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Argentina defeat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Some of the Portugal goals tonight were outrageous, ridiculous even. Fantasy football.

Incredible entertainment and great to watch.
 
Portugal deservedly through as for Ronaldo he thought he was bigger than country but finally Santos grew a pair
 
Olivier Giroud says breaking Thierry Henry's French goalscoring record shows younger players "anything is possible".

The 36-year-old became France's all-time leading men's goalscorer with his 52nd international goal in Sunday's last-16 win over Poland in Qatar.

"I was not playing at a very high level when I was 20," Giroud said.

"What I have done now shows even if it takes time, if you have the desire to succeed and work hard, you can climb mountains."
 
Those who have followed African football over the last few decades will know Morocco and Egypot were serious underachievers in the world cup
As in their performances were always among the best in the continents but they somehow managed to qualify for very few world cups between 1998 and 2018

In Russia Morocco were the better team against Spain, Portugal and Iran
But bad luck meant they got only 1 point

It is good to see them get what they deserve
 
Switzerland (and Poland) somehow seem to always qualify for world cups inspite of being very average sides and they always play bland and dont win or lose by much

So it was all the more amazing how Portugal destroyed a supposedly solid side
 
Achraf Hakimi celebrated with his mother after his game-deciding penalty, the scenes are incredibly wholesome

FjUIt-IXoAYZmgz.jpg

Morocco pulled off one of the shocks of the World Cup so far by defeating Spain in penalties to advance to the quarter-finals.

And their man of the moment was Achraf Hakimi.

The PSG right-back stepped up to take the deciding penalty against the European giants and with the weight of a nation on his shoulders he had nerves of steel.

Staring Spanish keeper Unai Simon in the eyes he produced a delicious panenka penalty to send Morocco through in an iconic World Cup moment.

Hakimi grew up on the streets of Madrid before entering Real’s academy.

He could’ve played for Spain but instead chose to play for the country of his parent’s nationality in Morocco.

His parents played a significant part in his climb as a footballer, sacrificing much of their life in order for Achraf to succeed in his.

Hakimi has stated in the past that his entire footballing career is dedicated to his mother and father, and that much was obvious after he scored the decisive penalty.

He went straight over to his mother, as he has done in the past, and celebrated with her in incredibly wholesome scenes.

It doesn’t get any more real than that.

As he has said in the past, via Bundesliga: “My mother cleaned the houses and my father was a street vendor. We come from a modest family that struggled to earn a living. Today I fight every day for them. They sacrificed themselves for me.”

The 24-year-old has already played for many of the top clubs in the world and is considered one of the best right-backs on Earth.

With a resume that includes PSG, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Real Madrid it’s clear that his talent is immense.

Fans think that Hakimi also paid tribute to his teammate Sergio Ramos with a ‘waddle’ celebration following his converted penalty kick.

The 'waddle' celebration, has become a viral trend by Jaylen Waddle who performs the same move after scoring touchdowns for Miami Dolphins.

It’s a celebration he and Ramos do together for the French side, and fans believe it was a sly dig at Luis Enrique for not picking the defender in his World Cup squad.
 
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Matchday & Tournament Thread

Browncaps said:
I remember another poster here saying that Palestinians cannot protest against the occupation of their lands in Germany.

Wonder if that is true.
Click to expand...

Could be. I´m not aware of it, though. However, even half a word against Israel and its atrocities against Palestine is interpreted as "antisemitism" and as a brain potentially capable of doing a repeat of the holocaust. It´s a no-go area, in other words. You invite red faces with such comments.
 
Switzerland use all their emotional and physical energy v Serbia. Handbrake off for Portugal. Only goal Morocco have conceded wa an own-goal
 
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Matchday & Tournament Thread

I don´t remember the last time that I saw Portugal dominate a match so much. Never either seen such a spirited team of theirs. It seemed as if they wanted to prove a point to someone. The guy replacing Ronaldo scored three goals! How is that for a headline? Crazy stuff!

Sommer is one of the best goal-keepers in the world and is my most favourite from the current lot, but I think that he would agree that he didn´t quite have a great game there. A couple of the goals were condeded partly, somewhat, down to poor efforts by him.

As for Spain; as much as pleased I´m for Morocco, I must say that Spain never quite turned up for the tournament in the real sense. They lost to Morocco and Japan - two teams which are supposed to be levels below them - drew, despite being in the lead, against a German side which was under massive pressure, and actually only pounded the Costa Rica team in their first game only. They don´t have to show much from their campaign, if you look at it carefully.
 
We need a good plan for Messi - Van Dijk
Netherlands v Argentina (Fri, 19:00 GMT)

There will be key battles all over the pitch when the Netherlands play Argentina on Friday, but perhaps none so more important than how the Dutch contain Lionel Messi.

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk remains wary about the threat Messi poses, even though he came out on the winning side the last time they met in club football.

Van Dijk called Messi the best player he had played against after Liverpool came back from a three-goal first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona on their way to winning the 2019 Champions League and has repeated the tribute in Qatar.

"The difficult thing about him is when we are attacking, he is chilling somewhere in a corner or something," says Van Dijk.

"You have to be so very sharp in terms of defensive organisation. They always looked for him to try to make it difficult for us on the counter.
 
Too much history rivalry and bad blood

1974 Gelsenkirchen Ned 4-0 Arg Group Stage

1978 Buenos Aires ARG 3-1 Ned WC final

1998 Marseille Arg 1-2 Ned WC QF

2006 Frankfurt Ned 0-0 Arg Group game

2014 São Paulo Ned 0(2)-0(4) P, Arg WC SF

Pick of tie definitely
 
World Cup 2022: England v France - Kyle Walker 'will not roll out red carpet' for Kylian Mbappe

Kyle Walker says he will "not roll out a red carpet" for Kylian Mbappe and England will have more concerns than just one player in their World Cup quarter-final against holders France.

England face France in the last eight in Qatar on Saturday (19:00 GMT) in the first knockout match between the two nations at a major tournament.

Mbappe, 23, is the tournament's leading scorer with five goals in four games.

"I understand what I need to do and that is to stop him," Walker, 32, said.

"It's easier said than done but I don't underestimate myself," the England right-back added.

"He is a fantastic player in great form. It is not going to be an easy task, but as a professional footballer you want to play against the best and I think he is one of the best, if not the best, in the world at the moment."

Mbappe did not train with the rest of the France squad on Tuesday, instead having a recovery session, and France defender Ibrahima Konate said there was "nothing to worry about".

"We haven't really spoken about it at all. He was just resting," the Liverpool centre-back said.

"Walker and Mbappe are two very great players. Walker is one of the best right-backs in the world, I can't wait to see this battle."

'Neither team is the underdog or the favourite'

Walker is familiar with Mbappe, having come up against the Paris St-Germain forward with Manchester City in the previous two Champions League campaigns.

City won two and lost one of the three meetings in which both players featured - and Mbappe has admitted he found facing Walker challenging.

On the Frenchman's comments, Walker said: "That's nice to hear because he had a tough game against me. I know he's a top player but we're not playing tennis. It's not a solo sport, it's a team game.

"You have to give him respect but not too much. Yes it will be a tough game but a team cannot just be about one person," he added.

"I'm not going to roll out a red carpet for him and tell him to score. It's a World Cup, it's do or die."

The Three Lions defeated Senegal 3-0 in their last-16 match, while France also progressed smoothly with a 3-1 win over Poland.

Mbappe scored twice in that French victory and the forward has now been involved in his team's last seven World Cup goals.

"When we've played Paris St-Germain in the Champions League, we're not just thinking of Mbappe and it's the same on Saturday," Walker said.

"Yes he's a tool in their armoury - and a very good one - but you can't underestimate their other players."

England have kept three successive clean sheets - one shy of their national record at a World Cup achieved in both 1966 and 1982.

At the other end of the pitch, the Three Lions have scored 12 goals in four games - equalling their highest tally at a single World Cup.

Having reached the last four in Russia in 2018, and the European Championship final in 2021, Walker believes there is no favourite as Gareth Southgate's side prepare to face the defending champions.

"We're playing the world champions but we are two good teams that will go toe-to-toe," Walker said.

"We have great talent. In my eyes, neither team is the underdogs or the favourites."

BBC
 
Morocco is having a dream run. It will be interesting if they manage to get to semifinals (first muslim nation to get to semis?)
 
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Matchday & Tournament Thread

My brother told me that the TV ratings and viewership of the ongoing edition of the FIFA World Cup have been the lowest ever in Germany, according to reports. I was baffled as to why. So, I saw my physiotherapist yesterday and got told by her that she and her husband, and many other people that she knows, have boycotted the tournament due to the fact that the tournament was unfairly "sold" to Qatar, and that "Massive corruption was involved in awarding them the tournament", and due to "The issue of massive human rights violations in the country hosting it!"

Interesting.
 
DHONI183 said:
My brother told me that the TV ratings and viewership of the ongoing edition of the FIFA World Cup have been the lowest ever in Germany, according to reports. I was baffled as to why. So, I saw my physiotherapist yesterday and got told by her that she and her husband, and many other people that she knows, have boycotted the tournament due to the fact that the tournament was unfairly "sold" to Qatar, and that "Massive corruption was involved in awarding them the tournament", and due to "The issue of massive human rights violations in the country hosting it!"

Interesting.
Click to expand...

I wonder if German viewers would have boycotted if they hadn't lost their first match to Japan? From that point on, they were always in danger of getting knocked out, I can't imagine there would have been much enthusiasm after getting humiliated in the opening rounds.
 
So people have problem with Qatar holding it but are actually cool with US holding next despite their less then stellar human rights past record.
 
DHONI183 said:
My brother told me that the TV ratings and viewership of the ongoing edition of the FIFA World Cup have been the lowest ever in Germany, according to reports. I was baffled as to why. So, I saw my physiotherapist yesterday and got told by her that she and her husband, and many other people that she knows, have boycotted the tournament due to the fact that the tournament was unfairly "sold" to Qatar, and that "Massive corruption was involved in awarding them the tournament", and due to "The issue of massive human rights violations in the country hosting it!"

Interesting.
Click to expand...

This selective outcry baffles me. A lot of Germans cry about human rights violation but at the same time are extremely Pro Israel. Moreover, they never question their government about their involvement in the wars in middle east vis-a-vis NATO. I have learned to ignore these hypocrite human rights k thekaydars.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
I wonder if German viewers would have boycotted if they hadn't lost their first match to Japan? From that point on, they were always in danger of getting knocked out, I can't imagine there would have been much enthusiasm after getting humiliated in the opening rounds.
Click to expand...

It was boycotted way before the WC started. The streets here are filled with Boycott Qatar signs, banners and graffiti. No cars, houses have the DE flag, which is very common during a WC. The bundesliga games were filled with ban Qatar banners also.

Most pubs and bars have also boycotted the WC and instead are hosting trivia night, etc.
 
rickroll said:
Morocco is having a dream run. It will be interesting if they manage to get to semifinals (first muslim nation to get to semis?)
Click to expand...

No, I am sure Turkey made it to the semi final against Brazil. They actually finished 3rd overall in that world cup.
 
Azzurri said:
This selective outcry baffles me. A lot of Germans cry about human rights violation but at the same time are extremely Pro Israel. Moreover, they never question their government about their involvement in the wars in middle east vis-a-vis NATO. I have learned to ignore these hypocrite human rights k thekaydars.
Click to expand...

Most Germans I know arent pro Israel and if pushed will remain neutral. The government has to be pro Israel for obvious reasons.

Not sure about the extent of the NATO involvement but the local population is pro disarmament given their last experience which is understandable.
 
Two massive games tomorrow Brazil v Croatia, former team mates to man mark each other classic Modric & Casimeiro

Netherlands v Argentina its like an American Car v Japanese Car
 
Mankaded said:
It was boycotted way before the WC started. The streets here are filled with Boycott Qatar signs, banners and graffiti. No cars, houses have the DE flag, which is very common during a WC. The bundesliga games were filled with ban Qatar banners also.

Most pubs and bars have also boycotted the WC and instead are hosting trivia night, etc.
Click to expand...

This supposed boycott at home would have maybe meant something if their team had boycotted the world cup also. They didn't they went running to participate, and the half hearted gesture to cover their mouths reflected their half hearted eviction from the tournament. Neither here nor there. What was the actual point?
 
Croatia make two changes to the side that scraped past Japan on penalties in the round of 16.

Borna Sosa has recovered from injury and starts at left-back in place of Borna Barisic.

The other change sees former Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic come in for Bruno Petkovic.

Croatia XI: Livakovic, Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic.

As you were for Brazil following their impressive 4-1 victory over South Korea in the previous game.

Brazil XI: Alisson, Militao, Marquinhos, Silva, Danilo, Paqueta, Casemiro, Raphinha, Vinicius, Neymar, Richarlison.
 
Croatia look like they'll nick it. Got the better keeper for pens and not short of technical shooters
 
Done nothing all match and then some magic - what a goal by Neymar.

Hope Brazil get through. I hate watching the dull Croatian team.
 
Another legend Modric bowing out from international football:14: Messi tofollow:13:
 
This Croatian team are never beaten are they.
1-1
 
Brazil were the much better team but a resolute Croatia hung in there.

Pens can be a lottery but nowadays as Morocco shown tactics and expert keepers can give you an advantange.

It would be too sad if Brazil went home.
 
Alisson has a save percentage of 40.6 when a shot is taken from the spot, Livakovic’s figures read 25.9 per cent.
 
Unlucky Brazil.

Congrats to Croatia esp Dejan Lovren.

2nd World Cup Semi final for them.
 
Brazil crash out.

They should have killed the game off after being 1-0 up.

Instead they continued to look for more goals and left themselves open.
 
Hands down, the best ever WC.

Hits the post, out the WC, what a story!

Some iconic images from tonight!

Bye bye Brazil, go perform in your Nike adverts!
 
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