The Knockout Stages

First topic message reminder :

Round of 16:

France vs Argentina
Portugal vs Uruguay
Spain vs Russia
Croatia vs Denmark
Brazil vs Mexico
Belgium vs Japan
Sweden vs Switzerland
England vs Colombia

eirebilly wrote:

Luke wrote:

Just John wrote:The fourth and fifth gear that the so-called pundits think Brazil can get to, just isn’t there in my opinion. It’s a lacklustre side, especially in midfield, solely reliant upon a moment of magic from either Coutinho or Neymar. Gabriel Jesus must still be in Manchester, because I’m yet to see him in four games.

I’d fancy Belgium to do Brazil, if they meet in the QF.

Agree, this Brazil is functional and solid, but nothing special.. Mexico if they had taken better options in the final 3rd could have beaten them.
Belgium and France (should they get through), would not be overly worried by Brazil so far.

Once you get past the cheating from Brazil, they are actually a very good side to watch. Neymar really needs to stop the theatrics though, it really is disgusting to watch. He can be everything good about football but everything bad as well.

Neymar is terrible for it. But it not just him, yesterday watching Thiago Silva rolling around after being touched on the shoulder was worse. Especially as they were winning fairly comfortably and the ball had just gone out for a goal kick.
I understand it's the modern way, but football is still a contact sport.

Sweden started okay, but there shootings poor. Switzerland offered very little, only 10 mind in though.

Should probably just go to penalties now. Two dire sides.

Sweden score via a Akanji deflection

Sums up this game really England or Colombia would batter these lot.

If you make it past Colombia you should be licking your chops, both teams were dire and Sweden just sneak it. Wont be many people backing them over either England or Colombia.

For Brazil yesterday read Sweden today. Slightest touch and they fall over, don't think it's a foul on Olsson. Who spent most of the time he was on on the floor.

Funny thing is (minus the obvious star player). Sweden remind me a lot of Portugal in the euros.
Tough to break down, hardworking,great team spirit, making the game ugly when they need to, and just doing enough to win.

I don't know if it's just a few horrendous examples sticking in my head, but it feels like Switzerland are in the worst knock-out game every tournament. Just so relentlessly mediocre.

Sums up the gulf in class between either side of the draw. 17 goals so far in the Brazil half of the draw, and a measely 5 in our half. Just a woeful, woeful half of the draw.

Just John wrote:Sums up the gulf in class between either side of the draw. 17 goals so far in the Brazil half of the draw, and a measely 5 in our half. Just a woeful, woeful half of the draw.

You’re right, the defences on that side of the draw are awful.

Just saw Henderson get head butted. There didn't look like there was much power in it but Henderson went down like Neymar would have.

Carrying Sterling & Alli. Been woeful.

Colombia quite limited without James.

Carlos Sanchez. Dreadful player.

Colombia are a disgrace. Should already be down to 10 men and if they finish with 11 I'll be amazed.

Typical England

****

Mina has been their best player, just frustrating that Trippier couldn't head a ball properly.

Aargh. Knew that was going to happen.

England will be shattered after dominating that game to be level again. Now : can they pick themselves up and finish the job in ET ?

Well hope England gets to score because they deserve to win that game but momentum has somehow shifted...

We look completely gone.

Oh dear. Colombia all over us in extra time. All that extra rest doesn't seem to have helped England.
It is like that late equalizer has sapped the spirit from England.

Need an individual bit of magic to get out of this now but the force seems to be with Colombia...

Livelier now in this last fifteen...but can't take their chances.

Getting horribly close to penalties

England didn’t deserve to win that for the simple fact they scored and did what they always did...sat back and tried to see out a 1-0 win. Should we go out then we fully deserve too....easiest route and 9 days extra rest yet from 65mins onwards Columbia had the better of the game! Shocking!

It’s pens

Every England fan's worst nightmare...

That negative approach in the last few minutes of the 90 has potentially cost them a place in the quarters. And after this you'd wonder whether they can go any further anyway ?

Ah well : let us pray...

We’ve done it

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS

The power of prayer ! 4-3 thanks to a Pickford save

Relief ...tinged with disappointment at the tortuous path they took to get through...

Sweden won't be too scared : but for now England are still alive . Deserved to win on balance ; hopefully this get out of jail effort will give them a lift for the next round...

On merit, deserved. Colombia set out their stall to ****house their way through the game and did next to nothing for 90 minutes. Then they took 15 minutes to shake off that equaliser.

Don't really have issues with protecting the lead, the Vardy sub I never really got though. We don't play the kind of service he lives off, he pretty much spends his time niggling defenders.

Panama rough housed because they were out of their depth. At times it was pathetic from Colombia.

Sweden should be fresher having not played the extra 30. But they looked pretty ordinary, if solid against Switzerland.

I think England will beat Sweden quite comfortably

Jesus Christ

My nerves were so close to being shredded.

We are through.

westisbest wrote:I think England will beat Sweden quite comfortably

All the Scandinavian sides are tough to beat. This will be no different. Sweden will be physical, and tough to break down. Our main strength has been set pieces, something which is a strength of Sweden, so we really need to find some creativity, to open them up from open play.

I’d drop Sterling, for sure. Sweden will defend deep, so he has no space to run into & they will just outmuscle him with ease. Alli doesn’t look fit either. Rest of the side should pick itself.

We bloody deserved that, what a great feeling and what an opportunity awaits us now - fantastic

Before I read any responses to my negativity in earlier post ...Let me first say...massive well done to England...who did much wrong but showed character and spirit to come away with result tonight. Huge win not just for the players but more so Southgate...has given the vindication he probably needs to show as a whole in sense of culture and away from just the 90 minute match is working and he really is building something.

In a sense the win on penalties was absolutely the best result tonight. A 1-0 win would have papered over deficiencies heading into QF which with the draw were rightly punished. Penalty shootout showed we could cling onto a game when it was going away from us but most importantly exercises the demons many who pull on an England shirt even when they haven't experienced failings first hand will still no doubt have.

I think it's clear what we need to do from here on out to make finals. I'm not going to say or discuss improvements or negative thoughts on the game tonight...relief for you all I'm sure ...

Well done England...Well done Gareth...you have done the country proud regardless of what happens next!

Indeed hats off to Southgate for what he has done with this squad. A lot of people were doubtful when he was appointed but I think he has the job for a while now whatever happens in the next couple of weeks.

Three more wins now and he'd be knighted

Well, we made harder work of that then we should have done.

Thought England were always in control, and fully deserved the lwad. But as someone already said, sitting back trying to protect it was nearly our downfall.
Positives - We're through, Trippier and Maguire were brilliant. Pickford looked good. We looked good taking penalties.
Minuses - Lack of creativity, Kane kept dropping to deep. Sterling.

Colombia disappointed in how they played. But Sweden will play the same way I feel.

Great result, but more of the same in terms of performance; almost all the threat goes through Trippier, and Young and Lingard aren't good enough to be the ones asked to make stuff happen like they are because Sterling and Alli aren't doing anything. Defence looks solid enough and Kane looks dangerous when he's in the box instead of his own half, so they have a real chance, but this lineup clearly isn't working as hoped.

owen10ozzy wrote:England didn’t deserve to win that for the simple fact they scored and did what they always did...sat back and tried to see out a 1-0 win. Should we go out then we fully deserve too....easiest route and 9 days extra rest yet from 65mins onwards Columbia had the better of the game! Shocking!

What the f*ck are you talking about? We controlled the game until they scored their only real chance in injury time. Then they had the momentum in extra time, we held on and on balance deserved to win on pens

Sterling got swallowed up by two incredible defensive performances from Mina and Davinson Sanchez, but sure, go ahead and blame Raheem.

I must have missed the part where golden boy Rashford came on and dominated. Just enjoy the result and stop being cretins.

Alli and Lingard did **** all and England collapsed once Sterling went off.

Convinced most of the Sterling critiques are written before kick-off. Conveniently by the same people who do the same with Ozil. Wonder what newspaper consistently links the two.

Sterling was brilliant in many areas but inconsistent in others, and it wasn’t a perfect game with the ball. A lot of people care only about what happens when the round thing is near.

Thought Lingard was good for 70% of the game and Alli was so incredibly disciplined as a player near Henderson. Performances beyond his years, made interceptions and got in deep positions to defend well.

Trippier was again brilliant, Kane was a fantastic solo striker in a hurt team, Pickford can have my babies

Yeah I’m not sure where the Sterling criticism is coming from last night, he was the only England attacker who consistently moved well and was prepared to try and run at Colombia - as GSC says our attacking threat completely went to pot when he went off and Vardy came on. Sanchez and Mina were colossal in defence for Colombia, I would expect us to have much more success against a slower less athletic Swedish back line

As a Scot, its painful to admit but by half time I wanted England to win. Shocking display of cheating from Colombia including the coach trying to start a rammy with Sterling at half time. Havent like Colombians since watching Scarface and this did nothing to change that.

If Im going to see England get beat, I’d rather it because they were piss poor than cheated.

Well we can all die happy now. England have won a World Cup penalty shoot out. What a thin dividing line there is between hero and villain. If England had lost then Trippier, possibly, and Henderson, probably, would have been cast as the villains, as would have been Walker after his mistake that should really have resulted in a Colombian goal.
Also, Dier missed an excellent headed chance in e-t while even his winning penalty wasn't the greatest.
This was always going to be a tricky match for England especially once the draw had opened up for them. There is a team spirit and togetherness about this side that we've not seen at a WC for many years.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Sterling was brilliant in many areas but inconsistent in others, and it wasn’t a perfect game with the ball. A lot of people care only about what happens when the round thing is near.

Thought Lingard was good for 70% of the game and Alli was so incredibly disciplined as a player near Henderson. Performances beyond his years, made interceptions and got in deep positions to defend well.

Lingard was anonymous. Alli was not fit, and offered nothing. As for Sterling, he produced nothing of note in the final third. 1000 days without scoring for England (2 goals in 40+ apps). Not sure what game you were watching.

Against a team that basically played 3 holding midfielders Sterling dropping between the lines was instrumental.

Agree Alli doesn't look fit.

Lingard fairly hit or miss for me. Might benefit more if England come up against sides prepared to try and win the game.

Agree with with above sentiments regards Sterling. Hasn't been great this WC but easy to target him now and he was the one player running at the Columbian defence trying to make things happen last night and as said a lot of our impetus was lost after the change..though as said that was a tactical thing as well.

Only thing he didn't do last night was make a couple of right decisions in final 3rd but his movement unsettled and kept Columbia honest. Think Alli was again quiet but who do you bring in ahead of him? RLC..perhaps but whilst Dolph has a crush on him ...I wouldn't say he's done enough to warrant starting ahead of him.

As for controlling the game...No one said we didn't...I was saying at the time that should we have got sucker punched we deserved it and I stand by that because we effectively allowed Columbia back into that game from 65 mins onwards.

I also said later on how it was great to see the resilience in picking ourselves up and going again when the going got tough.

People aren't cretins Marky just because they want to talk and analyse a game or performances....that can be done whilst also enjoying the moment!

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. If England get counter attacked at 1-0 and concede Southgate gets slaughtered. Did a good job of effectively killing the game until they got their one set piece. See out 2 more minutes and it's a great example of game management.

Only decision I really have an issue with was Vardy. Looks lost in this setup.