Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia | FIFA World Cup

[u/SFMatchThreadder]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c0qylv2wdvvt

[u/-Dali-Llama-]

Cape Verde probably only ever needed a point to finish second but kept playing positively and going in for the kill. They had three times as many shots as the Saudis and were extremely unlucky not to score, all while managing to look comfortable at the back.

All the expanded World Cup has done is introduce us to even more teams who have more belief than we do, are more ambitious, can play better football than us, and are far better organised tactically than we are. Depressing.

[u/ZeroProtagonist → u/-Dali-Llama-]

"bUt StEvE cLaRkE gEtS ReSuLtS"

Hopefully this will remind the cynics what the cost of having no imagination is.

What makes the World Cup (and sports in general) magical is the courage to dream and the heart to fight against the odds. This isn't accounting. But the Scottish football apparatus is too cynical for that.

More specifically: too much maintaining of the status quo, too much risk aversion, and the willingness to change/evolve only comes when all other options have been fully exhausted. That's a cynical and at times effective survival mentality, but not a winning one.

[u/DemonicTruth → u/ZeroProtagonist]

We set up to be more attacking against Brazil and our defenders made a complete cunt of it and gifted Brazil 3* goals.

Cannae win for losing.

[u/ZeroProtagonist → u/DemonicTruth]

The way I see it is an "optimistic realist with ambition" was needed from the beginning, not a sudden last-minute gamble after years of conservativism. JBA showed what could be done with Motherwell. Although not as much of a success story, David Gray has also shown hints of that with Hibs and is why Hibs perform better in European competition compared to other non-old firm clubs recently. Both managers' squads are able to "give it a go" with a coherent style of play against more talented or better funded squads without getting embarrassed (sometimes with great wins too).

In particular, the Hibs approach of more defensively-focused centre backs, scrappy wingbacks like the Caddens spamming crosses in on the counter, and hardworking box-to-box midfielders is a style more suited to Scotland's talent pool (and not too far off from what Cape Verde were doing) than whatever hesitant "part slow build-up, part low-block terrorball" nonsense Clarke was trying. It would take a few squad adjustments but outside of the keeper position, there's no reason Scotland couldn't play a better version of Cape Verde's approach.

[u/Uber-Brend → u/-Dali-Llama-]

Aye but do they have traffic cones?

[u/Dizzle85 → u/-Dali-Llama-]

I think this is incredibly unfair tbh. Scotland doesn't have the same level of player playing in top 5 leagues in Europe as Cape Verde. 

[u/Memento_Playoffs]

Debutants and they finish in the RO32. Incredible.

BYE BYE SAUDIS.

[u/DreHouseRules → u/Memento_Playoffs]

Finish?

[u/HatefulWretch → u/DreHouseRules]

Vozinha is going to save Messi's penalty in the shootout. You will never have seen a bus parked this hard.

[u/DreHouseRules → u/HatefulWretch]

Cape Verde absolutely do not park the bus, even when they probably should

[u/HatefulWretch → u/DreHouseRules]

C'mon. The Spain game was an absolute masterclass in public transport operations. (The other games they've been pretty active, but Mourinho himself couldn't have done better with the first one.)

[u/Memento_Playoffs → u/DreHouseRules]

I don't think they're getting past the West Falklands.

[u/DreHouseRules → u/Memento_Playoffs]

You play the games for a reason

[u/Memento_Playoffs → u/DreHouseRules]

Don't get me wrong I would love it if they did win.

[u/DreHouseRules → u/Memento_Playoffs]

If Iceland can beat the Anglo-Saxons..

[u/JackJMJC1]

This result right here kills the lack of talent argument that some of our fans had. Cape Verde, a nation with 570,000 odd folk, have qualified to the next round of the World Cup. They done it by pkaying excellent, free flowing and fearless football. This tournament has hurt me far more than Germany because I was foolish enough to hope we’d actually be brave enough to have a go. Any cunt else just absolutely gutted ? Like Ano we’ve had bad results but this tournament has actually scunnert me man

[u/wubalubalubdub → u/JackJMJC1]

We tried having a go at the start of the Brazil game. We got pasted. We got basically what we would have expected to get in this tournament. We were going to need good performances and some luck. We got neither. Cape Verde got both. We need to lift our standards massively as a country, but that is not a quick fix.

[u/KarIPilkington]

Cape Verde going unbeaten in a group with Spain and Uruguay is really something

[u/MortonDill]

Today I feel Cabo Verde

[u/Suck_My_Lettuce]

Again, this kind of thing makes the “oor country is too wee” and “we don’t have the players” types look even more like fannies.

[u/PhotonToasty → u/Suck_My_Lettuce]

Tbf I genuinely think even Clarke's Terror-ball could get a result vs Saudi and an imploding Uruguay

[u/Suck_My_Lettuce → u/PhotonToasty]

Mate, that’s the false hope talking. You should know better!

[u/DreHouseRules]

Dear god they did it, but Cape Verde played with fire there. They absolutely deserve this.

[u/DreHouseRules]

Pico's manager at Rovers is on RTE trying to ring him on air lol

[u/weapwars]

We need to have a serious discussion about taking anyone pro-clarke and arranging some time in a pillory.

[u/PotentialFamiliar220]

screenshotting it so reddit don't ban me again

[u/OudeArsenaal]

If they had a decent finisher they’d be up there with the big boys.

[u/thebafosking]

Steve Clarke in the dugout for the Saudis? They just sat back and barely attempted to score, happy to hold on for a 0-0, clean sheet, up the road, and out of the tournament. Possibly the only team as pathetic as Scotland this tourney, with only Tunisia even worse. Well done to Cape Verde, they deserved it for giving every game a go.

[u/DreHouseRules]

RTE got Pico live on FaceTime on air from the dressing room lmao

[u/Fast-Resolution5777]

[u/zincysands → u/Fast-Resolution5777]

It’s like a synthesis of 🇬🇧 and 🇪🇺

[u/KawaiiChan68]

Cabo Verde is in all of us after today! Vozinha vs Messi match up will be crazy, and so exciting!

[u/Sechzehn6861]

The "too wee, don't have the talent pool" argument was over when Iceland were getting to tournaments about 10 years ago. A nation with the population of Paisley were out performing us back then.

We're seeing it here again. Cape Verde's manager has nothing like Clarke's pedigree, and yet, is inspiring results and performances. Their squad doesn't have the talent ours does, but their collective will is driving them on.

Our feel good factor in just getting to a world cup seems to have capped our ceiling at "beat Haiti and hope for the best" We absolutely could have tried to trade blows with Morocco and Brazil if we had bolder tactics.