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Re: World Cup 2026

Johnnyo — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:19:41 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/25/2026 14:19

bojolpif71 wrote:

No third star for France—naturally disappointed by the semi-final loss to Spain, but happy about the victory of this excellent team against Argentina, avoiding a penalty shootout that would likely have favored the Argentines (a sore subject for France, having lost two finals in that manner).

What a great game the 3rd / 4th playoff was.

As you say, Spain were justified winners. The way they went about the semi v France (who had been great through the tournament) was a masterclass in controlling a game.

European and World Champions at the same time. That doesn't happen that often

Re: World Cup 2026

bojolpif71 — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 05:05:06 GMT

Author: bojolpif71

Posted: 07/25/2026 09:05

No third star for France—naturally disappointed by the semi-final loss to Spain, but happy about the victory of this excellent team against Argentina, avoiding a penalty shootout that would likely have favored the Argentines (a sore subject for France, having lost two finals in that manner).

Re: World Cup 2026

Patman360 — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 18:06:21 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 07/24/2026 22:06

Soccer is just a game of moments, but those moments are like nothing else.

All Ireland's great moments are still ingrained in my head from down the years, McAteer vs the Dutch, Robbie Keane against Germany in '02, Shane Long against Germany in '15, Robbie Brady against Italy and more recently Parrott against Hungary, hard to beat those feelings.

Spain deserving winners and delighted for them, definitely the most complete team at the World Cup no doubt, that semi-final performance was pure class.

Hurling is my go to though, now that's a proper fast moving sport.

Re: World Cup 2026

CA Dreamin — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:28:52 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 07/22/2026 01:28

I'm in my 30s and I never watched a minute of World Cup Soccer in my life...until 2026. What can I say? I'm an American who loves fast-moving high-scoring games. Give me football and hockey over soccer any day. Soccer, they run around an oversized field for nearly two hours, in what usually ends with a score of 1-0. Boring.

Of course, it's the most popular sport in the world so there's gotta be something to it. This year, I gave the World Cup some attention for a variety of reasons. For one, I have friends and colleagues who are big soccer fans and they held watch parties, and I wasn't gonna stubbornly skip those. Number two, USA was a host country at a time we were having our 250th birthday as a nation. Obviously FIFA granted the US hosting to coincide with such a monumental occasion, making supporting the World Cup feel a little patriotic. And I personally felt this World Cup was a great opportunity for America to earn some goodwill from the rest of world, at a time we could really use some. As a resident of Los Angeles, one of the cities hosting matches, I was witnessing a major inflow of out-of-town, out-of-country tourists. And boy, I could tell ya the tourists were having a great time here, and had nothing but positive things to say about their experiences in the US! They said everyone was treating them well, and they never felt unsafe. Even a colleague I know from Europe, who was reluctant about visiting the US in the current geopolitical climate, came for two weeks in June and had a blast! It felt good seeing people come together for soccer matches projected onto a giant screen on Venice Beach, and seeing our bars and restaurants actually crowded for once. Now, this came with a drawback on LA's infamous traffic. You've probably heard LA traffic sucks during normal times. Imagine tacking on the World Cup. Ugh, traffic was so horrible here in June. Roads and freeways were much more clogged than normal, and clearly some drivers were not from here and didn't quite understand local laws, didn't understand how LA traffic flows, or couldn't read English signs. I saw so many accidents and near-accidents in June, and I was even indirectly involved in one (my vehicle wasn't hit but I swerved to miss some nutcase, who collided with another car one lane to my left). Driving in LA was like Demolition Derby for a few weeks here. It drove me so crazy, I packed my car and went on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest from 6/25 to 7/8. And as it turned out, I was in the Seattle Area on the same weekend Team USA was about to face Belgium in the Round of 16, which was held in Seattle. Couldn't get away from the World Cup wherever I went.

What was I talking about before that side rant? Oh right, I was talking about World Cup soccer. Yes, I loved all the positive energy it brought to LA and the country at large. I actually watched some matches for the first time. I kind of understand soccer now (I think?). The beauty of the game isn't when the ball goes in the net, it's all the little skirmishes the players have with each other, trying to outmaneuver each other just to get a clean shot. It gets exciting watching it all unfold, just for that split second when a window opens up and a player takes a shot. More often than not, the shot goes wide, gets blocked by another player, or is saved by the goalkeeper. But still, that split second when the ball goes flying towards the net, everyone's heart stops. That's where it's at. I admit, I enjoyed watching a few matches. I saw the end of US vs. Belgium. Saw a good chunk of ENG-ARG and ENG-NOR. Saw the entirety of SPA-ARG. I learned every World Cup has been won by the same 8 countries, what's up with that? It's the most popular sport in the world, played in every region. You'd think there would be more parity. I was only rooting for teams who had never won before. First, USA. Then they lost and I rooted for Norway and Switzerland. Then they lost and there was nobody left except previous winners. I'm glad Spain beat Argentina. They seemed cleaner, more likable. And they were frankly way better. 20 shots to zero. Dominated possession. The only thing that kept Argentina alive was how great their goalkeeper was, making clutch save after clutch save, hoping they could hold out and force penalty kicks. It was kind of like Super Bowl this year. The Seahawks were completely outplaying the Patriots, but couldn't put them away because the Patriots' defense kept holding the Seahawks to field goals, making the game still within reach even late into the contest. Eventually the Seahawks put the game away, just like Spain did in the 106th minute. Sorry to all you football haters who just wanted me to gush about my new fondness for soccer. I'm not actually sorry, football still rules! Nevertheless, I kind of miss the World Cup now that it's over and everybody who visited here over the last two months has gone home. Looking forward to next one in four years!

Re: World Cup 2026

kokkinos — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:41:48 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 07/21/2026 23:41

Congrats to Spain! We've already talked in great detail about them, they were the best team of the tournament and won it fair and square. One thing that's worth adding is that their two most explosive attackers - Yamal and Nico - weren't fully fit, which affected their game plan and arguably makes their campaign even more impressive. Their attack was less fluid, less direct and ultimately more predictable compared to Euro 2024. Still, their ability to control games and dictate the tempo was so great that they nullified the opposition's threats and it was only a matter of time before they'd convert one of their chances.

Argentina were a massive letdown. A poor performance, followed by equally poor conduct after the final whistle. It has to be said, though, that reaching the final was already an overachievement for them and Messi's "last dance" was one for the ages, he will be greatly missed.

A fun fact regarding penalty shoot-outs: After Germany's loss against Paraguay, Argentina are statistically the most successful team in World Cup penalty shoot-outs - 6 wins and 1 loss. On the other hand, Spain and the Netherlands are at the bottom -excluding teams that have been in only 1 or 2 shoot-outs- of the list with 1 win and 4 losses each.

Edit: Oops, I forgot that Croatia have 4 wins in 4 shoot-outs, so it's debatable which of Croatia/Argentina is the most successful on that front - Argentina has more wins, Croatia has a perfect record. I guess I should wait for VAR to review my "fun facts" before sharing them.

Re: World Cup 2026

Patman360 — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:08:38 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 07/20/2026 22:08

Picked Spain or France as 50/50 to win at the start of the tournament and that came to pass.

A serious team, maybe not full of glamorous out and out superstars like other teams (though feels inevitable Yamal will hit that level at least and Rodri has literally won it all as it stands so maybe I'm talking nonsense), but I digress, de la Fuente has a squad that plays as close to a club team as you'll probably see in international footballand he's played a big part in Spanish football from the ground up.

Cubarsi is class, seen bits of him with Barcelona and he's going to go on to have some career.

Spain deserved it, was worried the Argentinian's would hold out for pens and Spain's penalty record isn't great, believe they've only ever one 1 shootout (against Ireland in 2002 of course, still not over it).

Anyway, pretty fascinating tournament overall, 48 is a weird number but it was enjoyable and not sure what to do with my evenings again now that it's over.

At least 2034 will be a bit better for us timewise.

Re: World Cup 2026

AfterHours — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:57:28 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 07/20/2026 21:57

Agree with all on the Argentina let down and wish they would’ve played more inspired offense throughout (not just after Spain finally scored!), and that they could’ve also played a bit cleaner defense (probably understatement).

Love Messi and wish it could’ve ended better, although this WC as a whole was legendary from him — would be for anyone but especially from a 39 yr old.

Spain was obviously the superior team, offensively and defensively, and deserved the win for sure.

Spain deserves immense credit for keeping Messi so contained and limiting the whole Argentinian offense to so few shots or even chances at the goal, while maintaining continual pressure on offense and finally breaking through in extra time, despite Martinez performing miracles up to that point.

Re: World Cup 2026

Cheddar — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:01:42 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 07/20/2026 20:01

junodog4 wrote:

The better team won. Spain has looked dominant for 2 years... only France was was in their class. The fact that Spain had a 20-0 shots at goal ratio nearly at the end of the game speaks to how they outclassed Argentina.

...but also, the better team won. Argentina played 'physical' (dirty?) all tournament, with pushes, elbows, hard tackles, etc... Parades and Enzo Fernandez should have been called a bunch of times. There's no conspiracy - Egypt had some tough calls but it wasn't egregious, and Switzerland had their guy 100% simulate. Even England deserved to lose against them. The only quibble I have is that FIFA deferred to the legacy and aura of Messi, leading to missed calls on some of his rougher teammates. Messi carried these guys and they barely beat Cape Verde, Egypt and the Swiss.

...and also, the better team won. The behaviour of some of the players at the end of the England match was shameful (poor winners). The behaviour of some of the players at the end of the final was shameful (poor losers). Barco and Fernandez's taunting and Parades scrapping were awful - they don't deserve another win.

Meh. Maybe I'm just salty.

I definitely agree. The better team won. Argentina played completely uninspired ball. They started to have some good pressing play at the start of the second half, but they quickly resorted to their conservative and chippy defense rather than a true press within ten minutes or so. Spain completely dictated the game (outside of extra time after the goal when they were for some reason okay to let Argentina have some gutsy chances to tie it rather than slam the door shut) and any other result other than what transpired would have felt wrong. The fact that it even got to extra time is a testament to why Argentina was in the final, if nothing else. And Martinez had the game of his life.

In general, as someone who has always enjoyed Messi's game, it sucks that this era of Argentina (and most of Conmebol if we are being honest) has leaned more and more into dirty play rather than quality to dictate games. I completely understand why anyone would hate Argentina, especially after being such sore losers, but I at least keep my soft spot for Messi.

Re: World Cup 2026

Johnnyo — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:31:22 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/20/2026 18:31

junodog4 wrote:

I think that you are absolutely right. I don’t think that it hyperbole to suggest that Argentina deserved what they got in the final ( I.e. nothing). They were an embarrassment both during the game and certainly after it. Disgraceful

Re: World Cup 2026

junodog4 — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 01:06:13 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 07/20/2026 05:06

The better team won. Spain has looked dominant for 2 years... only France was was in their class. The fact that Spain had a 20-0 shots at goal ratio nearly at the end of the game speaks to how they outclassed Argentina.

...but also, the better team won. Argentina played 'physical' (dirty?) all tournament, with pushes, elbows, hard tackles, etc... Parades and Enzo Fernandez should have been called a bunch of times. There's no conspiracy - Egypt had some tough calls but it wasn't egregious, and Switzerland had their guy 100% simulate. Even England deserved to lose against them. The only quibble I have is that FIFA deferred to the legacy and aura of Messi, leading to missed calls on some of his rougher teammates. Messi carried these guys and they barely beat Cape Verde, Egypt and the Swiss.

...and also, the better team won. The behaviour of some of the players at the end of the England match was shameful (poor winners). The behaviour of some of the players at the end of the final was shameful (poor losers). Barco and Fernandez's taunting and Parades scrapping were awful - they don't deserve another win.

Meh. Maybe I'm just salty.

Re: World Cup 2026

AfterHours — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 12:46:34 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 07/19/2026 16:46

Though I understand Spain is the favorite and perhaps better overall team, being the casual that I am, I really want Messi to have a legendary game, take Argentina to the win and go out on top!

Re: World Cup 2026

junodog4 — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 12:40:21 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 07/19/2026 16:40

England vs Argentina was the Euro 2020 final all over again. England played 'not to lose' rather than playing to win. Tuchel's game plan after they scored in the 60th was awful. 🤡

To prove my point, look how different England played in the 3rd place game, where they weren't scared of losing.

It's going to get harder and harder to win the world cup. Not only will England have to deal with Argentina, France and Spain, but Germany, Brazil and Italy will eventually sort themselves out, and there's a wave of other nations that have built themselves up and/or may have a 'generation' giving them a brief shot at knocking off the big boys. I'm excited to see if Netherlands or Portugal ever pull it off... but Croatia and Belgium just had their moments, and perhaps Colombia, Mexico, Morocco, Japan, or another African team can pull it off.

Go Spain.

Re: World Cup 2026

Johnnyo — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 03:55:36 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/16/2026 07:55

kokkinos wrote:

I’d say France have the most talented squad, but Spain are functioning better as a team.

kokkinos wrote:

I still like Spain more as a team and in terms of how well they work as a unit, but France's individual quality in attack is scary despite not having fully clicked yet.

Well, I guess I should have stayed true to my initial assessment of the two teams, shouldn't have doubted Spain. Either way, I'm happy their exemplary, systematic approach to the game is being rewarded in one more tournament.

That said, it's the second semi-final that stole the show, talk about an instant classic. I don't want to take anything away from Argentina's achievement. It was a truly spirited comeback, worthy of a World Champion, and Messi... yeah, he's Messi, words can't do him justice. However, Tuchel's managerial blunders can't be ignored. He studied Southgate's mistakes and copied them to a T. Compare that to Scaloni's tactical tweaks - he identified that England overcrowded the central areas, so Argentina played down the flanks - and the contrast is striking.

Looking forward to the final. Making any kind of prediction has proven to be an exercise in futility, so I won't bother.

Perfectly sums up my feelings about England last night. Argentina deserved the win and once Gordon was replaced by Konsa (I have nothing against Konsa he's a good player) the writing was on the wall. Replacing a winger with a central defender with at least 25 minutes to go spelt real trouble for England and so it turned out

So near yet so far......

Re: World Cup 2026

kokkinos — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:02:41 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 07/16/2026 01:02

kokkinos wrote:

I’d say France have the most talented squad, but Spain are functioning better as a team.

kokkinos wrote:

I still like Spain more as a team and in terms of how well they work as a unit, but France's individual quality in attack is scary despite not having fully clicked yet.

Re: World Cup 2026

AfterHours — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:54:33 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 07/15/2026 20:54

OMFG!

Re: World Cup 2026

albummaster — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:20:39 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 07/15/2026 11:20

Johnnyo wrote:

Well that was unexpected but Spain won fair and square. Brilliant performance against the favourites

Now looking forward to the England v Argentina game

Amazing result & well deserved. Good result too for the other teams, as would have fancied France against either of them. Should be a good game today, hope the officials are up to it.

Re: World Cup 2026

Johnnyo — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:21:54 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/15/2026 08:21

Well that was unexpected but Spain won fair and square. Brilliant performance against the favourites

Now looking forward to the England v Argentina game

Re: World Cup 2026

kokkinos — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:42:07 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 07/13/2026 22:42

Every favourite went through, but the games didn't lack tension and drama anyway, three of them went down to the wire. I expected Morocco to be more competitive, but I guess you can't really blame them, France are simply too good. No other team was anywhere near as convincing as them. Merino and Bellingham are competing for the title of Mr. Clutch and carrying their teams to the semis. And of course Argentina pulled off another miraculous escape. Surely that's it for them - famous last words. Really excited for Spain vs France, too. I've put a lot of faith in Spain since the tournament started, but at the same time can't really look past France. Whoever comes out of this semi-final should be the favourite to win it all.

Re: World Cup 2026

albummaster — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:49:52 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 07/12/2026 16:49

bojolpif71 wrote:

That schedule suits me 😄 . England should manage to beat Argentina, even though Messi's squad remains a tough team to play against.

Fancy France against Spain, but Messi's squad seems to have the officials on their side, so going to be tough for England.

Re: World Cup 2026

bojolpif71 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 07:28:56 GMT

Author: bojolpif71

Posted: 07/12/2026 11:28

That schedule suits me 😄 . England should manage to beat Argentina, even though Messi's squad remains a tough team to play against.