FT: ENGLAND 2 - 1 DENMARK. aet

[Baloo]

It may be cheating to you, but not to the majority of top level professionals. Two Danish defenders put themselves in awful positions and one made an appalling attempt at some kind of half arsed challenge. He will know that his defending wasn't good enough, not by a long shot, and he'll know that if he hadn't put himself in that position then Sterling wouldn't have had the opportunity to go to ground, Tough luck.

The top level professionals are the accused and therefore maybe not the best arbiters in this case. It’s more a question of whether this ‘clever’ play is a welcome part of the game. People can make their own mind up about that and don’t need to defer to top players.

[life on mars]

Kasper was there best player which suggests England may have had a lot of shots on target.

As to diving you either join the club or lose I'm sure we will see the best team at immersioni on Sunday, they have turned it into an art form

[Tuerto]

The top level professionals are the accused and therefore maybe not the best arbiters in this case. It’s more a question of whether this ‘clever’ play is a welcome part of the game. People can make their own mind up about that and don’t need to defer to top players.

I'm not telling anyone what to do or think. What i am sure of is that those in the game wont be reacting like fans, as they will know that the Danes ****ed up and invited a problem. That's just me making my own mind up.

[Tuerto]

I'm not telling anyone what to do or think. What i am sure of is that those in the game wont be reacting like fans, as they will know that the Danes ****ed up and invited a problem. That's just me making my own mind up.

And to add, as a fan i welcome play like that, don't mind it one bit.

[NYCBlue]

How do you reconcile that then?

Fwiw I think it was a pelanty anyway.

Because you can be the better team and not do enough to win. It happens all the time. I give England credit for the own goal, it was all of their making. But for me, the gift of the penalty was very fortunate. They say you make your own luck, but Harry Kane took a shit penalty which on another day, Schmeichel would smother. The better team on paper by far, better team on the pitch for the last 15 minutes or normal time and all of extra time. But not deserving winners in my opinion.

[Gofer Blue]

Re: the "penalty". Ian Wright's comment summed it up for me when he said "you heard Raheem say that he thought he felt a touch on his leg"! Thought he felt......come on, pull the other one.

[Forest Green Bluebird]

Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham fans may need to think of an alternative to "Oh Engerland is full of Shit ..." if they win on Sunday.

[Baloo]

And to add, as a fan i welcome play like that, don't mind it one bit.

That’s fine. I understand players may have a different perspective. But it really adds no weight to the argument either way imo.

[Tuerto]

That’s fine. I understand players may have a different perspective. But it really adds no weight to the argument either way imo.

I think it does. We think like fans, they think as Professionals. The Danish defenders won't be calling sterling a cheat like some on here are, they'll be more disappointed in themselves and the fact that they put themselves in that position to start with. Just part of the game for me, whether it goes my way or not.

[Baloo]

I think it does. We think like fans, they think as Professionals. The Danish defenders won't be calling sterling a cheat like some on here are, they'll be more disappointed in themselves and the fact that they put themselves in that position to start with. Just part of the game for me, whether it goes my way or not.

Yes, I understand. But why do fans necessarily have to show deference to what players think? It’s quite possible to have valid different perspectives on something like this.

[City123]

Mark Clattenburg, who I'm no a fan of, just made an excellent point. As a referee, with the game on the line, unless you're 100% sure (which he said he wasn't) you DON'T give the penalty, you leave it up to VAR. Interesting.

You're not supposed to make a decision unless your 100% certain at any point

I think England would have won anyway, but what a joke of a decision

[City123]

I think it does. We think like fans, they think as Professionals. The Danish defenders won't be calling sterling a cheat like some on here are, they'll be more disappointed in themselves and the fact that they put themselves in that position to start with. Just part of the game for me, whether it goes my way or not.

I dunno about that, you quite often see professionals absolutely livid when a player dives for a penalty

[Tuerto]

Yes, I understand. But why do fans necessarily have to show deference to what players think? It’s quite possible to have valid different perspectives on something like this.

They don't. But in my opinion it shows a lack of understanding of what is actually happening in front of their eyes. People don't have to like it, and they can think it is wrong, but to dismiss it as simple cheating is naive and simplistic in my opinion.

[Tuerto]

I dunno about that, you quite often see professionals absolutely livid when a player dives for a penalty

Yeah, but i'd bet that they're pissed off if one of their defenders has got the wrong side or caught flat footed etc. I think that sterling was well within his rights to go down for that shambolic defending. If a defender wants to bowl him a free one..

[City123]

Yeah, but i'd bet that they're pissed off if one of their defenders has got the wrong side or caught flat footed etc. I think that sterling was well within his rights to go down for that shambolic defending. If a defender wants to bowl him a free one..

If we're giving penalties for shambolic defending Cardiff would concede 2 a week!

I think "within his rights" is a little far. Is it "clever"? Sure, but at the end of the day it is cheating. How on earth it was given and then not overturned is beyond me

[blue matt]

What is the point of VAR when they can't even see that?

VAR has failed

When the football world heralded the VAR system, we were told " no more mistakes " when it was just the ref and the lino we knew they made mistakes, they are human, yes we moaned like fook about it, yes we said the bigger teams got the calls, but VAR was s.posed to stop all of that, tonight VAR looked at the Pen, they saw it from various angles and still made the wrong call imho, whatever touch the defender got on Sterling wasnt what brought him down, when the player says in the after match interview " i thought i felt a touch " you know something is wrong

[City123]

2 balls on the pitch aswell. Like come on guys, its not that hard to referee

[Tuerto]

If we're giving penalties for shambolic defending Cardiff would concede 2 a week!

I think "within his rights" is a little far. Is it "clever"? Sure, but at the end of the day it is cheating. How on earth it was given and then not overturned is beyond me

I'm really easy going over this kind of thing, it doesn't bother me. I thought that it was a penalty, maybe it wasn't. He got lucky, although he earned it in my opinion by being positive, making the danish defenders make poor decisions which gave the referee something to think about. And i'd say the same thing if it was against us. You try not to get into a 1on 1 with raheem sterling in the box. That's step 1 of defending, it's not likely to end well.

[Moodybluebird]

Highlight of the game ?

Easy, Keiffer got a mention by the commentator after Harry Maguire was booked for leading with his arm when jumping for the ball.

[Optimistic Nick]

Because you can be the better team and not do enough to win. It happens all the time. I give England credit for the own goal, it was all of their making. But for me, the gift of the penalty was very fortunate. They say you make your own luck, but Harry Kane took a shit penalty which on another day, Schmeichel would smother. The better team on paper by far, better team on the pitch for the last 15 minutes or normal time and all of extra time. But not deserving winners in my opinion.

I agree in league football l. But this is knockout football. Someone has to win. Denmark have been great, but they were second best tonight and didn’t deserve to go through. England were the better team overall by far tonight. As soon as Denmark took off their two best players they were hanging on and I think even to that point England were probably the better side anyway. Penalty was soft yes but still a pen, and even so overall it was the right result.

Kane’s penalty was so shit that it worked in his favour. Had he hit it harder or wider, Schmeichel may have looked to knock it away. It was basically a back pass that he failed to gather safely. Tho thought Kane was excellent tonight, bought countless free kicks to relieve pressure.

[NYCBlue]

They don't. But in my opinion it shows a lack of understanding of what is actually happening in front of their eyes. People don't have to like it, and they can think it is wrong, but to dismiss it as simple cheating is naive and simplistic in my opinion.

I don't think it's simplistic. It's cheating. Plain and simple. However, I understand that it's part of the game now and everyone does it. I'm waiting for the day when it becomes a red card offence for clear and obvious cheating. There are many instances over a season when players dive with no contact whatsoever. And it's all on video. When England played Scotland there were three Scottish players tracking Grealish in the area and they were scared to death to go anywhere near him. They just sort of surrounded him and kep their distance. It's a shame.

[Optimistic Nick]

2 balls on the pitch aswell. Like come on guys, its not that hard to referee

No idea what the rule is on that. They did stop the game later when it happened again. But presumably they can’t have a rule to stop the game when another ball is on the pitch as it would open things up to a world of ball boy shithousery

[blue matt]

And it's all on video. When England played Scotland there were three Scottish players tracking Grealish in the area and they were scared to death to go anywhere near him. They just sort of surrounded him and kep their distance. It's a shame.

This is whats wrong with the game, it isnt just at professional level either, i watch my non-league team ( well 2 of them actually ) a players are afraid to tackle in the box, and I kid you not, Ive seen it with the girls team i coach, we played a Academy girls team, they had been trained to get to ball in the box and when tackled go down, it was horrid to see, we conceded 2 pens in the 1st 1/2, the girls were scared to even go close and worked it out to just get between the player and the goal, our captain went up and spoke to the ref at 1/2 time, he said " its how the game is played at this level " ( though to his defence he was crap and shouldnt have been anywhere near the pitch )

[Baloo]

They don't. But in my opinion it shows a lack of understanding of what is actually happening in front of their eyes. People don't have to like it, and they can think it is wrong, but to dismiss it as simple cheating is naive and simplistic in my opinion.

Not sure who that’s aimed at. But my point was around whether it’s a welcome part of the game. And that it’s not just footballers who should decide that.

[NYCBlue]

This is whats wrong with the game, it isnt just at professional level either, i watch my non-league team ( well 2 of them actually ) a players are afraid to tackle in the box, and I kid you not, Ive seen it with the girls team i coach, we played a Academy girls team, they had been trained to get to ball in the box and when tackled go down, it was horrid to see, we conceded 2 pens in the 1st 1/2, the girls were scared to even go close and worked it out to just get between the player and the goal, our captain went up and spoke to the ref at 1/2 time, he said " its how the game is played at this level " ( though to his defence he was crap and shouldnt have been anywhere near the pitch )

Jesus. That's awul.