ponsaelius

The real Gs deserve today for sticking through the dross. Sumptuous day so far for the tournament GPG rate.

Hahahaha yesss

Get in. This game is nuts.

Feel like keeper is at fault for that second. Onana would have saved it. Enjoyed Cameroon in both games, tbh. At least they give it a good go.

You're not going to have smaller goals in women's football. They use the same pitches and facilities as the men across the globe, immediately before or after men's or junior football. In most cases you can't swap the goals around at a whim on the local park. It's just not a feasible thing to implement if you want to retain and actually increase accessibility to the game/facilities for women's footy. I don't think it's a major issue at the top level of the women's game anymore anyway. Female players can't shoot as powerfully as the men - and I think that balances things out. If you did reduce size of goals you'd likely reduce the number of goals scored significantly.

After 28 games there has been 67 goals - exactly the same as in 2018. Definitely feels surprising to me. Those stats massively topped up by the 7-0 and 6-2 score lines I suppose to offset the 0-0s. Still think the football and quality of goals has been far lower, but it gives me some hope it might pick up. Genuinely glad that I'm going to get my days back on Tuesday though.

Could be interesting as Group F play first on Thursday. Spain are essentially through - may end up being in their interest to finish second if they fancy Morocco over Croatia for e.g. Not that I think they'd throw a game against Japan - just may influence level of motivation.

Much of me instinctively wants to hate the Spanish national team just because I found Del Bosque's Spain so insufferably dull for so long. However part of me is warming to this side. They're fallible, which is probably the main reason for it. But they do also move with more pace - a bit like Enrique's version of Barca.

That goal man

Probably the most unbalanced team at the tournament like. Attack is CL level, defence and keeper are League One.

Seems nuts to me that Scott Arfield retired from international duty in January. Why wouldn't you just hang on for a World Cup at the end of the year. Not a world beater by any means he would have been a good option to add a bit of calm and control to Canada's midfield.

Canada are dreadful at the back like and very naive. It's a joy to see.

Yessss an early goal

Great to see. Hope they get through now as the tournament needs a surrogate host side. Morocco have loads of quality players when you go man to man. It's a really interesting blend because you've got homegrown players (e.g. Aguerd, Bono) and then influences from other European systems. Hakimi from Spain, Ziyech, Amrabat and Mazraoui from Holland, Boufal and many others from France. It provides a whole different variety of skillsets.

XG has killed football too. Nobody willing to smash one top bins anymore. Shite.

They're definitely not, like. Brazil 2014 was brilliant in the group stages then fizzled out a bit in the knockouts. Russia 2018 perhaps wasn't quite as good in the group stages as Brazil but was actually good all throughout the competition. And there was only one 0-0 in the whole thing. The only tournament in my lifetime that was as bad as this so far was 2010 where the football was utterly dreadful. But the Jabulani was so crap you at least got the odd random screamer out of nowhere to break the monotony of the football and endless buzzing of the crowd.

Saudi against Poland and Canada against Belgium are two of the only games I've seen where any team properly went at it from the off and played with real vigour and high intensity. And they both couldn't score and lost.

Yeah I'm done with this tournament like. So many teams getting rewarded for setting up and playing absolutely abominable football. It's hideous. The Japan manager is hardly any better either. Playing a 5 ft 5 winger from the J League over players who are playing for big clubs in Europe. Then waiting until you're losing before bringing everybody who is any good on. Idiots, shite.

I'm absolutely done with this World Cup, man. It's hateful

Tomiyasu is nursing an injury apparently. But otherwise the selections seem to me to be a waste of resources.

I know Japan won the first game, and I admittedly missed the second half, but I actually think they might be shit. Certainly less than the sum of their parts and really hard to watch compared to past Japan teams. Can't believe for a second they wouldn't be better off just playing the likes of Mitoma or Minamino upfront instead of the strikers they've tried out. This bloke Ueda looks like a total imposter. And it is flabbergasting to me that Kyogo didn't make the squad.

Tbh I didnt really agree with Neville and Keane's grilling of Di Maria at half time. Other than Messi, and tbh even more than him, he has always performed for and carried Argentina to the best of his abilities. Seemed like bitterness just because he absolutely hated living in Manchester. He's never been somebody I've considered a flimsy player. If anything he's the opposite - durable and keeps going. Even now at 34 and on the decline.

I know what you mean but I get the feeling it might be a case of after the lord mayor's show with them. They've put loads into the first two games, and I might be wrong but I'm sure they must have some suspensions stacked up now considering the yellows accumulated.

His ego seems to have inflated like a zeppelin