Norm Osterode

soccer, FC Bayern Munchen, Deutscher Fussball Bund, US Soccer, bier, hefeweizen, dogs, Oktoberfest, polka

[BigMoh jr @Koladoskidculer]

🚨🎙️ Jürgen Klopp on criticism of Thomas Tuchel:

“People always speak after the game like coaching is easy — like you just choose ‘attack’ or ‘defend’ and that’s it. It doesn’t work like this. Football is much more complex.

I see the criticism of Tuchel for trying to defend the 1–0 against Argentina, but let me tell you something — if he didn’t do that, if he kept pushing forward and they conceded, the same people would be here saying, ‘Why didn’t he control the game? Why didn’t he defend the lead?’ In knockout football, whatever decision you make, someone will criticize you.

I’m not saying every decision is perfect, but you have to understand the logic behind it. Managing a game at that stage is never simple.

And then… there’s another reality. This Argentina team, the belief, the mentality — sometimes it feels like something special is with them in these moments.

And when you have Lionel Messi… what can you do? He’s 39, and still the best player in the world. You think you’ve controlled him, you think you’ve done everything right — and then he makes the difference. Two assists, two decisive actions, and the game is gone.

So yes, you can talk tactics, you can talk decisions… but sometimes, you also have to accept that greatness decides matches. And if you don’t understand that, you don’t really understand football.”

[Norm Osterode @LABayernMunich]

@Footballtweet Balogan incident unlucky 2 players fighting 50/50 ball lands awkwardly on other, 0 intent, like 2 players jumping for a head ball & 1 happens to land on the others. Quansah flying in cleats up to tackle a player dribbling with ball..reckless, dangerous. Should been yellow & red1

[Maine @TheMaineWonk]

Trump injects himself into World Cup, creates Balogun drama and US eliminated.

Everything Trump Touches Dies.

[jordan @JordanUhl]

Absolutely jarring to compare the dignity & class Cabo Verde walked off the field with yesterday after taking Argentina to extra time to whatever the fuck Paraguay is doing today.

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

🚨🇵🇾 Paraguay crossed the line tonight.

Everyone loves a bit of sh*thousery in football, but this wasn't gamesmanship - it was outright disgraceful.

Matías Galarza was fortunate to still be on the pitch after what could easily have been two red-card incidents for violent challenges, while Gustavo Velázquez was deliberately scuffing up the penalty spot before France's spot-kick.

There’s a difference between being streetwise and simply embarrassing yourselves. Tonight, Gustavo Alfaro's side got it completely wrong.

They were absolutely embarrassing.

[Lemon @Lemonbryz]

🚨 Roy Keane on Joško Gvardiol’s last minute disallowed goal as Croatia suffered a dramatic World Cup elimination to Portugal:

🗣️ “This VAR nonsense is ruining football. Absolute joke.
I’ve watched the replay and there’s not enough in it to say he was offside. To disallow a goal in the dying seconds of a World Cup knockout, it has to be stonewall obvious. It wasn’t. That goal should have stood.
They thought they’d saved themselves. Players celebrating, fans going mad… and in a few seconds it’s all taken away. Those are the moments that break teams.
Instead of talking about a brilliant late equaliser, we’re talking about another VAR controversy. Portugal are through, fair play to them. But if I was Croatia, I’d be walking off that pitch knowing football had taken something from me tonight. It’s not right.”

[ESPN @espn]

"It was a terrible call. ... You have to feel for [Folarin] Balogun. He's an important player, and now he misses the next game. It's a shame."

Bradley Wright-Phillips reacts to Folarin Balogun receiving a red card in match vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina ✍️

[Lemon @Lemonbryz]

🚨 Luka Modrić on Croatia’s controversial last-minute disallowed goal against Portugal:

🗣️ “This is football. Not a courtroom, not a lab where we freeze every frame and argue over centimetres.
Tonight we gave everything against a very good Portugal team. We were still fighting deep into stoppage time. The boys kept believing, kept pushing, and when that ball went in through Josko we thought we had it — equaliser, extra time, everything still possible.
Then VAR comes in and takes it away because of a touch earlier in the move. I respect the officials, I really do. But the rule is clear and obvious error. Was this one? These little things, these marginal calls where players are fighting for every inch… that’s football. That’s what defenders and attackers do every single day.
If we start ruling out goals like that in the last seconds because of a split-second touch or a shoulder or a toe, then what are we left with? The game loses its soul. The emotion, the chaos, the moments that make people fall in love with football — they get taken away by technology that was only supposed to fix the obvious mistakes.
We accept that sometimes the ball doesn’t go your way. We’ve done it our whole careers. But when the decision feels like it rewrites the last chapter of the match instead of just correcting something clear, it hurts. Not just us in the dressing room, but everyone who was watching and living every second with us.
Portugal deserved to go through, they’re a strong side and they showed it. But nights like this make you wonder where the game is heading. We play with our hearts, we fight until the whistle, and then one review decides everything.
That’s not protecting football anymore. That’s changing it into something else.”

[SethOfficial @UTD_Seth001]

🚨Thierry Henry blasts the referee and VAR after Croatia's last-minute goal against Portugal was ruled out:

🗣️ “I don't understand that decision at all. For me, the referee and VAR have completely ruined what should have been one of the greatest moments of this World Cup.

You cannot overturn a goal of that magnitude unless the evidence is absolutely clear. I've watched the replay several times, and I still don't see enough to confidently rule it out. If it's taking that long to draw lines and freeze frames, then it isn't obvious.

The referee has allowed technology to become the star of the match. Fans didn't come to watch VAR—they came to watch football. Croatia thought they had earned a dramatic equaliser through courage and determination, only for it to be taken away by a decision that will divide opinions for years.

This is exactly why people are losing faith in VAR. Instead of correcting obvious mistakes, it's making microscopic decisions that nobody in the stadium can understand. That's not what football is supposed to be.

I feel for the Croatian players because moments like this stay with you forever. You celebrate, you believe you've kept your World Cup dream alive, and then it's all erased in seconds. For me, the referee and VAR have got this completely wrong.”

[SethOfficial @UTD_Seth001]

🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimović on the inconsistency of VAR after Folarin Balogun’s red card compared to the earlier Lionel Messi challenge against Algeria:

🗣️ “Now we see the inconsistency. One player is protected, another is exposed. That is the biggest problem in football today.”

“If Balogun’s challenge is a straight red card, then people have every right to ask why similar incidents are judged differently. The rules should not change depending on the name on the back of the shirt.”

“This decision exposes the rigidity of VAR, but also its inconsistency. VAR was introduced to remove controversy, yet too often it creates even bigger arguments.”

“Football cannot have two standards—one for the biggest stars and another for everyone else. Either the law is the law, or it means nothing.”

“The fans don’t ask for perfection. They ask for consistency. They want to know that every player, whether it’s Messi, Balogun or anyone else, is judged by exactly the same standard.”

“When supporters start questioning whether reputation influences decisions, that’s dangerous for the credibility of the game. Trust in officiating disappears.”

“VAR should make football fairer, not make people wonder why identical situations end with completely different outcomes. That’s the conversation everyone will be having after this.”

[USMNT Only @usmntonly]

Just a reminder that USMNT striker Folarin Balogun received a red card after a VAR check on this challenge.

Earlier in the tournament, Lionel Messi didn’t get a yellow card or even a VAR check for a similar challenge.

[Zach Lowy @ZachLowy]

This is your reminder that if it was up to Donald Trump and his proposed executive order to end birthright citizenship, Folarin Balogun would be playing for England or Nigeria, not the United States.

[James Mueller @jdm2186]

One resulted in no card. The other warranted VAR that led to a red card. The only difference between these two plays is the name on the back of the jersey

[Wodey @chriswode]

Terrible decision…should be rescinded

[U.S. Soccer Men's National Team @USMNT]

Vibes 📈📈📈📈

[Jon Root @JonnyRoot_]

Messi didn’t get a red card for this.

But, Balogun got a red card.

Make it make sense, FIFA…

[Mike Nellis @MikeNellis]

WHO MADE THIS!? I’m dying.

[Earth Hippy 🌎🕊️💚 @hippyygoat]

Australian Soccer Fans Take to the Streets, Humiliating Trump with This Chant…

[Bavarian Football Works @BavarianFBWorks]

➡️💬Michael Ballack on the incident where Laimer was incorrectly whistled for a handball instead of the blatant one by Nuno Mendes;

🗣️"This is a game-changing situation. It is the first time that the 4th official intervenes in such a scene. I had the feeling that they didn't want to give the yellow-red card. That's my feeling as a spectator. I say that quite frankly. Sometimes you look for situations so as not to steer a game in a direction. I don't want to accuse him of anything, but the situation didn't allow him to make this decision like that."

[@DAZN via @BILD]

[Bayern & Germany @iMiaSanMia]

📸 Bayern's away kit for next season returns to the classic Bayern e.V. logo and the Trefoil, and also has tricolor 3 stripes and a collar. People who saw the kit in real life describe it as the "best change kit in years.". Photo below is a prediction with over 95% accuracy [@Footy_Headlines]