So are Costa Rica! Be amazing if they and Japan went through, from that group!
Boo Germany!
can ITV not leave the sodding split screen on please
If Costa Rica score again and Spain don't, both Germany and Spain go out!
can Japan and Spain just knock it about the centre cirle now please
What a crazy group again! The last two nights have been nuts! European sides having a mare!
Japan through, Germany out, unreal, Japan have beaten Germany and Spain to make it through!
Well bugger me - Germany out. 😱
Boris Becker! David Hasselhoff! Fella that sang Rock Me Amadeus! That bastard dentist from Marathon Man! Your boys took one helluva beating!
/paddypower
Quite a poor set of results from Spain in the end. Through on 4 points. Probably not what they expected after thrashing Costa Rica. Wonder what the FIFA rankings were in that group…
Can someone shut Souness up!!
Can someone shut Souness up
Yes, such a moaning bastard! Shut up man. Who cares, it was a great game, talk about that.
The most definitive angle (high goal line) looks in to me. Another less precise angle also looks in.
Thrilled for Japan
Well that was entertaining, even my wife was hooked.
I'm very glad to see Germany go out. I mean I've nothing against them but we've been knocked out by them enough, it's time to give someone else a go!
Got in the car after finishing at the gym, and as I understood it, Germany and Spain were out, then Germany scored twice and saved Spain but not themselves?
Not sure what was going on but it was great listening
Yeah I was out and about and the 5Live bounce around was proper entertaining.
Got in the car after finishing at the gym, and as I understood it, Germany and Spain were out, then Germany scored twice and saved Spain but not themselves?
Yeah, Costa Rica went 2-1 up which put Spain out as they were losing so CR 6pts, Spain 4. Germany levelling put CR back to 4 but with a worse goal difference, then Germany winning put CR at the bottom on 3.
Wonder what the FIFA rankings were in that group…
Spain 7th.
Germany 11th.
Japan 24th.
Costa Rica 31st.
Footage of the Japanese fans in the stadium was fantastic!
Were they cleaning it up again?
If you look through the groups, not the results but the final/current top 2, I'd say only Germany out is the big upset. I'm surprised at that as there were some odd results. Although tbf, that's why we always start with a group stage and once the knock out starts it's a whole different game. It feels like a fairly open tournament though so far.... Although I suspect it'll be a familiar name on the trophy again by the end of this.
Can someone shut Souness up!!
Not sure you'd really want to say that to him. He was like Keane but nasty. Brilliant footballer though.
Astonishing that Spain were within a gnats cock of going out...after a 7-0 win and a draw against the other supposed strong team, you should be nailed on. IDK what Spanish for squeaky bum time is, but that was it!
FIFA not releasing that Japanese goal line decision is pretty dodgy and somewhat surprising given that institution's integrity.
Wonder what odds you would've gotten at the start for both Japan & Morocco topping their groups
Can someone shut Souness up!!
At least Keane is funny, in a shouting at buses sort of way. Souness is just a pub bore.
If that ball had been that far across the goal-line (in goal), would it have been a goal? I am confused...
Fella that sang Rock Me Amadeus!
Falco was from Austria (and he's now dead...)
If that ball had been that far across the goal-line (in goal), would it have been a goal? I am confused
The rule is that the whole of the ball has to cross the whole of the line
At least Keane is funny
Every game Roy Keane turns a little bit more into Father Jack. Come the final he'll be shouting 'Arse! ****!' at Ian Wright. I really think the BBC should hire him. Can you imagine him and Shearer sat on the same sofa?
Edit: why has f-e-c-k been starred out? I mean I can just about understand why some of the worst swear words are banned but f-e-c-k??
Ah, from the analysis it looks like it was in by a whisker, the TV view from the bad angle makes it look well out, but that's now what VAR assessed against.
It's good to see Japan through though, they may not have superstars, but what they do have is a team and a work ethic throughout, said it a few pages back, it was not a huge shock them beating Germany, they are a unit and work together a lot, we see it up at Celtic a lot, Maeda just runs himself into the ground for 60 minutes and then another comes on to put the energy back up, you don't get that from a lot of European teams.
tension in Group H. South Korea beat Portugal and are through on goals scored currently but if Uruguay score again (2-0 up) then they'll go through. You'd think after the Suarez handball years ago Ghana would park the bus to *** them up, but if Ghana get two and draw then they go through. It's like playground stuff, no defenders, end to end......
This is great!
Another great end to the group games! So exciting! Have to say this World Cup is delivering some great excitement
SK through, URU and GHA out; and ooh, scenes - referee being manhandled by Uruguayans about a refused penalty as he leaves the pitch
Brazil could almost field a Premier League 11.
Brazil could almost field a Premier League 11.
and they didn't take the best one
doesn't feel like a Brazil team either,
Cameroon player on a yellow, scores, takes shirt off, booked and sent off. Clot.
More drama! You score the most important and best goal of your career then get sent off for taking your shirt off, when you need another goal! What an absolute idiot 😂😂
"Brazil could almost field a Premier League 11."
Just to correct myself, there's 13 Premier League players in the Brazil team!
Might explain why they seem to have ditched the samba for something a bit more grimey..
then get sent off for taking your shirt off, when you need another goal! What an absolute idiot
Loved the scenes as he shook hands with a very apologetic looking ref though 😎
This guy? “Patrice Evra offered to give Ireland a replay on PlayStation after the Thierry Henry handball”.
So, group stage over and for a WC I was trying to not be interested in because of the human rights / corruption issue, sad to say it's been pretty good so far and I've been drawn in!
Aside from some VAR issues I think the officiating has been pretty good, players have learned to control their tackling against the new law interpretations such that by my reckoning there have been three red cards only, of which one was the SK coach for arguing after the game, and one was for Cameroon's shirt off second yellow. No ruined games consequently.
I also wonder whether the stricter interpretation of timekeeping along with VAR has reduced the play acting/simulation. I don't recall it being as bad.
BBC article analysing some of the stats - most interesting for me is Germany; most touches in opposition box, most shots; and highest xG per game and yet they only managed 6 goals in three games (with 4 vs CR) and are on the bus to the airport. Just proves that putting the ball in the net is still the hardest part of the game and why a proven goalscorer is still the most sought after player commanding the highest fees. Germany may be in the doldrums but reality is they're only a goalscorer short of being right up there.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63820511
So, group stage over and for a WC I was trying to not be interested in because of the human rights / corruption issue, sad to say it’s been pretty good so far and I’ve been drawn in!
I feel slightly bad about the collapse of my moral fibre, but also been drawn into this much more than I expected.
Yep, it's a worryingly good world cup so far