Personally I love them… as long as my teams are not involved of course. If they are, then F pks, I don’t need the near heart attack experience.
***Official 2026 World Cup Thread***
- Thread starter ISU3PtLand
- Start date
Japan and Germany out in the same day (insert joke)
It does make it dramatic. My biggest complaint is it basically turns into a guessing game. Goalie guesses the direction. He either guesses right and has a decent chance for a save, or guesses wrong.
I also don't like the way it's officiated. The shooter is supposed to run up to the ball and kicker without stopping or trying to fake out the goalie. But they stop all the time to try to get the goalie to dive before they kick it. Meanwhile, if the goalie dates step and inch off the line, they don't allow it.
IMO, the second the ref blows his whistle it should be a free for all. Goalie can run straight at the shooter if he wants. Then they won't have time to prance around before taking the shot anymore.
I was definitely pulling for the upset, but man is Paraguay a hard team to pull for. They 'embellish' everything while also being super physical themselves. It's basically Huggyball WV, whine all game while daring the officials to call them.
Huge difference after watching Japan play.
Huge difference after watching Japan play.
That's what the Germans get for bombing Pearl Harbor!
I would wait till the kicker moves, then all rules are off for the goalie.
I'm sure FIFA would have much preferred a Germany v France Round of 16 for ratings. It's not like France needs help.
Having the keeper be able to fake a rush would bring an interesting element. Maybe give the taker a 3 second count and then the keeper can come off his line. I'm all for preventing the slow tippy toe up to the ball takes.
