The Football Thread

[warhead]

Croatia looked very tired but Messi was class. Deserved result in the end. Fair play to Croatia for getting so far yet again. Presumably a France-Argentina final.

Argentina were just better this time. Croatia needs a proper striker.

[Ollkiller]

Croatia looked very tired but Messi was class. Deserved result in the end. Fair play to Croatia for getting so far yet again. Presumably a France-Argentina final.

Argentina were just better this time. Croatia needs a proper striker.

Croatia and Morocco. Both good teams with awful strikers.

[Caomhaoin]

Moroccan fans seem to be acting the absolute cunt all over France and Belgium.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Hooligans, not particularly more the Moroccans than the French. Plus instances of black-clad armed ultra-right groups being arrested in (that I've seen) Paris, Lyon, Nice, Montpellier, and Strasbourg. Even the right-wing press are reporting it:
https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/paris-lyon-nice-des-militants-d-ultradroite-interpelles-apres-des-violences-en-marge-de-la-victoire-des-bleus_AN-202212150282.html
https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/mondial-40-proches-de-l-ultradroite-interpelles-a-paris-pour-port-d-armes-prohibees-20221215

Guess your sources are even more to the right, eh? 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

potential carnage throughout France the day of the semi-final, whatever the result!

The Moroccans weren't shy when they knocked Spain out either.

Sorry, hadn't actually seen your reply. I already had in mind the potential clash between French and Moroccan hooligans. Thankfully, in the end, things were far less heated than they could have been. Maybe that's thanks to so many French ultras getting themselves arrested!   

[Caomhaoin]

'Linked with far right groups'? What does that even mean? It's the usual conflation of nationalism and extremism.

Why don't they mention the number of Moroccans arrested?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

If you understand what "armed" means, that should be good enough.

Anyway, usually would have watched at least a handful of matches by this stage of a World Cup, but not one, not even a goal. Can't bring myself to get into it. But I'm not one of the real fans of the sport anyway, so I know it's just too huge a thing to resist for them, not preaching at all. From what I'm hearing there's been good games. Maybe a Croatia-Morocco final would have tempted me though 

[astfgyl]

If you understand what "armed" means, that should be good enough.

Anyway, usually would have watched at least a handful of matches by this stage of a World Cup, but not one, not even a goal. Can't bring myself to get into it. But I'm not one of the real fans of the sport anyway, so I know it's just too huge a thing to resist for them, not preaching at all. From what I'm hearing there's been good games. Maybe a Croatia-Morocco final would have tempted me though 

It's the world cup I've given the least of a fuck about since Mexico 86 and all I can remember of that is the mascot. I don't know if it's them or me but there we have it anyway. I also wanted to see a Morocco/Croatia final but only to hammer home how bang average the whole thing feels in every possible way. Might be a sign of the times too because everything is cheapened to fuck these days or it might be some sort of jilted lover syndrome because Ireland are not only not in it but are also so far away from it that I find it difficult to imagine Ireland doing anything at all in a WC other than maybe possibly getting to it and getting mauled in every game (like the euros with Trappatoni) in my lifetime.

Why does she have to go with HIM when I'm the one who would really appreciate her and love her? Just because he's more skilful and better looking doesn't mean I don't deserve to get a chance to show her how much I truly care

That sort of jilted lover shit for the Irish and the WC

Actually, edit: I don't even know who the fucking mascot is for this shit

[DISRUPTER]

Messi = 🐐

[Bürggermeister]

The FIFA guy and the Qatari guy were creepy as fuck, getting Messi to don the sportswashing robe.

[CorkonianHunger]

70 minutes of a boring game, suddenly turned into maybe the best final ever?

Mbappe is some player all the same. Messi made it anyways fair play to him. The robe thing was strange.

Also, Emi Martinez is some prick.

[Ollkiller]

France were muck for 70 minutes so delighted they lost. Why didnt yhey play like that from the start. Would have won the game easily. Messi was class as usual.

[Emphyrio]

That was a great game of ball. Even when France were doing fuckall, it was an absorbing contest. Deschamps with seemingly mad substitutions, then France roar into life, that outrageous Mbappe goal, end to end extra time. Brilliant. Diego Simeone will no doubt try to sign Martinez. He is absolutely his type of player.

[Don Gately]

Great final, cringey medal ceremony indeed. Resisted most of the tournament but kids were into it and enthusiasm was infectious.

[Mooncat]

Ended up being the tournament I've watched the most of since the 90s, weirdly.

Excellent tournament in footballing terms. Poor in terms of location, which felt incredibly generic. Usually world cups are pretty awash with the local culture, but this one had none of that. Also slightly disappointing in that it didn't feel like a tournament of stars or great teams. Only really Messi, Mbappe, and Modric as the real star power, and arguably none of the traditional heavyweights have a classic team right now bar maybe France (who, if they'd decided to show up from the start, would have crushed Argentina...)

Congrats to the Argies though, arguably the two best players in history and the best kit ever.