**** 2018 WORLD CUP THREAD ***

Terrific performance by both teams. Croatia were superlative, France were coldly professional. Good game except for the stupid PK.

Well done France!

trollism wrote:

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Greizmann diving all over the place. Fock france. They are not deserving, and are even more disgraceful than their 2010 WC team that revolted against their coach.

Croatia was the best team in the WC with Belgium a close second. Croatia were dominant in this game and destroyed the midfield and the flanks.

Well, it has been great. Solid thread. Now it is time to get back to running. Peace to all, until next year.

World cup is every 4 years.

Lol this thread says all you really need to know about the guy.

I get that the argument for the penalty after the unintentional handball is that his hand is in an 'unnatural position' but I don't get what the correct natural position is when you jump. Most people extend their arms when they jump to keep balance and get their head higher. I guess you have to jump with your hands behind your back?

Hardloper wrote:

I get that the argument for the penalty after the unintentional handball is that his hand is in an 'unnatural position' but I don't get what the correct natural position is when you jump. Most people extend their arms when they jump to keep balance and get their head higher. I guess you have to jump with your hands behind your back?

It is a judgement call. If the referee decides that the player was deliberate in his handball, it is a PK. That did not look deliberate to me. For example, a "palm out" handball with the player looking at the ball has a good chance of being penalized. In this case, they got it wrong.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Greizmann diving all over the place. Fock france. They are not deserving, and are even more disgraceful than their 2010 WC team that revolted against their coach.

Croatia was the best team in the WC with Belgium a close second. Croatia were dominant in this game and destroyed the midfield and the flanks.

Well, it has been great. Solid thread. Now it is time to get back to running. Peace to all, until next year.

*sigh*

Your soccer analysis is woeful.

vivalarepublica wrote:

France just had the better players in the end. Those runs and finishes for the last two goals were world class.

I agree half way. France may have better players but they didn't show it well today other than for the finished as you said.

I would qualify this game as the worst game played by the french team this tournament so far. The fact that they pulled it off is amazing.

I won't even talk about Lloris.... Put Croatia back in the game and killed the French momentum.

That being said the Hand ball was absolutely a penalty kick. It doesn't have to be intentional it just has to stop the progression of the ball.

FRANCE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

SB runner. wrote:

Hardloper wrote:

I get that the argument for the penalty after the unintentional handball is that his hand is in an 'unnatural position' but I don't get what the correct natural position is when you jump. Most people extend their arms when they jump to keep balance and get their head higher. I guess you have to jump with your hands behind your back?

It is a judgement call. If the referee decides that the player was deliberate in his handball, it is a PK. That did not look deliberate to me. For example, a "palm out" handball with the player looking at the ball has a good chance of being penalized. In this case, they got it wrong.

I agree with this analysis. I don't think it was an obvious, intentional handball. This was too big of a game for a questionable handball to result in a penalty kick. Maybe if the handball blocked an obvious shot on a goal, but it didn't, it blocked a header that was going to fall to Croatia players and be cleared.

Umtiti got the same call against France. It was a Hand ball then . It is a Hand ball now!

Welcome to the era of Mbappe. Finally someone comes along and replaces both Messi and Ronaldo, though he should use some works on clean playing.

This trophy ceremony is a great opportunity to punch Putin in the face.

vivalarepublica wrote:

Hardloper wrote:

Lmao Mandzukic making up for his own goal

There are few things I love more in football than a quality poacher goal.

I think Rebic's vs Argentina was my favorite goal of the month

George213 wrote:

Welcome to the era of Mbappe. Finally someone comes along and replaces both Messi and Ronaldo, though he should use some works on clean playing.

I really hope you're right. 10 years of that debate is enough.

vivalarepublica wrote:

SB runner. wrote:

It is a judgement call. If the referee decides that the player was deliberate in his handball, it is a PK. That did not look deliberate to me. For example, a "palm out" handball with the player looking at the ball has a good chance of being penalized. In this case, they got it wrong.

I agree with this analysis. I don't think it was an obvious, intentional handball. This was too big of a game for a questionable handball to result in a penalty kick. Maybe if the handball blocked an obvious shot on a goal, but it didn't, it blocked a header that was going to fall to Croatia players and be cleared.

You have no ideas that it would have been cleared by that player. It could have bounced of him and gave the opportunity for a french player to tap it in....WE DON"T KNOW...

That's why it is a penalty kick.

The rain is coming down drenching Putin and co. and putting a damper on the trophy ceremony.

Modric gets the golden ball. I can't complain. I would have given it to Hazard, because he was outstanding throughout the

entire tourney. Hell, they just might be playing together in the upcoming season at Real Madrid.

Top 5 Players in the WC

Hazard

Modric

Cavani

Kane

Kante

Just saying... wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

I agree with this analysis. I don't think it was an obvious, intentional handball. This was too big of a game for a questionable handball to result in a penalty kick. Maybe if the handball blocked an obvious shot on a goal, but it didn't, it blocked a header that was going to fall to Croatia players and be cleared.

You have no ideas that it would have been cleared by that player. It could have bounced of him and gave the opportunity for a french player to tap it in....WE DON"T KNOW...

That's why it is a penalty kick.

Of course we don't know. But I just hate to see a big game somewhat determined by a VAR penalty call about an infraction that was not completely obvious. The evidence just did not seem convincingly clear. Croatia had to change their style of play and that left vulnerable to the counter attack and the resulting goals.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Modric gets the golden ball. I can't complain. I would have given it to Hazard, because he was outstanding throughout the

entire tourney. Hell, they just might be playing together in the upcoming season at Real Madrid.

Top 5 Players in the WC

Hazard

Modric

Cavani

Kane

Kante

I would get Kane out of there and add Mbappe. Kane racked up goals against low quality teams in the group stage; Mbappe showed up when it mattered.

I also think Perisic mattered just as much for Croatia as Modric, but Modric is sort of the field general of that team.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Greizmann diving all over the place. Fock france. They are not deserving, and are even more disgraceful than their 2010 WC team that revolted against their coach.

Croatia was the best team in the WC with Belgium a close second. Croatia were dominant in this game and destroyed the midfield and the flanks.

Well, it has been great. Solid thread. Now it is time to get back to running. Peace to all, until next year.

Playing your worse game and still winning a final that's definetly the sign of the best team in the WORLD!!!!

That's why they are world Champion again...3 finals 2 wins..

LOVE IT!!!!

vivalarepublica wrote:

Just saying... wrote:

You have no ideas that it would have been cleared by that player. It could have bounced of him and gave the opportunity for a french player to tap it in....WE DON"T KNOW...

That's why it is a penalty kick.

Of course we don't know. But I just hate to see a big game somewhat determined by a VAR penalty call about an infraction that was not completely obvious. The evidence just did not seem convincingly clear. Croatia had to change their style of play and that left vulnerable to the counter attack and the resulting goals.

I hate seeing any big game determined by a PK, but that doesn’t make the call wrong.