FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

[mikesiva]

The Peruvian support is a great change from the 1978 days sussexpob and I were talking about. Back then Peruvians were so poor most of them couldn't afford to travel to Argentina to cheer on their team. It seems that the wealth distribution reforms of socialist president Humala created a large middle class that could now afford to travel all the way to Russia!

[mikesiva]

France did just enough to win this 1-0. Mbappe with the goal that made all the difference.

[andy]

Gutted for Peru, real shame, France don't look much of a threat, even with all their talent.....tonight's game dosen't intrest me much, think argentina 1-0

[mikesiva]

Mike,

Apparently the 1978 grain thing is one of several suggested or leaked rumours about that game, seems one of those explanations that fits a result. I was wrong, it was Argentina that needed 4 goals to qualify for the final, Peru had already been eliminated in the second group round. Might have been as simple as Peru had nothing to play for and Argentina had a lot to play for, in front of a roaring crowd. I guess you add a lot of context, and it sounds believable. Dodgy government, massive turnaround on form, almost unfathomable result. Guess we will never know.

Its weird, I spoke to a guy in Trelew in Argentina at a former prison where the military government sent people (and murdered or tortured them) at the time the world cup was on. He says that all the people alive back then will tell you Argentina only one world cup. There is a significant campaign in Argentina that has a lot of support that wants the title officially stripped, but the FA doesnt want it. I did some research and asked other people because I thought he was talking rubbish, and they all said similar things. They dont acknowledge the 1978 World Cup, its never talked about, its never mentioned, they never claim it or play the replays to make people proud. Its like it never happened. The nation totally ignore it.

Also the 1978 team often did not see eye to eye with the military dictatorship. Menotti the coach was a socialist who advocated "left wing " football. In essence that was attacking expressive Kempes style football. On winning the World cup Menotti refused to shake the hand of his country's military dictator.

[The Professor]

This Argentina team is Graeme Hick levels of being over rated.

[mikesiva]

Caballero!

Argentina have a lot of stars in this side but they are no team.

Possibly worse than the 2002 side.

Maradona and his side of 1986 were a much better team than this bunch of overpaid prima donnas.

It just goes to show you can't win the world cup without a decent goalkeeper and good defenders.

[yuppie]

Messi going deeper to have an impact. And hes giving the ball away.

Considering the way Argentina qualified this is no suprise.

[mikesiva]

Modric scores an outstanding goal!

[budgetmeansbudget]

Terrific strike by Modric, set the ball off outside the post and curled it inside the post. The only way he could have beaten the keeper from there.

[Gingerfinch]

Terrific strike by Modric, set the ball off outside the post and curled it inside the post. The only way he could have beaten the keeper from there.

The way their keeper has been playing, he could have hit it straight at him and scored.

[budgetmeansbudget]

You're probably right, but he did get fingertips to the Modric strike.

[Durhamfootman]

I haven't seen any football for 2 days. I don't think I missed much yesterday, but I wish I'd seen Argentina taking a beating. I must be one of millions of people who knew that a strategy of building an entire team around one player was likely to be disastrous (although Portugal seem to have found a way)

They might very well need a huge favour from Croatia in the final round, if Iceland beat Nigeria, but they needed something very special in the final qualifying match to even go to the finals, and they got it, so I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow found a way to get through to the last 16

[mikesiva]

Rakitic made it 3-0.

[Gingerfinch]

Well that was a hiding. Argentina will be hoping for a draw tomorrow, then Croatia beating or at least drawing with Iceland.

[Durhamfootman]

Well that was a hiding. Argentina will be hoping for a draw tomorrow, then Croatia beating or at least drawing with Iceland.

Or hoping that Nigeria turn Iceland over tomorrow, then at least, qualification will still be in their own hands