Corner shop owners in Liverpool stocking up on candles...

Quite ridiculous how much attention Salah was getting from all the commentators. Pearce virtually celebrated when Egypt were given a penalty. Then he announced that "this is what [the Egypt fans] have been waiting to see" - no Jonathan, they would much rather see their team win, I'm sure. You'd think that they'd brought Bobby Moore back from the dead and he was playing for Egypt the way they were gushing.

 

Just seen the BBC user player rater has Salah as the best Egyptian and only behind two Russians. Ha! Looks like the rest of the population have been taken in by it too. Maybe if they had someone prepared to track back and run around they might not have lost. But I forget, this is a Liverpool hero we're talking about here, so nothing but praise and sympathy please.

He was player of the year, scored more in a single Prem season than any other player, and he plays for a prominent English club.

And he's the clear stand-out player for his country.

And there's the story of his injury and him missing the first game, and now he's back, a story English fans can relate to from competitions past.

And it's Egypt vs Russia for effs sake so probably a good idea to give it some angle for the passing viewer because it ain't the golden ticket match.

32 goals in a season and you want him to track back? Hahahahahahaha. Lazy old Mohammed. Not like that goal machine Bobby Moore. He absolutely banged them in didn't he? We would have won world cup 70 if he'd actually put a shift in and scored 5 or 6.

Corner shop owners in Liverpool stocking up on candles...

Four candles or handles for forks?

Corner shop owners in Liverpool stocking up on candles...

Its Ramos` fault surely

They Sphinx it’s all over, it is now.

 

 

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Good try, you must have worked hard on that one. 3-0 down they have pyramid to climb.

He was player of the year, scored more in a single Prem season than any other player, and he plays for a prominent English club.

 

And he's the clear stand-out player for his country.

 

And there's the story of his injury and him missing the first game, and now he's back, a story English fans can relate to from competitions past.

 

And it's Egypt vs Russia for effs sake so probably a good idea to give it some angle for the passing viewer because it ain't the golden ticket match.

 

32 goals in a season and you want him to track back? Hahahahahahaha. Lazy old Mohammed. Not like that goal machine Bobby Moore. He absolutely banged them in didn't he? We would have won world cup 70 if he'd actually put a shift in and scored 5 or 6.

That clearly wasn't the point I was making. My comment about Bobby Moore was about how the commentators were falling over themselves to talk about him over anything else that happened in the match. I wouldn't criticise a tactical decision for him not to track back, of course, but the way the commentators were talking made it sound it was only because he was still injured and therefore it was totally fair enough for him not to run around. Again, that's as much a criticism of the commentary.

Your other points are fair argument, perhaps my dislike of Liverpool made me notice it more and found it more grating than the average person might. But I find it strange that you felt the need to link my Bobby Moore comment to Salah's goalscoring prowess as they were unrelated points. Even in different paragraphs...!

If I had Salah in my team I’d let him do his thing and get the others to do the tracking back. Le Tissier comes to mind.

 

Salah is one of the very best in the world at what he is paid to do - scoring goals. He is exceptionally skilled at that. Trying to turn him into a defensive player too isn’t going to help the team.

Fair enough, I accept I didn't make my point very well. I wasn't actually advocating turning Salah into a defensive player, more that the commentators seemed hell bent on excusing him from running around because he was carrying an injury. So really my point was (or should have been) more that having a fully fit player might have been better for Egypt, but there was obviously no-one questioning that during the game.

You will get a chance to test your theory on Friday when Brazil play Costa Rica. Neymar is struggling with an injury according to reports.

I don't think even a fully fit and firing Salah would have helped last night, Egypt were dreadful. Difficult to assess Russia's performances based on how bad the other two teams have been. A similar performance v Uruguay would certainly get people talking. Although having to beat Portugal and or Spain in the last 16 is pretty unlikely.

Lets not forget Salah at Liverpool is supported by Firmino and Mane. At Egypt he has none of this around him.

Ronaldo is at it again.....the bloke is a freak.

Keown - what an absolute helmet.

"Look at the spring" as Ronaldo barely has to jump to score Portugal's opener.

These commentators are horrid. I've put on radio commentary. #equalitymess