Football (Soccer) Thread

[Zoupa]

It seems that Cameroon have sent Andre Onana, their starting keeper, back home from the WC after an argument between him and the team's coach, that wanted him to play in a more conservative style, which the player would have refused to do.

I didn't see Cameroon's game.

They lost their first game against Switzerland and are playing right now against Serbia. In fact they've just scored.

I am intrigued at a keeper being told to be more conservative.

It's easy, Onana (who came through the Barcelona ranks and used to play for Ajax, playing nowadays for Inter) is a keeper on the more modern mold of a sweeper-keeper. He plays the ball with his feet to help distribution and kickstart the attack, gets outside the box to help support ball circulation, etc. Almost every big team at the moment has their keepers playing like this one way or the other. Turns out that the Cameroon coach wants a traditional, throwback keeper that stays at the goal, and just hoofs the ball forward rather than playing short passes that could get intercepted by rival attackers.

So, rather than having Onana, a great keeper with experience at the top level in European clubs, they're now playing Epassy, a barely known guy who plays in Saudi Arabia whose top experience is in a couple of small clubs in the Greek 1st division.

Btw, Epassy made 7 (great) saves against top seeded Brazil... He got man of the match and at least kept Cameroun in the game time and time again.

[Valmy]

[FunkMonk]

The funniest part of the Uruguay - Ghana game was Ghana wasting time at the end of the match when they were 2 goals down just to ensure Suarez and Uruguay were eliminated too 

It was amazing

A new transcontinental derby appears.

I hate this Qatar World Cup but football's inherent pettiness and mean-spirited competitiveness continue to shine through. A beacon for us all 

[Admiral Yi]

What is the purpose of the mansieres like the one worn by the Korean who scored and took off his jersey?

[Grey Fox]

What is the purpose of the mansieres like the one worn by the Korean who scored and took off his jersey?

Data collection. Heartrate, blood oxygen, location, speed of travel, etc.

[Josephus]

Australia is OFC. Qatar and Iran did not qualify.

Australia qualifies out of Asia

[Josephus]

Again, I am going to spend the next four years praying that FIFA goes with the four-team group stage. I actually think this past week was, and will be, the most exciting part of the World Cup.
Now we'll head into scenarios, where teams are tied and happy to take the game into penalties (except England).

[FunkMonk]

Yeah I really love the the current group stage set up of the WC. I think we see more exciting matches in the last group-stage games than we see boring rubber stamps. And I love that they're played at the same time. Along with goal difference shenanigans and tie breakers, it gives the final group-stage week a twist of arcane fun that can spit out a surprise or two.

[Duque de Bragança]

For the last group stage games played at the same time, you have to say a bid danke to Germany and Austria. 

As for keeping this formula, with even more teams added to the next World Cup, I doubt it.

[Gups]

For the last group stage games played at the same time, you have to say a bid danke to Germany and Austria. 

As for keeping this formula, with even more teams added to the next World Cup, I doubt it.

It's impossible with 48 teams. Either too many go through to the knock out or too few

[celedhring]

Yeah, they'll probably go with 4-team groups which will make the group stage more boring and with less upsets.

[frunk]

I think it should be four team groups, top two go through, the 8 best performing first place teams in the group stage get a bye in the first round of the knockout stage.

[Josephus]

12 four team groups. Top two teams advance + next 8? =32

The only problem is it's a lot of games and the WC would have to be played over some six weeks.

FIFA should just fess up that 48 teams was a stupid idea. They can blame Blatter.

[HVC]

Burn the Dutch!

[HVC]

God dammit. I ask so little of Americans.