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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Well the penalties were badly taken, it was a shame to see Japan go out, they lent a lot of colour to the world cup. It looks like we will soon be down to european nations plus argentina and brazil.
Croatia vs. Brazil in the quarter-finals. I think Croatia's (where I'm from) best chances are 0:0 and penalties (again or a lucky 1:0 win. Otherwise, it looks like a repeat of Brazil vs South Korea.
Modrić is past his prime and visibly uninspired, we have 3 other good players from 4 years ago, and Gvardiol who is 20 but already one of the best defenders in the world. The problem is, the rest of the team are not that great and Brazil are looking like football-gods right now.
Even an honorable defeat looks like a win currently. However, Croatia does have a history of upsetting favourites at the big events: Germany, Argentina, England, the Netherlands...
@Kotishka said:
Croatia's goalie is a penalti stopping beast
Agreed In the history of the World Cup, only three goalies defended 3 penalties in the shootouts: two of them are from the Croatia team.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@marcitko said:
… Brazil are looking like football-gods right now.
Yeah, the 4-0 score at the end of the first half against South Korea was very telling. In the second half they took their foot off the gas and made substitutions of the top players like Neymar and Vinicius. I think the QF against Croatia should be interesting because they are quite tough opposition, it will be a more serious test for Brazil.
@Jeroen said:
it will be a more serious test for Brazil.
I do hope so! Hope dies last! The strange thing for such a small country is that Croatians have become accustomed to the national team doing well and are currently not very impressed with being in the QF. Also because the play was not high-quality. So I'm hoping for either a win over Brazil or just a good game, so that the whole affair stays in positive memory.
Well, 2-0 after 10minutes does give you the mental momentum and mental hammering to your opponent...that...and having quality players...!
Spain plays today. Let's see what happens.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
The thing is, after that 7-0 victory in the first match I thought Spain was really going to be something this World Cup, but they didn’t have the answer today. Cruel to go out on penalties though.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited December 2022
Portugal looked good, with a 6-1 win against the Swiss. That Gonçalvo Ramos, Ronaldo’s replacement, scored a hat-trick, not bad for a young talent.
Complete lineup for the quarter finals:
Brazil v Croatia
Netherlands v Argentina
England v France
Morocco v Portugal
Spain played terribly. Morocco was smart. They had an amazing goal-keeper. What was there to out-smart? A poor and stubborn trainer, an unweaven team, that only scores against Costa Rica, but Morocco kicked us in the spleen.
Now Morocco will have to prove their worth against Portugal. Who knows what might happen? This is going to be a hard test. Let's see!
@marcitko
Beasts!!!! What a match! Well-deserved!!! Now... @Jeroen... It begins...!
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited December 2022
Yes it was a great comeback for Croatia to win on penalties against Brazil. Netherlands now 1-0 down against Argentina, we will have to do a Croatia to win.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited December 2022
Well… good fightback by the Dutch… they did well to force overtime… maybe when they had the momentum they should have gone on to win it… but it wasn’t enough in the end. Netherlands v Argentina matches always have a bit of needle in them, there was a bit of a fight on the pitch. Argentina’s goalkeeper was a bit better in stopping penalties, and that was the difference. Messi was brilliant, supplying the pass for one goal and scoring two penalties, drawing foul after foul.
@Jeroen I already saw the Netherlands in the semis after that epic comeback. Feels like they deserved to win and had momentum on their side entering the shoot-outs.
@Kotishka Pitty for Spain, for me, Brazil and Spain "are football".
Croatia: the recent successes of the Croatia team are totally extraordinary for a country of less than 4 million people. Brazil has 7 million registered footballers. 2nd in the World Cup, Final Four in the League of Nations (still to be played), (at least) World Cup Semis again. Yes, there must be a strong element of luck, but there also must be a strong element of good play and a strong "never give up" mentality. The "mental game" was previously always Croatia's biggest problem, as a Buddhist I am overjoyed that it is now our strongest.
Brazil-Croatia: What an excellent game! To have played the first half-time totally equally with Brazil, wonderful! Even if we had lost, I would have been content. Having won, we have another memory for the ages. Yes, overall they were better and had more chances, but they were not that much better. Yes, the Croatia goal was a bit of a fluke, but it serves to show, yet again, the "never give up" mentality.
Croatia-Argentina in the Semis: Another game where Croatia is realistically the underdog, but less than an underdog than against Brazil. But we beat them 3:0 at the last World Cup (group stage), have belief and momentum on our side, and everyone feels that it's doable.
The Croatia coach: at the last World Cup I claim that he had the mentality of (nearly) a saint. He was always oozing an infectious calm faith, suggesting calm, not to be arrogant, to do your best bravely and let the outcome be what it may, he did not have any negative statements, etc. However, at this World Cup, while all of that is still present, he has had some negative statements and I wonder why.
Croatia never lost a World Cup knockout match except if the opponent was France (twice). Let's keep it that way!
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
It’s surprising (or maybe not) how much football can teach you about the way attachment works.
@Jeroen said:
It’s surprising (or maybe not) how much football can teach you about the way attachment works.
For sure. I'm always surprised that I even care about 11 of my compatriots with whom I have nothing in common kicking around a ball for 90 minutes. And yet I do. However, it's mostly a fun passtime.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Morocco through the quarters, with a 1-0 win against Portugal. First African nation to make the Semifinals.
Croatia played badly and lost to Argentina 3:0. I feel clear & calm but empty. As with Brazil, I was hoping for a good showing, a good game. Losing after playing well seems fine for me. Not a single Croatian player played well today. Note to self: implement that view towards yourself. Do your best and do not attach to the result.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Morocco vs France tonight, a game where the romantics will be rooting for the underdog. I’m not sure, I think France v Argentina will make a better final. Which means I can’t really lose.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Croatia won the third place playoff against Morocco, that’s not bad…
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I just watched the World Cup final, and it was a pretty good game in the end. It was 3-3 after overtime, Mbappé scored a hat-trick, and Argentina won it on penalties. Mixed feelings about the result, Argentina are a bit unsportsmanlike in the way they approach the game, but Messi deserves a world cup win.
I'm glad it wasn't 0-0 decided in penalty kicks! I recorded it to watch and then while I was looking at the weather report in the morning I saw the outcome. Still want to watch it when I get a chance to see the skill etc of the players. I played soccer in high school but sadly only scratched the powder snow on the surface of the glacier of "how to play football".
I thoroughly enjoyed the final. It had everything to make it a spectacle, most notably Messi and Mbappe, the comeback of the French team and the two goals in extra time.
Croatia coming in third is not bad. The team was welcomed by approximately 150,000 people in the capital, Zagreb. It was cold, during the final itself, and third is not second, so the atmosphere was much more subdued than four years ago. Maybe that's for the better, since at the last World Cup I would claim that there was a collective mania
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
On meeting Pele at the White House, Ronald Reagan said to him, “I’m Ronald Reagan, and I’m President of the United States. But you don’t need to introduce yourself: everyone knows who Pele is.”
RIP Pele, winner of three World Cups.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Cracking game in the Champions League last night, Real Madrid winning 5-2 against Liverpool at Anfield after going 2-0 down in the first 20 minutes.
I'm actually a Wrexham fan (yes I was introduced to the via Ryan and Rob, but I have Welsh friends so I did some background research and they're fighters so I couldn't help but fall in love with them) and I'm stoked at their progression. 2-1 over Chesterfield has them conditionally top of the ladder
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Real Madrid yesterday played Manchester City in the first Champions League semi-final, it ended 1-1 in a cautious encounter. Liked Camavinga’s play as right back at Real. Expecting fireworks in the return match in Manchester.
Tonight AC Milan play Inter Milan in the second semi-final, should be an interesting encounter seeing as it’s a Milanese derby match.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I must admit, I was pleased to see Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4-0 at home. I think Pep Guardiola is one of the great coaches and he deserves to win the Champions League at least once after winning the English Premier League so many times.
They play Inter Milan who won the Milanese derby in the CL semifinal by 3-0 over the two matches. The CL final is played in Istanbul this year, on June 10th.
@Bunks said:
Australia and India about to play off for the world test championship in London. I’m feeling pretty confident the Aussies can get the job done
Good start! Aussies 327/3 at stumps on Day 1.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Champions League final tonight, Manchester City v Inter Milan. Inter are the underdogs, but given that it is played in a neutral stadium anything could happen.
@Jeroen said:
Champions League final tonight, Manchester City v Inter Milan. Inter are the underdogs, but given that it is played in a neutral stadium anything could happen.
Feel like it’s Man City’s destiny this year to win it. Wouldn’t be surprised if Pep resigns if they do. His work will be done. I suspect their FFP breaches will come back to haunt them in the next year or two, he won’t want to be around for that.
5am kick off here so I’ll be up early.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
It’d be quite a year for Man City if they do win. Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Not really a dominant performance, but a 1-0 City win nonetheless, and that most of the game without De Bruyne.
@lobster - from memory you may have visited this temple?
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I just wanted to talk about the UEFA Conference League, which is the third European wide league and so for teams which are not as good as say those in the Champions League.
Those Conference League matches can be very entertaining, to my surprise. I caught a game between AZ Alkmaar (a Dutch team) and SK Brann (a Norwegian side which finished 4th in their league last year).
First AZ went 2-0 up… then it was 3-1… then a couple of goals from set pieces made it 3-3. So they went to extended play time and eventually to penalties, and AZ won on the 12th penalty taken!
I mean, the football is not as qualitatively good as a Champions League match, but the sides are roughly evenly matched and there are plenty of goals. Good stuff!
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Oh and Bunks, I saw that Newcastle made the CL group stages, well done to them but unlucky with the draw I think. Paris Saint-German, Dortmund, and AC Milan (with Newcastle) looked to me like probably the toughest group.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited September 2023
And did you see the piece in the news about Saudi Arabian clubs wanting to play in the Champions League? Seems a bit ridiculous to me, even if Christiano Ronaldo, Neymar and M’bappe play there now. After all isn’t it a European league?
@Jeroen said:
Oh and Bunks, I saw that Newcastle made the CL group stages, well done to them but unlucky with the draw I think. Paris Saint-German, Dortmund, and AC Milan (with Newcastle) looked to me like probably the toughest group.
Haha yeah, not sure how far we will go in that group.
@Jeroen said:
And did you see the piece in the news about Saudi Arabian clubs wanting to play in the Champions League? Seems a bit ridiculous to me, even if Christiano Ronaldo, Neymar and M’bappe play there now. After all isn’t it a European league?
Agree! It sounds a bit whacky but Australia participates in Eurovision so why not??!! 😂
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Eurovision is a bit of fun, football is serious business… I think the Saudis had something in mind like “we’ll buy a bunch of big stars and then they’ll have to let us in, after all Turkey and Israel play in European leagues.” But I think most of the federations think differently.
Ajax are off to a terrible start to the season. They traded away something like 18 players and got in 15 new ones and now no one knows what they are doing.
@Jeroen said:
Eurovision is a bit of fun, football is serious business… I think the Saudis had something in mind like “we’ll buy a bunch of big stars and then they’ll have to let us in, after all Turkey and Israel play in European leagues.” But I think most of the federations think differently.
Ajax are off to a terrible start to the season. They traded away something like 18 players and got in 15 new ones and now no one knows what they are doing.
Why are Ajax selling so many players? Financial issues? Newcastle struggling too. Lost three in a row but at least they were against potentially top 6 teams ie Man City, Liverpool and Brighton
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Bunks said:
Why are Ajax selling so many players? Financial issues?
There is a new director for the company, a new manager as well and they got an offer they couldn’t refuse for two key players on the midfield. But the new manager has been focussed on keeping them in the Europa League, and hasn’t so far been training the full squad. So it’s understandable that they haven’t been good, I don’t think they will be pushing for the title this year.
But PSV and Feyenoord have both made it to the group stage of the Champions League, which should give some fun matches.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Only the Premier League spent more on players than the Saudi Arabian football league did this summer. Surprising, and quite a lot of players in their prime years went there.
Comments
Well the penalties were badly taken, it was a shame to see Japan go out, they lent a lot of colour to the world cup. It looks like we will soon be down to european nations plus argentina and brazil.
Croatia vs. Brazil in the quarter-finals. I think Croatia's (where I'm from) best chances are 0:0 and penalties (again
or a lucky 1:0 win. Otherwise, it looks like a repeat of Brazil vs South Korea.
Modrić is past his prime and visibly uninspired, we have 3 other good players from 4 years ago, and Gvardiol who is 20 but already one of the best defenders in the world. The problem is, the rest of the team are not that great and Brazil are looking like football-gods right now.
Even an honorable defeat looks like a win currently. However, Croatia does have a history of upsetting favourites at the big events: Germany, Argentina, England, the Netherlands...
Agreed
In the history of the World Cup, only three goalies defended 3 penalties in the shootouts: two of them are from the Croatia team.
Yeah, the 4-0 score at the end of the first half against South Korea was very telling. In the second half they took their foot off the gas and made substitutions of the top players like Neymar and Vinicius. I think the QF against Croatia should be interesting because they are quite tough opposition, it will be a more serious test for Brazil.
I do hope so! Hope dies last! The strange thing for such a small country is that Croatians have become accustomed to the national team doing well and are currently not very impressed with being in the QF. Also because the play was not high-quality. So I'm hoping for either a win over Brazil or just a good game, so that the whole affair stays in positive memory.
Well, 2-0 after 10minutes does give you the mental momentum and mental hammering to your opponent...that...and having quality players...!
Spain plays today. Let's see what happens.
The thing is, after that 7-0 victory in the first match I thought Spain was really going to be something this World Cup, but they didn’t have the answer today. Cruel to go out on penalties though.
Portugal looked good, with a 6-1 win against the Swiss. That Gonçalvo Ramos, Ronaldo’s replacement, scored a hat-trick, not bad for a young talent.
Complete lineup for the quarter finals:
Brazil v Croatia
Netherlands v Argentina
England v France
Morocco v Portugal
Spain played terribly. Morocco was smart. They had an amazing goal-keeper. What was there to out-smart? A poor and stubborn trainer, an unweaven team, that only scores against Costa Rica, but Morocco kicked us in the spleen.
Now Morocco will have to prove their worth against Portugal. Who knows what might happen? This is going to be a hard test. Let's see!
@marcitko
Beasts!!!! What a match! Well-deserved!!! Now... @Jeroen... It begins...!
Yes it was a great comeback for Croatia to win on penalties against Brazil. Netherlands now 1-0 down against Argentina, we will have to do a Croatia to win.
Well… good fightback by the Dutch… they did well to force overtime… maybe when they had the momentum they should have gone on to win it… but it wasn’t enough in the end. Netherlands v Argentina matches always have a bit of needle in them, there was a bit of a fight on the pitch. Argentina’s goalkeeper was a bit better in stopping penalties, and that was the difference. Messi was brilliant, supplying the pass for one goal and scoring two penalties, drawing foul after foul.
@Jeroen I already saw the Netherlands in the semis after that epic comeback. Feels like they deserved to win and had momentum on their side entering the shoot-outs.
@Kotishka Pitty for Spain, for me, Brazil and Spain "are football".
Croatia: the recent successes of the Croatia team are totally extraordinary for a country of less than 4 million people. Brazil has 7 million registered footballers. 2nd in the World Cup, Final Four in the League of Nations (still to be played), (at least) World Cup Semis again. Yes, there must be a strong element of luck, but there also must be a strong element of good play and a strong "never give up" mentality. The "mental game" was previously always Croatia's biggest problem, as a Buddhist I am overjoyed that it is now our strongest.
Brazil-Croatia: What an excellent game! To have played the first half-time totally equally with Brazil, wonderful! Even if we had lost, I would have been content. Having won, we have another memory for the ages. Yes, overall they were better and had more chances, but they were not that much better. Yes, the Croatia goal was a bit of a fluke, but it serves to show, yet again, the "never give up" mentality.
Croatia-Argentina in the Semis: Another game where Croatia is realistically the underdog, but less than an underdog than against Brazil. But we beat them 3:0 at the last World Cup (group stage), have belief and momentum on our side, and everyone feels that it's doable.
The Croatia coach: at the last World Cup I claim that he had the mentality of (nearly) a saint. He was always oozing an infectious calm faith, suggesting calm, not to be arrogant, to do your best bravely and let the outcome be what it may, he did not have any negative statements, etc. However, at this World Cup, while all of that is still present, he has had some negative statements and I wonder why.
Croatia never lost a World Cup knockout match except if the opponent was France (twice). Let's keep it that way!
It’s surprising (or maybe not) how much football can teach you about the way attachment works.
For sure. I'm always surprised that I even care about 11 of my compatriots with whom I have nothing in common kicking around a ball for 90 minutes. And yet I do. However, it's mostly a fun passtime.
Morocco through the quarters, with a 1-0 win against Portugal. First African nation to make the Semifinals.
Croatia played badly and lost to Argentina 3:0. I feel clear & calm but empty. As with Brazil, I was hoping for a good showing, a good game. Losing after playing well seems fine for me. Not a single Croatian player played well today. Note to self: implement that view towards yourself. Do your best and do not attach to the result.
Morocco vs France tonight, a game where the romantics will be rooting for the underdog. I’m not sure, I think France v Argentina will make a better final. Which means I can’t really lose.
Croatia won the third place playoff against Morocco, that’s not bad…
I just watched the World Cup final, and it was a pretty good game in the end. It was 3-3 after overtime, Mbappé scored a hat-trick, and Argentina won it on penalties. Mixed feelings about the result, Argentina are a bit unsportsmanlike in the way they approach the game, but Messi deserves a world cup win.
So many cars beeping here.... ! Beep beep beep!
I'm glad it wasn't 0-0 decided in penalty kicks! I recorded it to watch and then while I was looking at the weather report in the morning I saw the outcome. Still want to watch it when I get a chance to see the skill etc of the players. I played soccer in high school but sadly only scratched the powder snow on the surface of the glacier of "how to play football".
I thoroughly enjoyed the final. It had everything to make it a spectacle, most notably Messi and Mbappe, the comeback of the French team and the two goals in extra time.
Croatia coming in third is not bad. The team was welcomed by approximately 150,000 people in the capital, Zagreb. It was cold, during the final itself, and third is not second, so the atmosphere was much more subdued than four years ago. Maybe that's for the better, since at the last World Cup I would claim that there was a collective mania
On meeting Pele at the White House, Ronald Reagan said to him, “I’m Ronald Reagan, and I’m President of the United States. But you don’t need to introduce yourself: everyone knows who Pele is.”
RIP Pele, winner of three World Cups.
Cracking game in the Champions League last night, Real Madrid winning 5-2 against Liverpool at Anfield after going 2-0 down in the first 20 minutes.
I'm actually a Wrexham fan (yes I was introduced to the via Ryan and Rob, but I have Welsh friends so I did some background research and they're fighters so I couldn't help but fall in love with them) and I'm stoked at their progression. 2-1 over Chesterfield has them conditionally top of the ladder
Real Madrid yesterday played Manchester City in the first Champions League semi-final, it ended 1-1 in a cautious encounter. Liked Camavinga’s play as right back at Real. Expecting fireworks in the return match in Manchester.
Tonight AC Milan play Inter Milan in the second semi-final, should be an interesting encounter seeing as it’s a Milanese derby match.
I must admit, I was pleased to see Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4-0 at home. I think Pep Guardiola is one of the great coaches and he deserves to win the Champions League at least once after winning the English Premier League so many times.
They play Inter Milan who won the Milanese derby in the CL semifinal by 3-0 over the two matches. The CL final is played in Istanbul this year, on June 10th.
Newcastle are on the brink of Champions League football for the first time in twenty years. Just need 1 point from our last two games. Good times!!
Yeah it has been an interesting season, Arsenal put up a fight. And who would have thought Liverpool would finish outside the Champions League places?
Australia and India about to play off for the world test championship in London. I’m feeling pretty confident the Aussies can get the job done
NBA basketball: Miami Heat to play Denver Nuggets in game 3! Series tied 1 to 1 to this point.
edit: this is the Finals
Go the Nuggets!
Disclaimer: I don’t like basketball but I lived in Denver for a year so adopted them as my team
Good start! Aussies 327/3 at stumps on Day 1.
Champions League final tonight, Manchester City v Inter Milan. Inter are the underdogs, but given that it is played in a neutral stadium anything could happen.
Feel like it’s Man City’s destiny this year to win it. Wouldn’t be surprised if Pep resigns if they do. His work will be done. I suspect their FFP breaches will come back to haunt them in the next year or two, he won’t want to be around for that.
5am kick off here so I’ll be up early.
It’d be quite a year for Man City if they do win. Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
Not really a dominant performance, but a 1-0 City win nonetheless, and that most of the game without De Bruyne.
First team to win all three ICC trophies
I am NO fan of Cricket but I'm really liking the look of that mace!!!
Sport and Dhamma come together 🙏🙏🙏
@lobster - from memory you may have visited this temple?
I just wanted to talk about the UEFA Conference League, which is the third European wide league and so for teams which are not as good as say those in the Champions League.
Those Conference League matches can be very entertaining, to my surprise. I caught a game between AZ Alkmaar (a Dutch team) and SK Brann (a Norwegian side which finished 4th in their league last year).
First AZ went 2-0 up… then it was 3-1… then a couple of goals from set pieces made it 3-3. So they went to extended play time and eventually to penalties, and AZ won on the 12th penalty taken!
I mean, the football is not as qualitatively good as a Champions League match, but the sides are roughly evenly matched and there are plenty of goals. Good stuff!
Oh and Bunks, I saw that Newcastle made the CL group stages, well done to them but unlucky with the draw I think. Paris Saint-German, Dortmund, and AC Milan (with Newcastle) looked to me like probably the toughest group.
And did you see the piece in the news about Saudi Arabian clubs wanting to play in the Champions League? Seems a bit ridiculous to me, even if Christiano Ronaldo, Neymar and M’bappe play there now. After all isn’t it a European league?
Haha yeah, not sure how far we will go in that group.
Agree! It sounds a bit whacky but Australia participates in Eurovision so why not??!! 😂
Eurovision is a bit of fun, football is serious business… I think the Saudis had something in mind like “we’ll buy a bunch of big stars and then they’ll have to let us in, after all Turkey and Israel play in European leagues.” But I think most of the federations think differently.
Ajax are off to a terrible start to the season. They traded away something like 18 players and got in 15 new ones and now no one knows what they are doing.
Why are Ajax selling so many players? Financial issues? Newcastle struggling too. Lost three in a row but at least they were against potentially top 6 teams ie Man City, Liverpool and Brighton
There is a new director for the company, a new manager as well and they got an offer they couldn’t refuse for two key players on the midfield. But the new manager has been focussed on keeping them in the Europa League, and hasn’t so far been training the full squad. So it’s understandable that they haven’t been good, I don’t think they will be pushing for the title this year.
But PSV and Feyenoord have both made it to the group stage of the Champions League, which should give some fun matches.
Only the Premier League spent more on players than the Saudi Arabian football league did this summer. Surprising, and quite a lot of players in their prime years went there.