90 minutes already, with 2 minutes of injury time. Dangerous attack by Egypt, but Salah is let down by his teammates, who are clearly not at his level. It is almost over…
And now, after more injury time than announced, it is finished. Russia 3-Egypt 1. Russia is very very likely through to the round of 16. Who is likely to play against them? (Really, I don’t know right now…).
I guess the only thing left for Egypt now is to save face by winning against Saudi Arabia.
The group B runners-up, probably either Spain or Portugal.
Bad news for whoever that team is, in any case, home advantage is a very real concern.
Portugal or Spain, unless something surprising happens in that group.
Egypt were very poor. I didn’t expect them to be any great shakes outwith Salah but they were worse than I expected.
Cronaldo’s going to hat-trick the Russkies…
I hope he’s careful touching door handles or drinking tea.
8-1 after two games, which is the best start any host nation has made since Italy did the same in 1934. The team has certainly been energised by the occasion.
At the time when it was obvious something dodgy was up…everyone just told me to STFU and how this was the beautiful game…and i had on a tin hat.
Then of course that one ref went on to glory.
Which referee? The one for the Spain-SK game (Egyptian Gamal Al-Ghandour) or the one for the Italy-SK game (Ecuadorian Byron Moreno)? (Both games had famously controversial refereeing).
The former apparently never refereed a single international game again after the Spain-SK match; the latter was caught in 2010 at JFK airport trying to smuggle 6 kilos of heroin…
The Egyptian never refereed again since he had reached FIFA retirement age (45).
Didn’t know that. Thanks!
So you have variously a) suggested that England port in ideas from other nations, with scant regard as to whether they would work given the players we have and b) look at a goal scoring record and suggest the team should be bent to fit them in and c) deny the importance of systems in football, flying in the face of most tactical analysis of quality that has been done in the last decade and a half and accuse me of lacking logic? Accusing people of that which you yourself are guilty, whilst arguing in bad faith and ignoring expert analysis: have you considered a career in politics?
Your analysis is shallow to the point of simplicity. England could well have been 3-0 up inside 10 minutes against Tunisia and using players to drop deep helped open up holes in the first half. Playing Vardy would have removed that as an attacking option and probably would have made us play a lot worse. Systems of play are behind every great team and manager that you care to name. At international level, it’s even more important to have a well drilled system as the players don’t have lots of time with each other in practice. You’re the only person advocating for Vardy to start that I have seen anywhere. There’s probably a reason for that.
I follow a sport where the players must obey the referees instructions with a minimum of chatter. That bloke was still on the field after a minute and a half, with the first minute in the ref’s face arguing about it. Had me yelling at the telly.
That is something that I have never liked. If you are out, you are out, especially in such circumstances. But I guess that complaining about the referee’s decisions is somewhat of a “tradition” in the game 
Getting in the ref’s face is the thing about football that really pisses me off. They should obey immediately and any delay results in an additional ban. Only captains to approach the ref and an instant yellow for transgressions. If you advance and aren’t the captain, Yellow! you don’t move away immediately? Red!
It would take precisely 1 game to change the footballing habits of a lifetime and the time saved would offset any time taken up by VAR (which I am in favour of)
CR7 doing what he does at such an elite level at the age of 33 is amazing. Barring injury or drastic decline he could start in WC 2022.
Morroco have looked the better side for most of this match. They deserve at least a draw.
Just want to agree about the “getting in the ref’s face” thing. It’s appalling to me, much worse even than diving.
My proposal is: if you’re on video shouting in the ref’s face, automatic $10,000* fine after the game. Every person, every time. If the whole team does it, the whole team is fined.
- I know that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what most footballers earn, but nevertheless fines of this scale do seem to work well as a deterrent.
(Sighs at the fact that he is still at the office and will miss the Morocco-Portugal game)