OT: Discusión del Fútbol (EPL, FIFA, LIGA, USMNT, USWNT, MLS, etc) - Parte Cuatro

[g00n]

Your play your level is defined by how (poorly) your opponent plays against you.

The real TOP teams in this tournament are Belgium and France.

That's why I'm not surprised to see Italy battle against Austria. And if VAR didn't exist. Austria advance to 1/4.

I won't be surprised if the Netherlands (another public darling) are out too against the Czechs.

That's why any team in the bottom part of the bracket (the England bracket) can dream about the final.
Well in fact on another board I've said before the start of 1/8 that every team but Wales and Ukraine can dream about the final.
The first day confirmed my opinion. Denmark (number 10 in FIFA ranking) walked through Wales.

And Italy vs Austria confirmed my other opinion that only Belgium and France are 2 top teams in this tournament.

Well, yeah, according to FIFA:

 

[g00n]

Not sleeping on Czech Republic today but expecting Netherlands to have some serious chances with Depay.

I'm not seeing Portugal getting past Belgium as long as KDB is on the pitch.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Rudiger showed us how you shut down KDB.

 

[g00n]

What a bad sequence for Netherlands. Blowing a clear 1 on 1 vs the minder then handball red card at the other end.

Anything can happen.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

NED is done….

 

[sycamore]

Looks like the first big upset of the tourney.

 

[ovikovy817]

Well, yeah, according to FIFA:

View attachment 449927

Well, but what I really meant is that they are the only 2 teams that have another gear. Only teams that you see they are in control of their destiny. They're not panicking even when they're down or not playing well.

Looks like the first big upset of the tourney.

Not for me. In March/April for the WC 2022 qualifiers Czechs almost defeated Belgium in the lasts minutes of the game. And they were the better team in the 2nd half in that game.

Btw NED missed the last 2 big events in 2016 and 2018.

 

[g00n]

I hope the 2nd half of Belgium/Portugal has more action and risk taking than what I've seen so far.

 

[trick9]

France is on another level but even they have bad days.

Belgium though? Good team but hardly great. I think Portugal beats them.

 

[g00n]

Now it's picking up

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Portugal unlucky. Belgium look to be on borrowed time — or they could still easily win it all. They haven’t looked sharp or well put together, especially in the defensive third.

And that game was a dud. Expected something much more open and entertaining.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Bruno Fernandez….what a ghost….


Portugal was lucky to not be a man or 2 down. Should have been an easy 3-0.

 

[ovikovy817]

France gave a lesson in 2018 (especially to Belgium in 1/2) on how to win a major trophy.

Belgium did the same yesterday. Well done.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

As Morata speaks out, Spain focus on formidable Croatia test


"I understand I get criticism for not scoring goals. I'm the first to know and accept it," Morata told radio station Cadena COPE after Spain thrashed Slovakia 5-0 but he missed a penalty. "I wish people would put themselves in the position of seeing what it is to receive threats and insults to your family, 'I hope your children die.' [This week] I had to put my phone away.


Social media….what a scourge of humanity.

 

[g00n]

Social media….what a scourge of humanity.

100%

Most of the problems today trace back to it, imo. Or at least the pace that things accelerate, and the ease it affords people who want to spread crap around.

I don't have a twitter account and f I could get my family to move to a different messaging platform (and if Signal wasn't so blah) I'd delete my facebook account entirely.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Perisic out for COVID….jeez…

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

OMG Spain……what in the blue hell…

 

[g00n]

Well that's a nightmare start.

You always watch those back passes and think about how dangerous they are when they're on-goal. Welp.

 

[trick9]

Weird game.

Spain all over Croatia early on. Morata missed a wide olen header. They gift that goal to Croatia who take over afterwards and nearly go up by 2. Soon after Spain get flurry of chances and eventually bury one to tie the game.

Pedri nearly got an assist when he passed Koke through and instead he gets an OG to his name.

 

[g00n]

The other games have mostly sucked, other than the drama for Italy. So a bit of chaos is welcome in this one. lol

 

[sycamore]

The other games have mostly sucked, other than the drama for Italy. So a bit of chaos is welcome in this one. lol

Huh? No they haven't. This has been on of the more entertaining tournaments in recent memory. A lot of terrific long range goals.

 

[g00n]

Huh? No they haven't. This has been on of the more entertaining tournaments in recent memory. A lot of terrific long range goals.

I was talking only about the knockout round. Wales was awful so that was basically no contest. Italy vs Austria was tense. Netherlands shot themselves in the foot so if you were rooting for Czech Republic maybe that was good. Belgium v Portugal was a mostly timid 1-0 affair with CR7 a total non-factor.

Croatia coming back to tie in extra time. This game is what you expect from a Euro rd of 16, right?

 

[sycamore]

Good God Croatia ties it...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Wtf is going on?! Go take a call at 2-1 and come back 3-3!

 

[sycamore]

I don't think folks are taking Croatia seriously enough. These guys were World Cup finalists in 2018.