Group B chat in here
Group B - England | Iran | United States | Wales
Three absolute banana skins for England.
Three absolute banana skins for England.
One can only hope 🤲🏻
surely thay'll make the next stage only then to have then to lose.
The most embarrassing one here is Iran! It' already disliked by English-speaking countries, and now it's in the same group as them!
One of the greatest videos of all time pic.twitter.com/2KkBYwVvuo
— Former Footballers (@FinishedPlayers) November 15, 2022
Iran's Ehsan Hajsafi speaks out over conditions in his home country
USA are way better than I was expecting
And the way the players reacted to the anthem.
Yes is courageous, though he does play his club football in Greece, so he may not be going back to Iran anytime soon.
Who knows by the time he does the current regime may have been overthrown. The unrest is showing no sign of stopping.
Welsh are kings of choke.
Both games vs Niederland in nations league the conceded last minute goals to lose it, and here they are again….
Game is not over until the whistle blows lads.
Both games vs Niederland in nations league the conceded last minute goals to lose it, and here they are again….
Game is not over until the whistle blows lads.
Referees positioning a bit sus here. Twice he’s had to back peddle out of the way of a midfielder lining up a shot.
England fans might be getting a bit tetchy around now. The USA holding and returning fire.
England fans might be getting a bit tetchy around now. The USA holding and returning fire.
Apart from looking very good at times, Southgate’s first team haven’t done the job yet against a very impressive USA. In fact the USA have even had the better of the chances.
How long does he give them and who’s Southgate’s backup plan out of his options?
How long does he give them and who’s Southgate’s backup plan out of his options?
Henderson/Grealish for Sterling/Bellingham.
A lot of tired players with very thin coats of self belief on the English side here.
Beginning to think he should drag Kane or re-jig with him deeper and Wilson up front.
A lot of tired players with very thin coats of self belief on the English side here.
Beginning to think he should drag Kane or re-jig with him deeper and Wilson up front.
Knives will be out for Southgate you’d think, because it’s England. Edit: actually win and a draw they’re still topping the group, huh. Maybe criticism will be tempered, but they were shown up here.
Nice reality check for England fans. Woeful Wales.
is it coming home???
Southgate's selections, particularly the front three, are totally shambollock.
Sterling is lifeless. Kane has had two shots this whole tournament. Saka is by far their brightest spark
Graelish is twice the player of Sterling but has to come off the bench... and Foden is sitting on the bench.
Sterling is lifeless. Kane has had two shots this whole tournament. Saka is by far their brightest spark
Graelish is twice the player of Sterling but has to come off the bench... and Foden is sitting on the bench.
Southgate's selections, particularly the front three, are totally shambollock.
Sterling is lifeless. Kane has had two shots this whole tournament. Saka is by far their brightest spark
Graelish is twice the player of Sterling but has to come off the bench... and Foden is sitting on the bench.
Sterling is lifeless. Kane has had two shots this whole tournament. Saka is by far their brightest spark
Graelish is twice the player of Sterling but has to come off the bench... and Foden is sitting on the bench.
Good to see Southgate getting the most out of Kane. That’s more shots than he had in his last 4 for Spurs.
4 points from 6 and still top of the group.
Mount? Didn’t seem to do that much?
Also, sticking with the 4 at the back or returning to the 5?
United might get some interest in Slabhead with a few more games like that.
Embarrassing draw, but not the pointy end yet.
Mount? Didn’t seem to do that much?
Also, sticking with the 4 at the back or returning to the 5?
United might get some interest in Slabhead with a few more games like that.
Embarrassing draw, but not the pointy end yet.
Egland/USA look like they are going through at this rate.
US 1-0 over Iran and in possibly the most boring game of footy the Welsh are holding the football super power of England to 0-0
US 1-0 over Iran and in possibly the most boring game of footy the Welsh are holding the football super power of England to 0-0
Boom. Bye bye Wales. :)
first goal from a set piece, well taken by Rashford.
England have been woken up at the half, 3-0 now!
England have been woken up at the half, 3-0 now!
So I guess the highlight of Wales 'golden generation' remains celebrating like they won the Euros when another team lost.
Right through the keeper's legs. Always good fun seeing that.
US still leading. Come on Iran.
US still leading. Come on Iran.
Iran/US game getting really physical now, late tackles flying in, someone is gonna get injured here.
So as poor as we were against USA and "boring" at other times, we go through top of the group as currently top scorers in the tournament, even more than Spain who won their first game 7-0. Senegal will a tough game. 8am Monday so will need to find another excuse to stay home from work.
US through. Fair enough, they were the better team on the night.
The Welsh certainly didn't look like they were playing with nothing to lose. Would be disappointed as a Welsh fan.
England criticism is a bit over top... they were playing a team that was content with sitting back and defending. Sure enough once they broke through the flood gates opened. And look what happens when Southgate actually starts picking his best attackers...
USA deserved to go through. That's one of the most tense games I've felt - both sets of fans probably not used to that situation!
Is it a FIFA or an FA rule that players should get a yellow for asking for VAR? Farcical moments near the end culminating in one of Iran's players letting the ball run out while signalling for VAR. Mind you I thought the ref managed it well.
England criticism is a bit over top... they were playing a team that was content with sitting back and defending. Sure enough once they broke through the flood gates opened. And look what happens when Southgate actually starts picking his best attackers...
USA deserved to go through. That's one of the most tense games I've felt - both sets of fans probably not used to that situation!
Is it a FIFA or an FA rule that players should get a yellow for asking for VAR? Farcical moments near the end culminating in one of Iran's players letting the ball run out while signalling for VAR. Mind you I thought the ref managed it well.
I've been generally impressed with the refereeing. Not just the standard overall but the willingness to allow more robust physical contests, which makes for a much better spectacle and also seems to have quelled at least some of the theatrical antics of previous cups.
I might just be imagining that of course, but it's a pleasure to see the aggrieved face of a player who has gone down screaming and clutching at a make believe injury only to see the ref ignore him and wave play on.
I might just be imagining that of course, but it's a pleasure to see the aggrieved face of a player who has gone down screaming and clutching at a make believe injury only to see the ref ignore him and wave play on.
Trainspotting fact.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
Trainspotting fact.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
And he was good. Best ginger at the cup?
Reckon England will play Kalvin Phillips against Senegal? Trippier? Foden? Surely Saka starts any knockout game. Where will Bellingham play?
Trainspotting fact.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
22 yr old Josh Sargent who start for USA, and is at Norwich - was at Werder Bremen II with Trevor Zwetsloot back in 2018/19.
Sargent did bounce between the 2nd team & Bremen first team (Bundesliga) that season.
The referee that day was Qatari Abdulrahman Al Jassim, who was also the referee for USA's first group game against Wales, becoming the first Qatari to referee at a World Cup. He has also refereed New Zealand a couple times since, in the 2-2 draw in Honiara against the Solomons in 2017, and in the scrappy 1-0 win over Tahiti in March this year. He was also fourth official for the Costa Rica match in June, so probably not a referee many of the players associate with fond memories. No player played all four of those matches, but Joe Bell played in three.
Of the match in 2015, which USA U20s won 4-0 at North Harbour, Carter-Vickers started, as did Kellyn Acosta, while Shaq Moore was an unused sub that day. Both Moore and Acosta came off the bench against Iran this morning. Beating the 2017 cohort, 11 of the 14 used by NZ that day are fully capped All Whites.
The referee for that game at North Harbour? Mr. Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who was, of course, the referee for today's game between USA and Iran. Amazing stuff.
The Welsh certainly didn't look like they were playing with nothing to lose. Would be disappointed as a Welsh fan.
England criticism is a bit over top... they were playing a team that was content with sitting back and defending. Sure enough once they broke through the flood gates opened. And look what happens when Southgate actually starts picking his best attackers...
USA deserved to go through. That's one of the most tense games I've felt - both sets of fans probably not used to that situation!
Is it a FIFA or an FA rule that players should get a yellow for asking for VAR? Farcical moments near the end culminating in one of Iran's players letting the ball run out while signalling for VAR. Mind you I thought the ref managed it well.
England criticism is a bit over top... they were playing a team that was content with sitting back and defending. Sure enough once they broke through the flood gates opened. And look what happens when Southgate actually starts picking his best attackers...
USA deserved to go through. That's one of the most tense games I've felt - both sets of fans probably not used to that situation!
Is it a FIFA or an FA rule that players should get a yellow for asking for VAR? Farcical moments near the end culminating in one of Iran's players letting the ball run out while signalling for VAR. Mind you I thought the ref managed it well.
the wording of the relevant law is ... excessively showing the "TV signal" for a VAR ‘review’