FIFA World Cup 2022

[mikesiva]

Argentina 2-0 Poland
Mexico 2-1 Saudi Arabia

Poland just edge out Mexico on goal difference.

[sussexpob]

Seeing the penalties that are being given to Ronaldos Portugal and Messi's Argentina i just cant help but think that FiFA wants both those players to progress further in this tournament. Just a joke at present and it makes me think of the NBL in the US where they build their brand around certain players and those players teams seem to have different rules around them.

VAR is there for obvious mistakes and I think back to Englands Iran game. VAR has no consistency and it seems to be used to favour certain teams at present. If anything it can give FIFA more control over the outcome of a game.

You can see why decisions like this will just make more people think the game is corrupt.

The Portugal penalty was one of the those instances where the rules are crap, but were applied correctly. inhate the rule, but can't blame the ref

[Durhamfootman]

Croatia v Belgium is a fairly dull affair. Needs a goal. Both teams are poor in the final third. Morocco in top spot atm

[Durhamfootman]

Belgium will take the 3 points, but they'll have to be a lot better than that. They looked pretty toothless, in truth. Is de Bruyne going to end up being one of those players that has everything needed to set the world stage alight, but never really does? Whenever I see these big tournament matches, I always seem to hear commo's saying that de Bruyne was a bit off tonight,.... not quite at his best. Ah.... maybe I have a short memory and he's usually brilliant

and as for Belgium's back line, I'm sure people were saying they were hugely experienced but a bit old and slow 4 years ago, yet there they are, still playing in another WC.... well, two of them anyway. Belgium's golden generation is set to go the way of England's golden generation, if you ask me

Belgium go home

not a surprise, really.

Unless they're like the winker and the thug for Portugal, we won't be seeing many of this lot at a world cup again

Morocco top the group. I doubt many would have predicted that at the start of the comp

The clock is ticking for a fair few Croatia players too.

[Durhamfootman]

there were some reports of splits in the Belgium camp in the days leading up to this game. Not just argument and recrimination, but actual fighting. If true, then perhaps their exit isn't that surprising

[Durhamfootman]

Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee in a mens world cup finals match tonight in the Germany game, so good luck to her.

[mikesiva]

Morocco win Group F!

Morocco 2-1 Canada
Belgium 0-0 Croatia

Croatia advance. Belgium go home.

[bigfluffylemon]

Denmark have been by far the most disappointing team.

Belgium: Hold my Trappist

[sussexpob]

Lukaku missed three open goals from 6 yards,and another shot from 2 yards ...

Missed from 1 yard twice v Italy in 2020

When he's playing crap teams, he's Pele. Anyone half decent, I'd play Tranmere Rovers goalkeeper upfront rather than him.

Never has a player been such a bottle job. Against anyone half decent, he's rubbish

[sussexpob]

Denmark have been by far the most disappointing team.

Belgium: Hold my Trappist

I think in reality de Bruyne and tielemans are the only players left fully fit. I didn't have hope, but indeed...they had enough quality to go through

De Bruyne was terrible all three games

[Durhamfootman]

hold the front page

controversy as Japan roll Spain to top the group and send the Erics home. I didn't watch the footie tonight, because the dog decided she was going to find the ball behind the telly and nearly knocked it over, so we watched something else, but it sounds as though Japan scored a goal from a ball that had gone out of play. It looked as though it had gone out, but VAR said it hadn't.... curvature of the ball or something......but then didn't show anyone the video evidence. Seemingly it would have been picked up by the goal line tech, but no-one is showing anyone anything

[Durhamfootman]

hard to understand how Japan can beat Germany and Spain, but lose to blooming Costa Rica

[yuppie]

He still got man of the match in the first game

But de Bruyne has had a shocking tournament. Many rumours about infighting and a few very personal rumours with other players. Probably stopped him winning the ballon d or

Had a long debate about Bergkamp vs De Bruyne with a mate. Just for the sake of it. Dennis arguably did more with his country.

[bigfluffylemon]

WTF just happened in Group E???

Japan somehow top a group containing Spain and Germany despite losing to Costa Rica.

VAR call that gave Japan the second goal seems very contentious, looked out but according to the rules, the entire ball must be over the line and a fraction of it wasn't in the view of the video ref.

Still, it seems Japan were brilliant in the second half, so overall the two teams in the group who deserve it have gone through.

[Durhamfootman]

I doubt Morocco expected to find themselves facing Spain as reward for topping their group. Croatia might be a bit too old and slow against a team like Japan

Things are stacking up in England's half of the knockout draw. Almost the exact opposite of the easy route they got in 2018. Not that it matters, of course, because France will quickly knock England out if Senegal don't prove up to the job