SEE YOU! A brand spanking new modern fitba thread 2025-2026

I'm sure Iraq would love to get one goal to have something to celebrate and be able to cede a loss right at 2-1.

We'll see if they can do more but it's not looking good.

 

Iraq gifts one of the best players in world a goal to go down 2. Shortly after they concede another. If this game was in California combined with the dark skies and lightning they'd believe Hollywood is even sicker than they'd heard.

You get cast in one of them horror movies without a script.

 

Haaland in the box, ball comes to him, raises his leg and puts it in the net.

 

Argentina, France and Norway win. Messi, Mbappe and Haaland all score.

Sometimes fiction is stranger than truth.

The Norway-Senegal game was a very good watch though, not just about the poster boy.

 

It's my opinion that Messi is still elite in this WC because he left Europe and has been preserving himself.

At Inter Miami, he's been able to play in second gear and still dominate the MLS. It's kept wear n tear off of him.

Had he remained at a big European club, I think he'd be more diminished.

 

Oi X, if Magnus was coaching Norway in the game against France do you think he would advise them to play the Mbappe declined variation?

 

Lmao! Maybe the advanced Dembele variation of the French defense.

Magnus is a drinker. He was probably watching the game drunk just like every other Norwegian fan.

 

As expected, US soccer fans have become delusional following wins over Paraguay and Australia. Theres now a huge belief in this country that we can win it all.

Please, someone, come put an end to the arrogant delusion.

 

A lot of World Cup scoring stats that I see paint the picture the Gerd Muller is really underestimated when discussing the GOAT strikers.

Muller really has a case over R9 as the best striker of all time.

 

Typical negative Nancy looking to cancel our impending parade

Knickerbockers won, whats stopping the usa futbol squad ?

 

Der bomber has insane statistics. He inflicted a national football trauma on us, the Dutch, in the World Cup final in 1974. Scoring the 2-1 winning goal. To this day an open wound for every Dutchman.

 

The Knicks have a top NBA team. The competition isnt as stiff. Its actually very much watered down from the powerhouses the league used to have. The best Knicks team in MY LIFETIME remains the 92-93 squad. The difference being theres no longer a Bulls powerhouse to stand in their way.

The USA has a GOOD football team -- not elite. Not anywhere near ready to win it all.

 

Portugal trying way too hard to put it on a plate for Ronaldo the numberslut when other players are in better positions to score. I mean it doesn't matter, they're 4-0 up anyway, but it's annoying to watch.

 

If two Portuguese players are in the box I can see fagnaldo pushing his own team over a defender hoping to get a penalty.

 

I'm sick of teeny boppers and the whole Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate.

Most people above the age of 25 who arent CR7 cock smokers consider Messi, Pele, Maradona to be the big 3 of GOATs.

 

Southern hemisphere bias

 

Of course he is.....

 

I only caught the last 15 minutes but i thought England were going to get something with the late pressure and series of corners but Ghana were resolute.

 

I snapped this screenshot yesterday which had nothing do with Muller. When Messi beat the record i refreshed the wiki page and instead of 17 it had 20



I figured somebody was getting a bit too enthusiastic but apparently they were ahead of the game.

Anyhow it's interesting to look at the goal per game percentage and while back you also had no hopers at the WC but you didn't have 2-3 per group you could run up the score on. There were also simply less games.

A lot of people still think 32 is too many but i'm OK with it. This latest expansion is certainly too much. There are always going to be some lopsided ones (and some had even larger margins years ago) but it shouldn't be nearly every day.

 

You know you could have seen that coming.

 

Aaaaaand it begins......

 

Sack the manager.

 

Saw this headline:

Goals are being scored at a record pace at the World Cup. The ball is one reason for the surge

Not sure if that's true but if you're looking for reasons why I can think of a few better ones.

 

You think they would have had the Panama games in Mexico or at least southern U.S. states. Even with millions the GTA i don't think there is a big local fan base to tap into.

 

In fairness a rigid 0-0 is broadly more representative of England's capacity than scoring 4 vs Croatia.

If you match Englands physicality you are halfway home.

 

Football has always had a "styles makes fights" aspect. The last time Germany played Ghana it was in the second game in 2014 and it also ended in a draw. We know what happened the rest of the tournament.

I saw a the headline on a brief clip:

Bellingham says draw with Ghana "no big deal". I didn't see the actual vid but i'm pretty confident somebody on a panel would have overreacted negatively to to the sentiment.

Guess what though. Bellingham's right about that. It's not arrogance or a poor attitude.

 

It's no big deal because they beat Croatia. It's no big deal because the penalty that Ghana should have been awarded wasn't. It's no big deal because already-eliminated Panama are next and that's a probable 3 points.

I broadly agree with his sentiment but there's something recurrent about it.

You hear a lot about "balance" etc but England never seem to have the wherewithal to unpick every lock. The immediate response was "Did we need a Foden, did we need a Palmer"

Every World Cup, England leave at home somebody they should have brought.

Every World Cup, there's a burst of enthusiasm, then a reality-check.

I always felt Ghana would cut their cloth to measure and Croatia were the sort of England-Lite that England should beat..

Anyway... It's Coca vs Cocoa next.... (Columbia vs Congo)

 

Some light relief.....




https://youtube.com/shorts/JhII35kcFvQ?is=iatPSHTgM2PD0Y1-

 

None of those are unique to England though. Every national team has media/fans talking about who was left at home and at every tournament. Every major hockey tournament there is talk about who was left off team Canada. Once the tournament starts stop talking about it. Completely irrelevant.

 

I guess this is Congo's World Cup debut year unless Zaire is counted, or would that be considered Republic of Congo?