Thrillers (8/12)

OTTAWA, ON - Missed the 3 am and 6 am EDT matches due to IEEE Sections Congress here at the Shaw Center and was spoiled on both matches.  However, watching the replay of the entire 1B-Australia and 1F-France penalty shootout was crazy.  The tourney's 10th nil-nil tie saw a record 10-round PSO with AUS coming up on top, 7-6. AUS's GK made back-to-back saves (the first she was off her line too early, the re-take, guessed right again), 4 posts were hit (only 1 bouncing in for a goal), and another GK took a kick (AUS's game-clincher hit the right post in the 5th round).  Host AUS's win prevented an all-Euro semifinals.

1D-England rallied to beat 1H-Colombia, 2-1, the 6th time a team allowed to first goal and won.  The Euro winners got a lucky game tying goal right before halftime (7th minute of stoppage) as the GK fumbled for an easy tap in.  No one will forget the great fans of COL making every game a home game or their purple jerseys.  COL outshot ENG 15-9.

Wore my IEEE Rising Stars jersey promoting our 10th anniversary in front of the Ottawa sign in ByWard Market area going to a restaurant Somewhere.  No, seriously, the place is called Somewhere Dine Bar.

AUS's win guaranteed Kds911-2 at least a tie for 4th place as 18 picked AUS to make the semis.  26 picked ENG as 13 both both games correct while 16 got none.  Two lost FRA as their champ.  10 got 3 of 4 semifinalists while 7 got none of the teams correct.  Tom J's three entries are the top 3.  Kds911-2 still leads with 113 pts with Kds911 second with 110 pts (but can't finish higher than 4th), and Kds911-3 third with 109 pts.  

7 other entries are still alive and five can still win the pool.  CarinJennings-IsGoat (4th, 108) has the best chance to win the pool (37.5%).  More$ is 7th (105) but is eliminated while The Naomi Girma Era is tied for 12th and can finish 2nd.  The aforementioned Kds911 can't win the pool while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 11th (103) but can still win it all.

The Final Four scenarios are below:

If SPAIN beats AUSTRALIA in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	140
2nd	Kds911-2	136
3rd	Lavelle Lover	127
4th	The Naomi Girma Era	124
If AUSTRALIA beats SPAIN in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	126
2nd	Kds911-2	122
3rd	Eggman 2	116
4th	Lavelle Lover	113
If SPAIN beats ENGLAND in Final…
1st	Kds911-2	145
2nd	The Naomi Girma Era	133
3rd	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	131
4th	Lavelle Lover	127
If ENGLAND beats SPAIN in Final…
1st	Kds911-3	132
2nd	Kds911-2	131
3rd	Jolly Old England	129
4th	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	126
If SWEDEN beats AUSTRALIA in Final…
1st	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	127
2nd	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	117
3rd	Eggman 2	116
4th	Kds911-2	113
If AUSTRALIA beats SWEDEN in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	117
2nd	Eggman 2	116
3rd-Tied	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	113	Tie:	2.5	Wins 3rd if <=5, 4th if >=6
3rd-Tied	Kds911-2	113	Tie:	8.0	Wins 4th if <=5, 3rd if >=6
If SWEDEN beats ENGLAND in Final…
1st	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	136
2nd	Kds911-2	122
3rd	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	121
4th	Kds911	119
If ENGLAND beats SWEDEN in Final…
1st	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	135
2nd	Kds911-3	132
3rd	Jolly Old England	129
4th-Tie	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	122	Tie:	2.5	Wins 4th if <=5
4th-Tie	Kds911-2	122	Tie:	8.0	Wins 4th if >=6

Back to Normal? (8/8)

HOME, CA - #5 1F-France scored four more goals and #25 1H-Colombia finally beat a team worse than them.  FRA left no doubt building a 3-0 halftime lead in beating #72 2H-Morocco, 4-0 including a wicked shot past an offside player who didn't interfere but watched the ball bounce off the left post and in.  MAR was ranked 67 spots worse than FRA but MAR had beaten #17 Korea Rep (55 spots better) and COL (47 spots better) but back to normal reigned supreme.  The aforementioned loss to MAR meant COL had only beat teams better than them (#2 Germany & KOR) but managed to squeak out a 1-0 win over #43 2F-Jamaica.  JAM allowed their first goal of the tourney and it cost them (they finished an odd 1 goal for-1 goal against in 4 matches).

So 7 of the 8 group winners made the quarterfinals (sorry, 1A-Swiss) which is why USA, you needed to score goals and win the group.  All 3 African and both CONCACAF teams lost while both Asian/Australian teams advanced with 5 Europeans and South American COL.  Wore my 2019 away France hexagon-dot jersey with rose pink logo in front of the sprawling Downey Kaiser hospital campus.

39 got FRA and GenX99er (21st, 81 pts) got COL.  40 went 1-1 while 7 went 0-2.  For the Round of 16, eight got 6 of 8 teams and two (Pink Penguino (45th, 66) and Rutin4Putin (46th, 64)) got just 2 of 8.  Kds911-2 maintains the one point lead (92 pts) over More$ with Lavelle Lover and Vlatko Better Win tied for 3rd (90).  Leader Tom J also sits tied for 5th (Kds911 (89)) and tied for 8th (Kds911-3, 88).  Tiny Destroyer is still last (58) but Rutin4Putin is the only entry that can't pick up any more points.

Despite picking COL, FRA winning eliminated GenX99er from the money along with two others, leaving 25 entries still in the running.  While leader Kds911-2 has the best chance to finish in the top 4 (51.6%), it's Lavelle Lover with the best chance to win the pool now (14.8%).  9 entries have a better than 1 in 5 chance to win money and 13 can still win the pool as the #3, #4, #5, and #6 ranked teams are still alive.

Hawkeye is tied for 10th (87) but can't win the pool while Jota is tied for 18th (82) and can still be champ.  Flying Elvi is tied for 16th (83) but is eliminated while Sebastian is tied for 34th (76) and can still win 2nd place.

37 and Over (8/2)

WAITING FOR SON'S FINAL VAC SHOT (MenB), CERRITOS, CA - Two more teams ranked #37 or worse made the Round of 16 as #54 G2-South Africa (2G) came back to eliminate G3-Italy, 3-2, with a 90'+1 game-winner and #43 F2-Jamaica (2F) held F3-Brazil to a nil-nil draw to advance over the Brazilians.  They join #40 2B-Nigeria in the knockout stage.

RSA blew a lead for the 3rd straight game (led 1:0 SWE and lost 2-1, led 2-0 ARG and tied 2-2), but this time, after coming back from 1-0 to lead 2-1, they again gave up the tying goal 7 minutes later in the 74'.  But this time, they kept at it and was rewarded with a great goal in the 1st minute of stoppage time as the dancing began again.  ITA just needed a tie and fell short (but not as bad as the men's team, which failed to qualify for the last 2 World Cups).  Wore my 2010 home ITA GK jersey in front our expensive sago tree (1 of 2) and it didn't help as ITA scored on itself (for RSA's first goal) in the 32'.  I don't know why defenders are so good shooting on goal at their OWN goal instead of the opponent's (usually sky high).

37 is also the age of the legendary BRA striker, Marta (so glad got to see her many times doing stats for the LA Sol in 2009 - I actually have that jersey and may wear it during one of the off days), who started but couldn't produce in 81 minutes in her 6th, and likely final, WWC.  If you were to say JAM would allow no goals this tournament, with #5 F1-France (1F) and #8 BRA in their group, you'd be crazy.  Asylum-level paranoia.  And JAM qualified scoring just one goal... one.  And had ZERO shots on goal against BRA.  

G1-Sweden (1G) made 9 changes to their usual starting lineup and still took care of business, beating G4-Argentia, 2-0.  In just, let's play for fun, FRA won their set, 6-3, over F4-Panama, who scored their first 3 goals of the tournament, at one point cutting the deficit to 5-3 in the 87'.  The match featured 3 penalty kicks (all made, extending the WWC streak to 13 consecutive makes) and a hat trick for FRA's Kadidiatou Diani.

8 more points up for grabs as Group H concludes starting at 3 am PDT (get used to that).

Group G concluded with 35 getting SWE's win and 4 RSA's win with Of-Course-it's-US (37th-Tied, 52 pts) getting both correct.  Nine got both wrong.  45 had SWE in the Round of 16 while Rutin4Putin (41st-T, 51) and TroJenn (44th-T, 50) each got RSA with the former the only one to have both SWE and RSA in their R16.  Tiny Destroyer was the only one to miss both teams.  Rutin4Putin got 7 of 8 possible points while Tiny Destroyer got 0 of 8.

Group F concluded with 44 getting FRA's win and Merman (27th-T, 55) the only one picking the draw between JAMvBRA.  Merman was the only one to go 2-0 while three went 0-2.  All 47 had FRA in their R16 and 4 had JAM.  Four got both teams while the other 43 got one.  Flying Elvi, Mauihammy (35th-T, 53), Bean (24th-T, 56), and Kung Fu Master Kai each got 7 of 8 possible points while Eggman 2 (13th-T, 58), TroJenn, and TroJenn2 (44th-T) each got just 3 of 8.

Overall, five got 11 of 16 points and Tiny Destroyer only got 4 of 16.  Flying Elvi moved from a tie for 6th to sole possession of 1st (63 pts).  Hawkeye and Vlatko Better Win dropped to a tie for 2nd (62) and Kds911 and More$ are tied for 4th (61).  Tiny Destroyer returns back to last place with 40 points, 6 points off 46th place Kung Fu Master Kai.

CK is the new PK (7/29)

NOT WATCHING BARBIE AT CERRITOS TOWN CENTER, CA - So, G1-Sweden is really the 3rd ranked team in the world after all.  Thanks to Jonna Andersson's corner kicks, SWE scored on 3 of the first 5 she took as SWE routed G3-Italy, 5-0 to become the 3rd team to advance to the Round of 16.  Comparing to penalty kicks, teams were 4 of the first 8 (technically, 4 of the first 10 if you don't count the retakes) so SWE has the corner kick cross locked down.  SWE has 4 goals from corners (the game-winning one last match was delivered by Kosovare Asllani in the 90').  Finishing has been atrocious at this WWC but SWE scored on 5 of their 7 shots on goal, bringing some great skill to this tourney.

In a preview that all the great matches will be at 3 am PDT, #5 F1-France faced #9 F3-Brazil in a marquee matchup but BRA failed to get revenge from their 2019 Round of 16 loss as FRA showed up, edging BRA 2-1.  After an embarrassing 0-0 tie with #52 F4-Jamaica, FRA is back on top of the standings (on goal differential) even after JAM beat D2-Panama, 1-0, for their first ever WWC win.  It was a rare non-UEFA confederation matchup in the group stage as the two CONCACAF teams faced each other.  PAN becomes the 5th team eliminated, leaving 24 teams battling for the final 13 knockout spots.

While the rest of the family went to see the record-breaking Barbie, I went grocery shopping.  No offense to Barbie, but most movies I just wait for streaming, especially if there are no "spoilers".  The last "movies" I've seen at a movie theater have been "Spirited Away - Live on Stage", "Macross Frontier - The False Songstress", "Macross Frontier - The Wings of Farewell", and a special Raytheon screening of "Top Gun: Maverick".  Non-traditional to say the least.  Wore my 2011 home Panama jersey as I knew they were not long for the game.  Will be visiting Panama in late August and now have 2 jerseys to wear.

So we'll start the final Group A matches in between the two Group H matches that have yet to play their second stage.  Qatar was so much simpler.  There will be an update just for the 32 matches (A-H each playing two games) like there was for the first 16.

14 entries went 3-0 including Hawkeye and Kds911 who are tied for 2nd with 22 points.  Eggman 2 still leads with 23 points.  Four went 0-3 as 33 got SWE, 28 got FRA, and 27 got JAM.  Tiny Destroyer actually went 2-1 but is still in last (11 pts).

Issue #11.2.6 "I'm Here to Win and Walk Away" (After Final)

Archive

Monday, December 19, 2022

[Dailies: 17-18 ]

2022 World Cup Champion	2022 Winningest Region
1978   |   1986   |   2022	UEFA - Europe Union of European Football Associations
ARG - La Albiceleste Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA) Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL)
#3 | C1 | Group C Winners | 4-1-2 | 15 GF-8 GA 6th Final ('30, '78, '86, '90, '14) 3rd Championship C1: Lost #53 Saudi Arabia 1-2 C4: Beat #13 Mexico 2-0 C5: Beat #26 Poland 2-0 R16: Beat #38 2D-Australia 2-1 QF: Beat #8 1A-Netherlands 2-2 (4-3 PSO) SF: Beat #12 2F-Croatia 3-0 F: Beat #4 1D-France 3-3 (4-2 PSO)	UEFA | 8 Teams | 8 Wins |  8-8 Qualified:  1A-NED, 1B-ENG, 2C-POL, 1D-FRA, 2E-ESP, 2F-CRO, 2G-SUI, 1H-POR R16 (5):  49-NED, 53-CRO, 51-ENG, 52-FRA, 56-POR QF (2):  58-CRO, 59-FRA SF (1):  62-FRA F (0): -

INSTANT CLASSIC WITH 5 GOALS BETWEEN 2 SUPERSTARS
Soccerbix is joined by SoccerWife, KevLo, AC in Doha, and Merman in top 5; Free Merman wins Bonus

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA (smt) -- Legendary superstar Lionel Messi scored twice and had a key touch for another goal to help 1C-Argentina win their 3rd World Cup title, outlasting a hat trick from new superstar Kylian Mbappé 3-3 (4-2 in penalty shootout).  Messi was there to win and walk away, playing defense and helping his team in any way.  He wins his first WC after winning his first Copa America last year and says he wants to play a few games as a champion before potentially retiring from the national team.  Messi played in a WC-record 26th match and is the first player to score at least 1 goal in all 4 knockout matches.  But it wasn't easy.

ARG jumped to their sixth straight 2-0 lead (including Messi's 3rd PK) and dominated for 70 minutes (1D-France did not even have a shot until the 67' and made two forward subs in the 41') and it felt like ARG would just cruise to victory since FRA was not putting up any sustained attacks.  But you don't need sustained attacks if you have speed, and when ARG pulled down a FRA player that blew past him in the box, Kylian Mbappé got FRA on the board in the 80' on their first shot on goal.  In the 81', quick one-touch give-and-go passing resulting in their second shot on goal, a Mbappé perfect strike to level the match at 2 apiece. 

In extra time, Messi put in a rebound in the 108' that seemed to finally seal the deal.  But an errant hand blocking a Mbappé shot off a CK gave FRA another PK and Mbappé went the same way to tie it at 3 in the 118'.  In end-to-end action, FRA could've won if not for a kick save (not taken by Mbappé) and ARG could've won if not for an open header mishit (not taken by Messi), both in the 120'+3'.   In the PSO, both Mbappé and Messi scored but ARG GK came up big with a save and ARG hit all 4 PKs to win 4-2.

ARG vs FRA - Live!

PSG Rumble on FOX!

HOME - If I can wake up early, will try to capture thoughts as they happen - Will Messi get his first WC trophy in his swan song or will Mbappé get his 2nd trophy before he turns 24?

12:19 am PST - 3 goals were scored in the 3rd place match and this Final could add to that total which is our total goals tiebreaker.  Remember, penalty shootout (PSO) goals do not count if it is tied after 120 minutes.  Fernando B (Soccerbix) gets to relax after already clinching 1st place by building more than a 14-point (value for picking correct champion) lead over those who picked FRA.

Right now, if ARG wins, KevLo takes 2nd over SoccerWife (she needs 4+ goals in Final to switch this) and Unlucky and Merman take 4th and 5th with AC in Doha out of the money in 6th.  AC in Doha needs 5 goals scored in final to get 5th (knocking Unlucky out) and 6+ goals to finish 4th.

If FRA wins, currently 2 Goals 1 World Cup, Redhat Dave, and Kona Coast Uno will finish 2nd/3rd/4th.  If 3 goals are scored in final, then Redhat Dave and Kona Coast Duo finish tied for 2nd.  If 4+ goals are scored, Kona Coast Uno takes 2nd, Redhat Dave 3rd, and 2 Goals 1 World Cup 4th.  KevLo would take 5th over SoccerWife (but if 4+ goals are scored, it reverses).

For Bonus, if ARG and FRA are scoreless and go to PSO, then if ARG wins PSO, Union FC and Cisco split the Bonus.  If FRA wins PSO after scoreless tie, then MezLove wins Bonus.  But every goal scored in final will change who is in pole position.

5' - Woke up in time to see ARG get a long strike that was saved.  ARG being aggressive which is good to see.

Issue #10.2.5 "I'm Condemned to Use the Tools of my Enemy to Defeat Them" (Finals Preview & History of Pool)

 Archive

Friday, December 16, 2022
2022 FIFA Men's World Cup Final - Lusail Iconic Stadium - Lusail
 

 
 
1978   |   1986
vs.
  
 

 
1998   |   2018

ARG - La Albiceleste
Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA)
Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL)
 

FRA - Les Bleus
Fédération Française de Football (FFF)
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)

#3 | C1 | Group C Winners | 4-1-1
6th Final ('30, '78, '86, '90, '14)
C1: Lost #53 Saudi Arabia 1-2
C4: Beat #13 Mexico 2-0
C5: Beat #26 Poland 2-0
R16: Beat #38 2D-Australia 2-1
QF: Beat #8 1A-Netherlands 2-2 (4-3 PSO)
SF: Beat #12 2F-Croatia 3-0
 

#4 | D1 | Group D Winners | 5-1-0
4th Finals ('98, '06, '18)
D1: Beat #38 Australia 4-1
D4: Beat #10 Denmark 2-1
D6: Lost #30 Tunisia 0-1
R16: Beat #26 2C-Poland 3-1
QF: Beat #5 1B-England 2-1
SF: Beat #22 1F-Morocco 2-0

 

FAVORITES OUTSMART UNDERDOGS

Which three will join Soccerbix, KevLo and/or SoccerWife in money

CYPRESS, CA (smt) -- Underdogs and Cinderellas were creating havoc in the tournament but then the favorites wised up and played their game, using the tools of their enemy to ultimately defeat them.  1F-Morocco had not had more than 37% possession in any of their five matches but 1D-France allowed MAR to have the ball (55% possession) and while MAR had excelled on counter-attacks in previous matches, this time it was FRA who  picked their spots to apply pressure in the box as deflected shots led to both goals in their 2-0 semifinal win.  1C-Argentina who had jumped to a 2-0 lead in their 5th straight match, did not want to give up goals like they did in the past two matches, and conceded possession to 2G-Croatia (54%), playing CRO's game, and eventually found a back-breaking 3rd goal to win 3-0.  Both MAR (who had defensive injuries which hampered them) and CRO should have been content to play for a 0-0 draw or an opportunistic goal here and there, but FRA and ARG turned the tables and baited them into taking the possession which FRA and ARG capitalized on.

Issue #9.2.4 "Power Doesn't Panic" (After Semifinals)

Archive

Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Dailies: 13-14 ]

SOCCER POWERS REMOVE DOUBT
Soccerbix wins the pool! 8 entries still alive for final 4 money spots; 32 can win Bonus

HOME (smt) -- The soccer powers have been threatened all tournament long, with E1-Germany and F1-Belgium exiting in the group stage and knockout round upsets of 1G-Brazil and 2E-Spain.  But power doesn't panic.  1C-Argentina built up their 5th straight 2-0 lead but this time they not only held on to it, but added the back-breaking 3rd goal to squash upstart 2F-Croatia, 3-0.  Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi were involved in all 3 goals (Alvarez drew PK & Messi converted PK; Messi touch (no official assist) & Alvarez long run for goal; Messi magic dribbling and pass to Alvarez for goal). 

1D-France quickly broke 1F-Morocco's impressive play of never trailing nor allowing an opponent to score in the 5th minute and did something they haven't done yet in the WC, pitch a shutout, winning 2-0.  The two soccer powers will face each other in the Final and will feature two superstars of Paris Saint-Germain - ARG's Messi and FRA's Kylian Mbappé.  Maybe a repeat of the wild 2018 Round of 16 match won by FRA 4-3 on 19-year old Mbappé's brace.

The crowd was very pro-MAR and they have gotten support from a lot of neutrals around the world including Israel, which had a great newspaper cover showing their support.  Interestingly, MAR played more attacking and fun soccer after giving up the goal but could not get the tying goal before FRA added a 2nd in the 79'.  For a team that never had more than 37% possession in any match (and less than 23% in the past two), MAR had 56% possession and took 15 shots (though just 1 on goal - the bicycle kick was tipped by GK but would've hit the left post anyway so not a shot on goal).

With FRA's win, this secured the pool for Soccerbix who leads with 123 points.  It's Soccerbix's 2nd title after winning the inaugural one in 1998 as Le Bix.  12 got both FRA and ARG and 8 of those are the top 8 in the standings (and all 8 have picked ARG as their champion).  Soccerbix has a 16-point cushion over those who have FRA as their champion (2 Goals 1 World Cup, Kona Coast Uno, and Redhat Dave (17th-Tied, 107)) so if FRA wins, the 14 points will not dethrone him.  Those 3, if FRA wins, will knock AC in Doha, Merman, and Unlucky (4th-T, 119) from the money spots.  KevLo and SoccerWife are tied for 2nd (120) but will fall for a tie for 5th if FRA wins (and 1 of those 2 will leave empty-handed).  For the final, 31 have ARG and 9 FRA as their champ (I wonder how many more would pick FRA if they did not have all those injuries prior to the start of the WC).

Deflected, Goal! (12/14)

HOME - 1F-Morocco had not allowed an opponent to score (own goal was their only goal allowed) and never trailed in this WC, but 5 minutes in, 1D-France ended that with a high-kick strike off a deflected Kylian Mbappé shot.  MAR tried to go with their defensive players but a kickoff-scratch and a replacement (after what could've easily been 2-0) early in the 21' shuffled things around.  MAR had to play more attacking style forcing a couple of hard saves.  However, FRA ended Arab hopes with a 79' goal off another blocked Mbappé shot and FRA ended with their first clean sheet, 2-0, to advance to their 4th final (all in the last 7 WCs).

In the end MAR, the first African team to make the semis, can now win 3rd place on Saturday which, if the pro-MAR fans in the stadium can attest, will be a big deal for the Arab and African regions and Qatar.  They will play 2F-Croatia, another fellow Group F team and both these teams kicked off their group play with a scoreless draw with each other... hopefully, they'll let loose in the 3rd place match.

So we get an aging superstar for Paris Saint-Germain in Lionel Messi, who will be the record holder in WC matches played with 26 on Sunday, against the up and coming superstar for PSG in Mbappé.  Both have 5 goals but Messi has one more assist for the tiebreaker for the Golden Boot.  The odds are nearly 50/50 with very slight edge to FRA (5:6 vs 1:1).

Issue #8.2.3 "There Will Be Times When the Struggle Seems Impossible" (Semifinal Preview & Bonus Details)

Archive

Monday, December 12, 2022

First Semifinal - Lusail			Second Semifinal - Al Khor
ARG - La Albiceleste Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA)	CRO - Vatreni (Blazers) Hrvatski Nogometni Savez (HNS)		FRA - Les Blues Fédération Française de Football (FFF)	MAR - Ousud Al-atlas (The Atlas Lions) Fédérarion Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF)
#3 | C1 | Group C Winners | 3-1-1 6th Semifinals ('30, '78, '86, '90, '14) C1: Lost #53 Saudi Arabia 1-2 C4: Beat #13 Mexico 2-0 C5: Beat #26 Poland 2-0 R16: Beat #38 2D-Australia 2-1 QF: Beat #8 1A-Netherlands 2-2 (4-3 PSO)	#12 | F4 | Group F Runners-Up | 1-0-4 3rd Semifinals ('98, '18) F1: Tied #22 Morocco 0-0 F4: Beat #41 Canada 4-1 F5: Tied #2 Belgium 0-0 R16: Beat #24 1E-Japan 1-1 (3-1 PSO) QF: Beat #1 1G-Brazil 1-1 (4-2 PSO)		#4 | D1 | Group D Winners | 4-1-0 7th Semifinals ('58, '82, '86, '98, '06, '18) D1: Beat #38 Australia 4-1 D4: Beat #10 Denmark 2-1 D6: Lost #30 Tunisia 0-1 R16: Beat #26 2C-Poland 3-1 QF: Beat #5 1B-England 2-1	#22 | F3 | Group F Winners | 3-0-2 1st Semifinals F1: Tied #12 Croatia 0-0 F3: Beat #1 Belgium 2-0 F6: Beat #41 Canada 2-1 R16: Beat #7 2E-Spain 0-0 (3-0 PSO) QF: Beat #9 1H-Portugal 1-0

CROATIA IS RANKED #12 IN THE WORLD, YOU KNOW
16 entries fighting for remaining 4 money spots; Bonus keeps another 69 entries with hope

FISHBAR IN MANHATTAN BEACH, CA (smt) -- 2F-Croatia has less wins in this WC than teams like 1E-Japan and 2D-Australia and yet, thanks to four draws, are a step away from their second straight final.  They are the #12 team in the world and yet are lumped with 1F-Morocco as impossible party crashers.  Ironically, CRO and MAR are the only 2 semifinalists who have not lost a match yet (1A-Netherlands is the only other team without an official loss (lost in PSO)).  CRO have beaten the #1  (1G-Brazil) and #2 (F1-Belgium) teams in the world, and in order to win their first WC, they will have to beat #3 1C-Argentina and then potentially #4 1D-France.  Their struggle is real though, as they have played 2 scoreless draws and 4 of their 6 goals were against F2-Canada.

MAR is ranked decently at #22 (not #53 like C2-Saudi Arabia who beat ARG), are on a 10-match unbeaten streak (last loss to 2B-USA), and have only conceded one goal (an own goal) but are still huge underdogs (9:1 to win the WC).  FRA (~1:1 to win WC) could have underestimated MAR but close relations (several players born in France play for Morocco as well as their coach; several MAR players play in FRA's Ligue 1; as well as MAR was once a colony of FRA) should make FRA more cautious than #1 BEL (lost 2-0), #7 Spain (lost 3-0 in penalty shootout), and #9 Portugal (lost 1-0) who were all ousted by this team.  Morocco has also bid many times to host the WC (losing in '94, '98, '06, '10, and '26) and maybe winning the WC could give them a boost (I mean, if tiny Qatar can host one...). 

As an aside, Morocco used to have the abbreviation MOR (used for the 1998 World Cup) but around 2000, it changed to its French name (Maroc) and the abbreviation became MAR.  Same for Spain, which is ESP but not for its Spanish name España, but for its French (Espagne).  English and French are traditional languages for FIFA (whose acronym is based on French title) but its official language list just included Arabic, Portuguese, and Russian (in addition to German and Spanish) in June 2022.