Wow o wow o wow.
Before this whirled cup began mixing things up, I thought Spain and England were shoo ins for the next level. Boy, was I wrong. Spain looked like they had mofo hangovers, with their gears being stuck between No and Slo. The idea that the last cup's winners could not make it to the group of whatever, shocking. But age and a lack of fire in the belly seemed to take its toll.
England? The land of the premier league? Clearly each individual player is extremely talented (hey, Rooney scored! Finally!) but as a team they lack . . . Something. It is like each part is finely honed, perfectly made and polished, but they don't mesh. Like mixing parts from a Tesla electric car, a diesel truck engine, and a Yugo.
Now, we have Land of the rising son, one man up on Greece. At the beginning, I thought the ref sucked, ignoring clear penalties, even yellows. And then the captain of the Greek squad got his second yellow. The first was clearly called for, the second? Perhaps. But I also think some of the no calls made an unconscious impact on the ref.
Anyway, 1-1 at the end on one half.
OLE!