Qatar Hero - The World Cup 2022 thread

[Sanguine]

Perhaps another reason I look back on Italia '90 so fondly is that it was the first World Cup I watched. We all remember out first Reading game, or our favourite players when we were kids. There are a lot of 40 somethings here who, like me, I was 9 years old at the time, hadn't really watched international football before that tournament. To add to that from my perspective, my Dad bought our first colour TV ahead of the tournament - I remember being amazed at the photos of Terry Butcher covered in blood after the Sweden qualifier the year before, of course I knew he had an injury, but we had watched it in black and white.

Blimey did you have black and white TV until 1990?

We did. Once of those ones with the dial rather than buttons to change the channel.

[tulip]

Canada were unlucky last night from what I've seen, seems like they went toe-to-toe with Belgium and were unlucky to come away with nothing, just lacked the quality in the final third really. Certainly given them something to build on and you'd expect both Croatia and Morocco to be more winnable fixtures than Belgium, on paper.

I don't really fancy Belgium this year. Seemed unconvincing last night and got a few ageing players within their squad as well now. I read a pre-tournament report that had Belgium as the 13th "favourites" to win the World Cup, which I found surprising as they were below the likes of Denmark, Croatia, Uruguay and I think had the same chances of winning as Switzerland.

Why are Belgium rated so highly in Fifa ratings? What have they won/achieved exactly?

[Sanguine]

Canada were unlucky last night from what I've seen, seems like they went toe-to-toe with Belgium and were unlucky to come away with nothing, just lacked the quality in the final third really. Certainly given them something to build on and you'd expect both Croatia and Morocco to be more winnable fixtures than Belgium, on paper.

I don't really fancy Belgium this year. Seemed unconvincing last night and got a few ageing players within their squad as well now. I read a pre-tournament report that had Belgium as the 13th "favourites" to win the World Cup, which I found surprising as they were below the likes of Denmark, Croatia, Uruguay and I think had the same chances of winning as Switzerland.

Why are Belgium rated so highly in Fifa ratings? What have they won/achieved exactly?

They went on one hell of a run after the 2016 Euros. Starting with a win in 2018 World Cup qualifying over Cyprus, they won 46 of 58 games, with nine draws and only three defeats, up to their 2-1 loss to Italy in the Euro QFs last year. They beat England (three times), Brazil and Portugal in that span too. I think the side's time has passed, to be honest. Remarkably talented squad, but just didn't get over the line, with that defeat to Italy at the Euros, and to France in the semis of the 2018 World Cup.

[Silver Fox]

Lovely move from Switzerland there for the goal

Would of course be their Cameroon-born player, Breel Embolo, who gets the goal. Moved with his family to France when he was five and then settled in Basel a year later.

Are any Swiss players actually Swiss?

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Yeah that second VAR check was baffling. Penalty all day long

Agree, very surprised the check was over so quick

[Sanguine]

Lovely move from Switzerland there for the goal

Would of course be their Cameroon-born player, Breel Embolo, who gets the goal. Moved with his family to France when he was five and then settled in Basel a year later.

Are any Swiss players actually Swiss?

Fwiw, all of them except Embolo, Shaqiri and their fourth-choice keeper Philip Kohn, who was born in Germany.

And why have they got four keepers in the squad? Noticed Italy do too.

[Silver Fox]

Fair enough, I guess it's just one of those things that seem true, doesn't help when they've got players called things like Rodriguez, which doesn't seem like a Swiss name to me (not that I'd know what a typical Swiss name is!)

[tulip]

Fair enough, I guess it's just one of those things that seem true, doesn't help when they've got players called things like Rodriguez, which doesn't seem like a Swiss name to me (not that I'd know what a typical Swiss name is!)

Free movement and all that, people have moved around alot between countries.

[bcubed]

Fair enough, I guess it's just one of those things that seem true, doesn't help when they've got players called things like Rodriguez, which doesn't seem like a Swiss name to me (not that I'd know what a typical Swiss name is!)

Blatter?

[Sutekh]

Would of course be their Cameroon-born player, Breel Embolo, who gets the goal. Moved with his family to France when he was five and then settled in Basel a year later.

Are any Swiss players actually Swiss?

Fwiw, all of them except Embolo, Shaqiri and their fourth-choice keeper Philip Kohn, who was born in Germany.

And why have they got four keepers in the squad? Noticed Italy do too.

Why have Italy named a squad for the tournament?

[Sanguine]

Are any Swiss players actually Swiss?

Fwiw, all of them except Embolo, Shaqiri and their fourth-choice keeper Philip Kohn, who was born in Germany.

And why have they got four keepers in the squad? Noticed Italy do too.

Why have Italy named a squad for the tournament?

Ha. Caught me out that, wondered when they were playing, had passed me by that they aren't here. Their last named squad had four keepers in it.

[Sanguine]

Fair enough, I guess it's just one of those things that seem true, doesn't help when they've got players called things like Rodriguez, which doesn't seem like a Swiss name to me (not that I'd know what a typical Swiss name is!)

I think my generic Swiss super-villain would be named Stefan Frei.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Fwiw, all of them except Embolo, Shaqiri and their fourth-choice keeper Philip Kohn, who was born in Germany.

And why have they got four keepers in the squad? Noticed Italy do too.

Why have Italy named a squad for the tournament?

Ha. Caught me out that, wondered when they were playing, had passed me by that they aren't here. Their last named squad had four keepers in it.

There is another team that have named 4 goalkeepers in their squad but have only named 25 players from the permitted 26. A commentator mentioned it the other day, but I can't remember who they were referring to.

[Sutekh]

Why have Italy named a squad for the tournament?

Ha. Caught me out that, wondered when they were playing, had passed me by that they aren't here. Their last named squad had four keepers in it.

There is another team that have named 4 goalkeepers in their squad but have only named 25 players from the permitted 26. A commentator mentioned it the other day, but I can't remember who they were referring to.

That team is Tunisia (the Carthage Eagles).

[tulip]

Ronaldo dive, boo!

[Loafer]

COME ON GHANA

[Orion1871]

Struggling to see why Brazil start with Raphina and Richarlison over the likes of Rodrygo, Antony, and Jesus.

[Orion1871]

Well maybe that's why Richarlison gets in.

[Franchise FC]

Struggling to see why Brazil start with Raphina and Richarlison over the likes of Rodrygo, Antony, and Jesus.

Just read this as Richarlison scores

[Orion1871]

I apologise unreservedly to Richarlison.