2018 World Cup

[TheLocalYokel]

Lots of cheating going on mostly from the Colombian team #cheats

They lost their heads at one point. Good job the American referee kept his head. I thought he did well with those incidents.

England always put their fans through the wringer. They were comfortable until ten minutes from the end of normal time.

So England win a penalty shoot-out for once. Well done but I still don't like them. I wish there was another way. Ironically, although England's penalty shoot-out record is poor, in normal play in their World Cup history they've scored eleven out of eleven penalties according to the tv commentator.

 

[rollo]

Deserved win given the way Columbia went about the game especially as they had the ability/skill to make a good game of it but chose to cheat and intimidate the referee so got what they deserved.
I'm sure when England play Sweden on Saturday it will be in a much better spirit.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Deserved win given the way Columbia went about the game especially as they had the ability/skill to make a good game of it but chose to cheat and intimidate the referee so got what they deserved.
I'm sure when England play Sweden on Saturday it will be in a much better spirit.

Sweden will be a very difficult team to beat. Perhaps the plus side is that they play a more British type of football.

When Columbia were up to their antics this evening with the clear intention to try to goad and get a reaction from the young England team, I watched senior pro Ashley Young. He was the one who kept pulling the England players away from a possible confrontation. I don't think the commentators picked up on that. One of the England players could easily have retaliated and picked up a red card. Ashley Young did some great work there.

 

[jfy1999]

My big shout out of the night goes to Kieran Trippier - desperately close to heading the Colombia equaliser off the line and sparing us all that agony - but nerves of steel to level the shootout score after Colombia's first miss.

Where do we go from here? What do we think would count as "mission accomplished" in this World Cup given that it appears, in the words of one commentator, to be "the most winnable World Cup since 1966"?

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I don't belieeeeve it!

Well done to the lads, who showed calm and maturity throughout the game. Yes, the latter part of the second half and the first half of extra time, they looked tired. However, they picked themselves up for the last 15 mins and showed the determination that will be required to progress.
I absolutely abhore cheats and Columbia were diabolical in the first half. If they'd played all of the match as they did the latter part of the second half, the result may have been different.
Overall, England deserved to win. Also, they've exorcised the demon of England penalty shoot outs.
I wonder if they'll be allowed a beer?

It has however, left me shattered. I hope we don't have to go through that again any time soon!

Well done England

Kevin

 

[TheLocalYokel]

My big shout out of the night goes to Kieran Trippier - desperately close to heading the Colombia equaliser off the line and sparing us all that agony - but nerves of steel to level the shootout score after Colombia's first miss.

Where do we go from here? What do we think would count as "mission accomplished" in this World Cup given that it appears, in the words of one commentator, to be "the most winnable World Cup since 1966"?

He has done very well since becoming Southgate's number one. He also had the humility to take the blame for Columbia's goal. He said he expected the header to go straight towards the goal instead of bouncing down and then up, and he therefore had to alter his body position which left his head under the ball with it then deflecting from the top of his forehead on to the underside of the crossbar and from there into the net. I think he was being very hard on himself. He did everything he could to stop the header short of cheating and keeping the ball out with his hands (for which he rightly would have been sent off).

We've reached the stage where one of England, Sweden, Croatia or Russia will be in the final. Few people would have predicted that and all four countries will be thinking they have a realistic chance of getting there, and one will. Russia is the lowest-placed country of the entire 32 sides that made up the finals but with home advantage that is largely a theoretical consideration.

The other side of the draw is much harder - on paper at least - with Brazil, France, Belgium and even Uruguay.

If England do reach the final - it's amazing that we are even beginning to consider the possibility - that group match defeat against Belgium will have assumed monumental proportions. There is something not quite right when a team can gain an advantage by losing.

I don't belieeeeve it!

Well done to the lads, who showed calm and maturity throughout the game. Yes, the latter part of the second half and the first half of extra time, they looked tired. However, they picked themselves up for the last 15 mins and showed the determination that will be required to progress.
I absolutely abhore cheats and Columbia were diabolical in the first half. If they'd played all of the match as they did the latter part of the second half, the result may have been different.

Overall, England deserved to win. Also, they've exorcised the demon of England penalty shoot outs.
I wonder if they'll be allowed a beer?

It has however, left me shattered. I hope we don't have to go through that again any time soon!

Well done England

Kevin

It was certainly a stessful game to watch. As you say, until the last fifteen minutes of regular time Columbia simply concentrated on trying to disrupt England whether by fair means or foul; it seemed all the same to them.

I've said more than once that I don't like penalty shoot-outs as a means of deciding an important match (I accept that alternatives all have their disavantages too) but I am full of admiration for those players who stepped up to the mark (especially young Rashford) under the most trying of circumstances.

Looking at the celebrations around the country after last night's win, what would happen if England did win the World Cup? I still think it's a long shot but a one-off match is always winnable in cup competitions as we've seen so often down the years in the FA Cup with 'small' teams beating 'big' ones.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I see that impeccable standard bearer of fair play, one Maradonna, who I'm sure has never cheated on a football field in his life, believes that England committed a 'monumental robbery' when they beat Columbia this week. Columbia's captain Falcao blamed the referee for his country's defeat saying the official exhibited a bias towards England and that his performance was 'shameful' and undermined the Columbian team.

Oh dear, you have to have sympathy with a team that plays in a decent and sporting manner and shows generosity of spirit in defeat. Unfortunately, that did not apply to Columbia on Tuesday evening. I would have wished them ill in terms of the result whoever they'd been playing had they behaved as they did against England. That's a pity because before Tuesday's antics Columbia is a country I would like to have seen doing well later in the competition had they beaten England.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Cheats are bad losers. And bad losers cheat!

Unfortuntely, there seems to have been a re-emergence of unsporting tactics from many teams in this tournament. This has included exaggerated rolling following a tackle, rugby tackling in the penalty area, holding the face and dropping to the ground when no contact was made and trying to get a penalty by simulation.
I thought we'd left this sort of thing behind, but Columbia (and others) have taken it to another level.
The way the Columbian players hounded the referee following the penalty decision was despicable, not to mention scuffing up the penalty spot.
The sad thing is that they can play very good football when they try.

One team who really did impress me but are sadly no longer in the competition was Japan. Their performance against Belgium was memorable. Crisp passing, fast paced and a real desire to win.

Kevin

 

[thunderchild]

One team who really did impress me but are sadly no longer in the competition was Japan. Their performance against Belgium was memorable. Crisp passing, fast paced and a real desire to win.

And they left the changing rooms immaculate!

 

[rollo]

England are due to return to BHX on the Gainjet 757 on completion of their little adventure what's the betting if they get to the final they will end up flying to a more southern (that'll be London) airport for the convenience of our numerous political elite who will claim to have masterminded the campaign and couldn't possibly travel to the wilds of the Midlands.

What a cynic I am.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

England are due to return to BHX on the Gainjet 757 on completion of their little adventure what's the betting if they get to the final they will end up flying to a more southern (that'll be London) airport for the convenience of our numerous political elite who will claim to have masterminded the campaign and couldn't possibly travel to the wilds of the Midlands.

What a cynic I am.

It certainly won't be the southern airport in the rolling hills of North Somerset.

I see that Maradonna has issued a half-hearted apology about his remarks after the England-Columbia match after being taken to task by FIFA.

 

[rollo]

They probably don't even know there's an airport there.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

England are due to return to BHX on the Gainjet 757 on completion of their little adventure what's the betting if they get to the final they will end up flying to a more southern (that'll be London) airport

What a cynic I am.

That's what I said back on page 1

If the unthinkable were to happen and England won the World Cup (yeah, I know, I know!), I bet the return flight wouldn't be to BHX. Couldn't possibly have success associated with anywhere other than London

Kevin

Great minds think alike.

Kevin

 

[Ray Finkle]

I've lost how many of these I've received through Whatsapp but they're still making me smile

 

[Ray Finkle]

A magnificent performance from Belgium a team who I have been very impressed with.

I honestly couldn't call it between them and France, both teams look very strong.

 

[GliderPilot]

Its great to see just European teams left in the cup, none of this dive when you get touched by someones pinky finger which has somehow become socially acceptable in South America, Will be a proper close Football tournament now Exciting!!

 

[Ray Finkle]

I love the footage of Ian Wright and how he is just unable to watch the last England penalty

The guys pure passion for England is infectious, although I do wonder how he'll cope of we ever make it to the final

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Being an England supporter is the acceptance of a peculiar type of mental torture. Even when England won the World Cup in 1966 we were still put through the mill with the West German equaliser near the end of normal time leading to the extra time and the subsequent intervention of the Azerbaijani linesman - identified at the time as the 'Russian linesman'.

I can remember the wild celebrations in the centre of Bristol that Saturday night (the game finished at teatime). In the unlikely event (in my opinion) of England winning the trophy this year that will be as nothing compared to the mass hysteria we can expect this time around. As in 1966 I am conscious of people who have never been remotely interested in football beginning to sit up and becoming involved with the enthusiasm.

How nice it would be for England to put a knock-out game out sight by the 60th minute so we supporters can then relax and enjoy the last half hour - perhaps tomorrow? We can only hope but I'm not banking on it. The Columbia game was only enjoyable in retrospect so fas as I'm concerned.

 

[Ray Finkle]

England are due to return to BHX on the Gainjet 757 on completion of their little adventure what's the betting if they get to the final they will end up flying to a more southern (that'll be London) airport for the convenience of our numerous political elite who will claim to have masterminded the campaign and couldn't possibly travel to the wilds of the Midlands.

What a cynic I am.

The Birmingham Mail seem to think that they'll still be returning to BHX even if they end up as tournament winners, I have my doubts.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/ne...southgate-belgium-birmingham-winners-14839403

 

[Ashley]

What's different this time with England is Southgate himself. All his negatives experiences as a player been turned into positives by bonding this young side. You can see the passion and drive to succeed. As for today it be a England win and believe its coming home.