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Opinion by Rooster | ASEAN NOW

 

The last time England played France at the World Cup was a memorable day for this columnist as I was in the massed ranks of the Three Lions' supporters on a sweltering afternoon in Bilbao, northern Spain. 

 

I'd arrived in that beautiful city several weeks before after a trip on Aeroflot from Bangkok to Moscow to Madrid. 

 

My mate rented a car to drive north and we checked into a residencia for the long wait for the first group match against the French.

 

We passed the time drinking sangria and eating tapas in the Basque town where we met several revolutionaries!

 

We had no tickets and had to queue up at the stadium the week before the match. We were at the front of the queue and attracted the attention of the BBC TV news team who interviewed us. 

 

Their reporter was known to us. Some four months earlier we had got wasted with him in a hotel bar in Kanpur, northern India, where we were attending the final cricket test. 

 

 

We'd just been in the lift with Sunil Gavaskar and ended up drinking with John Lever and David Gower.

 

The BBC guy in Bilbao called us England's greatest sports supporters - a proud moment for a 20 year old even if no one I knew ever saw the segment on the evening news!

 

The long wait for the first match contrasted with the wait for the first goal. Although I was squinting at the other end as sweat poured down my brow, I saw Bryan Robson score with less than a minute gone and we were all in raptures. 

 

Robson and Paul Mariner added other goals and we won 3-1 against a French side captained by legend Michel Platini. I saw all the games at that World Cup in which we never actually lost.

 

The two 0-0 draws at the Real Madrid stadium in Madrid in the second group round were dire and did for our chances. 

 

I never went to the World Cup again, missing out on the lottery for tickets in South Africa.

 

We are now at the quarter-final stages of the 2022 World Cup and we are in for a real treat as some of the greatest stars in world football battle it out in Qatar. 

 

 

The last of the four games is England vs France on Saturday night (2am Sunday morning Thai time) and it promises to be one of those encounters that fans of the two nations are likely to remember for all their lives. 

 

France are the favorites with Betfair going 1.81 to 2.2 for England. That's about 4-5 and 5-4 in more traditional odds. Close indeed.

 

I'm hoping that speedy defender Kyle Walker might be able to keep Kylian Mbappe under wraps and England - with their confidence up - will be able to sneak a memorable win. 

 

Unlike the fancy free days of '82 I'm a married father of four now but I'm as passionate as ever about football and will be watching with my wife and two young children. 

 

What I like about England this year is their humility, honed over years by the very likeable manager Gareth Southgate. Gone is the "we invented the game" arrogance. Harry Maguire has said simply that the team "really believe" they can go all the way.  

 

They have also stepped up from the semis in Russia when one sensed they were already happy with what they had achieved and could go home as heroes, even if they lost. Which they did.

 

The Euros final loss on penalties was a further step up. The Three Lions are ready now to go all the way to the final on Sunday week.

 

The other game on Saturday night at 10pm Thai time features Morocco vs Portugal, with the winners facing England or the French.

 

 

Morocco have been very strong defensively only letting in one (own) goal in four matches. Portugal came good 6-1 in their last match after dropping Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench. 

 

He's bound to start there again with coach Ramos's stock now high.

 

Morocco can keep Portugal at bay and progress after penalties; that may be my heart ruling my head but I'm sticking with it.

 

I'm also sticking with my pre-tournament prediction of the Netherlands to bring Argentina's and Lionel Messi's dream to an end in the 2am game tonight, Thai time. 

 

Louis van Gaal has created a fine team spirit and I'm confident that their consistency will see off the "Argies" tonight.

 

In tonight's first match at 10pm Thai time Croatia play Brazil. Betfair goes about 11-2 Croatia and 1-6 Brazil, a fair reflection on their joint chances.

 

After Brazil's amazing first half display against South Korea, it's hard to not see them winning comfortably against Croatia. Luca Modric is still a little gem but with Richarlison, Vinicius Jr, Neymar and Raphinha in attack and Casemiro and and T.Silva behind - not to mention the brilliant Alisson in goal - the result should be comfortable for Brazil.

 

Latest approximate odds as a guide with the caveat that football betting is illegal in Thailand:

 

Brazil 7-4
France 4-1
Argentina and Portugal 13-2
England 7-1
Netherlands 20-1
Morocco and Croatia 60-1

 

Selected approx. Golden Boot odds:

 

Mbappe 4-7
Richarlison 9-1
Messi 13-1
Giroud 30-1
Rashford 30-1
Goncalo Ramos 33-1
Saka 35-1
Gakpo 40-1
Kane 55-1
Neymar 80-1

 

Selected finalists and current odds:

 

France to play Brazil 4-1
Brazil vs England 7-1
Argentina vs Portugal 10-1 
Croatia vs Morocco 240-1

 

The last non-European team to win the World Cup was Brazil in 2002.

 

No African team has even reached the semis.

 

Before 1982 the previous time England played France at the World Cup was a 2-0 win in the group stage in 1966 with England famously going on to lift the Jules Rimet trophy. I was five and on holiday in France and too young to remember any of it.

 

The omens look good and Mrs Rooster has been asked to get some extra garlands for the Buddhist shrine in our bedroom.

 

Every little helps.

 

Rooster

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-12-09

I was at that game in Bilbao as well. Went by train to Bilbao, then hitched a ride with some England fans to Madrid for the next round. Happy days.

'What I like about England this year is their humility'

 

Grovelling on the pitch to a fraudulent charity in memory of a criminal drug addict is taking things a bit far though, as is all the rainbow nonsense. ????

Just now, proton said:

'What I like about England this year is their humility'

 

Grovelling on the pitch to a fraudulent charity in memory of a criminal drug addict is taking things a bit far though, as is all the rainbow nonsense. ????

I disagree.  It's refreshing to see footballers taking a stand (or, in this case, a knee) in a matter of principle and without concern about the reaction.

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I disagree.  It's refreshing to see footballers taking a stand (or, in this case, a knee) in a matter of principle and without concern about the reaction.

Pointless virtue signalling, funny when they were on their knees while all the Senegalese were standing, and probably laughing.

I have got a track record of getting my predictions completely wrong on TV.  As in, "No way are the Americans stupid enough to vote in Trump as President" and "the Brits are never going to vote for that clown prince Boris Johnson!"

 

So I am going to now say that France will beat England and knock them out of the world cup, sincerely hoping that this prediction will be as accurate as my previous ones!

 

After all, this is the world cup and strange things happen.  Imagine pitching Spain against Morocco for a penalty shootout and Morocco wiping the floor with them!