velvetcrane85 said:How can you even argue that? Between Rinat Dasayev and that Belgian guy—I’ll just call him Faf since I can't recall his full name—we're looking at the absolute best goalkeeper of the eighties, hands down.
Yeah, exactly—you can't talk about Pfaff without also giving credit to Bats. 😉 Even if you look at Peter Shilton—though we all know Diego Maradona basically tore him apart in Mexico without even trying—he’s been totally washed ever since. 😁
Inace, Van Basten didn't even start that first game against the USSR—the one the Dutch ended up losing. They actually had Vanenburg leading the charge up front alongside Bosman. It wasn't until they faced the English that Marco got the nod from the opening whistle, where he absolutely tore it up with a hat trick before heading to the bench late in the match.
The Soviets had an absolutely rock-solid defense ahead of Rinat Dasayev—you had Chidijatulin playing sweeper, plus Besonov, Damjanenko, and Kuznetsov. It was a tough unit to break down. It seems like the Irish only managed to scrape together a single point before they went on that wild run all the way to the finals. They were out there taking down the Netherlands, the English, and the Italians. Then, just when everyone expected them to go toe-to-toe with the Dutch for a second time, they got absolutely leveled by Gullit and Van Basten.
Yeah, you had Belanov and Protasov up front, and if I remember right, the legendary Rinat Dasayev was the one guarding the net. That guy was incredible; people were actually calling him the successor to Jairzinho. Of course, Lobanovskyi just packed the Soviet national team with his best players from Dynamo Kyiv, and honestly, he wasn't wrong. During those years, Dynamo Kyiv was easily one of the top European teams.
Back in the eighties, Eastern Europe actually produced some absolute powerhouses. Take Steaua Bucharest, for example—they were tearing through Europe. After Red Star Mexico City, I don't think any other Eastern European club ever truly struck fear into the hearts of the rest of the continent.
velvetcrane85 said:So we've got Van Aerle, Van Tiggelen, Muhren, Vanenburg, Wim Kieft, Wouters, and Erwin Koeman. Man, that brings back memories—it’s like listening to one of those old classic albums you used to keep tucked away at home. But hey, do you even remember the beginning? Van Basten wasn't even in the starting eleven to begin with.
I think he was dealing with some kind of injury right at the start—I can't say for sure. But as the tournament progressed, Marco just kept getting more and more dangerous.
The one match from that tournament that really sticks in my mind is Italy vs Spain. I remember watching it while I was down in Dubrovnik; everyone else was rooting for the Italians, but I was standing there alone, pulling for Spain. 😁 We were sitting in a local diner watching the game, and man, things got absolutely heated. It was pure chaos. Everyone was obsessed with watching Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Russia back then. There was just something about them that everyone absolutely loved at the time.
I’m old enough to actually remember how the Netherlands played during the European Championship back in '88. It was something else, truly incredible. You had Gullit, then Marco, then Rijkaard, and Kuman.
You see it often on Eurosport—that style from Cruyff’s Netherlands or Kasperchakov’s Poland. That is what football is supposed to be.
Sean Nguyen4 said:The Spanish league would be the best move right now.
Exactly. I was watching Valencia vs Betis last night—what an absolute cracker. Honestly, Valencia hit the woodwork more times in that match than Milan managed to even get a shot into Inter's penalty area. 😁
But hey, what can you do when the masses are so obsessed with that Spanish style of play?
The Red Army absolutely crushed them. Honestly, those Ukrainians played even worse than some mid-tier team from the US major leagues. Their players couldn't even control a basic pass without it flying out of bounds; they had zero creativity. The entire game plan was just mindless long balls thrown into the box, praying for a lucky break.
Am I crazy, or was that the year Ronaldo basically invented (or perfected) the bicycle kick? 🙂
When he was wearing that blue and red kit, Ronaldo was easily the best striker of the last decade—at least if you ask me. Injuries and groin issues eventually caught up with him, and sure, he’s still solid today, but he hasn't touched the heights he reached back then.
That might also be the last Real Madrid squad I actually enjoyed watching. Probably because we had Davor Šuker and Predrag Mijatović. This modern era where they focus so much on being a fashion runway for guys like David Beckham? Honestly, it makes me sick.
Black Knights said:Seriously, give it a rest. I’m sick of you trying to act superior. Yeah, there’s going to be a celebration—both Chicago and the entire US will be celebrating because they grabbed second place!
Silver, man. Pure silver. We pulled that off with a hospital ward for a roster, players playing through constant injuries, and refs who clearly didn't have a clue what they were doing. Honestly, finishing in second place under those conditions is nothing short of a miracle.
Come on, don't be so stingy. We should probably give the guys from Canada a shout-out too, 😉 considering they actually pulled off finishing in twelfth place. 😁
Black Knights said:Vanja, it’s not about us taking silver; it’s about how we got here. Showing up like that in a World Championship final is just embarrassing... 🙂 Honestly, I’d take bronze over a performance like that any day!
I don't know. Let them figure out for themselves why they played like that in a major championship final.
Instead of putting up a real fight, they looked like kids playing a game. My neighbors back home could have put together a better showing than that.
As far as I'm concerned, they're the best in the world. If anything, this loss just gave them more fuel to make sure the Spaniards eat them for breakfast next time. 🙂
Give it a year, and you'll have Sulic there, plus a much more experienced and polished Buntic—who'll be a fresh signing for the European champion Brewery Lasko Ivankovic—maybe even Valcic too. We’re talking a squad that's significantly stronger and better than before.
It's about time we go out there and grab that medal.🙂
Kroll said:It’s such an injustice that the Spaniards win everything when they play handball with the same level of passion Italians bring to soccer. You guys are just like us Americans. You're like a cow that gives ten liters of milk and then kicks the bucket just to spill it all over the floor. Screw all of us.
Give me a break. We took silver; you can't be gold every single time.
Why all this delusions of grandeur?
We've got the next EP coming up, and maybe we'll take that one too. 🙂