Quarter Final 2: Portugal vs France live from the Volksparkstadion. BBC1 8pm

[Freakiie]

xG 0.07 vs 0.08.

Sums up that first half basically.

[GunmaN1905]

2 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

xG 0.07 vs 0.08.

Sums up that first half basically.

Fernando Santos watching someone with a tear of joy in his eye.

[Rikulec]

I'm tired. Can we skip straight to penalties?

[Rob1981]

4 minutes ago, Pukey said:

I question how much the BBC pundits have been paying attention if they're genuinely surprised this is a boring game.

“But they’ve got all these top players, Gary! Mbappe, Griezmann, Ronaldo!”

Every time without fail. It’s like they have literally never watched an international tournament before.

[Darius1998]

Evra is dressed like someone who was dragged out of a nightclub to do football punditry.

[GunmaN1905]

4 minutes ago, Rob1981 said:

“But they’ve got all these top players, Gary! Mbappe, Griezmann, Ronaldo!”

Every time without fail. It’s like they have literally never watched an international tournament before.

France's only acutal playmaker is Griezmann. And he's Simeone's favorite player.

Kante-Tchouameni-Camavinga is as bad as it gets creativity wise on top level.

Mbappe tries to make something happen every time he gets the ball.

Portugal has Vitinha, Bruno, Bernardo, Leao, I'd expect them to create more and they kind of tried to be more progressive, but too scared of French counter.

[Pukey]

10 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

xG 0.07 vs 0.08.

Sums up that first half basically.

Sometimes xG gives a poor reflection of a game, but every now and then it tells you absolutely everything. This is definitely the latter. Every assumption someone could make based off that xG would be correct.

[EnterUsernameHere]

7 minutes ago, Rob1981 said:

“But they’ve got all these top players, Gary! Mbappe, Griezmann, Ronaldo!”

Every time without fail. It’s like they have literally never watched an international tournament before.

It's predictable but the reason it happens is there's too many awfully defensive managers at international level. The type you love to defend.

[Rob1981]

Just now, EnterUsernameHere said:

It's predictable but the reason it happens is there's too many awfully defensive managers at international level. The type you love to defend.

Because once you hit the business end of the tournament the teams are too evenly matched to take too many risks. But that’s what gives you the high stakes drama. Games settled by a split second’s indecision or a header going one side of the post and not the other.

If you want to watch 3-0 and 4-0 wins, stick to your club competitions that only a two or three teams can possibly win.

[Baptista_8]

Ronaldo's strops are hilarious. As soon as a cross is overhit my eyes are on him 

Edited July 5 by Baptista_8

[Lucas]

Just seems like a typical game where Portugal will bore their way to a win on pens. 

[Baptista_8]

Just now, Rob1981 said:

Because once you hit the business end of the tournament the teams are too evenly matched to take too many risks. But that’s what gives you the high stakes drama. Games settled by a split second’s indecision or a header going one side of the post and not the other.

If you want to watch 3-0 and 4-0 wins, stick to your club competitions that only a two or three teams can possibly win.

Germany VS Spain was tight but very entertaining as they both play positive football. It's not as simple as a 3 or 4-0 win or trash. There's a lot inbetween.

[Freakiie]

5 minutes ago, GunmaN1905 said:

France's only acutal playmaker is Griezmann. And he's Simeone's favorite player.

Kante-Tchouameni-Camavinga is as bad as it gets creativity wise on top level.

Mbappe tries to make something happen every time he gets the ball.

Portugal has Vitinha, Bruno, Bernardo, Leao, I'd expect them to create more and they kind of tried to be more progressive, but too scared of French counter.

Doesn't help that Griezmann has been in pretty poor form this tournament as well.

Then again, not like you can't find some French playmaking talent if you'd actually bothered looking for it, but Dechamps obviously won't.

[DJ]

A shot at goal! 

[Lucas]

16 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

xG 0.07 vs 0.08.

Sums up that first half basically.

I fell asleep for parts of the first half  

[EnterUsernameHere]

1 minute ago, Rob1981 said:

Because once you hit the business end of the tournament the teams are too evenly matched to take too many risks. But that’s what gives you the high stakes drama. Games settled by a split second’s indecision or a header going one side of the post and not the other.

If you want to watch 3-0 and 4-0 wins, stick to your club competitions that only a two or three teams can possibly win.

Such a negative take on football.

Champions league knockouts are high stakes too and you don't see as many managers **** the bed and park the bus.

It's not even just the "business end" anyway - Southgate, Deschamps and co do this from game 1.

[Darren Moores Mum]

Another attempted dive 

[Haguey]

Disgusting dive, book him

[The_jagster]

Why are pundits surprised players go to ground when they've taken an obviously bad touch?

[Freakiie]

How is that not a yellow for a dive, no contact whatsoever there.

[DJ]

Mendes escapes a yellow. VAR really should be able to inform the ref about such behaviour.

[Rick87]

Should have been booked for that blatant dive.

[Haguey]

I think Portugal have dived about 5 times as much as anyone else this tournament by this stage, cheaters

[Pukey]

Tbf, he did get up immediately and didn't try and claim for a penalty. Refs are never booking in those situations.

[Darius1998]

Come on Ninja Turtle, do something.

[GunmaN1905]

Somehow English ref manages to be the worst participant of this awful game.

[Rob1981]

1 minute ago, EnterUsernameHere said:

Such a negative take on football.

Champions league knockouts are high stakes too and you don't see as many managers **** the bed and park the bus.

Er, what? Four of the last five Champions League finals have finished 1-0  

I don’t mind these types of games anyway. You don’t need loads of goals to be gripped by the tension and the drama of it. It’s not me that’s moaning they are bored.

[Haguey]

Ooof sore one for Mbappe there

[CFuller]

Vitinha shows Oliver a yellow card. 

[Baptista_8]

1 minute ago, Rob1981 said:

Er, what? Four of the last five Champions League finals have finished 1-0  

I don’t mind these types of games anyway. You don’t need loads of goals to be gripped by the tension and the drama of it. It’s not me that’s moaning they are bored.

Does a 1-0 game = terrible football for you then? It's not about the final scoreline, it's the quality of football.

Edited July 5 by Baptista_8

[Vynal Seven]

Mask not much use. 

[EnterUsernameHere]

Why's that not a foul and yellow?

[av3ry]

Sounds like I am missing a classic.

[EnterUsernameHere]

2 minutes ago, Rob1981 said:

Er, what? Four of the last five Champions League finals have finished 1-0  

I don’t mind these types of games anyway. You don’t need loads of goals to be gripped by the tension and the drama of it. It’s not me that’s moaning they are bored.

What Baptista said, basically.

You're so results driven.

[dafuge]

You'd never see something like 7-1 in something like a World Cup semi final. 

[EnterUsernameHere]

Ah. They beat Gibraltar 14-0 so they aren't defensive.

Great BBC commentary.

[GunmaN1905]

Maybe there's just in modern NT football.

Spalletti and Nagelsmann were considered to be the best club level coaches in the tournament, both with trademark attacking football and while Germany did want to attack, it looked really poor and disjointed.
The less said about Italy, the better.

[EdBed]

2 minutes ago, dafuge said:

You'd never see something like 7-1 in something like a World Cup semi final. 

Or even a 3-3 in a final.

[Pukey]

An actual chance!

[Darius1998]

Nearly went out for a throw.

[Redshift]

Blimey

[Lucas]

Absolute carnage  

[Pukey]

Wow, Portugal really should be in front

[Rob1981]

7 minutes ago, Baptista_8 said:

Does a 1-0 game = terrible football for you then? It's not about the final scoreline, it's the quality of football.

I’ll watch 1-0s all day long. But people moan about international tournaments and wonder why these sides with loads of good players don’t just go and attack like they do for the clubs.

But in the later stages of a tournament every game is pretty much a toss of a coin. Whereas when they play for their clubs one team normally has a bigger advantage over the other. Plus the teams are used to playing together a lot more which helps.

Doesn’t mean the international tournaments aren’t still great. You just have to adjust your expectations about the type of football you are going to see.

Edited July 5 by Rob1981

[GunmaN1905]

That could actually be a foul, Maignan took out Cristiano before the ball.

[Freakiie]

What's this, actual chances.

[Baptista_8]

That's a foul from Maignan

[georginho_juventusygr]

Penalty!

[Haguey]

I think that could be a pen on Ronaldo...

[Redshift]

Portugal deserve something here.