FIFA World Cup - Russia 2018

[Splinter]

Feel gutted for Japan, they gave it their all, the luckiest header you will ever see in your life started the Belgium come back.

Go Fellaini!

 

[Splinter]

LOL @ japan sending all their players up for the corner and leaving themselves wide open for a break right before extra time. How stupid can you get smh.

They had visions of the game against the springboks when they ran the penalty for a try...

 

[Knyro]

Lol this defeatist logic is why most of the bigger teams are out.
Yeah you'll win more more games, just not when it matters. Spain tried that. They scored 1 goal and then just sat on their lead passing the ball around. Playing it safe.
You have to play to win, so you have to attack and try and score goals all the time, that wil open up some space at the back. You can't be all defensive all the time.

This is probably Bafana's biggest problem we don't even have strikers because we don't like scoring goals because we have stupid logic like above about playing it save.

Japan put in an awesome performance, they were attacking and gave Belgium a run for their money. Probably more than anybody expected them too. And they can now leave with their heads held high after a great game.

Your comprehension skills fail you. I said that particular decision was wrong. Not that they should sit back and defend. After the group stage you need to win 4 matches in a row to win the WC. It's a game of consistency. Not luck.

The best thing to do in that situation, if you wanted to attack, was play it short. With less players in the box. Both of the goals japan conceded before the third were from headers. That should tell you something about Belgian air superiority. Then you want to play to Belgium's strengths when it really counts? Lol. You've got a handful of the best players in the world on that team. You gonna get rekt.

 

[sand_man]

They lost the vast majority of headers from corners in that game, therefore it was not statistically the correct decision.

Statistically Japan should have been 4-0 down by the 94th minute of this fixture. Statistically Japan shouldn't have made it to the last 16. First time in world cup history that a team has progressed on the fair play rule. Statistically the longer the match dragged on the more likely Belgium were to outclass and outscore their diminutive opponents. I think if the Japanese were mindful of the statistics they would have stayed home and not bothered with the world cup.

 

[Cray]

Columbia - England tonight, going to be epic whatever the result. England have got to feel the stars are better aligned for this tournament for them, they can't go out to Germany on penalties, easier side of the draw -they won't have a better shot to get the cup...

 

[Knyro]

Statistically Japan should have been 4-0 down by the 94th minute of this fixture. Statistically Japan shouldn't have made it to the last 16. First time in world cup history that a team has progressed on the fair play rule. Statistically the longer the match dragged on the more likely Belgium were to outclass and outscore their diminutive opponents. I think if the Japanese were mindful of the statistics they would have stayed home and not bothered with the world cup.

Thanks for confirming that you don't know what you're talking about. Japan has made it to the last 16 three times out of the last 5 world cups, and is consistently the best team in Asia.

LOL at bringing up statistics now conveniently throwing them out when they no longer suit you.

 

[rietrot]

Columbia - England tonight, going to be epic whatever the result. England have got to feel the stars are better aligned for this tournament for them, they can't go out to Germany on penalties, easier side of the draw -they won't have a better shot to get the cup...

Colombia to win

 

[theratman]

Statistically Japan should have been 4-0 down by the 94th minute of this fixture. Statistically Japan shouldn't have made it to the last 16. First time in world cup history that a team has progressed on the fair play rule. Statistically the longer the match dragged on the more likely Belgium were to outclass and outscore their diminutive opponents. I think if the Japanese were mindful of the statistics they would have stayed home and not bothered with the world cup.

Agreed, the momentum was with Belgium too. They'd likely have rolled them in ET. They went for it with very little time left on the clock and got punished by a side that had failed to be clinical all evening. Nothing wrong with that, its football.

 

[AfricanTech]

What a game last night.

Was hoping for extra time to see whether Japanese fitness would tell, but not to be.

Fantastic world cup i must say.

 

[The Voice]

Should make it home in time for the England game. This little island is going to shake if they go through...

P.S: I'm sick of hearing "Football's coming home" now...

 

[Ho3n3r]

Columbia - England tonight, going to be epic whatever the result. England have got to feel the stars are better aligned for this tournament for them, they can't go out to Germany on penalties, easier side of the draw -they won't have a better shot to get the cup...

Nobody in sport is owed anything. If they start thinking like this, they're going home tonight.

 

[Cray]

Nobody in sport is owed anything. If they start thinking like this, they're going home tonight.

True enough, not suggesting they feel they are owed a victory, just that the tournament draw at the moment favors them, just as it did for South Africa in the 2007 Rugby world cup. They still have to go out a win it but being on the opposite side of the draw to Belgium, France and Brazil is pretty handy... Of course SA could have very easily come unstuck against Fiji in 2007 as could England against Columbia (who are a pretty good team).

 

[Splinter]

Columbia - England tonight, going to be epic whatever the result. England have got to feel the stars are better aligned for this tournament for them, they can't go out to Germany on penalties, easier side of the draw -they won't have a better shot to get the cup...

I think the pressure will get to them - and Columbia are no mugs.

 

[Ho3n3r]

True enough, not suggesting they feel they are owed a victory, just that the tournament draw at the moment favors them, just as it did for South Africa in the 2007 Rugby world cup. They still have to go out a win it but being on the opposite side of the draw to Belgium, France and Brazil is pretty handy... Of course SA could have very easily come unstuck against Fiji in 2007 as could England against Columbia (who are a pretty good team).

You are right, though - definitely the best chance they've had in my lifetime.

 

[Splinter]

Agreed, the momentum was with Belgium too. They'd likely have rolled them in ET. They went for it with very little time left on the clock and got punished by a side that had failed to be clinical all evening. Nothing wrong with that, its football.

Russia played for penalties and look where it got them...

 

[mercurial]

https://twitter.com/FB_WHISPERS/status/1013873748909404161

 

[mercurial]

https://twitter.com/442oons/status/1013878850412048386

 

[mercurial]

 

[Stickfigure]

View attachment 533697

Friday is a great day of football. France vs Uruguay followed by Brazil vs Belgium.

 

[Cray]

Commentary on the Japanese team from the Guardian's Swastik Basu.

I absolutely love the subplots peppered throughout the World Cup. In the final group game against Poland, Japan stopped playing as the result in the Colombia-Senegal match was going in their favour and they didn’t want to risk conceding goals/yellow cards which would lead to elimination. Ironically they went through on Fair Play points!

The Japan manager was ashamed, he stated publicly that he regretted his own tactics, and promised to make up for it in the round of 16. The shadow of the ethical transgression was clearly looming large as Japan decided to attack Belgium even as they were 2-0 up. Many would call it tactical naivety. I would call it redemption.

They took something away from football in that last group game. They gave something back yesterday.