The Germans always win

Medium busy Saturday, but with no cabaret show, so I had time to actually watch some of the football.

Netherlands - Sweden 5-1

After Netherlands were equal to Japan in the opening game, and after Sweden thrashing of a decent-looking Tunisia, I though this will be veyr much an even game. A draw to be expected, or one of the team will edge it, but a 2 goals difference would be exceptional, I thought.

I only watched the first half, to be honest the Dutch double-scoring was too quick and too stunning. It didn't feel like the Swedes had it in them to come back from it, so I went to watch some theatre for the second half.

Even so, I expected 2-1, maybe 3-1, but not for the Dutch to come in with their finger on a trigger like that in the second half too. Good on them, and woe to Sweden for not being able to respond to the hits.

The goal at 4-0 was too little too late, and the fact that the final scoreline is 5-1 is a bit ironic, considering one might've thought this same scoreline ensured them a little cushion should goal difference become a criteria.

Happy that Elanga scored, and a good goal too. Why the hell did we get rid of Elanga?

Germany - Ivory Coast 2-1

Ok, this was painful. It was painful for me as a neutral. Cote D'Ivoire played so well, and it's not that the Germans played poorly or nothing, the Ivorians simply matched them, and then some. Great goal from Kessle, and they didn't pull back either. Going into half-time 1-0 against Germany is a feat, but they were well worthy of it.

The dildo of consequences came without lube though, and just as they broke the hearts of Ecuadorians with that late goal, Ivory Coast saw their hopes crashing down with that Undaev shot in the 90'+4 minute.

BUT, but... they have fully proved their worth, Ivory Coast, along with Senegal and Morocco they are worthy representatives of AFCON, and will join Germany in the knockout stages. And whoever draws them will not have an easy life. As it stands, that's France. France would win, but that would be a good game.

Ecuador - Curacao 0-0

This is what the World Cup is about! Staying up until 3 am to watch a 0-0 draw between Ecuador and Curacao!

Beautiful teams, both of them, I was impressed with the Ecuadorian support in the first game, but on this one occasion, their performance has been disappointing. Playing pretty much back to the wall, against the weakest opposition in the group, this should've been their 3 points. It's baffling that not only did they not manage to score, they were quite toothless. As a matter of fact, Curacao were their equals and had their chances. And while for the WC debutans Curacao this one point is huge, for Ecuador is a disappointing performance against weaker opposition, and a blow to their chances of advancing.

Where was the fighing spirit from the Ivory Coast game? Or was that the fluke? The Germans will not be walkovers, you know?

Tunisia - Japan 0-4

Tunisia was another disappointment. After holding their own against Sweden, at least for the first half, this was very much a meltdown. Not to take anything away from Japan's performance, which was pure poetry. But I'm sure the Japanese would've taken the 1-0. The fourth goal, as the commentator said, sums up Tunisia's presence in this World Cup: sloppy, toothless, careless.

I'm sorry for Hannibal, but his team did not show they'd deserve more.

Watch out for Japan - Sweden though, that's gonna be a great game!

Manifest Destiny

USA - Australia 2-0

Well, two emphatic wins have got people talking. USA has won the group (direct game is the first criteria rather than goal difference) and in fairness to them they did so in some style. A lot of things I don't like about the World Cup being held in the USA this time around (it was amazing in 1994 btw), but I've always had a soft spot for the US national team, they've always been a team with a lot of heart, if not a lot of talent. This time though, Pochettino has done something to them. They look like a solid team. The thrashing of Paraguay was completely unexpected. With Australia, I was a bit in doubt after the Aussies beat Turkey: are they a good team, or is Turkey having a really bad tournament? The latter, it seems. There wasn't much fight in the Aussies, they pretty much took it on the chin, and I don't fancy their chances agains Paraguay. Or they might draw it and qualify together, but that implies Paraguay conceeding second place, which I'm, not sure they would.

Scotland - Morocco 0-1

Alright, somehow Morocco just squeezes through. They beat Portugal 1-0 4 years ago to become the first African team to reach WC semis, but it felt against the course of the game. Same here, a fast goal, then deaf punching on both sides. The Scots should've been more courageous, trusted themselves more, and they could've won the game. And, of course, start the game more focused, don't conced after two minutes. 

I also think Scotland was robbed. The McGinn fall in the box... a case can be made that he'd lost the ball already. But the McTominay fall looked like a penalty to me. Baffled a bit as to why it hasn't been given. It can cost Scotland the tournament, and it ensures Morocco can have a chill day against Haiti. 

I'm less convinced about the demanded red card for the foul on Che Adams, but you know, together, they pile up.

Scotland should've still been more emphatic in their attacking, but it can be disheartening when you've done enough but it's not enough.

They are perfectly capable of getting something against Brazil, btu that's never an easy task. And they can qualify with 3, but the route is a lot more arduous.

Brazil - Haiti 3-0

I sleep-saw this game, but it looked a bit run-of-the-mill. I would've loved a Haiti tshirt with Touissant L'Ouverture, and of course, the Carraibean nation has doen great just by qualifying, but - with all the love in the world - they're not making much of a mark on the tournament.

Can they beat Morocco? Don't think so. Morocco are oily, I can kinda see them winning 1-0 and winning the group.

Turkey - Paraguay 0-1

The 5 am start was once more too much for me. I didn't see any of this game. Something tells me I haven't missed much. Turkey deserves to be the butt of all the Internet jokes though, they should do better than 0 points after games against Australia and Paraguay. I do not predict a happy send off for them in the last game, the way USA's been playing.

Oh, and I do not think the USA's route to the final has been prearranged. I would not have guessed they'd win this group.

Home advantage

Ok, I'm not gonna lie. Games are strating to mix in my head, and I was struggling to remember what games I've seen yesterday. Which means that my reporting on it is a bit like Eurovision. Not about the objective quality of it - after all, highlights are freely available and AI reports on games are available even before the final whistle - more about my affinity with the respective countries playing. This is why I'm so little interested in Champions League, for instance, when United is not playing.

But I do remember what I've seen when I'm watching intently, which is why I'm trying to focus purely on watching games as much as I can. For instance...

Czechia - South Africa 1-1

Only watched the first half of it, I needed to go see my Norwegian friends. And what a pleasant evening that has been - didn't even think about watching football. On the basis of the first half alone, I though Czechia is by far the better team. It kind of kills me when teams are happy to sit on 1-0, especially in this group format, where goal difference is so important. 

But it's exactly what the Czechs have done, and I don't know why. They slowly slowly allowed South Africa back in the game, and by the end of the half Bafana Bafana was the team on the front foot.

Of course they'll look better and have the opportunity to score if that's the case. I've seen Czechia's game against South Korea. They're a good team, and capabale of much more than defending a 1-0 lead to South Africa. But if you try to trick the game, the game punishes you. 

Mokoena drawing level from a penalty with 10 minutes to go must've been heartbreaking, but they brought it upon themselves.

Not all is lost, but the Czechs will now need to win against Mexico, and with the Mexicans having the home advantage, that might not be a clear-cut job.

Switzerland - Bosnia 4-1

I didn't see the first half of this, but I have a feeling I haven't missed much. I mean, in all fairness, it felt like a bit of a boring game even with the 5 goals in the last 20 minutes.

Maybe Bosnia should've done a bit more, I thought they were a bit unlucky and a bit sloppy to let Canada snatch a point from them, and this felt like sloppiness once again. So if it happens with Qatar too, it means it's not a fluke, it's just who they are. 

Sure, beat Qatar and qualify with 4 points, but for God's sake, have some pride!

Canada - Qatar 6-0

The kit, look at the kit!

Uhh, this was an utter failure on all levels from Qatar. Like, I get it, sometimes you lose a game 6-0, sometimes it's not even shameful (see Curacao). But this was so unnecessary. All of it. And I was thinking during the game that it's a failure of management as well as the players'. But now I think it was mostly a management failure.

You're 3-0 and one man down at half time against a superior team. What do you do? Well, you're sure as hell not gonna win the game. So there's a few options: defend for life, and try and limit the score, this is one, and probably the worst one. Or, try and win some glory, if points are out of the question. Either attack like crazy, after all 10-1 is better than 6-0 is some regards; or create some enjoyment, either for the fans or for the players. Try tricks, try stepovers, risky passes, keeping possession, dribble for life, anything. But do not lay back and wait for the whole thing to be over my man. It's not that kind of relationship.

That unfortunate fellow putting in his own net a shot that would've otherwise gone wide... what were you thinking my guy? I'd be ashamed of that in a Sunday League team. This is the World Cup, have some decorum!

Canada will take the scoreline, of course they will. But even they seemed a bit embarrassed by what the whole ordeal was. Because sure as hell it wasn't football.

The key moment was probably the first red card. Absolute lack of experience from the defender, pushing the forward so obvious like that. Roberto Carlos at 4 years of age would've done better in that situation. And the initial decision, penalty but only yellow card, would have served the game much better. We would've probably ended up with a similar scoreline, but a much more balanced game in an 11v11 situation.

The second red card, and the injury on poor Kone was just unfortunate. I doubt any maliciosu intent on the Qatari's defender part, again, it's just an insane lack of experience for this level that led to him not knowing how to approach the tackle.

Canada has an ok team. Larin seems like a decent player, David will now forever have a World Cup hattrick on his cv, and the confident boost from this will weight heavily on their approach to the first knock-out round. Which I think they will lose, but it's still the furthest they've ever been, so they'll take that. I'd say, don't worry about group table for the last game, take all the pressure off and enjoy the game against Switzerland, it would do you more good than anything else.

Qatar have managed to get a point so far, so still their best World Cup ever, but this is probably the only positive spin. I'll doubt they'll get anything against Bosnia, and if they do it will be on the Bosnians rather than them.

And the last thing I'll say omn this game - potentially the most interesting: Canada's shirt design. Oh my, that is a brilliant shirt! In a year or so, I'll check Classical Shirts for a discounted one.

Mexico - South Korea 1-0

Much in the same vein, South Korea's shirt design was the most interesting thing about this game. It was drab, but I feel it was only so because Czechia's draw allowed both teams to play for a point, with a chance of redemption if things go wrong. Mexico was sheltered by the 2-goal victory, which meant qualification was possible with 4 points, while South Korea is facing the weakest team in the group in their last game. And it felt like a tacit understanding that neither team will risk too much and both would happily take a point. Incidentally, Mexico won. Drab game, drab goal, with the keeper slipping the ball and an opportunistic strike from 15 yards out into an empty net. But it made the home crowd happy, and Mexico has won the group now, which might serve them really well for the first knock-out stage.

Will USA be the third home nation to qualify after just two games? Might as well, though I have a feeling Aussies will not take it laying down. We'll soon find out.

Engerland

Show in the evening, show in the morning, and 4 football games to watch in one day! It's too much for one man. I know which one I'd prefer, but sometimes is not the same with what I have to do. I've even fallen behind with my WC accounts for the first time - this will happen again for sure, but on this particular occasion, there you go, I'm recovering.

I'm also writing this straight after the previous post, but breaking them into two for easier reading.

Portugal  - DR Congo 1-1

Yes, I want Portugal to win, I think Congo will be the African surprise team, and I really wanted to see the game. I did watch bits on my phone, but not enough to get a feel of which was the better team. Neither, probably, at least according to the score. And there will be endless chatter about how Mbappe, Haaland and Messi had phenomenal games the day before while Ronaldo wasn't able to make his mark on this game, but this isn't showboasting. God, even Harry Kane got a nod in this conversation. Nothing changed in the groups equation, Portugal can and probably will win the group, but this was as anti-climactic as any. I should be glad, hopefully I'll get to see the good ones.

England - Croatia 4-2

No. Just... no

Ah, England. Did you know England is playing? Well, how can you not? I did say I want England to get out of the group stage or score a goal, and that bird has flown already. I don't like England games where they win and score a lot of goals because people tend to be noisy and destructive. I have to admit though, it didn't feel like that yesterday. Maybe I was protected, inside the Battersea Power Station bubble of consumerism, maybe supporters have become aware of the damaging impact of England wins, maybe a combination of the two, but it felt very much like a normal day yesterday. No singing on the tube. no carpets of rubbish on the streets, who knows, maybe even domestic violence quotas stayed within regular limits.

So ok, I will then participate in the joy of an emphatic English victory over an ageing, but still very good Croatian team. Happy for Harry Kane, two goals, good on ya 'arry! Am I happy that Rashford scored? Rashford who? After the Barcelona betrayal, he's got a lot of work to do to ransom our love. This is no prodigal son return story, this is a Judas story. He should be fed with the pods that the pigs eat and maybe, just maybe, after a 30-goals season, we might take him back. Or just sell him now and forget he exists, ideally.

Ghana - Panama 1-0

I got home close to half time and told myself I'll watch the second half. Did some of that, but naturally I fell asleep before the Ghanian goal, 90'+5, sounds like another heartbreak. The Panama team seemed to be attacking more, Ghana is by far the better team on paper, but this was not a classic by any measure.

Uzbekistan - Colombia 1-3

Speaking of not classics... 

Funnily enough, the 3 am start in the UK worked for the timezones of both countries. Late evening in Colombia, early morning in Uzbekistan. Didn't work for me at all, I saw the beginning of it, but that's that. 

I know nothing of Uzbek football, but apparently it is the top amongst the central Asian republics. No FC Arkadag stories in Uzbekistan and apparently the top club, Paktahor FC, is actually a decent club. I'm happy, therefore, for their first participation and first goal in the World Cup, but yeah, losing 3-1 to Colombia makes sense. I do hope I'll watch their next game.

But for now, let's go see the first half of Czechia - South Africa.

Masterclass

France - Senegal 3-1

As much as the other day was great for Muslim countries, that's how catastrophic yesterday was.

But a few words on France - Senegal before that. Now, I'm not gonna pretend I'm the woke master. As much as I'd try and avoid it, there is some residual racism in me, the result of a long and deeply entrenched racist education and cultural environment I went through growing up. And to a little extent, I do like to hold on to some of the jokes, and hope for the best.

But come on guys... I could not make head or tails of who's playing for what team in France-Senegal. Mbappe scores for one, then Mbaye for the other? Someone's taking the piss here. 

That's it. That was the joke, and that's why I wrote the racism intro.

On a serious note, Senegal is a super solid team and the scoreline dosen't do them justice. Norway is gonna have a real headache with them. But. But. Not only is France a super-team, Mbappe at his best is unstoppable. And he was at his best for most of the second half. But that was enough. 

First off, never a penalty when he fell in the Senegalese box. There was no contact between his feet and the Senegal defender's. Not that it matters. The movement for his first goal was sublime. No look at the goal, all the way across the keeper, on the turn, it's a shot that defies physics.

His second goal, the one sealing the board and the one that makes him top scorer for France and two short of Klose's record... the English comentators said half-heartedly that the keeper should've done better. And yeah, maybe he should have. But the force of the shot, the misleading bend... poor keeper didn't stand much chance.

Harsh scoreline for Senegal but goddamn. Mbappe only needs a keeper and maybe someone else to pass with.

Norway - Iraq 4-1

I'm very conflicted about Norway. I like them. I like the country, I like the team, I wanted to buy the tshirt. Norway's France 1998 team made me fall in love with United. Solskjaer, Ronnie Johnsen, Henning Berg... I have a lot of love for my friend Anette and all of the team at the Norwegian Embassy, I'm gonna see them tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it and always enjoy visiting them.

But then there's Haaland. Great player, for sure. But he plays for City, and he's uncouth as hell. Really unpleasant fellow. Ugly motherfucker. A combination between the strength of Schweinsteiger, the predatory instinct of van Nistelrooy, but the character of Alf Inge Haaland.

God said he'd save Sodom if he finds 10 good people in it, so my love for Norway should not be dented by one asshole. And it's not, not really. Worth mentioning him anyway.

Purely in footballing terms, however, what I wouldn't give to have one of our forwards (maybe Sesko?) be half the player Haaland is. That first goal, what a stretch! Big motherfucker, he could've probably started the tackle on the halfway line and still get the ball in.

Iraq did really well to equalise, had some momentum going, but then that silly error comes, 2 minutes before the break. Can't be too mad at the keeper, he was always gonna have a tough day at the office, errare humanum est and all that, but that mistake of his, sloppy pass back and not coming to receive it, very likely cost his team at least a point. Which was gonna be a precious point, neither France nor Senegal are gonna be easy to get anything out of. But with Norway frustrated, you can hope you can frustrate France too to a goalless draw or something, then either snatch something from Senegal, or go for 3 draws and wait for the other results. None of that possible now. 

3-1 kinda sealed their fate, 4-1 was unnecessarily harsh. 

I gained a lot of sympathy for the Iraqi team, but their adventure in this World Cup will be limited to 3 games. give a good account of yourselves, make the home country proud, then try to build on this legacy in 4 years, I suppose that's the best course of action. A good result against France can make them heroes, but a moment of brilliance from Mbappe will prevent that.

I was happy to see Zidane Iqbal playing, United academy kid, and still a lot of potential. Didn't materialise today, but hopefully he'll feature again.

Argentina - Algeria 3-0

'He was only holding a cup'

Now, if you know me, you know I don't like Messi. I think he's overrated, annoying, and obviously the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals will always be an open wound.

But this game was a masterclass. I can't really say much other than putting my hands up and admitting that what he has done in this game was incredible. Beginning to end.

From the disallowed goal in the 5th minute - what good instincts to know that he started the run just that little bit earlier, to feel what the ref needed a computer to see! Then the goals, first and third, phenomenal left foot shots. Now, thet strong left foot has been Messi's trademark for a while, and I was acknowledging its quality even at the height of my Messi-hating days.

Did he deserve a red card? I'll be honest, I didn't see that foul. Maybe I was asleep or what. There's pictures that say he did, I tend to think nowadays, in the age of VAR, the refereeing mistakes are much more structural rather than incidental. As in, a team tends to be generally favoured by being granted the 50:50 calls, and it might as well have been the case here. But what that means, is that it was only a 50:50 red card call. I don't know.

Algeria, despite the spectacular disallowed goal, didn't put up much resistance, and I hope, for their sake, a different team will show up for the next two games, otherwise they'll be the final two games. But the Chaibi fellow looks like a more than decent player, and with Austria and Jordan the other opponents, qualification is not out of the question for them.

Argentina, what an interesting team. It looks like a team build around and for Messi. Except that, unlike 4 years ago, it works. 4 years ago it was pushed forward strongly by an agenda and some made up penalties and did not deserve to win the World Cup. In the intervening 4 years though, those players have become superstars, playing for the biggest teams, at the highest level. Lautaro Martinez, Lucha Martinez or MacAllister, players any team would want in their ranks, and yet Messi shines. Argentina does look now like a team that deserves to win the World Cup. I still think they won't, but - and this is a big admission - I will enjoy watching Messi for the rest of the tournament.

Austria - Jordan 3-1

5 am is ungodly for the 4th game of the day. I did my best, but I can't say I saw much of the game. I did say I don't rate Austria, I thought Jordan isn't playing too bad, but the only goal I saw was Arnautovic's penalty. Again, they were winning anyway, 3-1 makes it sound a lot more categorical of a win that it has been, but you know...I like Sabitzer. I miss him. Arnautovic probably aspires to a good swansong. So, why not? Let Austria battle it out with Algeria and Jordan for the second place. The real test will be if they can get anything out of the Argentina game.

Insallah

Spain - Cape Verde 0-0

Wow, what a great day for underdgos, what a great day for Muslim countries! 

There isn't much history to Spain v Cape Verde except Spain tried to score, and couldn't. In part due to the amazing Vozinha, the keeper the Internet is going crazy about. He's 40, yes, but for a keeper that's not really unheard of. Raul Jimenez or Lukaku scoring at 35 or 33 respectively is a bigger story imho. I'm looking at the Portugese second league table. Chaves, that Vozinha plays for, conceded 40 goals in 34 games last season. Finished 9th. So he's not all that extraordinary. Maybe Spain just wasn't that good.

And in truth, what in heaven's name is the manager thinking, not starting Yamal? He is clearly Spain's best player, and one of the world's best. He did make a difference, although not enough for Spain to get the three points on this particular occasion.

And very good that they didn't. Besides the nice underdog story, for all the love I have for the people of Spain, the last time I liked their national football team was last century. This result will do them good, they'll realise they have to actually work to qualify.

As for Vozinha, good on him for cvatching the highlights! I hope he'll have a great tournament, rather than just this one game. Even so, I still think the tournament will only be 3 games, I don't see Cape Verde getting out of their group. But you don't need to in order to cover yourself in glory.

Belgium - Egypt 1-1

Emam Ashour

Now, normally this might be another great underdog story. Except Egypt was the better team, and Belgium was lucky to get away with a draw. 

Oh, by the way, Giroud is not only one of the greatest footballers that ever lived, he might actually be a God. As soon as he said 'Why don't they bring Lukaku in?', Lukaku came in and scored in under a minute.

I have mixed feelings about Big Rom. He is one of ours, once a Red, always a Red and all that. And I think he enjoyed his time with us. But he's been around so much that his career will be tied much more to Chelsea or Inter Milan for instance, and he never declared any special love for United. But, you know, he didn't need to. He's a man doing a job and that's that. And at 33, he can still do a better job than Doku or Trossard, who were quite pale in front of the Egyptian defence.

My other thing is that Belgium should start Lammens in goal. For all of 'Courtois is the best keeper in the world', Lammens is younger and more in form. I'm not saying he would've changed the result, just that he'd give a better performance. 

Anyway, Belgium keeps being Belgium, a collection of stars but never a team. Lucky for them, the reservoir of stars seems to be still producing, so they need a manager capable of making them into a team. But that's gonna be for the future now, and that's gonna be without de Bruyne.

As for Egypt, I'd say the biggest pleasant surprise for me so far. Australia beating Turkey 2-0 was a shock, but mostly because I expected more from Turkey. But Egypt? I thought Salah and that'a about it. And while Salah is undoubtedly an important player, he wasn't their best player by a long chalk. Emam Ashour of Al-Ahly was certainly the MotM for me, not only because he scored the goal, but because dude absolutely owned the left side of the pitch. Even after Belgium drew level, Egypt looked like the team more in control of the game and with the bigger chances. And it wasn't just Ashour either. Marmoush was also great, while the Egyptian defense was so calm and so well organised, it reminded me of Italy or one of those teams that know how to grind you down. 

So all in all, it was Belgium taht was lucky to get a point from the game. My prediction of Belgium and Iran going throuhg might still stand, but Egypt already proved me wrong, and I love to be proven wrong. Iran and New Zealand will have a tough life.

Saudi Arabia - Uruguay 1-1

Wow, what an assault! This is what the defenders of Constantinopole must've felt like in 1453! Saudi Arabia scored first, and good on them for doing that. Great timing too, 5 minutes before the break! But they were not ready for what followed. The most one-sided game I've seen in a long long time. Muslera must've been calling his family, told them how his holiday is going, because I didn't see much of him in the second half.

Bielsa is dubbed as crazy, and his teams play crazy football, and this game totally cemented that reputation. Uruguay scoring was inevitable, but they were unlucky they didn't score twice. It feels like a weaker Uruguay team than usual (I mean, come on, Ugarte is one of their best players), but when they play like that, it's pretty hard to resist the assault. It took another brilliant goalkeeper performance from Al-Owais, and a rugged, 10-men defense to get a point from them.

I mentioned the likes of Owairan and Al-Jaber, and it's true that was a great generation forn the Saudis, but even with a team of unknowns, palying mostly in the domestic league, they were still able to beat the *ahem* world champions Argentina 4 years ago, and squeeze a point from Uruguay yesterday. So, you know, maybe the Saudi league is growing. Maybe all those hundreds of millions of dollars do help.

Beat Cape Verde and you're through, as Sky Sports says? I mean, sure. It's just that, as we've seen, beating Cape Verde might not be as easy.

Iran - New Zealand 2-2

Unfortunately, slept again, so I haven't seen any of this game. But it looks like it was another great game. Four draws, a 0-0 and only 8 games in 4 matches, but this was a great day of football. Certainly the best so far, but I mean, one of the greatest in a while. Capable underdogs, great football, insane attacking and super-organised defending and 4 surprise results. A bookies' dream.

United Nations

Germany - Curacao 7-1

Some noise has been made about the expanded format and 48 teams instead of 32. Logistical challenges aside, I think the more the merrier. It's only when facing off teams you don't normally play that the best games happen. As such, I salute Curacao's participation to this World Cup, a country with a smaller population than some gigs I've been to.

Easy prey for Germany? Sure. But what must it mean for a country that size not only to play on this biggest football stage of all, not only to be able to play against Germany, but also to hold their own and score against Germany? And yes, the German gamne was methodical and calculated whereas luck contributed some to Curacao's goal. But also, the hydration (ads) break completely killed their momentum. Add to that a soft penalty and then try and recover two goal in front of Germany. It was never gonna happen.

Biggest loss of the tournament so far, yet Curacao have plenty to be proud of.

Netherlands - Japan 2-2

If you thought Netherlands vs Japan was a done deal, you might've missed Japan beating Spain and Germany at the last World Cup. I myself have misspoken in the opening post saying Netherlands will breeze through the group. It's true, the Dutch always bring good teams, but this one feels somehow a lesser team than usual. Definetly not the potential of the 1974 or 2010 finalists, not to mention the 1988 Euro winner.

They still dominated the game, and their goals have looked a lot better built than the Japanese ones, but halfway through the first half I found myself cheering for Japan. They were amazing, relentless and persistent. Similar in a way to South Korea's game, but with more maturity in their game. They can score a goal or two, and they're not afraid of any opposition. 

They will probably stumble against Tunisia, but that's a different matter.

Ivory Coast - Ecuador 1-0

Look, no two ways about it. I thought Ecuador was the better team and they deserved to win. I know I should be happy for Amad, and I am, I really am. But I can only imagine how heartbreaking his last minute goal must've been for the hearty Ecuadorian fans. A draw would've been a lot more equitable, and would have turned the group into who can get something from Germany rather than who can pile more onto Curacao. Can Ecuador stumble Germany? Last game, and probably not a lot at stake for the Germans, but I still doubt they'll leave it without a win. 

Two other important questions after this game: how old is Enner Valencia? (he's 36), and why the hell would you not start Amad for Ivory Coast?

Sweden - Tunisia 5-1

Ah, the 3 am game... I had planned to take a quick nap between the Ecuador game and this one, btu somehow I ended up waking up at half time, with the score 2-1 for Sweden. And I fell back asleep before the end, so I only saw some of the second half. I remember the third goal well, and the fourtha  bit hazy.

I thought Tunisia isn't playing too badly, and I was certainly glad to see Hannibal leading the line for Tunisia and having a couple of chances. I hope he scores at least one at this tournament. Always liked the kid, and I think United let him go a bit too easily. 

But with ballers like Isak and Gyokeres on the other side, hard for poor Tunisia to hold the floodgates. Life is gonna be really tough for them now, neither Netherlands nor Japan are gonna be easy games. Maybe book those flights back early?