Semi Finals: Argentina vs Croatia | Eng... France vs Morocco

Well Walton said you can't go for the ball and not get it, if you dont get it, it's a pen, which I don't agree with. That's the point Neville was disagreeing with. Keeper stood his ground and in any event he got his shot off and before he hit the deck and had no chance of scoring even if he didn't end up on the ground as the defender was there and cleared the ball.

Irrelevant now, but surely Alvarez would have been able to go past the keeper and tap it in? The ball stopped short of the line.
 
Irrelevant now, but surely Alvarez would have been able to go past the keeper and tap it in? The ball stopped short of the line.

So, just kick the ball that the opposition player can't intercept and proceed to crash into that player and it's a foul?

Better yet, do it in the 16 yard box and get a pen every time?

That's cool.
 
Croatia improved a lot in this match compared to vs Brazil. Not only did they dominate possession but had double the number of shots on target in 30 minutes less.
 
Assist vs Netherlands was smooth, slick, and perfect.

Assist vs Croatia was pretty good but kind of dirty and lucky. Something about off-putting.
 
So, just kick the ball that the opposition player can't intercept and proceed to crash into that player and it's a foul?

Better yet, do it in the 16 yard box and get a pen every time?

That's cool.

What do you mean that the opposition player can’t intercept? Why couldn’t he?
 
Argentina have done the right tournament thing in peaking at the right stage. No one gave them a hope of lasting this long during the group stage but it’s all about taking it a match at a time. Still think France will be too much for them as I expect them to beat Morocco but you never know.
 
What do you mean that the opposition player can’t intercept? Why couldn’t he?

But that just literally happened.

Alvarez kicked the ball next to the GK and crashed into him. Awarded a pen.

Easy as that. Just kick it somewhere and proceed to crash into the opponent in the box.

Doesn't matter if he's standing still and can't actually do anything to prevent the fact you're about to crash into him.
 
So, just kick the ball that the opposition player can't intercept and proceed to crash into that player and it's a foul?

Better yet, do it in the 16 yard box and get a pen every time?

That's cool.

What should it be if the keeper collides with Berba here? (move starts at 3:50)

 
But that just literally happened.

Alvarez kicked the ball next to the GK and crashed into him. Awarded a pen.

Easy as that. Just kick it somewhere and proceed to crash into the opponent in the box.

Doesn't matter if he's standing still and can't actually do anything to prevent the fact you're about to crash into him.

Alverez chipped the ball over the keeper, giving him little time to react (he chose to rush out and close down the man). He did get close to stopping the ball with his hands, but couldn’t.

Alverez has eyes on the ball at all times and doesn’t change direction at all. The keeper moved diagonal towards Alverez and also sticks out his right leg wide - without that action, you’d have a better argument.

I don’t understand why you’re saying the keeper is just standing there and can’t do anything about it, he literally came running out of the goal diagonally into Alverez’s path, and then threw his right leg out wide too.
 
What should it be if the keeper collides with Berba here? (move starts at 3:50)



It's not Berbatov crashing into the GK.

Its the GK flailing around with his arms and missing everything.

The inertia is with the GK in this video, so, if he would have collided with Berbatov, that would a blatant pen.

The Alvarez situation is the other way around.
It's he who has the inertia and it's he who proceeds to crash into the GK.

The goalie is just standing there.
Sure, his feet are wide, after all, he's trying to Save the shot isn't he?
 
A call to my fellow Croatian, they were better, they deserved it. Enjoy where we got and drink some wine.

Put Leonard Cohen as well and light a cigare. Been a wonderful WC.
 
Alverez chipped the ball over the keeper, giving him little time to react (he chose to rush out and close down the man). He did get close to stopping the ball with his hands, but couldn’t.

Alverez has eyes on the ball at all times and doesn’t change direction at all. The keeper moved diagonal towards Alverez and also sticks out his right leg wide - without that action, you’d have a better argument.

I don’t understand why you’re saying the keeper is just standing there and can’t do anything about it, he literally came running out of the goal diagonally into Alverez’s path, and then threw his right leg out wide too.

Well ffs, he's trying to save the shot now isn't he?

That's what GK are trying to do?

He's not fouling him.
His feet are well on the ground at the moment Alvarez is crashing INTO HIM are they not?

How could he move his feet once they're on the ground and make a foul when they're fully on the fecking ground?!
 
What I don't understand is how people can say Alvarez changed direction or accelerated after the shot when the contact with the keeper came something like 1/10th of a second afterward and before Alvarez could even put another foot on the ground. Maybe I should rewatch hmmm.
 
Yeah, went a bit unnoticed in all the Messi party, but he was excellent, can't press this guy he glides so smoothly past any on rushing opposition player just to pick a sublime opening pass, and it all looks so effortlessly that you really forget he is 37. Amazing player.
True. Always held him in high regard. By the way it was a penalty.
 
Our Argentine posters really are the worst winners we've seen around here this whole tournament. Maybe take an hour or two to enjoy being in a WC final before picking fights with everyone? It was already tiresome after the NL game but now it's utterly ridiculous.

Glaston-level of unsympathy.
 
Argentina have done the right tournament thing in peaking at the right stage.
They have the Saudis to thank for that. They didn't time it, it was forced upon them. Sink or swim made them run through options and find the team (McAllister, Enzo, Alvarez, how/when to use Licha and which fullback combos) while enjoying the leeway of facing Mexico and not Croatia.
 
Last edited:
A call to my fellow Croatian, they were better, they deserved it. Enjoy where we got and drink some wine.

Put Leonard Cohen as well and light a cigare. Been a wonderful WC.
That's the spirit. You had a great run mate, enjoy!
 
On the plus side, England would've lost to this Messi-inspired Argentina in the final anyway. Southgate would've made sure of it.

Yeah Southgate would have absolutely shat himself at the prospect,still he shouldn't worry because no one to take his job in eyes of his beloved FA.
 
Congratulations to Argentina, you deserve it, we weren't up to the task - but neither was referee Orsato and I can't believe that he got this big game when he clearly wasn't fit. You could see him during the match limping like he had some sort of foot injury.:lol: His positioning for a penalty was terrible - he should be closer and way more diagonally positioned from his actual spot, but he couldn't make that run because he was looking injured or something, running on his heels whole game.

IMO that was not a penalty, it's a collision, simple as that and it happens often between goalkeepers and attackers but never seen a penalty given, especially in an important game as the WC semifinal, and without VAR intervention when we see the use of a VAR check for almost everything actually making fans celebrate a VAR decision more than a goal scored. With Orsato not being positioned correctly in the first place, he should check it with VAR.

It is what goalkeepers should do in 1v1 situations and how they take positions to make themselves "bigger" to protect the goal. It was not like Alvarez tried to dribble left/right and he get in his way, attacker played the ball and the collision happened because of the attacker's momentum. The leg was not stretched to stop the attacker's movement, it was grounded as it should be in this situation as he stayed still and everyone who is familiar with or was a goalkeeper would understand what I'm trying to say.

Saw a comment about Livaković not complaining about the decision - he collided and probably get a knee into his ribs at this pace, surely he couldn't complain. :lol::lol: This kind of collisions are mostly underlooked in games because they end up with a goal scored more often than not, with no extra attention needed.

Having said all of this it doesn't change the fact that Lovren did a terrible mistake in positioning allowing Alvarez to get into our box in the first place. Instead of positioning in the line with other defenders and making Alvarez offside, he played him onside deciding to have a race that he will never win. Shame, because we looked good the first half of the hour, and Kovačić impressed me during that time by using a space between lines offered by Argentina's flat 4-4-2 formation.

Second and third goals I wouldn't even comment - one was an amateur mistake conceding counter like that from our set piece and the other one is pure magic by a genius we should all be happy to watch. Disappointing defensive performance by both Lovren and Gvardiol, which was not the case in games before with them being excellent during competition.

Again, congratulations to every Argentina fan here, was rooting for you until our paths crossed and I hope you win it because of Licha and Messi of course, he deserves to have a WC to complete his wonderful career. And, btw, Alvarez is a hell of a player. :eek:
 
Depends what backline they can put out. If it's a scratch one like they finished with v Portugal then France will stick 2-3 past them.

With injury and extra time totted up they've basically played one extra game so fatigue will also play a part.

Would love to see it though. Morocco-Argentina would be an insane atmosphere!

Yeah it really would be
 
They have the Saudis to thank for that. They didn't time it, it was forced upon them. Sink or swim made them run through options and find the team (McAllister, Enzo, Alvarez, how/when to use Licha and which fullback combos) while enjoying the leeway of facing Mexico and not Croatia.

Yeah imagine England started with humbling to Iran,would Southgate have changed things to get the best out of Grealish/Foden/Rashford. Not a chance in hell he would take a risk like that.
 
Rewatching today’s match.

Clear penalty that. Livakovic clatters into him right at the end of his lunge.

I thought the handball could have been another penalty so interested in seeing that shortly
 
Congratulations to Argentina, you deserve it, we weren't up to the task - but neither was referee Orsato and I can't believe that he got this big game when he clearly wasn't fit. You could see him during the match limping like he had some sort of foot injury.:lol: His positioning for a penalty was terrible - he should be closer and way more diagonally positioned from his actual spot, but he couldn't make that run because he was looking injured or something, running on his heels whole game.

IMO that was not a penalty, it's a collision, simple as that and it happens often between goalkeepers and attackers but never seen a penalty given, especially in an important game as the WC semifinal, and without VAR intervention when we see the use of a VAR check for almost everything actually making fans celebrate a VAR decision more than a goal scored. With Orsato not being positioned correctly in the first place, he should check it with VAR.

It is what goalkeepers should do in 1v1 situations and how they take positions to make themselves "bigger" to protect the goal. It was not like Alvarez tried to dribble left/right and he get in his way, attacker played the ball and the collision happened because of the attacker's momentum. The leg was not stretched to stop the attacker's movement, it was grounded as it should be in this situation as he stayed still and everyone who is familiar with or was a goalkeeper would understand what I'm trying to say.

Saw a comment about Livaković not complaining about the decision - he collided and probably get a knee into his ribs at this pace, surely he couldn't complain. :lol::lol: This kind of collisions are mostly underlooked in games because they end up with a goal scored more often than not, with no extra attention needed.

Having said all of this it doesn't change the fact that Lovren did a terrible mistake in positioning allowing Alvarez to get into our box in the first place. Instead of positioning in the line with other defenders and making Alvarez offside, he played him onside deciding to have a race that he will never win. Shame, because we looked good the first half of the hour, and Kovačić impressed me during that time by using a space between lines offered by Argentina's flat 4-4-2 formation.

Second and third goals I wouldn't even comment - one was an amateur mistake conceding counter like that from our set piece and the other one is pure magic by a genius we should all be happy to watch. Disappointing defensive performance by both Lovren and Gvardiol, which was not the case in games before with them being excellent during competition.

Again, congratulations to every Argentina fan here, was rooting for you until our paths crossed and I hope you win it because of Licha and Messi of course, he deserves to have a WC to complete his wonderful career. And, btw, Alvarez is a hell of a player. :eek:
thanks!
 
I can't believe people are saying no to the PK. Crazy

Messi has paced himself this WC very smartly. In 2014 it seemed to me he had little left vs Germany in the final.

My Christmas list includes Argentina winning and Messi wins the Golden Boot.
 
I can't believe people are saying no to the PK. Crazy

Messi has paced himself this WC very smartly. In 2014 it seemed to me he had little left vs Germany in the final.

My Christmas list includes Argentina winning and Messi wins the Golden Boot.
Wasn't for me, as mentioned above.

My Christmas list has Messi crying some more when they don't win. Saying that, i do hope Morocco win it. France v Argentina is a bit City v Liverpool in terms of likeability.
 
I can't believe people are saying no to the PK. Crazy

Messi has paced himself this WC very smartly. In 2014 it seemed to me he had little left vs Germany in the final.

My Christmas list includes Argentina winning and Messi wins the Golden Boot.

If Argentina win it, and Messi wins the Golden Boot he will also win his 8th Balon d'Or. But I can't see Argentina getting it over the line not after seeing France.

I also feel PSG will win the CL this year.

I expect France to win still I think they have too much strength.
 
:lol:Bastardising the English language and it was never a pen- Alvarez ran into the GK - is he supposed to step aside and let him have an open goal?

He makes a movement towards the ball, he doesn’t get the ball, he impedes the player. It’s staggering that so many people are having difficulty deciphering why it was a clear penalty.

Edit: never mind, your “Christmas list” pretty much confirms why you want to pretend it’s not a penalty