World Cup - Day 6 - Hey, Spain might actually win it this year...
Nal had the afternoon off, but we still opted to watch the 2:00 match at mine to save money. Some guy was drilling occasionally across the way, and everytime he did, my tv would pixelate and cut out. Aah, the West End. This'll be short, because I've only got 20 minutes until the next match, but I've got to catch up. I'm only really doing this now because I started it. Had I not fallen so far behind, I think I would have taken the time to write decent entries. Och well. Perhaps in years to come, when I'm being reprimanded by a boss half my age in the service department, I can look back at all the glory of my first proper World Cup.
Spain v Ukraine
Well, Spain are the second team to really live up to their potential this with this rout. They were absolutely amazing. Beautiful control, beautiful technique, and excellent finishing. The final goal, at 81 minutes by Torres, was the best goal of the tournament so far. If you can Youtube it, its worth a look. Wonderful team effort, with beautiful fast passing and an amazingly controlled strike from the edge of the box. Ukraine never stood a chance, and when a player was sent off and a penalty taken by Spain, they collapsed. Glorious, glorious football.
4 SPA - UKR 0
We went into town to meet Ally for the 5:00 match, and as usual, we were at a loss as to where to go. Lots of wandering for just the right place landed us in an alley pub called O'Henrys, which was fairly empty. We went up to the second floor, overlooking the bar, where we had a table with our own TV. It was alright, actually, though the place was quite hot. It turned out alright, as it felt slightly European (well, the heat did). Small consolation as we were constantly getting reports from Nal's friend who was in Germany at the time. He still is, the lucky bastard.
Saudi Arabia v Tunisia
Well, this was another poor one from two rather poor sides. The less said the better. A decent goal opened the scoring for Tunisia, who held the lead for a long time. The mid-field play was scrappy, there was no real momentum from either team. In the second half, Saudi Arabia came back with two perfectly fine if unspectacular goals to take the lead. The game continued on in rather dire fashion through the remainin normal time. I suppose watching three matches a day raises demands for good football. Normally I'm okay watching mediocre games, but with so much to compare each match to, you get rather critical of anything short of potential. The final minutes were exciting, though, as 2 minutes into injury time saw Bolton's Jaidi heading in a wonderful corner to get the draw. The commentator announced "the first time a Bolton Wanderer has ever scored in a World Cup Finals match!", and I was chuffed. I wanted to Tunisia to win, but when losing for so long, I was happy with a draw. I just hope one of the African teams can make it to the final 16, bless them.
2 KSA - TUN 2
I went on to the Rock on my own, and got an absolutely amazing seat. Finally, a quality West End venue other than Hubbards. Nal soon caught up with me, and Ally and his brother showed up as well.
Germany v Poland
Germany played slightly worse than in their first match, while Poland raised their game a bit from their terrible showing against Ecuador. It made for a mildly interesting game, neither side making great advances, but both fine on defense. Poland never really seemed threatening in any way, however, and it just felt like a waiting game. And boy, what a wait it was. Ballack was back for Germany, though failed to turn in a very impressive performance. Things got slightly more interesting when a Polish player was sent off 15 minutes from the end, and Germany really began to attack. An absolutely amazing attempt in the last 10 minutes saw the Germans hit the bar, then hit the bar again on the rebound. Poland looked like they were going to luck their way through the match and possibly stay in the competition. Until about two minutes from time, anyway, when Germany converted a cross into a perfectly fine goal, giving them the three points and destroying any chance Poland might have had to make it to the final 16. The post-match analysis was probably the only time you'll ever hear anyone discussing "Poland's Counter-Attack" in regards to Germany. So many jokes, so little time.
1 GER - POL 0
Spain v Ukraine
Well, Spain are the second team to really live up to their potential this with this rout. They were absolutely amazing. Beautiful control, beautiful technique, and excellent finishing. The final goal, at 81 minutes by Torres, was the best goal of the tournament so far. If you can Youtube it, its worth a look. Wonderful team effort, with beautiful fast passing and an amazingly controlled strike from the edge of the box. Ukraine never stood a chance, and when a player was sent off and a penalty taken by Spain, they collapsed. Glorious, glorious football.
4 SPA - UKR 0
We went into town to meet Ally for the 5:00 match, and as usual, we were at a loss as to where to go. Lots of wandering for just the right place landed us in an alley pub called O'Henrys, which was fairly empty. We went up to the second floor, overlooking the bar, where we had a table with our own TV. It was alright, actually, though the place was quite hot. It turned out alright, as it felt slightly European (well, the heat did). Small consolation as we were constantly getting reports from Nal's friend who was in Germany at the time. He still is, the lucky bastard.
Saudi Arabia v Tunisia
Well, this was another poor one from two rather poor sides. The less said the better. A decent goal opened the scoring for Tunisia, who held the lead for a long time. The mid-field play was scrappy, there was no real momentum from either team. In the second half, Saudi Arabia came back with two perfectly fine if unspectacular goals to take the lead. The game continued on in rather dire fashion through the remainin normal time. I suppose watching three matches a day raises demands for good football. Normally I'm okay watching mediocre games, but with so much to compare each match to, you get rather critical of anything short of potential. The final minutes were exciting, though, as 2 minutes into injury time saw Bolton's Jaidi heading in a wonderful corner to get the draw. The commentator announced "the first time a Bolton Wanderer has ever scored in a World Cup Finals match!", and I was chuffed. I wanted to Tunisia to win, but when losing for so long, I was happy with a draw. I just hope one of the African teams can make it to the final 16, bless them.
2 KSA - TUN 2
I went on to the Rock on my own, and got an absolutely amazing seat. Finally, a quality West End venue other than Hubbards. Nal soon caught up with me, and Ally and his brother showed up as well.
Germany v Poland
Germany played slightly worse than in their first match, while Poland raised their game a bit from their terrible showing against Ecuador. It made for a mildly interesting game, neither side making great advances, but both fine on defense. Poland never really seemed threatening in any way, however, and it just felt like a waiting game. And boy, what a wait it was. Ballack was back for Germany, though failed to turn in a very impressive performance. Things got slightly more interesting when a Polish player was sent off 15 minutes from the end, and Germany really began to attack. An absolutely amazing attempt in the last 10 minutes saw the Germans hit the bar, then hit the bar again on the rebound. Poland looked like they were going to luck their way through the match and possibly stay in the competition. Until about two minutes from time, anyway, when Germany converted a cross into a perfectly fine goal, giving them the three points and destroying any chance Poland might have had to make it to the final 16. The post-match analysis was probably the only time you'll ever hear anyone discussing "Poland's Counter-Attack" in regards to Germany. So many jokes, so little time.
1 GER - POL 0