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

[GunmaN1905]

Cristiano didn't get the oldest goalscorer record.

Time to prepare for 2028.

[Smallen]

so it's looking like we're getting revenge on the French in the final then. Get in.

[av3ry]

Started guessing which way the penalties were going. Got 7/9. The last one sent me the wrong way and Dembele down the middle.

[EnterUsernameHere]

No tears since Cristiano scored his penalty. What a clown.

[Lucas]

Theo Hernandez has been great for France this tournament. 

[Freakiie]

Saved energy for 120 minutes to be able to take good penalties.

[Haguey]

Just now, Smallen said:

so it's looking like we're getting revenge on the French in the final then. Get in.

France grind out Spain, we cruise through, Mbappe CROCKED, it's so obvious to me

[GunmaN1905]

Just now, Lucas said:

Theo Hernandez has been great for France this tournament. 

I was just about to write that it's criminal Deschamps doesn't allow him any freedom to push forward with the lack of creativity in their midfield.

Camaving and Tchouameni can easily cover for him.

Such a sterile side and yet they're going to win it all.

[Astafjevs]

France to win this tournament without scoring a single goal from open play would be cult

[Smallen]

1 minute ago, Haguey said:

I'm not sure he can even go to the next world cup tbf

[grff]

Ronaldo not liking being filmed

[Darren Moores Mum]

Can't believe France are going to win the lot not scoring a goal from open play.

[Haguey]

No not Pepe tears

[Smaldini]

Sad Pepe 

[Rio_V]

Just now, Haguey said:

No not Pepe tears

I feel like he retired as many times as the Who. Enough already. 

[EnterUsernameHere]

Is it confirmed that Cristiano chose to go second? If so, it's top class that he cost them yet again.

[Darius1998]

3 minutes ago, Lucas said:

Theo Hernandez has been great for France this tournament. 

I'm sure Deschamps would have started his brother over him if he was available. 

[Freakiie]

2 minutes ago, EnterUsernameHere said:

Is it confirmed that Cristiano chose to go second? If so, it's top class that he cost them yet again.

But Ronaldo was their first taker?

[Pukey]

3 minutes ago, Darren Moores Mum said:

Can't believe France are going to win the lot not scoring a goal from open play.

Imagine Huddersfield 2017ing your way to the euros ffs

[Pukey]

Just now, Freakiie said:

But Ronaldo was their first taker?

France took the first penalty is what he means.

[Freakiie]

Just now, Pukey said:

France took the first penalty is what he means.

Oh, Portugal won the toss? Wasn't paying attention to that part.

Kinda silly to pick second then, seeing how the odds generally massively favor the team going first.

[georginho_juventusygr]

With Portugal out, I'm supporting ENGLAND.

[EnterUsernameHere]

4 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

Oh, Portugal won the toss? Wasn't paying attention to that part.

Kinda silly to pick second then, seeing how the odds generally massively favor the team going first.

Yeah, commentators said that at least but it seemed like an odd choice.

[av3ry]

9 minutes ago, georginho_juventusygr said:

With Portugal out, I'm supporting ENGLAND.

You'll be moaning about our lot not playing with enough passion after about 5 minutes tomorrow 

[XuluBak]

33 minutes ago, Freakiie said:

Oh, Portugal won the toss? Wasn't paying attention to that part.

Kinda silly to pick second then, seeing how the odds generally massively favor the team going first.

 

28 minutes ago, EnterUsernameHere said:

Yeah, commentators said that at least but it seemed like an odd choice.

Generally you wanna kick first to keep pressure to the other side, but with Slovakia going 0/3 vs Diogo Costa, and Ronaldo going first, maybe Portugal thought that’d shift the pressure to France. Idk. Kinda doubt Ronaldo made that choice unilaterally.

[ceefax the cat]

With pens in general... I know it can't be easy to take a pen under pressure but.... basically, if you hit it quite hard, above waist height and into anything like the sides of the goal - like 25% of the goal to aim at either side - then it's going in. Doesn't have to be the very corner, just more or less into the side netting. Hit it low or down the middle and you're taking a waaaaay bigger risk. Why doesn't everybody just practice crossing it into the top corners, ish? Firmly hit, 5 - 6 ft off the floor, somewhere that isn't the middle = goal, almost every time. The harder you hit it, the more central you can go, as long as you go above waist height.

Surely just take a cross or free kick, aiming into the sides of the goal, with a bit of margin of error built in. No need to go in off the post or tuck it right in the top bin or be Kevin Pressman, just strike it as you would to beat the first defender from a corner, skim it over the wall from a free kick, or cross to a teammate standing at the post. Obviously a lot of pens get hit at mid-height, halfway to one side, out of pure fear, but that can only be from lack of practice. Nobody would ever practice a penalty like that.

Most players who are on pens for their clubs end up cultivating one of two techniques: 1 - wait for the keeper and pass it in. 2 - clip it hard enough into the corner that nobody could possibly stop it. If you're some random fullback and you know you might have to take one in a shootout (and in a tournament you are surely a bit of a mug if you don't at least think about it), then surely you go for option 2, and just for good measure make sure it goes in the top half of the goal somewhere.

Again, I know it must be terrifying, and so tempting to hit it central-ish on your natural side etc, but you know that's a crap idea and you know you should do something else, so at that level why not practice it? I think in 10 years the level of penalty taking will be way higher as it becomes clearer and clearer that, if you want to win a major tournament, you're going to have to take at least one.

 

Edited July 5 by ceefax the cat

[ceefax the cat]

4 minutes ago, XuluBak said:

 

Generally you wanna kick first to keep pressure to the other side, but with Slovakia going 0/3 vs Diogo Costa, and Ronaldo going first, maybe Portugal thought that’d shift the pressure to France. Idk. Kinda doubt Ronaldo made that choice unilaterally.

iirc the ideal situation is kicking first, not in front of your own fans

[XuluBak]

48 minutes ago, GunmaN1905 said:

I was just about to write that it's criminal Deschamps doesn't allow him any freedom to push forward with the lack of creativity in their midfield.

Camaving and Tchouameni can easily cover for him.

Such a sterile side and yet they're going to win it all.

What makes it even stranger is Kounde is getting forward with regularity and it seems getting him involved is part of the plan. If you’re only pushing one forward, surely should be Theo. 

[Ackter]

How much did Cronaldo cry?

[noikeee]

This was our best game of the tournament in my opinion, I counted 4 good chances Vs 2 good chances for France, that's enough to make me "happy" with performance against a top team, even if France are misfiring at the moment.

We usually win penalty shootouts, so can't be mad at actually losing one because we've used up our luck so many times before.

It's probably not because of him that we lost today, but you never know what would've happened with someone fit instead: someone needs to grow a pair and tell Ronaldo it's time to go. It's becoming an absolute joke now.

Dunno who to root for now, as the one team that is playing well and feels like they deserve to win is Spain, but they'll revoke my nationality if I root for ****ing Spain.  Maybe the Netherlands.

[Wolf_pd]

Will Ronaldo continue until the 2026 WC?

[The_jagster]

Thought Vitinha and Nuno Mendes were good last night, keeping Ronaldo on for that long seemed a waste but I thought Portugal probably edged it, the Kolo Muani chance was the only time they were breached while they had a few good chances themselves.

Dembele was funny, may as well just be renamed No End Product because he looks good until the final ball.

[GunmaN1905]

11 hours ago, XuluBak said:

What makes it even stranger is Kounde is getting forward with regularity and it seems getting him involved is part of the plan. If you’re only pushing one forward, surely should be Theo. 

Yeah, I guess they wanted to attack the right side because Leao isn't exactly known for his work rate.

4 minutes ago, The_jagster said:

Dembele was funny, may as well just be renamed No End Product because he looks good until the final ball.

Dembele has no end product, but in this tournament he's their only player who constantly creates something to get to that potential end product.

Everyone else is just dull. Mbappe included.

[Weezer]

1 hour ago, Wolf_pd said:

Will Ronaldo continue until the 2026 WC?

Of course he will. He said this was his last Euros, not his last major tournament.

Whether he gets selected is another matter, he offered almost nothing here and another 2 years in the Saudi league is hardly going to sharpen him up.

[craigcwwe]

Really odd that Ronaldo chose for Portugal to kick second. 

[Baptista_8]

9 hours ago, noikeee said:

This was our best game of the tournament in my opinion, I counted 4 good chances Vs 2 good chances for France, that's enough to make me "happy" with performance against a top team, even if France are misfiring at the moment.

We usually win penalty shootouts, so can't be mad at actually losing one because we've used up our luck so many times before.

It's probably not because of him that we lost today, but you never know what would've happened with someone fit instead: someone needs to grow a pair and tell Ronaldo it's time to go. It's becoming an absolute joke now.

Dunno who to root for now, as the one team that is playing well and feels like they deserve to win is Spain, but they'll revoke my nationality if I root for ****ing Spain.  Maybe the Netherlands.

Join the Gareth gang

One of us...one of us...

[Baptista_8]

2 hours ago, Wolf_pd said:

Will Ronaldo continue until the 2026 WC?

Wouldn't surprise me

[SteveUK]

Hoping Portugal win the first World Cup after Ronaldo retires, would be funny

Edited July 6 by SteveUK