World Cup: QF: Brazil vs. Belgium, 7/6/2018

[Savi]

Don’t die. You have two guaranteed games left!

Yeah almost forgot. This game had the feel of a final tbh. We needed a win like this so bad.

Martinez surprised me with his tactics, I really thought he would get outcoached but he didn't. Team was set up very well. They did almost everything right in that first half, apart from that early dominant spell from Brazil with the hit post by T.Silva and some other chances, after that (and especially the first goal) I never really had the feeling Brazil would run us over.
The second half.....I don't even know man that felt like it lasted 3 hours. We were pushed back, we barely even saw Kev, Hazard en Rom do anything anymore and it just seemed like wave after wave of Brazilian attacks overflew us. At one point I fell like Brazil were getting tired but right then they got one back. After that... Think my heart almost stopped on several occasions. The Coutinho wide open chance, the Augusto shot just wide, Courtois' glorious save on Neymar. Felt like a game that would never end.

Obviously Courtois was great, but Fellaini I think maybe had his best game ever in Red Devils jersey. He was MASSIVE. Felt like he was literally everywhere on the pitch. Took the ball away from Neymar (or any other Brazilian for that matter) countless times. Chadli also had a good game, he's a much better option than Carrasco. Hopefully he got subbed due to cramps and there's no injury. Specially with the Meunier suspension. Kompany was great as well.

Meunier being suspended is quite a loss for Belgium. Probably Chadli plays as RWB (like he did against England), and then Vermaelen comes in as a CB.

That's how I would do it. Although I could see Martinez going with a back four.

 

[Firsov99]

Fair enough. I guess i don't think it is glaring enough to get worked up about and I still think Neymar has an unfair reputation. But lets agree to disagree at this point :p

Thumbs up!

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Biggest thing learned from today's game: Jan Vertonghen is Belgium's most capped ever player?

 

[Savi]

Biggest thing learned from today's game: Jan Vertonghen is Belgium's most capped ever player?

He is. First (and so far, only) player to top 100 caps. Although several of this generation will reach that number as well.

 

[Fvital92]

What a disapointing performance by Neymar.

 

[tobo]

Good game. I'm drunk.

 

[Fvital92]

Fernandinho had the worst game of his career.

Courtois was incredible.

Brasil deserved a penalty on Jesus (it was also very obvious for me)

And Brasil misfired so many great chances.

Belgium was clutch but I was not impressed and certainly not ready to say they were the best team.

Fernandinho was the same player of the 7-1.
It wasn't a penalty on Jesus. It was one of those games for Brazil. Good luck for the belgians, hopefully they will kill the frenchs.

 

[tobo]

Still, I hate Martinez and will never forgive him not trying kdb-dembele-Radja in midfield.

 

[Live in the Now]

Croatia?

IMO no. Maybe their best team but not a great team, they struggled mightily in their last match.

 

[Luigi Habs]

From my brazilian friend:

What did people expect from a team whose best player brings 2 hairdressers with him to the competition?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

From my brazilian friend:

What did people expect from a team whose best player brings 2 hairdressers with him to the competition?

Really?

It doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but I've always got to laugh at this sort of frivolous foolery. Soccer players tend to have the stupidest haircuts too, and Neyman is no exception.

 

[Suiteness]

They made a meal of this with the Italians in 2002 and 2006. In 2002 they all had the long flowing locks that they were constantly having to put back behind their ears and flopped ( bad referees aside) but they all showed up with buzz cuts in 06 and won the cup.

 

[illpucks]

Should have put Oscar on the team

 

[Vamos Rafa]

Really?

It doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but I've always got to laugh at this sort of frivolous foolery. Soccer players tend to have the stupidest haircuts too, and Neyman is no exception.

C'mon, you have to like at least one of his hairstyles.

 

[N o o d l e s]

I hate the Belgium going this far justifies them screwing Nainggolan

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Should have put Oscar on the team

What a strange take

 

[cgf]

What a strange take

I’m assuming that was just a typo for “Fabinho & Arthur”

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

From my brazilian friend:

What did people expect from a team whose best player brings 2 hairdressers with him to the competition?

What does Pogba have to do with this?

 

[Suiteness]

What a strange take

Well, Tite has shown he's not weary of picking players from the Chinese league ( Paulinho, Renato Augusto) and Oscar is supposedly the best player in that league at the moment.

 

[N o o d l e s]

What does Pogba have to do with this?

Hey...France only brought 1 barber

 

[Nalens Oga]

I do feel a bit bad for Brazil because they probably should've gotten that VAR penalty, Casmeiro's suspension cos of that dumb yellow card rule was unfortunate, and Courtois played amazing BUT...is there anything more enjoyable than seeing them lose? Even one of my Brazilian friends gets happy when they do lol.

I thought Neymar was mostly bad in this one, too much ball holding and bad passing from him. He was good in a few counters later on but mostly just counters. Belgium's midfield when going forward is quite bleh except when Hazard/KDB come back so it's all the more amazing that they won this with Fellaini and Witsel basically being just defenders.

 

[N o o d l e s]

KDB busted out that random laser he does from time to time at City. Awesome to see it sink Brazil this time

 

[Stray Wasp]

Meunier being suspended is quite a loss for Belgium. Probably Chadli plays as RWB (like he did against England), and then Vermaelen comes in as a CB.

Unless they change the formation again and Mertens comes back in. It's possible, since if France plays like they have so far, there's more room in the midfield and both Fellaini and Witsel starting might not be necessary. If Matuidi is brought back to shadow Hazard like he did Messi, then Mertens needs to be in as well, I think.

Well as they played yesterday, I'd be surprised if the Fellaini / Witsel combination works against the French.

There would be a certain comedy value in Fellaini outshining Pogba, but the laughter would wear off pretty quick if every team in the world decided that a very tall man who has no passing skills and camouflaged elbows was indispensable to achieving success.

 

[darko]

There's just something satisfying when Brazil chokes.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Neymar is out of the world cup: feels good, man.