European WC Qualifier: Scotland v Ukraine
Just a heads up for anyone interested- huge game on ESPN2 right now.
USA rooting interest- personally, I'm pulling like heck for Scotland- I think they are the worst of the three between themselves, Wales, and Ukraine. I don't want any piece of Ukraine right now- they have some serious motivation.
Ukraine up 1-0.
It's just too hard to root against them, even for USA's interests.
Yarmolenko w a nice little goal. Great ball in.
Ukraine dominating play in the first half.
Scotland looks lost right now- absolutely no plans on how to get down the field.
Scotland goalie super-aggressive on that run in. Not.
The winner of this plays Wales next for qualification into the group, correct?
Yep - Sunday at 12E/9P.
Always amuses me when in the highest stakes of games, people think one team has more motivation. If it is a survive and advance game, OSU vs UM, or the NBA finals, everyone is maxed out on motivation. You might as well trash talk
I guess. Maybe Ukraine are 20% faster than Scotland. Maybe Ukraine are 20% more skilled. Maybe Ukraine have 20% more ability to get to every ball.
Or maybe.. just maybe... the Ukrainian players, knowing what this match means to their football-obsessed war-torn country, as a motivator, as a sense of pride, even in Scotland... in front of a wildly loud and passionate fanbase who traveled to Scotland to watch their team play (many displaced from their homes and living all across Europe)... are simply more "motivated" to perform well today.
If you're watching this "highest of stakes game", you're seeing one team putting their hearts on the field.
Watching this match, it reminds me a bit (I'm old enough to remember) of Loyola Marymount's games in the 1990 NCAA tournament.
Very occasionally, there are special circumstances where one team just has that NEXT gear that's literally impossible for the other team to match. Scotland's motivated, and so was Michigan (and NMSU and Alabama too) in 1990. They weren't winning that particular day though (even if Steve Fisher had had a more coherent game plan than "let's run with them!").
It's all confirmation bias. You remember when the 'good story' team won. How about Loyola Marymount's 30 point loss in the NCAA tournament that year? How about Michigan's plane-crash team? How did they do in the round of 16? Whenever the good story team gets their a** handed to them, we all just shrug and move on. Harbaugh gave OSU all of the motivation. Joe Namath gave the ultimate bulletin board material. ....and they both still won.
Believe it or not, two people/teams competing for the same thing can have differing levels of motivation. One person/team can simply “want it more” than the other.
sometimes. But sometimes no. do you really believe an OSU-UM game with the B1G title on the line will have one team with more motivation? Or in the NBA finals, does one of those teams 'want it more'? No. In my rec league softball game? Sure. USA v Morocco tonight? Maybe.
Some games Team A plays better, has a better game plan, etc. When that coincides with a story we attribute it to that story. When it flies in the face of that story, we ignore it. Since Ukraine has the great story, does anyone believe they will win the World Cup?
Yes. Literally one team can want it more than the other with the same prize on the line. How you could watch Michigan-OSU this past year and NOT come away saying Michigan was the more motivated team and wanted that game more is beyond me.
Happens all the time at every level of every sport. Everyone “wants” to win every game. But there are times when that win means much more to one team than the other.
Logged in just to downvote.
This game has a possible World Cup birth on the line for both teams, so yes, both are motivated to win. But this game means so much more to Ukrainians all around the world. That emotion will weigh heavy the Ukrainian players, but it can also push them to perform at higher levels, and be more focused as a team. Psychology is a huge factor in sports, and this is more than just qualifier for Ukraine.
Have to wonder how many World Cup births actually occur during the tournament. And how many take place in the stands during a match. Could get messy.
Ukraine comes out hot just minutes into the second half.
2-0 Ukraine.
No matter who gets in from the three teams, the group is very manageable.
There are a lot of good teams, but not one that absolutely terrifies me. England is very good, but the USA always seems to give them fits.
Agree that there's no terrifying team but there's also not a gimme team. Ukraine is the worst ranked team out of the 5 at 27th. If they lose to Wales, Iran will be the worst at 21st and playing in their home time zone.
So yeah, we could win the group but could also finish last.
I'm an extremely casual soccer fan, I noticed the World Cup isn't until November. Is that because it's in Qatar or because of the world being messed up from Covid or what?
Thought it might be something like that, appreciate the reply.
Originally, when Qatar won (read: bought, along with Russia 18, in a global scandal that ended with FIFA Chair Sepp Blatter ousted and numerous indictments) the bid in 2010, it was a big question... How could a country located approximately on the surface of the sun, host a tournament in the summer? The Qataris assured the planet "oh don't worry... we will air condition the entire country, including the outdoors." Come to find out, no amount of slave labor and human rights violations, could salvage 120° temperatures.
So, in 2015 FIFA announced it would do the unthinkable and move the World Cup to the Winter, to accommodate for the great bribe that screwed the US and UK out of their world cups in 2018 and 2022.
Scotland gets one back on a wild, wild possession.
Wild one. Scotland gets one back.
Ukr 2 - 1 Scot
Slava Ukraini !!
There is no joy in mudville. While I'm happy for Ukraine, I happen to be in Scotland right now. I cannot tell you how many kilted Scotland fans I saw today hoping for victory. It was not to be.
Slava Ukraini!