What I like about Arg and Franz, they keep the foul theatrics to a minimum. Yes it hurts, them studs are bad, but they are not endlessly dying on the field. I think Mbappe is a cool guy, he has always that smirk on his face. For me , besides the skills, the behavior of those guys is equally important. I used to be a professional athlete and I always felt that good sportsmanship and behavior, setting an example for the non pros and beginners was very important. I think Messi is the last of that bread, no theatrics a good winner and loser, tough as nails. I root for Argentina, I want Messi to be crowned
Very entertaining first half of the third place match. Not as much, the second half; teams were exhausted with this intense WC with games every 3 days (the Qatar WC had a total calendar duration smaller than other editions of the WC), Morocco had injured players with defensive players out, and they weren't able to reproduce a good showing for more than one half. Croatia did play better throughout the game and did deserve the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory constructed in the first half. Morocco almost equalized in the last play of the game. People say this game is meaningless, but that's considered as such when it is played between two traditional big powers for whom placing third is akin to being losers; when like today it's one small European country versus the first Arab and African country to make it to the semis; then, both teams did want to take home the Bronze Medal for their fans, and the game was better than 3rd place games in other WCs. Both teams fought hard for the honor of placing third among 211 nations which for these underdogs is an understandable big deal. While I wouldn't be congratulating teams like England, Belgium, Germany, Brazil, Spain, etc. for placing third, I do congratulate Croatia for placing 3rd and Morocco for placing 4th. I thought that the first half when they weren't even more tired, both teams showed that they indeed belonged in the final four, displaying rather eye-pleasing soccer. Now, all eyes on the spectacular final tomorrow, featuring the uncontested two best teams of the tournament, and the compelling Messi vs. Mbappé narrative. Whatever the result, this was one of the best WCs I've ever seen (and I've been watching them since 1966).
They took that game serious. I was amazed how much energy they put into it. They really deserved their top 4. Great teams, great players.
