World Cup 2026: Mexico, USA and Canada

[thfcsteff]

Bellingham is amazing!

 

[paxtonwolf]

This is surely one of the all-time classics in the World Cup

 

[Robbo]

I wish all World Cup games were like this one.

This is just like the 1930s.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Playground goal from Bellingham

 

[paxtonwolf]

Absolutely top class entertainment

 

[Rorschach]

Genius

 

[paxtonwolf]

3rd place, only bettered once by England

 

[Rafa87]

What a wonderful game capped off by an incredible goal.

 

[DeanoAustin]

Mad game of football. Hugely enjoyable but crazy stuff. Not a proper game of football really from a competitive standpoint.

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

Viva le Spence

 

[Glenda's Legs]

Wow. What an end to an unbelievable game that absolutely no one was bothered about beforehand.
Wishing now we’d swallowed the extortionate prices for a 3rd place game and gone to Miami.

 

[Baleforce]

Jeepers 5-4 what a game, not sure @Baleforce would agree...

I’m not watching, 3rd place games are a ridiculous thing.

Once you are out you are out, fudge off home, nobody cares.

The current scoreline just shows how seriously both teams are taking the game.

 

[Baleforce]

I wish all World Cup games were like this one. @Baleforce is having a nervous breakdown crying himself to sleep!

I don’t watch meaningless games thankfully.

But yes, if I saw a game with 10 goals I’d be taking legal action.

I don’t want to see 10 goals in a season, let alone one game.

 

[DeanoAustin]

I’m not watching, 3rd place games are a ridiculous thing.

Once you are out you are out, fudge off home, nobody cares.

The current scoreline just shows how seriously both teams are taking the game.

It’s not often I agree with your ultra-defensive views but you’re spot on.

It’s was enjoyable but it wasn’t proper football.

 

[Baleforce]

It’s not often I agree with your ultra-defensive views but you’re spot on.

It’s was enjoyable but it wasn’t proper football.

Once you are eliminated from a competition, you are eliminated from competition.

 

[indospurs]

The fans got their money's worth! All that was missing was an hour long half time show

 

[Robbo]

Straight into the top 10 (11) list of World cup matches with the most goals. Joint fifth with France's 7-3 win over Paraguay in the third place playoff game in 1958.

It's the first new game on the list since Hungary's 10-1 thrashing of El Salvador in 1982, according to ChatGPT.

 

[DeanoAustin]

Straight into the top 10 (11) list of World cup matches with the most goals. Joint fifth with France's 7-3 win over Paraguay in the third place playoff game in 1958.

It's the first new game on the list since Hungary's 10-1 thrashing of El Salvador in 1982, according to ChatGPT.

Didn’t France beat West Germany in 1958 with Fontaine scoring 3 or 4?

 

[Robbo]

Didn’t France beat West Germany in 1958 with Fontaine scoring 3 or 4?

Yeah, 6-3 - also in the third place playoff game, actually.

 

[SissokoWasGood (BoL)]

I am out and about so on phone, thus shortish reply now with 'war & peace' level to come LOL!

I unequivocally stand by blaming Tuchel 100%. It is his job to be prepared. He'd have known the levels of physical and mental fatigue on the squad, he'd have known the phases when substitutions were important. He'd also have seen that Argentina were worried about giving up space to pace, and he had Saka, Rashford,and Madueke on the bench (if Saka wasn't fit then he gets a pass there).

There was no plan beyond 'build a wall'.
Why not bring Mainoo on, a player who likes the ball and can work in tight spaces?
Why not bring Saka and Rashford on? Force Scaloni to keep his LB on and not make another attacking sub?
And if you leave Kane on, why not play him in midfield to feed Rashford and Saka? He most certainly is not going to lead the press at that time? In fact, be brave and if you have no real plan to use one of your two outstanding talents, rather than leaving him to wither out there, bring Watkins on.

Lastly, read the room in the moment!

I have no issue with losing, my issue is with the way we lost. It was unecessary!

Tuchel is gaslighting everyone and it is poor, poor form. I'd sack him tomm.

(Is this the 'war & peace' length anyway LOL)

I just think…we were up against Messi. And there is no one decision, tactical system or substitution that was going to nullify him and see us win the game.

I just listened the latest Stick to Football, and I thought Roy Keane was talking the most sense on this. So many of the conversation is around denying Messi the pass in the space where he wants it. It just doesn’t matter. We had him doubled up, he passes to the open man. And he assisted against us after a short corner…that is not the system, that’s just the concentration of the players. But also just his quality. The ball is sent centimeters over Stones head and on to the much smaller player to nudge in. We had numbers is the box to deal with it, and in the end the quality was just too good.

If we had tried anything else, gone harder for the second, Messi would have found different spaces. He sent Simeone away after getting free in midfield and only Spence heroics saved us.

I’m not saying other subs may not have worked better, I’m just saying I think the criticism Tuchel has received has been way too much, and the players have gotten away completely scot free. I have no particular care for Tuchel, it’s not like I’m so invested in his ‘project’, but I think a narrative has taken on a life of its own. Moving to a three at the back system absolutely should have still allowed us to have more than 12% possession and fashion chances on the break. The fact that it ended up THAT disastrously is a clear breakdown. It’s not all the manager, and the profile of player we had on the pitch was capable of doing far better than that.