Day 18: Croatia vs Brazil | Netherlands vs Argentina (QF 1&2)

Well, Brazil scored in extra time too, so I don’t see it. It was a deflected shot but the chance was very clean and legit. Brazil sh*ting themselves doesn’t mean it was luck. On the contrary.
I don’t get why it’s luck because the shot is deflected but nobody will say that if Brazil defense makes a big mistake and give a goal.

I'm afraid your check-tinted specs are clouding your best judgment. Croatia were lucky. Brazil were unlucky. Holland would have also been lucky if they had won today. Generally speaking: any football team could create only a solitary decent chance against another football team, score with said chance in the luckiest way possible, while the other football team fail to score having created good chances after good chances. I've watched football long enough to realise that these things happen and it's actually a pretty common occurrence. It's part of the game as much as anything else is.

Accepting that Croatia were lucky today doesn't take anything away from them. As a matter of fact it solidifies their reputation as a team that fights until the end no matter what, and that luck always favours the brave.
 
Seeing the Argentina players insisting the ref was against them and Messi showing real fire also is great for Argentina. Don't think people realise how much this unites teams together and gives them extra belief and desire in this "us against the world" narrative they have created. Messi in particular has never looked as passionate at any previous World Cup which is why this does feel potentially different to the previous Argentina squads.
 
I remember English players did the same to Colombia players after the the penalty shoot-out in 2018 and all the Englsih were raving and throwing it on all social media and saying how great it was.

So they don't have any right to criticse the actions of Argentina players when it's near enough the same generation of players playing today
 
See you're proving their point, OTT just to make Messi look better. He's their best player but they aint a bunch of plebs.

I think this is a fair viewpoint as long as you are someone who also doesn't believe that Maradona 'carried' that Argentina side to the World Cup and use it as the sole reason for him being better than Messi?
 
Seeing the Argentina players insisting the ref was against them and Messi showing real fire also is great for Argentina. Don't think people realise how much this unites teams together and gives them extra belief and desire in this "us against the world" narrative they have created. Messi in particular has never looked as passionate at any previous World Cup which is why this does feel potentially different to the previous Argentina squads.

Said this myself

I think honestly someone has said it, because it's bringing the team together "them versus us" like Mourinho used to do, it'll work in their favour to build team spirit.

Thing is though, speaking out in the Media, he's fecking himself. If he gets suspended now, good luck Argentina.

Jose used to do it at Chelsea when they were dominant
 
I think this is a fair viewpoint as long as you are someone who also doesn't believe that Maradona 'carried' that Argentina side to the World Cup and use it as the sole reason for him being better than Messi?
Couldn't care less about Maradona. Messi is obviously their best player but the hyperbole that the rest are Sunday league, or as the guy I quoted said, can't control a 5 yard pass is silly.
 
I think it's Photoshop. Something is not right with this photo.......
Looks like Argentina is made up of Agent Smiths from the Matrix.
agent-smith-scaled.jpg
 
Couldn't care less about Maradona. Messi is obviously their best player but the hyperbole that the rest are Sunday league, or as the guy I quoted said, can't control a 5 yard pass is silly.

That's fair enough and mostly matches with what I think too. Although I will say that their other attackers have really let them down outside of Alvarez. Martinez has been awful and Di Maria is just past it. Defence and midfield are fine though.
 
Classless morons, I hate this kind of behaviour.



I swear every World Cup, I start off wanting Argentina to do well and end up actively rooting against them because of stuff like this. Their antics always manage to turn me off once the tournament gets underway.
 
I remember English players did the same to Colombia players after the the penalty shoot-out in 2018 and all the Englsih were raving and throwing it on all social media and saying how great it was.

So they don't have any right to criticse the actions of Argentina players when it's near enough the same generation of players playing today

You got any proof of that?
 
Truth is though that Holland was shit and Argentina deserved to win, despite all what happened. Neither team has convinced me and Holland have been dreadful to watch all tournament. It’s their own fault for getting knocked out for playing sooooo passive. They were lucky to even get to penalties. They lack enough quality players especially in attack.
 
Couldn't care less about Maradona. Messi is obviously their best player but the hyperbole that the rest are Sunday league, or as the guy I quoted said, can't control a 5 yard pass is silly.

Some of them really had sunday league performances though, I mean when you look a De Paul in the first 2 games, Lautaro's terrible shots, they were really, really bad. They're obviously professionnal players but it did look like "Messi and a bunch of amateurs" far too often. Some were good though.
 
Truth is though that Holland was shit and Argentina deserved to win, despite all what happened. Neither team has convinced me and Holland have been dreadful to watch all tournament. It’s their own fault for getting knocked out for playing sooooo passive. They were lucky to even get to penalties. They lack enough quality players especially in attack.
I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. This is by no means a vintage Netherlands. When your forward options are Luuk De Jong, Wout Weghorst and Depay your going to need as much luck as Croatia to progress.
 
Not at all surprised this game descended into fouls, fights and loads of yellow cards with Mateu Lahoz as the ref.He’s the worst ref in any of Europe's top leagues.
 
Not booking Messi for this blatant handball is what started everything. Lahoz completely lost control after this.

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He's a rubbish referee, shouldn't be anywhere near these games. Ruins every game he's involved in with his constant whistling, stupid decisions and nitpicking.
 
We can't always have it our way, at least the Brazilians are out. Rooting for Croatia now.

Tomorrow 2 other tasty games. I remember the Moroccans beating Portugal at the World Cup 1986...
 
Argentina certainly deserved it over the 120 minutes. The Dutch were very poor going forward until they started lumping it.

However Argentina also made a hash of things. I thought the way they handled the 2-0 was very strange. Conceding all possession, not bothering to attack and handing the ball back to the Netherlands who continued the aerial bombardment. That made no sense and showed a certain fragility the other teams will be glad to see.
 
Silva and Modric were always classy at every timeout. Messi and VVD nothing between them, VVD still hates him for robbing that Ballon d'Or off him, plus the soft shit here :lol:

Messi deserved that ballon d’or in fairness even Mane said so and he was VVD’s teammate
 
what a corrupt piece of shit that Lahoz is, everyone looking a Messi got a yellow...
 
I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. This is by no means a vintage Netherlands. When your forward options are Luuk De Jong, Wout Weghorst and Depay your going to need as much luck as Croatia to progress.

No you misinterpreted me, what you write is exactly what I mean. The Dutch were bigging themselves up all tourney yet the reality is they lack the quality of bygone era.
 
No you misinterpreted me, what you write is exactly what I mean. The Dutch were bigging themselves up all tourney yet the reality is they lack the quality of bygone era.

True. Dont know why there was so much optimism ahead of the World Cup. We have some good defenders, Frenkie and a decent forward in Memphis. Besides that its pretty shit and certainly not close in quality compared to France, England or Brazil.

i predicted us to be knocked out by Argentina and Argentina was the better team today. Still sucks to come back and lose on penalties.

van Gaal did well motivating everyone and making his players and many dutch fans believe we could win the world cup… however we are just not good enough
 
He's a rubbish referee, shouldn't be anywhere near these games. Ruins every game he's involved in with his constant whistling, stupid decisions and nitpicking.

it was kinda funny when he just kept blowing his whistle during those small fights. He must have blown his whistle atleast 25 times during that moment where Paredes kick the ball at the bench. The whistle just kept going. The man must have some well trained lungs
 
Humble pie eaten on Croatia beating Brazil,just knew Argentina would get better of the Dutch on pens with Martinez in goal.