World Cup 2022 - Qatar

[Rex]

This is the CONCACAFing that Germany deserved in 2002

[Nonlinear FC]

HOLY FUCK

[L-Jam3]

Not Dead Mannschaft just yet.

[Steve of phpBB]

Not Dead Mannschaft just yet.

Mannschaft still pretty dead. A tie or close win saves Spain.

[Nonlinear FC]

GER is kind of fucked, no? They be tied witih ESP on points and they ain't catching them on GD (2nd tb).

[Steve of phpBB]

Not Dead Mannschaft just yet.

Mannschaft still pretty dead. A tie or close win saves Spain.

… if Spain ties Japan, that’d give Germany a good chance.

[L-Jam3]

You're right. I added wrong.

[Steve of phpBB]

If GER wins, and SPA-JPN tie 2-2, GER goes thru on total goals over JPN. Right?

[degenerasian]

I don't think Spain is interested in scoring now that Germany is up 3-2. They will take 2nd place thank you.

[govmentchedda]

How did everyone miss that GD was 1st tiebreaker?

ETA - maybe it's just me, but I thought that 3rd GER goal meant Spain out.

[A_B]

I don't think Spain is interested in scoring now that Germany is up 3-2. They will take 2nd place thank you.

I guess to play Morocco instead of Croatia? I don't think that sounds like much fun.

[sancarlos]

How did everyone miss that GD was 1st tiebreaker?

ETA - maybe it's just me, but I thought that 3rd GER goal meant Spain out.

That CBS analysis Nonlinear posted a couple hours ago said that Japan and Germany were both through if both won.

[Nonlinear FC]

If GER wins, and SPA-JPN tie 2-2, GER goes thru on total goals over JPN. Right?

That would be correct, though I don't have the GS info. Assuming you tallied it up right.

It's all about Spain right now.

[mister d]

Both teams should sit down here.

[mister d]

I guess to play Morocco instead of Croatia? I don't think that sounds like much fun.

Avoids Brazil in the quarters.

[Rex]

Spain is trying to make it look good, but for the last 10 minutes they have had zero interest in scoring.

[govmentchedda]

How did everyone miss that GD was 1st tiebreaker?

ETA - maybe it's just me, but I thought that 3rd GER goal meant Spain out.

That CBS analysis Nonlinear posted a couple hours ago said that Japan and Germany were both through if both won.

Yeah, that's one of the places that implied Spain out after Germany went ahead. Feels like even the announcers of the Spain game had it wrong too, but I just started watching around the 80th minute.

[govmentchedda]

Spain is trying to make it look good, but for the last 10 minutes they have had zero interest in scoring.

Spain games can have that feeling anyway.

[A_B]

It sure feels like this world cup is ripe for some unusual teams to make long runs. Kinda like that some of the Euro teams are not moving on. It's the WORLD cup after all!

[mister d]

Would Costa Rica have been the worst team to ever get out of the groups?

[Baloney]

Auf wiedersehen

[degenerasian]

Would Costa Rica have been the worst team to ever get out of the groups?

Based on what? They would have had 6 points.

[Nonlinear FC]

Didn't want to get into while the craziness was going on, and I wasn't looking at the brackets. I can see where teams might try to the game the system. BUT... Only in a scenario where there was no risk.

As we covered while this shit rolled forward, there was real danger for Spain of not going through. Fuck around and find out. At one point it was actually not even a possibility it was the reality that Japan and Costa Rica went through.

Now, you guys are right, once GER went up, they took the foot off the gas. That was a subtle but pretty real Fuck You to their European "friends." But I don't think there was an overall plan to "tank" this game. They came marginally close to going home today.

[degenerasian]

Didn't want to get into while the craziness was going on, and I wasn't looking at the brackets. I can see where teams might try to the game the system. BUT... Only in a scenario where there was no risk.

As we covered while this shit rolled forward, there was real danger for Spain of not going through. Fuck around and find out. At one point it was actually not even a possibility it was the reality that Japan and Costa Rica went through.

Now, you guys are right, once GER went up, they took the foot off the gas. That was a subtle but pretty real Fuck You to their European "friends." But I don't think there was an overall plan to "tank" this game. They came marginally close to going home today.

I think the decision to tank was made a halftime with Spain and Germany up 1-0. Spain was thinking like you guys, there no way in hell Germany doesn't pump these guys by more than 3 goals. Let's let Japan win the group. Spain came out fucking around in their own zone at the start of the 2nd half and the giveaway led to the first goal.

1. Knock Germany out
2. Play Morocco instead of Croatia
3. Avoid Brazil

Now the impossible happened briefly that Costa Rica went up 2-1 but it was short lived.

[degenerasian]

Updated bracket. Teams in brackets are most likely

Netherlands vs USA
Argentina vs Australia

Japan vs Croatia
(Brazil) vs (Ghana)

------------------------

England vs Senegal
France vs Poland

Morocco vs Spain
(Portugal) vs (Switzerland)

[mister d]

Would Costa Rica have been the worst team to ever get out of the groups?

Based on what? They would have had 6 points.

Actual talent + pre-tournament expectations?

[Nonlinear FC]

Didn't want to get into while the craziness was going on, and I wasn't looking at the brackets. I can see where teams might try to the game the system. BUT... Only in a scenario where there was no risk.

As we covered while this shit rolled forward, there was real danger for Spain of not going through. Fuck around and find out. At one point it was actually not even a possibility it was the reality that Japan and Costa Rica went through.

Now, you guys are right, once GER went up, they took the foot off the gas. That was a subtle but pretty real Fuck You to their European "friends." But I don't think there was an overall plan to "tank" this game. They came marginally close to going home today.

I think the decision to tank was made a halftime with Spain and Germany up 1-0. Spain was thinking like you guys, there no way in hell Germany doesn't pump these guys by more than 3 goals. Let's let Japan win the group. Spain came out fucking around in their own zone at the start of the 2nd half and the giveaway led to the first goal.

1. Knock Germany out
2. Play Morocco instead of Croatia
3. Avoid Brazil

Now the impossible happened briefly that Costa Rica went up 2-1 but it was short lived.

I just highly doubt it. It wasn't that crazy that the Ticos could've pulled that out. You are talking about getting knocked out of the WC in order to avoid Croatia??? C'mon.

ETA - I will stipulate/agree that it was highly situational. They don't need to hatch a one dimensional plan at HT. They just follow shit live and, like I said and was mentioned, once the Ticos were clearly not a threat... Sure, lay down and play out all the stuff you mentioned.

[Nonlinear FC]

Also, fuck Mueller and any other German complaining about Spain right now. This is big boy soccer, my dude. Don't complain about OTHER teams not getting it done when you couldn't fucking do it yourselves. If you had played Japan to a draw, you wouldn't be getting on a plane tonight. You lost. THAT'S why you're going home.

Fucking own it. Sounded like a bitch, frankly.

(Japan and Germany would've been tied on 5, Spain with 4... Let's say Spain played to win.. You go in over Japan and Spain goes through. Bottom line, losing to Japan was a huge dagger and they did that, not anyone else.)

[brian]

So to win the World Cup, the US will likely have to beat Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil and then either France, Spain or England.

Easy peasy.

[degenerasian]

Would Costa Rica have been the worst team to ever get out of the groups?

Based on what? They would have had 6 points.

Actual talent + pre-tournament expectations?

They would have to compete with themselves. They won the group in 2014 with England, Italy and Uruguay in it.
Cameroon in 90 making the quarters is the biggest shock ever as non-european or south america teams had no pedigree at world cups. It was the first cinderella run ever. Or Morocco in 86 who won Group F.

Prior to 1982, European teams made up 10 of the 16 teams in the World Cup.

[Rex]

What country has the most losses in World Cup history?

[Pruitt IV]

What country has the most losses in World Cup history?

My guess was wrong. Answer is...

[+] spoiler

Mexico

[DaveInSeattle]

That was one weak-ass PK

[govmentchedda]

Was it Andre or Jordan Ayew who missed the penalty the last time these teams played? The Suarez hand ball red card.

[Nonlinear FC]

Where has this been for Uruguay? Clinical.

[Nonlinear FC]

Imma be honest... I don't like either one of these teams. Uruguay is cynical, and that's without factoring in Suarez, possibly the dirtiest high level player in the history of the game.

Ghana is fucking annoying and I'll never really get over losing to them in South Africa with all the diving and time wasting they did. Fuck those guys.

Also, S. Korea is a very fun team to watch. I'd much rather they find a way against Portugal and knock these two out.

[Brontoburglar]

Was it Andre or Jordan Ayew who missed the penalty the last time these teams played? The Suarez hand ball red card.

twas Gyan.

[L-Jam3]

Imma be honest... I don't like either one of these teams. Uruguay is cynical, and that's without factoring in Suarez, possibly the dirtiest high level player in the history of the game.

Ghana is fucking annoying and I'll never really get over losing to them in South Africa with all the diving and time wasting they did. Fuck those guys.

Also, S. Korea is a very fun team to watch. I'd much rather they find a way against Portugal and knock these two out.

I can mostly agree with this sentiment. I should probably get over this because it's 34 years now, but I still harbor venom against South Korea when Roy Jones whooped the snot out of their guy in the Gold Medal match but he lost on a decision, about a week after that other guy of theirs protested by sitting in the ring for two hours after a close decision loss. I've always seen South Korean athletes as complainers ever since (them bitching that Apolo Ohno cut them off, Chan Ho Park kicking that guy in the face).

[degenerasian]

Where has this been for Uruguay? Clinical.

Mexico and Uruguay were too timid their first games, against Poland and Korea respectively. Then they play to their capability in their last game. Was too late for Mexico, we'll see about Uruguay. If Korea wins, Uruguay need to win by 3.

[mister d]

My three picks in my pool (24 people, each team 3x, late 1st round pick) were Belgium, Uruguay and Mexico in case you're wondering who predicted half the disappointments.