Morocco were very good indeed. Poor sods have to play in the game nobody wants to play in
*Removes Fez, smashes Charles Aznovoice LP*
Anyone watching the turd place playoff? A real Cinderella pointless match if ever there was one.
Good game though.
Wasn’t fussed about watching but it’s cold, grey, drizzling and generally ‘orrible outside
Cracking match for a dead rubber
Both Croatia goals were superb!
Any predictions then?
Could be an absolutely cracking game, could be awful. Depends on whether they come to play or if we’re going to be seeing the ‘dark arts’
I’d rather see France win, not just because of the Argentines constant diving and whining but listening to the build up, their self-mythologising would make a Scouser blush
I'd like France to win if Messi was playing for them.
their self-mythologising would make a Scouser blush
Munich, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Cantona, the class of 92. 😉
I dislike the Argentinian dark arts more than I dislike the French ones, which is a sad way to choose a team in a game
Speaking of which...
Shock horror, dive, penalty and Messi scores from the spot.
Bit pathetic.
Come on France.
Tbh, it was an easy one for the ref. It wasn't massive contact, but enough that he couldn't not give it
He was going down when the actual contact took place, they're starting to go the diving and play acting to break up play, this is going to be a long boring game now.
Well Griezmann performed a shocking dive in the last world cup to deny Croatia. Roundabouts and swings.
Having seen the slomo, I'd have said clear and obvious error and booked the diving ****.
But then I'd have booked all the Argentinian players at kick off, just for their intent to do stuff like that. 🤣
Hard choice but I'd prefer a South American win. Sack off the nations league as well, too Eurocentric and doesn't help global competitiveness, rather see more intercontinental friendlies.
As the dark arts, I can't help thinking that it's the final piece of that the England team need if theyre ever going to win anything...
You do know Kane's got reputation as a diver? And pochettino still argues that Owen dived last time they played England.
That's superbly taken though.
The way France are playing i don't think Argentina need to even do that much play acting, still waiting for Mbappe to show us he's a £200 million player, Dembele as well, he was £150 million!
Dembele isn't going to get the chance. Deschamps hitting the panic button.
Dembele blows hot and cold, always has done. He's usually cold and rarely fulfills his potential in a game
Dark arts is less aboit diving and more about tactical fouling, particularly at the begining of moves before they get a chance to develop. No yellows for the England team until the QF (and that was an undeserved one) tells you alot.
France were awful and look like they can't be bothered. Argentina deserve to be two in front. I have no idea why people are talking about dark arts etc. If they don't improve France are going to go down as one of the worst WC finalists in history.
I wonder if France are planning on turning up at any point, or whether they’ll just carry on letting Argentina have a kickabout?
2 goals down and playing back passes from the half way line to your own keeper? Seriously?
Yep. The French are so passive.
France look like they’re down to ten men, Argentina have got so much space
Rumour had it the French had a sickness bug in the last couple of days? They really are off the pace today
It puts the England game in perspective, France narrowly beat Morocco and are being played off the park by Argentina, they do have a penalty though, first real attack and nearly 80 minutes gone!
And like that, it's 2-2!
What! Goal goal
Game on
Looks like they just turned up then
Two shots at goal, two goals, in two minutes 😲
"So 'ere is zee plan. We geeve zem a 2 goal 'ead start and 79 minutes...."
I am glad I didn't give up and go and make dinner! That was some goal.
This is the Otamendi I remember from his premier league days….
I remember Chelsea beat Barca when Frank mugged Messi in mid field in the champions league when down to 10 men.... for all his brilliance like Ronaldo he can be a liability
Wish we had a liability like that.
Almost like this was scripted. The word destiny is going to very over-used if France don’t find a way back.
WTF?
That'll do nicely
This is getting good, Mbappe had done nothing until nearly 80 minutes was played and now has a hat-trick!
Wow, that was outstanding! One of the best finals ever! That save at the end from Martinez… So penalties it is…
One of the best finals ever!
Sort of. The football has a been great and it's been real end to end stuff but it's getting decided on penalties.
Well if nothing else I suppose this answers the debate about rugby vs football.
Argentine keeper has got to the French.
Being decided by pens is fine with me, especially when they were that good - it just keeps the drama going. Messi’s was outrageous! Right winners in the end although the France come backs were really impressive. Where were they for the first 80 mins though??
Ronaldo will be spitting feathers
Terrible terrible trophies. Golden boot trophy fell apart on mbappe and the golden glove was clearly a marrigold blown up and sprayed with Halfords finest.
why has Messi got a negligee on? Takes sexy football to a new level.
How did Infantino get super glued to the WC trophy?
Just reflect, Martinez is the keeper he is because of all the practise he got playing for shit teams - Oxford, Wednesday, Rotherham, Wolves and Reading. Oh, and Arsenal of course......
Meanwhile Arsenal played Bernd Leno. Bernd. Leno.
That presentation was embarrassing! That cape thing was bizarre and Infantino ‘it’s all about me’ wouldn’t let go of the trophy!
How did Infantino get super glued to the WC trophy?
You have to admire his commitment to getting everyone thinking that maybe Sepp Blatter wasn’t so bad after all
I’ve been enjoying his sartorial elegance with his suits and gleaming white trainers combo. The ultimate embarrassing dad who’s trying too hard but getting it SO wrong look 😂
Guess what minute I turned it off and went to fettle a bike in the garage?
The ultimate embarrassing dad who’s trying too hard but getting it SO wrong look
Gotta feel sorry for him as he's had a mixed past an an Arab, African, migrant worker and hypocrite.
Just reflect, Martinez is the keeper he is because of all the practise he got playing for shit teams – Oxford, Wednesday, Rotherham, Wolves and Reading
😁🖕
Mac Allister the first Brighton World Cup winner. Lots of players in that Argentina side not at ‘elite’ clubs. Great team mentality with one genius.
Alan Mullery?
You’re older than me - no idea!
You’re older than me – no idea!
Bet you never knew that England once won the world cup, kiddo.
Alan Mullery?
Pretty sure Mullery wasn’t in the 1966 squad, but he never played for Brighton. He was manager twice though.
Congratulations Alexis.
He has been outstanding for us since moving from an attacking midfielder to a more deep lying midfielder and here he is bossing it in a World Cup final.
He’s some player! He’s only young for someone who looks completely relaxed playing at that level alongside Messi
I found the name really interesting since it stuck out like having someone called Thiago Enricho Fernandez in the Scotland squad, so I had a Google into his background and this is from Wiki…
Mac Allister was born in La Pampa. His older brothers Francis and Kevin are also professional footballers.They are the sons of Carlos Mac Allister and nephews of Patricio Mac Allister, both retired footballers.
Regarding his background, Mac Allister stated "the surname Mac Allister comes from Ireland".His family were in the Irish town of Donabate since 1690, before a Joseph Mac Allister moved to Pergamino in 1865, where many Irish had settled. Joseph then arranged for his nephews John and William to also emigrate from Ireland to Argentina.
Mac Allister also has ancestry from Fife in Eastern Scotland
Explains why he's a ginger then 😉
Argentina is full of people with Celtic roots, a lot of it is down to the immigration of miners a couple of hundred years ago.
But seriously, a brother called Kevin
And lets not forget the Netherlands defender called Dumfries.
I at first thought 'oh how interesting, an Argentinian called MacAllister, that doesn't sound Argentinian' then I remembered England have a player called Bukayo Saka and then also remembered the very long list of foreign origin names in the UK and everywhere else and told myself not to be such an idiot.
Who's being an idiot?
We're all mongrels Molls.
I just thought I'd google him to see his history as I thought it might be pretty interesting. And so it was (see above). I now know that theres an emigrant Irish community in Argentina that went there to service the mining industry. I didn't know that yesterday.
Every day's a school day, eh?
I find the meritocracy of modern football to be one of its best points. Nobody gives a toss where you're from nowadays. If you're good enough, you're in. In the case of a lot of international players, they could lay claim to various nationalities due to their family history*, and have national managers trying to sway their decisions on which 'nationality' they claim when it comes to choosing who they'll play for. Saka will definitely have been tapped up to play for Nigeria before he committed to England.
* I think Adnan Januzaj could have played for 5 different national squads but ended up playing for Belgium
Well… after all the excitement of the last few weeks, its the return of ‘proper’ football with United v Burnley in the who-gives-a-**** cup.
Should be a good match. Burnley are absolutely flying at the moment and we haven’t played for 5 weeks. God knows what squad he’ll put out
I suppose now we’ll start to see what kind of effect the World Cup is going to have on the rest of the domestic season
We need McFred, we've not seen it in so long!
And we’ve not seen a Maguire howler for a while
I get the feeling that Maguire is being pushed out, even more so with tonights squad!
He’s injured apparently.
But the only time he’s played all season is when everyone else has been injured. He’s third choice for a good reason though. The back half of last season he was absolutely awful. Inexcusably bad!
Wan-Bissaka hasn’t played either but he’s looking pretty sharp tonight. Absolutely superb ball in to Erickson for the goal
Burnley look like a premier league side though and I don’t doubt that they will be again next season
BOOM!
It’s looking like Marcus really has got his mojo back
Well 5 of the England team have even more immediate Irish roots than MacAllister.
On a similar note I read somewhere than Messi and Maradona’s Italian ancestors came from the same part of Italy.
Not football, but the world of MMA and the UFC may not have ever come into existence if a Scottish guy called George Gracie hadn't emigrated from Paisley to Brazil in 1801. His great grandsons helped create the Brazilian variant of jiu jitsu and then the family went on to set up the UFC with Art Davie
Well that was a cracking game.
Yep - different league to that World Cup nonsense! Liverpool a bit fortunate to only lose by 1.
So toon for the league then? 😳
No European football......they can definitely make the top four but I think it's a bit of a stretch to win it. Arsenal though have a good chance. Watched them last night, they were very good second half, seemed united and together, pressed well and continually won the ball back high up the pitch. Crowd with them too. Youngest squad in the league as well.
It’s incredible what Eddie Howe has done at Newcastle. So many players who looked mediocre at best are looking like match-winners now. They’re playing some great football. They had everything wrapped up nicely in the first 30 minutes, then it was just game management
Arsenal didn’t look like they miss Jesus, which quite surprised me. They’re great to watch
Liverpool would have been in trouble yesterday if Villa had anyone capable of hitting a cows arse with a banjo. They were all over the shop at the back. A decent front line would have really punished that sloppiness
We’ll see if our defence is similar later. It’s going to be interesting to see who he starts
What the hell has happened to West Ham? They’ve gone the opposite way to Newcastle. Players who’ve looked really good previously see now completely anonymous
As a Gooner of 50+ years standing I am waiting for this dream start to come to a crashing end. The team spirit and willingness to make off the ball runs (my hallmark as to whether a team is the real deal) is fantastic but i fear the squad lacks the depth and experience of our main rivals. Note, because we aren't actually half way through the fixture list and we had a postponement we have to play City and Newcastle twice each in the remaining games, plus Liverpool and Spuds away. Historical patterns of success suggests a team usually has to go close before they win a title and if we do fall short this season the omens are very good for the future.