It’s been impossible to predict scores this World Cup.
But post my initial clumsy predictions (before the tournament) it feels like I might have hit the button with a France v England final?
Incredible stuff over the last week and too many stand-out games, goals and incidents to go into.
But one thing is for sure, I’m really glad Brazil got knocked out!
Here’s a team I watched as a kid, a side I always admired and supported, now reduced to a collective of crying babies headed by the one and only Neymar.
This World Cup has been marred slightly by the incessant diving and feigning of injury.
It’s so annoying to also see the holding up of make believe cards turn into the miming of imaginary TVs in order to get a VAR response.
MIDFIELD MAESTRO: Croatia superstar Luka Modric. Photo: RICARDO MAZALAN/AP
But as for Neymar why has he done this to himself? He will be forever known as the player that rolls around, rather than one of the all-time greats.
Despite the current commentary on him, I still feel he is an outstanding player with amazing pace and ability. Imagine if he immediately got up after a challenge, shook it off and got on with it. We’d all love him.
His antics even inspired a Cape Town agency to produce a KFC TV ad which has gone viral around the world.
KFC South Africa mocking Neymar theatrics pic.twitter.com/BbuTM0wfv7
— ESWCN (@SemperFiUtd) July 5, 2018
But anyway, enough of that, what we are about to receive is two massive semifinals, with (again) no chance of really knowing who’ll meet in the final.
Kicking off Tuesday night at 8pm live from St Petersburg, an absolute cracker
For me, France and Belgium are coming from a similar space and both have teams dotted with incredible players.
Both have built up momentum as the tournament has progressed and both play a similar brand of football.
As is often with games of this gravity, it's individual moments of brilliance that decide the outcome.
For Les Bleus, could it be Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Greizmann, or the (so far very quiet) Paul Pogba?
TITLE POTENTIAL: Les Bleus' rising star Kylian Mbappe. Photo: MICHAEL DALDER/REUTERS
For the Red Devils, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne or (somehow he just keeps scoring) Romelu Lukaku?
It’s just too tight to call and I think it’ll go to the wire, with France the eventual winners.
Then Wednesday (I’m already wetting my knickers) at the Luzhniki, a match-up that’ll probably provide a completely different kind of game
Two sides who would have considered getting out of the group stages a decent outcome now transformed into two squads brimming with belief.
I think England will sit tight and allow Croatia to come at them, relying on the fast break.
What worries me is that’ll be what the Croats will want. It’s going to be a dangerous tactic for Gareth Southgate to take on with the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic (two of the best midfielders in the world) conducting the offence.
I'm hoping I’m wrong and England decide to go toe-to-toe, which will afford a better environment for success?
F**k it!
What am I talking about, who knows what’s going on, who’s going to do what and what the results are going to be?
That’s why this World Cup has proven to be the best in recent times.
Unfortunately for me, unlike fans across England, I’m not spontaneously singing “Football’s coming home” as I potter around waiting for tomorrow night!
Next time we chat, France will probably have been on the double decker parading around the streets of Paris!