Day 2
06.10.2006Technorati tags: soccer World Cup
A quick recap on the World Cup at the end of Day 2.
Yesterday's opener game was stunning, just stunning. Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2, but the two teams slugged it out for the whole match. I'm especially happy that K8 & I watched it at Small Bar, a local pub in Wicker Park. Lots of excitement, fans in various team jerseys, and we even shared a table w/ a father & his 8-year-old daughter. After fish & chips, we ordered another round & settled in for the second match.
A disappointing show for Poland (who I rooted for) against Ecuador (who did well) as the game ended 2-0. Still, it didn't look like either Ecuador or Poland could beat either Germany or Costa Rica. The four teams are in Group A. So it looks like Germany will definitely qualify out of the group, probably in the lead. Germany plays Poland on 14 June; Ecuador plays Costa Rica on 15 June.
(There are eight groups of four teams; the first- & second-place teams in each group advance to the next round.)
Two hours after the Poland v. Ecuador match, I took a train back to Kalamazoo. This morning I woke up at 8am, stumbled down to Fourth Coast for a cup of coffee, then up to my neighbor's apartment to watch three matches.
Today's best game was Trinidad & Tobago v. Sweden. Wow! Sweden's not a favorite to win, but always a solid team w/ good chances. Trinidad & Tobago have never qualified for a World Cup; the tiny Caribbean island country's also the smallest country to ever enter a World Cup. And they played Sweden to a heart-pounding 0-0 tie — despite being a man down during the entire second hald of the game (I don't think Avery John deserved to be expelled). Unbelievable. For a tiny nation, opening 0-0 against an international soccer power is a dream.
Especially since the other game in Group B was a fiasco. England barely squeezed past Paraguay 1-0 on a lackluster game. Beckham had a few moments of brilliance, but that was it. If they keep playing like that, they might possibly lose to a Trinidad & Tobago that has lots of heart. Still, the English fans were happy w/ a win & we could hear a rousing chorus of "God Save the Queen" coming from the bleachers.
England plays Trinidad & Tobago on 15 June; Paraguay plays Sweden on the same day.
Finally, Argentina played Ivory Coast (or Côte d'Ivoire) in an infuriating performance. Argentina's usually everyones favorite team to hate because they play dirty, take dives (in hopes refs will call fouls in their favor), and just all around infuriate their opponents. Oh, they're also talented. But despite a series of really, really bad calls, Ivory Coast made a decent show in their first ever appearance in the World Cup. They lost 2-1, but they didn't deserve to lose.
So there it is. Tomorrow, I get up again to start at 9am w/ Serbia & Montenegro v. Netherlands. Yes, the irony. Montenegro voted to secede from Serbia & Montenegro (now it's "Serbia" and "Montenegro"), but the team's going to continue as an historical anachronism.
That's followed by Mexico v. Iran, followed by Angola v. Portugal. Again, the irony. Angola's first ever appearance in a World Cup will be against their formal colonial master (they fought a 14-year independence war which only ended when Portugal's dictatorship was overthrown at home in 1974).
And. Team USA opens on Monday!
Posted by Miguel at 08:23 PM