Group K's General Discussion Thread

Hey let's no disrespect those crazy goal attempts they had at least once in both games. They couldn't do much but there is something there. Maybe not for this world cup but I wouldn't be surprised if they qualified next world cup.

 

Haiti hasn’t looked particularly bad in any of their games. In fact they looked way better than Scotland for most of their match

 

Exactly. Freaking Cannavaro, man. UZB fed screwed its own team by hiring such a substandard coach.

UZB famous retired players were fuming in the stands, as that team tied 0-0 with VEN back in March 2026.

Hope that UZB learn their lesson.

 

Uzbekistan tied up the game with Colombia, a dark horse team, in the second half. Haiti hasn't scored a single goal. How is that putting up more of a fight?

Uzbekistan also was one of the best teams in Asian qualifying, qualifying directly. Miss me with this revisionist nonsense.

 

Honestly though, if you saw how they equalized against us, you would see why it wasn't as reliant on their skill as much as luck. But they still had surprisingly amazing attempts from long range.

 

Man, this is the Colombia that whipped my USMNT's --- 5-1 two years ago. They look spectacular, good on DR Congo for somehow inexplicably keeping it at 0-0 for a half an hour, I have no idea how they've done it, but they've done it, for now, this feels like a multitool Colombia win. As much as I love DR Congo, I think Colombia is winning the group and gonna mash in this game. Hope I'm wrong on the latter, but right on the former.

 

Playing great.
Just need to score some goals.

 

Can't help but wonder if this is the best team DR Congo has ever played, or at least played since Senegal was much younger. Colombia was for most of it, the best team at Copa America '24. Better than Argentina or Brazil. They lost in the final to Argentina, but they pushed it to extra time and were pretty unlucky to lose. When they are on, this team is the best side in South America. I don't think DR Congo has faced anything like them, and they (and their keeper in particular) did a marvelous job to somehow inexplicably keep it 0-0 at the half).

 

I had some nice little bets on Colombia taking this group, and I think Portugal is going to need a miracle to take the group over them, maybe they can, but I'm skeptical.

 

PENAL!

Edit: ******** you ref! Make your decision clearer!

 

God that was beyond frustrating. I understand somewhat why Portugal had trouble with them but we have to blame ourselves for not properly getting actual goals.

 

Colombia much better team, they look very dangerous at times, but they do crumble mentally, theres no need to suffer this much when being clearly the better team

 

Just happy to get the three points.

Miami is going to be loud and rocking with yellow shirts.
Cannot wait.

 

Most of the fans were Mexicans

 

• Ronaldo has scored in six different World Cups (2006–2026), something no one else has done.
• Penalties and free kicks count. You don’t get to erase goals because you didn’t like how they were scored.
• Judging a player only by goals ignores his overall performances, chance creation, leadership, and Portugal’s style of play.
• Many of the players you listed played fewer World Cups or in stronger attacking teams, so goals-per-game alone isn’t a complete comparison.
• Ronaldo isn’t the greatest World Cup player ever—that argument belongs to players like Messi, Klose, or R9—but using only selective stats doesn’t prove he’s overrated either.

You can criticize Ronaldo’s World Cup record without pretending his achievements don’t exist.

 

- This is not a significant stat. He along with Messi is the only one who played 6 to begin with. And messi just did not score in 1, though arguably played better than Cristiano in it. Nobody is doubting his work ethic and longevity. We are discussing his peak quality here.
- Nobody is saying they don't count, but when you take them all, that is an advantage and your goal:game ratio should reflect that. If many of the players I compared him with had that opportunity, they would have had a higher goal:game ratio.
- Yes, but as a striker goals:game ratio is important. I also did not see Cristiano do anything even remotely at the level of Xavi or Iniesta for example in terms of creating goals for his team.
- Playing for Portugal is considered a strong attacking team. I included a variety of players, including even midfielders for teams weaker than Portugal. Also, in many games Cristiano had Portugal playing for him, very few players,, even out and out strikers, had this luxury.
- When you play 6 world cups and over 20 games with a team like Portugal, and you are barely world class/really inconsistent, that is an indicator that overall you are overrated. He had more than enough chances in the world cup: he just couldn't reach the level of the greats, despite the team build built around him for many matches. Yet he is talked about as if he is the same level as the all time greats. But statpadding and longevity is not the same thing as peak quality. A lot more strikers could have achieved his stats for club if they tried as hard in meaningless matches against weak teams when the game was already won, or if they got to take every penalty and free kick and had the entire team play for their individual goals 90 mins a game. We saw the likes of Lewandowski, Suarez, Benzema, even Higuain for example reaching such stats, but they did not do it for a decade because of the aforementioned points.

 

You’re entitled to rate Ronaldo’s World Cup performances below players like Messi, R9 or Klose. That’s a fair football opinion.

Where I disagree is when you start assuming what other players “would have done” if they had every penalty, or that Ronaldo’s club numbers are mostly “stat-padding.” That’s hypothetical, not evidence.

Every elite striker scores against weaker opposition. Messi, Lewandowski, Suarez, Benzema, Haaland and Mbappé have all scored plenty in one-sided games. Those goals still count.

As for Portugal being built around Ronaldo, that’s what happens when you’re the team’s best player for over a decade. The same was true of Messi with Argentina for years.

Ronaldo’s World Cup record isn’t the strongest part of his career, but judging a player with 900+ goals, five Ballons d’Or, five Champions Leagues, a European Championship and a Nations League mainly on one tournament ignores the bigger picture. You don’t have to think he’s the GOAT, but calling him “barely world class” at World Cups doesn’t make him overrated overall.