The Mexicans basically beat themselves. Their keepers couldn't stop anything—they practically handed over easy goals and penalties on a silver platter. Honestly, losing by just two points is almost a decent result for them given how badly they played. Canada is going to get knocked out by the French without much trouble, especially since those guys will be playing at half strength by then.
The easiest draw we've ever had. First, the easiest group possible, then the easiest opponent in the round of 16. Looking at the odds, it's Sweden-Poland in one bracket and Qatar-Austria-Germany-Egypt in the other 🙏
We finally know half the knockout bracket—the teams coming out of groups A and B. Among them is America, and we're set to face Brazil. Right now, the matchup between North Mexico and Canada looks like the most unpredictable one. Spain is a massive favorite against Tunis, while the hosts have a slight edge over Austria.
As for the wildcards, D1 is almost certainly going to be Germany. That only changes if they fail to beat Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, Denmark plays Poland; the winner moves to D2 and the loser drops to D3. D4 will be either Russia or Argentina. France and Sweden will split positions C1 and C2, while Egypt, Iceland, and the Czech Republic are still fighting for C3 and C4 . Egypt has already secured a spot, so it's just about where they land, whereas the Czech Republic is praying for an Icelandic slip-up to snag the C4 spot.
analogheron19 said:The only way forward is through the media—nothing else matters. We need to flood every news site out there with links about those corrupt cops and their political buddies. Like I said, they protect them, fix their tickets, handle their bans, and clear their paths... m You're screwed if you turn your back on the press.
I didn't expect the odds on Norway to be this high. They’re clearly desperate to lock in their spot for the Euros, and they can't afford any slip-ups. Between them and Bulgaria, a loss against Malta or Azerbaijan would basically end their season. Their national team and club scene are both sliding downhill lately, and their striker is someone who scores maybe once a year. Still, they shouldn't drop points here. If you're feeling gutsy, try the handicap (2.10). Malta lost every single home game in the last World Cup qualifiers.
Do you honestly think we're on call 24/7 just so someone can hand out a ban within eight minutes? That user was sanctioned the second I spotted the post; I’m sure the rest of the mods would've done the same, there just wasn't anyone online at that exact moment.
My bad, you're right. After that post went up, I warned everyone that any more off-topic nonsense would result in a penalty, and I ended up handing out warnings to two users who were just quoting and replying to him. As for those bringing up Mike, I think that kind of logic is twisted—just like how I find anyone defending Usain Bolt to be equally warped. I still respect their right to an opinion, even if I think they're wrong. If the rest of you feel like people should be penalized, go ahead, I won't stop you, but personally, I don't think it warrants a strike.
The first post was clearly just trolling, but the rest aren't. Just because someone has a twisted way of thinking doesn't mean they deserve a ban in my book. If any of you guys disagree, go ahead. I won't make a scene.
If I recall correctly, the game should be open to the public. Still, I’m backing the Miami Heat here—those guys from Ukraine didn't really show much in the first leg. If Miami plays like they did last time and Coach Spoelson is on his game, they should cruise through, maybe even without dropping a game.
jadewolf16 said:Tartu vs Sant(h1:0)-Tromsø 1X @ 3,20
They’re playing in the third tier, but don't let that fool you—quality-wise, they’re basically mid-table for a top flight. Tromsø is dead set on their goals this season, specifically getting back to the first division, and nothing else matters to them right now. Plus, the pitch at Sant's place is a total disaster; it's full of bumps and uneven spots everywhere. Expect slow play. It’s a solid value bet that Tromsø won't win by more than one goal.
Sure, they're crushing it in the third division with a 16:1 record and a 65:7 goal difference, but I wouldn't go heavy on that 1X bet. Teams in the Baltic region are improving every year, yet their top leagues still struggle with a few clubs that lose by multiple goals every single match. Tromsø played in EL last year, and even though they're technically in the second tier, I think their runner-up finish in Norway carries way more weight than finishing third in the Estonian top flight. Just be careful.
Adam Long8 said:So they scheduled the games for the next day, which would have definitely prevented the chaos. Brilliant logic there.
Neither of us knows for sure, but maybe we wouldn't be dealing with this mess if...
Gary Smith66 said:The guys can fight among themselves all they want, but if it's true what these vultures in the media are reporting—that some random bystander got caught in the crossfire and traffic was shut down—then it's a total disaster. No matter how you look at it, there's no excuse.
Anyway, there's just no justifying something like this.
The USA is basically a punching bag; they have this habit of playing tight games and losing by two, sometimes even one, though that’s rare. Moldova is on a downward slide and isn't nearly as strong as they were a few years back when they were ranked around 50th in the world. They’ve played three matches this year against Norway, Poland, and Sweden, losing all of them by a single goal—though on ESPN, it looked like they only really struggled against the Poles. Before that, they beat San Marino 3-0, crushed Mexico 5-2 away, and drew 1-1 at home against Lithuania. Meanwhile, the USA hasn't scored a single goal in their last four matches. This high odd is probably because of that match in Chisinau last August that ended in a 1-1 draw. I highly doubt Moldova is going to slip up against a team like this twice.
The worst part, if I'm not mistaken, is that we gave the Swedes the final possession to just stroll in and score, and now we can't even agree on who takes the last shot. It's pathetic.
Anyway, the Golden State Warriors are pros at this kind of math—they'll call a timeout with 5 seconds left when they're up by 9 just to tweak the point spread.😁
Jonathan Barnes5 said:Yeah, but they'd end up in the Dance if the circle closes because the Swedes would have a win over them and take first place..
Not true. We, the Frenchmen, and the Swedes will all be stuck in a three-way tie with a 1-1-1 record. It'll come down to goal difference, and the Frenchmen would jump ahead to first place with a +1 win, leaving Dance behind.
I wouldn't say Sweden had a truly terrible night. Sure, they were a bit sluggish on offense during parts of the game—they definitely could have been sharper there—but overall, they played pretty solid, and their goalie was clearly in the zone. If the Swedes play at their peak and France doesn't bring their A-game, I think they can absolutely make it out of this group. They aren't lagging as far behind as people think.
