The Great Football thread

[Captain Pyjama Shark]

It looks like Irish fans have already won the euro !

https://www.facebook.com/PunditArenaLOI/videos/vb.124047700971240/1173854219323911/?type=2&theater

They also successfully emptied most of the french brewery tanks in Lille in a record time !

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/06/17/irish-fans-rescue-kidnapped-schoolgirls-from-boko-haram/

[Sgt.KAR98]

I started supporting the boys in green since the 2012 Euro. They won't go very far,but the party they make at group stage is comparable only to a few teams that won the WC.

Damn,another team I was supporting was Sweden,and I had hopes they would beat Belgium with Ibra. He didn't score,but Belgium did. His career is over now. I've saw swedish jerseys with his name and number at souvenir shops while on Sweden,but couldn't find any other than children's size. :-(

[Torenico]

With tears in my eyes, I say goodbye to the once-glorious La Selección.

Losing two finals in a row against Chile is enough. One thing is losing against Germany, who is by far the greatest rival we ever had in World Cup history, another, much different, is Chile, who in 40 years defeated us only once, but manage to win just on the penalties.

Enough is enough. We have the Best Player in the Planet, who missed a penalty today, but we can't use him, we don't know how, we just don't. Meanwhile, we have humble Wales and their Star, Bale, an entire team playing for one player, making sure he can do whatever he wants. Argentina, it's all about failing now. It has been a long time since we won a title. My local club, Racing, is famous for not winning a single title in 35 years, an entire life for some. Still, I was born in 1993, two years after Argentina won their last title, Copa América 1993 Edition in Ecuador. In 2001 I saw Racing ending that 35-years long draught, we did it again in 2014 with legendary Diego Milito as our spearhead. La Selección, with players like Batistuta, Crespo, Ortega, Verón, Sorín, Aimar, Messi, Mascherano, Aguero, Higuain even the Legend Himself, Maradona, couldn't deliver another title for us. So, in my 22 years of life I never saw any Argentinian player bringing a Copa América or World Cup home, and we had enough material to do that several times.

And so, they failed once again. Did we underestimated our rivals?, yes, did we started the game by showing Chile where do we stand in the FIFA Rankings?, yes, do we even know how to play a final?, no, does Messi deserve such pathetic teammates?, hell no.

Despite a terrible referee, severe mistakes were made. Higuain once again missed a clear goal, Aguero once again failed to make an impression, Messi once again was isolated by Martino's terrible decisions, Di Maria once again decides to play on it's own while injured, Romero once again saved Argentina as long as he could.

Are we even going to change?, are we going to sack Ferrari-Crasher Martino?, are we going to stop calling people like Higuain, Aguero and Lavezzi, focusing instead of bringing more of Lamela, more of Angel Correa, Luciano Vietto and forgetting about Icardi's personal life?.

Or are we going to lose a 4th final?.

[Zoologic]

Are you not going to rant about Marcus Rojo getting a red card?

To be honest, you should play like the Germans, no visible drama or the notion about "playing like an elite team". In a tournament, they just play well and win the game. In another games, they experimented with wins and losses.

If you can't go the disciplined, almost militaristic German way, go the Italian way. I was born in 1986, the year when Maradona lift the world cup for Argentina. But I came to the world in September. A bit too late for that. But the hype is all there. Diego Maradona! Nobody expects a midget like him to make a fool out of the world's best team. Also, nobody expects the scandal-embattled 2006 Italy to make it to the finals and gave the much touted French a hard time. All I know in 2006, they already waved good bye to Paolo Maldini, Costacurta, Roberto Baggio, Christian Vieri, Luigi Di Biagio. But Pirlo, Cannavaro, Toni cs proved it wasn't all big names they are after, it was the championship.

My personal rant goes to Sergio Aguero. Yes he is very good attacker. But most of his goodness come from his personal statistics (number of goals in EPL for example). He can't be what the team needs him to be.

[Torenico]

Rojo was reckless, but it was no Red Card imo. In fact, I thought the Chilean player Aranguiz was getting the red.



Messi announced he will retire from the National Team. It could be him saying that while being angry, but if he's going to drop out, it's perfectly understandable.

Aguero is "thinking" about it, Mascherano will also most likely drop out too.

[Hjaldrgud]

Double brexit 

Island!

[Zoologic]

Yeah, quite happy about Iceland. One Brexit voters down in humiliation (according to them), one more to go.

[Sgt.KAR98]

Yes,England took the Brexit way too serious. The welsh,scots and norn irons must be still having a very hard time trying to stop laughing.

What happened to Argentina,and much more specifically to Messi,was tragic. Seeing his desolation was bad,but hearing he saying he quits was far worse. I really hope he reconsider what he said.
TBH,I was never a Messi fan (nor anti-fan),but preferred him over Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. But seeing him score that goal against the US,sending the ball to a spot in the goal where more than 90% of the players will very likely miss,that caught my attention. He is not a slightly better player that people and ads hype to the infinite. He really haves talent.

And argentinians shouldn't be pissed with their national team. Brazil must. In less than 20 years we descended from WC champions and most feared squad in the world to the laughing stock that felt "avenged" from the 2014 WC humiliation by scoring 7 goals on Haiti. All our players know is to take selfies,appearing on ads and having their egos bloated by the TV. At max,they can play at their clubs,but can't play at the national at all,because they feel they're "too good for this s...".

[Zoologic]

The gli azzurri came down the field and played with all their heart. It seems that they didn't care about facing the defending champion. They were not fazed playing against the great Andrés Iniesta or Gerard Pique. While other teams tried in vain to defend against the better team using all of their 10 players, the Italians resorted to their classic 3 defending catenaccio without that classic sweeper and their typical unsportsman-like behaviour. That's the Italy I always loved, effectively counter attacking the excessive ball-hogging requirements from Spanish style of play. They are the unexpected big team killer.

The German also developed some effective attacking plays to overcome the bus-parking minnows.

The English meanwhile were facing one of the "minnows" as Martin Keown, the BBC pundit and ex-Arsenal defender said. It will be an easy trip to the quarter finals they said. They never realised how dismal their own tournament records were, and thought themselves as one of the elites just because EPL. Their players are all homegrown, perhaps because EPL were too good already, that foreign leagues are not that interesting. Some argued that the homeboys are being sidelined by other European players in EPL clubs. Really? Nobody thought that no other big European clubs like Real Madrid, FC Bayern, PSG, or Juventus ever wanted them? That they are not as desirable as the British tabloids hyped?

I am seriously pissed by the Three Lions. I want them to be good. They say they are humbled now, but when they luckily defeated Wales in the group stage, I can hear all sorts of inflated promises. It seems that they are trying to defeat the others not by playing the game, but by outdoing them in terms of fame and reputation.

[Torenico]

Yes,England took the Brexit way too serious. The welsh,scots and norn irons must be still having a very hard time trying to stop laughing.

What happened to Argentina,and much more specifically to Messi,was tragic. Seeing his desolation was bad,but hearing he saying he quits was far worse. I really hope he reconsider what he said.
TBH,I was never a Messi fan (nor anti-fan),but preferred him over Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. But seeing him score that goal against the US,sending the ball to a spot in the goal where more than 90% of the players will very likely miss,that caught my attention. He is not a slightly better player that people and ads hype to the infinite. He really haves talent.

And argentinians shouldn't be pissed with their national team. Brazil must. In less than 20 years we descended from WC champions and most feared squad in the world to the laughing stock that felt "avenged" from the 2014 WC humiliation by scoring 7 goals on Haiti. All our players know is to take selfies,appearing on ads and having their egos bloated by the TV. At max,they can play at their clubs,but can't play at the national at all,because they feel they're "too good for this s...".

Messi should drop from the National Team until Russia 2018. Maradona did something similar, after losing the final against Germany in Italy 90, he dropped from the team until USA 94, a WC Argentina should have won.

Argentina must learn, the hard way, how to play without Messi. So that when we have a defined style, ready for Russia 2018, Messi rejoins the squad and that, that will be much better.


Hope we run into England soon

[Capten_C]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhh! Caws caled Gwlad Belg!! 3-1 !!   

[Zoologic]

Congrats Welsh! Good luck with Portugal. They are unusually good against British football teams.

[Hjaldrgud]

Italy brilliantly manages yet again to kill the fun of football.

[Captain Pyjama Shark]

so pissed I didn't get to see Neuer and Buffon take penalties

[Ts4EVER]

Neuer takes penalties a lot actually.