FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 - RUSSIA

[mauve]

Well done to I was secretly hoping for this and I am glad they managed to outplay Argentina doesn't look like a team at all, Messi doesn't exist on the field and, in all honesty, this result is not surprising. Now let's hope that wins tonight so that Messi can pack himself already. Well done neighbours

No surprises in the other two matches. I thought would beat but something is definitely missing in their games. A deserved tie in this match. Other than that, was struggling more than expected but they won on pure quality. They will almost certainly win the group altogether and then raise their form for the knock-out stage.



Today is a very important day for . I believe we are sufficiently prepared for .If we manage to keep our heads cool and if we managed to cope with their agressivenes on the field, we will have a chance to beat them. It will be hard but I think the chances are 50/50. And with the right approach, we will be one step closer to triumph.

Just wondering: who do you think will win the WC? I predicted France or England, but it would be nice if an Underdog would surprise us.

 

[mauve]

Poor Costa Rica ... in the last minutes ... but congrats to Brazil!

 

[Morty]

I don't mind that Brazil won, but I'm happy that Neymar didn't get the penalty. I really like VAR.

 

[JonnyWest]

Thank God Brazil won, Costa Rica did NOTHING to win the match!

 

[Gabe]

Poor Iceland

 

[mauve]

Poor Iceland

Yes ... The two Matches today didn't end as I wished ... Now my hope lies on Serbia. Hope they will beat Switzerland!

 

[njdevils94]

Hoping Serbia v Switzerland finishes 5-5 each.

 

[Ana Raquel]

AWESOME day bet-wise and result-wise

serbia's game can end already!!!!!

 

[njdevils94]

WHAT A FIRST HALF FROM SERBIA. Mitrovic and Tadic both outstanding.

 

[mauve]

Oh no ...Serbia ... :? in the 90th Minute ... today was a bad day ...

 

[Realest]

Still hope that manage to beat

 

[esc87fan]

Switzerland wins over Serbia 2-1, Shaqiri with the go-ahead!

 

[njdevils94]

Really happy for Switzerland but sad for Serbia. That was the game of the tournament. I believe and hope Serbia beat Brazil.

 

[JamieBrown]

Serbia vs. Switzerland run like I expected. Serbia showed that they have great talents already, being far better in the first half. But swiss maturity was too strong. That's why I expected Switzerland to become 2nd in my prediction. Maybe Serbia will shock Brazil, but I don't guess so

Sad for Iceland, but with a little help from Argentina they can still advance. But I somehow like that Nigeria can advance. Group D is such a mess

Most sad today for Costa Rica. They brought much flavour last time and now they're out already, tho they were not clearly beaten. Such a nice country. Hope they'll qualify again

 

[mauve]

Well, today's gonna be the day for Germany ... I think we won't make it. I am pessimistic. Maybe South Korea can win against Mexico, but I doubt it. Would help though. Don't know who to Keep my fingers crossed for in the match Belgium vs Tunesia. Guess the first one will make it. But this year is somewhat unpredictable.

 

[Milos-BC]

There are several reasons why we lost. We were not good enough in the second half and we fell psychologically and physically as well. We couldn't connect 3 passes. Also, both goals were very naive. Compared to the first half, there was no energy in the second and we made a lot of mistakes that resulted in this outcome.


However, even though I'm usually the last person who talks about referees, I think this particular referee had a direct impact in our defeat as well. He's not the reason why we lost but he did everything he could to ensure that we lose as swiftly as possible. He damaged us quite a bit and it was (almost certainly) done intentionally. First he started filling us with yellow cards (almost all of our key players had one by the middle of the second half), then every foul was whistled against us and finally, we didn't get the penallty when Mitrović was pulled down in front of Sommer. The referee got a signal from the VAR room but he didn't even want to review the situation.


It's a shame really, this match was hard to play but other than focusing on the field, we had to focus on a man with the whistle who came in with a set of instructions. This is the defeat that most likely knocked us out. But we should try and give our best against . The chances are low but they do exist. We need to open in that match and either lose with 3+ goals in our net or make a sensation.


Other than that, I am also sad for ::cr They were good, much better actually than against us but sadly they couldn't hold on. I hope that they beat in the last match though, I will definitely root for them.


And also shame for It feels that they emptied themselves after the match with .Now there is a huge chance that will make it through after all.

 

[Gabe]

I'm actually quite optimistic for you guys against Brazil [MENTION=4368]Milos-BC[/MENTION]. They play only with emotion and have all the same problems they had in 2014. If you score first they will snap like a twig. I'm going to say 2-1 or 2-0 to Serbia.

 

[ShoeFlo]

Iceland's media blame the heat for their weak performance in the second half. There was a funny twitter comment saying "we would have won if we played with icelandic conditions: old gravel ground, heavy wind, rain and 4 degrees possibly yes
Former national coach Halldor Björnsson also pointed out Iceland team might have been too distracted in the last few days (the instagram hype about Rurik Gislason and they also got visited by an icelandic comedy group)
Anyway, I think the absence due to injury of right winger Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson was a big problem. He is faster and more dynamic than Rurik Gislason. Also, we should not forget that captain Aron Gunnarsson was injured until the world cup, so he missed all pre-matches and many training sessions. You can see his tackling abilities arent as good as usual. Gylfi Sigurdsson was also injured for a very long time... so there were already bad omens for Iceland before the WC.
I think after the WC Heimir Hallgrimsson must revamp the defense. 34-years old Birkir Saevarsson went back to Icelandic league, so does 35-years old Kári Árnason. Iceland has younger and better alternatives for those positions. Sverrir Ingason and Diego Johannesson, for example. I think its very needful as you could see the pace deficits of Icelandic defense. The defense is too old. The pre-matches should have been a warning already since they conceded 3 against Norway and 2 against Ghana at home ground.
Moreover I hope they try to improve their possession game. They absolutely didnt know what to do with the ball when they were 1:0 down and thats a shame. In the qualification Iceland only dominated by possession against Finland in both matches. Other than that they even left the possession to Kosovo. Iceland should be ambitious enough to be dominant now and then. The midfielders are playing in Premier League and Championship, they are skilful enough.
Let's see if Iceland can surprise Croatia and beat them. One year ago they beat them in the qualification under some lucky circumstances. I hope they can repeat it. It certainly helps that Croatia doesnt have to invest full power

 

[Leydan]

Blaming the heat is nonsense^ both teams are under the same conditions and they've had time to get used to the climate and weather before any match. They spend 24/7 in freezers and only come out for their match?

 

[Morty]

Blaming the heat is nonsense^ both teams are under the same conditions and they've had time to get used to the climate and weather before any match. They spend 24/7 in freezers and only come out for their match?

I'm fairly sure the Nigerian players would be more used to the heat, even if the Icelandic players spent a year adjusting.