# World Cup 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 7, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615 "2018-06-07T18:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/681 "2018-06-25T04:56:25Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > … DDD advances if one other team also goes DDD, and in this case I believe it’s settle with a coin toss since both will have the exact same GD. > … > > I honestly have to wonder just how the realities of the round-robin system and how the line between pass and fail can be so incredibly thin affects the mentality of the teams that are on the bubble after two rounds. For one thing, I feel sorry for any squad that gets put in a situation where goal differential is going to make the difference, because “running up the score” is flat-out _impossible_. Maybe it happens on occasion at the peewee level, but not on the world stage with the most elite players of each nation. Furthermore, adding offensive pressure at the sacrifice of leaving ones own net more vulnerable (a common desperation tactic in hockey)…well, that really isn’t an option, because if you give up a goal at any time, ever, even if you’re hammering the opposing goalkeeper it could be 30 minutes or more before these efforts bear fruit, and that just gets you back to where you were before. > > As for Russia…I’m just hoping for the best at this point. Sheesh, I know that Qatar or UAE or wherever was an incredibly stupid choice because it gets kinda hot in the Mideast in the summer, but THIS was the fallback?? It continues to baffle me that a backwards, repressive human rights nightmare for _its entire existence_ continues to get prestigious international sporting events. After the utter debacle that was the Sochi Olympics, at minimum Russia should’ve been denied the honor of hosting anything until Vladimir Putin was removed from office, and to be really sure after he was dead, and to be _completely_ sure after his body was cremated and the ashes scattered throughout various locations in Siberia. Of course, what _should_ have happened after '02 was that there be worldwide condemnation of the horrible, blatant bias toward Korea and how it screwed over at least two contenders, followed by FIFA coming down on them like a meteor and banning them for at least three World Cups (which honestly wouldn’t have affected their chances in the slightest). Instead everyone dances and prances and makes merry and jokes and gets all cute about the “home field advantage”, the most blatant corruption since the Cold War-era Olympics gets _completely laughed off_, and FIFA does nothing. (And of course the diehard apologists have since come out of the woodwork, because _that’s_ what this messed-up world needs right now. :mad:) This set the precedent of outright **rigging** a World Cup to be **perfectly fine** , and don’t think for a millisecond that the power brokers within Russian soccer haven’t taken notice. They’re going to try to mess things up big time, and the only question is whether or not they succeed. Remember, Korea just _barely_ failed to pull it off (they lost the semifinal and 3rd place matches by 1 goal), and Russia has a long, illustrious history of gaming the system and getting away with it. So fingers crossed. That’s all I got. > > Huh. > > Okay, I guess I could pull for England. They’re kinda due. Fun mathematical analysis. One small detail: the two teams with DDD would certainly each have the same goal differential, but before we get to drawing lots we look at number of goals scored…which might not be the same. (Also, there’s the “fair play” consideration before the lots, so number of yellow and red cards might vary as well.) But you’re right that it’s hard to get into the next round with three ties. Which leads to my favorite soccer trivia question (okay, I don’t know very many soccer trivia questions, but I like it anyway): What was the only undefeated team that participated in the 2010 World Cup? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/682 "2018-06-25T05:06:35Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > I honestly have to wonder just how the realities of the round-robin system and how the line between pass and fail can be so incredibly thin affects the mentality of the teams that are on the bubble after two rounds. For one thing, I feel sorry for any squad that gets put in a situation where goal differential is going to make the difference, because “running up the score” is flat-out _impossible_. Maybe it happens on occasion at the peewee level, but not on the world stage with the most elite players of each nation. Furthermore, adding offensive pressure at the sacrifice of leaving ones own net more vulnerable (a common desperation tactic in hockey)…well, that really isn’t an option, because if you give up a goal at any time, ever, even if you’re hammering the opposing goalkeeper it could be 30 minutes or more before these efforts bear fruit, and that just gets you back to where you were before. Read [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados_4%E2%80%932_Grenada_(1994_Caribbean_Cup_qualification)) about a bizarre game between Barbados and Grenada trying to qualify for the 1994 Caribbean Cup. In a nutshell, Barbados would advance if they won by two goals, or in overtime. If not, Grenada would advance. With three minutes left, Barbados was ahead by one goal, but that wasn’t good enough. They deliberately scored an own goal to tie the score, hoping to win in overtime. That left three minutes for Grenada to score in _either goal_ to advance. > [@](#): > > As for Russia…I’m just hoping for the best at this point. Sheesh, I know that Qatar or UAE or wherever was an incredibly stupid choice because it gets kinda hot in the Mideast in the summer, but THIS was the fallback?? This is not the fallback. The next World Cup, in 2022, will be in Qatar. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/683 "2018-06-25T05:10:10Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > It’s impossible to advance with less than 3 points If you had a group where one team won all their games, and the other games were all draws, then the teams’ points would be 9, 2, 2, 2, so a team with 2 points would go through. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/684 "2018-06-25T05:17:02Z")
And the other nitpick: you CAN advance, in theory, with just two points. Team A beats everyone. Teams B, C, and D each tie their other two games against each other. A has 9 points and advances B, C, and D each have just two points. One advances. ETA: And now I see that while I was scooping that ice cream, someone else scooped me. Oh well! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/685 "2018-06-25T06:01:04Z")
With DKW’s epic rant, I am curious; what is the view of most South Koreans towards the 2002 officiating accusations? Do they acknowledge it, deny it, or “both sides did it?” ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/686 "2018-06-25T09:04:21Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > But you’re right that it’s hard to get into the next round with three ties. Which leads to my favorite soccer trivia question (okay, I don’t know very many soccer trivia questions, but I like it anyway): > > What was the only undefeated team that participated in the 2010 World Cup? New Zealand in [Group F](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_F) Their three draws weren’t enough to advance, but they did finish one point ahead of defending champions Italy. Spain lost their first game against Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/687 "2018-06-25T14:14:46Z")
I’m not sure what the Russian strategy was on the free kick. The left side of their wall pulled and blocked an Uruguayan as if they were playing American football leaving the right side of the goalface wide open. Easy goal for Jaws Suarez. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/688 "2018-06-25T14:19:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Read [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados_4%E2%80%932_Grenada_(1994_Caribbean_Cup_qualification)) about a bizarre game between Barbados and Grenada trying to qualify for the 1994 Caribbean Cup. In a nutshell, Barbados would advance if they won by two goals, or in overtime. If not, Grenada would advance. With three minutes left, Barbados was ahead by one goal, but that wasn’t good enough. They deliberately scored an own goal to tie the score, hoping to win in overtime. That left three minutes for Grenada to score in _either goal_ to advance. There are a few other tales of utter chicanery and weirdness in soccer history. About them, I feel conflicted: on the one hand, they are abhorrent, the opposite of sportsmanlike; they go 100% against the spirit of the game and they leave a very bad “aftertaste”. On the other, sometimes you cannot help but grudgingly admire the cheekiness of the parties involved. Some of the other stories: [-A match that ended 149-0](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS_Adema_149%E2%80%930_SO_l%27Emyrne). [-Thailand-Indonesia in the 1998 Tiger’s Cup](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_AFF_Championship#Controversy). [-The “Disgrace of Gijón” (1982 World Cup)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disgrace_of_Gij%C3%B3n). That last incident led to changes in the scheduling of World Cup games from then on: the last games of each group are now played at the same time to diminish the chances of chicanery knowing what you would need to go through. However, in this World Cup I am seeing potential echoes of that last one… Right know, in Group C, France and Denmark have a guaranteed pass to the round of 16 if they tie the game. Denmark would NOT pass if they lose to France and Australia wins against Peru with enough of a goal difference to put them ahead of Denmark. I think that the temptation to “reach an agreement” and tie the game (thus guaranteeing both teams to pass to the next round, France first in its group and Denmark second) is going to be overwhelming… What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/689 "2018-06-25T14:20:30Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Easy goal for Jaws Suarez. My favorite Premier-League football chant: “Luis Suarez, your teeth are offside” ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/690 "2018-06-25T14:44:58Z")
Russia really are a reflection of Putin: thuggish and bullying the little guys. They have shown almost nothing in this match. And what in gods name was their defender thinking about with the tackle that led to his second yellow? What could have been an interesting match is a one-sided briefest. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/691 "2018-06-25T14:45:15Z")
The question that all the soccer pundits have been pretending to entertain, “are Russia this good?”, can be safely put to rest. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/692 "2018-06-25T14:53:43Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > The question that all the soccer pundits have been pretending to entertain, “are Russia this good?”, can be safely put to rest. I couldn’t agree more. Their only glimmer of hope is that they have been a lot better in the second half. It will be hard for them down to 10 but if they score first the crowd gets back into it and then anything is possible. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/693 "2018-06-25T16:03:36Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I couldn’t agree more. > > Their only glimmer of hope is that they have been a lot better in the second half. It will be hard for them down to 10 but if they score first the crowd gets back into it and then anything is possible. And that was not in the [del]red[/del] cards either… ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/694 "2018-06-25T16:16:09Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > And that was not in the [del]red[/del] cards either… Nope. That was one of the two or three worst performances in this World Cup and they can’t blame their talent level. Sadly we have to watch Russia again. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/695 "2018-06-25T16:40:02Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Nope. That was one of the two or three worst performances in this World Cup and they can’t blame their talent level. Sadly we have to watch Russia again. Just one more time. Unless Iran beats Portugal and snags second place, Russia will be overwhelming underdogs in the next round. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/696 "2018-06-25T16:49:57Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Just one more time. Unless Iran beats Portugal and snags second place, Russia will be overwhelming underdogs in the next round. Russia plays the winners of Group B, not the runner-up. Iran can theoretically win Group B, but they not only need to beat Portugal, but for Morocco to win or draw against Spain. Seems a rather unlikely combination. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/697 "2018-06-25T17:05:37Z")
I just watched the highlights of the completely irrelevant Egypt vs Saudia Arabia game and it looks like it was quite exciting. Egypt goes up first on a beautiful chip-over-the-keeper by Sallah, who then flubs a wide open 1v1 later on. Then Saudi Arabia gets a penalty and the keeper makes an amazing save. Then SA gets another penalty and ties it up, 1-1. And finally, SA gets a winner 4 minutes into stoppage time, and heads home with their heads held somewhat high. Absolutely dismal WC for Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/698 "2018-06-25T17:10:28Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Biennial = every second year. I’d vote for this. We DO have biennial World Cups. The 2020 Cup will be called the European Championship. 😃 Seriously, that would screw with a very enjoyable cycle, where in the off even years, we get the joy of watching Europe battle it out. The main problem is that CAF, AFC and CONCACAF have never managed to get THEIR championships to matter that much to people outside their continents, so our off-year excitement ends up limited to the Euros and the Copa América. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/699 "2018-06-25T17:20:39Z")
One interesting thing about Euro 20 is that it will be played in 12 different nations including Azerbaijan. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/700 "2018-06-25T17:31:34Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > We DO have biennial World Cups. The 2020 Cup will be called the European Championship. 😃 > > Seriously, that would screw with a very enjoyable cycle, where in the off even years, we get the joy of watching Europe battle it out. The main problem is that CAF, AFC and CONCACAF have never managed to get THEIR championships to matter that much to people outside their continents, so our off-year excitement ends up limited to the Euros and the Copa América. ☹ For the Gold Cup to matter you’d probably need at least 3 teams as good as the mid-level, but not favorite Euro teams. That, or a significant proportion of the teams in the region to have at least one or two players be standouts for Champions League qualifying clubs. I think we’re at least a couple decades away from that in the US. My wish would be to have a combined Americas tournament be a regular thing. Then a 4-year cycle would be: 1-Gold Cup, 2-Copa Americas, 3-Confederations Cup, 4-World Cup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615.md?page=36)