Iceland: who says 11 men behind the ball can't be entertaining?
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Iceland: who says 11 men behind the ball can't be entertaining?
Not a bad start for Iceland. Whilst Portugal players celebrated their draw with exuberance, the Iceland players appeared to take it in their stride. I felt this game was more difficult than any game Iceland have played and got a result in, over the last 8 years. Even if misfiring, Argentina are a tough opponent, not quite Nigel Benn tough, but close enough.
The bandwagon has been steadily revving up in Iceland since beginning of March. Euro 2016 was big of course, however these WC finals is many times bigger. People now know for sure that regardless of scales of difference in magnitude of opponent, anything is possible with this team. Qualifying automatically is no longer seen as the victory. I hadn't met anybody who thought Iceland would not get a result in the opener.
I couldn't get match tickets for the game v Argentina, then belatedly Ice FA got an extra thousand or so returned tickets to distribute from FIFA but I had already made arrangements with a direct flight to Volgograd before 2nd game and direct flight home from Rostov after 2nd game, both charter flights.
Cost about Eur 800 in total, not bad considering and beats the hell out of enduring 2 stopovers/3 flights each way.
So 8 games in and European sides almost completely dominant.
21 goals scored so far; 17 by the 7 European teams. African sides have no goals in 3 games. Asian teams have two in 3 games - an own goal and a penalty. South America have 2 in 3 as well. Leaving aside Spain v Portugal - probably the best game so far - Europeans have conceded just twice. None of them have lost.
All for the development of the world game, but the expanded World Cup really is going to be quite uncompetitive if Europe is only getting 2/3 extra spots
It's astonishing watching the Argentina/Iceland game back: it really is 10 players passing the ball to Messi and waiting for him to do something. Di Maria was shocking. Hamilton also describing Messi having a penalty saved as "impossible", when he's missed four of his last seven, or so they said in studio.
I read that this is also supposed to be the most stable Nigerian team in years, regards squad cohesion and their FA not being a corrupt mess of ineptitude and missed bonus payments, but it certainly didn't show on the pitch. They barely looked bothered.
You don’t have to watch them every game when they are not your team and their success is still a novelty for them .
Success junkies are big in sport and especially in Irish Sport . Jack Charlton Played some awful football but because he was successful Irish Success junkies came for their Fix . Are Ireland actually playing the same Sport as Spain = Maybe / Maybe not .
George Hamilton on Messi's penalty miss: "Unbelievable. Icelandic keeper has done something impossible. He had saved a Messi penalty". Messi has now actually missed 4 out of the last 7 penalties. Not so unbelievable George. Richard Dunne knew that fact. Not sure if someone had handed it to him during the break but at least he didn't come out with the Hamilton ott stuff.
Ronaldo makes me laugh though. He cannot resist looking at himself of the big screen. Even before the vital free kick he couldn't resist a glace up at the screen.
Are the African teams playing too negative football ? It appears to me that they don't trust themselves to "give it a go". They have some good footballers but they are usually just set up not to concede.
Iceland - have to hand it to them. They have a system and it works (so far). I'd sooner watch them than the African sides (so far).
Nice to see Fernando Hierro as manager of Spain. We owe him twice. Firstly, he scored the goal against Denmark in 1993 the night of the Alan McLoughlin goal against Northern Ireland which saw us through to the USA and secondly was it he who tried to swap shirts with Niall Quinn in Korea in 2002 to give us the last minute penalty against Spain ?
Yeah, fairly sure that was Hierro trying to swap shirts with Quinny early. (You can just about make him out here) Nice bit of reminiscing about that when Croatia were given their penalty against Nigeria too. Not penalised anywhere near often enough, though it's rarely as obvious as that.
Messi has missed 25 of 107 penalties he's taken. Which isn't actually all that bad - a typical conversion rate is about 75-80% - but it's not Messi-esque of course.
Yeah he was also emphasising the fact that the Iceland keeper plays in the Danish league, as if that was some kind of two-bit league and a keeper from here could never imagine such a moment against Messi.
But Hamilton has never, ever, known anything about football.
He's not alone in perpetuating this narrative of Iceland as plucky underdogs who could never have dreamed of winning a point against Messi, as opposed to a side that topped their qualifying group and have been playing at a consistently high level for several years now. Irish viewers will naturally lap it up.
The Icelandic goalie's first real pro contract came at the age of 32 and that was after euro 2016. He had his dodgy moments.at the euros and before but he has improved his technique and ability no end in the last 2 years.
So yeah, it could be said with credibility that he did come from a long amateur career in 2 bit leagues to face Messi at the WC finals.
He still had to make the save. He guessed right and made his move with perfect timing just as Messi's boot connected with the ball. He had also guessed right at euro 2016, dived low to his right v Rooney, but Rooney had struck the perfect penalty.
Super stuff from Mexico, delighted they got the win.
Loving the Belgian cardigan jersey here
None of the group favorites have been especially impressive, even Belgium right now are in second gear against a very limited Panama side. There's room here for a dark horse to make a proper go, maybe Mexico?
Similar story last time I think?
But then it was the usual suspects (plus Costa Rica) in the quarters
Tunisia would be a decent side if their back 4 didn't occasionally turn into panicked 10 year olds. Their midfield is quite handy with the short passing.
Englands defence doesn't seem much better than Tunisia's. The Belgian attack should be looking forward to their meeting.
It's actually slightly uncomfortable watching this English performance. Even having seen it so many times before.
They're just so wooden it's unbelievable. No better than Sweden or Switzerland. Genuinely thought this year they'd be better, but...
Has to be said, this is the first had refereeing performance of the tournament. He's letting Tunisia away with every niggle in the book
Must just be the ancestors talking to me, but even if one of them was a last minute winner, the state of England celebrating their goals like that. You just squeaked past Tunisia in Group G lads, not Germany in the final.
Did feel for Tunisia, the most impressive African side so far (even though they've all lost). Just Senegal left to buck the trend.
Tunisia produce no decent forward play . When you do that , you deserve nada .