Tag: World Cup 2022

  • World Cup Dispatch: Wales v Iran

    As this match was the early one of the day, I did not get up at 5am to watch it. But reading the recaps this morning, it appears all the drama happened at the very beginning and end of the match.

    The Iranian team decided that they would “sing” their national anthem at the match’s opening ceremony. With the men barely moving their lips, and looking down, they gave more of an impression of reluctance and shame than national pride. No matter how hard FIFA and the Iranian authorities try, you can’t stop politics and protesting from happening.

    Then late in the match, Wales goalkeeper was shown the red card, leaving the Welsh shorthanded. This gave Iran what they needed to get over the hump and quickly scored two successive goals in stoppage time.

    With this out come, Group B just got a hell of more competitive. Wales isn’t fully out if it, but to survive they will have to beat England on Tuesday, which isn’t likely. Iran will need to win against the USA on Tuesday to advance, which will add another level of drama to that match. And that leaves today’s face off between England and the USA. For survival purposes, the US has to get a draw if not a win. But if they lose to England… Tuesday is going to be a crazy three way fight for second in the group.

    That’s right, right? I got my math correct on the outcomes in the group, right?

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  • World Cup Dispatch (Update): Belgium v Canada

    I don’t know a whole lot about these teams. What I know about Belgium is that they are a small country that produces good teams. I know this because they once knocked the USA out of the Cup back in 2014. Word on the street is that they are ranked #2 in the world. Whenever I see them play, they play good. Canada on the other hand, I know nothing about them. I know the qualified this year, and I know they will be in the next World Cup as they will be co-hosting with the USA and Mexico. So, I’m pretty much a blank slate on this match.

    I had to pick my kid up from school, so I missed the first half. It seems that Canada had a chance on a penalty kick, but Belgium’s goaltender, Borjan, blocked it handily. Then there was a non-penalty call that didn’t go Canada’s way. To end the half, Belgium got a goal at the 44th minute. That’s the recap.

    But watching the second half, Canada is the more aggressive team. They keep knocking and threatening Belgium’s goal, but they just can’t seem to catch a break. That’s not to say that Belgium hasn’t had a few chances to score, but the shot totals are slanted to Canada’s favor. I wouldn’t say Canada is playing amazing football, but they look hungry and are fighting for every ball.

    The match is at the 80th minute right now, with Canada making some changes. Time is running out if something is going to happen. In this group, a draw for Canada is just as good as a win.

    UPDATE: And it was not to be, Canada. Sometimes the Football Gods are unforgiving. Canada could have won this match. They earned a draw, but they shouldn’t have lost. Canada was the better team.

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  • World Cup Dispatch: Spain v Costa Rica, and Other News

    I don’t know a whole lot about either team here; Spain or Costa Rica. What I do know is that Costa Rica is a scrappy squad whose best showing was back in the 2014 Cup when they made it to the Quarter Finals and lost to the Netherlands on penalties. And then there is Spain, who won it all back in 2010. What I do know about Spain and football, comes from my uncle who lived most of his life in Madrid. What he told me is that Spain’s love of football cannot be described, it just is part of Spanish life – it is the culture. All that having been said, Spain should win this… And at the 11th minute, Spain just scored.

    As we know, I will not get up at 5am to watch the first match of the day, but I am a little surprised that Croatia didn’t beat Morocco; I will need to read up and see what happened there. I mean, Belgium is predicted to win this group, but if Canada can pull a draw (very unlikely) then this group could end up rather competitive and fun to watch.

    Lastly, is anyone else having issues with the FIFA app on their phone? It’s glitchy and slow to update on my end, and was curious to see if anyone else is having problems.

    And Spain just scored again…

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)

  • World Cup Dispatch (Update): Germany v Japan

    I have come into this match at the start of the second half, so I didn’t see Germany score its lone goal. The conventional wisdom here is that Germany should win this match, as Germany is one of the powerhouse nations when it comes to football. But, remember that the 2018 Cup was a disaster for Germany, so there are still questions lingering about this team. Now, Japan does have its work cut out for them, but by no means are they a long shot in this match. Since 2002, Japan has been fielding competitive teams in international play, and the only way you get better is by competing more.

    And watching Japan in this second half, they are coming across as the more aggressive team. They are fighting for every ball, and have had at least three really good scoring chances. Then, Japan’s goaltender, GONDA, just had four major stops in a series of shots from…

    And now Japan just scored! It’s 1-1, and Japan does look like the more relaxed team out there, as Germany looks edgy.

    Let’s see how the next 10 minutes go.

    UPDATE:

    WOW! Japan did it! Better than a draw, they beat Germany! The last twenty minutes were all Japan. That’s not to say that Germany didn’t threaten, but Japan’s defense was iron tight. GONDA, Japan’s goalie, was amazing! He seemed to be everywhere. But I also have to point out that Japan’s defense on Germany’s set plays are corners was impressive. This was not a weak German team, but Japan wore them down, like the old rope-a-dope, and then just took over at the end of the match.

    That was fun! That was a lot of fun to watch!

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Mexico v Poland

    Full disclosure; I was running errands when this match started. (See, I needed to get the last of shopping for Thanksgiving done, which meant a run to Trader Joe’s, then to Old Navy to exchange some pajama bottoms, then to Whole Foods for a specific cheese that the wife needs for the big meal, and finally I went to neighborhood Key Foods to shop for dinner. Not that this has anything to do with anything, I just wanted to share it.) By the time I got home it was halftime, and the consensus was that Poland was holding their own against Mexico, as the score was 0-0.

    In the second half, I was able to catch, what for right now is the save of the Tournament. Lewandowski was fouled in the box, which gave him a penalty kick. Standing in front of goal for Mexico was their clutch goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. I remember Ochoa from to 2018 Cup, and he kept that Mexican team together, even as they started to faulter in the group stage back then. This time around, Ochoa kept his legend alive as he blocked Lewandowski’s kick, and the huge crowd of Mexico supports exploded in cheers! In the end, as the matched in a draw, Ochoa saved his team, and has kept them alive with one point.

    Looking at Group C, I never thought Argentina would be sitting at the bottom, nor did I think Saudi Ariba would be alone at the top. I know it’s early, and a lot can still happen.

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)