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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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Two absolutely classic Harry Kane goals - all about positioning and finishing. Boy did England rely on him today...
Kane led from the front today. It wasn't a pretty game.
Thought Loftus-Check and Rashford both did well after they come on. Think it will give Mr Southgate something to think about.
Thought Loftus-Check and Rashford both did well after they come on. Think it will give Mr Southgate something to think about.
Was 'Arry Kane Wot Won It.
Seriously, though, Harry Kane showed just what a class player he is - and able to deliver with composure while under pressure in such a setting.
Despite everything (even the generous - almost Einsteinian stretching of time with five minutes of added stoppage time), this is not an unfair or unjust result.
Seriously, though, Harry Kane showed just what a class player he is - and able to deliver with composure while under pressure in such a setting.
Despite everything (even the generous - almost Einsteinian stretching of time with five minutes of added stoppage time), this is not an unfair or unjust result.
England won the football and Tunisia win the rugby lol.
Not the most exciting match but pleased we won! Nice to score two goals after giving away a stupid penalty and being wrestled for 90 mins.
Not the most exciting match but pleased we won! Nice to score two goals after giving away a stupid penalty and being wrestled for 90 mins.
England deserved to win - though a skin-of-the-teeth 2-1 is less than what I expected from them. Tunisia defended really stoutly and had the match ended 1-1 England could have had few complaints.
Oh, agreed.
I think England deserved their win, though, equally, they could have had little room for complaint had Tunisia - who did defend stoutly, thing lost their No 1 goalie to injury early on - held them to a draw.
Yes; although, as a supporter and citizen of another attacking country, it is really annoying when the opposite team just throws their entire team to defense and doesn't allow any kind of attack - nor do they propose anything offensively - which results in the match being in some sort of a stalemate and somewhat boring.
It is equally valid though, of course.
But sometimes, to frustrate the ambitions of an attacking (and potentially far better) team is the best they can hope to achieve in these circumstances.
They, too, have their domestic audiences (and elites) that they must cater to, and if they can return heads held high, with a narrative of "We stopped Them", perhaps that counts as a moral victory.
If you lack the skills to play the Beautiful Game at its best, you must then play to your strengths, even if such strengths simply mean Stopping Them.
Some of these teams come from countries where the penalty for losing can be rather high - although this sort of political fall-out is less mares than it was in the days when one of Ceausescu's sons had far too much influence over how Romanian club and country soccer was run.
Oh, certainly. I don't know if that kind of gameplay is their strength, but I do think it is all they can realistically strive for, and therefore, it becomes the plan they set in motion.
On this part: "Some of these teams come from countries where the penalty for losing can be rather high..." It happens in my own country - Argentina. Many of this country's citizens live for football (I assure you many are more than "adequately passionate", and somewhat obsessed) so, reactions might not be... civil, if results are too paltry. Better "stealing" a tie from England without trying to win, than losing and provoking a violent outburst upon their return to their home country.
Dear me.
The seems a slightly excessive, nay, intemperate response.
What, pray thee, gave rise to such stressful upset?
Senegal, of course. I see Uruguay giving KSA a 3-1 upset. Peru made a solid effort the other day so we might see a 1-0 upset, barely keeping it that, with France on their way home. I do not foresee the Argies and Brazilians making it forward. With the exception of the war era, it'd be nice to see a new country make the history books. I'm tempted to say the Spain Iran game will end up with Iran being destroyed on the pitch but I've seen enough crazy matches in my life to never hold onto such thoughts.
Glad you guys have something to cheer about. Wearing my blue England kit from last in support today. Just wish us Americans had something to cheer about. Seeing all you guys happy makes me wish it even more. Maybe 2022!
Yes, I would love to see Senegal do well; and my African friends would be ecstatic.
Unbelievable. Colombia threw themselves back to their own area. (Sorry if this is incorrect grammatically, I'm not a native speaker, I hope you understand the idea). Anyway, I digress. They allowed Japan to come in so much to their own goal that Japan scoring was inevitable. It would go in eventually. Also, the red card conditioned Colombia.
Maybe if they refrained from defending the tie so much, the result would have been different.
Red cards add a dramatic flash, but the sad fact is that they ALWAYS ruin a football match. This game was ruined before it even started - and I say that as someone with no allegiance to Colombia, simply a desire to be entertained.
It's always impressive to see a 10-man team score but it's even rarer to win from that position, so Colombia's outlook was always looking bleak.
The strategical disadvantage of being a player - or even worse, two - down, is too large to ignore. Given enough time, it's exploitable.
Agreed.
Especially when it happens in the first few minutes of a match, it will kill the match which is why I assume that referees are reluctant to dismiss someone so early in play unless the offence in question is so egregious, and so clearly indefensible - and so clearly visible - that no other action can be credibly taken.
A dismissal in the last ten, or twenty minutes may matter less, as a team can compensate, change shape, make substitutions if necessary and possible, and rely on the fact that their opponents are also tired out by then.
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