[sakuragi]

2nd day of the championship.

[Cyberyeti]

At least we haven't had any refereeing howlers as bad as this one, Brazil getting knocked out of the copa America:

https://www.youtube....h?v=M-b8lAf0Ec0

[Zelandakh]

I have no sympathy CY:
Rivaldo
Fred

[Cyberyeti]

Zelandakh, on 2016-June-13, 04:32, said:

I have no sympathy CY:
Rivaldo
Fred

Oh I agree, I just thought it was a refereeing decision so bad it deserved more people to be aware of it.

[shyams]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-June-13, 05:38, said:

Oh I agree, I just thought it was a refereeing decision so bad it deserved more people to be aware of it.

Conspiracy theorists might suggest that a 0-0 draw would not have suited the host nation. Probably why the ref chose to uphold the on-field decision despite extensive consultation with the other officials.

[Cyberyeti]

shyams, on 2016-June-13, 05:50, said:

Conspiracy theorists might suggest that a 0-0 draw would not have suited the host nation. Probably why the ref chose to uphold the on-field decision despite extensive consultation with the other officials.

Since it disadvantaged one of the big nations against a comparative minnow, expect FIFA to change the rules to let the 4th official sneak a look at a replay.

[shyams]

Copa America is playing a format where they do not have extra time. Instead they go straight to a penalty shoot out after the regular 90 minutes....

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[shyams]

Most matches so far have begun in a boring fashion,

In most cases, you wouldn't miss much if you didn't watch the first half.

[mycroft]

I must admit I find football boring to watch, even the "exciting" matches. It doesn't help that my "local"* team's story has been "are we sure to be relegated this year, or are we just in danger" for the last 3-4 years.

I also must admit that I find penalty shootouts a "not football" way of ending a match (similarly hockey).

I've always wondered whether reduced player overtime (as we do in hockey - was 4 on 4 (rather than normal 5 on 5), now 3 on 3) would work; we'll play the 10-minute OT period with 9 players a side, and sudden death. Or progressive reduced player - we'll start OT 9 players a side, and at the nearest whistle after every 5 minutes, pull a player.

*My family moved from Sunderland in 1947.

[Aberlour10]

This EURO sucked on all fronts. Here is anything more to say,

[cherdano]

Iceland-England was a great example of how an inferior team can give themselves a chance by playing simple football - skipping the midfield, direct high balls to the frontline, relying on set pieces, etc. Unfortunately for them, Iceland defended just too well to allow the storybook ending.

[Zelandakh]

cherdano, on 2016-June-27, 17:37, said:

Iceland-England was a great example of how an inferior team

As an Englishman, I have to say that they were not the inferior team on the day. We completely stopped playing football. You could perhaps rephrase "an inferior team" as "a team made up of inferior players" but we should be clear that they functioned as a team much more effectively.

[WellSpyder]

Zelandakh, on 2016-June-28, 06:48, said:

As an Englishman, I have to say that they were not the inferior team on the day. We completely stopped playing football. You could perhaps rephrase "an inferior team" as "a team made up of inferior players" but we should be clear that they functioned as a team much more effectively.

Who do you mean by "they"? If you read Aberlour10's [sorry, cherdano's] post carefully it seems clear that he is referring to England as the inferior team.

[cherdano]

Zelandakh, on 2016-June-28, 06:48, said:

As an Englishman, I have to say that they were not the inferior team on the day. We completely stopped playing football. You could perhaps rephrase "an inferior team" as "a team made up of inferior players" but we should be clear that they functioned as a team much more effectively.

I always enjoy reading your posts - that makes it particularly heart-breaking that you didn't get my joke :-)

[To avoid any further misunderstandings, the first part of the previous sentence is not a joke, the second part is. Better be safe these days.]

[Zelandakh]

cherdano, on 2016-June-28, 07:57, said:

I always enjoy reading your posts - that makes it particularly heart-breaking that you didn't get my joke :-)

I guess I rather walked into that one.

[shyams]

I guess most soccer fans know about "home field advantage". In summary, researchers have identified two component factors of it: (a) Support/uplift of crowd for the home team, and (b) an unconscious bias of the referres that favours the home side

While watching the Wales-Belgium match, I am getting a sense that the Welsh Brexit vote is giving Belgium a bigger home field advantage from (b) above.

I am only half-joking here

[cherdano]

Must have been two football gods fighting. One in charge of the "Germany doesn't lose penalties" policy, the other taking care of the "Germany doesn't beat Italy in big tournaments" ordinance.

[Cyberyeti]

cherdano, on 2016-July-02, 17:20, said:

Must have been two football gods fighting. One in charge of the "Germany doesn't lose penalties" policy, the other taking care of the "Germany doesn't beat Italy in big tournaments" ordinance.

Germany missed more penalties (3) than they have in the history of penalty shootouts (2) but got away with it.