Ding Dong! Messily on High!
18/12/22 23:32
Day 22 in the Footcall House...
This was it, the World Cup Final and also the final day in the Footcall House
Argentina 3 v 3 France (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)
After 62 matches (and 21 reports) we were here at the culmination of football’s greatest prize, the World Cup. Reigning champions France had fought off the likes of Australia and Denmark but lost to Tunisia (perhaps when it didn’t matter) in the Group Stages. In the Knockouts they dispatched the likes of Poland, England (booo) and Morocco to reach the final.
It’s hard to believe that their opponents, Argentina, actually lost their opening game against Saudi Arabia but they steadied the ship and beat Poland and Mexico to top their Group. In the KOs they saw off Australia, Netherlands and Croatia to make it to the Final. Now here they were headed up with their world class heroes, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Over the past few World Cups the final has been somewhat of a damp squib and it took something mad like Zinedine Zidane who went crazy go nuts to liven things up. So we were all hopeful this wasn’t going to be a bore draw. One thing was for certain there would be a result today and no doubt the winner of this match would also have an affect on the Footcall league. From the first whistle there was only team in the hunt and that was the South Americans. The boys in the light blue and white stripes were first to the ball and harder in the tackles and it was clear that France just weren’t at the races. It only took 23 minutes before a major decision was made and that was the moment Di Maria won Argentina a penalty from the faintest of touches. Up stepped Captain Messi who duly slotted it into the bottom right corner. Thirteen minutes later they doubled their lead with a beautifully worked goal as MacAllister’s sublime pass set up Argentina’s second of the match. What a game he was having, not since Kevin had been left Home Alone, had a MacAllister been smashing it as well as this... Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!
Argentina were flying and France had no answer for it. Mbappe had been snuffed out and clearly Deschamps was desperate as he made a double substitution just before half time which included front man Olivier Giroud.
After the break it was more of the same but there were some signs of hope for defending champions. It took an incredible 80 minutes for them to wake up when Kolo Muani managed to win his nation a spot kick. Mbappe, the young maestro, did the honours and he powered it into the bottom left corner. Barely 90 seconds later, France drew level in an astonishing moment of magic when Kylian volleyed it from little more than six inches off the deck to make the scoresheet all square. Yes folks, we were heading for Extra Time.
Most ETs are rather turgid affairs where both teams play out the thirty minutes hoping to decide it on penalties. Well this ET was definitely not phoning home and both nations really went for it. With chances at both ends the second half saw it all come alive as Mr Messi did a natty little one two before he popped it over the line. The referee could see it had clearly gone over and thankfully there was no need for VAR, Argentina were in the lead once again. The French however were not done yet as Mbappe’s shot struck the flying elbow of Montiel and prevented the ball going goal bound and France were awarded yet another penalty. Mbappe once again did the honours to blast it down the left hand side to make it three all and become the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final since Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966. What an incredible game this has turned out to be and now we were on the brink of a shootout. There two last gasp efforts to seal it before the final whistle but some majestic defending saved the day and the inevitable was about to happen.
For the third time in World Cup history the tournament was to be decided from spot kicks. This epic match was all about individual heroes doing it for their nation, let’s hope there to be no villains. Once more Kylian was called upon to take the first which he put in the same place as his previous two. Messi stepped up with a very stylish kick to wrong foot Lloris to make it one a piece. France’s Kingsley Coman had his shot saved by the Argentine keeper. Paulo Dybala scores for the Argies and then Tchouameni misses France’s second to really put them under pressure. Leandro Paredes converts and now it was 3-1 to Argentina. Kolo Muani did manage to keep France in it but now it was all down to Montiel. Having gifted France with the penalty in extra time and with the weight of a nation and spirit of Diego Maradona upon him, Gonzalo calmly tucked it away in the bottom left corner to see the South Americans win the tournament for the first time in 36 years.
God Rest Ye Messi Gentlemen, they had done it, champions again! Last time Argentina had lifted the trophy was 1986, I was only 14 years old, still at school and Footcall was not even a glint in my eye but just like then, with the genius of one man, they were on top of the world once again.
And so to the Footcall League...
Graham Weaver is the new Footcall 2022 Champion! By the narrowest of margins, Graham has stolen it from under the nose of Jack Goodwin by stint of the fact Graham has five red squares to Jack’s four. Both Footcallers scored an incredible 62 points, that is just one short of all the games played in the whole tournament!
Let’s also give a big hand to Alan Williams who is up there on the podium with a very creditable 59 points. And from out of nowhere John Dawson has snuck on the inside rail to claim fourth Stuart Acott and Alex Church slip down to fifth and sixth respectively.
The eight points bagged for a correct Argentine victory today saw Richard Croft and Habib Kashi leapfrog a ton of Footcallers to move into the top ten. Dan Schroeck and Andy Brunt finish off all the players in yellow money bracket and not to mention score some of those all important Footcall Hall of Fame points.
Player of the Tournament
It has to go to Graham Weaver who bided his time to make his move topside. I spoke to him this evening and he was delighted to win his first Footcall crown in seven attempts. His wonderful achievement sees him scoop £340 for his efforts along with 10 HoF points to see him move up into 6th place. Well played Graham I look forward to the obligatory prize giving and photo shoot later this week and don’t worry, I won’t be asking you to wear a mosquito net for the presentation ceremony!
That’s it folks, I am done, this has probably been the most challenging Footcall for me and it wasn’t until the last minute did I think it would even go ahead. Of course, I can never run this show without the help of a few notable supporters; Spencer as always pulling the strings backstage, Peter the Punmeister General (mate you were on top form this year) and also Matt and Neil who always support the Footcall campaign.
David
French Fried Moroccan Dreams!
14/12/22 23:52
Day 21 in the Footcall House...
Another day, another Semi Final, were we in for another shock?
France 2 v 0 Morocco
Defending champions France were facing off against World Cup wild cards Morocco in what could be a David v Goliath situation. We all know about the qualities of the French but the Atlas Lions had been a revelation these past three weeks, dismissing the likes of Spain and Portugal along the way. Of course this should have been England in this match but I won’t let my biased patriotism influence my report. Let’s hope the “lucky” French get another friendly referee ;-)
Well there was no need for any favouritism because the French team have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in this competition and have justified (at times) their pre tournament top billing. Once again they exerted their dominance in just the fifth minute as Theo Hernandez finished off a scrambled effort with an acrobatic scissor kick. One nil up early doors and surely they were going to fire up the afterburners. Well one thing we have learnt is that Morocco are like Weebles, they wobble but they just won’t fall down! Azzedine Ounahi tested Lloris with a great shot in the bottom right corner and then Jawad El Yamiq nearly put it in the bottom left corner with a spectacular overhead kick. Had that gone in we would have been talking about that one down the pub for sure.
In the second half, Morocco fought like the lions they are nicknamed after had several opportunities to balance the books. But try as they might they never quite delivered and all that pushing forward left them exposed at the back. Like the true champions they are, Les Bleus capitalised on this and Mr Mbappe sent out a TikTok to Mr Messi captioned “anything you can do, I can do better” as he danced through the Moroccan box like he was in that Messi nutmeg advert selling a popular soft drink. Kylian had the wherewithal to lay it off to Kolo Muani (who had only been on the pitch for a minute) and he tucked it away from close range. Two nil down and the mountain Morocco had to climb now was higher than the Toubkal.
Despite that Morocco kept surging forward and almost managed to get a consolation goal in the dying moments but it was desperately scuttled off the French goal line. Moments later the full time whistle blew and time was up, Morocco were out and France were through to a successive World Cup final for the first time since Brazil twenty years ago.
And so to the Footcall League...
Would you believe it, we have a new leader... Stuart Acott and Alex Church have leapfrogged right to the top but Stuart holds the primary post because of his superior red squares advantage. What a difference 4 points makes to the table positions as Mick Spicer drops to 7th as Graham Weaver, Manoj Gupta, James Ridley and Matt Clark (along with plenty of others) are racing up the charts thanks to France’s win this evening.
Player of the Day
I have to award this to Jack Goodwin who is on the craziest Footcall run he could ever imagine as he has raced into 6th spot waving goodbye to poor old Charlie who’s Footcall race is well and truly over. Jack is leading the Knockout Stages league table and has chosen both finalists. I have no idea who he has selected to win so we will have to wait and see where those 8 points might get him in the main league table.
With just one more Footcall day to go (and one more report for me) will it be Messi’s Argentina or Mbappe’s France to lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon, kickoff in the UK is at 3pm.
Come on England! D’oh!!
David
PS. Please don’t forget to scroll down the league table to check your position in your mini divisions. The highest placed NON-MONEY WINNER player will receive FREE entry to Footcall 2024.
A Very Messi Christmas To You!
13/12/22 23:22
Day 20 in the Footcall House...
Welcome back Footcallers, today is the first semi final, let’s see who brought their A game...
Argentina 3 v 0 Croatia
The battle of veterans, Lionel Messi (35) and Luka Modric (37). Seems bizarre to think that this could possibly be their last ever World Cup before they retire and think about becoming a DPD driver or the ol boy who hands out the shopping baskets at your local Budgens. Well in the here and now these guys are still top of their game and dictating the pattern of play for both nations.
Hero of the hour in the Quarter Final, Dominik Livakovic, was called into action once again as he made a diving save to prevent a shot from Alexis Mac Allister. Despite having a name that might derive from the Outer Hebrides he is actually from La Pampa in Argentina but of Irish decent. Despite one or two chances it was the 34th minute before the scorers were troubled when Julian Alvarez won the South Americans a penalty when he rather dubiously ‘left his foot in’ on a run through on goal.It’s not for me to say whether it was or was not a foul as it really looked like he was angling for that decision. The ref called it and just to add insult to injury to Croatia he gave Livakovic a yellow card. Up stepped Captain Messi to score would have to be the most emphatic penalty of the tournament so far. If he had said to the goalie, “I’m gonna kick to right, you go and stand there” poor old Dominik would still be there now trying to prevent it going it. One nil to the Argies and maybe the writing was on the wall. Five minutes later a moment of World Cup magic was witnessed when Julian Alvarez made a run from his own half all the way to the Croatian penalty area. Even though he was flanked by colleagues he kept going and going, got two lucky deflections off the hapless defenders and then volleyed it in past Livakovic, what a sensational goal.
After the break the South Americans felt the freedom to entertain the crowd with a bit of showboating, reminding me of my younger years when I’d run rings around my little brothers down Ditton Old Rec. Ready to capitalise on their dominance we saw yet another display of genius from the La Pulga (The Flea) who went one on one with Josko Gvardiol (he was the one looking like the Lone Ranger) proving once again why Mr Messi is often referred to as the GOAT. He outstripped the poor defender and twisted him into a pretzel before taking it to the goal line to cut back to that man Alvarez again, it really was double act tonight. The rest of the match was played out in comfort as Argentina snuffed out just about every chance Croatia created and so it finished 3-0 and the Argies romped into their 6th World Cup final and who would bet against them in this form?
And so to the Footcall League...
We have a new leader... Mick Spicer is now topping the table courtesy of his superior number of red squares over Stuart Acott, Charlie Goodwin and Alex Church. The 4 points for the correct prediction is making a big difference to the relevant league positions. Moving into the money bracket is Philip Vingoe and Mark Brown. Meanwhile Graham Weaver, Jack Goodwin, Angela Bowers and Manoj Gupta (along with plenty of others) are racing up the charts thanks to Argentina’s victory.
Player(s) of the Day
Picking a random name out of the hat I shall pick Dan Wilks who had a shocking Group Stages but is blazing up the Footcall table and doing really well in the Knockouts. With another 12 points still up for grabs let’s see if Dan can keep his good run going.
Back soon for the second Semi Final.
David
Footcall 2022 Favourite Team Name Award
11/12/22 23:08
As I sit here looking out on our little corner of the England I can see it covered in a thick layer of snow and it makes me think, why do we play football in the winter? Of course Qatar has its challenging conditions but at least you don’t need to wear a pair of moon boots to play! Now that the dust has settled and England fans once again lament the woes of penalty shots we can at least celebrate one thing…The Favourite Footcall Team Name Award
For many a Footcaller this is the ultimate prize as I know just how many of you spend hours, if not days, mulling over clever combinations of puns and word plays crowbarring in a footballer's name or some pithy topical humour to contrive the catchiest title for your Footcall endeavour. Of course the host nation, Qatar, proved to be a godsend and I will hold my hands up to being sucked into that rabbit hole.
Over the years we've had some classics, some of which make us laugh, many of which make us cringe but all of them reflect the personalities of those taking part, it really has become the fabric of Footcall for which I am truly grateful. In the final days before the deadline I would often ask people if they had done their predictions "Yes; but I'm struggling to come up with a damn team name!"
I'm delighted at how every facet of Footcall is embraced and it makes for some entertaining reading just going through the huge variety of entries and with each successive Footcall it becomes a little harder to be original and all within 30 maximum characters!
So with no further ado I can announce the top Footcall names for 2022…
1st Qatar Pounder with Cheese - Keith Firmston (9 votes)
2nd Blocked Nose and Qatar - Neil Jefferis (8 votes)
2nd Close But No Qatar - George Relf (8 votes)
4th Sheikh, Rattle and Roll - Maxine Read (7 votes)
4th Do They Know It's Christmas? - Peter Mulvey (7 votes)
6th Couldn't Think of a Name - Jack Wakefield (6 votes)
7th Acoustic Qatar - Grant Broad (5 votes)
7th Knowing Me Knowing You, Zaha! - James Vallender (5 votes)
7th While My Qatar Gently Weeps - Rachel Rowland (5 votes)
7th How VAR Can We Go? - Steve Wagon (5 votes)
So a big hand goes to Keith Firmston for topping the list with 9 votes and just sneaking it by the odd vote from Neil with 8. Having given Keith the news I know he is will revelling in his success, despite his mid-table mediocrity in the league table. Check out the FOOTCALL HOME PAGE for a picture of Keith along with a link to a full list of all the teams voted.
That's it for this special announcement, back again soon.
David Coq Up!
10/12/22 23:52
Day 19 in the Footcall House...
The remaining Quarter Finals games played out today.
Morocco 1 v 0 Portugal
After the double penalty shoot outs yesterday surely we were not going to subjected to all that drama again today? Up until this Quarter Final match, astonishingly Morocco had only conceded one goal, and that was an own goal against Canada! They had dispatched Spain in the last round and now they were up against the might of Portugal. Having put six past Switzerland, the Portuguese must have felt confident against a country vying to be the first African nation to ever get to a World Cup semi final. Ronaldo was once again benched and hopefully would not be required if they are to dominate like they did previously.
Joao Felix tested the Moroccan goal but his deflection went high. One thing about Morocco is they are determined to buck the form book and once again they stunned the 88 thousand fans in the stadium and the millions watching around the world as they broke quickly and an awesome cross by Attiat-Allah was met by the head of En-Nesyri to beat the gaping arms of Diogo Costa. One nil to the underdogs, can you believe it! All they had to do now was hang on for another hour and they were through.
In the second half Portugal exerted their skill with the ball but try as they might they just could not penetrate the oppositions defence. Fernandez nearly scored a goal worthy of Marco Van Basten in 1988, but his shot skimmed off the bar. Whilst Portugal had most of the ball and Ramos went close but Morocco had a couple of chances to extend their lead. Ronaldo was brought on but to little effect and could it be that one of the greatest footballers of all time is going to end his career without lifting the game’s greatest prize? One man was to prevent that and that was Morocco’s keeper, Yassine Bounou. Time and again he saved his team from conceding an equaliser and even kept a clean sheet right up until the final whistle. The Moroccans dropped to their knees in exhaustion and cried in jubilation whilst the Portuguese dropped to their knees in anguish and cried in despair.
England 1 v 2 France
This was the big one as far as many Footcallers were concerned. The majority of players if they hadn’t picked England to win they would have been willing them to. However we have our fair share of French supporters in our little competition and they would have been hoping their team would advance comfortably to the semi finals. Well England’s day did not start too well when Aurelien Tchouameni's 25-yard shot beat Pickford in the bottom left corner. It was still only the 17th minute so a long way to go yet. Some questionable decisions to reject penalty shouts by the Brazilian ref made us wonder how this game was going to unfold.
In the second half it was refreshing to see England push for an equaliser and they were rewarded with a penalty in the 54th. After some mind games between the two Tottenham players, Lloris and Kane. Captain Harry however duly stepped up and buried it in the net to make it one all and equal Wayne Rooney’s all time scoring record. As the clock ticked down I am sure millions of England fans were praying it wouldn’t go to extra time and the dreaded penalty shoot out. Then suddenly our mountain got a little steeper when Olivier Giroud headed France back into the lead from seven yards out. Now the fickle England fans were praying for an equaliser to push it into extra time. With just six minutes of normal time to go, our prayers were answered when Mason Mount was barged over by Theo Hernandez. We could all see this was a stone wall penalty decision but the suspect ref had to be persuaded by Mr VAR before he gave it to us. I’m sure at some point in the past this ref had been given a parking ticket in Skegness and he was determined to take it out on us. Anyway the pen was awarded and up stepped King Kane once again to put him above Wayne in the record books. However the football gods were shining on France this evening as Harry spooned it high over the bar Chrissy Waddle style. What a shocker! We couldn’t believe it, he was always Captain Reliable from the penalty spot. The fourth official announced there would be an additional eight minutes stoppage time so there could be one last chance to come our way. Finally in the dying seconds of the match England were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area. Marcus Rashford did the honours and all he had to do was hit a little draw lob shot up and over the wall. Well he did do that but sadly it was just a little too high and not enough dip and sailed over the bar along with England’s dreams of getting to the semi finals. The French were ecstatic leaving the English haunted once again by a dreaded penalty.
And so to the Footcall League...
We have a new leader... Stuart Acott goes top of the table courtesy of his superior number of red squares over Charlie Goodwin and Alex Church. Andrew Brunt has moved up in the yellow money bracket along with Footcall 2012 Champion Nathaniel Ridley who has sneaked into the top 10. Mick Spicer and Colin Jessop who predicted a Moroccan victory made big some strides up the table.
Player(s) of the Day
Just three players bagged a perfect four points today from the two games and they were David Blakeman, Simon Dudson and Jack Goodwin. You three can enjoy your moment in the Footcall sun and who knows maybe you’ll scoop even more points before the tournament is over.
Back on Tuesday for the first Semi Final match between Argentina and Croatia.
David
Brazilian Whacks The Post!
09/12/22 23:05
Day 18 in the Footcall House...
Today marks the first two Quarter Finals games.
Croatia 1 v 1 Brazil (Croatia win 4-2 on penalties)
Our fist game of the day saw competition favourites, Brazil take on competition hopefuls Croatia. Brazil have an incredible pedigree in this tournament having won it five times and Croatia were runners up four years ago. The first half was quite dull to be honest but Croatia’s keeper, Dominik Livakovic saved a few crucial shots. After the break the one man defence continued to keep his nation’s dreams alive as he saved a loads of goal bound efforts with all parts of his body. Full time came and it was still goalless so extra time was the order of the day once again. There was a definite escalation in urgency in this period and just as the first half of ET was drawing to a close a moment of magic was witnessed. Peroxide blonde striker wearing the legendary number 10 shirt showed us a little bit of Brazilian wonder. Neymar Jnr picked up the ball somewhere between the box and the centre circle and charged forward with one objective. He dissected the checkerboard defence like he was playing a game of Draughts. A lovely little give and go with Rodrygo as he tap danced his way through the penalty area like Billy Elliot. Rounding the keeper he roosted it right in the roof of the net! What a goal; what a genius. This was his 77th goal for Brazil and equalled that of the legend, Pele, but more importantly put the South Americans in a commanding position with just 15 minutes to go. Well what have I told you before about Croatia? NEVER write these guys off. They are so good even their shirts are covered in Red Squares.
In the second half they really pushed for an equaliser and with just three minutes left on the clock they were duly rewarded as Petkovic met a lovely cross ball by Orsic and courtesy of a slight deflection the ball found the bottom of the Brazilian net. One all and the whistle blew. This game got lively folks and now we have the ultimate showdown, penalties. Now it will be down to which keeper would step up to hero status. Well cometh the hour, cometh the man and that man Livakovic did the business once again as he saved Brazil’s first attempt from Rodrygo. I haven’t seen a keeper this good since Scott Sterling! If you don’t know who he is then watch this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F9jXYOH2c0
Croatia managed to convert all four of their spot kicks and it was down to Marquinhos to keep Brazil’s hopes alive. Well he kissed the ball, placed it, ran up and belted it against the post. Queue the Croatian celebrations and the Brazilian tears. This little European team really are a footballing miracle.
Netherlands 2 v 2 Argentina (Argentina win 4-3 on penalties)
I’m going to lay my cards on the table here, I had a vested interest in this match as I had the Netherlands to go all the way to win this World Cup so I was excited to see them dismantle the Argentinians. Well my hopes were momentarily set back as a moment of Messi magic sliced the Dutch defence wide open with what could surely be the assist of the tournament. His disguised pass put Molina in on goal as he toe poked into the corner of the net. Netherlands weren’t really at the races this evening and their woes were compounded when Argentina were awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute. Messi duly converted and it looking to be all but over. However in yet another twist Netherlands did get one back as Weghorst scored his first World Cup goal with a lovely redirected header. Time was running out and we inched near the 90 minute mark the fourth official published an additional TEN minutes of stoppage time. In fact it was the in the 101st minute of the game the Dutch were given a free kick on the edge of the area. What followed was another moment of World Cup magic as an audacious free kick was rolled tantalisingly past the wall complete with draught excluder, where that Weghorst controlled it and stuck it in the net for his second ever goal in orange. This was pretty much the final kick of the game and Netherlands had taken it to extra time.
The additional half hour was fraught with activity and a whole pantechnicon of yellow cards but no further goals and so once again it all boiled down to the dreaded penalty shootout. Netherlands missed their first as Van Dijk’s shot was saved. Messi then scored and Martinez proved to be shaken but not stirred as he saved Berghuis’ effort to put the Dutch right under pressure. A few goals were converted and finally it was all down to Lautaro Martinez who confidently buried it in the left hand corner to see the Argies squeak through by the slimmest of margins. The Dutch were out, along with Jenner’s Footcall dreams, on the first flight to Schiphol.
And so to the Footcall League...
Almost everyone (not me) had Argentina to win so loads of Footcallers bagged TWO points for that correct prediction. Lex Arbuckle’s unbroken run has been halted, so Jamie Sains’ perfect KO record from 2018 remains intact. However only five players successfully guessed Croatia would beat Brazil and they included Patrick Ferguson, Hannah Wakefield and Steve Wagon.
Player(s) of the Day
Two players scored a perfect four points from the two matches today and they are my good friends Alastair Pullen and Andrew Pearce. Andrew said to me that he had a good feeling about his chances in this Footcall and as he has sneaked up into 7th position I am not going to doubt his confidence.
Back soon for the other Quarter Final games including England versus France.
DavidMoroccooooooooooooooooooooh!
06/12/22 23:31
Day 17 in the Footcall House...
Today we had the final two matches of the Round of 16...
Morocco 0 v 0 Spain (Morocco win 3-0 on penalties)
First up today was the hotly tipped Spanish taking on the last African nation in the tournament, Morocco. Once again the form book would have you believe this was a one caballo race. Early on Spanish midfielder, Gavi, belted the Moroccan crossbar, leaving them to exclaim “Of all the bars in all the World!” and this really looked like Spain were going to dominate this game. Well Belgium will tell you that you write Morocco off at your peril and they are incredibly hard working and tenacious. They had their fair share of goal mouth action but the first half ended in a stalemate. The second half had plenty of action at both ends and try as they might neither team could give themselves the advantage. Full time blew and astonishingly it was still bereft of any goals. Extra time was much the same and as time wore on it started to look as if both sides might just be happy with the decisive shootout. With one last gasp Spain nearly stole it as Sarabia’s shot across the face of the Moroccan goal glanced off the wrong side of the post. And so it was to be the second penalty shootout in as many days, let’s hope they are better than Japan. Well I can tell you now this was just as bad! Morocco scored their first but then Sarabia hit the post for Spain just as he did in extra time. The Spanish were then denied two more attempts by the gloves of Yassine Bounou (pronounced Bono) as the Moroccan fans sung You Still Haven’t Saved The Goal You’re Diving For! Well their Beautiful Day became Even Better Than The Real Thing as Achraf Hakimi dinked his penalty over the sprawling Unai Simon to seal the victory the African nation. Now it was a Moment Of Surrender for Spain as they were out of the World Cup in yet another shock result! Now where’s that form book I need to tear up?
Portugal 6 v 1 Switzerland
I’m sure the Swiss were watching the earlier match thinking if Morocco can pull a rabbit out of the hat then surely they could do the same to Portugal. The notable difference here was that the Portuguese started at a match faster tempo than their Iberian neighbours and even though their talisman Ronaldo was left on the bench they looked sharp and ready for goals. His replacement Goncalo Ramos was more than capable to do the business as he smashed the ball in the roof of the net to kick off his account. Portugal doubled their lead with Pepe le Goal with a superb header. This 39 year old is second only to Roger Milla as the oldest World Cup goal scorers. After the break it was an absolute Swiss annihilation as Ramos got his second and soon after Guerreiro made it four nil as he netted a beautiful finish. Akanji did manage to get one back for the Swiss but even they knew this was merely a token goal. Then Ramos got his hat-trick to round off a great night for the 21 year old. Portugal however were not done yet as Rafael Leao finished off with a lovely little nightcap to make it six of the best. What a performance, I’m sure Morocco will have their work cut out against them on Saturday afternoon.
And so to the Footcall League...
The shock exit of Spain had all of us fooled (well most of us anyway) and didn’t affect the table too much as Guy and Stuart duke it out topside. The evening game did divide a few of us in the Footcall table and Dan Schroeck, Andrews Hodgson and Brunt faltered slightly. Now that round is over each correct answer is worth TWO points so we shall more than likely see some activity on the table.
Player of the Day
Whilst a number of players managed to score a very impressive seven points from the Round of 16, only One player has had a clean sweep so far. With a perfect 8 out 8 is Lex Arbuckle! That is some incredible predicting and we shall all watch to see if you can continue this great run of form.
We can now take a breather as our next games are not until Friday afternoon when Croatia will play Brazil in the first Quarter Final match.
David
Dubrovnicked It On Penalties!
05/12/22 23:48
Day 16 in the Footcall House...
Here we go again with day two of the Knockout Stages...
Japan 1 v 1 Croatia
Two of the more hopeful nations faced off against each other. Perisic nearly forced an opener the team covered in red squares but some desperate Japanese defending kept it goalless. Just before half time Daizen Maeda did manage to put the Samurai Blue ahead. After they returned Croatia did draw level with a sublime looping header into the far corner. Then there was a lot of back and forth from all sides with both goalies keeping their sides afloat. As the final whistle blew this only meant one thing... extra time. For the first time this World Cup both sides had to work for another half hour to try and force a winning goal. There is an argument to say why should we bother with E.T. and maybe we should just phone home and go straight to penalties. Well at least we don’t have the dreaded Golden Goal anymore! The next 30 minutes passed with little goal mouth incident and the inevitable spot kick duel was here again. Now this was most definitely not the penalty shootout you were looking for with a number of kicks (mostly from Japan) were lack lustre. This modern day penchant of a short stuttering run up just makes you a right tit if you miss so put ya foot through it lad and give it some wellie! The Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic was the hero of the hour as he saved an incredible three pens against the oppositions one and this saw Europeans advance into the Quarters.
Brazil 4 v 1 South Korea
World ranked number one team Brazil were taking on number 28 in the evening match and we were all wondering if this was going to be as one sided as seedings suggest. Well wonder no more folks, it really was! The South Americans put on a Brazilian masterclass and wound back the clock to look every bit as good as the legendary Socrates, Ronaldinho, Zico, Cafu, Romario Kaka and of course Ronaldo. In what was arguably the most entertaining half of any match in this World Cup, Brazil kicked things off with a delicious scooped goal from Vinicius Junior in the 7th minute. Barely the same amount of time passed and Brazil were awarded a rather fortuitous penalty but if VAR says it’s a spot kick then we have to concur. Neymer did one of those silly run ups but it did wrong foot the keeper and he tucked it away with ease. All the players ran to the corner flag to do a little jig in front of their adoring fans. South Korea’s day did not get any better when Richarlison finished a sumptuously well worked move dissecting the Korean box like a knife through butter. And they were not done yet as Brazil made it four nil in just over half an hour as Lucas Paqueta threaded it through the legs of the Korean defence... queue another little touchline Tik Tok routine. South Korea were lucky to go into the break four down and they did very well to stop Brazil scoring anymore. The boys in red did even manage to get consolation goal in the 76th with a belter of a shot from Paik Sung-ho. A little too little too late I’m afraid and Brazil were even able to give their third keeper a run out so that every player in their 26 man squad had played some match time so far. The game ended with jubilant celebrations and a lovely tribute to the man who was perhaps the best of the lot, Edson Arantes do Nascimento also known as Pele who is suffering with ill health.
And so to the Footcall League...
Well the Croatia result has divided the Footcallers slightly and Alex has lost his number spot as he has been overtaken by Guy Young and Stuart Acott. Both players have got (up to this point) absolutely identical, 48 total points, 8 red squares each, 6 Knockout Stages points and 42 Group Stages points each. If these statistics don’t change by the end of the tournament the prize money will be shared but the title will be decided by the toss of a coin. Let’s see how that tussle at the top unfolds.
Player of the Day
Shining a light on some of the Footcallers at the wrong end of the table, I shall give Shaun Carroll the POTD prize today. His Group Stages were not the best but his Knockouts have been, erm, well, knockout! With a flawless six out of six, I’m sure he now has Rachel in his sights ready to overtake her within the next few games. Shaun is doing it for the blue half of Liverpool in the north west and I wonder if he will score more Footcall points than his beloved Everton?!
The final day of Round of 16 tomorrow with Portugal and Spain in action once again.
David
Harry & The Henderson!
04/12/22 23:17
Day 15 in the Footcall House...
Here we go again with day two of the Knockout Stages...
France 3 v 1 Poland
Tournament favourites, France returned to centre stage to take on Poland. Right from the off the French exerted their dominance with their devastating pace. Giroud missed a half chance because of Dembele’s heavy cross. Then the Poles had golden opportunity to score against the run of play but the powered shot was aimed straight at the keeper. However parity was restored just before half time when Giroud did finally find the back of the net to put his nation one up and at the same time he overtook Thierry Henry to become France’s all time top goal scorer. In the second half the shackles were off and this afforded young Mbappe the chance to stretch his legs. Kylian’s speed really killed off the Poles and in the 74th minute he powered it into the roof of the net to make it two nil. As it went into extra time Mbappe made it three with a superb curling effort into the top right corner. Poland did manage to win a fortunate penalty in the 99th minute and Lewandowski’s effort was so tame was easily saved by keeper Lloris. However the line judge deemed the goalie to have come off his line and the poles were given a do over. This time Robert’s stuttering run up did deceive the keeper and they were given the consolation goal before the full time whistle. France were through to the Quarters but who would they be playing?
England 3 v 0 Senegal
Hopefully there was to be no banana skin here as we faced up against the African champions. Pickford was however called into action early doors but his strong hand kept the ball out. England looked sharp and Bellingham did a masterful job in midfield. The deadlock was broken in the 39th minute when Jordan Henderson tucked away a well worked routine. Harry Kane doubled the lead with a terrific goal where Foden fed him a lovely ball for him to very calmly power the ball into Senegal’s net. The second half was more of the same and clearly Gareth Southgate had demanded better concentration when we had the lead. In the 57th minute Foden once again set up another goal as Bukayo Saka made it three zip with a deft little flick over the oncoming Mendy. The final whistle blew and we did it, England kept their sheets clean and now we to face off against the French.
And so to the Footcall League...
Lots more points scored today as French and English victories were the favoured choices. Alex stays top and only Eric Krieg took a slightly backward step on the first page of the leaderboard.
Player of the Day
Looking pounce again at the foot of the table I shall give Ami Hale this award today. We have never met and all I can hope is that this mention today will inspire her to want to take part again despite her rather lowly league position. What I will say is that Ami wins the shortest team name award with her team “Go” but unfortunately there is no prize for this I’m afraid.
Japan, Croatia, Brazil and South Korea are next under my microscope.
David
The Dutch are Walking in Memphis
03/12/22 23:34
Day 14 in the Footcall House...
Can you believe it... the Knockout Stages are here!
Netherlands 3 v 1 USA
It only took ten minutes for the Netherlands to open their account with a beautifully well worked goal straight from training ground. Memphis Depay slotted it into the bottom left corner as the American defence just stood there looking at each other. The Dutch looked in total command and were verging on total football at times and they doubled their lead with a carbon copy goal from Daley Blind just before half time. After the break, USA pushed up to try and get back in it and a moment of concentration loss saw the Netherlands scrambling to get back only to see the ball ping off Haji Wright’s instep to loop over Noppert’s head into the net. Suddenly the States were in a jubilant state with the slim hope of getting back in this game. Sadly however whilst they have the energy and dynamism to go forward they are sometimes lacking at the back and this was once again their undoing. A perfectly placed cross by De Jong saw Denzel Dumfries in an Atlantic Ocean of space to volley it into the American net. The final whistle came soon after and the Netherlands were through 3-1 to set up a Quarter Final tie against the winner of the evening match.
Argentina 2 v 1 Australia
The team seeded third in the world were taking on the team ranked 38th. A huge milestone the South American Captain Lionel Messi who was chalking up his 1000th match. Coincidentally this is my 1000th Footcall report (at least it feels like it) so I can totally empathise with Messi’s magnificent achievement. And it was the little maestro himself who managed to break the deadlock in the 35th minute as he side footed it between a forest of legs like it was a crazy golf hole and he slotted it home in the bottom left corner. After the break a calamitous keeper error by Matt Ryan saw Alvarez spin on the spot and trickle the ball past the hapless goalie. Despite the chasm of class difference on the field the Aussies were no slouch and at times they really pressured the Argies keeper. In the 77th minute a speculative shot by Goodwin took a wicked deflection off Fernandez to totally deceive the Argentinian keeper to make it 2-1. What followed was a frantic few minutes as the Socceroos threw everything at the opposition to try and force extra time. Two golden opportunities were blown in the closing minutes and clearly the football gods wanted to reward Messi for his services to the game and his country and the final whistle blew to see them through. They will take on the Dutch on Friday in what should be an epic encounter.
And so to the Footcall League...
Well done to all those who got their Knockout Stages entry in before the 3pm deadline. Loads of players guessed Netherlands Argentina victories and Alex Church hangs on to his slender lead atop o the table. Carl Andrews and Mick Spicer were the only players to slip down the top 10 yellow money bracket.
One thing about the KO Stages is that you just need your teams to keep winning and slowly build the points. There are whopping 32 points available so everything could change if it all goes your way.
Player of the Day
Looking at the foot of the table I shall give Carol Gerrard this award today. She hasn’t had the best of Footcalls yet she has been a devoted ambassador for the game since our very first one in 2000. You got two correct answers today so hopefully that will have cheered you up, I hope you are still enjoying the Footcall bench banter.
Back tomorrow to see how England get on against Senegal.
David
Brazil Nuts as Swiss Bank a place in last 16
02/12/22 23:36
Day 13 in the Footcall House...
The final Groups Stages matches took place deciding the fate of Groups G and H.
Ghana 0 v 2 Uruguay
Like so many Groups in this World Cup the permutations were crazy. Portugal were top but a win from Ghana by a signifcant margin could actually see them cruise through into the KO Stages. The Black Stars were awarded a penalty early in the game only to see Rochet save it, as to whether a bit of South American gamesmanship affected the penalty taker. Five minutes later Giorgio de Arrascaeta put the ball in the net at the other end to put Uruguay one up. Five minutes after that he bagged his brace as Giorgio volleyed how a pearler of a goal. After the break it was end to end stuff as Ghana threw the kitchen sink at their opponents. Uruguay nearly added to their lead as they hit them on the break but the result finished two nil.
South Korea 2 v 1 Portugal
The Portuguese kicked off the game with an early game from Ricardo Horta really bruising the hopes of South Korea. However the Asian team didn’t take long to level the scoresheet when Kim Young-Gwon tucked away from close range. After the break Ronaldo came close to putting Portugal in front again. A draw was no good to South Korea and they pushed for a winner. Their dreams were rewarded in the 91st minute when Son Heung-min made a break away only to feed Wang Hee-Chan in on goal who slotted it past Diogo Costa. The Koreans went bonkers as all the substitutes ran over to celebrate with the whole team in front of their legion of fans. The whistle blew and now it was a waiting game to see the result in the other match. Once news had come through that Ghana had not won, South Korea knew they were through.
Cameroon 1 v 0 Brazil
The South Americans had a flawless record coming into their final match of Group G and were surely the clear favourites. There were a few goal mouth incidents for Brazil but every chance was spurned by the heroics of Cameroon’s goalkeeper. There was a slim chance that the Africans could make it out of the Groups but things had to go their way in this match and the other. Somehow Cameroon did manage to keep Brazil’s scoresheet blank and then as it looked like it was going to finish goalless Vincent Aboubakar bobbed up in the 92nd minute to head home the perfect cross. As the Captain sprinted over to the corner flag he took his shirt off to celebrate his goal only to be cautioned with his second yellow card of the match; even the referee found the funny side as he politely asked him to leave the field. Astonishingly Brazil failed to score and it was a good job it wasn’t critical. Cameroon won the game one nil in yet another shock result in this WC.
Serbia 2 v 4 Switzerland
Meanwhile the other game in Group G was an absolute goal-fest! it was end to end stuff right from the off as the winner of this game stood a great chance of qualification. It was Shaqiri proving that once again his goals don’t lie as he put the Swiss into the lead. Serbia hit back with two quick goals from Mitrovic and Vlahovic. In what was one of the most frenetic firsts halves of the tournament was capped off with a Swiss equaliser by Embolo to raise their hopes once again. Soon after they restarted came perhaps the goal of the game as Freuler tucked away the fifth of the match to really put Switzerland in the driving seat. The Swiss managed to hang on to their lead right until the final whistle to leave the Serbians getting a bit cross-stich with the officials. The result saw Switzerland up into second place and they knew they were going through with Brazil into the Knockout phase of the competition.
And so to the Footcall League...
The Group Stages are done and we have some halfway winners to reward! Despite having a tough day, Alex Church hangs on to the top spot by a solitary point. Guy Young and Stuart Acott had identical scores and red squares so they share second place. Charlie Goodwin is in fourth one just ahead of Carl Andrews and Dan Schroeck then we have a three way tie for 7th between Andrew Hodgson, Vikki Hill and Andrew Brunt.
All these Footcallers win a cash prize but more importantly puts them in a commanding position going into the Knockout Stages. The prize money table has been published on the Footcall home page.
Player(s) of the Day
Whilst Luis Bello did very well to pull in 6 points today, two proud Footcallers scored an impressive 7 points today and they are Mark Brown and Stuart Howard who jumped up the table just ahead of the Knockout Stages.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Footcall 2022 Part 2 - The Knockout Stages
The Group Stages are now finished, the website has been updated and the Knockout Stages are ready for your predictions. This is where you can consolidate your lead or really turn things around.
PLEASE LOGIN TO YOUR FOOTCALL ACCOUNT and click on the MAKE KO PREDICTIONS link
Here you will see the final draw for the 16 countries that have qualified for the World Cup 2022. All you need to do is click on the team names you think will win each match. You will need to click through to predict the winner of every match right through to the Final. That means ALL eight quarter-finalists, ALL four semi-finalists, BOTH finalists and the OVERALL tournament winner.
WE DO NOT NEED THE SCORES FOR THESE MATCHES – JUST THE WINNING TEAMS. There are a total of 32 points available in the Knockout Stages so choose wisely. You will also be asked to vote for your favourite team name from all those that entered.
It is YOUR responsibility to contact us with your predictions for the Knockout Stages BEFORE the Round of 16 starts tomorrow at 3pm (Saturday 3 December 2022). I’m sorry FIFA did not give us more time to organise this but hey, that’s Footcall for you.
Any late entrants may result in your team not scoring any further points in the competition.
Good luck everyone!
David
It was a Morocco on 34th Street!
01/12/22 23:46
Day 12 in the Footcall House...
The conclusion of Groups E and F were determined today!
Canada 1 v 2 Morocco
Unlikely Dark horses of this World Cup Morocco took on Canada to decide Group F and it didn’t take long for the fireworks to start when Milan Borjan made a goalkeeping howler for the maple leaf team. His clearance found him squandered in no-mans land with an open net just begging for Ziyech to chip it into like he was at his local municipal golf course. Morocco doubled their lead with a tremendous blast from the right foot of En-Nesryi in the 23rd. The African nation really knew how to score as Moroccan player, Aguerd was credited for the third goal of the game despite him rediverting a cross into his own net to give Canada a goal back. Borjan, who has been clearly educated at the Fabien Bartez school of goalkeeping, made more crazy decisions that nearly cost him teams further goals but the result did end 2-1.
Croatia 0 v 0 Belgium
The other game in this group was an all European affair. Belgium really needed a win to secure promotion. Their hopes were nearly crushed in the first 10 seconds when Perisic’s power-ball almost put Croatian in the lead. Quarter of hour later Croatians were awarded a penalty for VAR to intervene once again and deny the spot kick. Plenty of chances in this game most of which were testing Courtois. The first half did finish goalless and after the break Belgium really turned up the pressure in the second as was necessary. Try as they might they just could not get the ball in the net and Romelu Lukaku had four golden opportunities to do just that. Maybe an in form Romelu would have tucked at least one of those away but his failure ended in a nil nil draw and the result kept Croatia above Belgium in the group F to go through with Morocco. Lukaku went Lu-cuckoo as he took his frustration out on some high grade perspex in the dug out; he knew this loss probably signified the end of the Golden Generation of this Belgian team.
Japan 2 v 1 Spain
Red hot favourites opened their account early on as Morata scored his third of the tournament and it looked for all the world the Spanish would runaway with this. Well we should know to never write off the Japanese when just after the break Ritsu Doan brought the Samurai Blue all square. Moments later came what is perhaps the most contentious decision of the whole competition. A shot across Spain’s six yard area looked to be going out for a goal kick and on screen everybody, and i do mean everybody, saw the ball cross the touch line but Kaoru Mitoma lunged for the ball to try and keep it play. His cut back was met by the incoming Tanaka who bundled it into the Spanish net. The ref consulted VAR and astonishingly the goal was awarded to Japan to put them in front. You will have to see it for yourself to believe it. After this the Japanese defended incredibly well whilst the As It Stands table kept bobbing up on screen to show us the current situation. The game finished 2-1 and we all rushed over to the other channel to see that result unfold.
Costa Rica 2 v 4 Germany
Serge Gnabry gave the Germans a lifeline in the 10th minute in a must win match for his nation. The first half finished one nil and maybe the Europeans could avoid the ignominy of not qualifying for the KO Stages for two successive World Cups. Costa Rica put a nasty dent in that dream with an equaliser in the 58th then would you believe they went 2-1 up thirteen minutes later. Havertz brought the scores level again and his second put them 3-2 up. Finally Fullkrug made it 4-2 and all German fans were watching and listening to the result of the the other match. They desperately needed Spain to equalise in order for Germany to draw level with Japan but go through on goal difference. Well that result didn’t happen and Germany were once again out of the World Cup at the Groups Stages.
What a day! Morocco and Japan were through and pre tournament favourites Belgium and Germany were out. You can’t fail to notice they have matching colours in their flags, black, yellow and red all over.
And so to the Footcall League...
We have yet another new leader and long time Footcaller... Alex Church who collected an impressive five points today. Guy Young has moved topside into joint third.
Other notable table jumpers include, Philip Vingoe, Charmaine Stimson, Eric Krieg, Alex Tinsley, Stephen Faint, James Ellis and David Frost all picked up three pointers today.
Player(s) of the Day
Angela Bowers and Eric Church had a great day as they were the only two to have an exact prediction of the Japan scoreline!
Big day tomorrow folks, it is the conclusion of the Groups and that means we shall require your predictions for the Knockout Stages. It’s very simple, we just need you to guess the winners of all the remaining matches. I will explain all of this in another email but you can read about it in Part 2 of the Rules page on the Footcall website. You will need to get your predictions in before kickoff on Saturday at 3pm so we do not have much time between the end of the Groups and the start of the Knockouts. Please do not overlook this part of the competition as this is where you can bag a whole heap of points.
David
Australia had the Leckie switched on!
30/11/22 23:44
Day 11 in the Footcall House...
Groups C and D decided today!
Tunisia 1 v 0 France
The French were already through so they rested some key players. Still plenty to play for Tunisia with the faint hope of qualifying. An early goal was ruled out for offside for Tunisians and the first half finish goalless. In the second half Tunisia rocked the Education City Stadium rocking when Khazri toe poked the ball into the French net. All they had to do was hang on for another half hour. In the depths of extra time France won a penalty that they converted breaking African hearts. Only for their jubilance to be restored when it was ruled out for offside minutes later. Tunisia tore up the form book once again and just needed the other game to go their way.
Australia 1 v 0 Denmark
The situation was simple, the Danes and the Aussies had to win if they wanted to go through. After a tense first half who knew what was going to happen. After the break it was Mathew Leckie of Australia who tucked the ball in the bottom right corner to put them in front. Denmark had a goal ruled out for offside and threw everything at the Aussies but to no avail. Australia made history by advancing to the Knockout Stages for the very first time.
Poland 0 v 2 Argentina
Argentina were awarded a lucky penalty early on only for the Polish keeper to save Lionel Messi’s spot kick. It was Brighton’s McAllister who put the South Americans in the lead. Alvarez then doubled their lead and the Poles were hanging on for grim death. The clock was ticking and Argentina nearly made it a third which would have buried the Poles but it was cleared off the line and they carried on until the final whistle. Despite Poland's horrible loss and Lewandowski left stranded up top with no support, their goalkeeper was the reason Poland have qualified; he made sure it was 2-0 and not 10-0.
Saudi Arabia 1 v 2 Mexico
This was feature packed and quite frantic but with so much on the line. Martin got the first goal of the match for Mexico to really boost their prospects of qualification. Then Luis Charvez scored an absolute blinder of a free kick with one of the goals of the tournament to put the Mexicans two nil up. Saudi Arabia got one back with Salem Al Dawsari to make it 2-1 and that is how it finished. Despite Mexicos gallant victory they missed out on qualification by the slimmest of margins, just one solitary goal difference with Poland.
And so to the Footcall League...
We have a new leader... Stuart Acott has gone top just like Poland with the red squares difference. Mick Spicer had a good day along with Ben Davis, Andrew Brunt and Tat Wah Liu. The first two games were bereft of red squares but the evening matches had a fair few.
Player(s) of the Day
Max Wilcox was the only double red square player of the day. However one Footcaller scored his very first red square today with the most unlikely of prediction. David Kilbey managed to predict that Tunisia would beat France 1-0 and it earned him his very first three pointer and he was only one of two players to guess that Tunisia would win. Special mention should also go to Mrs Footcall who also collected a very rare red square with her correct Mexico result. I know that both these players have not had the best of Footcalls but I do hope my match reports are keeping them entertained.
Back tomorrow for some more shenanigans.
David
Senegal’s victory shows their opponents the Ecuadoor!
29/11/22 23:18
Day 10 in the Footcall House...
Today marks the final lap of the Group Stages as we see what nations will make it or break it!
Netherlands 2 v 0 Qatar
The early kickoffs saw the four countries in Group A decide their fate. The Dutch really had the running of the show and their dominance paid off when Cody Gakpo found the bottom right corner to put them ahead. Qatar did well to hold off the advancing opponents but they did very little at the other end of field. In the second half Netherlands doubled their lead when Frankie de Jong netted from three yards out, I think my Gran could have scored that one. The Dutch were denied a third goal (much to my own personal relief) as it was ruled out for handball. And so it finished two zip and the host nation were out, maybe all they just had to do was get the 6X bus back home via the Qatar library. The victors meanwhile were in Nether Netherland!
Ecuador 1 v 2 Senegal
Perhaps the more critical game in Group A was this one as the winners would be advancing through to the Knockout Stages. Oh Dia pulled his shot wide and this keenly contested match was getting physical. The deadlock was broken when Watford winger Sarr very calmly tucked away Senegal’s first from the penalty spot. After the break Caicedo scored a terrific equaliser to see the South American fans go bonkers. Their joy was short lived however as Koulibaly scored his first ever international goal to put the Africans back in pole position. And so it finished two one and Senegal leapfrogged their opponents to finish runners up in Group A.
Iran 0 v 1 USA
Group B had a myriad of combinations of results that could see any of the two through to the KO Stages. Christian Pulisic propelled America’s hopes with a goal in the 38th. A second Mckennie goal was later ruled out because Mr Pedantic, VAR said “I’m sorry sunshine you’re offside.” Iran are a hard working team with the weight of their nation on their shoulders perhaps more than most but try as they might they could not force the equaliser they so dearly needed and they were left taking pot-shots from the edge of the area. Eventually the clock ran out and the game finished one nil to USA.
Wales 0 v 3 England
The simultaneous game in Group B saw the Welsh with a mountain bigger than Snowdon to climb as they needed to defeat the English by four goals and hope for the other result to go their way. The first half required Danny Ward to save a certain goal from the advancing Marcus Rashford. Wales rode their luck in a largely unremarkable first half. After the break it was quite a different story as Rashford scored a peach of a free kick in the 50th minute. If Man U scored the first the second came from the blue half of Manchester as Phil Foden slotted home to double England’s lead. Wales had a couple of goes at the other end with no result and Marcus Rashford wrapped up the result with his second of the match in the 68th. It was becoming a procession and young Rashford nearly claimed the match ball when he came close to making it a hat-trick. And so it finished 3-0, England were through and Wales were flying home to Maes Awyr Caerdydd.
And so to the Footcall League...
We have a new leader... Charlie Goodwin is two points clear courtesy of an impressive 8 point haul today. Andrew Hodgson and Vikki Hill are hot on his heels. Quite a number of players scooped up 8 points today including Dan Schroeck, Kathryn Rowland, Nathaniel Ridley, Guy Young, Nick Wyatt, Manoj Gupta and even Jack Butler played a blinder today! Well done to all you have climbed up the table whether that be to challenge the front runners or just to settle for mid table obscurity you made great strides today.
Player of the Day
One Footcaller stood proud of all the others has he bagged a super impressive 9 points from a possible 12. That man is none other than John Dawson who collected more red squares in one day than he had in the previous nine days combined. Now up into 31st I’m sure John is setting his sights on the top of the table, well played ol’ boy!
Back tomorrow to see if Argentina will qualify.
David
How do Cameroon like their ice cream? One scoop and double toppings!
28/11/22 23:24
Day 9 in the Footcall House...
What’s in store next for this rollercoaster of a World Cup!
Cameroon 3 v 3 Serbia
First up we had the steady Serbs against the charismatic Cameroonians. This was only going to go one way, a very uninteresting nil nil bore draw, right? WRONNNNNNNNNG! Mitrovic went mighty close on two occasions early on but failed to convert. However the game kicked off when against the run of play Cameroon took the lead in the 29th minute when Castelletto tapped in two yards out. Serbia did equalise in stoppage time from Pavlovic and would you believe strike Savic (yes there are two in this match) made it 2-1 with yet another first half overtime goal. After the break Mitrovic finally converted to make it 3-1 and it really looked like Serbia had a stranglehold on the match. But you rule out Cameroon at your peril and a moment of World Cup inspiration happened as Aboubakar beat the offside trap and found himself mano a mano with keeper Savic. Rather than slide it past, run around or even nutmeg the keeper Vincent deftly lobbed the keeper with the perfect scoop straight over his head into the net Pat Nevin style. What a goal! Three minutes later would you believe it Cameroon levelled the scoresheet with a tremendous break. The final 25 minutes anything could have happened but there were to be no further goals and we just had to settle for the half dozen!
South Korea 2 v 3 Ghana
After the drama of the last match sometimes you just need a lie down in a dark room to catch your breath but there’s no time for this as the World Cup conveyer belt is relentless. Ghana were first on the scoreboard with a Salisu goal converted from a free kick. The Black Stars doubled their lead to take a two nil lead into the break. At this point it really looked like the team from the far east were out of ideas and needing a Koreas adviser! However in the 58th minute the rule book was once again torn up when Korea’s number 9, Cho Gue-sung headed two awesome goals as he came steaming in like the Hogwarts Express... Cho! Cho! Incredibly this game was all square as both nations fought tooth and nail to score a winner. Well it was Ghana who did just that in the 68th minute to make it 3-2; now all they had to do was defend their backline against the onslaught that was to come. Finally the whistle blew, Korea were upset and the colourful Ghanaian fans went absolutely bonkers, what a match!
Brazil 1 v 0 Switzerland
With 11 goals already under our belts, nothing short of an eight all draw was going to cut it in this match. The South Americans dominated the match and the Swiss were far from a perfectly timed railway journey and at times it looked like they were going to park the big purple Milka cow in defence to prevent Brazil scoring. All that said the first half was goalless and Switzerland were riding their luck. In the second half, Vinícius Junior did break the deadlock only for it to be ruled out offside, it makes you wonder just how many controversial goals were scored before VAR technology. Brazil did however capitalise on their dominance in the 83rd minute when Casemiro finally (and legally) put the ball in the back of the net leaving the Swiss to commiserate. And so it stayed one nil and whilst we didn’t have the fireworks of the previous games, Brazil have done enough to secure their promotion from Group G.
Portugal 2 v 0 Uruguay
Game 4 of Day 9 saw Portugal face off against Uruguay. Ronaldo was once again setting records and the Europeans had a scare when Bentancur nearly put Uruguay ahead. No goals in the first half but that all changed after the break when Bruno Fernandes’ free kick was met by the eyebrows of that man Ronaldo. However VAR stepped in once again, not to award it offside but to deny Cristiano the goal and award it to Bruno. Uruguay just weren’t at the races tonight and even the introduction of Luis Suarez barely made a difference. It looked for all the world like it was going to end one nil only for Portugal to be given a penalty in the final minutes of the match. With Ronaldo now benched Bruno Fernandes did a hop, skip and jump before deceiving the keeper and tucking it away for his second. Moments later Bruno mars his chances of taking home the match ball when he squandered a golden opportunity in the dying moments of the game but it didn’t matter the result was in the bag and Portugal were going through to the Knockout Stages.
And so to the Footcall League...
Gary Higginbotham hangs on to top spot ahead of Vikki Hill purely by the number of red squares he has collected so far. Three pointers were few and far between today but shout outs should go to Stuart (or Vikki’s brother as he is more commonly known) Acott, Darren Brame, Kevin King, Matt Clark, Richard Goodwin, James Parker, Jack Wakefield, Emily Rodgers, Tat-Wah Liu, Eddie Jnr, Elizabeth Knott and Maxine Read, Jonathan Rowland, Steve Wagon all collected red squares today. Special mention should go to Nick D’Avanzo and Emma Wakefield who picked up their very first three pointers of the campaign.
Players of the Day
Only one Footcaller predicted South Korea 2 v 3 Ghana and that was Craig Amos. An incredible guess and well worthy of more than three points but he will have to settle for that this year.
Secondly our other POTD with a creditable 7 points from 12 would be little ol me! Yes I am shamelessly awarding myself this prize for the first time since 2004 for being the top scorer of the day. I shall enjoy my day in the sun as I have raced up into joint 16th... now hold my beer as plummet like a stone!
Back tomorrow for the final lap of the Group Stages.
David
Moroccan’s Spice Things Up!
27/11/22 23:51
Day 8 in the Footcall House...
More excitement as the Group Stages sort themselves out!
Japan 0 v 1 Costa Rica
And the prize for the dullest half of this World Cup goes to... THIS MATCH! Nothing to write about, not one shot on target; borrrring! You don’t commentary like that on the mainstream sports channels. Anyway the second half was much more lively and we really thought the fireworks were going to come from the Japanese after they defeated the Germans the other day. However it was the Costa Ricans who scored a lovely goal as Keysher Fuller lobbed the keeper from the edge of the area in the 81st minute. Japan nearly equalised but keeper captain Navas saved CR’s blushes as the ball pinged about the goal mouth. The game finished one nil and opened the door wide for Germany to get back in this tournament.
Belgium 0 v 2 Morocco
Every Footcall I bang on and on about how Belgium are a world class team but still they have an empty trophy cabinet. This game really exemplified that as they had plenty of possession but sadly with no end result. Morocco had a goal ruled out for offside (standard form for this World Cup) and despite plenty of chances for the Europeans they just couldn’t penetrate the African defence. In the second half the Moroccans shocked the crowd and the pundits by scoring a legitimate goal this time from direct from a free kick right near the corner spot, David Beckham style. As the clock ticked down Morocco doubled up as they hit Belgium on the break to make it two nil, and that’s how it stayed for yet another WC22 upset!
Croatia 4 v 1 Canada
The Canadians really impressed in their first match against Belgium but failed to get a result. The pre match pep talk given to them by fellow countryman, and Canada’s first astronaut, Chris Hadfield must have really motivated them as Alphonso Davies scored the fastest goal of the competition. It took Canada just 68 seconds to put their nation one up. Croatia are a dogged team with a much greater heritage of international football and that became evident as the game went on. Andrej Kramaric drew his team level and Livaja put them ahead just before the break. Canada’s woes were compounded as Kramaric made it a brace and Majer tucked away Croatia’s fourth to finish the game 4-1 ending the hopes of Canada in this competition.
Spain 1 v 1 Germany
The final game of the day saw two heavyweights slug it out. Despite the thumping Spain gave Costa Rica and Germany losing to Japan, we all knew this meant nothing. The first half had a few chances and Neuer had to save fizzing shot from Olmo early doors. Spain seemed to the lions share of the possession and Jordi Alba working the left flank was always a threat. Against the run of play Rudiger scored a great header only for, yes you guessed it, to be ruled offside. The second half saw Spain end the deadlock when Morata redirected the ball into the German net. Assuming the Spanish were going to push on was to be hoped by the onlooking fans but you can never write off the Germans when in the the 83rd minute Niclas Fullkrug put the Champagne on ice with a cracking equaliser. And so it ended one all and Group E is still wide open even with Germany at the foot of the table.
And so to the Footcall League...
After the mass of red squares yesterday, today was a whole different story but hey, that’s Footcall. Another red today from Gary who stays top, Stephen Hills, Thomas Frost, Anthony Bennett and Helene Wilkinson, Elizabeth Mailey and Thomas Baus all bagged a juicy three pointer for the Japan Costa Rica game. Barely anyone scored a point for Morocco’s victory and nobody predicted Croatia to win 4-1. The evening match ending one all was very popular mind with plenty of red squares dished out including Manoj Gupta, Rachel Rowland, Alan Church Aaron Pink, Tony Mehmet, James Vallender and the new double act of Wootton & Hill all picking up maximum points for that game.
Player of the Day
This surely has to go to first time Footcaller, Jensen “thanks for paying my entry fee Dad” Gosbee. He collected a very impressive 7 points from the games today and this has pushed him right up into 11th place in the big league. Not only that, he now also tops the Beckham Division! Well done Jensen, keep it going my son!
Brazil back again tomorrow.
David
Kylian’s double Danish bacon Mbappe!
26/11/22 23:25
Day 7 in the Footcall House...
Round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows!
Tunisia 0 v 1 Australia
A critical match for both sides here and it was the Aussies who got things underway with a deft little header redirecting the ball into the bottom right corner. All they had to do now was hold on to the lead for another hour. Tenacious Tunisia were determined to level the scoreboard but they really left it a bit too late to switch the afterburners on and sadly for them time ran out along with their hopes of qualification. However the Antipodeans were now in a promising position of advancing to the latter stages depending on how the other Group D game turns out later.
Poland 2 v 0 Saudi Arabia
After the shock of beating Argentina another win here for the Saudis would see them into the Knockout Stages would be an even bigger shock. For Poland however this was a must win match to keep their hopes alive and Zielinski broke the deadlock in the 39th with a powered shot into the roof of the net. The Green Falcons needed another shot in the arm pep talk from boss Renard and they did come back out with plenty of step but sadly very little pep. Try as they might they just could not break through the Polish defence. As they pushed forwards, gaps opened up in the Saudi back line and the Poles hit the poles not once but twice with very smart plays. Eventually the Europeans did add to their tally when that man Robert Lewandowski scored his very first World Cup goal, no I can’t believe it either, this really was his first goal in the Finals. A few minutes later the game finished 2-0.
France 2 v 1 Denmark
The first half was pretty much one way traffic as the reigning World Champions dominated the match from the off. Some brave keeping by Kasper Schmeichel kept the Danes in the game and I think they would have been thankful to go to the break at nil nil. The second half was more of the same and finally Les Bleus got on the scoresheet when frontman Mbappe slotted it between the defender from nine yards out. Seven minutes later and somewhat against the run of play, Denmark managed to draw level with lovely headed goal by Christensen. Even Braithwaite nearly put them ahead but his shot was wide and with five minutes left on the clock Kylian the predator latched on to a cracking cross to put France in the lead once again. This time they did hang on for the victory to leave Danish hopes in jeopardy.
Argentina 2 v 0 Mexico
A must win match for the blue stripes and we were all wondering if boy wonder, Lionel Messi was going to bring his A game. The first half was pretty much uneventful and I must be honest, I struggled to stay awake. However things livened up in the second half when Captain Messi did deliver with a sweetly struck left footed shot that found the bottom of the net. With the pressure lifting Argentina started to control the game and they doubled their lead with dreamboat goal from Enzo Fernandez, the bright young superstar of the future. Mexico tried to get back in it but were found wanting and eventually the game finished 2-0 and all to play for in Group C in the final matches.
And so to the Footcall League...
What a day! I don’t think I have ever seen such a red wave like this on the Footcall table before. You’ll have to go and see for yourself and my apologies if I overlook anyone so I shall look at the lower rungs of the table, Bryan Relf, Jack Butler, Thomas Baus, Steve Wagon, Aaron Pink, Eric Church, Simon Dudson, Patrick Ferguson (teams 2 & 3), Sadie “I really love Footcall” Colyer, Yasmin Coupland, Chris & Nick Kotsonis, Peter Short, Craig Amos, David Wootton, Jon Hill, Jack Goodwin, Stuart Acott, Adam Botting, Henry McKillop, Eddie Bojtler Jnr, Tim Gemmell and even Mrs Footcall picked up their first red squares of their 2022 campaign.
Player(s) of the Day
So an apology to make as I forgot yesterday to award my Player of the Day prize to Kelly “check me out Jamie” Sains for bagging two lovely little red squares for her predictions.
As for today, I have to pay credit to four incredible Footcallers who will all have to share the POTD award today. Chris Martin, James Parker, Gary Higginbotham and Charlie Goodwin all collected an unbelievable ten points in one day and have gone rocketing up the table... well played guys!
Four more tomorrow to feast upon.
David
Ecuador passed the Dutch on the left hand side!
25/11/22 23:23
Day 6 in the Footcall House...
Would you believe we are on to lap two of the Group Stage matches...
Wales 0 v 2 Iran
After the thumping England gave Iran the other day surely the Welsh were salivating at the thought of doing the same today. Well the Iranians on the field today were a whole different team. From the start they seemed to have the game by scruff of the neck. An early lunge by Keiffer Moore nearly put the reds in front but was saved then Iran went down the other end and scored only for it to be adjudged offside. After the break it was all one way and incredibly Iran struck the woodwork twice within as many shots! I’m sure the goal posts were made in Aberystwyth. As time ran out Iran hit on the break only to be stopped by goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey in a cynical block well outside his own area that had all the hallmarks of Harald Schumacher in 1982. VAR persuaded the referee to change the card from yellow to red and the keeper was off. From then on it was all one way and in the 98th minute Cheshmi scored and Rezaeian compounded the result to break the Welsh hearts.
Qatar 1 v 3 Senegal
The host nation had a good shout for a penalty overruled and the Africans rubbed salt in the wound when a defensive error in the Qatar defence was pounced on by Dia. After the break Senegal doubled their lead and the signs for the home team were looking ominous. However Qatar did manage to score in the 78th to make a game of it. The Senegalese put the game out of sight when Dieng slotted home a well worked move to finish it 3-1.
Netherlands 1 v 1 Ecuador
Cody Gakpo scored an absolute belter in the 6th minute to set this match alight and we really though the Dutch would dominate this game from there on in. However Ecuador are way more resilient than that they showed more tenacity and heart to get back in it. Even when a goal was ruled out for offside. Despite being one down at half time it really looked like one team that was likely to score. It didn’t take long as that man Enner Valencia bobbed up again to tuck away a rebound to make the game all square. The Netherlands were pretty poor in the second half and they nearly lost the game when Plata hammered the bar (much like I’m going to when Footcall is over) only to see it ping off. The game finished level setting a juicy prospect for the final games of Group A.
England 0 v 0 USA
We were in a commanding position after our great win over Iran so avoiding defeat today should see us all but through to the Knockout Stages. The US team were far more competent than our opponents the other day and at times seemed be quicker to the ball than their more experienced counterparts. This game was let’s face it, lacklustre. Very few chances at either end and that was testament to the defences of both sides. Harry Kane had a good chance with a header and Mason Mount should have been on target but ultimately the match did end goalless. So many nil nils in this World Cup! Well, at least we didn’t lose and all we have to do is avoid a four nil or worse defeat to the Welsh and we will be through. As for USA they really need to secure a win against Iran to succeed.
And so to the Footcall League...
We have a new leader, Ben “Retro Wheelz” Davis is one point clear courtesy of his Ecuador one all prediction. Andy Kirchell, Carl Andrews, Kev Appleton, Mark Brown, Peter Mulvey, Eric Krieg, Neil Jefferis, Brian Head, Dan Wilks and Caroline Holding all picked up red squares to move up page one of the leaderboard. Other notable first time three pointers include Neil White, Kofi “could this be the Ghana goalkeeper?” Baah, Jonathan Hodgson, Charlie Field, Elizabeth Knott and Carol Gerrard all boosted their scores nicely.
Back tomorrow with some more facts and figures.
David
Emotional Embolo Embarrassed
24/11/22 23:43
Day 5 in the Footcall House...
Here we go again...
Switzerland 1 v 0 Cameroon
A tough match early doors that was more about the defence than the attack. There was plenty of huff and puff but neither team were that decisive in front of goal. However when defending their own nets both sides were well up for it. After the goalless first half it was the Swiss who found the holes in the Cameroon defence when Breel Embolo tucked away Shakiri’s cross into the back of the net from seven yards out. When the net bulged, the Swiss number seven looked somewhat sheepish; and for good reason, he was born in Cameroon and his goal must have been quite conflicting for the young striker. Despite chances for the Africans at the other end, Switzerland hung on for the victory, and just like their flag, this was a big plus!
Uruguay 0 v 0 South Korea
Despite numerous goal mouth instances, with goal line clearances and woodwork shuddered, astonishingly this game finished nil nil. Valverde and Nunez both struck the upright but like Luis Suarez failed to deliver. Meanwhile Son Heung-min almost made a difference but his late shot was dragged wide. Rather humorously there were five players named Kim in the Korean team... maybe they could have done a rendition of Kimbaya My Lord.
Portugal 3 v 2 Ghana
After the rather tepid games earlier surely Portugal were not going to let us down? Well we feared much more of the same when the first half finished without a goal. However this was certainly a game of two halves and in a 25 minute period the match caught alight and no prizes for guessing who kicked things off, yes it was Portugal’s magic man, Cristiano Ronaldo. Rather controversially he did win his de a penalty When with barely any contact he did go down very easily in the box. However he is deadly from the dead spot and he powered home the first goal of the game to achieve a little bit of history. Ronaldo’s goal meant that he had scored in five different World Cup finals dating back to 2006. An incredible achievement that only he might surpass in 2026, who knows? However Portugal’s joy was short lived when Ayew snuck in for a cheeky equaliser. Five minutes later the Portuguese were back in front again and then they extended their lead to 3-1 in the 80th. We were not done yet, and Bukari headed Ghana back into it in the 89th. Then an astonishing conclusion nearly befell the match when the Portuguese keeper, Diogo Costa, put the ball down, seemingly unaware Inaki Williams was behind him, but after racing to intercept the ball, the Ghana forward slipped at the crucial moment and a scuffed shot was cleared off the line. Chaos! Fortunately the whistle blew soon after and the Europeans scraped through as the winners.
Brazil 2 v 0 Serbia
Over the years the genius of Brazil has entertained us so many times, surely they would dismantle Serbia with ease. Despite numerous attempts this was yet another match that was bereft of any end product in the first half. All that changed when Tottenham striker, Richarlison, propelled the boys in yellow and green into the lead. Neymar’s talent didn’t really come to life this evening and so he left it to predator Richarlison to double his tally and Brazil’s lead with what would have to be the goal of the tournament so far. A spectaculr flick up and high level volley come scissor kick from the master poacher who clearly wheres the crown in his team. And so it ended two nil and the Brazilians top Group G on goal difference.
And so to the Footcall League...
Andrew Hodgson stays top but is now joined by Emily Rodgers who had an outstanding day. Other red square baggers include Colin Jessop, Melvyn Stringer, Keith Firmston, Jason Shillito, Mick Spicer and Alex Church. Further down the table a certain David “Mr Footcall” Jenner has come up on the inside rail into 27th place, haha! Kevin “Hall of Fame Topper” Appleton on to page one of the league along with Miley Krieg and Stephen Moorton.
Ray Amos played a blinder today collecting 8 from 12 and Kevin King, John Trent, Aaron Sutcliffe and Les Herbert all picked up red squares. Caroline Holding, Ami Hale, Shaun Carroll and even my old mate Alastair Pullen broke their red ducks today to race up the leaderboard.
Player of the Day
I’d like to give this prize to Bastian D’Avanzo who not only picked up eight points today he had a three pointer from the day before to give him three in row which is a very rare sight on the Footcall table. Well played young man you’re up into 17th.
England, Wales and the USA back on the stage again tomorrow.
David
From Costa Brava to Costa Blanca -Cost a Lotta for Costa Rica
23/11/22 23:28
Day 4 in the Footcall House...
Onwards we go with another four matches to savour...
Morocco 0 v 0 Croatia
Group F began with the early kickoff between the industrious Moroccans and the tenacious Croatias. Playing the heart of midfield for the boys in red chequers was Luka Modric who was appearing in his 4th World Cup representing his country for the 156th time, I wonder how many more he can do. Having lost in the final four years ago to France maybe they were setting their sights on going one better this time round. Well based on this performance they are going to need a lot of luck.
The best chance of a match that had only two shots on target from each side came in first-half stoppage time, when a left-wing cross was diverted towards goal by Vlasic only to be denied by the right leg of Yassine Bounou. Morocco however came closest when Noussair Mazraoui followed in a deflected shot and saw a back-post header saved. A game for the purists you might say.
Germany 1 v 2 Japan
On paper this had a German victory written all over it but experienced Footcallers will know what is written on paper aint worth a monkey’s uncle when it comes to accurate predictions. Despite an early scare when a Japan goal was ruled out for offside the game did start to go according to the form book with German dominance. They were rewarded with a penalty in the 32nd minute which Gundogan tucked away. Surely the floodgates were going open now? Well maybe not as during the halftime break Japan had clearly taken some of that magic mojo juice that the Saudis had the other day and they chose not to lie down. Their energy saw them pressure Germany back into their own half time and again and eventually they scored an equaliser in the 75th. You would have been forgiven for thinking they might settle for the draw but the Samurai Blues were having none of that and Asano burst into the box and powered the ball over Neuer’s head to put Japan in the lead. Not only that they hung to the full time whistle for a truly epic win over one of the pre tournament favourites. Footcallers the world over must have been experiencing deja vu with this result.
Spain 7 v 0 Costa Rica
Surely the skilful Spaniards would treat us to right royal game. Well they didn’t let us down as they chalked up their first goal in the 11th minute with a lovely goal by Olmo. After the disasters from Argentina and Germany surely Spain were not going to crumble in the same fashion? Not a bit of it! They went from strength to strength with two more goals in the first half. Nor did they sit back after the return as the 2010 World Cup winners banged not one, not two, not three but four more goals. They totally destroyed Costa Rica who I seemed to remember gave England a much sterner test in a goalless draw eight years ago. This time round they truly capitulated to El Magnifico Seven from a highly competent team who must be looking forward to the knockout stages. I’d not seen a performance like that since I played for Ditton Minors when Russell Booth single handedly dismantled Lenham in 1984.
Belgium 1 v 0 Canada
This was the Canadians first appearance in Footcall and we had no past history to know if they could compete on the world stage. They were up against the formidable Belgians who are ranked 39 places above their opponents so we were expecting a European win. Well the form book was once again torn up when Canada’s Alphonso Davies had a penalty early doors. Belgian keeper Courtois was up to the challenge and he saved it comfortably, crisis averted! For many spells throughout the first half the Canadians were like maple leaf syrup all over Belgian waffles, they just lacked the end product. The deadlock was broken just before half time when Michy Batshuayi latched on to a route one ball to tuck it into the Canadian net. After the break, Canada continued to compete and they did really well to keep Belgium at bay but they couldn’t find an equaliser so it finished 1-0.
And so to the Footcall League...
Lee Woods is hanging on to the top spot but is now joined with Andrew Hodgson. Angela “See Claire if you would only listen to your sister once in a while” Bowers had a glorious day and moves up into third. Dan Schroeck must be getting a nosebleed in fouth and James Bradford’s red square sees him up to joint fifth.
Other red square baggers today include Peter Mulvey, Charlie & Richard Goodwin, Guy Young, Andrew Brunt, Ed “this one’s for you Angus” Rowland, Eric Krieg, Helene Wilkinson, James “where’s Rachel?” Rowland, Jasper Dudson, Mick Spicer, Statman Matt Clark, Jonathan “seriously, where is Rachel?” Rowland and Bastian D’Avanzo all boosting their league positions very nicely.
Player(s) of the Day
Today however is a very special day. Over the past 12 Footcalls to date we have some incredible predictions over the years. Who could forget Mrs Jenner’s Brazil 5 v 2 Costa Rica prediction in 2002 and Adam Billington’s Argentina 6 v 0 Serbia & Montenegro in 2006?
Well today all of that was eclipsed by two very special Footcallers that go down in the hall of fame when Brian Head and Dave (Adam’s Dad as he’s more commonly known) Billington both plumped for Spain 7 v 0 Costa Rica. I’m not sure what divine intervention they received to pick that scoreline but it was astonishing to see their red squares light up the league table. Maybe one day I will refine the algorithm so I can give predictions like this more points; but until then they will have to settle for a three. Well played guys!
Whilst you raise a glass to Brian and Dave’s achievement, spare a thought for my good friend Dave Kilbey who must have thought his guess of 6-0 was going to see him bag his first red of Footcall 2022 only to see it cruelly snatched away two minutes later. Damn you Alvaro Morata!
David
Arabian Knights take away a bit of Argie Bhaji
22/11/22 23:44
Day 3 in the Footcall House...
Now we really are up and running with a whopping four games a day for the rest of eternity; strap in folks this could get bumpy.
Argentina 1 v 2 Saudi Arabia
Group C kicked off at 10 in the morning with one of the pre-tournament favourites, Argentina took to the stage. They were up against the potential whipping boys, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No pundit, expert or Footcaller gave the Saudis a hope in this match when they were facing the sublime talent of Lionel Messi. And it was the boy wonder who was to get the blue and white stripes off to a flyer when another contentious VAR decision awarded Argentina a penalty. Messi then doubled their lead only to be judged offside. Martinez followed suit with not one but two goals that were also ruled out for being beyond the last man. This reminded me of 1983 when Mr England, my old head teacher at Ditton School, shouting “Stay onside boy!” from the touchline every time I ventured up front. You’d think that world class strikers could do a better job than 11 year old David.
Astonishingly the first half ended 1-0 to the South Americans but there was no way the final result was going to stay this way. Little did we know how this was going to unfold. The Green Falcons as they are known clearly had been given a right good talking to by their dashing manager, Hervé Renard, and I’m sure he must have busted a couple of buttons on his fitted shirt telling his boys that they need to wake up. Whatever he said did the trick as they were a completely different side and belied their world ranking of 51. In the 48th minute Al Shehri managed to shoot past the outstretched keeper’s glove. What an equalizer! Surely this was the wake up call for the Argies to kick into gear; but it never materialised and just five minutes later the unthinkable happened. Salem Al Dawsari scored one of the goals of the tournament as he twisted his way out of trouble then lobbed it into the top right corner. What an incredible goal. He followed this up with an elaborate celebration that Simone Biles would have been proud of as the crowd sung “You Can Call Me Al”. Despite an onslaught of pressure from there on in with numerous last ditch tackles and goal line clearances the Falcons hung for one of the all time World Cup shocks. Quite remarkable! Just to add insult to injury was was the advertisement that aired during half time of Lionel Messi promoting Saudi Arabia as a holiday destination!
Denmark 0 v 0 Tunisia
Not quite sure how this game could follow the exuberance of the previous match but let’s see shall we. One good thing for us all was the sight of Denmark’s Christian Eriksen, playing again for his country having suffered a cardiac arrest 17 months ago in their opening game of Euro 2020. I remember what a sad moment that was and we all feared for the boy Eriksen’s fate but he survived and here he was entertaining us again. There were numerous chances in the game and Denmark found the net twice only to have them ruled out for offside which seems to be common place in this World Cup. The Tunisians seemed right up for the fight and every time they won a tackle they were jeering the crowd to get behind them. However the game finished goalless.
Mexico 0 v 0 Poland
An evenly poised match which saw plenty of action at both ends. The Mexicans had more than a couple of good chances to forge ahead only to be denied by a poor last touch or a good save. They went to the break without a goal and when they returned it was Poland that were gifted a penalty courtesy of Mr VAR. Up stepped the man of a million goals, Robert Lewandowski, a man so prolific he scores hat-tricks in his sleep but yet he is still to score in the World Cup finals. Clearly the nerves were showing and his tame spot kick wasn’t much better than Gareth Southgate’s in Euro 96 and Mexico's veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa saved it quite comfortably! Just like the game before, the match ended without the scorers needing to open their pencil case and wee Bobby’s inaugural goal will have to wait until they take on the Saudis on Saturday.
France 4 v 1 Australia
After two matches that were drier than Doha’s Red Lion pub surely the French would not let us down in the final game of the day. Well it looked like we were in for the second big shock of the day when Craig Goodwin bobbed up on the far stick in the 9th minute to power it into the roof of the net. All they had to do was hang for another 81 minutes plus half an hour of stoppage time to secure the victory. The thing is though France have a much better all round team than Argentina and Mbappe was a decisive element. Henandez managed to bring the two teams level and Olivier Giroud put Les Blues in the lead. After the break the best player on the planet, Mbappe headed in a well worked third before Giroud managed to get his second, France’s fourth as he equalled Thierry Henry’s all time scoring record for his country. Clearly they have set their stall out for defending their World crown.
And so to the Footcall League...
After the points-fest of yesterday where we had 14 players rake in 7 from 9 (including Footcall legend Colin Jessop), today was like a drought on the Footcall table. Personally I like these days as I don’t have to write about too many folk.
Only two players had Den v Tun to finish goalless and Wayne Oliver bagged a well earned red square for that. Equally the Pol v Mex prediction of nil nil was equally as rare and Christopher Lane, Emily Rodgers and Eric Krieg all did very well collecting three points for that result. Meanwhile France to win 4-1 was more common than you’d think with David Frost, Simon Butler, Ross Vallender and Lee “look at me leap frogging everyone to the top of the table” Woods all scooped red cards for their sheet.
Player of the Day
This should go to Chris Sampson, Footcall Champion 2016, who picked an impressive five point haul for the games today.
Special mention should go to the only player had Argentina to lose today; my brother Simon. The perennial Vuvuzela specialist collected his first unexpected point today but still finds himself anchored at the bottom of the league, well played bruv!
David
A Whole Saka Goals For England!
21/11/22 23:59
Day 2 in the Footcall House...
Our first full day of fixtures and we had three juicy line ups ready to sink our teeth into.
England 6 v 2 Iran
All eyes were on England to lay to rest the heartbreak of Euro 2020 and boy did they do that in emphatic style. After the Iranian keeper was subbed for taking a bonk on the conk early doors we could get to business. Trippier’s header clipped the crossbar and the dominance from the boys in white was looking good. Young Jude Bellingham went from a boy to man in a moment when his leaping header found the back of the net to open the floodgates. Second only to Michael Owen 18 for the youngest ever player in an England shirt. The traffic was all one way and we doubled our lead in the 43rd with first of Saka’s goals and then Raheem Sterling capped off the first half with his first of the tournament. Saka braced himself after the break before Taremi did manage to win back a goal for Iran soon after. At 4-1 the game was pretty much in the bag and Southgate brought on a few subs the first of which was Marcus “get those kids their dinner” Rashford who tucked away England’s fifth with his very first touch of the ball. Jack Grealish made it six of one and half a dozen of another on the 90th minute. However all the delays and substitutions meant that this was to be the longest 90 minute football match in history and the final whistle blew on the 117th minute when Taremi converted a penalty with the final kick of the match. What a game, what a result, come on USA, let’s be ‘avin ya!
Senegal 0 v 2 Netherlands
Lots of chances seemed to come and go but following the earlier game this was after the Lord Mayor’s Show and seemed to lack the finished product. It looked for all the world that Senegal were going to hang to a bore draw nil nil until Cody Gakpo headed past the outstretched arm of Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy to open their account. Fellow Footcaller Paul Wakefield, had one nil must have been praying for the final whistle to blow only to see his red square get passed ceremonially on to his son, Jack, in the final minute as Davy Klaassen doubled the Dutch lead. And so it finished two nil.
USA 1 v 1 Wales
Enter the Welsh Dragons and nothing like a bit of Land of My Fathers to stir the crowd. All that patritotism were nearly evaporated when Rodon very nearly headed past his own keeper. Fortunately Hennessey was in the right place as he blocked it and the game continued. However the deadlock was broken on the 36th minute when Tim “son of George” Weah latched on to a Pulisic through ball to put the United States in front. In the second half the USA kept possession well and time was really running out for the boys in red but in the 82nd minute the Welsh talisman, Gareth Bale won his side a penalty which he duly converted to balance the books. The Welsh fans went totally beserk and Johnson could have even won it for them in the final minutes only to his shot saved and so it finished one all.
And so to the Footcall League...
So many Footcall points dished out today. Despite some superb predictions of 5-0 (Neil White and Paul Wakefield) and 6-0 (Dave Billington) for an England result nobody actually guessed it would end 6-2. Netherlands to win 2-0 was quite popular with the likes of Stuart Acott, Lee Woods and Dan “I bloody love Footcall” Schroek all bagging red squares. Then the one all draw for Wales was also a very common prediction with Mike Davies, Graham Weaver, Andy Booth, James Ridley and Philip Vingoe all scooping valuable 3s for their guesses.
Player of the Day
Jo Mackenzie collected her first red square which must have excited her after having won the Max Woosnam award for the highest score without a three pointer in Footcall 2020 where she scored 11 points but not one single red square, well done Jo!
Four more games heading our way, stay tuned folks!
David
Qatar You Ready?
20/11/22 23:32
Day 1 in the Footcall House...
Here we go again with the 13th edition of our little competition. We have exactly 180 entries and with all things considered is a pretty good turnout. Welcome back to all the seasoned campaigners, and to all the Footcall virgins you are in for a right royal treat over the next month. As always I shall endeavour to inform and entertain you all with all the shenanigans on and off the pitch.
These reports (I hope) will make you smile once in a while and I welcome any of you to join the Facebook and WhatsApp groups we have going on. If you have any wicked one liners or prize winning headlines that you are happy for me to plagiarise for my reports then please do send them my way.
Yet again I have been tremendously impressed with your creativity in your team names. I know how seriously many of you take it and I’m sure your efforts will be rewarded when we have our Favourite Team Name vote later in the competition. I must say what a gift the name of the host nation has been for our team names this year and I’m sorry to all the players I had to ask to come up with a new team name because their original choice had already been taken. As is always the case, it’s first come, first served in this game so getting your entry in early is more likely to see you get the team name of your choice.
I shall at this point like to mention Roy Trute who's team name is “David, Please Mention Me” and it is that level of shamelessness that will get you everywhere in this game! There you go Roy, you've got your mention, now you need to back it up with some results in the Footcall league.
So that's enough waffle for now, let's get this show on the road and may your world be full of three pointers!
Qatar 0 v 2 Ecuador
After the obligatory opening ceremony (which I didn’t watch) our opening match saw hosts Qatar take on the South American boys in yellow, Ecuador in the Al Bayt (sounds like I’ll Buy It) stadium. On paper this was likely to be a very one sided affair as Qatar are considered one of the weaker teams in the tournament. Well it didn’t take long for the scorers to be troubled when Enner Valencia nutted it in from four yards out. After what seemed like an eternity that man, Mr VAR, was called into action for the first time to assess the validity of the goal. Well VAR says NO and the goal was ruled out for being 0.00001mm offside! I think this has set a precedent going forward in the competition, Mr VAR will play a decisive role in this World Cup.
Nevertheless the Ecuadorians were undaunted in their dominance and a lovely move led to them winning a penalty which that man Valencia strolled up and tucked away in a the coolest manner you ever did see. The team in yellow doubled their lead a few minutes later when Valencia bobbed up again in the penalty box and really powered home a peach of a header; this guy is gonna be a handful for any team!
The home team in maroon were pretty much out played in all departments and their keeper in particular was often found in no-mans-land and plenty of their fans were seen leaving at half time. Despite that after the break they did have two golden opportunities to make a difference and their second chance towards the end of the match would have been a contender for the goal of the tournament... had it gone in. Sadly for them it sailed over the bar and the result finished two nil to Ecuador.
And so to the Footcall League...
One game done and we have our first league table, hoorah! More than half of the players guessed Ecuador would win and an incredible 24 players predicted this game would finish 2-0. All those good Footcallers are off to a flyer and pick up their very first three pointer of the tournament. Let’s give a special mention me ol mate Paul “this is how you do it Jack” Wakefield, Peter the taxi driver Mulvey, Nick “yes Footcall is corrupt” Rowland, and two of my old school friends Andy Kirchell and Paul “this is my first Footcall” Martin all scooping their first red squares of Footcall 2022. Well done to you and all the others who enjoyed that result.
I should also mention at this point we have the 12 mini leagues for some added interest especially if your team is not doing so well in the main league. Being 14th in the mini league doesn’t sound as bad as being 177th in the main league! Just scroll down the league tables to find your division.
That’s it for now, incredible to think that our next matches feature England, Wales and USA, the three nations with the most Footcall participation... let’s see how strong our patriotism and allegiances are. Good luck everyone!
Stay tuned folks!
David