The Football Thread

[Meini Again]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

So ya'll seem to be complaining about the reffing and the US team also. You don't find it at all suspicious the 7 of the 8 teams going to the quarterfinals are from Europe??
Also about the us diving. Isn't it a bit suspicious the Morgan went down at least 6 times in the first half AWAY from the ball, out of the ref's sight??
I do agree the officiating has been bad (VAR WTF) and this from some one who doesn't watch that much football. But come on it is FIFA and when have they ever been pure as the driven snow???

If you need it, Santee ... I can PM you about very good 'conspiracy-site'... that proves Trump is related to GOD ... FIFA is NOT a Corrupt Organisation....and Mamie Van Doren was always a virgin....
On Footie... ok fella.... I'll forgive you your innocence
SET PIECES.... are the most trained in footie.
They are the positions where a free kick / corner are taken from.
They rehearse them, from anywhere around the box.
EVERY TEAM DOES THAT.

"Going Down" as you put it, is ignored by Refs and VAR..... it's actually meaningless, except for the hope of a free-kick... a set-piece
In the UK we have, in the Championship,last year in the UK, a team beloved of 'Tom Hanks' with the worst "diver" on record. It's said that their whole system was based on "Set-Pieces" - "Free Kicks etc - on where this player chose to "dive".

I would suggest to you Santee, that "Set-Pieces" and free-kicks, are part and parcel of ANY serious Coach.

No Fouls called, No cards, No Free-kicks... in her case.

Don't matter how often she goes down

[Motorboater]

Originally Posted by countjimmoriarty

LIke he did last season?

He was on loan from Barcelona last season. He's now a signed Everton player.

[Motorboater]

Watching the replay of England/Norway atm. England just scored their third. That was a cracking strike!

Also to anyone who may follow the National Rugby League, Norway's outfit reminds me of the old Newcastle Knights colours.

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Meini Again

From 2-0 down Norway were broken. Shattered. Exhausted.
No change of formation nor tactics, second half... just more screaming from him. A melt-down.... and Graham was my second favourite player.
I feel sorry for her.

As a team I thought Norway were carrying the burden of having given everything they had against the Matildas. Graham looked shattered and the whole team just couldn't rediscover their coherence which made their previous performance so impressive. They simply couldn't recover in time to be able to face up to what was a very creditable England performance, albeit the Lionesses still go MIA in each half, and a side in top form could and should have scored 2 or 3 against us. C'est la vie. I wonder if Neville might be a 'lucky general'? As for the Norway manager, I suspect he fears the elbow - he's a Swede and has been criticised in the Norweigan media previously. They'll be back, and better. We play the winner of tonight's USA-France match. I'm hoping for extra time.

[countjimmoriarty]

Originally Posted by Motorboater

He was on loan from Barcelona last season. He's now a signed Everton player.

Perfectly aware of that. Didn't exactly inspire them to greatness, did he...

[tsunamiSD]

at the 20 minute mark, it has been a very fast paced game, with lots of back and forth play. US has the lone goal, scored in the 5th minute by Rapinoe on a free kick. Both teams should have gotten yellow cards for simulation in the box, but the ref only talked to the players involved. It appears that part of the French strategy is not like that of the previous US game - they are not fouling Alex Morgan; instead they are going at the shins and ankles of Rapinoe.

[tsunamiSD]

for the first 3 minutes of the 2nd half, the US ruled, almost scoring several times. But it has been almost all France since then. But the French shots have all been wide or blocked - US has 7 shots on goal. Despite their talk of the heat and short time between games not being a factor, the US now are looking tired.

[tsunamiSD]

Very much against the run of play, Megan Rapinoe scores of a very nice pass from Tobin Heath. I'm hoping that this will be enough, but the way France looked the past 20 minutes, they could get multiple goals.
***
80th minute - US gets a goal waved off then France scores off a free kick header, now 2-1... Nail biting time!

[tsunamiSD]

Well, I'm glad that the US made it past a very good French team - but I feel sorry for a very good French team. And I still think that the 3rd US goal should not have been waved off - if the torso of an attacking player is even wit the defender, it should be an onside play. On to England (and I hope that underdogs Sweden and Italy make it through

.)

[lameneshma]

Stop the atrocity, ban the VAR.