Today we had two quarter-finals that were similar yet quite different. In both games the favourites won and went ahead early from set-pieces nudged home by centre-halves. Then they stayed in front to the end. The matches were very different, though, most noticeably the atmospheres at the venues. It was all very civilised at the Maracana with the fans enjoying their afternoon out in the sun. Well those who returned from half time did,...
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It was nice to have one sleep in but two in a row? In the middle of the World Cup?! What’s up with that? Thankfully we’re back into it tomorrow with the first of two quarter-final days and wouldn’t you just know it… we have one final term 2 session of mini-kickers football in the morning, which is going to cut right across the Brazil v Colombia match. No sweat, you might say, just tape it and watch it after....
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So we’re down to the final eight and, after all the drama of the last four days the favoured teams, without fail, have made it through. Today’s matches were far from routine, but they did give us more info about both Argentina and Belgium. Argentina really battled to get past the Swiss, leaving it till late in extra time. I think four games is enough to get a good picture of a side and in none of their four games has...
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Europe 2 : Africa o. That was the score line after today’s two round of sixteen matches where we saw France and Germany progress and Nigeria and Algeria fall and jump on the aeroplane and head home. Today was all about the goalies, with four superstars on show. We all know about Hugo Lloris and Manuel Neuer who, as a pair, seem to be almost re-inventing the way the position is played. Against the Algerians Neuer popped up all...
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You’ve gotta hand it to One News. On another day of high drama in Brazil they led their sports bulletin with a bitch and moan about diving. Sure, Arjen Robben may have taken a dive or two throughout his career but the rest of the world was looking at a great game of football while Andrew Saville was dribbling about something that’s just not that big a deal anymore. I love the moral outrange in New Zealand when it comes to...
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Damn Brazil, that was close. Too close if you’re serious about winning this World Cup of yours. I will say I kinda called it yesterday, but boy what a reaction there would have been on Copacabana Beach if Chile had won that shoot-out. Or if Pinilla’s shot had hit the underside of the cross bar and gone in rather than hitting it flush and bouncing away. It is a game of such, such fine margins now and we could quite easily...
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There weren’t any games today as the top 16 sides took a break before launching back into action, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to have my say about a rather curious phenomenon that sits at the fringes of this (and any other) World Cup – the backlash. Here in New Zealand as well as in the United States, there’s a group of people who don’t particularly like football, for whatever reason....
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So, the final group games are done and dusted and we have our final sixteen teams. The Americans and Algerians made it, which just helped add to the unexpected nature of this tournament. Given what’s gone down over the last couple of weeks that should, really, have been expected I guess. I didn’t watch too much of today’s games. I was up early enough, as per usual, to watch a taped version of the USA versus Germany...
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And so, just like that, we’re a fortnight into this World Cup. Today’s games weren’t overly inspiring, save for Lionel Messi versus Nigeria. Without much fuss, actually none at all, Messi has carried his team into the knock-out stages. Argentina hasn’t looked fantastic so far but, like the Belgians, that could be the way to play it. Some of the other big favourites – Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany...
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It must take a special, maniacal, sort of stupid to do what Luis Suarez did today. Biting a player. Again Luis? Really? Social Media lit up almost immediately with jokes, bombast, incredulity and you’ll have seen all that by now to the point it’s already yesterday’s news. All I can sit here now and do is shake my head. I don’t understand it. I can’t. I don’t live in his world and I didn’t come...
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