The Portuguese league definitely the 5th best in Europe, the Sth Americans uses Portugal as the stepping stone to Europe, similar language, culture & weather & less competitive than Spain.

Yep the non entertaining part was created by Argentina. Some don't like the tika tak football of Spain, to me this is football.

How I saw it as well, Porro & Cururella had great world cups, best fullbacks in the WC, didn't show this form in PL.

RIP KK, one of my first heroes.

Spain has got Lamal and lesser extent Williams, who in Lamal case world class but young and Williams very good, however both were injured. However they do lack a natural no 9.

Yes on paper yes French has great players, but Spain has beaten France now twice at Euros & WC semis, so I would say they (Spain) are the best team. Now include the manager of Champions league is Luis Enriqrue, manager of PL champions is Mikel Arteta, of course their is Pep, the top manager in...

Not just world champions, they are without doubt the best playing football nation in both men & women. Great credit to them.

Had to br dragged off by infamino

You kick and run fan?

That is just bullshit

Showing Messi true colours. Dirty cheat.

But can you trust the Italians? Haha.

Love him more, he's a Ronaldo fan too!!!!

Yes 2 fullbacks outstanding for Spain & so was Rodri, just totally nullified the weak French midfield.

Amazing performance by Cape Verde.

Someone likes direct football.

Spain are an excellent team, that was a magnificent performance against a top French side. Don't feel so bad about Portugal being knocked out by Spain now.

SFC fans would've seen Paul Okon this year. Many like me thought, yes good potential, Huge engine, confident on the ball, had it all but lacked some experience & required better decision making. Maybe a Socceroo squad member for experience, but too early. However, call it what you want but the...

I'm not trying to debate anything, your knowledge of Australian football especially youth football far exceeds mine. I just quoted the 5 best GKs from the A-League era, food for thought.

OK let me think Matt Ryan, Patrick Beach, Danny Vuckovic, Mitch Langerak, Andrew Redmanye.

Scary isn't it, as my wife said, that's unfair, should not be allowed.

Correct there, look at goals today, they were half chances at best & the French has the ability to say 'au revoir' before you realise there is an opportunity to score. The Scary part is the player that I like best in the French side Michael Olise, hasn't even scored, though everything good goes...

Spain has a very good all round team & Lamine Yamal Argentina has Messi & a team that doesn't accept defeat England has Kane & Bellingham & the British bulldog. May the games begin.

He is a freak, they have a few on this French side.

Love the way this French side plays.

Brilliant.

I wonder what the State of origin ratings were in Columbia and Switzerland?

That was a clear penalty. Don't like France or Mbappe, i understand, but that clear penalty.

I enjoyed the article too.

Old enough to be in Germany for my very first world cup, old enough to talk to Brazilians over a few beers after our loss. Old enough to feel really proud of our performance against Brazil but them told by them that we don't play football its not 'Jogo Bonita'. Old enough to be piss off with...

Don't disagree, this I say is our biggest issue, we didn't use the foundation of the GG team compared to say the same Japan team we beat in 2006, they move on in leaps & bounds, they had academies & work on a certain style, based on both Brazil & Croatia, where technical ability was the...

I think that there are numerous reasons for this. It's good that we getting better. The GG was a wonderful time, but even they would struggle on how the game is played today bar a few of them. Even GKs need to be good with their feet. We had a low base & did not move fast enough with the times...

Lucas Neill played right back for most of those seasons & would accept him ahead of Italiano at right back. Circati has now played 2 seasons in Serie A & has captained his side. Souttar's performances at 2 World cups surpasses any other Aussie defenders. Herrington, yes potential, but already...

No they wouldn't because they had the opportunity to do so but failed. If Argentina wins by 2 goals in each of the 1/4s, 1/2s & final, can Egypt claim to be 2nd best in the world because they only lost by 1 to Argentina in the 1/16s. All those teams above did not qualify ahead of Turkey...

There are 16 teams from Europe to qualify for WC, if you are ranked in the top 20 in the world & miss out, do you deserve to be in the WC? Italy is the best credential side (12th in the world) to miss the WC, they even failed after given a 2nd chance, are they more worthy than Cape Verde...

Not doubting that comment!!! However, what is FIFA's objective, now FIFA, especially under this bloke gets most things wrong, are you trying to grow football; Expand to 48 teams & have some weird & wonderful teams from 4 corners of the world & hearing & seeing wonderful stories or Just have the...

Nailed it.

That's the idea of the Forum, we can disagree. Those countries had a chance to qualify & missed out to those teams that were knocked out earlier. Those teams were the representatives for Europe. It would be like me saying if Spain wins WC, well Portugal would've got to final if we didn't meet...

I don't think anyone doubts that Europe is ranked supreme, they have the best leagues in the world, the top 7-8 leagues in the world, they have the best academies that money can buy, they are all 1st world countries & mainly stable governments & economies. The other 1st world nations US, Canada...

Well lets look at this by positions GK, incumbent, Beach is new & young hard to compare, however Ryan right up there with GG Keepers, not saying better but up there. Defenders I would say Sottar, Cicati, Herrington, Burgess, Bos & Italiano better the GG. Midfield, yeah no doubt GG...

Totally agree on the fact on Europe not losing anymore spots, I 100% agree on that. However, does Europe deserve more spots ahead of stories that we got like Cape Verde, Iran, Congo & Curacao?

I'm the same, I too would love Argies out (not Messi, he's just on another planet, even at 39 years old). Both calls were correct & VAR got it right.

Yes the most unlikeable Socceroo was a Croat.

At least Croatia A won thru that day despite the Ref favouring Croatia B that day, with so many dodgy decisions.

Players with strong work ethnic shouldn't move to Saudi Arabia.

In a Football forum Infantino. In all other social media Trump.

Blatter was corrupt, but he tried to hide it, this guy is corrupt & he just doesn't care. he thinks all football fans are stupid.

He just doesn't care, this bloke has to go.

Great coach stubborn man.

The world is a happier place, thank you Belgium.

That's not Michael Olise, he's I don't know someone else. We shouldn't be too critical, Souttar doesn't speak French neither.

Spot on on both counts. Under Farina, we were going nowhere. Under Guus, exactly what you said. Slater lost me a long ago when the Socceroos were playing out from the back & Slater said just pump it long, now all A-League teams (sometimes comically) play out from the back, why, this is the...

Yes I agree, he did nothing & should have been replaced at 60th minute mark, understand lots of pressure on Martinez doing something like that. Both teams just probed & looked for an opening, maybe if Oyarzabal had scored early on, would've open the game a bit more. Agree boring game for neutrals.

Spain was worried, Portugal had that many weapons that could hurt them. Both hughly gifted technical teams that probed and probed. Goal at 91st minute did not help spectacle. Not all games are going end to end like yesterday game. Think about the quality of the England side, dont think a Mexican...

Totally agree.

Thank you Ronaldo for putting Portugal on the football map, always been there but never at the top end. Ronnie you are a champion.

He showed what goid coaching can do with Australuans. He also highlighted that we lack quality to take next steps.

Haha

We just never used the platform provided for us by Guus.

Tell me more about him if possible please.

Put Haaland in any side & you improve it, he is that good. But we lack midfielders, well quality ones anyway like Odegaard.

Yes I thought that was hilarious.

What a player Bellingham is.

Thank you.

Be great if some of these step up, we need a little more depth. Like everyone else hoping for Robertson to kick on, this type of player is something we are crying out for.

What I like about Eli is he seems to have a lot of time in the A-League, if he can replicate that at the next level, he could be good for Socceroos.

Very exciting times, I love reviewing the AA thread to see who is performing.

No doubt, like Argies now with Messi, the team works hard for their star & Norway works hard for Haarland, he walks around the pitch & hardly touches the ball, but when he does, it's normally a goal.

They have the best in their midst, a bit like Maradona carrying Argies in 1986, Haarland is carrying Norway, very different way, but Haarland is a beast of a player.

Yes Brazil has fallen fast, outside of Vini jnr they were pretty toothless in attack.

Maybe in Melbourne, because AFL is the biggest sport in the world in Melbourne. As I drove around Sydney on the weekend all the sporting grounds were filled with people young and old playing and watching football (Soccer for the people from Melbourne),:the people I talked too while sad of...

This is due to change of format. The fact that we played teams in our group that were roughly around out ranking, including a massive home side, the fact we came 2nd in our group, the performance was above par, we then played a team roughly the same ranking as them & played out a fairly even...

Paraguay is a very unlikable team.

I love Lucas Neill, he comes from my local NLP team, a strong Manly Warringah junior, his name is in the stands of our local home ground, but no way is Neill technically better than Souttar.

We all have different opinions & I appreciate that, but to me not even close, Souttar much better passer of the ball out of defence, much better in the air & his defensive work is on a par.

Opps add Herrinton too, he's very good.

Exactly, Souttar is easily the best central defender the Socceroos have ever had, he's a boss & his distribution top class. Bos has a very high ceiling, Beach has the potential & Irankunda just needs to knuckle down & work hard.

Dreadful

Not sure what game you play but 3-4 mins added on for a goal, so if you score 5 goals in 2nd half, you play 15-20 mins more, na dont think so. Its 90 seconds tops.

Its offside call that is the difference. Plus as Sarah Walsh said near the end thr offside goal was scored on tje 114 minutes 4 minutes more than the extra time, where did that come from.

Yep I agree VAR for offsides and goal line tech and also for the howlers like the 'hand of God".

That was a quality winner from Ramos, he headed between 2 centre backs.

VIVA Portugal

I agree, VAR is used incorrectly and should only be used for the obvious errors, however offside is offside and have no issues with VAR used for offsides.

Aussies form holding well, with our games against Paraquay, Switzerland and US.

For today & tomorrow, In Poppa we trust. We have to believe.

Leao was the best player.

That screen is not right, the actual time the OFFSIDE goal went in, was 112.27 minute, now there was 10 mins xtr time, 90 seconds for Ramos's goal in xtra time, where did the extra 1 minute come from. The Ref wanted Croatia to win.

I know mate, enjoy. As for stats who cares, Italy won 2 WCS, (their 1st 2 before my time) playing ugly football, especially against 'jogo bonita', only Italians wanted Italy to beat Brazil in 1982 or France 2006.

So happy I don't live in an AFL state.

My parents are Portuguse, my dad id 91 years old, had to call him make sure hos heart was alright. VIVA PORTUGAL. Bring on those dirty Spaniards.

When I meet your wife, im gonna dob on you talking like that.

The drama in that match was next level. Just amazing!!!!

You want the best there dont you. Viva Portugal

Luka Modric, what a legend, you are one of the greats, thanks for everything

Ramos and Ronnie.

Ronnie

Portugal looking good, rarely see Croatia lose ball so quickly.

That because Argies will come unstuck when they play Soccoeroos in next round. Herrington will keep Messi quiet, no Messi, no Argies.

To me the best teams so far are France and Spain, another level.

That was football at the highest quality, the speed at which they recycle tje ball, their first touch just sublime.

Spain's pressing is impressive, very good team

With more & more Africans now playing in Europe, the players are getting stronger both physically & mentality to go with their natural talent.

Yep & unlike the Melbourne media trying to portray, no AFL games (the sport) either. As school holidays approaches as well, go to a multi sports oval & see what the kids are doing 80-85% of them are kicking a football (no not a Soccer ball), the others are skateboarding (mainly), playing...

This 10000%

I played against the likes of Robbie Wheatley (socceroo) & Johnny Martin from Normo, as I went to school at Asquith boys high.

It's not too late, all the games are up on SBS.

Yes Argies have one great player, the French team has 4-5 great players, they are way above on an individual level, especially their front 4. Just amazing players.