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UEFA World Cup Playoffs
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12 teams, 3 groups of 4, only the winners of each group qualify and somehow of the 12 teams, the only two that the world cup will be less for not having end up in the same group (Italy and Portugal).
Last edited by: ThisIsIt: Nov 26, 21 10:44
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [ThisIsIt] [ In reply to ]
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Que? No Comprendo.

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [ThisIsIt] [ In reply to ]
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ThisIsIt wrote:
12 teams, 3 groups of 4, only the winners of each group qualify and somehow of the 12 teams, the only two that the world cup will be less for not having end up in the group (Italy and Portugal).

And I am quite ok with this.

Either scenario:

  1. Italy loses and there is one fewer team that dives all over the place.
  2. Portugal loses and I don't have to watch Christiano Ronaldo dive all over the place.

Either way, we're all winners. You know, except for one of these countries.

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [Guff] [ In reply to ]
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Here are the Uefa Semi finalists:

Semi-finals – Thursday 24 March 2022
Path A
Scotland vs Ukraine (20:45 CET)
Wales vs Austria (20:45 CET)
Path B
Russia vs Poland (18:00 CET)
Sweden vs Czech Republic (20:45 CET)
Path C
Italy vs North Macedonia (20:45 CET)
Portugal vs Turkey (20:45 CET)

One team will advance to the World Cup from each Path.

Italy and Portugal can't both advance.

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?
Last edited by: BLeP: Nov 26, 21 10:47
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [BLeP] [ In reply to ]
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The Italy and Portugal scenario's a bit of a bummer, either way it plays out (as a fan of the sport, generally).

I think Ronaldo's 36... so this would likely be his last window for a world cup stage. And Portugal has a young star on the rise that would be good to also see on the world stage. Maybe his game is slipping these days a bit, but still.

Italy not making it, again, would be sad too. They looked good in the Euros but perhaps have lost some form recently.
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [40-Tude] [ In reply to ]
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neither of them had particularly tough qualifying groups - Serbia and Switzerland are solid but i doubt anyone would give them a chance of progressing to the latter stages in Qatar. UEFA qualifying can be tough in that of the 6 teams in most of the groups there is often one really good team, one sort of good team and 3 or 4 much weaker teams. As long as the sort of good team can beat the weaker teams it can all come down to one or two head to head games. As i am typing this i realize it is probably similar in other regions as well - just that the teams which could potentially miss out aren't ones that have a chance of winning the world cup.
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [rich_m] [ In reply to ]
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Nobody should be feeling sorry for these teams. They put themselves in this position with their mediocre play.

Is their current draw shit? Yup. Maybe they should have played better earlier and they wouldn't be in this spot.

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [rich_m] [ In reply to ]
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Not sure which is harder to deal with... being in a tough region (Europe) and not making it (Italy '18, or possibly now, again). Or being in an easy region (CONCACAF) and not making it (US '18);

Actually, I have less sympathy for those being in an easy region and not making it.

Either way you have to take care of your biz and get yourself through.
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [rich_m] [ In reply to ]
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I think in these two groups there was 1 combined loss between 1/2 seeds (portugal to serbia) while Switzerland/italy tied both their games. Just kinda crazy how you "have" to beat all the lesser teams + beat the 1/2 team in the group.

But no matter what style tourney, this would be the case in europe anyway. If they would have moved these pairings to any other group, no one would care.
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [sosayusall] [ In reply to ]
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In these elimination rounds, they shouldn't have had both Italy and Portugal in Group C. Should've put one of them in A or B.

(If I'm in FIFA in charge of group play, I'd set it up that way. .... cash or goods accepted :-)
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [40-Tude] [ In reply to ]
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40-Tude wrote:
In these elimination rounds, they shouldn't have had both Italy and Portugal in Group C. Should've put one of them in A or B.

(If I'm in FIFA in charge of group play, I'd set it up that way. .... cash or goods accepted :-)

Yeah his is one of those times where a little corruption would have been a good thing :)
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Re: UEFA World Cup Playoffs [BLeP] [ In reply to ]
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BLeP wrote:
ThisIsIt wrote:
12 teams, 3 groups of 4, only the winners of each group qualify and somehow of the 12 teams, the only two that the world cup will be less for not having end up in the group (Italy and Portugal).


And I am quite ok with this.

Either scenario:

  1. Italy loses and there is one fewer team that dives all over the place.
  2. Portugal loses and I don't have to watch Christiano Ronaldo dive all over the place.

Either way, we're all winners. You know, except for one of these countries.

Yea and Messi deserved the Ballon d' or

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