I Don”t know about you, but I’m loving the World Cup!
I had my reservations watching thousands of wealthy travelling tourists inside and outside the stadiums really annoys me.
Business took over football and spoilt it for real football fans. But anyway, besides my cynicism, I’ve gotten properly into it.
I guess the Spain v Portugal game really kicked the tournament into gear.
It felt like a semifinal, well, not as cagey, but the intensity was there.
Lovely to see players playing for their badge.
Something we’ve missed in recent years all too often. Something I feel we don’t see with Bafana Bafana!
I have to mention Ronaldo. Love him as a player or hate him as a personality, you have to respect the guy.
I’ve never been so sure of a goal from a free-kick as much as the magical shot he took to make it 3-3.
GUTTED: Argentina hero Lionel Messi missed a penalty. Photo: MATTHIAS SCHRADER/AP
The look on his face as he measured up what he was about to create. It was perfection, the type of moment few are capable of.
The magnificence of that goal was highlighted again as Argentina struggled to break down a resolute Iceland, with Ronaldo’s nemesis Lionel Messi looking ordinary and frustrated, unable to manufacture anything anywhere near as special.
The Messi-Ronaldo debate will rage on.
I guess you have to take into account Ronaldo’s average performances for Real Madrid recently as well as his contribution for Portugal at the Euros.
But right now, psychologically, it feels like the world is at the Portuguese’s feet!
Mind you, the rubbing of his chin after he scored on Saturday was annoying (indicating that he is the “goat”).
I think we’d all love him a bit easier if he cut the arrogance.
Imagine if Ronaldo carried himself with the same humility as Messi he’d be the complete hero!
On the technical side of the tournament, I’m still very unsure about VAR.
How come World Cup Officials seem to incorporate it easier than the trial games we saw in England?
Why aren’t we experiencing long VAR delays as we did in the FA Cup?
What is frustrating is the instruction from Fifa for linesmen to keep their flags down when there’s close offside calls. Apparently no need for a flag with VAR operators able to alert the ref with the correct decision.
What that leaves us with, however, is passages of play (that might even result in a goal) that will ultimately be overturned.
That surely ain’t right?
It means we can be watching periods of football that don’t matter, creating unnecessary emotional outbursts for those of us who take winning or losing games seriously.
IN THE POCKET: Brazil's Neymar, right, was nullified. Photo: FELIPE DANA/AP
My thoughts are that VAR and nuances that come along with it have still not been thought through.
Unleashing it on the game’s most important tournament feels premature.
VAR or no VAR, it still feels like we’re ramping up towards a great World Cup.
I still maintain it’ll be the usual suspects in the closing stages, however much we’d like to see an Iceland break the monopoly.
Mexico will have given “smaller” nations a boost. In the first half they ran rings around the champions.
A very well-organised Switzerland earned a good point against Brazil, with Neymar nullified in the process.
Hopefully the “if they can do it, we can do it” motto will encourage a few more shock results early days though.