The Football (Not American)/Futbol/Soccer Thread: No More International Breaks!

Who Wins the 2018 World Cup?


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    35

S E P H

Cloud IX
Mar 5, 2010
30,710
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Toruń, PL
Decided to make a new thread to freshen things up a bit considering we have the Champion League's Final and World Cup on the horizon.

DP-QtzMVwAAWPD_.jpg

Schedule
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - FIFA.com

Do this
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/world-cup-bracket-challenge.2492821/

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S E P H

Cloud IX
Mar 5, 2010
30,710
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Toruń, PL
Thanks for linking the bracket challenge :D
Yeah, no problem. I already registered and have Argentina beating France in the finals. I just have this feeling it's going to go to South America this year...however, based upon Argentina revealing their squad earlier this week I think I have made a mighty mistake.

Can't wait for the meltdown when England and Mexico don't exit the group stage.
Who's beating England in that group? Or is it going to be draw galore? I think Belgium is definitely a darkhorse and can absolutely go far...but no way can I see the likes of Panama and Tunisia even coming close to England's talent.

Group D interest's me the most because after Argentina you got one squad who has very good talent in Croatia, another team with great talent in Nigeria (though we all know what happens to African squads), and the team riding the most confidence in Iceland.
 

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
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I have four South American teams in the QFs in my bracket (Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia & Argentina) with none of them facing each other...although I only have two of four getting through to the semis (Brazil & Uruguay).
 

Murzu

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I'm sad to see South-Korea to lose their group :( I'm also sad that Netherlands didn't make it to the big show.

Can't wait for this! Go Germany!
 
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filip85

Registered User
Feb 7, 2017
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Group D interest's me the most because after Argentina you got one squad who has very good talent in Croatia,.

This year is 20th anniversary of Croatian Bronze medal in 1998. France. Oh boy, I still can say what I did and where were I during every goal we scored there, that run is something indelibly. :) What team that was...Suker, Boban, Jarni, Stimac, Bilic, Asanovic. What many people don't know is majority of our 98. squad won junior world title in Chile in 87. when Croatia were still part of Yugoslavia, and WC in France was their senior peak.
 

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
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That’s the first tourney I actively remember watching in real time. I can still remember cheering for Croatia after we went out, the argies in ET against England, and Schmeichel...until Brazil ended their run. Crazy that that was already 20 years ago.
 
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The Abusement Park

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Group D interest's me the most because after Argentina you got one squad who has very good talent in Croatia, another team with great talent in Nigeria (though we all know what happens to African squads), and the team riding the most confidence in Iceland.

Plus Iceland is probably the best or 2/3 best coached teams in the whole World Cup. I don’t really think anything that’s happened since they’re surprise run in the Euros is that unsustainable.
 
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5280

To the window!
Jan 15, 2011
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This year is 20th anniversary of Croatian Bronze medal in 1998. France. Oh boy, I still can say what I did and where were I during every goal we scored there, that run is something indelibly. :) What team that was...Suker, Boban, Jarni, Stimac, Bilic, Asanovic. What many people don't know is majority of our 98. squad won junior world title in Chile in 87. when Croatia were still part of Yugoslavia, and WC in France was their senior peak.
Didn’t they beat Germany sometime that year? I think I was in Berlin and remember a bunch of Croats running around screaming and yelling. I remember thinking WTF? Lol

That was the year I got into soccer/ football. I was in Copenhagen when Brazil beat Denmark and Berlin IIRC when Croatia beat Germany. I think I was Austria when France won it. I’ve been hooked on it ever since.
 
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cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
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Didn’t they beat Germany sometime that year? I think I was in Berlin and remember a bunch of Croats running around screaming and yelling. I remember thinking WTF? Lol

That was the year I got into soccer/ football. I was in Copenhagen when Brazil beat Denmark and Berlin IIRC when Croatia beat Germany. I think I was Austria when France won it. I’ve been hooked on it ever since.

Yup, but we had just won the Euros in England & didn’t deserve to beat Croatia in France...hell that Romanian team that the Croats beat in the previous round would’ve probably beat us by multiple goals as well. So no one in my family was too upset by going out in the QFs to a team who played as well as they did.

...especially since the Croats had a better shot at knocking off the Dutch that year...
 
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filip85

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Feb 7, 2017
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Didn’t they beat Germany sometime that year? I think I was in Berlin and remember a bunch of Croats running around screaming and yelling. I remember thinking WTF? Lol

That was the year I got into soccer/ football. I was in Copenhagen when Brazil beat Denmark and Berlin IIRC when Croatia beat Germany. I think I was Austria when France won it. I’ve been hooked on it ever since.

Yes, yes, we smashed them 3:0 :) :) I remember before the game (like 20 min before) I was so nervous I had to take a walk around my building and outside there were nobody outside, literally, even no cars and I am living like 300 meters from highway :D

And then in semifinals....Boban made brutal giveaway to Thuram who scored two goals on us and IIRC those were only two of his whole carrer :(. Although that 1/2 game is still sometimes matter of discussion in Croatia because Prosinečki didnt start at first 11, he came into the game in 2nd half and our game took big step forward with him in the lineup. Coach Ćiro said many years after that he made mistake by not having him since the start of the game.

Interesting this wasn't first "incident" between Ćiro and Prosinečki. When "great 8" (not Ovechkin ;) ) was member of Dinamo Zagreb in late 80-s Ćiro said that he will eat his graduate paper if Prosinečki ever becomes good soccer player. Season after that he went to Red Star Belgrade (arch Dinamo rival in then Yugoslavian league) and won Champions league (then Champions Cup) with Red Star and Intercontinental cup (beating Colo - Colo 3:0). Of course, #8 was instrumental player in all those successes.
 
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The Abusement Park

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I hate both teams, but dear God does it feel good to have all the nitwits on the soccer board lose their minds.

Same. The schadenfreud from RM is pretty great, some posters there have such a vested hatred towards RM and it’s hilarious to watch.
 
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cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
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In this second, I am enjoying the suffering of Barca & Liverpool fans more...but I just know that some Real fans are going to piss me off in the future when they overhype this Real team. You can't take away the greatness of their achievement, but this three-peat has featured sooooo many flukey decisive moments, and their league performances undercut that streakiness. But it's an achievement that Real fans will be able to point to & gloat about for decades...and in the world at large, Real fans are even more annoying than the LFC & Barca fans on HF.

So I remain bitterly conflicted about that Final...can't help but feel like die mannschaft should just repeat in russia so I can always hit them back with the first back-to-back WC titles since Mussolini's Italy bribed their way to the feat 80 years ago!
 

Alex Jones

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Liverpool fans are more delusionally hopeful than arrogant, which is the more bearable of the two. Barcelona fans have been cut down to size after a couple of poor seasons, as well as the downfall of their annoying level of pride about La Masia.
 

cgf

FireBednarsSuccessor
Oct 15, 2010
59,988
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Liverpool fans are more delusionally hopeful than arrogant, which is the more bearable of the two. Barcelona fans have been cut down to size after a couple of poor seasons, as well as the downfall of their annoying level of pride about La Masia.

Yeah, I don't mind a lot of Liverpool fans much anymore. Falling out of the top 4 for a while there really made them a lot more tolerable.

How dare you doubt the Mourinho dream!
 

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