How's that Bayern striker doing?
How's that Bayern striker doing?
I'm a twit
Still at Bayern at 37. Has scored 737 goals for them in 17 seasons and he already has 10 in 11 this one.
Chairman is back at it accepting low offers for one of my best players:
Firstly they are better offers than Kopec and I gave him a new contract just a few weeks ago so he's not overly keen on moving right now.
At least it's a decent amount and there's potential to make more.
Chairman has also just rejected my request to improve the training & youth facilities plus the youth recruitment as the finances aren't good enough. I hate him so much.
Last edited by Sir Andy Mahowry; 26-01-2022 at 04:30 PM.
Those playing manager career get Crystal's Palace Eze hidden mine.
New people.
Don't think I've had that before but the board just reduced our transfer budget mid-season from like 80m to 0 and our wage budget to below what we're already spending in wages. Yikes.
At PSG? That's bizarre. It's not FFP is it?
It's just finances I guess. The chairman pulled his financial backing at some point and we are like 20m in the red mid-season, which typically gets back up to the 200-250m once the sponsorship money and the likes come in. Looking at historical data this has been the same pattern for however many years now. I mean in the end it doesn't make a difference for me as I wasn't looking to spend any more money this season (or next even), it was more so that if I was someone who waited until late in the season to renew expiring contracts, I would have definitely lost some players I reckon. And it was surprising rather than anything else.
So, a summary of how the World Cup in Qatar is going in my save.
Group A
Norway and Senegal played the curtain-raiser to the World Cup, and fittingly, it was Erling Haaland who scored the first goal of the tournament. Norway’s high powered attack hit the woodwork twice, but Ismaila Sarr converted a controversial penalty to draw Senegal level before half time. Norway were not to be denied their 3 points though, with Haaland tucking away his second soon after the break, and the Scandinavians held on for the win despite Alexander Sorloth receiving his marching orders with half an hour to play. The hosts Qatar featured in the other game, with Ireland their opponents. The Irish completely dominated proceedings, preventing the hosts from even managing a shot, and it was James Collins who scored the only goal of the game early in the 2nd half to seal victory.
Norway comfortably confirmed their passage through to the knockouts with a routine victory over Qatar in the 2nd round of fixtures. Josh King scored in either half, as well as providing an assist for Martin Odegaard. It could, and probably should, have been more for Norway who hit the woodwork twice again, but Qatar found something to celebrate with a late consolation, Almoez Ali of Marseille converting a chance in the 88th minute to pull it back to 3-1. It looked like Ireland were going to be joining Norway in the knockout stages – they led Senegal for over 45 minutes after James Collins had given them the lead late in the 1st half. But Senegal were fighting for their tournament lives, and in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Ismaila Sarr bundled in a cross at the back post to keep their hopes alive.
Senegal needed a win in their final game to have any hope of making it through, and it even looked like that was in jeopardy when veteran Abdelkarim Hassan put Qatar ahead inside 5 minutes. That woke the Lions up, and they scored 3 in the next 18 minutes to turn the game around. A 2nd half red card for Youssouf Sabaly did nothing to prevent Senegal from holding on. They’d done everything they could. Ireland knew they just needed a draw with an already qualified Norway to get through. But Norway came out firing with a full strength squad and sunk the Irish hopes. Sorloth, Haaland and Odegaard all found the net, and Ireland could barely muster a shot in anger.
Group B
Belgium and Spain were the heavy hitters expected to advance from Group B, and Belgium lived up to those expectations with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening game. Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring inside 3 minutes before 2nd half strikes from Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku (from the spot). However Spain stumbled at the first hurdle, and against the weakest opponents, Costa Rica. Alvaro Morata scored twice in the opening 22 minutes, but Los Ticos found equalisers, firstly from Oscar Duarte, secondly from ex-Arsenal man Joel Campbell. Spain controlled the 2nd half but were unable to find a winner.
Costa Rica couldn’t pull off a similar result in the next round of fixtures, with Belgium utterly dominating the game and preventing them from managing a shot at all. Costa Rica played over 65 minutes with 10 men after Deyver Vega received 2 bookings in the opening quarter of the match. Timothy Castagne broke the deadlock early in the 2nd half before another Lukaku penalty sealed the game and qualification for the knockout stage. Spain were held once again in the other game of the group. Algeria were steadfast in defence, even with new West Ham signing Baghdad Bounedjah being sent off with 20 minutes to play. Algeria received 6 other bookings as they managed to hold on to a clean sheet and a 0-0 draw, leaving it all to play for in the final match of the group.
Costa Rica and Algeria played each other, with both sides needing a win to have a chance of progressing. Truth be told, it was never really a contest, with Algeria being very clinical with their chances. Andy Delort was the standout player, converting a hat trick, with left-back Mohamed Fares grabbing the other goal in a 4-0 thrashing. It would all be for nothing if Spain beat Belgium however. Spain had got off to the worst possible start, with goals for Pascal Struijk and Eden Hazard leaving them 2-0 down at half-time. Alvaro Morata converted a penalty with half an hour to go, and Koke popped up with a late equaliser, deep in added time. But a 2-2 draw was not enough for Spain, and they were out in the group stage, with Algeria making their way into the round of 16.
Group C
Group C saw Argentina and Croatia meet again in the groups, just like 2018. Croatia were up against Japan in their opening game and they were ahead inside just 3 minutes. Nikola Vlasic, who signed for West Ham for Ł28m, scored the opener before turning provider for both Luka Ivanusec and Ante Rebic. Vlasic then added his second and Croatia’s fourth late in the 2nd half to wrap up a real thrashing. Argentina faced Jamaica in the group’s other game. Jamaica played remarkably well, holding on defensively to the draw until late in the 2nd half, Argentina were awarded a penalty. Lionel Messi stepped up, and saw it saved by Andre Blake, diving to his left. But Messi would have one last chance to be the hero for Argentina again. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time he curled in a perfect free kick to send the fans wild and secure the win for his country.
Jamaica’s defensive tactics seemed to work well, and they held Croatia to a 0-0 draw in the next round of fixtures. This was despite being down to 10 men for the final 20 minutes after Wes Harding was sent off. Croatia were fairly dominant but could not break the deadlock. Japan were eliminated after being comfortably beaten by Argentina in the other game. The South Americans were 3-0 up after half an hour thanks to a Messi brace and a goal from Lucas Ocampos. Keitaro Hashimoto scored a late consolation for Japan but it was not enough. Argentina progressed through with their 2nd win in 2.
Jamaica still had faint hopes of qualifying for the knockouts and they did their part with a 2-1 win over Japan in their final game of the group stage. Despite going behind to an early goal from Tadashi Shinbo, Damion Lowe equalised before half-time, and his centre-half partner Michael Hector nodded in a winner from Lewis Baker’s corner with 15 minutes to play. It was all in vain unfortunately, as Croatia comfortably beat Argentina for the 2nd World Cup in a row. Josip Brekalo opened the scoring, but Messi curled in another glorious free kick to quickly restore parity. Kramaric restored Croatia’s lead before the break, and doubled it with his 2nd goal of the game soon after half-time. A 3-1 win was enough for Croatia to go through as the group winners.
Group D
Just like in Brazil 2014, Portugal, Germany and the USA met in the group stages. They were joined by South Korea, who knocked the Germans out of the last World Cup. They met again in their opening game, and it was a cagey affair with neither side really fashioning any clear chances. The resultant 0-0 draw gave South Korea hope of qualification. In the other match, Joao Felix led Portugal to a victory with a goal in either half, and it could have been more, as Portugal hit the woodwork twice.
The USA then found themselves eliminated without a goal or a point after their 2nd match against Germany. The German defence held strong and Jamal Musiala provided the only goal of the game early in the 2nd half, the 19 year old converting from a tight angle after Emre Can had sent him through on goal. Portugal again relied on Joao Felix, as he gave them the lead late in the 1st half against South Korea. But with quarter of an hour to play, Heung-Min Son marked his 100th international cap with an equaliser to keep their hopes alive.
The final game of the group saw the two European powerhouses go up against each other, but like most of the games in the group, it was a tight and defensive affair. It was settled by a solitary goal, the 115th international goal for Cristiano Ronaldo who scored after a quarter of an hour. Germany couldn’t find an equaliser and so the door was open for South Korea to potentially knock them out once again. The USA, playing for pride, had other ideas. 2 goals in 6 1st half minutes, scored by Brendan Aaronson and Christian Pulisic, gave the USA an advantage they never relinquished. South Korea thought that had a route back into the game when Park Yi-Young tapped in a rebound from a free-kick, but the offside flag cut short the celebrations, and USA held on for a 2-0 win.
Group E
Group E was where Gareth Southgate’s England were drawn, and they opened their campaign with a remarkably comfortable 3-0 win over Cameroon. They were held until half time but took control in the 2nd half, with goals for Phil Foden, Harry Kane (from the spot) and Jack Grealish sealing the win. Colombia and Iran faced off in the other group game, and Iran were solid in defence for almost an hour until a rash challenge gave Colombia the chance to open the scoring from the spot. Arsenal’s new Ł26.5m signing Duvan Zapata stepped up and converted the penalty, and Colombia wrapped up the game deep in stoppage time, with Luis Diaz calmly finishing from Steven Alzate’s through ball.
This group was the most uncompetitive of the eight, with both Colombia and England confirming progress to the knockout stages after 2 games. Colombia matched England with an easy 3-0 win over Cameroon. After Jefferson Lerma had opened the scoring after 8 minutes, Duvan Zapata was on target with a brace, but missed out on a hat-trick after Andre Onana saved his penalty early on. Cameroon offered virtually no goalscoring threat throughout. Meanwhile, England hammered Iran in the other group game, scoring 4 goals in the final 15 minutes of the 1st half, Reece James, Kane, Foden and Marcus Rashford the goalscorers. Kane added a 5th shortly after half time, before completing his hat trick late on. There was still time for Foden to score his 2nd, chipping the keeper to round off a 7-0 thrashing.
Iran and Cameroon could not be separated in their final group game. Leandre Tawamba scored his first international goal to give Cameroon the lead after quarter of an hour, but Sardar Azmoun, now of Brighton, equalised for Iran just 6 minutes later. Iran were down to 10 men early in the 2nd half, when Saman Ghoddos received his second yellow card, but neither team could find a winner. After scoring 10 goals in 2 games, England needed just a draw to confirm themselves as group winners, but Colombia had other ideas. An entertaining game saw 35 shots, 9 yellow cards and one late scrambled winner for the South Americans. Luis Muriel had a shot blocked up in the air deep in injury time, and as Reece James went to clear the ball, it ballooned off of Zapata and into the net, to the delight of the Colombians. A 1-0 win and they’d topped the group.
Group F
The opening game of this group was a heavyweight clash between Uruguay and Italy. The Europeans were well on top throughout, but Uruguay took the lead against the run of play, Federico Valverde with a smart finish after half an hour. But Italy came out for the 2nd half looking even better and Ciro Immobile was on hand to convert Insigne’s cross to equalise. 3 minutes later, on the hour mark, and Immobile went from hero to zero as his soft penalty was well saved by Fernando Muslera. Uruguay managed to hold on for the rest of the game for the 1-1 draw. Australia took the lead early on in the other match in the group against Nigeria, with Deni Juric scoring his 7th international goal. The Super Eagles drew level in the 2nd half through Victor Osimhen, but couldn’t find a winner despite having the majority of chances.
Australia were not able to repeat their performance in the next game, when they faced Italy. Two quick-fire goals in the 1st half from Manuel Locatelli saw them 2-0 down at the break, and Locatelli’s club teammate, Federico Chiesa, put the game to bed with a 3rd goal midway through the 2nd half. Meanwhile, Nigeria and Uruguay were playing out a World Cup classic. Nigeria took the lead inside 2 minutes thanks to Wilfred Ndidi, but Uruguay levelled it up midway through the 1st half when Luis Suarez slid a beautiful pass through for Nicolas de la Cruz to score his first international goal. Victor Osimhen converted a penalty on the stroke of half time to restore Nigeria’s lead, but Uruguay hit back again with a 2nd equaliser, this one headed in by Darwin Nunez. But Nigeria were clinical in this match, and on 86 minutes, their 3rd shot on target provided their 3rd goal of the game. Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham nodded in HIS first international goal and the winner for Nigeria.
Entering the final round of games, all 4 teams could qualify. Italy played Nigeria and both teams could secure qualification with a draw. After an hour, it was goalless and the draw was on the cards. But Lorenzo Insigne’s calm finish on 64 minutes opened the floodgates, and with Nigeria piling forward unsuccessfully, Italy picked them off with 5 goals in 21 minutes. Federico Chiesa got on the scoresheet too, but the main man was Ciro Immobile with a hat trick, this time converting his opportunity from the spot. With Nigeria being hammered, a win for either Uruguay or Australia would see them progress. This match was cagey throughout, but with just 7 minutes left, Jackson Irvine fired in a goal that looked to have sent Australia through to the next round. Merely 2 minutes later, and Uruguay were back level thanks to Rodrigo Bentancur, but a draw helped neither side. Both teams had opportunities late on but there was no winner, and so Nigeria sneaked through, despite being thrashed.
Group G
Brazil were the big hitters in Group G and they opened up their tournament with a game against Denmark. Neither side covered themselves in glory and it was a poor match in terms of chances created, but Brazil’s quality showed with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Neymar enough to earn a hard-fought 2-0 win. The other game in the group was a lot more entertaining as South Africa raced into a 2 goal lead inside quarter of an hour against Switzerland. Early goals from Lebo Mothiba and Cafu Phete put Bafana Bafana in a fantastic position, but the Europeans hit back before half time thanks to a powerful header from Breel Embolo. The same man was sent through on goal just 90 seconds after the break and he made no mistake to draw the game level. From that point there was only one winner as Switzerland swarmed all over the South Africans. The pressure told a quarter of an hour from the end as Ruben Vargas prodded in a winner to complete the comeback.
South Africa then had the thankless task of taking on Brazil in their second match. They were forceful, committing 29 fouls and receiving 6 yellow cards, but could do nothing about the Brazilian attack. Brazil were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes thanks to a Neymar brace, and Coutinho made in 3 in 1st half injury time. Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to score a 4th midway through the 2nd half, but there was some joy for South Africa as Teboho Mokoena dinked the keeper gloriously to grab a late consolation. The other group game was a real battle – both Denmark and Switzerland picked up 3 yellow cards in the 1st half alone. The Danes ended that half on top however, thanks to a late Mikkel Damsgaard goal. Things didn’t get any better for Switzerland in the 2nd half, with Remo Freuler given his marching orders with half an hour to go for an awful hack through the back of Jonas Wind. Wind would get his revenge soon after, slotting in a penalty to double the lead. There was some faint Swiss hope late on as Patjim Kasami converted a penalty with a few minutes left, but Denmark held on for a vital win.
Brazil wrapped up the group win with another comfortable victory in the final game against Switzerland, a result that all but confirmed the Europeans were not making it through. Marquinhos nodded in a corner in the 1st half to give the Brazilians the lead, and further goals from Neymar (from the spot) and Vinicius Jr. made it 3-0 with less than 15 minutes to play. Young Dan Ndoye did score a fine consolation goal with 5 minutes left but that was the final action of the tournament for Switzerland. In the other match, South Africa would need a 2 goal win to somehow sneak through and qualify for the knockout stages, but Denmark were just too strong. Damsgaard was on hand to open the scoring after just 40 seconds, and although South African veteran Lebohang Manyama equalised soon after, the Danes were too strong. They scored 3 times in the final quarter of an hour in the 1st half, Simon Kjaer converting a penalty before Joakim Maehle rifled in a beauty from outside the box, and Mikkel Damsgaard rolled in his 2nd of the game to wrap up a 4-1 win.
Group H
Group H saw the holders France and they opened their tournament in a manner that suggested they were not going to be giving up that trophy without a fight. They dispatched Peru with ease, with a brace from Paul Pogba, and further goals from Mbappe, Benzema and Griezmann. The other game in the group saw Mexico grab a narrow but deserved victory against Russia. Raul Jimenez was the hero, scoring the only goal of the game after 69 minutes, converting a cross from right-back Luis Rodriguez, who had a fantastic game.
The second matchday was a rinse and repeat of the first round of matches, as Mexico snatched another narrow win, this time over Peru, to confirm qualification to the knockout stages. Once again, Raul Jimenez was the match-winner, with a bullet header from a cross from the left wing early in the 2nd half. France did concede to Russia, but it was after they’d already scored 5 and also confirmed qualification. Jordan Veretout opened the scoring inside 6 minutes, and Kylian Mbappe added a second before half time. Further goals from Paul Pogba and Odsonne Edouard, his first in international football, were followed by a truly calamitous own goal from Georgy Djikia. The centre-back blocked off his goalkeeper before deflecting a shot past him into the goal. Russia’s sole consolation came in the 90th minute courtesy of a scorching volley from Magomed Ozdoev.
With this group already wrapped up, you’d have forgiven France for taking their foot off of the accelerator. And they did just that, only hitting 4 past Mexico in another thrashing. Benzema, Mbappe and Raphael Varane added 1st half goals, before another international goal for substitute Edouard, who made a Ł37m move to Manchester City in the summer. Russia took the lead early against Peru, with Fedor Chalov notching his first international goal, but were pegged back just 4 minutes later with Miguel Araujo scoring the equaliser. A second half penalty was converted by Pedro Aquino to give Peru an unlikely lead, but Russia did salvage a draw late on, thanks to an injury time equaliser from Chalov.
All of this leaves the Round of 16 looking like this:
Last edited by thommo; 27-01-2022 at 07:33 PM.
Following your example, here's some winners from my save:
World Cup
Euros
And for @Jimmy Floyd, Afcon:
Also, glad to see the realism in this game. I just had VAR disallow a goal for a player that wasn't interfering with play, and he wasn't even offside. Just like those stupid ass decisions we see every other week.
hey google define summary
I'm a twit
Had a quiet day today and channelled my inner TMD.
Had a good window over in Latvia ready for season three.
Round of 16
Algeria v Norway
Norway were in fine form coming into the knockout stages and it was a bit of a surprise it took them as long as 41 minutes to break the deadlock. Haaland was bundled over in the box, and it was he himself who stepped up and slotted in the penalty for his 4th goal of the tournament. But Algeria had other ideas, and in the 4th minute of 1st half stoppage time, Riyad Mahrez whipped in a free kick and Aissa Mandi was on hand to nod in the equaliser. The momentum of the game had swung completely to Algeria and they took full advantage in the second half. Haris Belkebla slid the ball through for Baghdad Bounedjah to round the keeper and put Algeria into the lead just before the hour mark, and things went from bad to worse just minutes later for Norway. Firstly, Alexander Sorloth received his marching orders for the 2nd time in the World Cup, and from the resulting free kick, Mohamed Fares fired in after a scramble. With a historic quarter-final spot virtually secured, Algeria played some lovely football, and Belkebla got himself on the scoresheet late on to make it 4-1. There was even time for Bounedjah to have his penalty saved in injury time. Algeria progress, but Norway bow out with a bit of a whimper.
Belgium v Senegal
Senegal came into this one as huge underdogs, and the first half showed as much, with Belgium piling on the pressure but Senegal holding strong and reaching half time level at 0-0. However, the pressure began to tell in the 2nd half, and it was the performance of Alexis Saelemaekers that stood out in particular. The wing-back firstly won a penalty midway through the half after a strong run down the right side. Romelu Lukaku saw his kick saved, but followed it up to fire in the rebound. Saelemaekers then turned direct provider 7 minutes later, cutting the ball back for Axel Witsel to power in a 2nd goal, and Belgium comfortably saw the game out to ensure progression to the final 8.
Portugal v Argentina
Ronaldo v Messi for surely the final time in the World Cup was a bit of a damp squib, if a bit feisty. Messi found himself on the bench and was only introduced at half time, at which point Portugal were already down to 10 men. Joao Moutinho saw red just after the half hour mark for a horrible scissor challenge on Dybala, but Argentina couldn’t find a way through, despite dominating possession. Ronaldo himself was substituted late on as the game meandered to extra time, where Bruno Fernandes was the 2nd Portugal player to be red carded, receiving a 2nd yellow card after 98 minutes. Portugal dropped deeper and deeper and Argentina finally made their advantage count, with Emiliano Buendia curling in a shot from inside the box. The 9 men couldn’t offer up a response and so Portugal exited the competition in a rather soft manner.
Germany v Croatia
The 3 group games for Germany had yielded just 2 goals, so it was no surprise when this match ended 1-0. A stodgy encounter saw both team’s attacking prowess stymied through bad decisions and good defending, until Germany’s two young guns combined midway through the 2nd half. Musiala slid a glorious through ball to Karim Adeyemi, who rounded the keeper and slotted home the eventual winner with his left foot. A great time for the 20 year old to score his first international goal, as Germany progressed to the quarter finals.
Italy v England
A rematch of the EURO 2020 final was eagerly anticipated and it was England who came out of the blocks fastest. Raheem Sterling had a goal disallowed for offside after 15 minutes, and after some good pressure throughout the 1st half, Marcus Rashford broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time, converting Sterling’s low cross from very close range. Sterling himself then got on the scoresheet midway through the 2nd half to double the lead, Kane turning provider to set him free behind the backline. Italy hit back soon after however, with Bryan Cristante thumping in a beauty from 25 yards to give them hope of an unlikely comeback. But England had power in reserve, especially in the form of Jack Grealish, who came off the bench to fire in England’s 3rd goal just a few minutes later, Kane with another assist. And English nerves were calmed when Fikayo Tomori powered in a header from a Foden corner with 8 minutes to go, securing a very impressive 4-1 win and qualification for the quarter finals.
Nigeria v Colombia
Both teams looked cagey and it showed in a real lack of confident attacking play throughout the 1st half. Fouls were being committed all over the pitch, but it was eventually Nigeria who started looking the most likely to find the net as the game reached the end of 90 minutes. Extra time beckoned and the yellow cards were waved – 11 in all as the match devolved into a stop-start, feisty affair. Crucially for Colombia, Alfredo Morelos had been introduced off the bench for extra time, for his first appearance of the tournament. As the clock ticked past 120 minutes, Colombia got the bit of luck they’d been waiting for. A long kick from Ospina was completely misjudged by Ramon Azeez, and the ball sailed over his head for Morelos to sprint onto. He still had a lot to do, but he rifled home the ball to steal a win and a quarter final spot away from the Super Eagles.
Brazil v Mexico
Only one man had scored for Mexico in the group stages, and it was indeed Raul Jimenez who found the net again for El Tri early in this knockout tie with Brazil. Jesus Corona got free on the right side of the box, and cut the ball back for Jimenez to fire in the opener inside 7 minutes. The bad news for Brazil continued, as Neymar limped off midway through the first half, replaced by Raphinha. Mexico stood firm in the face of a lot of Brazilian pressure, with Guillermo Ochoa making a number of key saves. But with 10 minutes to go, calamity struck in the form of a needless push in the area by Jorge Sanchez. Gabriel Barbosa comfortably dispatched the penalty, and extra time loomed. By this point, Mexico were clinging on, and eventually Brazil broke through to take the lead in the 108th minute. Fabinho’s header hit the bar, and Roberto Firmino was on hand to tap into the unguarded net to send Brazil through.
Denmark v France
The final game of the Round of 16 saw free-scoring France come up against an obdurate Danish team. France were unable to fashion any clear chances throughout most of the match, and an injury to Benjamin Pavard forced them to an early unwanted change. Denmark didn’t manage a shot on target all game, until the 89th minute, when Kasper Dolberg fired in the most unlikely of goals to shock the World Cup. But VAR intervened and the goal was disallowed for a very tight offside call. Within a minute, France had earned a corner. Upamecano’s initial header was saved well, and as the ball dropped in the box, Pogba threw himself to the floor and a penalty was awarded. Despite Danish protests, Jordan Veretout calmly stepped up and slotted the penalty home to confirm a controversial win for France.
That leaves the quarter final draw looking like this:
Belgium v Germany
Algeria v Argentina
England v Brazil
Colombia v France
Quarter Finals
Belgium v Germany
This quarter final tie started poorly for the Germans, with the Belgians dominating early possession, and it got worse after quarter of an hour, as Matthias Ginter turned the ball into his own net to put Belgium ahead. A low cross from Saelemaekers forced Ginter to stick out a leg, deflecting it towards the goal. Neuer should have still dealt with the ball but it somehow spilled through his hands, off the post and in. Alexis Saelemaekers had been the difference for Belgium in their previous knockout tie, and he was at it again here. He grabbed a 2nd assist on the stroke of half time, as Romelu Lukaku powered a header into the top corner from his pinpoint cross. Germany came out looking a lot better in the 2nd half, creating more chances, but they couldn't find a way through as Belgium sat back and soaked up the pressure. A 2-0 win sees Belgium through to their 2nd successive World Cup semi-final, but Germany bow out having scored only 2 goals in their 5 matches at the tournament.
Algeria v Argentina
After hammering Norway 4-1, Algeria’s reward was a quarter final against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Confidence was running high and Argentina’s defence were not ready for the counter attacking style the Algerians played with. Just 8 minutes in, and Mohamed Fares had a cross deflected to the edge of the box, where Riyad Mahrez rifled in a stunning volley to put the Africans into dreamland. It was to get even better, as Ismael Bennacer clipped a ball over the top for Adam Ounas to run onto. He had all the composure needed to chip Emiliano Martinez and double the Algerian lead. They looked comfortable up until the 56th minute when Ounas himself had a rush of blood, hacking down Messi from behind to receive a straight red card. Algeria sat deep, committing fouls to break up play and surviving chance after chance. Argentina did eventually break them down, as Buendia curled in a glorious free-kick as the clock hit 90 minutes. But Algeria miraculously held on throughout the 5 added minutes to confirm an incredible win and a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
England v Brazil
England and Brazil met in a World Cup for the first time in 20 years, since THAT Ronaldinho goal. And it was the South Americans who came flying out of the blocks, with Vinicius Jr. chipping a ball through to Gabriel Jesus to sweep home a 5th minute opener. That was as dangerous as Brazil looked all game, as England largely controlled the play, creating good opportunities for both Kane and Grealish. Kane thumped the bar with a header, and Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick inches wide of the post. As the game wound down, Gareth Southgate rang the changes, but Alisson made a number of good saves as Brazil clung onto their 1-0 lead. England went home wondering what could have been, but Brazil were back in a semi-final of the World Cup.
Colombia v France
France were very heavy favourites coming into this game, and they showed everyone why that was with an early goal from Adrian Rabiot. The midfielder nodded in a wicked free-kick from Mbappe for only his 2nd international goal. Colombia still looked dangerous and earned themselves a penalty late in the 1st half when Duvan Zapata was pushed in the back. But Edwin Cardona’s spot kick was weak, and Lloris comfortably saved it, diving to his left. After half time, the Colombians lost their heads somewhat in search of the equaliser. Firstly, young winger Jaminton Campaz was booked for a second time in the 54th minute, and he was joined back in the dressing room later on by veteran Juan Cuadrado. France calmly marshalled the final minutes of the game against a frantic 9 man Colombia to wrap up the 1-0 win.
Incredibly, this leaves the semi-finals looking like this:
Algeria v Brazil
Belgium v France
Its not coming home
Isn’t that Argentina group their exact group from France 98?
Belgium's to lose imo.
It is indeed, didn't notice that myself.Originally Posted by Browning
Semi Finals
Algeria v Brazil
Brazil were still without Neymar who twisted his ankle in the win over Mexico, and there was very little attacking bite in the opening moments of this semi-final. It was a truly historic moment for the footballing nation of Algeria, and they almost opened with a goal inside 60 seconds, Bensebaini nodding over from a free-kick. And there were barely 10 minutes on the clock when Belkebla played a glorious through ball for Riyad Mahrez to run onto, beyond the left-back. Mahrez took the ball down and curled a finish home from the edge of the box before sprinting away in wild celebration. VAR had a look but there was nothing wrong and the goal stood – Algeria led Brazil in a World Cup semi-final. And they were good value for it, playing some lovely football and creating further chances in the 1st half. Brazil kept the ball well but had no cutting edge, and as the game drifted through the 2nd half, there were more tired challenges and yellow cards being given out. It was from one of these fouls that Brazil were able to manufacture their equaliser. Gabriel Jesus received the ball, Raphinha made the run in behind, and Jesus chipped a lovely crossfield pass over to the winger who placed the volley beyond Oukidja, drawing Brazil level with just under 20 minutes to play. But Algerian heads didn’t drop, and they still looked the more likely of the two teams to find a winner in regular time. With 10 minutes to play, Belkebla whipped over a corner, and Bentaleb went down in a bundle in the box. The referee deemed he was pushed, and up stepped Baghdad Bounedjah to calmly tuck away the spot kick. Brazil pushed forward in search of a 2nd equaliser but Algeria were very happy to sit deep and compact, preventing any real chances of note. As the final whistle sounded, the celebrations began in full – Algeria were through to the final of the World Cup!
Belgium v France
A tight 1st period saw few chances of note, right up until the final minute of the half. Allan Saint-Maximin, who had replaced Kylian Mbappe in the French starting line-up due to a knock, chipped a free kick to the back post, where Jordan Veretout was unmarked to nod in an opening goal. This only served to spur the Belgians into action. Virtually from kick-off, Yannick Carrasco was sent free down the left wing. He chipped the ball up to Romelu Lukaku, standing on the edge of the box, who crashed an unstoppable volley into the top corner to draw the Belgians level within 50 seconds. This shifted the momentum and Belgium were on the front foot during the majority of the 2nd half. Eden Hazard had a breakaway goal disallowed for offside, and the introduction of a half-fit Mbappe did nothing to prevent Belgium controlling the game. For all their dominance, it looked like it was heading to extra time. But there was a late twist to this semi-final. Substitute Jeremy Doku whipped a ball over which Lukaku looked to control at the front post. He was unnecessarily bundled over by Veretout and the penalty was awarded. Lukaku stepped up himself and sent Lloris the wrong way to claim a dramatic winner and send Belgium through to play Algeria in the final.
Last edited by thommo; 28-01-2022 at 02:09 PM.
3rd Place Playoff
France v Brazil
France and Brazil had to drag themselves from the depths of tournament defeat to play out what I think is one of the most meaningless games in world football. France felt the same way, ringing the changes and giving Odsonne Edouard a start as the lone striker. Brazil started the brighter, and Coutinho had an early goal chalked off for offside. But just 8 minutes later, makeshift right-back Fabhino (!) cut the ball back for his club teammate Roberto Firmino to place the ball past Lloris, giving Brazil a 1-0 lead. It was to be their only shot on target for the entire game. France huffed and puffed but couldn’t create a real clear opening, Alisson handling a number of long-range efforts fairly comfortably as the game petered out with Brazil holding on to their advantage.
2022 World Cup Final
Algeria v Belgium
There was bad news for Algeria in the run-up to the final – both Riyad Mahrez and Haris Belkebla, key players in their tournament, were doubtful with niggling injuries. Both would not start the game, with Adam Ounas and Saphir Taider stepping up to take their places. Belgium were virtually full strength, with key players Lukaku and Saelemaekers able to start, although Yannick Carrasco was dropped at left wing-back in favour of Timothy Castagne.
Belgium controlled the possession early on, with Algeria sitting deep and defending stoutly. But, with quarter of an hour played, a cross was whipped over from the left into the Algerian box, and Axel Witsel went down in a heap on the penalty spot, pushed over by the centre-back Mandi. The referee immediately blew up for a foul, Ismael Bennacer being booked for his protests and Romelu Lukaku had nerves of steel to slot his penalty into the corner for his 7th goal of the tournament. Saelemaekers and Thorgan Hazard continued to have a lot of joy down the right wing throughout the 1st half, but Belgium couldn’t find a 2nd goal. They would soon rue not taking their opportunities as Algeria fought back late in the half to grab an unlikely equaliser. Islam Slimani was brought down near the edge of the box, and up stepped Ismael Bennacer to curl in a wonderful free-kick.
The 2nd half continued in a similar vein to the 1st with Belgium controlling the flow of the game and Algeria happy to concede territory and defend deep. Thorgan Hazard was continually causing problems, providing Lukaku with good service, but Algeria held strong. The breakthrough came in the 71st minute, with Bennacer trying to find Bounedjah with a through ball. Pascal Struijk timed the challenge perfectly to dispossess the Algerian striker but the ball rolled free, and Mohamed Fares got to it first, before outsprinting the Belgian back line. Through on goal, he displayed no sign of nerves, with a delightful chip over the onrushing Thibaut Courtois, sending the Algerian (and neutral) fans utterly wild with delight. Fares had scored 1 goal in 23 caps prior to the tournament, but he’d found the net 3 times in Qatar, none more important than this goal.
Belgium threw caution to the wind, and piled forward in search of the equaliser, but were unable to fashion a real goalscoring opportunity. It was incredible that this ‘Golden Generation’ had finally made it through to a major final, and now were to be upstaged by the underdogs in the most dramatic, unlikely story. 4 minutes of stoppage time were signalled, and Algeria kept the ball masterfully for the majority of it. The whistle blew for full time, and incredibly, Algeria had won the 2022 World Cup!
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I've seen weirder wins but they usually come a lot later in a save.
Pogon Siedlce 2025/26 Season Update:
Transfers In:
Signed him to be a starter but I only ever used him as a backup, he got the hump and he ended up being sold.
Better than my current keeper and with more potential. He started the season really well but struggling massively at points.
Kopec left (for peanuts) and I needed people to replace him. Rakozy was the first piece of the puzzle for a bargain price due to a relegation release clause.
Our record signing. I'm not sure he was worth that massive outlay but I had cash to spend and I couldn't help myself. He's one of the best Polish prospects I've seen in his position plus he wanted to come to us and he fits my system.
Natural CDM and CM who can play at CB, a bargain especially if my scouts are right about his potential.
I needed some backup on the wings after some sales so I bought this guy. Those red arrows are annoying as I think he could be really good.
More expensive than Zielonka and I feel he's worse but I still think he'll be nice.
With Deren leaving in January I needed to replace him. This is the best guy I could find who wasn't crazy expensive and/or a youth with massive holes. He's no Deren but he's done alright.
Wanted move cover for LB and CB (he's natural in both) so scooped him up.
Transfers Out:
A lot of money made but it could have been so much more if the board had let me do the Deren and Kopec deals. Also, speaking of Kopec the board accepted a deal for him with no potential extra money from his next sale. How much are Arsenal asking for him right now? Ł25m. Well done Chairman...
League:
Decent season but we struggled at times as we'd keep dropping points from winning positions such as this game:
Overall though we did well and left the table looking like this:
Surprised we finished this high and we were constantly nipping at Legia's ankles but without ever really looking like we were going to overthrow them. European football next year though \0/.
Cup:
Another first round exit...
Squad Stats:
A CB being our joint top scorer
Facilities:
Cool that we're going back to Siedlce but the stadium is tiny (although it's big for our club) and if the 20 year rule thing is still in effect we're fucked.
A Poland World Cup update will be coming tomorrow.
The summer of 2025 and Leroy Sane has broken the transfer record moving to Real Madrid for a whopping Ł207m. Never seen the like.
Ye, highest I've seen is 219m but that was in euros and it was also like a good 10+ years later. Bayern have offered 250m for one of my players also, so things do get that bonkers, but definitely not that early in the save.
Here are our kits for the next season btw:
Easily the best we've had so far, not bad but not great.
I will get round to posting an update of 'our' first season together but for the record, Yevrah is immense.
Our third season with East Fife is complete.
After the collapse of last season, this was never in doubt.
Muir was absolutely terrific, and just a bairn too.
I'm happy to have got this tactic to work, which pretty much ticks all the boxes: getting the best out of our best players, attractive, possession-based attacking football.
Backed up by the stats.
After three seasons and two promotions, I'm keen to move on really. I've upped my reputation to 2 stars and will at least hope to get an interview with any attractive looking jobs that come up in the summer.
What's the deal with penalty ratings in this game? I mean, it's been like that for a few versions now so not really new, but it seems at least a bit silly that so many global stars have ratings between 5-10. I'm in my 6th season at PSG and I have a player with 14 rating, one with 12 and everyone else is at 10 or below. Doesn't seem reasonable for a team that's won 4 out of the 5 last Champions Leagues.
Also, 2 of my latest acquisitions will please @Sir Andy Mahowry I reckon:
Obviously the second one being more one for the future. The one I had at Inter has also developed quite nicely:
Last edited by Adramelch; 02-02-2022 at 09:43 AM.
Looks like Greenwood ended up a Stevenage on my save....
Got back into this again recently as home alone for a couple weeks. Decided to go for a non-mental, slow paced possession tactic. First season:
And a couple of goal examples:
https://streamable.com/og68zr
https://streamable.com/csniys
Loving it to be honest.
I bet your matches take ages!
I'm a twit
I've always played 2D at fastest speed so its not too bad. Would be a nightmare in 3D.
I promised a World Cup update a few days ago but I was SEETHING at the outcome and as such I haven't played for a few days. Anyway, here it finally is.
Poland 2026 World Cup:
Group Stage:
First up was Paraguay and we were playing them in Mexico.
We played well but were a little lacking in going forward, I was scared we'd drop points when Karbownik picked up a red but thankfully they never really put us under any sort of pressure.
Next up was Mexico who were playing at home:
And we battered them, we looked dangerous and their defence couldn't cope with us. 4-0 flattered us according to the xG but I thought it was pretty fair tbh.
Up next was Greece in the second round which we travelled to Kansas City to play:
We were poor in the first half and didn't really wake up until they scored their second. I changed the system up and went at them. When Lewandowski got his first I thought we'd power past them and I still had hope entering into injury time. Then Vasiliadis hit a tame effort from just outside the box which looked like it would be saved easily by Szczesny, he decided otherwise though and he let it bobble over the top of him. A fine way to end his career...
Knockout Tree:
We'd have got battered by Spain I'd imagine but it would have been nice to have had the chance. Ukraine winning made an already angry me SEETHE quite hard.
Edit: Belgium have offered me a contract, it's a shame I'm doing Club/Country as I'd love to take that job.
Last edited by Sir Andy Mahowry; 03-02-2022 at 07:57 PM.
Have Ukraine spawned a few world beaters?
There are no newgens in their squad:
Big fan of Callum Styles joining up with the squad.
This is the best prospect they have in their U21s though:
Also, I had a look at the awards and this lad won the best young player:
Only 1 sub appearance for United's first team thus far though.
Jeez the regens faces are bad.
I'm a twit
Look like they're straight out of some torrid 70s punk bands called The Bleeding Hearts or Smashed Larynx etc.
The faces are alright, it's the hair which is terrible. Looks like it's been done with the spray can feature on MS Paint.
Tim Pritchard in the youth team
SEETHING doesn't begin to cover it.
While it's always been a thing in this game, I've noticed it happening a lot more in this version. Especially your team missing a fuckton of chances. In my last few seasons at PSG we've scored fewer goals than the xG, which by definition is quite absurd.
Kitbasher has just generated this beaut of a third kit for me
After 6 seasons at PSG, with 4 CL wins and another appearance in the finals, I moved to Barcelona and the penalty rating situation is even more ridiculous. Our best takers have a rating of 11 and so far we have scored 1 in 4 from the penalty spot. It just seems incredibly unrealistic to me.
We didn't deserve any points but that stings.
Missed out on Europe due to conceding in the last minute of the last game of the season.
Hit the woodwork 8 fucking times
I am assuming a good 3 of those are players trying to lob the keeper and hitting the bar. Seems to happen a lot in this version, regardless of player traits and whatnot.
Also my favourite disallowed goal in FM:
Bakkeby scores by shooting it along the yellow line, yet the goal is pulled back due to presumably the circled player interfering with play (who, in this occasion, doesn't even look to be offside).
Last edited by Adramelch; 06-02-2022 at 05:19 PM.
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