Wales v Austria

Not a fan but 2 great goals by Gareth Bale to put Wales 2-0 up.

The World Cup play-off final looks a distinct possibility for them now.

Austria should have taken the lead early on when they hit the crossbar but it's all Wales now, come on Austria.

What a TUNE their anthem is by the way.

Sorry, boo sheepz lol etc  

Austria back in it. 2-1

2-1 game on again

Bale has a chance to make it 3-0, but puts it over and then Austria get a goal back with a deflected shot that was going nowhere.

Football eh?

Italy struggling to break down a stubborn North Macedonia.

0-0 with 20 mins to go.

Italy, the Euro champions, could miss their second consecutive World Cup.

Italy 0-1 North Macedonia

Goal 90+2

Italy fail to qualify again.

Since winning the World Cup in 2006 they have had 2 group stage eliminations followed by failing to qualify twice.

Italy out  

Karma for beating us on penalties in the Euro's final  

Italy only had 32 shots at goal!  

Well done North Macedonia

Lovely strike by the Macedonian lad

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

Italy only had 32 shots at goal!  

Well done North Macedonia

32 “shots” but only 5 on target.

Quoted from Abdul19

Lovely strike by the Macedonian lad

Wasn’t it the same player who scored an equaliser against Italy in the group game that resulted in Italy not winning their qualification group for 2018 and meant them going into (and losing in) the Play-offs.

Football can be wonderful sometimes - arriverderci!

No idea about the spelling x.

Quoted from Heisenberg

Football can be wonderful sometimes - arriverderci!

No idea about the spelling x.

I want to see the best in the world

Portugal V Italy in a play off. I think its personally sad that the worlds best wont be in Qatar

That said a wonderful result for Macedonia

Quoted from Hagrid

I want to see the best in the world

Portugal V Italy in a play off. I think its personally sad that the worlds best wont be in Qatar

That said a wonderful result for Macedonia

You what?

Only coming 2nd in their group behind Switzerland because they drew twice with the Swiss and failed to beat Bulgaria at home or Northern Ireland away and then losing to North Macedonia at home in the play-offs suggests that Italy aren’t anywhere near “the worlds best”.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

You what?

Only coming 2nd in their group behind Switzerland because they drew twice with the Swiss and failed to beat Bulgaria at home or Northern Ireland away and then losing to North Macedonia at home in the play-offs suggests that Italy aren’t anywhere near “the worlds best”.

They are European Champions, i had the pleasure of seeing them last Summer in which they were comfortably the best team in the tournament.

Stop being such a smarmy git about things.

Good job Italywere not playing all of Macedonia.   Admirable of Italy to boycott Qatar.

I liked Gareth Bale saying he was feeling ill so could not play for Real Madrid last weekend.  They lost 4-0 at home to Barca.  He was certainly ready for tonight.

Quoted from Hagrid

They are European Champions, i had the pleasure of seeing them last Summer in which they were comfortably the best team in the tournament.

Stop being such a smarmy git about things.

Which game did you see? The 2nd Round match at Wembley where they were outplayed by a wasteful Austria? Or maybe it was the Semi-Final against Spain where they had 30% possession and had settled for penalties as soon as Spain had equalised towards the end of the 1st half?

You don’t get bonus points for style of cause I suppose, but at the same time don’t pretend that Italy were sensational at Euro 2020 because they weren’t.

They had a solid spine and played with their own limitations in mind. If England had done the same we would have won the tournament.

Up the Welsh!
Rightly or wrongly i like to see all home nations do well

I agree, not Scotland though.

Bale , not a person I'd like to know. Head up own  a**e comes to mind.

Quoted from Hagrid

I want to see the best in the world

Portugal V Italy in a play off. I think its personally sad that the worlds best wont be in Qatar

That said a wonderful result for Macedonia

Out of interest do you think the “worlds best” should be allowed automatic qualification now that the tournament is being extended? Maybe 12 nations could be chosen, maybe economically based on their financial importance to world football, and qualify for every World Cup going forward.

Maybe we should allow those 12 nations to actually run the competition and decide how the revenue from the new World Cup is divided up?

Because it won’t be the FIFA World Cup anymore we’d need a new name obviously. Something like World Super League maybe?

Actually forget that. Football is a meritocracy. Italy aren’t at the World Cup because they don’t deserve to be.

And if North Macedonia win again tonight then the same would be true of Portugal.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Out of interest do you think the “worlds best” should be allowed automatic qualification now that the tournament is being extended? Maybe 12 nations could be chosen, maybe economically based on their financial importance to world football, and qualify for every World Cup going forward.

Maybe we should allow those 12 nations to actually run the competition and decide how the revenue from the new World Cup is divided up?

Because it won’t be the FIFA World Cup anymore we’d need a new name obviously. Something like World Super League maybe?

Actually forget that. Football is a meritocracy. Italy aren’t at the World Cup because they don’t deserve to be.

And if North Macedonia win again tonight then the same would be true of Portugal.

Obviously dont think that

Quoted from GollyGTFC

You what?

Only coming 2nd in their group behind Switzerland because they drew twice with the Swiss and failed to beat Bulgaria at home or Northern Ireland away and then losing to North Macedonia at home in the play-offs suggests that Italy aren’t anywhere near “the worlds best”.

Stack it up like that they clearly do not deserve to be at the World Cup. The Qualifying campaign gives you plenty of chances and they just blew it, with a set of results like that for England I would completely accept non-qualification

The World Cup is about seeing the worlds best as much as it is about seeing footballing minnows on the big stage. Whilst I think Qatar will be difficult for the European teams, it's one less footballing giant for England to worry about.

I do think the likes of Luxembourg, San Marino, Lichtenstein etc should be put in a qualifying group together though so they at least get some competitive football in.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

The World Cup is about seeing the worlds best as much as it is about seeing footballing minnows on the big stage. Whilst I think Qatar will be difficult for the European teams, it's one less footballing giant for England to worry about.

I do think the likes of Luxembourg, San Marino, Lichtenstein etc should be put in a qualifying group together though so they at least get some competitive football in.

think its a farce of a world cup personally, location, timing, human rights...

Cant see past a Brazilian Win

Quoted from Hagrid

think its a farce of a world cup personally, location, timing, human rights...

Cant see past a Brazilian Win

After the impacts of Covid and stuff I think the next couple of World Cup awards will go to developed nations with infrastructure in place to save some money. That's what has happened with the Euros.

Quoted from Hagrid

think its a farce of a world cup personally, location, timing, human rights...

Cant see past a Brazilian Win

That’s Brazil who have been knocked out of every World Cup since 2002 as soon as they faced a Western European nation. Interesting.

Personally I think it’s wide open, but the winner will 100% be European. Europe is light years ahead of the rest of the world.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

That’s Brazil who have been knocked out of every World Cup since 2002 as soon as they faced a Western European nation. Interesting.

Personally I think it’s wide open, but the winner will 100% be European. Europe is light years ahead of the rest of the world.

Climate, Brazils form ( havent lost a game in Qualifying)

Just think its set up for them

Much more looking forward to the Euros in Germany in 2024  and then i believe is it a larger world cup in 26? With the States, Canada and Mexico all co-hosting so 3 spaces gone already

It’s a different climate entirely to Brazil - Qatar dry heat, Brazil humid heat. Even with that though how many Brazilians play in Brazil? It’s a excrement climate for nearly all of the nations bar Saudi Arabia. I’d expect Mexico and USA to qualify anyway from North America so Canada is the only freebie awarded.

Familiarity with the climate didn't do the fornicators much good in this one.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28102403