NP's 2018 World Cup Thread, Predictions, News and Fun

[johname]

 

[GILSAN]

5 minutes left... GO BELGIUM....

 

[briguy]

5 minutes left... GO BELGIUM....

GO FRANCE

 

[GILSAN]

It's over... Great game... France win 1-0

Belgium deserved a draw, but France came closer to making it 2-0

 

[BRANDERX]

the golden generation didn't manage to score when it mattered the most.

France did.

Congrats France

Sorry Belgium..

 

[Domainstore]

Yes, France has won.
It was a chessgame from the coach of France. Winning time. Certainly after the 1st and only goal.
What I found sad is that Kevin de Bruyne didn't play higher, and that revelation from Belgium Michy Batshuayi only was brought in when it was only still 5 minutes....he should have been brought in much earlier IMO. But to throw the stone now to coach Martinez for that, is going a bit far, although he decided this.
Dries Mertens was brought in was a right move though.
Taking Fellaini out I shouldn't have done either.
And sadly Chadli played not on his best place, because he had to play on the right, because Meunier couldn't play along in the game (because of 2 yellow cards in earlier matches).
OKE Belgium reached the same as the golden generation of 1986. But the quality of the players and group was this year much better then in 1986.

Felicitations to France.
Felicitaties/Félécitations.

 

[GILSAN]

 

[Asfas1000]

Good game. It's a shame only 1 goal was scored.

 

[GILSAN]

Huge credit to Belgium! They've been incredible during the entire tournament. What a team! Hold your head up high!

Vincent Kompany going home like...

 

[Domainstore]

Hi,

It's in fact not finished and Vincent Company won't go home immmediately..there comes the match for 3rd place. as I heard. @GILSAN , although I don't know when this match for 3rd place is planned.
But of course...Belgium went for 1st place.

Some update =>
The goalkeeper, of Belgium Thibaut Courtois, said, in a short interview, that Belgium played a bit too scared in the first 20 minutes, and talks a bit about anti-football of France in the tournament by the coach of France, using a defence of an enormous amount of players. Courtois said also "Of course that's strategy", he said, "they know that Belgium has a bit problems with teams that are as a block in defence with not 4 or 5, but nearly all players (what France did) ".

Around a table in Brussels...they ask themselves why the referee didn't whistle the obvious fault near the 16 meter, against Eden Hazard.

And the question remains ..... should Belgium better have chosen during the match against England to loose (in the poole-phase), to take 2nd place and not win in the 3rd match (against England); so that they would have come in the right half of the matches, so they would avoid Brazil and France ?
In English newspapers of a week or so ago was written that Belgium "had been dumb" by 'winning' from England in the pool-phase, (England, that obviously didn't want to win that match, if you relook that game you will see that), so that they would avoid having to play against Brazil f.i.in the quarterfinals and France f.i. in the semifinals ? Some commentators say, that that would have been choosing for anti-football. Who will say it?

Anyhow ... the Belgians can leave the tournament with their head held high, but have to play for 3rd place, and did win against Brazil, but not France (although a year ago played and won from France 3-4 I think in a friendsmatch) ; But winning against Brazil was also a nice accomplashment, because they were the superfavourites for the whole tournament. (together with Germany of course, who suprisingly were kicked out early in the tourament).).

I looked already a bit to TF 1 (1st French televisionchannel) where cheering was visible in Paris of an enormous amount of people. => See here "LIVE" the cheering in Paris ! (don't know what happens if you look to this video tomorrow for instance).

Congrats to France for winning the 1st semi-final.

I'll look further, because I want to see the reaction of the BBC and further reactions of a panel of experts in Belgium-flemish/dutch television.

And I'm wondering ....who'll win tomorrow the 2nd semi-final Croatia or England ? And will after tomorrow (belgian) Greg Van Avermaet in the Tour de France (cycling) still have the yellow jersey, because today he kept the yellow jersey ?

 

[GILSAN]

Hi,

It's in fact not finished and Vincent Company won't go home immmediately..there comes the match for 3rd place. as I heard. @GILSAN , although I don't know when this match for 3rd place is planned.
But of course...Belgium went for 1st place.

Some update =>
The goalkeeper, of Belgium Thibaut Courtois, said, in a short interview, that Belgium played a bit too scared in the first 20 minutes, and talks a bit about anti-football of France in the tournament by the coach of France, using a defence of an enormous amount of players. Courtois said also "Of course that's strategy", he said, "they know that Belgium has a bit problems with teams that are as a block in defence with not 4 or 5, but nearly all players (what France did) ".

Around a table in Brussels...they ask themselves why the referee didn't whistle the obvious fault near the 16 meter, against Eden Hazard.

And the question remains ..... should Belgium better have chosen during the match against England to loose (in the poole-phase), to take 2nd place and not win in the 3rd match (against England); so that they would have come in the right half of the matches, so they would avoid Brazil and France ?
In English newspapers of a week or so ago was written that Belgium "had been dumb" by 'winning' from England in the pool-phase, (England, that obviously didn't want to win that match, if you relook that game you will see that), so that they would avoid having to play against Brazil f.i.in the quarterfinals and France f.i. in the semifinals ? Some commentators say, that that would have been choosing for anti-football. Who will say it?

Anyhow ... the Belgians can leave the tournament with their head held high, but have to play for 3rd place, and did win against Brazil, but not France (although a year ago played and won from France 3-4 I think in a friendsmatch) ; But winning against Brazil was also a nice accomplashment, because they were the superfavourites for the whole tournament. (together with Germany of course, who suprisingly were kicked out early in the tourament).).

I looked already a bit to TF 1 (1st French televisionchannel) where cheering was visible in Paris of an enormous amount of people. => See here "LIVE" the cheering in Paris ! (don't know what happens if you look to this video tomorrow for instance).

Congrats to France for winning the 1st semi-final.

What happened to Lukaku in this game?

Game for 3rd place is on Saturday the 14th. The Final is on Sunday...

Massive party going on in Paris and rest of France...

And another massive party going on in Thailand celebrating "Mission Impossible" for their most famous team... the "Wild Boars"

 

[GILSAN]

Once again, stats show that having more ball possession, means nothing...

Didier Deschamps is the first manager since Rudi Völler to reach the World Cup final both as a player and a coach...

 

[Domainstore]

Lukaku wasn't at its best apparently.But why, i don't know for certain, maybe a bit too sure of himself ?
The system thought out by the coach, made it also a bit difficult. The French also, with defending very well, so that he would be very quickly in off-side.
But I've also told already => I find that Michy Batshuayi should have been brought in sooner.
Apparently or maybe coach Martinez had thought that it would come 1-1, with extra-time 15 + 15 minutes, in which Michy could have done more : he had grown so much, like Divock Origi in 2014. But I find he should have brought Michy much sooner into the game (and also not take Fellaini out of the game).
What also played a role, is that the French played rougher,(some Belgians too) because the old yellow cards of previous games didn't count any more, and that after this match there would follow only 1 match more. That's why several yellow cards were given, but not soon enough.
And I really agree with the commentator of the match I saw, that it was very strange why the referee didn't whistle a very obvious fault near the 16 meter, against Eden Hazard, despite being so near to the 16 meter. Probably Kevin de Bruyne would have given a good shot to somebody or in the goal, like he did earlier.
It could be felt very well that Meunier wasn't playing at the right (but Chadlis), because he had 2 yellow cards of earlier matches.
And they should have done more with 4 corners. (the French had only 2).
Ball posession doesnt say everything. I presume that against Brazil, the Brazillians had more ball posession, but didn't win. Here the Belgians had more ball posession, but couldn't turn that into much danger at the goal of the French, because the very defensive strategy of the French. The Belgians kept passing to each other to find a hole in the defense of the French.
Shots to goal do say much more : 2 and 1. This shows a lot. Very defensive played, and
nearly not being able to come in the 16 meter.
(And if I was the coach I would have taken Divock Origi along to the tournement, although he didn't play much or didn't made very much goals in the season, but can dribble very good. And nearly whole Belgium protested heavily against the fact the Radja Naingolan wasn't taken along to the tournement (player of AS ROMA). Also several players said that to the press, but that they "had to do what the coach tells you to do". It's the coach who selects whocan come along. Radja - a bit a rebellious, but otherwise a very good player- was very disappointed, and said he wouldn't play any more for the Belgian team in the future (what of course remains to be seen), because he wasn't even selected for the 28 who trained the last weeks , before 5 others also fell of. Martinez flew to Rome a couple of weeks before the tournament. What has been said between them, we don't exactly know. But the result didn't like the fans of the Belgian Team.

Something else is important to notice =>
Sometime I heard somebody reading the paper today, and he or she said that Marc Wilmots had also been important as coach, and also the one before : Georges Leekens. And all 3 contributed to the group becoming better and better. And that's what I also find. (apart from the strange decision about Radja from AS Roma by the current coach Martinez).

In 2002 Marc Wilmots was still player and made an important goal. But an obvious fault against him or corner wasn't given, and he said about that in the papers back then....that we couldn't win because the referees wouldn't sustain Belgium much.
This is now not any more the case or was less the case, probably because of the Fifaranking, being nr 3, apart from the obvious fault against Eden Hazard, who (contrary to Neymar), doesn't fall so easy on the ground.
Whistleing that obvious fault could have turned things around.
Anyhow tomorrow is another day, and saterday there's another match. Don't know what they going to do there.
Courtois said that he doesn't find that 3rd place important...but of course when the match comes, he'll play again as one of the very best.

 

[GILSAN]

Hitler reacts to France's win over Belgium in the 2018 World cup Semi Final

 

[Domainstore]

BTW King Filiep or Phillipe and his wife Mathilde of Belgium attended the match, and also president Macron of France, and they stoold up and shaked hands after the match.(and I think I saw this match and the match before Medviedev of Russia, the hosting country).
The Prime Minister of Belgium couldn't come, but another minister of Belgium has attended a lot of matches apparently : Didier Reynders (has been and is minister ( financial =past) and foreign affairs = now I think).
Tomorrow and the day after there's a NATO-SUMMIT in Elsene (part of Brussels), with the heads of State of the Nato-countries (among them also USA and Canada, so also Donald Trump).
That's probably why the prime minister didn't go to the match in Russia. But he was interviewed in a Wallonian city where there was a screen where people could look.
PS. NATO = North Atlantic Treetee Organisation

 

[GILSAN]

BTW King Filiep or Phillipe and his wifeMAthilde of Belgium attended the match, and also Président Macron of France, and they stoold up and shaked hands after the match.
The Prime Minister couldn't come, but another minister of Belgium has attended a lot of matches apparently : Didier Reynders (has been and is minister ( financial =past) and foreign affairs = now I think).
Tomorrow and the day after there's a NATO-SUMMIT in Elsene (part of Brussels), with the heads of State of the Nato-countries (among them also USA and Canada, so also Donald Trump).
That's probably why the prime minister didn't go to the match in Russia. But he was interviewed in a Wallonian city where there was a screen where people could look.

England could be in a World Cup final for the first time in over 50 years and yet no British dignitaries will be there because of their government's stupid, childish, baseless hissy fit over Russia.

An absolute embarrassment.

 

[Domainstore]

Hitler reacts to France's win over Belgium in the 2018 World cup Semi Final

LOL a PARODY-video : I had to put out the sound, of the video because the english text came so rapidly, and I understand German a bit and the subtitles weren't the translation of what was said in the video (dutch is a Germanic language, and english also), lots of german words can be understood by a dutch/nederlands-speaking person.
So Hitler or 'Dolfy' as he is called won't eat chocolate again ? And won't sustain Belgium any more ?
Of course he never sustained Belgium, only some collaborators of our country.
And no chocolate any more ? Yeah that's a good decision, that I also have to take, because I gained a lot of kilos the latest years due to chocolate and other things.
And do know that although people speak about 'French Fries'.it's Belgium that is known for its fries, because the fries are made in a special way.
And Adolf H. was also -something not many people know- a vegetarian.

He seems to talk (subtitles) about Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, I already told something, in a previous comment abut them. And somebody who has "tit" in his name made the goal for France. LOL

Luckily in Europe there's peace know (at last in Europe itself) and if there are fights it are matches of games, like soccer-football with much less injuries then a war.
That's why The European Union got the Nobel Peace Price some years ago.

And talking about H. => He was during the Berlin Olympics against the fact that somebody with a dark skin won several medals (from the US I think-in athletics).
And the goalmaker, of this soccer-game was also somebody with a dark skin. H. wouldn't have sustained Belgium nor France now => See your earlier comment how many people with an african ancestor are in the French and Belgian soccerteams.

Of course...that's why its a parody-video.

Oh yeah : Also Happy that the 12 soccer-football-children and their coach are saved of the cave in Thailand. Let's see what the FIFA will do after their promise to them.

Greetzz

 

[BRANDERX]

Important issue imho

Color blind awarness

World Cup 2018: Why millions of fans see the football like this
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44535687

 

[Domainstore]

Important issue imho

Color blind awarness

World Cup 2018: Why millions of fans see the football like this
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44535687

I'd never known that => that so much men are colourblind, and what an impact that has
on a thing like matches of competitive groupsports !!
THANKS !!

 

[Domainstore]

IMPORTANT NEWS
I read in the paper that probably the soccer-children (saved in Thailand from a cave)
won't go to the final of the World Cup, the FIFA anounced.
The health of the children has to be moniterred too long so it's not gonna happen.
HOWEVER THIS IS POSITIVE NEWS =
But the soccerteam of Benfica of Portugal will invite the children to come and train together with their youth-club later this year; for a week or so..

 

[Domainstore]

Here the first images of the Thai soccer-footballboys that have been rescued, recovering in hospital.
SOCCER-TEAM BENFICA of PORTUGAL will give them a week holiday to play with their kids-team, after FIFA anounced they had to terurn on their decision to let them come to the World-cup, because they have to monitored first and that can take a while.

and here footage of cheering schoolboys in front of hospital where the soccer-football-kids recover =>

We

 

[GILSAN]

HOWEVER THIS IS POSITIVE NEWS =
But the soccerteam of Benfica of Portugal will invite the children to come and train together with their youth-club later this year; for a week or so..

Manchester United have also invited them to see a game or more... They are gonna get tons of invitations, by clubs and TV's + other media all over the world, for sure

 

[GILSAN]

Croatia vs England about to start...

 

[GILSAN]

 

[GILSAN]

Kieran Trippier scores a lovely free kick and England are up 1-0 up...

 

[BRANDERX]

The English are playing well. very nice goal.

Croatia, I would say, they look tired..

Fatigue is playing a role in this match.