Exactly !!! there would be a lot of old white dudes celebrating mind you, like me...lol....but we'd be joined by people from every little small town in this province and beyond! Lol, would make the Raptors( and I like them) celebration look small in comparison...provincial, if not National, holiday declared !
I predict a 3-2 Portugal win with the luckiest CR7 hatrick in the last 5 minutes vs a tired Turkish side.
I'm halfway there with you, but talent shows up so it should be moot. Been waiting for easy blowout wins for years. Where are they? If we're so talented, how come the average never swings the other way besides 0-1 or ties? I hate having to rely on foreign leagues to "train properly" our players. We need a Luso Phil Jackson type to coach.
Yeah, not to pile on, but a Leafs win is the ultimate Toronto event. I went to the Boston parade in 2004 when they won the World Series after 86 years, I saw it. City shut down. Toronto is a hockey town at root.
Lose-lose situation we put ourselves in. If we lose, we don't qualify for the World Cup. If we win, Santos stays and our performance at the WC will most likely be a complete disaster. We're screwed either way. Santos needed to be sacked after Euro.
No it isn’t. It’s not 1990 Anymore. Toronto demographics are changed. Raptors win was huge and would outclass any leafs win. Leafs win would just be boomers celebrating on their porch and not having energy to drive 2-3 hours into the “city”. It’s mostly only white people who care about the leafs and the Raptors are much more popular with younger people.
To think Portugal could miss out on a FIFA World Cup for the first time since France 1998, because it could happen. I mean if you guys beat Turkey and then Italy beats North Macedonia, you guys face Italy in the Path C Final. But then you guys are the home team so that should give you guys an advantage. But you guys did lose to Serbia at home which put you guys in this playoff position to begin with. Had you guys won that game, it would be Serbia in the playoff instead of you guys. I can't imagine a World Cup without Ronaldo being there. Which is why I hope you guys win Path C to get to Qatar.
I actually liked hockey more as a kid in the 90s than I do now. But the Leafs have a fundamental issue, and I'm not even talking about how they sucked for much of the late 2000s and early 2010s. It's that they made being a fan increasingly distant and difficult to relate for the everyday average Joe. Leafs tickets are crazy expensive and most get reserved by the major corporations on Bay Street to treat their employees or clients to a game. NHL as a league and hockey as a sport has stagnated too. The league tries to tinker a lot to grow the game in different cities in the US, and change the rules of the game to get more high scoring. Because they know it's getting tougher to compete with the NBA. While in the US, the NFL will always be a juggernaut regardless. The Raptors' popularity grew because it appeals to the multicultural fan base in the city now. And they actually have competent management now compared to how they used to be like a decade of so ago.
But besides that, back to Portugal, they have no one to blame except themselves for putting themselves into this situation to begin with.
We came super close to losing that game in Algarve to Ireland. I don't think the home field advantage will help us in the playoffs. My focus is the game against Turkey. If we get by that game we have a real shot beating Italy. Turkey is unpredictable while Italy will play their predictable style of football, rock solid defense and will pounce on a mistake.
My concern will be penalties against Italy, I can see this game going scoreless. I will never survive this penalty shootout.
As much as we blame Santos, the players can’t escape all the blame. I’m watching Liverpool and jota already has two goals. He seems to keep scoring for them but in that game against Serbia he was utter trash.
Wow these guys in the main thread are really Saying that the Serbia refereeing decision has no bearing on the result of us dropping to the playoffs. SMH
It's almost 2022 how is there no technology in every game? This isn't Qatar 3rd division this is a FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER. If your stadium can't support the technology then you shouldn't be able to host a match as important as a qualifier. Move it to the nearest stadium that supports it, or forfeit your privilege to host the match. Get with the times.
I hope you are right and I know you are backing us. I know Italy won the euros but Portugal imo has the better team objectively and we won the previous euros and nations league. The problem is Santos still hasn’t figured out his tactics and isn’t able to get the best out of the team. Even without Ronaldo, we have Ruben Dias, Cancelo, Pepe, Bernardo Silva, jota , Bruno fernandes, Rafael Leao, Andre Silva , Nuno mendes, palhinha , Joao Mario , Pedro goncalves who still hasn’t had a chance but he’s a goal scorer we beat Italy the last two times we played them and that was without Ronaldo. Italy has probably Looked slightly worse than Portugal has since the euros imo. we can’t look past Turkey though
In hindsight it would have been better if they lost one of those games to Ireland, they would have been forced to go for the win in the last game against Serbia.