# World Cup 2022 - discussion, predictions, and thoughts **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [November 6, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476 "2022-11-06T20:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 67
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1321 "2022-12-09T17:30:57Z")
Goooooooooooolllllllll ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1322 "2022-12-09T17:32:33Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > but overall this match is snooze-fest. This did not age well… ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1323 "2022-12-09T17:33:47Z")
I don’t like Brazil’s chances against this behemoth of a goalie in a shootout. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1324 "2022-12-09T17:36:35Z")
I suspect Brazil’s taker are all quite good. Croatia has a good record in shootouts though. Before the game Croatia would definitely have taken going to PKs. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1325 "2022-12-09T17:37:34Z")
Croatia got a bit lucky with that goal; don’t think it would have gone in without that deflection. However I think given the game situation, Brazil should have just had more men at the back and shouldn’t have let themselves be caught like that. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1326 "2022-12-09T17:43:07Z")
Terribly penalty by Rodrygo. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1327 "2022-12-09T17:47:06Z")
Wow. How awesome is that? ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1328 "2022-12-09T17:48:26Z")
Early, but… France - Croatia rematch?! ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1329 "2022-12-09T17:48:54Z")
Unfortunate because I think Brazil was clearly the better team but I guess these things happen. I just hope Croatia doesn’t go all the way with four shoot-outs… ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1330 "2022-12-09T17:49:59Z")
Sad ending for Brazil. They were the better side, but that’s soccer. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1331 "2022-12-09T17:50:45Z")
They do. Fault is Brazils. They thought the game was over after Neymar’s goal. They did not respect their opponents. Who saw their chance and took it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1332 "2022-12-09T17:52:14Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > They thought the game was over after Neymar’s goal. > They did not respect their opponents. Exactly what I was going to say. Brazil did not control the game, they played either naively or arrogantly in the second half of ET. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1333 "2022-12-09T17:55:09Z")
This is sad, now we have the added pressure of upholding the honor of South American futbol. I hope we win, an all European (or European and African) semis stage would be unseemly. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1334 "2022-12-09T17:56:58Z")
I’m a bit sad that there’ll be no ARG-BRA semifinal. That would have been a classic, though I don’t remember that there ever was a knock-out game between the two in a WC. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1335 "2022-12-09T17:57:42Z")
You are forgetting 1990, rest assured we will never do so 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1336 "2022-12-09T17:59:56Z")
D’oh, yes I forgot. My excuse is that I just had a new girlfriend who never cared for football and that’s the one WC I didn’t follow as closely as the others, because my girlfriend was even more attractive than watching the games. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1337 "2022-12-09T18:00:02Z")
It’s a fair cop. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1338 "2022-12-09T18:01:13Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > Unfortunate because I think Brazil was clearly the better team but I guess these things happen. I just hope Croatia doesn’t go all the way with four shoot-outs… I think it was pretty even to be honest, both sides had periods of pressure and though Croatia are perhaps less flashy than Brazil you know they’ll never give up. They didn’t last time and the Semi’s are not a huge surprise. Always a pleasure to see Neymar upset as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1339 "2022-12-09T18:03:58Z")
Don’t think it was that even. Croatia didn’t get a shot on target till they scored a goal, which probably wouldn’t have gone in without a huge deflection. I think Brazil got around 10 shots on target and scored a beautiful goal. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1340 "2022-12-09T18:05:26Z")
Eh, I enjoy watching Croatia, and I like Modrič quite a lot. I did enjoy that. I’m not even sure who I’m rooting for the next one. I want Messi to have his World Cup, but I have a soft spot for van Gaal. Then again, I’ve never rooted for the Netherlands in my life, not sure I can start now. I think I’m just rooting for a very active match. ETA as others have noted, Brazil let that happen. Hard to describe them as the best team when they defend like that on a lead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=66) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=68)