Round 2 is over - let the real football begin

In round 2, normal World Cup service was resumed. The politics were relegated to the background as football came to the fore, best exemplified, not by the football powerhouses but by the lesser nations who were willing to give it a go! The two matches between South Korea and Ghana (2-3) and Serbia and Cameroon (3-3), produced goals galore, edge-of-the seat excitement as the lead changed hands and shredded nerves for the committed spectators who were as exhausted as the players when the final whistles sounded! This is the epitome of the beautiful game!

 

Sadly, the two shocks of round 1 were not compounded which has given both Argentina and Germany a very decent chance of making the last 16. Japan started the rot by dominating their match only to be caught out by Costa Rica's single but successful shot at goal in the 81^st. minute. Any team with a 100% conversion rate for shots at goal deserve the 3 points! And then later the same day, Spain took it easy against Germany - clearly the better team throughout but when they took the lead, they strolled around like models at a fashion show, with no apparent interest in increasing their lead. German duly punished them with a net-ripping equalizer which they fully deserved.

 

Argentina played Mexico in a pitiful game of football. Commentators put it down to nerves - these teams know each other very well and both were playing for WC survival, especially Argentina. I was hoping to see Messi whimper out of the WC in tears but Mexico just weren't up to the task. It took Messi's left boot to separate the sides in the 64th. minute. That seemed to drive Mexico deeper into their fragile shell before Argentina wrapped things up with a second goal just short of the 90th. min. Both Argentina and their fans celebrated as if they’d won the World Cup. Let's hope Polska can get the early Messi-exit back on track!

 

France v Denmark was the best match so far in terms of football quality. France were beautiful and brilliant whenever they changed gear and glided up the pitch. We all know Mbappé would leave a cheetah for dead once he has a ball at his feet but Dembélé was as fast and graceful. Denmark had their own moments of class and deserved their equaliser when it came. It was never going to last and even though it was just 2-1, a French victory was never in doubt. They look like winners.

 

What about England? After their 6-2 v Iran, their scrupulously objective press and pundits had them firmly in the semis at least. And of course, that old motivator of the opposition was doing the rounds again too - it was indeed coming home! There was just one little problem, England were outrun and outplayed by a fitter, more passionate and more determined US and were lucky to secure a vital point. Why did they lack the confidence to attack? My guess is that they needed a strong leader out there on the pitch screaming at them.

 

Wales were totally outplayed by Iran even though the hammer-blow 2 goals did not hit them until very late on. Bale is past it now - too slow, no longer playing top-level football, preferring to swim in pools of dollars in the US instead! Iran were excellent, nothing like the tense, nervous players who faced England. The burden of the anthem was off their shoulders (they sang it this time), allowing them to concentrate on the football.

 

Croatia needed a Canadian kick up the arse to finally start playing like the Croatia of previous World Cups. Canada deserved to take the lead but Croatia were having none of it once that happened, firstly grabbing two quick goals to take the lead for themselves and then running Canada off the sand in the second half, eventually very comfortable 4-1 winners.

 

Where does all this leave Belgium? Maybe on the plane home to watch the last 16 from the comfort of their own modest mansions. Morocco beat them and beat them well – they were faster, fitter and younger. That oft-talked-about Belgian golden generation has turned flaky and rusty and Croatia should finally consign them to the scrap heap! Morocco will march on when they meet the already-eliminated Canada who will probably turn up at the stadium with their suitcases, heading off to the airport straight after the final whistle!

 

Brazil ultimately overcame Switzerland – the Swiss lads resolutely defended their goal the way the Alps defend their borders for over 80 minutes. The truth is though, if the game had gone on for another 5 hours, Switzerland would never have scored! Portugal made it to the last 16 by beating Uruguay, Lewandowski helped himself to his first WC goal while finally putting Saudi to the sword but it was hard bloody work – Argentina will be easy in comparison!

 

Roll on round 3 – parallel matches as 32 become 16.

Round 1 - We're off!

 

A short political preamble

12 years after the gasps of disbelief and fists of anger as Blatter announced the venue for World Cup 2022, the Qatar World Cup is upon us. We can only stand back and admire the transparency and openness of FIFA in bringing a stinking-rich, tiny desert country into the global football family. All World Cups have elements of the good, the bad and the ugly and Qatar seems to have taken the ugly to heart - labour camps for their migrant workers, their stance on sexuality, women and human rights,their bribing of fans to give the right impression, building 7 new stadiums within a 30 km radius of Doha, taking/making of photos/videos prohibited all over the country, banning alcohol in stadiums at the last minute.....oh how I wish I was there!

Let's talk football....

 

Round 1 - the really interesting bits

Who doesn't love a football shock and, happily, there were 2 shocks of the seismic variety in round 1! So many fans want to see Messi lift the World Cup – please do not include me in that sad, deluded group! A great footballer, yes, but also a greedy, insatiable money-grabbing scumbag who recently signed up to be a Saudi tourist ambassador for $25m a year. He already earns an estimated $140m/year – how much more does he need! How does he feel about the regular executions in Saudi?. For me, it was a delight to see Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten run crash at the feet of Messi's latest paymasters, Saudi Arabia. Anything suspicious there? Certainly not!

The second shock was a straightforward minor football miracle – Germany taking the lead against Japan and looking good too. Yet they were overhauled in the last 15 minutes by 2 quick Japanese goals. These are the kinds of upsets that make World Cups and let’s hope this is just the beginning.

In the opening match, Qatar fully lived up to their reputation as a proud footballing nation hosting a World Cup by being utter rubbish, making the match a pleasant 2-0 canter for Ecuador. Even at half time people were leaving the stadium in droves and by the full-time whistle, the stadium was almost empty - all the fans who stayed on afterwards were apparently paid to do so.

England impressed against Iran, 6-2 – the proverbial walk in the parched desert! It was nice to see each of the 3 youngsters who took part in the Euro-final penalty trauma get on the score sheet (Bellingham, Saka and Rashford). Good and all as England were, the bravery award has to go to Iran. By deciding not to sing their anthem and with the Iranian fans booing in agreement, this made for a strange but powerful atmosphere. There will be consequences when/if they return home and I can't help feeling that this act of defiance might have upset their concentration. While Iran were making their brave stand, the European countries who had pledged to wear the One Love armband caved in when FIFA threatened them with that frightening weapon of sheer terror, the yellow card. So much for the courage of their convictions.

The defending champions, France, were in big trouble if all the pre-tournament talk had any truth – missing some of their best players, including the European Footballer of the Year, Benzema, tension in the camp and, maybe most damaging of all, the wrong-year Beaujolais smuggled into the country. What could possibly go right! Almost everything as it happens. Yes, Australia stole the lead but once Les Bleus got going, they cruised home, 4-1. France could well be both football and rugby world champions in the next 12 months – a unique double and I love the idea of it. England could do it too but are a longer shot in both competitions. Apologies for the brief oval-ball interlude, back to the round ball.

Spain laid poor old Costa Rica waste with a 7-0 thrashing – a curse or the shape of things to come? A valid question - when Spain won it in 2010, they lost their opening match to Switzerland. However, if Spain are the victorious matador and Germany the fatally wounded bull in their next match, then who knows how far they'll go! As for Belgium, as one of the favourites to win the competition, they were bloody awful against Canada, scraping to a 1-0 win, a match they could and should have lost. How can a team with so many great players be so inept. Maybe they’re on a diet of beer, waffles and chips with mayonnaise – they can only get better or can they!

The last match of the round saw Brazil dazzle by comfortably beating Serbia 2-0. Always the better team, they really shone in the second half, particularly after the departure of everyone’s favourite obnoxious git, Neymar – not a coincidence! Their second goal was the best of the tournament so far, a fantastic, unstoppable scissors kick. Even more pleasing, they continued to press for more goals, none of this European “parking the bus” nonsense. Hmm, this is worrying – I might actually get to really like this Brazilian team if their form and attitude continue in this vein!

The end of round 1 means that 25% of the World Cup matches have already taken place (16 out of 64). By the end of round 2, we’ll be half-way there.