Qatar World Cup

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906176#Comment_119906176

Yea the Iranians supporting a cause that is of real significance to them

Man Vs ManUre

I think Argentina must have forgot to take their breakfast this morning and will no doubt complain about the 10am start time. They are right too, I very near missed this game myself didn’t know it was on so early.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906220#Comment_119906220

Sorry boss my alarm didn’t go off 😜

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906220#Comment_119906220

1pm local time.

It's a common enough ko time for tournament games

realdanbreen

They're won't be a camel milked in Saudi for a month!

Xander10

Didn't expect to be hearing ole ole ole

For these boys in green

Gusser09

Didn't expect this. Argies have been poor to be honest. No ideas to breakdown the parked bus. Fair play to the Saudis. Tackling and defending like their lives depend on it. Argentina obviously very complacent.

Man Vs ManUre

This is the venue for the final. Can Argentina and Messi get back there?? Spain did it in 2010 after losing their 1st game.

Xander10

The keeper nearly decapitated helis own defender. Ref should have blown up straight away

Man Vs ManUre

The Saudi defender was almost beheaded there. And he didn’t do anything wrong!!

Northernlily

Argentina absolutely woeful heart shown there. Thought they just had to turn up.

Drumpot

Oh dear, Argentina doing an Argentina.

Reminds me of 1990, back then the Argie keeper Pumpido got injured against Cameroon when they lost their first game and they replaced him with a penalty shot stopper beast (Goycochea) who helped them get to the final.

No fear of the Saudis wearing a One Love armband.

Gusser09

Its possible for Argentina to progress but not going to be easy against Poland or Mexico.

That first game against so called weaker opposition is crucial.

Man Vs ManUre

This shock result now opens up the possibility of another France vs Argentina last 16 match, if France top their group as expected, and Argentina finish 2nd.

Drumpot

Seeing Kasper Schmeichal be mentioned as a veteran keeper makes me feel old. I still remember seeing footage of him practising football in the man United tunnel as a toddler. His dad was a decade younger then he is now at that time!

On a completely separate note, I wonder if the temperature is going to be an equaliser for Middle East and African teams who are used to it.

PokeHerKing

I remember wjen Ireland were beating Saudi Arabia 3-0 in the world cup.

20 years on and the Saudis are beating Argentina and Ireland are playing friendlies in Malta..

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906711#Comment_119906711

shur at least we get good possession of the ball!

alan partridge aha

Isn't it great we're discussing the great win for Saudi Arabia and not armbands.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906906#Comment_119906906

Its easy to turn off all the noise once the football starts. The controversy of the WC will be spoke of before.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906332#Comment_119906332

Ref should be fooked out for that.

And the linesman.

It was perfectly obvious that the defneder was hit in the head and they kept playing on. Head injury means immediate stop to play.

There would have been sh*tstorm if Argentina had scored. And rightly so.

Anyway great to see FIFA favourite Messi shown up as an over the hill player.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906057#Comment_119906057

Fair fooks to the Iranians. Very brave and a real statement.

Why should the Iranians wear armbands, that was a European brainwave, that like a lot of things was a hollow jesture.

And when push came to shove they backed down.

Also people need to cop on Iran is a muslim country, an islamic republic.

Most of players may fight for the rights of women, but they still may not agree with rights for gays?

Also do you want them hung the minute they get off the plane in Tehran.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119903646#Comment_119903646

That didn't age so well.

alan partridge aha

They ran some Saudi commentary on 5 live after the match, was brilliant.

Man Vs ManUre

There isn’t much Viking fighting spirit in this Denmark performance. They need Ragnar Lothbrok to come off the dubs bench and score the winner.

c.p.w.g.w

I wonder are some teams playing within themselves in an attempt to manage fatigue in anticipation of the heat and humidity

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119907110#Comment_119907110

No thats just modern football.

Most teams are average, and play the game at a slower pace.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119907110#Comment_119907110

that is definitely a possibility for the European teams. I heard analysis of km covered per game for europe v s America and it’s much higher in Europe. More physical game, less passing. And so our teams likely to struggle more with conditions in the latter stages than some those from S America.

namloc1980

The theme of this World Cup so far is the huge amounts of injury time in the games.

eagle eye

European teams sticking to the pass the ball around at the back and then up the field and back again and not creating enough opportunities.

My opinion is that when playing weaker teams you leave three or four back and go at the opposition. You don't worry about losing the ball because you have cover deep. These teams are expertly prepped to face what's now become the expected way that modern European teams play the game.

As you seen with Tunisia and Saudi Arabia they just went at the opposition when they had possession in the final third because European teams don't expect that, they expect you to do what they do which is look for somebody open or pass it back.

If you don't have a game plan that's different to what's expected it's always going to be, at best, a tight game.

The one European team so far who went directly at the opposition was England and look how that went.

creedp

I suppose ye'all will be rushing to applying for the RTE competition, sponsored by Hyundai proud partner of FIFA and Qatar 2022, to attend the WC final

Man Vs ManUre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119907264#Comment_119907264

I think there might even be a game in this tournament where a half has more than 45mins injury time.