2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Who's watching? Too bad the US isn't going to be in there.

I may be watching some matches since I am bored out of a lack of sports for the summer.

My bet is on Deutschland to win it all, after their dominating performance in the last World Cup.

[Inferno 22]

I would be if we qualified :|

[Plok 327]

Go Iceland!

[Banshee 28]

Go Brazil!... And Iceland too.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

On the first match of World Cup 2018, Mother Russia is dominating. Those Russians are playing seriously.

[Banshee 28]

Dominating, really? Have you seen the team that played against the russians? With all due respect to Saudi Arabia, but honestly, it wasn't that hard to score those 5 goals. But I don't think Russia will have such easy time when they face Uruguay or Egypt.

[Plok 327]

The two starting teams were the most laughable in this tournament. Even if Saudi Arabia didn't suck, there's an unwritten rule that the host must pass the group stage with the help of referees (if two countries host the tournament, only one is required to pass).

[Banshee 28]

Funny.... South Africa has failed this rule...

[Inferno 22]

7 hours ago, Plokite_Wolf said:

The two starting teams were the most laughable in this tournament. Even if Saudi Arabia didn't suck, there's an unwritten rule that the host must pass the group stage with the help of referees (if two countries host the tournament, only one is required to pass).

LOL

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Seldom one player made a "hat trick" in a FIFA World Cup game, because Cristiano Ronaldo has done it for Portugal, resulting in a draw against Spain. But too bad he had to pay the penalty for his tax evasion case earlier, according to news sources.

Edited June 15, 2018 by PurpleGaga27

[Banshee 28]

Many of those players have tax evasion problems, specially in Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only one. Messi and Neymar are often in trouble with the spanish fiscal authorities.

Anyway, the game was really Spain vs Cristiano Ronaldo. And Cristiano Ronaldo was amazing, once again.

[Plok 327]

15 hours ago, Banshee said:

And Cristiano Ronaldo was amazing, once again.

I'm going to cry.

[Inferno 22]

4 hours ago, Plokite_Wolf said:

I'm going to cry.

He's not wrong.

[Plok 327]

Just now, Inferno said:

He's not wrong.

If the standard for amazing is an overpaid whiner, then yes.

 

Also best of luck to Nigeria tonight.

[Banshee 28]

Best of luck to Nigeria? Why, if you are croatian?

[Plok 327]

13 minutes ago, Banshee said:

Best of luck to Nigeria? Why, if you are croatian?

Because this is not a Croatian national selection.

For over a decade, it's just been a sales pitch for GNK Dinamo Zagreb players to sell in Europe. They haven't played a relevant match here in Split (second largest city and home to the older and internationally more successful HNK Hajduk Split) in many years apart from a friendly against Brazil just prior to the 2006 World Cup and a qualifier match for the previous Euro (IIRC?) that was already under sanctions for prior "fan" hooliganism and wasn't open to the public. They tried to assign a match for another qualifier against some irrelevant selection like Wales, so we declined from principle.

The leader of the corruption in Croatian football, GNK Dinamo Zagreb's "former" executive vice-president Zdravko Mamić, is a fugitive with an international arrest warrant, and fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina a day before he was to be sentenced (on June 6th this year) for a mere 6 and a half years in jail for that. The current chief of the Croatian Football Association (CFA / locally known as HNS) is Davor Šuker, who used to be our hero as a footballer, but now he is treated like a piece of shit that he is, as he's not only Mamić's puppet, but also an incredibly smug turd. The executive president of the Association, Damir Vrbanović, was convicted alongside Mamić, but for 4 years. Two of the active selection players, Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) and Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) were on record for lying during the trial and are currently under investigation for that on top of being involved in sending Dinamo/Mamić money from their transfers. Hilarity ensued when Mamić, in the late stages of the trial, brought two bags, one with some documents he wanted to give to the judge, and another containing Lovren's exact lines that he ordered him to say while testifying - he accidentally switched the two.

What's more, where I live, we hate the selection for all of that and more. In general, Hajduk and its supporters (Torcida) are known for their spite. If entire Croatia is not represented by the "national" selection, then it is not the Croatian selection, but the selection of the CFA/HNS.

 

EDIT: Almost forgot, they celebrate meaningless victories like 10-0 against the likes of San Marino but pussy out whenever there's a remote challenge, yet the majority of the players are in major European teams. Also, after Slaven Bilić left, all coaches have been politically chosen.

[Plok 327]

Ah, a pic of a fan in Russia wearing Modrić's jersey number with the words "I don't remember" from the trial, for which Modrić has become a laughing stock.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Today matches resulted in Mexico upsetting Germany in their opener while Brazil settled for a tie against Switzerland.

[Inferno 22]

Schade Deutschland

[PurpleGaga27 40]

I cannot believe Croatia stunned and whacked Argentina 3-0, only to advance to the Round of 16 (or should I say Sweet Sixteen?). I half-expected for Lionel Messi to play his A game and his Argentian team struggled, but the Croatian defense was very well played especially against Messi.

Also Russia, Uruguay and France have advanced to the Round of 16. 

Edited June 21, 2018 by PurpleGaga27

[Plok 327]

6 hours ago, PurpleGaga27 said:

I half-expected for Lionel Messi to play his A game

Messi has always been garbage outside Barçelona.

[Banshee 28]

I had a lot of fun watching this game from Argentina, specially by laughing at Maradona's face on several occasions (Maradona is one of the creatures who most feeds a local rivalry in soccer between Brazil and Argentina). But, honestly, I don't blame Messi for this result. He was clearly the best Argentinian's player there by far... the problems were, most of the time (if not every time), his partners. I do admit, however, that Cristiano Ronaldo is in a similar situation than Messi (a very talented man with terrible team mates), but he is dealing with his situation in a much better way and being much more decisive. I guess that Portugal's defense is much superior than Argentina's and that has made a big difference this time.

 

[Plok 327]

1 hour ago, Banshee said:

He was clearly the best Argentinian's player there by far..

It isn't hard to be the best among players who are even worse

Also, did you notice how the CFA selection didn't do many remarkable things until the Argentinian goalkeeper tried to lob Rebić instead of clearing the ball like anyone sane would? Goes back to my point on them only having and celebrating easy victories, though I'm surprised this happened against Argentina.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

England has pounded Panama 6-1 as Kane (I mean Harry Kane) scored his hat-trick (but that was a fluke). They are now going to the Round of 16. 

Germany is still surviving after defeating Sweden yesterday. Will wait to see if Germany wins the next game.

[Banshee 28]

Hat trick? I am not surprised... look at his last name. He lives in death (and now with a hat trick).

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2018 by Banshee