World Cup 2022

[Lianachan]

Dec 3rd - 2nd round so less games per day

Netherlands v USA

Argentina v Australia

[Мастер]

I'm watching Korea vs Portugal right now.

I don't have a clue whether how these teams are doing in the rankings right now.

At the moment, it's 1-1.

[Мастер]

Judging by what just happened, I would say the crowd in this Italian restaurant in Southeast Asia is overwhelmingly for Korea.

[Lianachan]

Who’d’a thunk it? Normally somebody, anybody really, beating DDD’s lot is cause for celebration but on this occasion Uruguay failed to beat Ghana by enough goals and so are out.

[Arneb]

I'll miss Uruguay too. I like them in spite if Bitey Suarez. But kudos to South Korea fir grabbing their chance when it was there. The winner was a brilliant attack!

[Lianachan]

Bit of a surprise in this lot, even if Brazil essentially put out their reserves.

Cameroon 1 v 0 Brazil

Serbia 2 v 3 Switzerland (draw)

[Arneb]

Whoda thunk two weeks ago that there would be no 9-pointers and the only umbeaten teams after the group stage would be Netherlands, England, and, of all nations, Morocco - with 'Schland, Belgium and Uruguay already home by Second Advent (well, I predicted one of those outcomes, but what do I know).

[Мастер]

So, I didn't even realise last night that I was watching one of the last group stage matches.

So if I understand correctly, the purpose of the group stage is to separate the top 50% from the bottom 50% within each group. (And also assign an ordering to the top two.)

And in each group, one European country and one non-European country has advanced.

[Lianachan]

Yes, yes, and cool - I hadn’t noticed that.

[Lianachan]

Looking through the squad, Australia have 2 former County players in this match. Stilll.... Ar!Gen!Tina!

[Lianachan]

No surprises.

Netherlands 3 v 1 USA

Argentina 2 v 1 Australia

[Lianachan]

Dec 4th

France v Poland

England (boo, hiss) v Senegal

[Lianachan]

Dec 5th

Japan v Croatia

Brazil v South Korea

[Arneb]

No surprises in the knock-out stage so far, NLD, ARG, FRA progressing and England looking good just swimmingly. Any one expecting slip-ups from the likes of BRA, POR and ESP? Nah, me neither. JPN vs. CRO is probably the closest to call of the lot. No-one, including me, seems to be missing Germany, Belgium and Italy.

I stayed with the Hamburg in-laws this week attending an intensivists' congress. We were watching the third GER game over at a neighbour's place, and I was introduced to the crowd as "a doctor and Hertha fan". That raised a few eyebrows, but the half kilo of Lindt chocolate I was bringing along probably helped. The host is an Aachen boy and was born in the Catholic hospital where I worked in the years before becoming a fat cat. Lindt have a big factory (and outlet!) in Aachen.

In fact, I was offered and gladly accepted a shot of Obstler each time the Ticos scored. We were in the mood to cheer Costa Rica on in order for Germany to take Spain down with them (a C.R. win would have put Japan and C.R. in the two top spots), but in the end, 2 shots was all I got, plus the beers. Probably better that way.

[Arneb]

My prediction: it seems to be shaping up to a rather conventional WC with the usual suspects prevailing, except two: In all of my lifetime, only Brasil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and France have won the thing more than once, trailed by Spain as the only one-time champion. So I dare predict an Argentina - France and Brasil- Spain semifinal arrangement. I really have no clue going down from there. Neither Brasil nor Spain seem to be at their top level so far, so let's say, whoever wins ARG - FRA is likely to be the next Champion. I'll have everyone who tells me why I'm wrong AND turns out to be right over for an evening of unlimited beer, wine and spirits. But I'd do that anyway should any of you turn up...

[Lianachan]

Yeah, I’d pick Brazil or Argentina. I didn’t watch the England game and currently don’t know the result (family wanted to watch The Batman 4k and I’m not going to argue with that).

[Lianachan]

Nuts.

France 3 v 1 Poland

England (boo, hiss) 3 v 0 Senegal

[Richard A]

I haven't been watching the France games but have heard enough to know they're on their usual form. So England had better get their act together from the start of the France game rather than just before half-time. If they fail to and Arneb is proven right, then I'll back France against Argentina for a string of reasons ranging from Diego Maradona to Liz Truss. But in the meantime, tomorrow, I hope Croatia make it, but we'll see.

[Lianachan]

I haven't been watching the France games but have heard enough to know they're on their usual form. So England had better get their act together from the start of the France game rather than just before half-time. If they fail to and Arneb is proven right, then I'll back France against Argentina for a string of reasons ranging from Diego Maradona to Liz Truss. But in the meantime, tomorrow, I hope Croatia make it, but we'll see.

I don’t get the Liz Truss reference, but Diego Maradona should be reason enough to support Argentina. He is the best footballer who has ever lived.

[Arneb]

Diego Maradona should be reason enough to support Argentina. He is the best footballer who has ever lived.

Actually, I disagree with that. Not necessarily with the "best footballer" part (although I can think of a few reasons why one might disagree). But am I more likely to support Argentina because of him? Hardly. He was supremely gifted, but he was not a character I'd recommend to an aspiring young kid as a role model. I can see why someone would support Argentina because of Leo Messi, perhaps not primarily because of his genius, but his consistency, his service to his teams on, and off-pitch, his humility (no need to brigng up his tax fraud; I mention him purely as an example); or why you would have a soft spot for Germany because you are endeared to the stories of Bernd Trautmann, Uwe Seeler, Gerd Müller or Sepp Maier - maybe even for characters like Hartmut Rahn, who shot Germany and himself to glory but ended in poverty and too much alcohol. Do I tend to support Portugal more because of Cristiano Ronaldo? Most certainly not, because I can't stand C.R.7.. That would be true even in the unlikely case someone could convince me that C.R. 7 is actually the best footballer who has ever lived.

With Germany removed from the equation, I am maybe more likely to support Argentina because I like the image of a young, hungry, tightly-knit team lead by the aging sage who gives it his all one final time. But because of the 40 year old memories of a brilliant footballer (and brilliant cheater) plagued with, and brought down by, too many leech "friends", too many bad decisions, too much cocaine? Not for me. Come to think of young, tightly-knit teams that make up for lack of football brilliance with hard work and team play, I might develop a soft spot for England after all. Maybe because they remind me of a similar team that made a name for themselves in '06, '10, and '14 - Not necessarily having to hate England, I am more endeared by them than by the French bunch of drama queens, arrogant arseholes and gangsta actors. Maybe Kylian Mbappé will turn out to be the greatest footballer who has ever lived in the end, but I won't like the French National Men's Footbal Team any more for him.

[Arneb]

Japan take the lead against Croatia. That's surprising.

Oh, speaking of Japanese goals ... here is a photo you might find interesting :

[Arneb]

1 all. Boy, what a header! I remember Perisic well from his Dortmund days back when Dortmund used to be cool.

[Arneb]

OK, so penalties after 1 - 1. Just a little bit of World Cup feeling after a worthy game.

[Arneb]

Oh dear! Japan squander three of their four penalties and go out 2-4 after the shootout. See you at the evening game.

[Arneb]

Brazil 1 - 0 after 7 min. It's going to be a long game.