World Cup: SF: France vs. Belgium, 7/10/2018

Who advances?


  • Total voters
    62
  • Poll closed .

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
I thought the match was pretty exciting. :dunno:

If Lloris/Courtois didn't make some amazing saves, this is an "offensive masterclass" 3-2 game.
It's true. Lloris saved what should have been a goal in the first half and Courtois saved two (Pavard in the 1st, Tolisso late).
 

le_sean

Registered User
Oct 21, 2006
39,551
38,961
In a match that featured great goaltending, it’s nice to see the classy Lloris win over the arrogant loudmouth Courtois.
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
There is a difference between making a safe defensive play and letting the clock wind down by throwing the ball away from the sidelines after it has gone out.

Not really. He won 10 seconds, got booked and the ref gave 20 more seconds in the end.

So who cares?
 

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
59,988
19,060
w/ Renly's Peach

King 88

Registered User
Mar 5, 2010
2,185
432
Imagine playing with your strenghts and trying to win instead making entertaining match for some whiny bitches in a ice hockey forum.
 
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saskriders

Can't Hold Leads
Sep 11, 2010
25,064
1,599
Calgary
Not really. He won 10 seconds, got booked and the ref gave 20 more seconds in the end.

So who cares?

It is a completely different scenario than a hockey team playing the puck into the corner. And I'm not claiming it made a difference. I am saying it is unsportsmanlike and I would like to see an effort made to remove tactics like that from the game.
 

Ceremony

blahem
Jun 8, 2012
113,012
15,084
If Scotland were 1-0 up in a World Cup semi-final in stoppage time it's one of the few occasions I would be wildly cheering on Scott Brown as he ran about kicking people. I can only presume people criticising this are predisposed to disliking the French, because there's literally no alternative for players and a team in that situation. Dry your eyes.
 

Ceremony

blahem
Jun 8, 2012
113,012
15,084
France:
Lloris was assertive when he had to be and made good saves when the game was level. Varane was the best defender on the pitch. Pogba played an extremely clever game given how much the ball wasn't anywhere near him. Mbappe and Griezmann go without saying. Matuidi even looked good in an advanced position.

Belgium:
Shat it. Lukaku looked about the only one who turned up, but having to do everything himself was never going to work. De Bruyne was a passenger, Hazard anonymous and if Nacer Chadli is your best option for a game like this you'd be as well playing a man down.
 

The Abusement Park

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Jan 18, 2016
33,923
25,019
Pogba has ABSOLUTELY controlled the midfield.... without the ball. He was huge in pressing, huge in positionning and masterful in breakouts.

Pogba is absolutely an inconsistent player. But he was immense today, absolutely great game by him.
 

W75

Wegistewed Usew
Oct 22, 2011
8,765
380
Winland
I think 2 best teams in tournament. Hated to see France winning, but what can you do. Disliked them before the game.. and now because of few clowns, even more.

One of them should've got a red card in the end. Ref just didn't have the balls (or will). French guy had the ball though. Twice.

Hard to see England or Croatia beating them.
 
Last edited:

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
59,988
19,060
w/ Renly's Peach
Who cares what they are doing as long as they win.

Us neutrals. I get that y'all don't care, and that DD doesn't care...hell I know I don't care all that much about how we played in 1980 & 1990.

But you could be playing such beautiful football and driving the sport in a more positive direction...and if you had done so, I think you'd have been even better...rather than the overly pragmatic style you have used. Which, if it brings you the WC, some will use as further "proof" that top teams need to abandon the pep delusion and instead study from the foul-&-dive that dominated german football when they were growing up in the early-to-mid 80s...rather than recognizing that poorly implemented possession football failing is the expectation, not evidence of the failure of possession football

But again, if it brings you a title, I get why a french fan doesn't (and shouldn't) care.
 

le_sean

Registered User
Oct 21, 2006
39,551
38,961
Us neutrals. I get that y'all don't care, and that DD doesn't care...hell I know I don't care all that much about how we played in 1980 & 1990.

But you could be playing such beautiful football and driving the sport in a more positive direction...and if you had done so, I think you'd have been even better...rather than the overly pragmatic style you have used. Which, if it brings you the WC, some will use as further "proof" that top teams need to abandon the pep delusion and instead study from the foul-&-dive that dominated german football when they were growing up in the early-to-mid 80s...rather than recognizing that poorly implemented possession football failing is the expectation, not evidence of the failure of possession football

But again, if it brings you a title, I get why a french fan doesn't (and shouldn't) care.

There wasn’t anything particularly beautiful about the 1998 and 2006 teams either. All defence and Zidane. It’s just how the French play football.
 

Human

cynic
Jan 22, 2011
9,605
1,163
Bandwagon
Because one of the things you seem to do is whine annoyingly on this board which we have to read...
don't read, bro.

it happens that I don't like the type of football that wins today. you know, the clogged midfield type. as a european I grew up watching football, once you have the bug it is almost impossible to get rid of it. it pains me that this type of football wins you World Cups today. back in the day Italy was successful playing like this and it was their thing and I was fine with it. today almost everybody tries to play like this.
 

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
59,988
19,060
w/ Renly's Peach
Eh, we're discussing what we're seeing happening *at the moment* and the recent past as in the last weeks. If you actually look at this conversation, I've told people who're drooling over everything he does that Mbappe hasn't been dominating this World Cup at all. He's in fact not even been the best French player today or at this World Cup. The excuse is that Mbappe will be GOAT in 6 or 8 years when *nobody* knows that because "life" happens. We can talk about Mbappe's fantastic career in 2026, that's fine. I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but this is 2018 and that's the Mbappe out there in a France shirt.

But half the fun of watching young footballers is projecting talent and then seeing how reality later matches up with your projections...as well as studying your misses to understand why you were wrong :dunno:
 
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Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,526
France
Possession stat for possession obssessed posters :
France had 36% possession, Belgium 64 %.
France had 19 shots, Belgium 9.
France had 6 fouls, Belgium had 16 (even though they had the ball remember).
 
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cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
59,988
19,060
w/ Renly's Peach
There wasn’t anything particularly beautiful about the 1998 and 2006 teams either. All defence and Zidane. It’s just how the French play football.

There was nothing about beautiful about how we won in 1954, 1980, 1990 or 1996; but there was in 1972, 1974 & 2014.

French coaches decide how the french play football. Not bringing Rabiot was DD's decision, not playing Fekir was DD's decision, and starting Matuidi over Tolisso was DD's decision.

...I just know that if you win playing like this one of the folks I talk to about german youth football -- who I disagree with vehemently about football philosophy -- will use your title to argue Pep is evil. Like he has with Real's CL titles...despite their league failure...
 

koyvoo

Registered User
Nov 8, 2014
17,244
16,982
If you wanna be a purely beautiful team, good luck winning titles. Being a good tournament team, sometimes means having to play an ugly game, despite your intent. There was nothing beautiful about Germany’s win over Algeria 4 years ago, but they contained a survivalist quality that some beautiful teams don’t have. Nothing wrong with it.
 
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