@sly123 : Got to watch out. A good friend had his marriage fall apart after he went into a deep funk following a close Superbowl loss by his favorite team (mine, too). He was at the game. In retrospect, he wished he had cared less about his team.
I’m sure there would have been issues in the marriage even if our team had won the Superbowl. But his post-Superbowl depression pretty clearly pushed things past a breaking point.
I’ve been very impressed with the goaltender Pickford when I’ve watched, so I’m rooting for the cousins. I have to keep quiet about it though around extended family members, because my nephew’s wife is French and she is way beyond being an enthusiastic fan of the French team. I’d say she is a pathological fan.
“The two “halves” of the Belgium team have no problems with each other, Most of them play in so many different countries that they are totally above the prejudices you appear to be trying to attribute to the country.”
Hey, the bad blood between the Flemish and French speaking parts of Belgium is not something I made up. It’s very real, very well known, and has been simmering along pretty much ever since the modern country was founded in the 19th century. I’ve spent a lot of time in Belgium and have seen it first hand.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/09/belgium-flanders-wallonia-french-dutch
Excerpt:
“Language is the fundamental flaw at the core of Belgium’s existential crisis, taking on the role that race, religion, or ethnicity play in other conflict-riven societies. The country operates on the basis of linguistic apartheid, which infects everything from public libraries to local and regional government, the education system, the political parties, national television, the newspapers, even football teams.”
re: post 480
I don’t think I could marry a man who didn’t root for the same teams I did. Too much strife.
@“Youdon’tsay” Oh, please! From time immemorial, women have been marrying men who root for a different team (any team) than the women (no team). Over our lifetimes, it has become more common for women to be the same kind of geeky fans many of the men in their lives are. But I am sure there are still plenty of people of both sexes, but mainly women, who don’t care about sports teams, and who are married to someone who does. And that’s because ultimately sports fandom is way far down the list of important things that bind couples together.
I was shocked when my daughter called me on Saturday around noon and we had a detailed debrief of the England - Sweden game. It was a reminder how much she adores her fiance. If she were spending time according to her own preferences, she wouldn’t even be aware there was a World Cup going on.
Different sports teams I can stomach. Different political parties in a couple, a respounding NO. 
Ahh, the boredom between WC games.
I need it to catch up on all the things I’ve been neglecting the past few weeks while watching matches!
Prediction… Belgium over France… Belgian attack is better than France’s defense. England over Croatia as I am biased and an aging Croatian team have just had 2 brutal fixtures both physically and mentally to get this far. A Belgium V England final is a toss up… given the number of EPL players it will be a bit Like Man U vs Man City or Arsenal vs Spurs… either team could beat each other on any given day… Come on England !!!
@“Youdon’tsay” & @JHS : When one of my Scottish cousins got married [this was many years back & I’m actually her daughter’s generation], she not only had to convert to Catholicism but also change her allegiance from Glasgow Rangers to Celtic. 8-|
Reminds me of one of the plot lines in the movie Diner where one of the characters made his fiance pass a test about the Colts before he would marry her. 
My recollection is that she failed the Colts test.
I won’t confirm the answer in case someone hasn’t seen the movie. If you haven’t, you should.
The company where I work has declared the semifinals to company events. Since they are shown live here on the west coast beginning at 11:00 AM, they are going to set up big TVs in the auditorium and invite everyone to bring to their lunches and enjoy the game from 11:00 to 1:00.
What? No one watching France-Belgium?
Me! :-h
We are!
Vive la France!
Half of my office watched the game. We haven’t been this unproductive in months.
Vive la France!
France deserved the win. Belgian front line didn’t show up. Cant remember Lukaku touching the ball let alone take a shot. Hazard was absent the second half and De Bruyne tried to do it all himself. Belgium will be disappointed with how they played. Well done France.
Come on England !!!