WC SEMI-FINAL: FRANCE VS BELGIUM ( 1-0) FT UMTITI

[The YeyeMan]

Martinez has himself to blame, how many matches had Dembele played? He was clearly lacking match sharpness and it showed...these are the sort of brain farts that had England hoping he’d be in the opposite dugout on World Cup final day.

Mazi, are we taking bet on Engerund to rin it all?

[Coach]

@Tf, watch OUR 'Arrys, Hendo, Delboy, Jesse, Sterzee, Stonesy tomorrow.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
York.
York who?
Yorkshire. Maguire, Delph. Tough as old boots. Men.

Matchday breakfast, what was that Luka, low fat soft cheese over a wholegrain croissant? F*ck off! Beans, bacon, sausage, tomartuz (not tomatoes, theres a difference), toast, white bread. Butter, thickly spread.

[cchinukw]

Can't blame nobody.

There was a very miniscule margin for winning this game and once it fell to France, they killed it. It matters not who the personnel were on the pitch. They all deserved to play and it could have gone either way. If Nigeria lost like that, I'd go to bed everyday a happy bunny.

[Gooner1]

le coqs world cup to lose.......come on france

[nanijoe]

I know right..Of course no one on the SE had played any football before this World Cup and they did not have any games together for the 2 years Rohr was coach.

FYI I can think of at least 6 players who started for France against Nigeria in 2014, who did not even make the trip to Russia. People like Mbappe were still youth team players

At the end of the day, Winners win, and Losers find excuses, its that simple...

France were the second youngest team in the tournament....

But 2022... experience... here to learn

Yeah I guess playing in the euro 2016 did not help in the team building. This French team just evolved, they did not go through any process...the bane of third world countries. We make a mockery of everything and leave the details out.

[Orion]

Martinez has himself to blame, how many matches had Dembele played? He was clearly lacking match sharpness and it showed...these are the sort of brain farts that had England hoping he’d be in the opposite dugout on World Cup final day.

France was the better side in a closely matched game. They simply had just that bit more quality than Belgium. Sometimes you have to put your hand up and accept you were beaten by a better side instead of nitpicking who to blame. I think Martinez got the very best out of this group of players, but their run came to an end against a superior side. I thought Brazil was also marginally better, but Belgium were lucky on that occasion with at least one legit penalty call for Brazil being ignored by the ref and VAR team.

[Rawlings]

SE could have easily taken care of the French team
Only 2 of the french players could have made it in the SE squad
Obi is better than Pogba

[The YeyeMan]

SE could have easily taken care of the French team
One about 2 of the french players could have made it in the SE squad
Obi is better than Pogba

You're quite boring, you recognise that?

[The YeyeMan]

@Tf, watch OUR 'Arrys, Hendo, Delboy, Jesse, Sterzee, Stonesy tomorrow.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
York.
York who?
Yorkshire. Maguire, Delph. Tough as old boots. Men.

Matchday breakfast, what was that Luka, low fat soft cheese over a wholegrain croissant? F*ck off! Beans, bacon, sausage, tomartuz (not tomatoes, theres a difference), toast, white bread. Butter, thickly spread.

Mazi, forget your knock knock jokes. Are you betting on Ingerund to rin it all?

[Orion]

England go hia wien.

I beg make dem no just qualify....anything can happen in the final.....let Croatia just beat them abeg.

If they do get to the final, this French team will wipe the floor with them. England was lucky to get this far, avoiding all the top 10 teams and suddenly finding themselves in a World Cup Semifinal. However, luck and set-pieces can only carry you up to a point. Eventually you would be found out, except FIFA and their Referees swing it to them. Good thing is, the French shows today they can deal with free-kicks and corner-kicks. And they have a first eleven going into the Final.

I see you're already preparing your excuses just in case they win

I'm not emotionally invested in who wins this World Cup but was quite happy to see Russia get dumped out. As for the other teams, my support sways even during the match depending on who is playing the better football. I hate teams that try to cheat or deliberately injure opposition players. The best team may not necessarily be the prettiest to watch hence if England proves to be tactically better I can see myself supporting them to win if they get to the final but they have to get past Croatia first.

[maceo4]

England go hia wien.

I beg make dem no just qualify....anything can happen in the final.....let Croatia just beat them abeg.

If they do get to the final, this French team will wipe the floor with them. England was lucky to get this far, avoiding all the top 10 teams and suddenly finding themselves in a World Cup Semifinal. However, luck and set-pieces can only carry you up to a point. Eventually you would be found out, except FIFA and their Referees swing it to them. Good thing is, the French shows today they can deal with free-kicks and corner-kicks. And they have a first eleven going into the Final.

I see you're already preparing your excuses just in case they win

I'm not emotionally invested in who wins this World Cup but was quite happy to see Russia get dumped out. As for the other teams, my support sways even during the match depending on who is playing the better football. I hate teams that try to cheat or deliberately injure opposition players. The best team may not necessarily be the prettiest to watch hence if England proves to be tactically better I can see myself supporting them to win if they get to the final but they have to get past Croatia first.

excuses locked and loaded

[ohsee]

France had 18 shots with 4 on target.
Belgium despite all the domination, has 9 shots, 3 on target.

Kante is a proper shield.

Simply the best DM in the world. Anybody who mentions Busquets again, give the person a slap for me.

[truetalk]

Can't blame nobody.

There was a very miniscule margin for winning this game and once it fell to France, they killed it. It matters not who the personnel were on the pitch. They all deserved to play and it could have gone either way. If Nigeria lost like that, I'd go to bed everyday a happy bunny.

Please tell them O!

I wonder how people are comparing this to the Sabo job Rohr pulled on us.

[Heliopolis]

Margin of error between teams of this calibre are so narrow that all it takes is one mistake or lucky bounce to win a game. Belgium barely beat Brazil and France barely beat Belgium. I wasn't a fan of Martinez's decisions in the previous two matches but I'm not sure what else he could've done differently in this game. France sat back after the goal and there was no room for the their world class attackers to operate. KDB had an awful game and Lukaku got no service. Nonetheless, good showing for Belgium. They know they can compete with the big boys and will be back in Euro 20 and WC 22.

[Scipio Africanus]

All these England supporters already looking forward to facing France na wa Ooo.

Keep on disrespecting Croatia. E go do you like film trick...

Leave dem ...

[Scipio Africanus]

Viva, viva, viva les bleus! Viva!

[Heliopolis]

Btw, I haven't been able to closely watch this French team so I ask: what do you guys think makes them special? I find them very puzzling to assess. I can point to the strengths of previous WC winners and finalists but am having trouble doing so with this team. Upfront, Giroud is a minus one and offers nothing, Griezmann has disappointed and essentially just been a set piece taker, while Mbappe has had one standout showing (vs Argentina). Their midfield is probably the best in this WC and their defense has been sturdy except for the Argentina game. I think they'll go down as one of the more balanced sides we've seen in recent WCs but one that doesn't have the flare you'd expect from a WC finalist/champion. The scary thing is they've made it this far with relative ease and will have the same core over the next 4-8 years.

[kajifu]

France had 18 shots with 4 on target.
Belgium despite all the domination, has 9 shots, 3 on target.

Kante is a proper shield.

Simply the best DM in the world. Anybody who mentions Busquets again, give the person a slap for me.

Uncle how will you rate him in football?Is he the best 3 DM to play them game?
Uncle Fifa should test him,he might be on drugs

[Coach]

@Yeye, don't talk Callum Smith without first discussing the matter of George Grovees #eubankjr. Yes there will be a wager on the whole lot and its coming home, however you're required to wager on the Croatia game, or waive that right, at a cost.

[balo]

[maceo4]

Giroud spent too much time at Arseanal learning how to throw away chances mschew...

[achuzia-the-air-raid]

[juventuss]

Mbappe is just nasty. Dude no get respect for elders....