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You are here: Home / Sports / World Cup FINAL Open Thread: Argentina vs France

World Cup FINAL Open Thread: Argentina vs France

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  1. 1.

    WaterGirl

    If you guys have appreciated all these World Cup threads from Anne Laurie, I hope you are telling her that in these threads!  Because I can tell you that putting together 50 World Cup threads would have to be a ton of work.

    I’m sure it’s a labor of love, but it’s still labor. :-)

    So knowing whether having these threads has been a big deal to you would probably be really useful information for Anne Laurie. You know, just in case there is ever another World Cup again.

  2. 2.

    Anyway

    Thank you Anne Laurie! Very much appreciate the World Cup posts. It was fun having a dedicated corner to shoot the breeze about all things WC …

    Now, Allez Les Bleus!

  3. 3.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Allez les Bleus!

    And thank you, AL, for putting these together.  Especially as you have no real interest in topic and this has been done purely for the fans of the game.

  4. 4.

    phdesmond

    thank you very much indeed, Anne Laurie!

    Telemundo’s announcers are constantly throwing in tasty comments — one just exclaimed “bendito sea el futbol,”  blessed be football.

  10. 10.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: Argie fans will show up.  I am supporting France for two reasons.  First, I pick France as my team to support in soccer and rugby once the US has gone out back in the ’90s.  Second, France is probably the most diverse side in the Cup.  Most of their players are the children of immigrants and/or refugees.

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    Nope, not here!! (ETA: My landlord/current housemate spent much of his life in South America  He controls the remote, and it’s easier for me to root for Argentina than listen to hours of explanation about how wrong I am 😉.)

    And many thanks to AL, not only for these World Cup threads, but for the myriad other threads she curates, assembles, aggregates, dreams up, and posts for our delectation at all hours of the day and night. Very much appreciated; too seldom acknowledged.

  12. 12.

    cope

    Nasty elbow thrown there. I have no favorite in this game, I just hope it’s a good one.

    My thanks go to AL for her efforts as well.

  13. 13.

    Scout211

    @WaterGirl: Nope. I’m rooting for Messi, uh, I mean Argentina. But I would be fine if France repeats.

    And thanks, Anne Laurie! These WC threads have been really fun.

  16. 16.

    Alison Rose

    Also, yes, thank you Anne Laurie! I know it’s only a small portion of the jackals who care about the Cup, but we have very much appreciated these threads!

  23. 23.

    JML

    I’m a neutral on this one, just want to see a great match.

    Argentina has been the better side so far, France looks confused at how to handle a team that attacks them the way they attack other teams. Bit of a soft PK, but poor defending, and Argentina has been the team on the front foot the whole game, so France can’t whine too much.

  29. 29.

    JML

    Oh, my. That was an amazing goal. the touches were absolutely fantastic there. 5 perfect passes opened it all the way up for a lovely finish.

    France needs to get to half. I think they could re-set from this, they have so much attacking quality that if anyone can chase a game it’s France. But they need to cut this off and make some adjustments.

  30. 30.

    bjacques

    A big thanks to AL for the footy!

    Respect to Messi, but if France win, he’ll have 25 million consolations, courtesy of Saudi Arabia in their lobbying for the 2030 World Cup, so I’m supporting France.

  32. 32.

    JML

    @Alison Rose: Dembele has been bad. Sloppy defending gave away a PK, and he hasn’t doesn’t done anything good the whole game. Giroud isn’t at fault, but France is trying to change up their attack patterns and get something through the press and he’s probably not the right fit.

    But it’s a little tough for Giroud to come off like this at the same time as Dembele: the first is to change formation and attack strategy, the second is because of performance, but it looks like they’re both being lumped off early for poor play.

  34. 34.

    cmorenc

    Messi is having the sort of game he’d like to be remembered for so far. In 36th minute Argentina makes beautiful breakaway play, converts 2-0.  This game so far is Argentina’s dream game, France’s nightmare.  Mbappe totally neutralized so far by Argentine defense, which is forcing turnover after turnover.  Argentina putting on a clinic in playing out of tight spaces.

    Now halftime, France has some major reshuffling mentally and tactically to do if they are to climb back into the game.  Otherwise, it’s going to be the greatest party in Buenes Aires since the Argentine team with Maradona won WC in 1986.

  37. 37.

    cmorenc

    @JML:

     Bit of a soft PK, but poor defending

    Even though it wasn’t any sort blatant mugging, nevertheless there was an unambibous heel-clip foul from behind by French defender – a totally unnecessary, unforced error since there were two more French defenders ahead of the fouled Argentine attacker.

  40. 40.

    billcinsd

    @cmorenc: It was nowhere near the contact that wasn’t called a penalty in yesterday’s game. The dive after the touch was even similar.

    Messi is a convicted tax cheater, who basically got the European equivalent of a Holder Plan to convert his 21 month prison sentence into a fine that was about 10% of the fine he was given (which was about 20% of the tax burden he did not pay taxes on)

  57. 57.

    JML

    France had no ideas in the first half, and looked totally lost. The Argentine press was wrecking them, and Di Maria’s goal was a brilliant counter. Everything was rolling Argentina’s way. France finally started to get some attacks towards goal, but it was still Argentina in control, until a moment of sloppy defending opened the door with the PK (and another fair one, IMHO). Then you get a brilliant second goal for France and now it’s all back on the table.

    What a final!

  62. 62.

    Diceros bicornis

    30 minute prolongation. The fans of both sides look exhausted. Been a lotta yelling in my house so far, my foot-watching partner is wrung out!

  64. 64.

    Steeplejack

    I hope the play-by-play announcer takes some oxygen and composes himself for extra time. Dude, you don’t have to yell everything. We get that it’s exciting!

  67. 67.

    JML

    OMG, someone muzzle Alexi Lalas. Apparently he decided “intensity = volume” and is hoping that by yelling at us we might miss the fact that he hasn’t said anything insightful for a month…

  69. 69.

    Scout211

    @JML: This is why I watch sports with the sound off or closed captioning on.  I do miss a few things but I don’t miss the constant blather or the yelling.

  70. 70.

    billcinsd

    @JML: C’mon, it’s been far longer than a month since Lalas said anything inciteful.

    I like how the non-color guy was talking about Canavings and Kingsley Coman is shown and he identifies him as Camavinga

  72. 72.

    billcinsd

    @JML: Yes, although Landon Donovan was decent. I liked Clint Dempsey saying Mbappe needed to work harder on defense, when Clint was not known for his defensive work rate

  76. 76.

    JML

    wow, what a sequence! I thought he might have been offsides. I thought they might have kept it out of the net. But no! it’s a goal for Argentina.

  80. 80.

    HumboldtBlue

    WOW!!!

    What a match, so many times major finals are boring, and this was shaping up to be a ho-hum second half and then comes the Mbappe magic.

  82. 82.

    JML

    Are you kidding me?!? This match is drunk. I’m glad I’m a neutral on this one, if it was my team playing in this I’d be dead.

  92. 92.

    Cacti

    FIFA has done everything possible to make sure their golden boy Messi won this game.

    Go France. (only time I’ll ever say that)

  105. 105.

    raven

    See those tears of joy? That’s what it was like here in Athens when we beat Alabama to win the National Championship!!!!

  106. 106.

    JML

    Fantastic final. Argentina gets the win in an epic match.

    Mbappe is the best player in the world, though.

    What an amazing match. It had everything!

  110. 110.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: “most racist” huh? Did you perform a scientific assessment? You are aware that there is just a tiiiiiiny bit of fucking racism in France, right? They get pissed if you even mention how many African players they have.

    Whatever, cry more.

  116. 116.

    Cacti

    @Alison Rose: Say you’ve never been to SA without saying it.

    Argentina is racist AF.

    Google their Presidents comments about Brazil and Mexico. Or their fan song about the black French players.

  118. 118.

    phdesmond

    The updated World Cup roll of honour.
    5: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
    4: Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
    3: Argentina (1978, 1986, 2022)
    2: Uruguay (1930, 1950), France (1998, 2018)
    1: England (1966), Spain (2010)

  122. 122.

    different-church-lady

    I occurs to me that attempting to decide which country’s sports fans are the most racist is akin to determining which dwarf is tallest.

  123. 123.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: NEWSFLASH: There are racists in literally every country on Earth. No one country is “the most racist” and your insistence on this is pathetic. If France had won and I came in here screeching about how Islamophobic their society is, would that have anything to do with the team? If the USMNT won (LOL) would it be fair for people to list aaaaaaaaaall the racist shit about this country? Just stop it.

  129. 129.

    Gin & Tonic

    A thrilling game. I could watch that Di Maria goal or the second Mbappe goal over and over. And Emi Martinez was the star for AR, IMO

  132. 132.

    JML

    @Cacti: and WTF does this have to do with the Cup Final? seriously, mah dude, we get it: you hate Argentina. This doesn’t make you better. And your name-calling was racist, so…think you’ve lost the plot here.

  133. 133.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: None. Why does that fucking matter? I’m not saying no one in all of South America or Argentina is a racist. Like I said, and like you keep ignoring, there are racists in every country. Am I not allowed to have any opinions on any country if I haven’t been there? What the fuck is your problem?

  134. 134.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: No you stupid sack of shit, I’m an Ashkenazi Jew of all European ancestry. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of bigotry. I also know that it happens EVERYWHERE. Acting like a country doesn’t deserve to win a sports game because some of them are racist is so fucking stupid, I can’t even put it into words. Get over yourself.

    Fuck this, I’m pieing you. You’re pathetic.

  135. 135.

    Hitchhiker

    Yesterday watched the Vikings/Colts, today watched France/Argentina … both days, turned the tv on at halftime! I’m on a roll.

  137. 137.

    Alison Rose

    @Cacti: Guess I wasn’t quick enough, but I’ll say one more thing: No, you absolute asshole. I’m fucking disabled and cannot travel, and have been this way for about two decades. So take your xenophobic, ableist, pompous bullshit elsewhere.

  138. 138.

    Cacti

    Fun fact. You cheered for the favorite landing pad of third Reich fugitives.

    I’m sure it’s totes a coincidence that they preferred Argentina. 😉😉

  139. 139.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Cacti: If you’ve been to Bariloche, you’d know that modern Argentina is doing a decent job of addressing that history.

  151. 151.

    Kent

    @Dadadadadadada:My condolences to that Chilean dude who found Argentinean tourists insufferable before this.

    That’s my brother-in-law.  He’s in mourning!

    He works for BNP-Paribas and so spends lots of time in Paris.

    Regardless of whether or not they are racist, most of the rest of South America isn’t all that fond of Argentinians.  They tend to run in big noisy packs and act like loud entitled jerks.  If you are in a bar or restaurant or store in Chile and there are groups of noisy people yelling across the room at each other and treating the bartenders/waitresses/clerks like dirt, chances are they are rich Argentinians.  Rich Russians behave similarly around Europe.

    It is a country with tremendous resources and every advantage.  The fact that they aren’t as rich as the Swiss or Norwegians is entirely on them.

    A generation ago Argentina probably had double the per-capita GNP of Chile.  In recent years, Chile has passed them.  That is entirely self-inflicted.

  152. 152.

    smintheus

    @phdesmond:  The Argentine dictators bribed their way to the ’78 WC title…including both bribing and selecting/imposing the referee for the Final that year They simply refused to allow FIFA’s selection to stand, made threats about that referee, and substituted someone they had already bribed…and FIFA allowed it to happen.  This was after Argentina had already bribed another squad to throw a match so Argentina could get out of the group stage.

     

    So the first title is not an honor to celebrate, but a black mark against their nation. The second title was the one in which Maradona cheated more than usual, so a black mark against Argentina in its own way.

     

    And this title was the one in which their goalkeeper should have received a red card during the penalties for insulting/abusive action.

     

    Those who have said on this thread that Argentinians are notorious punks are absolutely right. Their great hero is a tax cheat after all.

  153. 153.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Alison Rose:

    What the fuck is your problem?

    I’m so sorry you got caught in another one of Cacti’s brutish post-Saturday-night bender rage fests in which they decide that if they feel like shit, then dammit EVERYONE feels like shit so they bully someone cowardly behind a nymn at our little blog, as if it’s some kind of worthy conquest.

    Poor, lonely, sad little Cacti. Saw a bunch of us having a nice, fun, lighthearted morning enjoying something without regard to all the bad shit going on in the world for like 5 minutes and their misery meant they had to drop trou and shit all over it.

    For the record, The Game is about the beauty of soccer, it’s players, and not the politics or history of the country they come from, and Messi is one of the GOAT who has brought joy to millions and millions. Cacti can’t enjoy the simple appreciation of that, while you and the rest of us can.

    I’d tell Cacti to fuck off but they already are a miserable little ball of meanness so they’re suffering enough as it is so what’s the point.

  154. 154.

    Paul in KY

    I wish France had won. Kudos to Argentina and their great goalkeeping.

    Maybe some ‘Argentinenus’ in his display when receiving the goalkeeper award.

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