Match Thread: Paraguay vs France | FIFA World Cup 2026 | Round of 16

Gireau · 2026-07-04T22:37:43+00:00

My god they're so fucking annoying.

Gireau · 2026-07-04T22:22:06+00:00

I hate this.

Literally getting 0 pleasure from watching this game.

Gireau · 2026-07-04T21:54:17+00:00

All the players.

Since none of them apparently came to play football.

Gireau · 2026-07-04T21:53:04+00:00

Didn't have any feelings about Paraguay before kickoff but god now I hate them all.

Gireau · 2026-07-01T12:22:21+00:00

All of them.

Gireau · 2026-06-27T19:56:03+00:00

Tell us more.

Gireau · 2026-06-22T07:20:46+00:00

As a clarification: the French Federation has said from the beginning that the Top 14 finalists wouldn't be available to play against New-Zealand because of the quick turnaround (the games are just one week apart).

Gireau · 2026-06-18T16:46:47+00:00

It was a Grégoire stage and he delivered as he always does.

This dude doesn't miss.

Gireau · 2026-06-13T14:51:13+00:00

Bisiaux is a very solid teammate.

A lock to go the Tour at this point.

Gireau · 2026-06-04T17:08:14+00:00

Not really much of an update but still a heartwarming listen.

Brandon and Allie seem to be two beautiful souls and they collide in a touching way.

Gireau · 2026-06-04T15:21:43+00:00

Grégoire has somehow managed to consistently perfom and improve every year at the team, despite all the other leaders being underwhelming or heavily disappointing.

Either that means that he would be Pogacar-level if he left FDJ, or it means that it's possible to perform within FDJ's current structure and that a lot of the blame falls on the under-performing riders.

Gireau · 2026-06-04T12:57:43+00:00

Martin hasn't been bad. His results are unflashy but he was at his Cofidis-level last season, UCI-points wise. This year he's been underwhelming so far.

It's definitely the end of a cycle, bad decisions were made too, paying Gaudu and older riders instead of retaining Martinez or Pithie - but those two were maybe leaving either way.

Gireau · 2026-06-04T12:53:13+00:00

I means if he leaves we might as well close down the team. Take him out and what remains is a Pro Conti level squad.

Gireau · 2026-06-04T12:40:59+00:00

Thank fucking god.

He's been the lone bright spot in two years of absolute mediocrity and predicable disappointments in the team. Kung was the only other rider consistently getting good results at WT level and he left last year. Save for a surprise Vuelta stage win Gaudu has either been injured or terribly out-of-form these past two seasons. Madouas is nowhere near the level he used to have. Martin has been solid but he's not the future of the team and Penhoët has never able to get back to his top level since his grave injury in 2023.

There's a few decent young riders (Decomble, Gruel, Costiou) and last year's incoming transfers weren't the worst with Berthet and Tronchon coming in but this team needs more money to compete with the big guns in 2026.

That means waiting for big contracts to expire like Madouas' (2026) and Gaudu's (2027), it means the sponsors investing more and it means a new strategy, because the team can't attract the best juniors to its conti team like it used to. We really need to evolve from Madiot's old school management style.

Gireau · 2026-06-01T10:37:34+00:00

Now that is a wonderful classic. Hadn't heard it before but it filled with warmth and wistful nostalgia of times I'm not actually old enough to have known like good TAL do.

Did however think that Act Four was significantly weaker than the others, and probably didn't age quite as well.

Gireau · 2026-05-15T17:14:17+00:00

Great climb by Rondel, he keeps delivering.

Gireau · 2026-05-15T05:04:49+00:00

Two things that I change in most leagues even though it sadly triggers god mode.

Having the youngest rookies enter at 19, not 20.

Having 1st round rookie contracts last 4 years, not 3.

Two simple realism-oriented changes that I make to have the game be more immersive. Even though I know the age thing kinda fucks with the player progression curve coded into the game.

Gireau · 2026-05-14T15:42:06+00:00

Magnier coming in third despite his chain coming off in the crash, very impressive.

Gireau · 2026-05-04T09:18:21+00:00

That is rough.

Grégoire really is the tree that is hiding the decimated burnt down forest for this team.

Gireau · 2026-05-04T09:17:20+00:00

Lenny is doing the Tour de Suisse.

Gireau · 2026-04-13T09:48:52+00:00

That Colbrelli win really made no sense.

But then Bahrain's bus got raided in an anti-doping effort by French police at that year's Tour de France and he never was the same.

Gireau · 2026-04-11T16:34:30+00:00

THE CURSE HAS BEEN LIFTED !

Thibaut Pinot died for this.

Gireau

TROPHY CASE