My big fear with a draw was that Iran would be in an advantageous position to sneak into the second round with 3 0-0 snoozers (if Bosnia-Nigeria is a draw). At least it is guaranteed that Iran has to score to advance now.
Yep, rooting for Iran has been my guilty pleasure. I was rooting for them in the AFC quals, because of their defending.
Nope, that would leave Iran and Bosnia even on 2 points, even on GD, Bosnia would advance on goals scored.
I love great defending. Watching great players get frustrated and people calling their missed shots "unlucky". Hard to put the ball on target when great defenders give you no window to get a shot.
Greetings. No, we don't fling around rhetoric like "haters" and "fanboys" in N+A. To get a feel for the forum, please read our zero-tolerance policy. Thanks.
hmm... not so sure if that was a penalty to be honest for Iran. There's one angle from behind the goal where it looks like a stone wall penalty. However, looking at other angles, Zabaleta does clip the ball first , and especially in real time, the ball clearly deflects/chips away as if the defender got to it first. The announcers on BeIn Sports seem to be adamant that it was a stone wall penalty, but it would be interesting to hear what certified refs have to say....
I think often people rush to judgements too much based on the first few games. There are several teams historically that start the tournament slowly and end up winning or going to the final (Spain in 2010, France in 2006). And squads that play very well early and bow out before going very deep in the tournament (Argentina 2006, Spain 2006, and Netherlands at Euro 2008). Its a long tournament, it does not matter a whole lot who is playing well now.
Allegiances are different then haters. I am openly critical of any player being elevated above the game and above the team. It has been proven time and time again that a great team with great tactics will beat a team of unorganized super stars. I love when it happens because it beings everyone back down to earth. This is a true team game. Messi is a fantastic player but he needs a team around him. Also can not stand players who refuse to play defense.
I use this argument all the time when people accuse teams of playing "anti-football". They don't get that the players are playing to win for themselves and their fans, not please the neutrals and opposition.
It's not the worst idea, but I'd rather not start the precedent of having PbP threads for other teams' games in US Men. This thread's been doing fine so far, so let's see if it can handle our collective Group G anxiety.
I'd love to see Messi bring these clutch goals to the Premier League, but it's never going to happen.
Normally I'd agree, but it's not like they were helpless with the ball. They put together a few really dangerous plays. They had a chance on an early corner, they had the late saved shot, and they had the pk flap. A draw was fair. I'm reminded of Pelegrini whining about Palace playing negative after getting a draw in mid season. Pellegrini's bench was worth somethign like 10x the entire Palace squad. WTF do you want Iran to do? They can't go toe to toe with almost anyone in the tournament. If they didn't play this way, they wouldn't have made it out of qualifying. In part, it's the mix of styles that make the game compelling. Quieroz is the perfect coach for this style. He's a great #2 for an attacking coach.
It's a tactic, certainly. But it's a simple tactic to come up with, and one that many weaker teams do. Executing it against a team like Argentina is difficult, though, and Iran did pretty well for most of the match. If I were to point to the best tactical defense in the World Cup, it would be Costa Rica's. Their defensive systems implemented in their two matches were more complex than what Iran was doing here, and even harder to execute, and yet they did it well. It can still be considered bunker and counter, but it was gorgeously done.
Alternative: how about a compromise and I'll do a thread refresh just before Ger-Gha so the first pages will be devoted to that game?