No Irish, No Yanks, No Clogs - FIFA World Cup 2018

The odds are driven by bets placed rather than any critical thinking so England always have shorter odds than you'd expect

Yeah English bookies have never put them over 18/1 to win anything iirc.

If the bookies put them at evens, you'd get mug punters taking it, going "YAY WE'RE GONNA WIN" and that.

Would love to see Japan and Senegal get something today.

How does Denmark have better odds than Switzerland?

Christian Eriksen plays for the Spurs, duh.

More players in the PL maybe xp lol

xxp
probably because somebody in Basildon just put £2.50 each way on Denmark just as the odds were refreshed.

I imagine it will take twenty years before someone from the poetic end of the football writing community eulogises the loved lost liminal seconds between the ball hitting the net and the disembodied approval from the VAR car, that thrilling suspension between scored and not-scored which was the most golden of all footballing moments.

finally a var post that delivers

that bet was me, i wanted to rile fred and visit basildon at the same time xp

Ugh this weird FIFA rule where the 'away' team can't just wear their away shorts with their home shirt so instead the home team has to wear their third or even fourth choice of shorts and socks. Happening in most of the games. Lots of money spent on kit designs the teams can't even wear.

Disaster!

Ha amazing

Wow!

Another victory for new improved penaltyball©

We're about to witness a textbook 'how not to play against ten men' from Japan here

genuinely enjoying the ESL commentators for FS1 on this match, it's all the fun of Mexi-Spanish commentary without feeling like I only understand every second or third phrase

also a lot of random stereotypical Japanese like "gambate!" and "Kagawa-san"

what's poor c sanchez doing right now? in the shower? staring at the floor?

'Absolute mayhem'

Colombia 0-1 Japan

Leon Osman

Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Japan need to be wary - Colombia's players are swarming the referee trying to get the numbers even.

It's absolute mayhem. It's end-to-end. Both teams are trying to counter- attack each other. Both sets of players are going down easily, a moment ago it looked like we had more players lying on the floor than standing.

Please tell me this isn't as good as Leon makes it out to be, stuck at work here.

It’s a bit of an exaggeration but a good game none the less.

incredible dive from falcao

Game back on.

this is the sort of low quality game we can all enjoy

Osman makes it sound like the Sgt. Biscuits's match report.

Straight along the floor, right under the jumping wall. Excellent.

Never a foul that led to the free kick tho

not sure i can remember a team playing for the foul as relentlessly as this

they have no other idea in the final third it's absolutely shameless

We're about to witness a textbook 'how not to play against ten men' from Japan here

― imago, Tuesday, June 19, 2018 12:10 PM (thirty-eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It wasn't a foul but it is what it is. Colombia have been good after a disaster start.

Japan have started strong

Colombia playing great with ten men (and no James). Good defense, esp. against Japan’s long passes.

Japan really on top rn but no finishing. Colombia could still win or get a point.

... or lose?

great slow rolling by kagawa there to ensure james got a yellow

yes Tim, everything is possible in this world cup :)

Thank goodness for FIFA.

finally.

Been coming.

Deep injury time equaliser imo

oh good! didn't expect that

That's how you take a corner iirc

First non-europeans to get two goals

ooooooooooooooooospina!

fkn hell

Just hope nobody gets shot

Colombians just elected a right-wing government so fuck 'em anyway.

It's a World Cup now.

that was abject from colombia, went to pieces, incredibly scrappy, massive let down

Do they still have that delightful birdman?