Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the
best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974.
Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has
been consistently high.
The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just
upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of
the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are
remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends.
Examples: 1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi 1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.
If the knockout stage this year ends in a bunch of 0-0s, 1-0s, or
1-1s (and PKs), I doubt it will be remembered as a great tournament.
The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
If the knockout stage this year ends in a bunch of 0-0s, 1-0s, or 1-1s (and PKs), I doubt it will be remembered as a great tournament.
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:because there were some upsets, and big teams performed poorly (Denmark, Belgium, Germany), this doesn't make it a great world cup.
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David KNo this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace. Not looking forward to Japan vs Australia and Senegal vs Portugal semis... come on just
This might turn out to be a cakewalk for Argentina, Brazil, England and France. Is that what you wanted?Now Uruguay out too... absolute cakewalk now for Brazil. Only Argentina in the semis will decent challenge for them.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at thisWorld Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania and
3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans whoare attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands of
So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*
RMIt was a good World Cup since Germany won ;-) But you are in minority here. Many consider it as the worst world cup ever because of many 0-0 draws and teams being too conservative.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at thisWorld Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania and
3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans whoare attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands of
So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*
RM
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David KNo this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea > and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:15:31 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote:punched. Worse than that the goal that won the game for Brazil was a penalty from a foul which even Brazilian commentators accept occurred outside the area. Despite this Turkey dusted themselves down to get out of the group and overcame the hosts Japan (
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
???David KNo this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea > and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace.
Somewhat harsh assessment.
Turkey were basically robbed in the group stage against eventual winners Brazil. Hakan Unsal was famously sent off when he kicked the ball to Rivaldo to take a corner, the ball hit Rivaldo's ankles and he went down holding his face as if he'd been
USA beat Portugal and Mexico, who were decent sides at the time.Portugal was the Denmark 2022 of that tournament. Mexico? LOL
South Korea beat Portugal, Italy and Spain on their way to the semi final. There are teams who win World Cups who don't face that level of opposition.
These teams may not be traditional super powers of football but chumps they were not and their success (and that of Senegal too) made 2002 a compelling World Cup to watch.
RM
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:57:23 PM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it, but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams. Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and at one point was set to qualify.The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
World Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania and2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at this
are attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands of3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans who
Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*Counterargument: Italia 90 was so bad that it engendered actual rule changes.
Ciao,
Werner
RM
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:57:23 PM UTC-6, Real Mardin wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it, but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams. Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and at one point was set to qualify.The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
World Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania and2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at this
are attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands of3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans who
Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*
RMIt was a good World Cup since Germany won ;-) But you are in minority here. Many consider it as the worst world cup ever because of many 0-0 draws and teams being too conservative.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:12:42 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:57:23 PM UTC-6, Real Mardin wrote:
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it, but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the bestThe question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams. Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with
Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
this World Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at
who are attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans
Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*
It's a matter of opinion, but I'm not a fan of assessing the success of a World Cup by average goals. When England beat Panama 6-1 they shared 7 goals but the game wasn't as interesting to watch as many tense low scoring matches I've seen.RMIt was a good World Cup since Germany won ;-) But you are in minority here. Many consider it as the worst world cup ever because of many 0-0 draws and teams being too conservative.
RM
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 5:28:29 PM UTC-6, Real Mardin wrote:heavyweight sides match each other over the distance (England - West Germany 1990, Argentina - England 1998).
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:12:42 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote:
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:57:23 PM UTC-6, Real Mardin wrote:
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:01:22 PM UTC, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with
Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.It's funny but I was thinking about this very topic before this World Cup.
For me there are three dimensions to what makes a great World Cup:
1) As you've stated, it needs those epic matches that either keep people on the edge of their seats in excitement (England - Cameroon 1990, Belgium - Japan 2018) or keep you captivated due to the sense of occasion and tension of watching two
this World Cup), come in the form of an underdog or a side who has flown under the radar progressing far (Sweden in 1994 and Turkey in 2002 both making the semi finals) or both (Cameroon beating Argentina en route to the quarter final in 1990, Romania2) It also needs unexpected results to keep things interesting, because, let's face it, things would get boring if we knew the big teams would always win. The unexpected result could come in individual matches (Saudi Arabia beating Argentina at
who are attuned to the energy of the match and know how to respond accordingly. The stadiums should be instantly recognisable as Cathedrals of football, venues where legends were made and historic matches were played out in front of hundreds of thousands3) The third dimension doesn't take place on the pitch but off it. A great World Cup needs to be held in a country with a long footballing tradition and a genuine passion for football among the population. The stadiums need to be filled with fans
Republic of Ireland making it to the quarter finals.So, applying these criteria what was the best World Cup? Well, I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis right now but off the top of my head Italia '90 boasted all three dimensions of a great World Cup:
1) Epic matches - a World Cup that gave us Brazil - Argentina, Netherlands - West Germany, England - West Germany, Argentina - Italy and Argentina - West Germany.
2) Upsets - Cameroon beating Argentina, Romania beating the Soviet Union (who had made the final of Euro 88), Yugoslavia beating Spain, Costa Rica beating Scotland (yes, believe it or not this was something of an upset at the time), Cameroon and
3) As stated above, football mad culture and iconic stadiums.
Italia '90 - best World Cup ever? *s*
I have seen every WC since 2002).It's a matter of opinion, but I'm not a fan of assessing the success of a World Cup by average goals. When England beat Panama 6-1 they shared 7 goals but the game wasn't as interesting to watch as many tense low scoring matches I've seen.RMIt was a good World Cup since Germany won ;-) But you are in minority here. Many consider it as the worst world cup ever because of many 0-0 draws and teams being too conservative.
Majority consider 1990 to be one of the World Cups ever.... Cameroon and Colombia making a run was probably the most entertaining there. Also Czechoslovakia and Germany racking up goals in the group stage. Other than it was pretty poor.
2002 was terrible too. 1998 had some exciting games courtesy Denmark with Laudrup brothers and Norway defeating Brazil (LOL) and Nigeria and Romania topping their groups... so it might be probably the most entertaining one I have seen apart from 2014 (
RM
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.
If the knockout stage this year ends in a bunch of 0-0s, 1-0s, or 1-1s (and PKs), I doubt it will be remembered as a great tournament.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 6:01:22 AM UTC-8, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:Oh what basis? Iran were boring.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:35:23 PM UTC-5, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,The question is, what constitutes a good World Cup? Is it just upsets? In that case, WC2002, which is commonly agreed upon as one of the worst WCs of the modern era, was rife with upsets.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
In my opinion, a good WC is one which has epic matches that are remembered for decades, or the emergence of bonafide legends. Examples:
1982: Italy-Brazil and Germany-France. Paolo Rossi
1986: Argentina-England, Brazil-France, Argentina-Germany. Diego Maradona
There are many more examples.
If the knockout stage this year ends in a bunch of 0-0s, 1-0s, or 1-1s (and PKs), I doubt it will be remembered as a great tournament.I give USA-Iran 10/10!
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 5:35:23 PM UTC-8, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with
Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
I like the World Cup ads, showing Qataries magically creating the stadiums using streamers and video. I also like the music.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:15:31 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote:punched. Worse than that the goal that won the game for Brazil was a penalty from a foul which even Brazilian commentators accept occurred outside the area. Despite this Turkey dusted themselves down to get out of the group and overcame the hosts Japan (
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,No this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea > and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with
Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
???
Somewhat harsh assessment.
Turkey were basically robbed in the group stage against eventual winners Brazil. Hakan Unsal was famously sent off when he kicked the ball to Rivaldo to take a corner, the ball hit Rivaldo's ankles and he went down holding his face as if he'd been
USA beat Portugal and Mexico, who were decent sides at the time.
South Korea beat Portugal, Italy and Spain on their way to the semi final. There are teams who win World Cups who don't face that level of opposition.
These teams may not be traditional super powers of football but chumps they were not and their success (and that of Senegal too) made 2002 a compelling World Cup to watch.
RMThis is not correct. The goal that won Brazil the semi over
I'm glad to have provoked this discussion.
1990 did feature the epic England-Cameroun and England-Germany
matches, and one of the most spectacular group finishes I have ever
seen, the Germany-Colombia draw. I have never gone crazier than at
Colombia's tying goal, which I urge you all to view on youtube. But
the Italian semi-final defeat and the final were disasters.
On Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 1:40:01 PM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:
I'm glad to have provoked this discussion.
1990 did feature the epic England-Cameroun and England-GermanyI seem to remember the Argentina-Italy semi-final being a good match. Why do you say that was a disaster?
matches, and one of the most spectacular group finishes I have ever
seen, the Germany-Colombia draw. I have never gone crazier than at Colombia's tying goal, which I urge you all to view on youtube. But
the Italian semi-final defeat and the final were disasters.
On Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 1:32:11 PM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:punched. Worse than that the goal that won the game for Brazil was a penalty from a foul which even Brazilian commentators accept occurred outside the area. Despite this Turkey dusted themselves down to get out of the group and overcame the hosts Japan (
On Fri, 2 Dec 2022 15:18:57 -0800 (PST), Real Mardin <real_...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:15:31 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote: >> On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it, >> > but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best >> > one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. PerhapsNo this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea > and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace.
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very >> > good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams. >> > Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and >> > at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with >> > Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the >> > knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
???
Somewhat harsh assessment.
Turkey were basically robbed in the group stage against eventual winners Brazil. Hakan Unsal was famously sent off when he kicked the ball to Rivaldo to take a corner, the ball hit Rivaldo's ankles and he went down holding his face as if he'd been
USA beat Portugal and Mexico, who were decent sides at the time.
South Korea beat Portugal, Italy and Spain on their way to the semi final. There are teams who win World Cups who don't face that level of opposition.
These teams may not be traditional super powers of football but chumps they were not and their success (and that of Senegal too) made 2002 a compelling World Cup to watch.
RMThis is not correct. The goal that won Brazil the semi over
Turkey in 2002 was a shot by Ronaldo off the outside of his foot from
just outside the box, not a penalty.
As stated in the post above - it was the group stage match I was referring to where Brazil were awarded the phantom penalty.
RM
On Fri, 2 Dec 2022 15:18:57 -0800 (PST), Real Mardinpunched. Worse than that the goal that won the game for Brazil was a penalty from a foul which even Brazilian commentators accept occurred outside the area. Despite this Turkey dusted themselves down to get out of the group and overcame the hosts Japan (
<real_...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:15:31 PM UTC, LedZep IgaSwanTech wrote:
On Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:35:23 PM UTC-6, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,No this is the WORRRRRRRST World Cup ever... almost as bas as freaking 2002 World Cup which had chumps like US, Korea > and Turkey making the QF. That was a disgrace.
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best >> > one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps >> > it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with >> > Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
???
Somewhat harsh assessment.
Turkey were basically robbed in the group stage against eventual winners Brazil. Hakan Unsal was famously sent off when he kicked the ball to Rivaldo to take a corner, the ball hit Rivaldo's ankles and he went down holding his face as if he'd been
USA beat Portugal and Mexico, who were decent sides at the time.
South Korea beat Portugal, Italy and Spain on their way to the semi final. There are teams who win World Cups who don't face that level of opposition.
These teams may not be traditional super powers of football but chumps they were not and their success (and that of Senegal too) made 2002 a compelling World Cup to watch.
RMThis is not correct. The goal that won Brazil the semi over
Turkey in 2002 was a shot by Ronaldo off the outside of his foot from
just outside the box, not a penalty.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 1:35:23 AM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:the second round it won’t feel like the best World Cup ever if they and any other unexpected sides who might progress today all collapse to 3-0 defeats in the second round.
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David KI agree in so far as we’ve had some upsets in the group stage which definitely makes things more interesting, but let’s see what the knockout round brings before passing verdict. Having got Senegal, Morocco, Japan and to a lesser extent the USA to
If unexpected teams progressing is the measure of a successful World Cup then the best so far is 2002 in my view. Senegal and USA getting to the quarter finals and South Korea and Turkey in the semi finals is going to take some beating.
RM
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 7:46:14 AM UTC, Real Mardin wrote:to the second round it won’t feel like the best World Cup ever if they and any other unexpected sides who might progress today all collapse to 3-0 defeats in the second round.
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 1:35:23 AM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David KI agree in so far as we’ve had some upsets in the group stage which definitely makes things more interesting, but let’s see what the knockout round brings before passing verdict. Having got Senegal, Morocco, Japan and to a lesser extent the USA
If unexpected teams progressing is the measure of a successful World Cup then the best so far is 2002 in my view. Senegal and USA getting to the quarter finals and South Korea and Turkey in the semi finals is going to take some beating.
RMAs I was saying:
Netherlands 3 - USA 1
Argentina 2 - Australia 1
England 3 - Senegal 0
Still feeling like the best World Cup ever? :(
RMAnd all the goals by the losing teams were fluke.... the US goal was a fluke unintentional curl. Australia got a weird deflection goal. Poland got a dubious handball penalty. Comprehensive beatdowns. In fact Poland who were supposed to be destroyed
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
On Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 1:40:01 PM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:
I'm glad to have provoked this discussion.
1990 did feature the epic England-Cameroun and England-Germany
matches, and one of the most spectacular group finishes I have ever
seen, the Germany-Colombia draw. I have never gone crazier than at
Colombia's tying goal, which I urge you all to view on youtube. But
the Italian semi-final defeat and the final were disasters.
I seem to remember the Argentina-Italy semi-final being a good match. Why do you say that was a disaster?
This is of course very subjective. I have never had the time to watch
all the matches in a WC, or even all the knockout stage ones (though i
have on a few occasions seen the majority of those).
To qualify as the best ever, hypothetically, I would want to see all of
To qualify as the best ever, hypothetically, I would want to see all of
3) Some extra time games but no PKs
To qualify as the best ever, hypothetically, I would want to see all ofAs you say, all of this is very subjective. To me, "greatness" really means "memorable." Memorable matches, memorable events, memorable characters.
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974. Perhaps
it's having it in mid-season that the quality of play has been
consistently high. More importantly, Canada (which played some very
good football) and Qatar emerged as the only two really weak teams.
Even Costa Rica--who let us remember qualified from one of the
toughest groups in history in 2014--showed plenty of class today and
at one point was set to qualify.
I expect more upsets. England is going to have a very tough time with Senegal, in my opinion. It certainly would fit with the pattern so
far if Cameroun beat Brazil! This is the most competitive and
best-played World Cup and no competition has had final first round
days like these last three. I'm just hoping for no shootouts in the
knockout stage--very unlikely, I know, but I can dream.
David K
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974.
David K
On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 3:35:23 AM UTC+2, KaiserD2 wrote:
Yes, it's easy to complain about the corruption and politics of it,
but it's actually soccer tournament, and so far it is easily the best
one I've ever seen, and I've seen most of every WC since 1974.
David K
Look no further than the year of grace 2022 –
Sfârtaie (Quarterfinals)
------------------------------
Croatia – Brazil 5 – 3 (PK)
Netherlands – Argentina 5 – 6 (PK)
• Without a doubt, the biggest day in World Cup history!
Qatar 2022 - it's the worst World Cup ever.Aksiyomatik:
RM
It's also dawning on me that England could now win a World Cup
beating Iran, Wales, Senegal, Morocco and Croatia. It's like we're
living in some England fan's game of FIFA and he's cherry picked all
the weaker sides to give him an easy route to the final.
Real Mardin wrote:
It's also dawning on me that England could now win a World CupYeah, but in FIFA the England fan probably wouldn't have Harry Maguire
beating Iran, Wales, Senegal, Morocco and Croatia. It's like we're
living in some England fan's game of FIFA and he's cherry picked all
the weaker sides to give him an easy route to the final.
in his defence, or if so, he'd have edited his attributes to make him a better player in the game than in real life! ;-)
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:22:38 PM UTC+2, Real Mardin wrote:“Real Mardin” is actually the current… President of Turkey… a former soccer goalkeeper! He had bet his heart (and all money!) on Turkey organizing the ULTIMATE soccer tournament! President Erdoğan, you need a whole lot more money to win that
Qatar 2022 - it's the worst World Cup ever.
RMAksiyomatik:
Put that pipe away… that bottle too!
This 2022 Qatar World Cup is THE BEST EVER! Take it from the founder of Mathematical Atheism –
Sfârtaie (Quarterfinals)
-------------------------------------
Croatia – Brazil 5 – 3 (PK)
Netherlands – Argentina 5 – 6 (PK)
• Without a doubt, the biggest day in World Cup history!
Morocco – Portugal 1 – 0 +425
• "Do not bear the burden of the world [cup], for it belongs to Allah, and only bear one concern, how do you please Allah? Because if you please Allah, He will be pleased with you, your satisfaction, and your glorious victory!”
• Add to that most glorious day of this glorious World Cup, by the will of Allah, the most glorious victory of Morocco over Portugal 1 – 0.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:39:59 PM UTC+2, Ion Saliu wrote:title…
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:22:38 PM UTC+2, Real Mardin wrote:
Qatar 2022 - it's the worst World Cup ever.
RMAksiyomatik:
Put that pipe away… that bottle too!
This 2022 Qatar World Cup is THE BEST EVER! Take it from the founder of Mathematical Atheism –
Sfârtaie (Quarterfinals)
-------------------------------------
Croatia – Brazil 5 – 3 (PK)
Netherlands – Argentina 5 – 6 (PK)
• Without a doubt, the biggest day in World Cup history!“Real Mardin” is actually the current… President of Turkey… a former soccer goalkeeper! He had bet his heart (and all money!) on Turkey organizing the ULTIMATE soccer tournament! President Erdoğan, you need a whole lot more money to win that
Morocco – Portugal 1 – 0 +425
• "Do not bear the burden of the world [cup], for it belongs to Allah, and only bear one concern, how do you please Allah? Because if you please Allah, He will be pleased with you, your satisfaction, and your glorious victory!”
• Add to that most glorious day of this glorious World Cup, by the will of Allah, the most glorious victory of Morocco over Portugal 1 – 0.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 9:25:13 PM UTC, ions...@gmail.com wrote:title…
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:39:59 PM UTC+2, Ion Saliu wrote:
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:22:38 PM UTC+2, Real Mardin wrote:
Qatar 2022 - it's the worst World Cup ever.
RMAksiyomatik:
Put that pipe away… that bottle too!
This 2022 Qatar World Cup is THE BEST EVER! Take it from the founder of Mathematical Atheism –
Sfârtaie (Quarterfinals)
-------------------------------------
Croatia – Brazil 5 – 3 (PK)
Netherlands – Argentina 5 – 6 (PK)
• Without a doubt, the biggest day in World Cup history!“Real Mardin” is actually the current… President of Turkey… a former soccer goalkeeper! He had bet his heart (and all money!) on Turkey organizing the ULTIMATE soccer tournament! President Erdoğan, you need a whole lot more money to win that
Morocco – Portugal 1 – 0 +425
• "Do not bear the burden of the world [cup], for it belongs to Allah, and only bear one concern, how do you please Allah? Because if you please Allah, He will be pleased with you, your satisfaction, and your glorious victory!”
• Add to that most glorious day of this glorious World Cup, by the will of Allah, the most glorious victory of Morocco over Portugal 1 – 0.
What are you talking about? Turkey has never bid to host the World Cup and to my knowledge hasn't expressed an intention to bid for it anytime soon. Turkey has made numerous failed applications to host the Euros and a couple of doomed bids to host theOlympics, which is a whole other story.
RM
I'll say this much for Qatar 2022, it has given us the most diverse spread of semi finalists by confederation since 2002.
** 2002: Brazil (CONMEBOL), Germany (UEFA), South Korea (AFC), Turkey (UEFA) **
2006: France, Germany, Italy, Portugal (all UEFA)
2010: Germany, Netherlands, Spain (all UEFA), Uruguay (CONMEBOL)
2014: Argentina, Brazil (both CONMEBOL), Germany, Netherlands (both UEFA)
2018: Belgium, Croatia, England, France (all UEFA)
**2022: Argentina (CONMEBOL), Croatia (UEFA), France (UEFA), Morocco (CAF) **
The common link is 2002 was also hosted in AFC territory.
If diversity makes a good World Cup, then whatever the reason AFC delivers.
World Cup 2030 Saudi Arabia, anyone? *s* (although I shouldn't joke as they apparently want to co-host with Greece and Egypt!).
RM
Well, having started the thread--at this point I think this is
certainly the best WC since 1970 anyway.
Lots of great drama on the
last four days of the first round.
Not too much excitement in the 8th
finals
but that in a way is how it should be.
Then in the qfs a day
of incredible drama followed on Saturday by two very dramatic matches, including an historic upset, decided in regulation.
And then two
excellent and decisive semi-finals
setting up a classic great-power
intercontinental final.
Better than 1990, 1994, 2002? Surely you jest?
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 4:39:46 PM UTC-5, Real Mardin wrote:also Sweden-Senegal.
Better than 1990, 1994, 2002? Surely you jest?I get it that you are a Turkey fan and therefore you will always have fond memories of 2002. But other than that, what was so special about that World Cup? Yes, the upsets in the first round. And Korea-Italy was a legitimately memorable match. Maybe
But the latter part of the knockout stages in particular was absolutely abysmal. From the quarters onwards, 6 of the 7 meaningful matches saw only one of the two teams score. The scores: 2-1, 0-0, 1-0, 1-0 (a.e.t.), 1-0, 1-0, 2-0. Yawn.going down -- the final 20 minutes were a complete borefest.
What makes football matches memorable are the emotions associated with the score swinging from one side to the other. There was nothing of that in 2002. And in the one match where the score did swing (ENG-BRA), England's reaction was so pathetic after
Other world cups after that were not much better in this regard, but 2002 definitely stands out as the worst.
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 4:39:46 PM UTC-5, Real Mardin wrote:also Sweden-Senegal.
Better than 1990, 1994, 2002? Surely you jest?I get it that you are a Turkey fan and therefore you will always have fond memories of 2002. But other than that, what was so special about that World Cup? Yes, the upsets in the first round. And Korea-Italy was a legitimately memorable match. Maybe
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 9:18:49 PM UTC, KaiserD2 wrote:
The Brazil v Croatia and Morocco v Portugal results are getting too much credit due to the less fancied sides winning and in the case of Portugal v Morocco history being made in so far as the match produced the
first African World Cup semi finalists. However, both games were poor with Croatia and Morocco essentially defending for most of the game as if we were watching one long attack v defence drill. Neither were
deserved winners and their progression imbalanced the semi finals in that you were left with two matches with a strong favourite against weaker opposition, with the strong favourite winning comfortably on both
occasions. This further detracts from the quality of this World Cup.
Not to mention that these upset quarter final results denied us what could have been two epic semi finals in Argentina v Brazil and France v Portugal. Further evidence that Qatar 2022 has failed to deliver.
And then two excellent and decisive semi-finals
See above. I fail to see what was "excellent" about two one sided semi finals, I'll give you that they were decisive but for the wrong reasons.
setting up a classic great-power intercontinental final.We'd have had an intercontinental final if Croatia hadn't been so lucky against Brazil so I don't get your point here.
RM
I believe I said it earlier in the thread but South Korea beat Portugal, Spain and Italy on their way to becoming the first Asian team in a World Cup semi final, which was a remarkable achievement.
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 6:05:40 PM UTC-5, Real Mardin wrote:
I believe I said it earlier in the thread but South Korea beat Portugal, Spain and Italy on their way to becoming the first Asian team in a World Cup semi final, which was a remarkable achievement.Morocco beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African team in a World Cup semi final, which was a remarkable achievement.
[Honestly, I don't see the difference]
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