World Cup, One Week In.
Some Thoughts From A Guy Whose Team Isn’t.
It’s wonderful to have nobody and everybody to cheer for during the month of World Cup games.
Life goes on, I don’t lose any sleep and if I miss a game I want to watch I can record it.
Trouble is, I want to watch all the games. I’m hooked on the W.C., have been for a long time.
So here are my thoughts after seven days of games.
Things seem to be going swimmingly in Russia as far as I can see through the television.
No hooligan brawls yet. Coming soon?
A taxi drove up on the curb and injured some Mexican fans, the driver says he fell asleep. Hope everyone is O.K.
A Belgian pop star had his hotel room robbed and lost quite a lot of stuff. Guess the Hotel will be called Three Seasons now, maybe even Two.
The home side soccer team is a big surprise. After two games they have eight goals scored, only one against.
They beat the Saudis by a five goals which is the most scored in one game so far, then the Russian Bear topped Egypt’s Mo Salah and the Pharos too.
I wonder if he is related to Sam The Sham?
Two teams were eliminated after their two losses but will stick around to play their final group game.
I shed a tear for the tough-luck Moroccans who lost to Iran in the final moments when one of their defenders headed the ball into his own net. Then against Spain they stormed the battlements time after time only to be shut out and slain by a single marker.
Sad-sack Saudi Arabia also were starting to pack their bags.
Uruguay has won twice, but not convincingly.
Edinson Cavini is an offensive force and is a good looking fellow, even if he reminds me of Monty Python’s John Cleese.
The Mexicans…did they ever sneak up on the World Champions. Triple Crown winner Justify didn’t run as fast as El Tri on the counter attack.
There is a young player back in Germany named Sane who maybe should have been on the pitch for Dei Mannschaft.
Spain and Portugal’s tilt was one for the ages with a hat trick for Ronaldo and two tallies for Spain’s Diego Costa, who one writer wrote that he played as tenaciously as a wolverine.
Lots of 1-0 games, nine to be exact, and to ties at 1-1.
Brazil’s Fab four, Neymar, Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, and Willian didn’t play like The Beatles in a 1-1 match against tiny Switzerland.
The lone bright spot was Coutinho’s amazing goal where he curved the ball beautifully into the upright, from where it bounced into the net.
The Swiss didn’t let the Samba Kings beautiful game shine and now their hills are alive with the sound of music.
Things were very Messi in the land of the River Plate.
A missed penalty is not the way La Albiceleste wanted their superhero to start the quest for the Golden Fleece. Iceland celebrated a well-earned tie with their Viking clap routine.
An interesting tidbit is that each of the little country’s eleven starting player’s names ended in the letters ‘son.’
Son-of-a-gun!
Belgium’s Red Devils shone offensively in a 3-0 romp over Panama with Romelu Lukaku scoring two beauties while Kevin De Bruyne is one of the world’s best set up men.
Croatia and Serbia both beat their opponents without a goal against. Lots of history there.
Japan’s Blue Samurai became the first Asian team to beat a squad from South America when they stunned Columbia 2-1 and the Teranga Lions of Senegal took advantage of two huge mistakes by Poland to become the first African nation to win a game in Russia 2-1.
The leading scorer of the tournament after seventeen games is OG with five goals.
Cristiano from Portugal has four.
Wondering what country OG comes from?
OG comes from five different countries because OG stands for ‘own goal,’ as in “OMG, I put the ball into my own net.”
Now ladies, there are lots of wonderful looking, fit men to follow and cheer for over the next three weeks.
If you find there aren’t enough T.V. close-ups during the live action to decide who is your type, here’s what you do:
- Go to FIFA.com.
- In the blue banner at the top of the landing page click on ‘Teams.’
- The teams are displayed alphabetically so scroll down and find the team you want then click on it.
- OR, you could start at the top and go shopping at every team.
- When you find an unusual suspect, click on his picture and you will find his bio and an enlargement of his picture.
- Don’t forget the rest of your day.
England, England, England, England. My first football love affair.
I almost died watching them win their one and only World Cup championship in 1966, but that’s another story.
Will the Three Lions break their five decade curse this time out?
Well, this team has it’s own Prince Harry, Harry Kane, and he tickled the twines twice in his first outing so, Rule Britannia?
They need a great keeper to make it happen and they don’t seem to grow them in the land of tea and crumpets anymore.
Lions or pussy cats, we’ll just have to wait and see.
The best ‘dive’ so far must go to Portugal’s Pepe, who fell flat on his face when Morocco’s Benatia tapped him lightly twice on his shoulder.
Bring out the magic towel, aerosol spray, maybe even smelling salts.
So that’s it for now except for the one thing.
What I like the most about Russia is their national anthem.
It’s called ‘The State Anthem Of The Russian Federation.’ Very inspiring isn’t it.
It’s been around a long time and was handed down from the old Soviet Union.
I heard it sung once in a hockey arena by the ‘Red Army Chorus, two hundred strong. Those guys really raised the roof.
Their team won the hockey game too.
Can you guess what country I hail from that is not visiting Russia now?
Good Luck.W