# 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:** 58
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1142 "2018-07-02T14:51:38Z")
Yes, that was a good 45 minutes of football,. The momentum seemed to swing back and forth. That’s the first time I’ve seen a half with no added time. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1143 "2018-07-02T14:52:38Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > There’s a lot of skill involved. Looking at the hips, knees and feet can clue in a keeper in which way the shot is going. Studying a shooter’s prior history can clue the keeper in (for instance, Argentina’s Romero guessing that Dutch striker Wesley Schneider would shoot to his left like he did against Costa Rica.) Various taunting techniques can be used to bait a shooter into kicking a certain way (i.e., Chile’s Bravo pointing one way and leading Brazil’s Hulk to shoot the othet way, which Bravo saved.) > > Finally, the shooter will sometimes kick straight down the middle, hoping the keeper preemptively jumps to one side. A clever keeper will stand pat and not fall for the trick. Interesting, thank you ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1144 "2018-07-02T15:01:14Z")
Telemundo just announced as the new home of the Copa America in the US. Good news. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1145 "2018-07-02T15:28:31Z")
Rumor out of the Uruguay camp is that Cavani could be out for a month with his calf injury. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1146 "2018-07-02T15:30:42Z")
Neymar is an idiot. He starts crying and pretends to die if someone casts his shadow on him… ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1147 "2018-07-02T15:40:19Z")
What’s up with that Salcedo dying his hair white? Hope its not a fad that catches on. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1148 "2018-07-02T15:47:39Z")
Brazil looks pretty good but they benefited by Mexico having no physical CF that could challenge their defense. Mexico fans will always have the Germany win. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1149 "2018-07-02T16:11:21Z")
Brazil looked organised and decent and kept it up for a full game, still don’t look like world beaters to me and if they concede that much space and possession to such as France or Belgium they’ll get punished. and Neymar is continuing to be an industrial-grade bell-end. Howling like a stuck pig at every knock is just pathetic, don’t like him at all. His undoubted skill gets the gloss taken off it everytime he paws the ground in agony and misery. Shut the fuck up, get the fuck up and give your head a shake you tousled tit. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1150 "2018-07-02T16:17:14Z")
Guy gets fouled a fucking lot, so its not all acting? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1151 "2018-07-02T16:21:12Z")
Plus he is a small, slight guy. A big strapping CB or DM is going to want to dominate him physically. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1152 "2018-07-02T16:22:33Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Guy gets fouled a fucking lot, so its not all acting? Getting fouled and falling isn’t the problem. Writhing on the ground as if you’ve been stabbed with a serrated knife when all you did was just got knocked down is. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1153 "2018-07-02T16:24:33Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Guy gets fouled a fucking lot, so its not all acting? He does get fouled a lot but every time he acts like his leg was broken. Here is a guy (Eduardo at 0.45) who actually had his leg broken and he doesn’t look in half the pain as Neymar. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Qwev_SUdQVQ/hqdefault.jpg "Eduardo Broken Leg Injury") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwev_SUdQVQ) ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1154 "2018-07-02T16:32:59Z")
The cream finally seems to be rising. However, Belgium will likely have an easy one today and be in better shape for Friday. Along with Brazil and France, it could be argued that Belgium is one of the Top 3 most talented teams of the entire 32. Casemiro getting that 2nd yellow will make things even harder as there is no like-for-like sub for him anywhere. Good thing is that Belgium is new at this, and this group hasn’t experienced much international success. Then again, none of the remaining teams has won anything of note with their current batches of players. Mexico is one hell of a dirty team, and while I don’t appreciate Neymar’s antics, I tend to forgive him against these dirty teams since he already lost one World Cup due to injury from a knee to his back by Colombia. But I agree that the writhing around on the ground is a bit too much. He and Coutinho (who played his worst game of this WC) both need to avoid one more yellow card next round to be clear for the semis (assuming they beat Belgium). Since it worked yesterday on Spain, I’ll ask this: Does anyone think that Japan has any chance against Belgium today? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1155 "2018-07-02T17:25:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Guy gets fouled a fucking lot, so its not all acting? That only works if you assume that all those fouls are real. I don’t think they are. He looks for a foul as a first option and goes down very easily at the slightest provocation and plays up every single contact as if The Jackal has picked him off. He cries wolf. Down he goes, regular as clockwork, screaming in agony and yet his remarkable powers of recovery see him perfectly OK two minutes later. I do think it is mostly acting, not all but definitely most. He is a very good player, he is also a whining little shit who seeks to buy fouls and get his markers booked. That’s his choice and I’m happy to judge him for it as it is an ugly and negative way to play the game. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1156 "2018-07-02T17:57:24Z")
Fair enough, I think he is a little shit, but wanted to give him the benefit of tge doubt, How about them Croats eh? Barcelona and Real Madrid’s midfield engines and they have both of them. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1157 "2018-07-02T18:06:53Z")
Watching the highlights…man, Ochoa is a superb keeper. Saved Mexico so many times. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1158 "2018-07-02T18:21:15Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > How about them Croats eh? Barcelona and Real Madrid’s midfield engines and they have both of them. Modric looks like the weaselly dweeb friend from a 1980’s John Hughes film but he’s a class act. Wasn’t great last night but I can’t see him being that anonymous again. First 20 minutes of Bel v Jap. The Japanese aren’t going to go down wondering “what if” are they? Bloody hell though, this Belgium squad is quality right the way through. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1159 "2018-07-02T18:25:42Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Modric looks like the weaselly dweeb friend from a 1980’s John Hughes film but he’s a class act. Wasn’t great last night but I can’t see him being that anonymous again. > > First 20 minutes of Bel v Jap. The Japanese aren’t going to go down wondering “what if” are they? Bloody hell though, this Belgium squad is quality right the way through. Japan’s interestingly followed the exact same score-path of the USA in 2014. First a 2-1 win, then a 2-2 draw, then a 0-1 loss, and then face Belgium in the Round of Sixteen. Let’s hope they don’t lose 2-1 here. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1160 "2018-07-02T19:11:50Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Let’s hope they don’t lose 2-1 here. Well, that scoreline’s out! ---
**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:** [July 2, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2018/815615/1161 "2018-07-02T19:12:45Z")
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