OT: World Cup Final

[CardiacAndre7]

I know this isn’t necessarily the place…But that was probably the greatest game i’ve watched in any sport.

Mbappe is incredible, he is already one of the greats and only getting better at such a young age.

Messi has been the GOAT for years, but what a way to cement a legacy. The greatest athlete i’ve ever seen.

It was truly a spectacle to behold. The beautiful game!

 

[Vuce]

So much tension in that game and what sports is all about. I don’t watch soccer except for the World Cup every four years. For those that do follow it closely - has there been any consideration of eliminating penalty kicks to decide a final? Thinking about out 6 OT game being decided by free throws after a few OTs. Or a World Series going 12+ innings in game 7 then doing HR Derby. Just let ‘em play - someone will screw up eventually. Next WC is in US right?

 

[shizzle787]

So much tension in that game and what sports is all about. I don’t watch soccer except for the World Cup every four years. For those that do follow it closely - has there been any consideration of eliminating penalty kicks to decide a final? Thinking about out 6 OT game being decided by free throws after a few OTs. Or a World Series going 12+ innings in game 7 then doing HR Derby. Just let ‘em play - someone will screw up eventually. Next WC is in US right?

They used to have golden goal in overtime followed by penalties. If that had been in place, Messi would have won on a walk-off.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Minimal rolling around screaming like babies was nice but far from the greatest sporting event ever. I found myself yelling out loud about a soccer game, which is also nice; but come on.

 

[uconnfan68]

So much tension in that game and what sports is all about. I don’t watch soccer except for the World Cup every four years. For those that do follow it closely - has there been any consideration of eliminating penalty kicks to decide a final? Thinking about out 6 OT game being decided by free throws after a few OTs. Or a World Series going 12+ innings in game 7 then doing HR Derby. Just let ‘em play - someone will screw up eventually. Next WC is in US right?

North America, US, Canada, and Mexico.

 

[Vuce]

They used to have golden goal in overtime followed by penalties. If that had been in place, Messi would have won on a walk-off.

Don’t know what golden goal is. Why not just sudden death after regulation? You keep playing the game until someone scores. Penalty shots to decide the winner seems odd. Like football having a FG kicking contest in a Super Bowl or long drive contest in The Masters

 

[shizzle787]

Don’t know what golden goal is. Why not just sudden death after regulation? You keep playing the game until someone scores. Penalty shots to decide the winner seems odd. Like football having a FG kicking contest in a Super Bowl or long drive contest in The Masters

You answered your own question. First one to score in the first 30 minutes of extra time then penalties.

 

[mauconnfan]

Not a soccer fan and had some stuff to do so turned it on at the 78 minute mark. Holy crap that was a fun ending. To see the absolute best players in the world play the game is really incredible. Mbappe has the wow factor no doubt he’s amazing. One play late OT he was outside the box to the goalies right 1-on-3 and none of them could make a play on him he was ready for a bullet but a 4th defender made a great play, simply amazing with the ball a magician.

And Messi, happy for him you could tell how much this meant to him. He simply has a bazooka leg and a soft touch passing the ball. So good.

Martinez may have been their MVP though with key saves, great great match!

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Minimal rolling around screaming like babies was nice but far from the greatest sporting event ever. I found myself yelling out loud about a soccer game, which is also nice; but come on.

On the greatest stage in sports, the ups and downs, the shifts. It was absolutely up there with the greatest games i’ve personally watched. Don’t yuck someone else’s yum my man.

 

[Vuce]

You answered your own question. First one to score in the first 30 minutes of extra time then penalties.

Right. My point is - why bother going to penalty kicks? Keep playing for the championship rather than free throw shots or FG kicks

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

They will never get rid of penalty kicks… or not have any form of something that is pretty much guaranteed to end the match within 15 minutes after 120 minutes of open play.

I don’t think people understand how grueling it is to play a 90 min soccer match, and how it’s increasingly difficult to score a goal when both teams are playing basically to not lose. Each players runs roughly 9 miles every match. It becomes increasingly dangerous to your heart and body the longer these matches go on. That’s why we see such a high number of cardiac arrests in soccer matches.
There are billions and billions of dollars riding on these top level soccer players. They already play way too many matches as is, there’s no way they’re going to make tournaments even more grueling on these players’ bodies.
With something like baseball, it’s not like it’s that grueling on your body to play 6 hours of baseball. Basketball is high scoring, so it’s just unlikely that a game reaches overtime, let alone a 2nd or 3rd overtime.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Watched start to finish. Unreal game. Argentina had it won twice and France just had no quit in them. As a lifelong player (but oddly, not a fan outside of WC years), it was so fun to see that play out. Sports fans here in the US will never understand what these wins mean to these teams/nations...it's more than just a sport elsewhere.

 

[Vuce]

That’s why we see such a high number of cardiac arrests in soccer matches.

Is that really a thing? Never heard that before or that being given as a reason for using penalty kicks to decide a championship. Have there been studies done on this and why it pertains to soccer and cardiac arrest vs something like running marathons or doing an event as grueling as the Tour De France?

 

[HooperScooper]

I'm not a fan of going to PKs to decide a championship. I agree, keep playing until someone scores and make it a golden goal.

That definitely was an amazing game. Very fun to watch even if you don't have a dog in the fight.

One thing I'm always amazed at when you get this far in the World Cup is the skill level. Watching MLS games compared to the better World Cup teams is like comparing Single A minor league baseball to MLB. These guys are at the top of their sport in the world. Which is a big reason why it is so interesting to watch.

 

[alphasigko]

What an odd way to end a world championship game. Why do they not keep playing in Overtime until one team outlasts the other? Would that not prove that the better conditioned team earned the championship? I will never understand the choice of the penalty kick solution to decide a championship in the final game.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I’m a fan of penalty kicks.

The soccer match is 100 or so minutes plus 30 of extra time. You can’t just keep playing. It’s significantly more cardio than other sports, and it’s not like teams always score in extra time as it is, so the game would just keep going for hours on end possibly?

Penalty kicks are a good and fair way to conclude a game, IMO.

 

[Waquoit]

Don’t know what golden goal is. Why not just sudden death after regulation?

Golden goal is another name for sudden death. They tried it about 20 years ago and nobody liked it.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Is that really a thing? Never heard that before or that being given as a reason for using penalty kicks to decide a championship. Have there been studies done on this and why it pertains to soccer and cardiac arrest vs something like running marathons or doing an event as grueling as the Tour De France?

There are more heart related issues found in soccer than most team sports I believe (I can’t speak for extreme/adventure sports like running or cycling). And there is more distance run in soccer than any other team sport. I think it’s pretty obvious that that is the reason there isn’t unlimited extra time in soccer, and could take hours. Players would be immobile. It would just be too grueling to do. I’m no expert though.

 

[Waquoit]

It would just be too grueling to do.

Play until you drop isn't practical in a game that doesn't have free substitution.

 

[Vuce]

I’m a fan of penalty kicks.

The soccer match is 100 or so minutes plus 30 of extra time. You can’t just keep playing. It’s significantly more cardio than other sports, and it’s not like teams always score in extra time as it is, so the game would just keep going for hours on end possibly?

Penalty kicks are a good and fair way to conclude a game, IMO.

Why don’t they use PKs in the first part of the tournament? It doesn’t take any time to get a winner with that and ties are unnecessary with them. It PKs are good and fair, why not utilize them throughout the entire tournament?

 

[XLCenterFan]

The stamina that goes into playing soccer is incredible. No timeouts and the substitutions are limited. The average person would throw up, pass out, die, etc. In HS we had to run 2 miles in under 12 minutes to even make the team. About 1/3 of every single practice was running and hills.

 

[Vuce]

There are more heart related issues found in soccer than most team sports I believe (I can’t speak for extreme/adventure sports like running or cycling). And there is more distance run in soccer than any other team sport. I think it’s pretty obvious that that is the reason there isn’t unlimited extra time in soccer. It would just be too grueling to do. I’m no expert though.

Why would team sport vs individual matter for health reasons? A marathon or Tour De France is much more grueling than soccer. That’s a very odd statistic if there really are more heart related issues in soccer than other sports whether team or individual.

 

[Vuce]

Play until you drop isn't practical in a game that doesn't have free substitution.

That’s what could be different once you get to sudden death. Free subs

 

[superjohn]

Amazing match, best I've ever seen. Messi v. Mbappe was like Magic v. Bird.

This puts Messi right there with Pelé as the best of all-time and seems to end the Christiano debate. Good as far as I'm concerned, never liked the guy.

Mbappe looks like he will make a run at the top to join Pelè and Messi if he avoids major injury, that guy is unbelievable.

 

[SubbaBub]

Just going to point out that given the stakes, the referee had an outstanding match. Let them play as much as possible and nailed the crucial penalty calls.