De Gea concession = Hand of Clod goal?
Ronaldo's free-kick goal in the 87th minute was a thing of beauty! Perfect placement. Nothing that the keeper could do.
World Cup Football/Soccer 2018
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De Gea concession = Hand of Clod goal?
Ronaldo's free-kick goal in the 87th minute was a thing of beauty! Perfect placement. Nothing that the keeper could do.
Texas Proud
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De Gea concession = Hand of Clod goal?
Ronaldo's free-kick goal in the 87th minute was a thing of beauty! Perfect placement. Nothing that the keeper could do.
I think the best goal was Diego-Costa against 3 defenders getting a great shot off between 2 of them to score...
Hope more games are as good as this one...
+1
You can bet the decision by skipper Fernando Hierro to substitute Diego Costa in the 77th minute will come under intense scrutiny. One could argue that Costa's absence gave Portugal the confidence to play a higher line. It almost seemed Hierro was content to bunker down behind the ball and play "not-to-lose".
On another note, DW & I were in San Isidro, Costa Rica yesterday. It seemed nearly every shop, bodega, café, etc. had televisions on and tuned to the WC. We watched the Spain/Portugal fixture at a crowded café during lunch.
I have only had time to watch the opener so far.
The Saudis just gave up in injury time, which is what made the score so lopsided.
Russia looked competent but not convincing. Uruguay will definitely win that group handily.
The Saudis just gave up in injury time, which is what made the score so lopsided.
Russia looked competent but not convincing. Uruguay will definitely win that group handily.
When Mexico plays in the World Cup, life comes to a standstill here. Forget about service at an eatery or store (many will close during games). Not a futball fan so I don't watch but can hear the cohetes (fire crackers) which accompany each MXN goal.
Those cohetes seem to accompany just about every single event in Mexico be it large, medium and small. We were in Ajijic last November and December. Cohetes and bands serenaded us every morning starting at 6 a.m. Along with a braying donkey and roosters next door that sang along! Still, that's part of what we love about Latin American culture.
You may be right, but never underestimate the importance of being home team. Refs do want to survive and return home with all body parts intact.
Fishingmn
Full time employment: Posting here.
My college friends and I do a long golf weekend every August. I decided to have a World Cup pool to determine who got the best sleeping arrangements. Blind draw of the teams which we separated into groupings based on FIFA rankings. 1 point for a goal, 2 for tie, 5 for a win.
I was certain I was going to finish bottom 2 but off to a good start with my teams -
Russia, Iran, Portugal & Mexico.
The extra goals by Russia and gift to Iran by Morocco may prove very helpful at the end. Still not sure I have enough power teams to finish top 4 (and get my own bedroom).
I was certain I was going to finish bottom 2 but off to a good start with my teams -
Russia, Iran, Portugal & Mexico.
The extra goals by Russia and gift to Iran by Morocco may prove very helpful at the end. Still not sure I have enough power teams to finish top 4 (and get my own bedroom).
CoolRich59
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I’m an Argentina fan, but you’ve got to give Iceland huge props for a great game. Their defense was pressured for most of the game yet held their own. Huge “loss” for Argentina.
By the way, I thought the announcers for this game were just awful.
By the way, I thought the announcers for this game were just awful.
Huge “loss” for Argentina.
Yeah, I'm sure that you are not alone as an Argentina fan in feeling this match's result seemed like more like a loss than a draw. Still, Argentina has enough overall quality to win their group and advance.
Corporateburnout
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Not to mention the huge save by the Iceland goalkeeper on the penalty kick taken by Messi.
+1
The keeper is always at a big disadvantage in PK situations. Hindsight being what it is, I'm sure that Messi feels he could have done better. And that's not to take away at all from Haldorsson's effort on the PK. A bit of luck on his part in guessing right and a lot of skill and athleticism with the dive and full extension. A well deserved designation as man of the match.
I bet that save will be long remembered in Iceland.
Texas Proud
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I’m an Argentina fan, but you’ve got to give Iceland huge props for a great game. Their defense was pressured for most of the game yet held their own. Huge “loss” for Argentina.
By the way, I thought the announcers for this game were just awful.
Or as the announcer said "a win for Iceland, 1-1"
I do not think either team feels like it is a tie, one thinks they lost and the other thinks they won.... and both should feel the way they do...
Edit to add...
Argentina held the ball 78% of the time, had 27 shots to 8, 7 to 2 on goal... wish I could find the stats on passes... I remember the announcers saying that at half one guy on Argentina had more passes himself than the whole Iceland team... I would not be surprised if that was also true of the whole game...
Edit to add more...
Found what I wanted.... Mascherano had 138 passes with 131 on target... Iceland had 190 passes with only 127 on target...
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NYEXPAT
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Peru looked horrible today, Cueva totally blew that penalty kick! The place across the street from my apartment is offering 100 free taco's if Peru made it to the final 8. It's a big place for local matches, I fear they wasted their money this time.
Messi has now missed 3 of his last 6 PKs. As good as he is, he now has a confidence issue I think with PKs and that doubt in his mind is hard to get over.
After today's debacle, it is doubtful the Peruvian side could finish a meal, much less another scoring chance!
+1
In addition, it is likely Messi is placing the entirety of the Argentine side's fortunes in this WC on his own shoulders. At 31 years of age, this is probably Messi's last kick at the can when it comes to the World Cup. A WC trophy is about all that Messi lacks when it comes to his football legacy.
mickeyd
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Spain 3- Portugal 3...Why the excitement. No winner?
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Definitely sounds like he should delegate his penalty taking for a while. In the Croatia game last night they won a penalty and their top goal scorer did not take the penalty, and instead the skipper, Luca Modric took it and scored. The commentators speculated that perhaps he decided the pressure was too high and the much more experienced Modric would hold his nerve.
Corporateburnout
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You would think that the pressure should not bother the greatest player in the game. Ronaldo seems to handle it quite well against Spain.
