Was it for concussions or was it for cuts? If it was cuts then there are two things to keep in mind: 1. The Icelandic team were very physical it their approach to the game. They were even more so than Norway. 2. The Nordic bone structure and relative lighter and thinner skin means that Nordic types cut easier than most other "rounder" races. So what would be to most people a simple knock can cut a person of Nordic ancestry. Would that be racial stereotyping? If so I apologize, as I am of Nordic ancestry, if I "insult" anyone it is me that I insult. I once received a cut requiring five stitches from a soccer ball hitting the side of my head and I had to wear a head band for the next four weeks when I played a match.
Lyon score in literally the first minute against Benfica. X-D I guess not much of a surprise, but that does take most of the excitement (about advancement questions) away quite quickly. And as much as the questions are mostly answered now, it is interesting to see how the group stage overall has played out. Sure, looks like we'll get two 6-0 group winners, but the other two group winners will have at most 4 wins each. Not enough good teams to expand the groups any more unless you really want to pad the competition out with teams from nations already well-represented.
They were from on-field head collisions. Just wrap it up and "how many fingers am I holding" and good to go back in.
When I played we were not required to be able to count. It was wrap it up and "can you stand?" and back out there and if you happened to be a goalkeeper they told you to "catch the ball in the middle" as your final instructions.
Also, it will be interesting to compare some of the predictions from early stages of the competition with the actual outcome of the groups: there is still Servette between Juventus and an unexpected qualification to the quarter-finals, but if they'll make it, this is going to deny many of us here that were predicting no upsets at group stage and only teams from France-Germany-England-Spain advancing to the next round : There were also single-clashes prediction that didn't age so well...
Hmm? No, I expect Lyon to beat Hacken as well. Not that it matters, with Lyon having already been 6pts ahead of Hacken even before the Lyon-Benfica match started. My point was more that if today's Lyon-Benfica game was close throughout most of the match, it would leave the *mathematical* possibility alive of Lyon not making it. But as I also stated, Lyon going ahead was not a surprise. That is, the longer Benfica kept it 0-0, the more fun the theoretical mathematicians of WoSo fans would have, no matter the expected certainty of Lyon eventually winning. X-D =EDIT= Ooohhhh I see what you were referencing - my comment about the group winners? Yeah that's my bad, I was looking at Bayern and forgot that Lyon (having been in 2nd for a while) still could finish first at 5-1
Yes I just edited my post with the realization of what you were referring to while you were pulling up the specific line. X-D
I mean, once the knockouts begin, the possibility of upsets increases. If there's anything being proved in the group stage, it's that group A shows us there's at least moderate parity among the UEFA superclubs, with longtime-top-two Wolfsburg on the verge of getting eliminated before the QFs for the first time ever. Barca (and maybe Lyon) will likely be favored in any single match, but when faced with (up to) three difficult single-elimination ties in a row, even they aren't going to have an easy time getting to the trophy. I'd honestly put PSG in the conversation as well, and any of the group A teams seem possible for going deep as well.
Judging from their most recent results, they're apparently shrugging off the Hamraoui's aggression affair, but unless the investigations manage to clarify soon what exactly happened I am afraid that the affair could leave some trace of disruption in the chemistry of the group. Apart from that (could be just my impression from far outside) I agree that they look like legitimate contenders.
Not impressed with PSG. Their record in their group is misleading. They had luck of the draw in their group. I could see them easily losing in the first round of knock outs especially if they get Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Either one of those teams would have gone undefeated in that group as well. Both of those teams have to hope they get them in the draw. Lyon easily defeated them in league play with a 6-1 win. PSG lost too many key players from last season.
Looking at the five years coefficient ranking that will decide the number of entries for 2023/24 1. France 81.667 2. Germany 70.667 3. England 65.333 ------------------------- 4. Spain 61.500 5. Sweden 34.167 6. Czech Republic 33.833 ----------------------------------- 7. Denmark 27.750 8. Italy 27.000 10.Iceland 24.250 15. Ukraine 18.500 16. Austria 18.500 ------------------------------------ 17.Portugal 18.000 18.Switzerland 17.500 Italy could still overtake the Czech Republic and get three teams should Juventus reach the final that will be played at home. Even if they don't do it this season, they will have a big chance next year. For the 16th place that qualifies two teams, Portugal needs a draw to guarantee top 16 while Switzerland needs a win to guarantee top 16. Should both happen Austria and Ukraine would drop of top 16. The group stage is really shakings things up because association can score a lot of points with some many extra games. Typically the majority would end up with 3 to 5 maximum and here we have Ukraine 7, Portugal 7 and Italy 6.
That's a really good point - that's a bit of a problem with the current system in how it really makes simply getting to the group stage a huge reward on its own - and, by extension, getting the byes to R2, as you only have to get past one opponent instead of three. Part of me wishes R1 was still four-team groups instead of mini-tournaments if only to get that missing third game back in. Or, despite my earlier saying that it's too early to expand the group stage - maybe they should think of a 24-team group stage before the round-of-16, if only so the coefficient benefit of reaching the group stage isn't so limited.
We can also note that countries with three teams struggle to get their coefficient as high as usual as total points won are divided by three. Germany being the only country that managed to qualify three teams for the Group stage. This year's ranking looks like this: 1 France and Germany 9.667 3 Spain 9.000 4 England 8.333 5 Ukraine and Portugal 7.000 7 Italy 6.000 8. Sweden 3.667 9. Iceland 3.250 10. Cyprus and Albania 3.000
UEFA has a different ranking https://www.uefa.com/nationalassociations/uefarankings/womenscountry/#/yr/2022 I don`t trust UEFA after today`s men`s Champions League draw had to be repeated and no points for Albania and Cyprus can`t be correct. Where can I find the correct ranking? (Wiki uses the UEFA source)
Hoffenheim needed a final 5-goal win over Arsenal to overtake them and weren't far off, with 2 by Chantal Hagel; final score 4-1 in Group C. Crucial last matches of the group stage now: 2 quarter-final spots remain, in what could be a rollercoaster ride of calculator usage: × ÷ MATHS - + ! ? - if Chelsea get a point, they'll progress and ensure 1st place - if Juve win, they're guaranteed a top 2 placing - if Wolfsburg and Juve win, it'll be a 3-way tie (11pts) decided by head-to-head goal difference, certainly the ideal system in this case. Juventus's +1 GD won't change. Chelsea start at +1 and the Wolves at –2, so the German club probably needs a 2-goal win to escape the trapdoor... WOLFSBURG - CHELSEA | UWCL SPIELTAG 6 LIVESTREAM www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhE_z1nOcQ8 JUVENTUS VS. SERVETTE | GIORNATA 6 LIVE www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vQMnvG0VE
We're just at about 20', but at the moment Juventus-Servette 1-0 and Wolfsburg-Chelsea 1-0. And PK for Juve right now. Edit: Girelli scored it, 2-0.
Kidding, of course. But I wouldn't be too sad about that result, based entirely on Chelsea's homepage calling them "quadruple winners". I'm like, the Community Shield is not an honour... (The Champions League final is, but it doesn't say how they did in that)