This begins a couple of weeks from now.

I am boycotting this event because of the ridiculous “FIFA Peace Prize” awarded to the orange Dunny Trumpet.

Plus the last one was awarded to Qatar in spite of their poor human rights record, and the one before that to Russia even though they were under sanctions for invading Crimea and the shooting down of MH 17.

Brazil was a non-starter for me because of the time zone delay. I suspect the Canada and Mexico matches will be the same inconvenient hours.

So, fuck it. Another arena of world popular culture that I can’t participate in.

party_pants said:

I am boycotting this event because of the ridiculous “FIFA Peace Prize” awarded to the orange Dunny Trumpet.

Plus the last one was awarded to Qatar in spite of their poor human rights record, and the one before that to Russia even though they were under sanctions for invading Crimea and the shooting down of MH 17.

Brazil was a non-starter for me because of the time zone delay. I suspect the Canada and Mexico matches will be the same inconvenient hours.

So, fuck it. Another arena of world popular culture that I can’t participate in.

Ditto, FIFA has been a giant corrupt shithole of liars and thieves for decades.

The love of sport seems to overcome geopolitical challenges, as evidenced by this table from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianquillen/2026/05/19/as-world-cup-resale-ticket-prices-fall-major-uncertainty-remains/

However, better facilities for hosting the event surely come into play, as well as general higher interest in the games.

The Forbes article also notes, “The U.S. government has taken some steps to try and avoid this process (travel restrictions), creating a FIFA Pass system to expedite visa reviews for ticket holders, and removing the requirement for a $15,000 travel bond for travelers from Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Tunisia.”

SCIENCE said:

Of course they are. It’s just been proven…

FIFA has made a late change to its stadium code of conduct, banning World Cup ticket holders from bringing reusable water bottles into matches.

The change comes just over a week before the tournament begins on June 11, with Vancouver’s first match scheduled for June 13 between Australia and Türkiye at BC Place.

FIFA notified ticket holders of the change by email on Wednesday, citing safety concerns — specifically, that the bottles could be used as projectiles.

However, some people are concerned about the risk of dehydration, especially if a match takes place on a particularly hot day.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/fifa-bans-reusable-water-bottles-from-world-cup-matches/

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

Fk Trump.

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

At the risk of victim-blaming, I kinda think Somalia knew they were under these sweeping travel bans and they thought they’d send an official anyway hoping it would be overlooked.

However I do agree with the statement that it undermines fairness in sport, as if that was a thing anyway.

Divine Angel said:

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

At the risk of victim-blaming, I kinda think Somalia knew they were under these sweeping travel bans and they thought they’d send an official anyway hoping it would be overlooked.

However I do agree with the statement that it undermines fairness in sport, as if that was a thing anyway.

The man has a valid visa. I think issuing a visa and then refusing entry suggests dysfunction.

dv said:

Divine Angel said:

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

At the risk of victim-blaming, I kinda think Somalia knew they were under these sweeping travel bans and they thought they’d send an official anyway hoping it would be overlooked.

However I do agree with the statement that it undermines fairness in sport, as if that was a thing anyway.

The man has a valid visa. I think issuing a visa and then refusing entry suggests dysfunction.

Dysfunction is a given under the Trump regime.

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

He’s a terrorist, and they caught him just in time.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

—
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.

Somali officials called for the footballing world to rally in support. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.

—

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/08/top-african-referee-omar-artan-refused-access-to-the-united-states

He’s a terrorist, BLACK and they caught him just in time.

Fixed.

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

Divine Angel said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

Must be driven by AI I suppose, unless the driver sits on a platform outside.

Divine Angel said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

Kingy said:

Divine Angel said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

OK, I suppose they might have just meant there were no windows down the back, and when they called it a school bus, that was just a typo.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Kingy said:

Divine Angel said:

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

OK, I suppose they might have just meant there were no windows down the back, and when they called it a school bus, that was just a typo.

They could have meant that it used to have windows but they’d all been knocked out.

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

TIL:
Curacao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Kingy said:

Divine Angel said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

I wouldn’t want to travel in that either

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

Not heard of Cool Runnings.

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

Not heard of Cool Runnings.

Great feel-good movie.

:)

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

Not heard of Cool Runnings.

Great feel-good movie.

:)

ta. :)

The Rev Dodgson said:

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.”

Hand up everyone who has never heard of it.

Curacao or Cool Runnings?

I’ve heard of both.

TIL:
Curacao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Yeah, I looked at this recently thinking only about the liqueur..

Divine Angel said:

Kingy said:

Divine Angel said:

Never heard of Curacao or Cool Runnings?

It’s a great movie, starring the late, great John Candy.

Also what kind of bus has no windows? Surely that’s a safety issue as well as a comfort one.

I wouldn’t want to travel in that either

or have it have windows.

captain_spalding said:

LOL

captain_spalding said:

:)

dv said:

That’s the problem, once they get a taste of the good life they wont want to leave, ICE is going to be buisy after the World Cup make no mistake pilgrims.

dv said:

A song from my high school days in the UK.

A million housewives every day
Pick up a tin of beans and say

Oh no, not beans again.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

That’s the problem, once they get a taste of the good life they wont want to leave, ICE is going to be buisy after the World Cup make no mistake pilgrims.

Trumps crack down on the Dems open border policy has worked a treat, sometimes you need to be tough for the greater good.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

That’s the problem, once they get a taste of the good life they wont want to leave, ICE is going to be buisy after the World Cup make no mistake pilgrims.

Trumps crack down on the Dems open border policy has worked a treat, sometimes you need to be tough for the greater good.

The Jews will not replace them.

dv said:

Yeah who knows, in the US the Europeans might even get to try some of that French, Italian, Spanish and Greek food they’ve heard about, plus all the other fine foreign cuisines.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Yeah who knows, in the US the Europeans might even get to try some of that French, Italian, Spanish and Greek food they’ve heard about, plus all the other fine foreign cuisines.

or

They could be eating steaks tthat fall over the edge of the plate and all that cornstarch etc., and wind up looking like the average American.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Yeah who knows, in the US the Europeans might even get to try some of that French, Italian, Spanish and Greek food they’ve heard about, plus all the other fine foreign cuisines.

The French……….don’t get me started on the Franch, they have a croissant, a small cup of black coffee and a packet of cigarettes for breakfast, a bottle of wine for lunch and its only dinner that they have something resembling life sustaining.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/11/iran-world-cup-tijuana-security-camp-mexico

Straya’s first match will be on Sunday, versus Turkey, to give Johnny a bit of what for.

An Andrea Bocelli – David Guetta collab was not what I was expecting for the official song.

dv said:

Straya’s first match will be on Sunday, versus Turkey, to give Johnny a bit of what for.

Live streaming on SBS on Demand at 1pm eastern Australian time.

Scotland leading Haiti 1-0, with a few minutes to go.

Australia & Turkey don’t kick off until 2pm.

Bubblecar said:

Scotland leading Haiti 1-0, with a few minutes to go.

Australia & Turkey don’t kick off until 2pm.

Scotland win a WC match for the first time since 1990.

…and the game is underway.

Bubblecar said:

…and the game is underway.

Australia already looking outclassed. Very little possession.

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

…and the game is underway.

Australia already looking outclassed. Very little possession.

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Pretty cautious start to Sträye v Türkiye

It looks like Scotland v USA final

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

Woot!

Oz score!

Ye boy

Fine goal from Irankunda, lovely finish.

dv said:

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

Craziness gone mad.

So much possession the Aussie goal mouth, Touorkiya are bound to score eventually.

Couple minutes of normal time left in the first half.

Bubblecar said:

Oz score!

Öz is a moderately common Turkish name. Dr Oz, obv, but also Öz Yilmaz, a famous figure in my field.

4 minutes stoppages.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Oz score!

Öz is a moderately common Turkish name. Dr Oz, obv, but also Öz Yilmaz, a famous figure in my field.

Yes but I was in a hurry, couldn’t write out the whole Australasia.

Half time whistle. Australia in the lead, however improbably.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Oz score!

Öz is a moderately common Turkish name. Dr Oz, obv, but also Öz Yilmaz, a famous figure in my field.

Yes but I was in a hurry, couldn’t write out the whole Australasia.

just write au like every other auian on the internet

Bubblecar said:

Half time whistle. Australia in the lead, however improbably.

I think we need another to be safe.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Half time whistle. Australia in the lead, however improbably.

I think we need another to be safe.

It’ll be surprising indeed if Türkiye don’t equalise. And then it’s game on.

Who’s doing these stats.
Australia leads 1 0 and yet they haven’t had a shot on goal.
Shakes head.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Oz score!

Öz is a moderately common Turkish name. Dr Oz, obv, but also Öz Yilmaz, a famous figure in my field.

Yes but I was in a hurry, couldn’t write out the whole Australasia.

Of course, I was just adding some colour

Brazil’s one all draw with Maghreb is perhaps the biggest surprising result of the tournament so far.

Twooot!!

It’s two for Au!

Our group is one of the more even groups. No superpowers, no genuine minnows. In the Elo Ratings, the three non-Türkistani teams in the group (Aust, USA, Paraguay) are pretty much level.

Oh, you’ll all know my wee brother
And his name is Jock McGraw
And he’s lately joined a football club
For he’s mad aboot football
And he’s got two black eyes already
And teeth knocked frae ‘is gob
Since oor Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would tak a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since our Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, the first match he took part in
I was there me-sеl’, and saw
He had two half bricks for the goal posts
And a tin can for the ball
And thе Provost o’ Glasgow, he was there
With lords and ladies fair…
And oor Jock ran out and kicked the football
Two miles in the air!

In the middle o’ the field at Hampden Park
The captain says “McGraw!
Would ye kindly take this penalty kick
Or we’ll never win at all!”
So he took fifty paces backwards
Shot off for the mark
And the ball went sailing o’er the stand
And it landed in New York

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would tak a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since oor Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, his wife she says she’ll leave him
If he disnae keep
Away from football kickin’
At nighttime, in his sleep
For he calls her Charlie Tully
And other names so droll
Last night he kicked her out of the bed
And shouted “It’s a goal!”

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would take a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since our Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

14 minutes normal time left.

Brilliant save by Beach.

dv said:

Our group is one of the more even groups. No superpowers, no genuine minnows. In the Elo Ratings, the three non-Türkistani teams in the group (Aust, USA, Paraguay) are pretty much level.

JudgeMental said:

Oh, you’ll all know my wee brother
And his name is Jock McGraw
And he’s lately joined a football club
For he’s mad aboot football
And he’s got two black eyes already
And teeth knocked frae ‘is gob
Since oor Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would tak a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since our Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, the first match he took part in
I was there me-sеl’, and saw
He had two half bricks for the goal posts
And a tin can for the ball
And thе Provost o’ Glasgow, he was there
With lords and ladies fair…
And oor Jock ran out and kicked the football
Two miles in the air!

In the middle o’ the field at Hampden Park
The captain says “McGraw!
Would ye kindly take this penalty kick
Or we’ll never win at all!”
So he took fifty paces backwards
Shot off for the mark
And the ball went sailing o’er the stand
And it landed in New York

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would tak a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since oor Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

Oh, his wife she says she’ll leave him
If he disnae keep
Away from football kickin’
At nighttime, in his sleep
For he calls her Charlie Tully
And other names so droll
Last night he kicked her out of the bed
And shouted “It’s a goal!”

Oh, he’s football crazy!
He’s football mad!
And the football, it has robbed him o’
The wee bit o’ sense he had
And it would take a dozen skillies
His claes to wash and scrub
Since our Jock became a member o’
That terrible football club

I love Robbie Burns.

It looks like being an Australia v Scotland final.

Another fine save by Beach.

6 minutes extra time.

And that’s done

Nicely Nicely

Australia win 2-0.

Bubblecar said:

Australia win 2-0.

good-o

dv said:

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

Aye.

Peak Warming Man said:

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

Aye.

Hydration breaks are probably justified in a Mexican Summer which probably entitles all matches to a similar standard.

How often does cricket have hydration breaks when the players wear ice vests?

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

“Hydration break” man it’s 21 deg C

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

It’s all about the KERCHING $$$$$$$$$ 💰💰💰💰💰

I’ll say no more.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Peak Warming Man said:

party_pants said:

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

Aye.

Hydration breaks are probably justified in a Mexican Summer which probably entitles all matches to a similar standard.

Anyway I’m not complaining. I use it as a quick weewee break.

Woodie said:

party_pants said:

Peak Warming Man said:

“However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.”

Well said that man.

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

It’s all about the KERCHING $$$$$$$$$ 💰💰💰💰💰

I’ll say no more.

So much cocaine and hooker’s arses are needed to stage such a big tournament… and the alimony when the wives find out. It all adds up, and before you know it the money is all gone.

party_pants said:

Woodie said:

party_pants said:

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

It’s all about the KERCHING $$$$$$$$$ 💰💰💰💰💰

I’ll say no more.

So much cocaine and hooker’s arses are needed to stage such a big tournament… and the alimony when the wives find out. It all adds up, and before you know it the money is all gone.

LOL

wonder how Venezuela Terror are going right now

Witty Rejoinder said:

Peak Warming Man said:

party_pants said:

you mean, it’s an excuse for more frequent commercial breaks during the telecast?

Aye.

Hydration breaks are probably justified in a Mexican Summer which probably entitles all matches to a similar standard.

Great big WOOSERS…. the lotta them.

Woodie said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Aye.

Hydration breaks are probably justified in a Mexican Summer which probably entitles all matches to a similar standard.

Great big WOOSERS…. the lotta them.

New World Cup match format:

EVERYBODY hydrates like mad before kickoff, have to drink litres and litres of water.

Game ends when the first player runs off the field to go to the toilet.

Whoever’s in front then, they win.

captain_spalding said:

Woodie said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Hydration breaks are probably justified in a Mexican Summer which probably entitles all matches to a similar standard.

Great big WOOSERS…. the lotta them.

New World Cup match format:

EVERYBODY hydrates like mad before kickoff, have to drink litres and litres of water.

Game ends when the first player runs off the field to go to the toilet.

Whoever’s in front then, they win.

this was an actual Japanese TV game show in the 1980s.

party_pants said:

captain_spalding said:

Woodie said:

Great big WOOSERS…. the lotta them.

New World Cup match format:

EVERYBODY hydrates like mad before kickoff, have to drink litres and litres of water.

Game ends when the first player runs off the field to go to the toilet.

Whoever’s in front then, they win.

this was an actual Japanese TV game show in the 1980s.

Really?

I know that the Japanese have some truly bizarre TV competitions, some of which, i think, cross the line into actual cruelty, but i didn’t know about that one.

captain_spalding said:

party_pants said:

captain_spalding said:

New World Cup match format:

EVERYBODY hydrates like mad before kickoff, have to drink litres and litres of water.

Game ends when the first player runs off the field to go to the toilet.

Whoever’s in front then, they win.

this was an actual Japanese TV game show in the 1980s.

Really?

I know that the Japanese have some truly bizarre TV competitions, some of which, i think, cross the line into actual cruelty, but i didn’t know about that one.

I don’t know if they played a whole game of soccer first, but they were required to do some physical exertion.

It was ages ago I saw it. Probably on one of Clive James’s documentaries. Or it might have been Michael Palin or John Cleese or someone like that. I remember it because my Mum was laughing at, and then she had to go to the loo next commercial break, and we all mocked her saying no, stay to the end of the show and see if you can hold out.

I mean, you had to be there at the time, but it was a piss-funny and memorable bit of family life.

The Switzerland- Qatar match involved the teams with flags on opposite ends of the aspect ratio spectrum

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

kii said:

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

Michael V said:

kii said:

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

In case you didn’t know MV Adam Kinzinger is a former GOP Congressman whose never Trump stance led him to lose his primary election. He’s one of the few honourable members of the Republican party and hopefully once America comes to its senses he will no one again enter politics.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Michael V said:

kii said:

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

In case you didn’t know MV Adam Kinzinger is a former GOP Congressman whose never Trump stance led him to lose his primary election. He’s one of the few honourable members of the Republican party and hopefully once America comes to its senses he will no one again enter politics.

no one=once

Michael V said:

kii said:

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

+1

Witty Rejoinder said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Michael V said:

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

In case you didn’t know MV Adam Kinzinger is a former GOP Congressman whose never Trump stance led him to lose his primary election. He’s one of the few honourable members of the Republican party and hopefully once America comes to its senses he will no one again enter politics.

no one=once

Thanks for that information.

Michael V said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

In case you didn’t know MV Adam Kinzinger is a former GOP Congressman whose never Trump stance led him to lose his primary election. He’s one of the few honourable members of the Republican party and hopefully once America comes to its senses he will no one again enter politics.

no one=once

Thanks for that information.

we thought it might be a clever play on that whole pence vance dunce nonce ponce thing again

Germany v Curaçao 7-1, a big blow to Curaçao as this means they are no better than Brazil

Witty Rejoinder said:

Michael V said:

kii said:

From Adam Kinzinger’s Facebook…

Hey everyone, happy Sunday. Are you ready for some good news? I know I am.

We are told, over and over, that America has gone cold on the rest of the world. That we have decided the people on the other side of the ocean are a threat to be kept out. That the welcome mat got rolled up and put away for good.

Then a soccer team from the North African nation of Algeria showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, and within a week the whole town was wearing green.

For today’s Good News Sunday, I want to tell you about one of the best things happening in this country right now. It is happening at a soccer tournament, and it has almost nothing to do with soccer.

The World Cup is here, 48 teams playing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each team in the tournament picks a base camp, one town to live and train in between matches. Germany set up shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spain is training in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Algeria, playing two of its games up the road at Arrowhead, picked Lawrence and made it home for the summer.

What the people of Lawrence did with that is the part I can’t stop thinking about.

It started small, with a whole town of people who had never given Algeria much thought deciding, more or less overnight, that this was their team now. Flags went up in shop windows. Folks pulled on the green jerseys. People drove over just to catch a glimpse of the players. And then a local news crew stopped an older gentleman on a Lawrence sidewalk, standing in front of a storefront draped in a whole row of Algerian flags he had clearly just gone out of his way to find.

They asked him what he actually knew about the country whose colors he was flying. He grinned, paused for a beat, and said something along the lines of: not much yet — but we want to welcome you here. There is no agenda in that man. Nothing performative. Just a neighbor, thrilled to his bones that these strangers chose his town, and perfectly at ease with the fact that he has a lot left to learn about them.

The welcome only got bigger from there.

The University of Kansas, the state’s flagship school that calls Lawrence home, sent its marching band out to the training ground. They had spent the previous days learning Algeria’s national anthem, note for note, and they played it as the players walked out for practice. Think about what that means for a moment.

These men are thousands of miles from their families, living out of a hotel in the American Midwest, preparing for the biggest sporting event of their professional lives. And the first thing they hear when they step onto the grass is the sound of their own country’s song, played by a hundred American college kids in red and blue who learned it just for them. Several of the players stopped walking. A few of them looked like they weren’t sure what to do with themselves.

Algeria did its part, too. The team opened a training session to the public and spent the afternoon out on the grass with neighborhood kids, walking them through drills, signing autographs, posing for pictures. There are children from small-town America who are going to be telling the story of the day they trained with a World Cup team for the rest of their lives. And the Algerians have spent the last week calling themselves honorary Kansans, falling hard for a corner of a state most of them could not have found on a map two months ago.
But it’s not just Lawrence.

This is happening all over the country, in towns you would never expect.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia threw a street festival with an evening of Croatian food and music, and wrapped a city bus in the team’s red and white. After crowds in Spokane, Washington flocked to watch Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, a brand-new Egyptian restaurant in town suddenly had locals lining up for food most of them had never tasted. All told, 19 American communities that are not hosting a single match still raised their hand to take in a national team and call them neighbors for a month.

There is a story we get told constantly about who we have become. That Americans have soured on outsiders. That we have decided the rest of the world is a threat. That we look at people who do not talk like us or pray like us or come from where we come from and see a problem instead of a person.

And then a college town in Kansas goes and learns every note of a North African country’s national anthem, just so a group of strangers feel at home for a few weeks. An old local stands in front of a row of its flags and tells them, in so many words: we don’t know much about you yet, but we are awfully glad you came.

That is who we actually are when nobody is telling us to be afraid. The band on the field, playing somebody else’s song as if it were their own. The neighbor who knows next to nothing about you and waves you in anyway. We forget it sometimes. The good news is that it takes about one afternoon to remember.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

— Adam

Gosh that is brilliant writing. What a talent.

My eyes are leaking tears of joy.

Thank you very much for posting this supremely uplifting, beautiful piece of writing.

In case you didn’t know MV Adam Kinzinger is a former GOP Congressman whose never Trump stance led him to lose his primary election. He’s one of the few honourable members of the Republican party and hopefully once America comes to its senses he will no one again enter politics.

MV – I read it and felt the same. His words lifted me out of a gloomy mood.

Kitzinger was on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating January 6. I watched those proceedings and it he presented as a pretty smart dude. I liked him, even though he had done some shitty things re: COVID-19 pandemic.

Today I learned that Kitzinger’s birthday is also 7 days after mine.

Thank you, Rejoined Wit, for providing further information.

England wont win as long as they are still basking in the glory of their 1966 win and as long as at least one of the team in still alive. I think Geoff Hurst is still obove ground.

Who are we beating next?

Peak Warming Man said:

Who are we beating next?

Next Australian match is against USA, to be broadcast at the inconvenient hour of 4am on Saturday.

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who are we beating next?

Next Australian match is against USA, to be broadcast at the inconvenient hour of 4am on Saturday.

Good good.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who are we beating next?

Next Australian match is against USA, to be broadcast at the inconvenient hour of 4am on Saturday.

Good good.

We should make short work of them, I’ll set the alarm.

Spain v Capo Verde (who you ask)
0 – 0

Ian said:

Spain v Capo Verde (who you ask)
0 – 0

I suppose a scoreless draw can’t be an “upset” but it is pretty amazing to see one of the lowest ranked teams in the comp shut out the top ranked team in the world.

dv said:

Heh!

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

I’m probably only going to watch the Australia ones.

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

I’m probably only going to watch the Australia ones.

Watch them all on your big NASA screen dam it.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

I’m probably only going to watch the Australia ones.

Watch them all on your big NASA screen dam it.

People with big NASA screens are using all the electricity and there will be none left for data centers.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

I’m probably only going to watch the Australia ones.

Watch them all on your big NASA screen dam it.

People with big NASA screens are using all the electricity and there will be none left for data centers.

The energy rating for this monitor is only 2.5 stars out of 6, so it’ll be interesting to see if it makes a tangible difference to my electricity bills.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

One apiece.

As yet none of the Asian Federation teams have lost a match.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

One apiece.

You must be watching on delay. It’s already half time on live streaming online (SBS On Demand).

The Cabo Verde goalie who had a clean sheet v España is 40 fkn years old.

dv said:

The Cabo Verde goalie who had a clean sheet v España is 40 fkn years old.

Makes me wonder about the heavily defence oriented approach of many teams. And the resulting low scoring, boring play resulting.

dv said:

The Cabo Verde goalie who had a clean sheet v España is 40 fkn years old.

Kudos to him!

:)

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

New Zealand v Iran is just kicking off.
rubs hands

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

One apiece.

Two apiece.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

One apiece.

Two apiece.

Hot Cross Buns…

dv said:

As yet none of the Asian Federation teams have lost a match.

And with Iran 2 NZ 2 , this remains the case.

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Peak Warming Man said:

NZ 1 Iran yet to trouble the scorers.

One apiece.

Two apiece.

Hot cross buns.

Ian said:

dv said:

The Cabo Verde goalie who had a clean sheet v España is 40 fkn years old.

Makes me wonder about the heavily defence oriented approach of many teams. And the resulting low scoring, boring play resulting.

That’s fairly standard for the WC, unfortunately. But there are always a few livelier matches.

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

dv said:

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

A much better record than Italy.

dv said:

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

Wow!

I had no idea. I thought teams from South America and Europe usually won the World Cup. But I don’t follow the sport, really.

Michael V said:

dv said:

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

Wow!

I had no idea. I thought teams from South America and Europe usually won the World Cup. But I don’t follow the sport, really.

Um, NZ have only played three WC matches :)

Bubblecar said:

Michael V said:

dv said:

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

Wow!

I had no idea. I thought teams from South America and Europe usually won the World Cup. But I don’t follow the sport, really.

Um, NZ have only played three WC matches :)

Why didn’t they progress through the tournaments then?

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

Michael V said:

Wow!

I had no idea. I thought teams from South America and Europe usually won the World Cup. But I don’t follow the sport, really.

Um, NZ have only played three WC matches :)

Why didn’t they progress through the tournaments then?

Not enough points. Draws aren’t usually enough.

Bubblecar said:

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

Um, NZ have only played three WC matches :)

Why didn’t they progress through the tournaments then?

Not enough points. Draws aren’t usually enough.

I see. Thanks for the explanation.

I should keep my gob shut when I don’t know anything.

I am sure these Americans are being performatively stupid because the feeds are full of them saying they haven’t heard of some of these countries…

Bubblecar said:

Michael V said:

dv said:

NZ still undefeated in WC matches since 1982

Wow!

I had no idea. I thought teams from South America and Europe usually won the World Cup. But I don’t follow the sport, really.

Um, NZ have only played three WC matches :)

They’ve played 7 WC matches.

They’ve appeared at the finals three times which is probably what you meant.

Bubblecar said:

Ian said:

dv said:

The Cabo Verde goalie who had a clean sheet v España is 40 fkn years old.

Makes me wonder about the heavily defence oriented approach of many teams. And the resulting low scoring, boring play resulting.

That’s fairly standard for the WC, unfortunately. But there are always a few livelier matches.

In fairness that was pretty exciting 0-0

dv said:

I am sure these Americans are being performatively stupid because the feeds are full of them saying they haven’t heard of some of these countries…

No. Their geography brains are completely full of their 50 states. They learn very little about other countries at school.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Ian said:

Makes me wonder about the heavily defence oriented approach of many teams. And the resulting low scoring, boring play resulting.

That’s fairly standard for the WC, unfortunately. But there are always a few livelier matches.

In fairness that was pretty exciting 0-0

Excitingly weird, ya

Michael V said:

dv said:

I am sure these Americans are being performatively stupid because the feeds are full of them saying they haven’t heard of some of these countries…

No. Their geography brains are completely full of their 50 states. They learn very little about other countries anything at all at school.

/fixed

Woodie said:

Michael V said:

dv said:

I am sure these Americans are being performatively stupid because the feeds are full of them saying they haven’t heard of some of these countries…

No. Their geography brains are completely full of their 50 states. They learn very little about other countries anything at all at school.

/fixed

Yeah. I was simplifying.

dv said:

As yet none of the Asian Federation teams have lost a match.

Well so much for that
Norway 4 Iraq 1

dv said:

dv said:

As yet none of the Asian Federation teams have lost a match.

Well so much for that
Norway 4 Iraq 1

A Norway V Australia final.

I remember when there were only 32 teams in the World Cup.
Now everyone who can afford a soccer ball is allowed to play except Italy, and it takes years.

England 4 Croatia 2

Peak Warming Man said:

England 4 Croatia 2

Looks like ghanapanama is heading to a scoreless draw.

kii said:

LOL

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

England 4 Croatia 2

Looks like ghanapanama is heading to a scoreless draw.

Well I’ll be darned, Ghana scored 5 minutes into stoppage time

Sports lovers

Colombia score.

Uzb have been on the margins of qualification for a couple of decades, finally qualified with the expansion to 48 teams. These are their first moments of world cup finals play. Bon chance.

Uzb equalise.

Colombia quickly ahead again.

Colombia wrap it up with goal number 3.

kii said:

I want them to sing the first one to the tune of So Long Farewell.

dv said:

kii said:

I want them to sing the first one to the tune of So Long Farewell.

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.

roughbarked said:

dv said:

kii said:

I want them to sing the first one to the tune of So Long Farewell.

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.

Du bist der schwächste fliegt; sehen tschuss!

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

I want them to sing the first one to the tune of So Long Farewell.

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.

Du bist der schwächste fliegt; sehen tschuss!

Hören Sie auf, Ihr Spiegelbild in Ihren gut lackierten Fingernägeln zu betrachten

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.

Du bist der schwächste fliegt; sehen tschuss!

Hören Sie auf, Ihr Spiegelbild in Ihren gut lackierten Fingernägeln zu betrachten

Fortune Cookie post.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

Du bist der schwächste fliegt; sehen tschuss!

Hören Sie auf, Ihr Spiegelbild in Ihren gut lackierten Fingernägeln zu betrachten

Fortune Cookie post.

No idea what the fuck that is.
I’ve never seen inside a fortune cookie.

Senegal and France still nil all into the second half.

dv said:

Too easy for the brane teaser thread eh?

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Too easy for the brane teaser thread eh?

But anyway, the answer is that there were 50 Australians in the original group, but we don’t know how many Socceroo supporters there were.

Quite possibly the Australian who left was forced to leave by the others when he was caught cheering for the Merkins.

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Too easy for the brane teaser thread eh?

I mean it is basically a rehash of one we’ve seen before and is also very easy

dv said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Too easy for the brane teaser thread eh?

I mean it is basically a rehash of one we’ve seen before and is also very easy

I’ve given it my best shot.

Bit of a drubbing in canadaqatar, 6 – 0, Qataris hardly ever had the ball even.

American and Scottish commentators, odd combination.

Bubblecar said:

American and Scottish commentators, odd combination.

Also, the American one, Josh Eastern, is gay, which is quite unusual for a feetball commentator.

Mexico score.

Canada scraped home against Guitar.

NEARLY a Korean goal but a fine save by the keeper.

And that’s that, Mexico win 1 nil.

Aaaand that’s full time and Mexico becomes the first team to qualify for round 2

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

You do know they have these video cassette recorders (VCRs)now? Record now, playback later!

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

3am my time. Not planning get up to watch this one.

party_pants said:

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

3am my time. Not planning get up to watch this one.

Too early, and too cold, for that…

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

I’m usually awake at around 4 AM. But in this weather I like to stay under the covers longer. The football may have me asleep in a chair with arms in front of the TV anyway.

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

I’m usually awake at around 4 AM. But in this weather I like to stay under the covers longer. The football may have me asleep in a chair with arms in front of the TV anyway.

There are few things in this world I would wake at 4am for. A sporting event is not one of them.

Having said that, a million years ago when I lived in Bowral, my ex was a huge fan of such things. During some huge soccer event, the local kebab shop stayed open all night (owners were huge soccer fans) and provided half price kebabs for the local soccer club. I went to that because I am not one to turn down a cheap kebab from the best kebab shop I’ve ever been to.

Divine Angel said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

I’m usually awake at around 4 AM. But in this weather I like to stay under the covers longer. The football may have me asleep in a chair with arms in front of the TV anyway.

There are few things in this world I would wake at 4am for. A sporting event is not one of them.

Having said that, a million years ago when I lived in Bowral, my ex was a huge fan of such things. During some huge soccer event, the local kebab shop stayed open all night (owners were huge soccer fans) and provided half price kebabs for the local soccer club. I went to that because I am not one to turn down a cheap kebab from the best kebab shop I’ve ever been to.

I used to do this for sporting events, mostly cricket or Formula 1 than soccer. But these days I just feel too tired the following day if I do so, and so prefer to keep my regular sleep patterns. Just getting older I guess.

Divine Angel said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

I’m usually awake at around 4 AM. But in this weather I like to stay under the covers longer. The football may have me asleep in a chair with arms in front of the TV anyway.

There are few things in this world I would wake at 4am for. A sporting event is not one of them.

Having said that, a million years ago when I lived in Bowral, my ex was a huge fan of such things. During some huge soccer event, the local kebab shop stayed open all night (owners were huge soccer fans) and provided half price kebabs for the local soccer club. I went to that because I am not one to turn down a cheap kebab from the best kebab shop I’ve ever been to.

Oh I’m not a football follower. It simply may be that I’ll be awake anyway. I do have a smidgin of team patriotism for when Australia are playing in any world sport and generally may watch a few minutes of it on the news.

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Who’s going to wake me up to watch Australia smash the US like a guitar.

Coverage starts at 4am but the game doesn’t kick off until 5am, after an hour of waffle.

I’m usually awake at around 4 AM. But in this weather I like to stay under the covers longer. The football may have me asleep in a chair with arms in front of the TV anyway.

A chair with arms is very important.

Prediction only.
Scotland 23 Morocco 1

Peak Warming Man said:

Prediction only.
Scotland 23 Morocco 1

Morocco is a more highly rated team so that would be quite an upset

Am I the only one awake?

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE…… OI OI OI💚💛💚💛

Woodie said:

Am I the only one awake?

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE…… OI OI OI💚💛💚💛

USA dominating possession in these opening minutes.

BOO BOOO BOOOOO.

What a dive!!!

……. oh dear.

USA score. It’s not looking good for ‘roos.

Fuck

Does seem there’s a bit of a gap between the sides…

And the Usonians seem, shall we say, good at drawing fouls.

dv said:

Does seem there’s a bit of a gap between the sides…

And the Usonians seem, shall we say, good at drawing fouls.

Are you implying inauthentic behaviour?

Still anyone’s game of course but the USA are dominating at this stage.

As were Türkiye in the previous match, but the USA are much more driven and on home turf.

It’s not up our end very often, is it.

Woodie said:

It’s not up our end very often, is it.

We’re a little bit overwhelmed.

But who knows, things might come together.

Come together, right now
Over me

Well……. show us the gory bits!!

Bubblecar said:

Woodie said:

It’s not up our end very often, is it.

We’re a little bit overwhelmed.

But who knows, things might come together.

Come together, right now
Over me

Australia only needs to have the ball down at the US goal more than the US are doing at their end.

Fuck

Help us, Mr Robot

Definitely offiside Ize tells ya!

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Woodie said:

It’s not up our end very often, is it.

We’re a little bit overwhelmed.

But who knows, things might come together.

Come together, right now
Over me

Australia only needs to have the ball down at the US goal more than the US are doing at their end.

That’s not likely to happen. And didn’t in the Türkiye match, but Australia managed to score twice on the rebound.

Those sort of dynamics aren’t happening in this match. Australia are simply being outplayed.

2 nil to Hamerica.

Woodie said:

Definitely offiside Ize tells ya!

Weez woz robbed, Ize tells ya. Robbed!!

Fuck you Robot

What are you going to do now Bresciano?

My advice to the socceroos:

Punish them in the second half.

Punish them
Punish them
Punish them

If you can’t score any goals or stop them from widening their lead, at least insult them effectively.

Accuse them of voting for Trump and generally being deplorable and American.

Bubblecar said:

My advice to the socceroos:

Punish them in the second half.

Punish them
Punish them
Punish them

If you can’t score any goals or stop them from widening their lead, at least insult them effectively.

Accuse them of voting for Trump and generally being deplorable and American.

….. or just smack ‘em in the gob.

Methinks I’ll retire to chambers for the rest.

You lot keeps score for me, will ya?

Woodie said:

Methinks I’ll retire to chambers for the rest.

You lot keeps score for me, will ya?

I’ll peep into the match now and then but it’s too painful to follow in detail.

Woodie said:

Definitely offiside Ize tells ya!

The ref hasn’t favoured Australia much.

Good attacking play from Australia but nothing to show for it.

Bubblecar said:

Good attacking play from Australia but nothing to show for it.

They failed to do that in the first half and there’s little time left to repair.

Woodie said:

Bubblecar said:

My advice to the socceroos:

Punish them in the second half.

Punish them
Punish them
Punish them

If you can’t score any goals or stop them from widening their lead, at least insult them effectively.

Accuse them of voting for Trump and generally being deplorable and American.

….. or just smack ‘em in the gob.

During half time in the Origin game, NSW coach Laurie Daley apparently said to his team (who were leading), “does anyone have ideas? Cos I’m out of them”.

NSW lost.

Ref down.. Oh dear

Ian said:

Ref down.. Oh dear

Wonder how much that performance earned him.

The shitgibbons win, 2-0.

Well, we done better than in 1st half.

Ian said:

Well, we done better than in 1st half.

They certainly tried, but it wasn’t to be.

No F-35, F-15E support but Merkins scraped thru.

Divine Angel said:

Woodie said:

Bubblecar said:

My advice to the socceroos:

Punish them in the second half.

Punish them
Punish them
Punish them

If you can’t score any goals or stop them from widening their lead, at least insult them effectively.

Accuse them of voting for Trump and generally being deplorable and American.

….. or just smack ‘em in the gob.

During half time in the Origin game, NSW coach Laurie Daley apparently said to his team (who were leading), “does anyone have ideas? Cos I’m out of them”.

NSW lost.

Such nuanced morale boosting.

Ian said:

Well, we done better than in 1st half.

Unfortunately, in the wrong half.

Not enough Aussies in the side named Bruce or Daveo or Trevor.

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Prediction only.
Scotland 23 Morocco 1

Morocco is a more highly rated team so that would be quite an upset

The result was Morocco 1 Scotland 0 so I hope you didn’t have too much money on that.

dv said:

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Prediction only.
Scotland 23 Morocco 1

Morocco is a more highly rated team so that would be quite an upset

The result was Morocco 1 Scotland 0 so I hope you didn’t have too much money on that.

I got Morocco right.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

dv said:

Morocco is a more highly rated team so that would be quite an upset

The result was Morocco 1 Scotland 0 so I hope you didn’t have too much money on that.

I got Morocco right.

IKR

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

dv said:

Morocco is a more highly rated team so that would be quite an upset

The result was Morocco 1 Scotland 0 so I hope you didn’t have too much money on that.

I got Morocco right.

Ha

I was wondering why Türkiye and Haiti were shown as eliminated, when (according to normal rules) they still would have mathematical chances of going forward.

Turns out that new tie breakers rules are in place for this WC, putting head-to-head result above goal difference. Huh.

Not sure I approve but there it is.

“For the first time at a men’s FIFA World Cup, head-to-head record has replaced overall goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on group-stage points. Overall goal difference is now only utilized after all head-to-head criteria (points, goal difference, and goals scored in direct matchups) are exhausted.”

This WC has been a bit drawish so I put a bet on a draw in all of yesterday’s matches (yesterday in the Americas).

So far only one has popped up but the fact that it was Ecuador vs Curaçao, which paid 9.50, means I’m bound to br up for the day. Quite a turn from their first match for The Blue Wave.

Germany’s 2-1 win over Cote D’Ivoire means they are the third team to be assured of making it to round 2.

dv said:

Germany’s 2-1 win over Cote D’Ivoire means they are the third team to be assured of making it to round 2.

It wasn’t terribly convincing.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Germany’s 2-1 win over Cote D’Ivoire means they are the third team to be assured of making it to round 2.

It wasn’t terribly convincing.

Well yeah… I dare say the Ivorians thought they had a point secured until like 2 minutes before the end of stoppage time.

dv said:

This WC has been a bit drawish so I put a bet on a draw in all of yesterday’s matches (yesterday in the Americas).

So far only one has popped up but the fact that it was Ecuador vs Curaçao, which paid 9.50, means I’m bound to br up for the day. Quite a turn from their first match for The Blue Wave.

I’ll do the same for today’s 4 matches

Uruguay and Cabo Verde, final score: 2 apiece.

New Zealand vs Egypt kicks off at 11am.

Bubblecar said:

Uruguay and Cabo Verde, final score: 2 apiece.

They done it again :)

Ian said:

Bubblecar said:

Uruguay and Cabo Verde, final score: 2 apiece.

They done it again :)

Sure have.

Well that was a good match. Cabo Verde 2 Uruguay 2.

Have to say that CV is punching above its weight, on their first WC finals as one of the lowest ranked temps in the comp. Holding the best team in the world to a draw, and then the same with former champions Uruguay. Uruguay is still a top 20 ranked team.

dv said:

Well that was a good match. Cabo Verde 2 Uruguay 2.

Have to say that CV is punching above its weight, on their first WC finals as one of the lowest ranked temps in the comp. Holding the best team in the world to a draw, and then the same with former champions Uruguay. Uruguay is still a top 20 ranked team.

And another draw DV, you’ll be richer than a weather girl soon.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Well that was a good match. Cabo Verde 2 Uruguay 2.

Have to say that CV is punching above its weight, on their first WC finals as one of the lowest ranked temps in the comp. Holding the best team in the world to a draw, and then the same with former champions Uruguay. Uruguay is still a top 20 ranked team.

And another draw DV, you’ll be richer than a weather girl soon.

Not skiting but I reckon I’ll be buying a pretty good brand of nustard this week.

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Well that was a good match. Cabo Verde 2 Uruguay 2.

Have to say that CV is punching above its weight, on their first WC finals as one of the lowest ranked temps in the comp. Holding the best team in the world to a draw, and then the same with former champions Uruguay. Uruguay is still a top 20 ranked team.

And another draw DV, you’ll be richer than a weather girl soon.

Not skiting but I reckon I’ll be buying a pretty good brand of nustard this week.

These are results for mustard
Search instead for nustard

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

And another draw DV, you’ll be richer than a weather girl soon.

Not skiting but I reckon I’ll be buying a pretty good brand of nustard this week.

These are results for mustard
Search instead for nustard

I’m so rich off these draws that I’m getting condiments they don’t advertise to regular people.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Not skiting but I reckon I’ll be buying a pretty good brand of nustard this week.

These are results for mustard
Search instead for nustard

I’m so rich off these draws that I’m getting condiments they don’t advertise to regular people.

:)

is that like Kazakh brassicas

Kiwis score!

Bubblecar said:

Kiwis score!

They’re not a real side.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Kiwis score!

They’re not a real side.

It’s a bit hypocritical for an Australian to claim New Zealand isn’t real.

Egyptians throwing themselves around dramatically.

Egypt equalise.

Egypt one goal ahead.

After the referee ignored an Egyptian foul.

Another one in the net for Egypt.

Equalise you ramrooters, papa needs a new satchel of saffron

This will be Egypt’s first ever World Cup win at this stage of the tournament.

Aur naur

If NZ loses this will be their first loss in a WC final since 1982.

dv said:

Equalise you ramrooters, papa needs a new satchel of saffron

god DV, you’re so hip.

Fuck me that was nearly another

Dat’s dat.

And with that, Egypt now sits atop the group table. All othermatches in this group have been draws.

NZ can still qualify for r2 with a win over Belgium.

dv said:

And with that, Egypt now sits atop the group table. All othermatches in this group have been draws.

NZ can still qualify for r2 with a win over Belgium.

Will you be able to afford the saffron and the nustard?

kii said:

dv said:

And with that, Egypt now sits atop the group table. All othermatches in this group have been draws.

NZ can still qualify for r2 with a win over Belgium.

Will you be able to afford the saffron and the nustard?

We’ll see, we’ll see

dv said:

kii said:

dv said:

And with that, Egypt now sits atop the group table. All othermatches in this group have been draws.

NZ can still qualify for r2 with a win over Belgium.

Will you be able to afford the saffron and the nustard?

We’ll see, we’ll see

Maybe you could do a Go Fund Me, like all the cool kids do?

Looks like France vs Iraq has been suspended at half time due to stormy weather, with France leading 1-0.

Might be back on soon.

Bubblecar said:

Looks like France vs Iraq has been suspended at half time due to stormy weather, with France leading 1-0.

Might be back on soon.

…second half will be kicking off at 9:10.

Bogsnorkler said:

Man vs Baby

This is Jeremy Doku. He’s a winger for the Belgian national team and pretty bloody good at it, by the way. But they’ve got a game today and he’ll miss it because his wife is having their first child.

According to some fans, reporters and pundits this makes him a disgrace. The French E’quipe reporter in one interview shrieking that the world cup is ‘only every four years!’ (Unlike presumably the birth of your children.. which are like.. buses?) And with horror stating with no irony whatsoever.. I quote:

‘You’re going to walk away from the world cup all to attend the birth of your child?? A disgusting moment, if you’ll pardon the expression, where the dad is completely useless. You are not going to cut an umbilical cord.
He is going to waste 10 hours, he will be exhausted and have an emotional meltdown. Your baby will always be there.’

Imagine calling Jérémy Doku ‘useless’ for wanting to be at the birth of his first child.

It’s true that the World Cup comes round every four years. Your first child is born once.

Once.

There is no replay. No second leg. No stoppage time. No substitute appearance in the 78th minute where you can make up for the missing the bit where your partner is terrified, exhausted, vulnerable, and doing something more physically and emotionally demanding than ANYTHING that will EVER happen on a football pitch.

Some men actually want to be present. Some men understand that support is not decorative. Some men don’t treat childbirth as an inconvenient scheduling clash with a corner routine.

Doku hasn’t betrayed Belgium. He hasn’t betrayed football. He has simply recognised that becoming a father outranks being available for ninety minutes of entertainment.

Because this really is the whole thing: the World Cup matters. His family matters more.

And if you’re wondering on this Father’s Day what a dad looks like… it’s this.

oh c’m‘on birth rates of civilised countries are dropping, how is anyone ever going to bring them back up to an ecologically responsible level if you can’t ditch the women and make sure they stay in the kitchen where they belong and prioritise men playing with balls with other men

Bubblecar said:

Looks like France vs Iraq has been suspended at half time due to stormy weather, with France leading 1-0.

Might be back on soon.

I thought it was always sunny in Philadelphia

Norway vs Senegal kicking off soon.

Norway score.

Bubblecar said:

Norway score.

…and again.

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

Norway score.

…and again.

…and one for Senegal.

Norway score yet again.

Bubblecar said:

Norway score yet again.

…another one for Senegal :)

With these wins, France and Argentina are assured of a place in round 2.

Norway win 3-2, but some good play by Senegal.

dv said:

With these wins, France and Argentina are assured of a place in round 2.

Norway has also now done enough

No score so far in Algeria vs Jordan.

Algeria equalise.

Algeria ahead, looks like Jordan will be heading home after the group stage.

Unless Jordan scores in stoppage time I am not getting paid today

dv said:

Unless Jordan scores in stoppage time I am not getting paid today

Plain old Rosella tomato sauce it is then.

Jordan from here cannot qualify for r2.

Still 0 – 0 in extra time in the Ghana England match

dv said:

Still 0 – 0 in extra time in the Ghana England match

Stoppage time, I mean.

And that was the full time scoreline.

Croatia beat Panama 1-0.

Bubblecar said:

Croatia beat Panama 1-0.

Following which, Panama has no path to Round 2.

DRC v Colombia next, which on paper should be easy for Colombia but we’ll see.

After that, there are six matches a day for four days to finish up the group stage.

dv said:

DRC v Colombia next, which on paper should be easy for Colombia but we’ll see.

After that, there are six matches a day for four days to finish up the group stage.

It might be a draw

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

DRC v Colombia next, which on paper should be easy for Colombia but we’ll see.

After that, there are six matches a day for four days to finish up the group stage.

It might be a draw

$ $

Nil all at half time between Colombia & Congo.

Scrappy match. lots of fouls, still no score.

Bubblecar said:

Scrappy match. lots of fouls, still no score.

I much prefer the womans world cup.
https://www.google.com/search?q=womans+football+sketch&oq=womans+football+sketch&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOdIBCTExMDQwajBqN6gCAbACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:821e5958,vid:Fbl7-N4gVJ0,st:0

Colombia finally score.

Bubblecar said:

Colombia finally score.

Bad news for old Gil

Colombia win 1 – 0.

Unedifying match with lots of tumbling, writhing, pushing, pinching, pulling of hair and slapping.

Bubblecar said:

Colombia win 1 – 0.

Unedifying match with lots of tumbling, writhing, pushing, pinching, pulling of hair and slapping.

Fortunately the EngGha draw paid $7.00 so I still ended the day ahead.

With that win, Colombia is also sure of making it to round 2.

Aust’s final group match, v Paraguay, will be on Friday, at 10 am Perthtime

dv said:

Aust’s final group match, v Paraguay, will be on Friday, at 10 am Perthtime

Which we have to win if we can.

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Aust’s final group match, v Paraguay, will be on Friday, at 10 am Perthtime

Which we have to win if we can.

Well, if they can, I’m not actually playing. I questioned the decision but nope, they haven’t included me in the squad for this match.

So I’ll just have to watch and hope for the best.

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Aust’s final group match, v Paraguay, will be on Friday, at 10 am Perthtime

Which we have to win if we can.

Well, if they can, I’m not actually playing. I questioned the decision but nope, they haven’t included me in the squad for this match.

So I’ll just have to watch and hope for the best.

Well that’s bad luck but they have to play an attacking side in a must win match, you might get your chance if we get through to play Germany, England or France in the knock phase when we’ll need a defensive setup and strike on the break.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Which we have to win if we can.

Well, if they can, I’m not actually playing. I questioned the decision but nope, they haven’t included me in the squad for this match.

So I’ll just have to watch and hope for the best.

Well that’s bad luck but they have to play an attacking side in a must win match, you might get your chance if we get through to play Germany, England or France in the knock phase when we’ll need a defensive setup and strike on the break.

Oh yes, I concur.

Brazil thrash Scotland 3-0, and it looks like Scotland is now probably out of the tournament.

From Group C, Brazil and Morocco go through to the next round. Maybe Scotland as well: going from a round of 48 to a round of 32, the top 8 third placed teams progress. So Scotland will need to wait on other results.

From Group B, Switzerland and Canada progress. I think that Bosnia and Herz are in a good enough position to be sure of progression.

At half time, it’s goalless so far for both Czechia vs Mexico and South Africa vs South Korea.

Mexico score in Mexico City.

Bubblecar said:

Mexico score in Mexico City.

Mexico now make it two, and Czechia out of the tournament.

Bubblecar said:

Mexico score in Mexico City.

And the crowd goes mental.

South Africa score against Korea.

South Africa leading at the moment. This would be quite an upset.

Mexico make it 3- 0.

South Africa qualify for the next round, beating Korea 1 – 0.

Bubblecar said:

Mexico make it 3- 0.

underlay underlay underlay eh ha

South Africa is ranked 80th in the world, just about the lowest in the comp, and South Korea 26th.

With these win, Mexico and RSA progress, and South Korea must await other results to decide its fate.

A community announcement
If you run into a Scotchman in a bar yelling at strangers “What are you looking at Jimmy” don’t make eye contact with him.
Over.

Scotland
Scottish fans the world over were, at most, hoping for a win. Realistically, though, they would have been very happy with a draw. Or they could have found a silver lining with a close loss. Instead, the 3-0 defeat leaves them currently ranked as a third-placed lucky loser.
It looks unlikely that will remain though. The South Africa win not only meant Scotland jumped into second spot of its group, it meant South Korea fell to third with a better record than Scotland, pushing the Scots further down the pecking order———————————
That’s hard to follow from the ABC.

Peak Warming Man said:

Scotland
Scottish fans the world over were, at most, hoping for a win. Realistically, though, they would have been very happy with a draw. Or they could have found a silver lining with a close loss. Instead, the 3-0 defeat leaves them currently ranked as a third-placed lucky loser.
It looks unlikely that will remain though. The South Africa win not only meant Scotland jumped into second spot of its group, it meant South Korea fell to third with a better record than Scotland, pushing the Scots further down the pecking order———————————
That’s hard to follow from the ABC.

the ABC is for intellectuals.

I see the mighty Ecuador beat Germany.

Ecuador and Cote D’Ivoire won their final group matches v Germany and Curaçao respectively. Germany, Ecuador and Cote D’Ivoire all progress to the next round.

I should think Curaçao should be pretty content with their first appearance in the finals, in securing a draw against Ecuador.

Probably the most disappointing team so far is Turkey. They were the highest ranked team in their group, by far, but have two consecutive losses.

Give me an Aussie!

Aussie!

Give me an oi!

oi!

Now repeat it three times while I put the kettle on.

Match starts in half an hour.

Group F is also wrapped up. Netherlands 3 – 1 over Tunisia sees them to the top of the table. Sweden’s draw with Japan is enough to see both of those teams through to round 2.
Not a happy tournament for Tunisia who, like Turkey, are going home with no points.

Bubblecar said:

Give me an Aussie!

Aussie!

Give me an oi!

oi!

Now repeat it three times while I put the kettle on.

Match starts in half an hour.

USA v Turkey is not the most important match as Turkey has already been eliminated and USA has already qualified for r2.

Aust v Paraguay is also a bit of a funny match because a draw would see both teams through to r2. Obviously it is nice to win a match but sometimes if teams can cruise it without risk, they go the easy route.

Final position in the group matters: if you qualify from 3rd place, you end up playing off against someone who topped their group. If Australia wins today, Australia ends up 2nd in the group, and Paraguay has to wait on other results to see if they qualify for r2. If it is a draw, again Australia ends 2nd in the group, and Paraguay is assured of qualifying for r2. If Paraguay wins, they end 2nd in the group and it is Australia that has the nervous wait to see if they go through to r2.

So there’s some assymetry here. A win or a draw doesn’t make much difference for Australia, but Paraguay have a clear incentive to get a win rather than a draw.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Give me an Aussie!

Aussie!

Give me an oi!

oi!

Now repeat it three times while I put the kettle on.

Match starts in half an hour.

USA v Turkey is not the most important match as Turkey has already been eliminated and USA has already qualified for r2.

Aust v Paraguay is also a bit of a funny match because a draw would see both teams through to r2. Obviously it is nice to win a match but sometimes if teams can cruise it without risk, they go the easy route.

Final position in the group matters: if you qualify from 3rd place, you end up playing off against someone who topped their group. If Australia wins today, Australia ends up 2nd in the group, and Paraguay has to wait on other results to see if they qualify for r2. If it is a draw, again Australia ends 2nd in the group, and Paraguay is assured of qualifying for r2. If Paraguay wins, they end 2nd in the group and it is Australia that has the nervous wait to see if they go through to r2.

So there’s some assymetry here. A win or a draw doesn’t make much difference for Australia, but Paraguay have a clear incentive to get a win rather than a draw.

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

kii said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Give me an Aussie!

Aussie!

Give me an oi!

oi!

Now repeat it three times while I put the kettle on.

Match starts in half an hour.

USA v Turkey is not the most important match as Turkey has already been eliminated and USA has already qualified for r2.

Aust v Paraguay is also a bit of a funny match because a draw would see both teams through to r2. Obviously it is nice to win a match but sometimes if teams can cruise it without risk, they go the easy route.

Final position in the group matters: if you qualify from 3rd place, you end up playing off against someone who topped their group. If Australia wins today, Australia ends up 2nd in the group, and Paraguay has to wait on other results to see if they qualify for r2. If it is a draw, again Australia ends 2nd in the group, and Paraguay is assured of qualifying for r2. If Paraguay wins, they end 2nd in the group and it is Australia that has the nervous wait to see if they go through to r2.

So there’s some assymetry here. A win or a draw doesn’t make much difference for Australia, but Paraguay have a clear incentive to get a win rather than a draw.

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

As the teams have played their third group matches, so far there has only been one draw (today’s 1-1 between Nihon and Sweg). Slim pickin’s for muggins. I should perhaps have considered that the last matches might have a bit more oomph. Maybe Aust v Para will give me that sweet sweet neutrality.

Italy would beat half of these busted arsed countries, but they didn’t qualify.

Peak Warming Man said:

Italy would beat half of these busted arsed countries, but they didn’t qualify.

Keep the US politics out of this.

Turkiye leading USA 2 – 1.

Bubblecar said:

Turkiye leading USA 2 – 1.

bloody hell

I’ve been watching t’other

the commentator says that this is the first moment in which Australia has had the majority of possession in this World Cup so far.

dv said:

the commentator says that this is the first moment in which Australia has had the majority of possession in this World Cup so far.

About time.

kii said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Give me an Aussie!

Aussie!

Give me an oi!

oi!

Now repeat it three times while I put the kettle on.

Match starts in half an hour.

USA v Turkey is not the most important match as Turkey has already been eliminated and USA has already qualified for r2.

Aust v Paraguay is also a bit of a funny match because a draw would see both teams through to r2. Obviously it is nice to win a match but sometimes if teams can cruise it without risk, they go the easy route.

Final position in the group matters: if you qualify from 3rd place, you end up playing off against someone who topped their group. If Australia wins today, Australia ends up 2nd in the group, and Paraguay has to wait on other results to see if they qualify for r2. If it is a draw, again Australia ends 2nd in the group, and Paraguay is assured of qualifying for r2. If Paraguay wins, they end 2nd in the group and it is Australia that has the nervous wait to see if they go through to r2.

So there’s some assymetry here. A win or a draw doesn’t make much difference for Australia, but Paraguay have a clear incentive to get a win rather than a draw.

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

He already is called mellow yellow.

The match ball from Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, made famous by Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal, is set to go up for auction with a $3.6 million opening bid.

> Now we know what the rich people do with their money.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Turkiye leading USA 2 – 1.

bloody hell

I’ve been watching t’other

Me too, but they flash up score changes in the other game.

Michael V said:

kii said:

dv said:

USA v Turkey is not the most important match as Turkey has already been eliminated and USA has already qualified for r2.

Aust v Paraguay is also a bit of a funny match because a draw would see both teams through to r2. Obviously it is nice to win a match but sometimes if teams can cruise it without risk, they go the easy route.

Final position in the group matters: if you qualify from 3rd place, you end up playing off against someone who topped their group. If Australia wins today, Australia ends up 2nd in the group, and Paraguay has to wait on other results to see if they qualify for r2. If it is a draw, again Australia ends 2nd in the group, and Paraguay is assured of qualifying for r2. If Paraguay wins, they end 2nd in the group and it is Australia that has the nervous wait to see if they go through to r2.

So there’s some assymetry here. A win or a draw doesn’t make much difference for Australia, but Paraguay have a clear incentive to get a win rather than a draw.

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

He already is called mellow yellow.

Lol…has the Hurdy Gurdy Man arrived?

Nil all at half time.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Turkiye leading USA 2 – 1.

bloody hell

I’ve been watching t’other

Me too, but they flash up score changes in the other game.

Not getting flashes here.. annoying chimes

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Turkiye leading USA 2 – 1.

bloody hell

I’ve been watching t’other

Me too, but they flash up score changes in the other game.

And so it remains at HT

kii said:

Michael V said:

kii said:

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

He already is called mellow yellow.

Lol…has the Hurdy Gurdy Man arrived?

He was mentioned yesterday. Triggered by esselte.

kii said:

Michael V said:

kii said:

Yes, but will you be able to buy the saffron?

He already is called mellow yellow.

Lol…has the Hurdy Gurdy Man arrived?

Has been and gone.

Six minutes of normal time left, nil all.

Irankunda just hasn’t been fed many balls at all.

damn

Three minutes left.

One minute to go.

Nil, nil

yaay

And so it proved.

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

Ian said:

Nil, nil

yaay

Soccer: the only game worth a yaay for a nil all result.

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

Turkey scores 8 minutes into stoppage time

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

Same.

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

Even more excitement!

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

Same :-)

But a loss would have meant they would finish 3rd in the group and would need to wait on other results to see whether they progress

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

dv could buy two sachets of saffron!

Tamb said:

Ian said:

Nil, nil

yaay

Soccer: the only game worth a yaay for a nil all result.

if I wanted to sit through 90 minutes of watching no-one score I would go to the bar with my mates.

Arts said:

Tamb said:

Ian said:

Nil, nil

yaay

Soccer: the only game worth a yaay for a nil all result.

if I wanted to sit through 90 minutes of watching no-one score I would go to the bar with my mates.

Heh.

Our opponents in r2 are unknown. It will be the second place team in Group G. I have made bote estimates of the probabilities based on match odds for NZ v Belgium and Iran v Egypt.

52% Egypt
32% Belgium
14% Iran
4% NZ

NZ would need to beat Belgium to qualify for r2.

kii said:

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

And that’s that. Australia go through to the knockouts.

What would have happened if they’d won?

dv could buy two sachets of saffron!

I’m betting on draws so for me, a win by Aust would be bad news bears.

Arts said:

Tamb said:

Ian said:

Nil, nil

yaay

Soccer: the only game worth a yaay for a nil all result.

if I wanted to sit through 90 minutes of watching no-one score I would go to the bar with my mates.

I was being sarcastic.