Who'd a thunk they'd have to cheat to beat Croatia
Croatia can have a lot of complaints about this game.
Cummon! Cummon! Croatia you can win! 😡
This ref might as well just bung a Brazil shirt on and have done with it!
Dirty bustards these brazilians. Hope Croatia score now
I really want Croatia to score now. So do they by the look of it.
Good of Neymar to thank the ref.
Aye, hope it's not a sign of things to come. Ref has been poor.
I think every non-Brazilian wants Croatia to score.
...well, apart from all those far eastern betting syndicates.
Edit: Ladies & Gentleman, Croatia seem to have Bruce Grobbelaar in goal. I imagine his bank balance is doing well.
That was betterer
No complaints about that one though..
Dammit! They blood scored again! Cummon! Cummon! 😡
Jesus. Goalie should have saved that. Could have stopped all 3!
Ok, so that was a good goal.
Bah.
Well at least from what I've seen so far the ball is round but not too round.
So England might have a chance.
Bah!
How did the keeper not save that?
No complaints about that one though..
Really? Keeper has lost them this game, really weak on all goals.
Not really enjoying this match. Taken a big dislike to the Brazilian team.
Really? Keeper has lost them this game, really weak on all goals.
I was getting at the fact it was goal from open play without any refereeing assistance 🙄
I think the early shot fooled the keeper. Good goal. First time I've ever heard the phrase "toe-ended" though (about 6 times)
The only plus side of this, is I have Neymar and Oscar in my Fantasy Football team.
....still a shocker, though.
On the basis of this one I don't think I'll be watching many games. Between professional fouls, simulation, silent-film acting and a dodgy ref it was painful viewing.
Keeper has lost them this game, really weak on all goals
Harsh ...you blame a keeper for not quite saving a penalty 😯
First goal hits the post and goes in as well
HARSH
weak on third i agree.
Never heard toe ender - are you new to football [ genuine Q not sarcasm]
If they keep showing those two hands with [b]2014[/b] before and after every replay, I'll have kicked the telly in before the first Engerland game! That and Andy ****ing Townsend is too much to deal with simultaneously!
Harsh ...you blame a keeper for not quite saving a penalty
Yup. He went the right way, got behind it, and let it go through his hands. He'd done the hard part.
Chris Waddle agrees with me, so there.
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never ever a penalty.
you went for a real penalty expert there then 😉
What do Pearce and southgate think? 😈
They like Pizza.
Croatian goalie put in a great save earlier on in the first half.
Decent start, not the best game but competitive, enjoyable start. Yon Croatia keeper is muck.
Brazil, not the best and very nervy but they will get out their group and grow in stature IMO.
not harsh at all he got both hands behind it. Weak as hell. And he's clearly got issues getting down quick enough, utter muck.Harsh ...you blame a keeper for not quite saving a penalty
Apparently we knocked him back after a trial, thank god.
I find watching grown men throw themselves on the ground and trying to con referees a bit embarassing to be honest. They'll strut around town being the big tough guy with tats everywhere, yet hit the deck whining like a little brat if it gets them a free kick or a penalty. And get paid a kings ransom for the privilege.
Retrospective yellow cards during tournaments are the way forward.
I think they should just inflict on them the actual injury that they've just pretended they've got. So if you go down like you've just been shot.....
Quite a sad way to start the WC. Wish Croatia had equalised.
Ok, no penalty, but good job the c players didn't have respect on their shirt when they surrounded the ref on the penalty.
The "beautiful" game!?!?!
Come on folks have you not seen it before?
This is football. By the end of the tournament there will have been goals, dives, leg breaking tackles, yellow cards, red cards, penalty saves, penalty misses. The list goes on.
You might disagree with it being the "beautiful" game but a big tournament like this is always full of drama and I love every minute.
Even if its not always fair and the good guys never win (England).
I'm all for respecting the ref's decisions, but by that stage of the game, it must have been fairly frustrating to have been a Croatian. To see a penalty given for that, when you're still in the game would make most people lose any sense of reason. They couldn't really buy a decision, some of Brazil's "50-50" challenges were bordering on the dirty side of physical. It was almost as if Scolari had told them to go out and go in hard, they were the host nation in the opening game, they'd get the home-team decisions.
On balance, Brazil deserved to win it I think, but they didn't do much to endear themselves.
It was never a penalty and I am not sure why you should respect a decision that is incorrect and just cost you the game.
Have the non spectators stopped throwing rocks at the tv studios yet? 😯
Not a great game really but Croatia didn't deserve to lose.
Great start to the tourney. Few goals,some good football,bit of controversy and the underdog stepped up + some big big noise (politics at the gate too.)
Bring on Saturday night..
It wasn't a great game but much better than the usual opening game dull cagey do not lose affairs
Fix is in.
Between professional fouls, simulation, silent-film acting and a dodgy ref it was painful viewing.
THAT SUMS JUST ABOUT EVERY PROFESSIONAL GAME OF FOOTBALL I HAVE EVER WATCHED.
OK. THANKS FOR POSTING.
Andy Townsend rap - Goldie Lookin Chain
Teensy bit sweary
Is it too early to shout "Gur...land" yet?
