The Real Football Thread

[Tonton]

As a Real Fan my current mood couldn't be better, but for everyone else on this planet, this result must suck. The penalty probably wasn't a foul, but in real time it really looked like one. And although everyone on twitter is now calling for video refs in the CL I'm even wondering if that decision would be overturned. It was a really hard to judge.

...just like PSG-Barcelona last year...and I HATE PSG. It seems like the whole thing is rigged. Too much money involved methinks...

When I lived in Europe, as a kid and young man, I played football everyday, I loved that sport even more than cycling. Now I only watch the World Cup.

...even Rugby sucks these days.

 

[ToreBear]

Looked like a clear penalty to me. Vazquez gets pushed over from behind. Video wouldn't have overturned that. At least I hope not, since that would mean VAR is shite.

Buffon really lost it at the end. Weird. Looking at the game and the stats Real didn't play as bad as it seemed. They just failed to score on their many, many chances, while Juve were much more effective. Great job exposing Madrids wingbacks weaknesses though.

https://www.sofascore.com/real-madrid-juventus/MdbsEgb

 

[Brullnux]

In other news, Dani Ceballos (like Isco) is being utterly wasted at real. He's a really, really talented player (player of the tournament at the u21 euros, in a team with asensio and saul, up against bernardeschi, schick and others) and when he's actually given some time on the pitch he's been decent and just needs to be given faith and pateince. He's been linked with liverpool and ac milan (who both need him) so hopefully he'll progress like he should.

 

[ToreBear]

I think Ceballos was told it would be difficult for him to get minutes, and a loan would be preferable. He still wanted to stay at Real. He will probably be loaned out this summer. Real won't sell him, at least not without a buy back clause.

 

[Brullnux]

Ah, real have a habit of selling talents, and Zidane getting sacked is looking less likely now and for all his attributes, working with young players isn't one of them. He's been basically forced to play Isco by fans and the media because he finally spoke out and was linked with other clubs - there were rumours just the other day of Spain's best player (arguable but my genuine opinion) going to Juve. Maybe ceballos will end up leaving, if a loan spell is successful and zidane still tells him that he won't play, or he comes back and doesn't play.

 

[Gigs_98]

Red Bull Salzburg just returned from a 4:2 loss against Lazio and won 4:1 at home which means they reached the Europa League semi final. This must be the biggest moment for Austrian football for ages. Funnily the other Red Bull team, Leipzig, which actually has a lot more money to their disposal than Salzburg lost against Marseille, so the "farmteam" for Leipzig is internationally more succesful than the Leipzig itself. :lol:

 

[ToreBear]

@Brullnux
Zidane rotates his players a lot, so there are opportunities for non starters to start. Also Modric and Ronaldos minutes are carefully managed.
A few more injuries and Ceballos might have gotten more time, but still he is last in the list of midfielders to give playing time behind Kovacic and Llorente.

@Gigs_98
Impressive. This week has been full of weird results.

 

[Nirvana]

I'm not a great soccer fan, only occasionally i watch la Liga on Fox Sports or MLS on Eurosport, but i clearly remember when Buffon claimed that this wasn't a goal and later said that it was his greatest save.

In Italy in the last three days we have him and juventus on every mass media, it's incredible how pundits, even the ones closer to other teams defended and supported them, they also attacked Del Piero because he said that they were wrong. Only Catalan newspapers with "el robo del siglo" were worst than them but Catalan newspapers are usually biased like no one else and without a shame.

 

[Brullnux]

As a milan fan I completely agree

 

[Robert5091]

Wenger? Bye bye!

 

[Zama_Olyas]

As a Real Fan my current mood couldn't be better, but for everyone else on this planet, this result must suck. The penalty probably wasn't a foul, but in real time it really looked like one. And although everyone on twitter is now calling for video refs in the CL I'm even wondering if that decision would be overturned. It was a really hard to judge.

...just like PSG-Barcelona last year...and I HATE PSG. It seems like the whole thing is rigged. Too much money involved methinks...

When I lived in Europe, as a kid and young man, I played football everyday, I loved that sport even more than cycling. Now I only watch the World Cup.

...even Rugby sucks these days.

I watch lique un sometimes, who do you support? I like the club that LE ROI used to play for, ASSE.

 

[GraftPunk]

Re:

Wenger? Bye bye!

As a gooner, I'm glad he's called it a day. Maybe, with the right pick for manager, they infuse some much needed player motivation!

 

[Brullnux]

Wenger was a great manager, but since the turn of the decade he's become a follower rather than a leader - he's following the different tactical trends rather than making them. 4-2-3-1, 3 at the back etc. It's time he leaves - hopefully for him he can go out with a bang, rather than finishing below burnley.

 

[Brullnux]

Classic Roma

 

[Robert5091]

More troubles for the Murdochs
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...a-internet-live-footbal-sky-sports-radrizzani

Live football matches could be shown exclusively over the internet in the UK for the first time after Sky lost the rights to broadcast Spain’s La Liga.

Eleven Sports, founded by the Leeds United owner, Andrea Radrizzani, has acquired exclusive rights to the Spanish top flight for three years, starting from 2018-19.

It brings an end to an association with Sky Sports that has lasted for more than two decades, although the broadcaster may yet be able to show games through a secondary agreement with the new rights holders.

 

[The Hitch]

Just watched the last ten mins of the German cup final and was pleasantly surprised they use video technology. Perfectly as well with sometimes the ref just asking the people in the booth to tell him their decision and it takes 10 secs. To confirm the goal and to see if there was a penalty he had to see the vid himself which took a minute. In the end it went maybe 5 minutes longer. Totally worth it to get the right decisions and there was drama in those moments too. Hope the world of football follows.

 

[sir fly]

Who are those in yellow jerseys on the pitch in Kiev this evening?

 

[BlackWhiteEagle]

I`m not sure whom i dislike more, Ramos or Froome...

 

[sir fly]

I liked Barnes, Ince, Fowler, Owen, Gerrard... Conceptualized forward position and goal celebration watching Hugo Sánchez. Been glad to see Prosinečki and Mijatović playing for RM.
There's still a jersey of one of this evening's finalists in my closet.

Benzema
...Something like homage to Borota.

 

[Gigs_98]

I've never felt more sorry for a football player than for Karius right now. Incredibly only about 30 minutes ago that title might have gone to salah in the same game. What a heartbreaking game for Liverpool

 

[Robert5091]

Meltdown week - Yates, Pinot & Liverpool's goalkeeper.

 

[BullsFan22]

Ramos is disgusting. Clearly intentional to hurt Salah. He knew exactly what he was doing. Surprising that there was no criticism from LFC's end. Salah though is one of the more humbled top footballers you'll ever find, so I guess him not really protesting is par for the course, also because he was still shocked and crying. That turned the match. I have no doubt Salah would have played a massive role had this not happened.

Karius's two mistakes were incredible, especially the first one. I mean surely he knew that Benzema was right there. Hold the ball a bit longer and do something else. The second mistake he just panicked. No doubt you lose confidence in yourself when making a mistake like he did on Benzema's goal. Sure he had a couple good saves but the first goal and the obvious pressure being in the CL final did him in. Bale's shot dipped a bit, but it wasn't particularly fast or overly tricky for a pro to stop. You could see in the replays that Karius was nervous waiting for the ball and he slightly veered to the other side and wasn't prepared, even though it came right to him. Shame this happened on the biggest stage, I sincerely hope, like everyone else, that he can somehow recover from this and have a successful career, be it at Liverpool or somewhere else.

Liverpool was the better team for the 1st half, despite Salah's injury. They were able to move the ball well and the defense really played well for most of the game. Robertson, Van Dijk and Lovren were great (in my eyes) for much of the game and each had fantastic stops to prevent goals or goal scoring opportunities.

It wasn't a fantastic game, but it was entertaining and nerve-wracking, as one would expect. A bitter pill to swallow as a LFC fan, but I am happy with the season they had. Hopefully the core of the squad is kept for the future and we can build around Salah. I hope he stays for at least a couple more seasons and helps us win a much needed trophy.

 

[Brullnux]

I agree with most of what you say, but as soon as Salah got injured Liverpool completely lost their mojo and forgot how to play football. They couldn't string three passes together, stopped pressing and let Real dictate the play. They weren't behind at half-time due to Ronaldo somehow missing a header from two metres (he was somehow offside too) and then Isco missed an easy chance before the goal eventually came. Then Liverpool refound some strength and attacked for the first time in 30 minutes and scored. But then Bale scored that goal and Liverpool lost all confidence again and just sat back. Real had a couple of very good opportunities to make it three, only avoided by karius making a good save and robertson's last man tackle. Liverpool were overly dependent on Salah and couldn't adjust once he went off, which is the problem with a weak bench and a very specific system. The defence was decent and so was Mane, but the midfield got outplayed and Firmino went missing, and I just feel very bad for Karius. I feel the second error was caused by the first: it was a tricky shot but it seemed he was in two minds over what to do, and then didn't do either, and it went in. It was a typical mistake, but not one you expect in a CL final.

 

[Robert5091]

England's friendly against Nigeria showed they've still plenty to do if they want to do well in the WC. The defence in particular looked untogether.

 

[Robert5091]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44465069

World Cup 2026: How US, Canada & Mexico won right to host tournament

With eight years to go until the tournament kicks off, many asked why Fifa seemingly rushed to make this decision.

The answer came partly down to its finances.

The governing body has paid hefty legal bills in recent years following the US-led investigation into corruption by a number of executives.

The Russian World Cup has also failed to attract major sponsors and the Qatar edition in 2022 also promises to be tricky to navigate.

In speaking to congress on Wednesday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the organisation was "clinically dead" when he took over in 2016. In gaining election he promised to quadruple Fifa's income. With a year to go until he faces a re-election campaign, he needs to start finding some of that cash.

It's for these reasons that Infantino was believed to favour 'United 2026', considering organisers' claims it will amass a huge $14bn (£10.3bn) in revenues (delivering an $11bn profit for Fifa). It is a figure that Morocco has openly questioned and even Infantino has labelled "optimistic". Morocco promised a much more modest profit to Fifa of $5bn from revenues of $7.2bn.

Plus a return to soccer when it's 40C hot - Phew!