Coulthard's Jaw Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 (edited) You've read the preview magazines, watched a couple of World Cup documentaries, found the best wallchart, made the decision not to boycott this event, listened to Three Lions a few times, you're in the mood and the wait is finally over, a World Cup like no other starts today and it's the big one between errr Qatar and Ecuador... Qatar - Never played at a World Cup before. Ranked 50th in the world. Akram Afif and Almoez Ali are their two best attackers, if they are going to do something today, they need those two to click. Ecuador - Their best World Cup ever was 2006 when they got knocked out by a very boring England side in the last 16. Ranked 46th in the world. You will probably recognise their best player, Brighton's Moises Caicedo. Licence fee funded STAT TV Coverage In the UK we're getting commentary from generic BBC commentator Steve Bower and Homes Under The Hammer presenter Dion Dublin. In addition, if you have a 4K TV you can watch it all LIVE in 4K via the BBC iPlayer. Controversial Why is this World Cup so controversial? Watch this Ros Atkins video Edited November 20, 2022 by Coulthard's Jaw 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dafuge Posted November 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 20, 2022 Today I feel Ecuadorian 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coulthard's Jaw Posted November 20, 2022 Author Share Posted November 20, 2022 Opening Matches There have been some classic ones down the years: Find the goalkeeping on this so dodgy if something like this happens today Scotland France such a mess in 2002. tbh, opening games not been the same since they moved to the host playing in them rather than the defending champions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Confused Clarity Posted November 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 20, 2022 13 minutes ago, dafuge said: Today I feel Ecuadorian Prepare by learning their national anthem. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltaroad Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Lets see how many penalities they get. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltaroad Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Are we getting an opening ceremony? Or is that banned? boycotted? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMLF Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 1 minute ago, Deltaroad said: Are we getting an opening ceremony? Or is that banned? boycotted? Vamos Ecuador! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunmaN1905 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Will probably be a bit late, but I can't see Qatar getting a single point without refereeing assistance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthahols_for_Girls Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Lump on Qatar the fix is in (allegedly) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1981 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Maybe very slightly torn on this. Try and park all the off the pitch stuff and focus on what it means to the Qatari players... still a huge deal to represent your country in its first World Cup. And they have shown enough in the Asian Cups and friendlies to suggest that they aren’t complete no hopers. But then. Any success they have on the pitch and it legitimises the whole mess and gives the Qatari backers something to cheer. On that basis quite happy to see them pumped 10-0 in all three matches. And Ecuador look decent this year. Qualified well. Think they will get through this group quite comfortably, especially now Senegal are missing Mane. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Moores Mum Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 (edited) Still not getting the usual excitement. Too much about this tournament that's dampened spirits. Hoping that will change once things kick off. Even worse when I think I'll be sat on my own watching the England game tomorrow. That said, never wanted a host nation to get humped quite as much as Qatar. Edited November 20, 2022 by ginnybob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weezer Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Would love to see Qatar get pumped in the opening game. Probably going to be 1-1 though, nice friendly handshake behind closed doors nobody loses face and both teams can continue the tournament from here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Moores Mum Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 1 minute ago, Weezer said: Would love to see Qatar get pumped in the opening game. Probably going to be 1-1 though, nice friendly handshake behind closed doors nobody loses face and both teams can continue the tournament from here. Yeah, a cagey draw wouldn't rouse too many suspicions for an opener. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weezer Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 They'll be a bit more subtle about it than Russia Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 1 hour ago, GunmaN1905 said: Will probably be a bit late, but I can't see Qatar getting a single point without refereeing assistance. They're arguably the fifth best team in Asia but have generally done well in recent years. Wouldn't be a massive shock, tbh. They are ranked 50th in the world now, South Africa were 83rd or so when they hosted it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
decapitated Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Ecuador fans arriving. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_jagster Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 I'm still not sure why Dublin is still a pundit, hasn't played for 15-20 years and doesn't really say anything. For MOTD they can at least say ex-United player, he's pleasant enough I guess. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthCoastRed Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 4 minutes ago, decapitated said: Ecuador fans arriving. All 7 of them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 with opening matches, game itself was a decent one but Torsten Frings' goal for Germany was a cracker in 2006 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallen Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 15 minutes ago, The_jagster said: I'm still not sure why Dublin is still a pundit, hasn't played for 15-20 years and doesn't really say anything. For MOTD they can at least say ex-United player, he's pleasant enough I guess. he’s incredibly lazy in his analysis. No research or anything just… vibes. Probably my least favourite tv pundit. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartwork Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Weird to think Senegal only made their WC debut in 2002. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartwork Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 19 minutes ago, SouthCoastRed said: All 7 of them? The rest are on their way from Pakistan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_jagster Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 On the match itself I'd like to see Ecuador win comfortably. Then again I didn't want Russia to do anything but then thought it was brilliant when they knocked out Spain 🙃 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baptista_8 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 14 minutes ago, Smallen said: he’s incredibly lazy in his analysis. No research or anything just… vibes. Probably my least favourite tv pundit. Yeah, he's so, so bad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Failey Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 0-0 borefest probably Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Failey Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunmaN1905 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Looking at the entire first matchday schedule, it's just underwhelming. Brazil-Serbis being the strongest matchup, says enough. Can't wait for 48 teams WC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_jagster Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 5 minutes ago, Chase Failey said: 0-0 borefest probably Not that unlikely 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aitutaki Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Opening match should be the defending champions, not the hosts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalkSport Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Qatar win. Don’t spend £180bn on hosting and not bribe certain people to get the points needed in the group stages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Won't be a great opening game. Can imagine both teams will be very nervous. Qatar aren't as bad as some people think, and I reckon they scrape a 1-0 win - with or without a Nishimura-esque referee. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_ Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 This all just feels wrong. Still watching though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1981 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 WORLD CUP FACT-WATCH Qatar are the first World Cup debutant in an opening game since Senegal in 2002. If you exclude the very earliest WCs in the 1930s, they are the first country to host a tournament without ever qualifying previously. First target for Qatar is to avoid the ignominy of being 'Worst Ever Host Nation'. Currently this is South Africa (2010) - a Group Stage exit but with four points on the board. Ecuador were absent in 2018, so only three survivors in the squad from their last campaign in 2014; these are Enner Valencia, Alexander Dominguez and Carlos Gruezo. All three are going into their second WC, so there is nobody this year that can match the record of three WCs for Ecuador - this record is held by Edison Mendez (2002, 2006, 2014). However Enner Valencia only needs one goal to hold the outright record of 'Most World Cup Goals' for Ecuador - currently he shares this with Agustín Delgado (3). 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthCoastRed Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 1 minute ago, Rob1981 said: currently he shares this with Agustín Delgado (3). Ah, the lesser spotted, seldom noticed Delgado monster. One magnificent goal, and a million brilliant one liners from Gordon Strachan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigcwwe Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Hope Qatar get pumped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1981 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Barney is in position. Looks pretty full already. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalkSport Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Considering there's **** all around, probably rare time you want to be in stadium as soon as the gates open. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_ Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 The ******** has begun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_ Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Not entirely sure what I'm watching. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartwork Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 2 minutes ago, Andrew_ said: Not entirely sure what I'm watching. A load of celebrities selling out for serious bank. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
git2thachoppa Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Qatar 2 - 0 Ecuador, but I admit I know nothing about Ecuador other than they're boring boring Ecuador (sorry Ecuadorians). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Have Qatar literally brought back every mascot and every theme tune from every past World Cup for this ceremony? Are they bringing out all the old World Cup stars too? "Lucien Laurent scored the first ever World Cup goal in 1930... AND HE'S HERE TONIGHT!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
git2thachoppa Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 What in the **** was that intro? Worst World Cup tv intro ever? What WAS that? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 BBC with a decent VT at the start, to be fair. (But the less said about the intro titles, the better. Vomit.) And a reminder that Blatter actually awarded "the 2-22 World Cup" to Qatar. We've been calling this whole tournament wrong the whole time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1981 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Just now, git2thachoppa said: Worst World Cup tv intro ever? What WAS that? Suspect they have gone out of their way to not “celebrate” Qatari culture in the way they normally would with the host nation? So the titles are simple. Just WC goals and big players, but not having them juxtaposed with deserts and camels and massive infrastructure projects. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1981 Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 How are they already talking about Gareth’s team selection? Give us something on Qatar and Ecuador ffs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weezer Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Just now, Rob1981 said: How are they already talking about Gareth’s team selection? Give us something on Qatar and Ecuador ffs. This is why World Cups are always better when we're not there. I ****ing hate the England chat before, during and after every single game at the tournament. I want to hear about the actual game being played. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalkSport Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 Just now, Rob1981 said: How are they already talking about Gareth’s team selection? Give us something on Qatar and Ecuador ffs. It's not a major tournament if 5 mins is only spent on actual game, rest on discussions about England and interviews about England. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
git2thachoppa Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 4 minutes ago, Rob1981 said: Suspect they have gone out of their way to not “celebrate” Qatari culture in the way they normally would with the host nation? So the titles are simple. Just WC goals and big players, but not having them juxtaposed with deserts and camels and massive infrastructure projects. My problem was the visuals and the bizarre 'music' which sounded like a 9-year-old discovering the button on a keyboard that says a quote. I would say it was straight out of the 90s but that's an insult to the 90s, it was just horrible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted November 20, 2022 Share Posted November 20, 2022 The BBC will spend 30 minutes talking about England and Wales, and about three minutes talking about Qatar and Ecuador. You just know it. Always happens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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