In Football - It's Always A Knock-Out

I HAVE honestly never seen such a one-sided 0-0 draw as that Morocco v Spain game. If that had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it to save the Moroccans from unnecessary punishment.

But, it was football, so, Spain's inability to deliver the knock-out punch eventually saw them knocked out on penalties; and they only had themselves to blame.

Spain's insistence on passing, passing and passing some more was reminiscent of the glory days of the Xavi, Fabergas, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso midfield unit. The difference between that team, victorious in 2010 and the 2022 team was, the current lot can play the basic passing game, but, they don't have a player who could play the killing pass like the above-mentioned quartet.

Also, they didn't have a front man of the quality of David Villa or Fernando Torres, or an Emilio Butragueno to be on the end of their probing. In the end, not having a proven striker is what cost Spain a place in the last eight.

IF SPAIN suffered from the lack of a cutting edge, neighbours Portugal possessed that – in spades, and this after they did the unthinkable and DROPPED Cristiano Ronaldo.

 Goncalo Ramos (pictured), was the unsung tyro who was handed the unenviable task of replacing CR7, and didn't he grab his chance with both hands, via stunning hat-trick in Portugal's 6-1 win.

The 21-year-old Benfica striker definitely landed on the world stage with those three goals. If he keeps this form up, he just might be the best Benfica number nine since Jose Torres - “The Kind Giant” who was such an able foil to the great Eusebio.

Portugal's victory completed the last eight line-up. They now face Morocco, who certainly proved, in getting past Spain – they know how to defend, and they will need to against this new-look Portuguese side.

WE NOW have a couple of days' break, before the quarter-finals in Qatar; more than ample time for the English media to embarrass themselves with further jingoistic nonsense, about how great this England team is, and how they are going to win the damned thing.

That time would maybe be better spent discussing the things that are wrong with the game, as shown during this tournament.

I, for instance am getting sick fed-up with seeing cynical fouls in midfield – guys are forced to make easy, safe passes because to run with the ball is to risk a broken leg from scything tackles. While these often bring yellow cards – until football grabs the nettle and starts beefing-up yellow cards with the additional sanction of time in the sin bin – as happens in real contact sports – then the cynical foulers will hold sway.

I thought too, when a penalty was awarded for just such an offence in one of the group games, that referees were finally going to get on top of the shirt-pulling and Cumberland-Westmorland wrestling at corners, but no, that single award seems to have been an outlier and the men in black are once more allowing all sorts of illegalities at set pieces.

Association Football is the purest form of all the football codes, the most free-form, and, as such, it should demand higher behaviour standards – it is way past time for FIFA and IFAB sorting this out. Other sports have tighter discipline and this is where football is falling down.

The refereeing, by the way, has been generally good in Qatar. However, I was not at all impressed by that Argentinian referee in the Spain v Morocco game – he let an awful lot he should have penalised, go unchallenged.

SINCE I played a small, but significant role, in his early development in the Fourth Estate, I have a lot of time for Roger “The Hun” Hannah, Head of Sport at The Scottish Sun. He's a guid boay, while his esteemed Mother-in-Law was in my class at school.

I therefore absolve Mr Hannah from all blame – the fault clearly lies at Wapping – for the Sun headline which described England's three lions as “rampant.” Naw they urny, it's oor lion which is rampant – England's three lions, which are actually leopards, are decidedly passant.

But, getting things wrong with England around the World Cup is the English media's default position – they actually believe Gareth Southgate's over-rated squad can win the thing. Watching their media and fans lose the plot when they go out – it's one of the best things about being Scottish.

FINALLY – classic McCoist, when Clive Tyldesley brought-up the thorny subject of the rest of the ITV team in Qatar forcing Coisty and Graeme Souness to watch an England game.

Said the bold Ally: “Aye, but you didnae hiv tae tie Souness to his chair.”