Is it confusing to anyone else that each Matchday lasts several days?
Hokay. We'll save Argentina vs Croatia for last because that's the most important.
So first off Denmark Tied Australia 1-1. Denmark scored in the sixth minute, some sort of giant bat-winged eyeless bug thing dragged off one of the sideline refs, and then Australia scored on a penalty. There's been a lot of talk about video review for penalties - when do we go to them, for instance, and who decides that, and here's a quote from the Guardian:
Among other things, Russia 2018 is destined to be remembered for the advent of middle-aged men in the stands doing TV gestures with their hands whenever there is the slightest contact in the box. The VAR debate rumbles on.
Anyway. I don't expect extra-dimensional fungi will play much of a role moving forward, especially as how they seem only to be targeting sideline refs and, like, third string coaches and subs. Additionally, neither team have a lot of scoring power, and I don't expect either to get to the final four.
France beat Peru 1-0. The goal for France was scored by a 19-year-old, the youngest scorer ever at the Cup. In four years I hope to be the oldest scorer ever in the Cup, but I have some work to do there! Peru actually looked pretty good but just couldn't get it in the goal - France advances to the next round and Peru is out. It's a shame because Peru is scrappy -
And then Croatia beat Argentina 3-0. Argentina has the world's best player (Lionel Messi) but they just couldn't get him the ball, and the Argentinian goaltender was not playing his best. Croatia, wearing black with red lettering, started the game by sacrificing a lamb painted to look like Wilfredo Caballero (the Argentinian keeper); it's hard to say if the sacrifice itself, or the formless winged monstrosities that hovered over the goal for most of the game, broke Caballero's spirit. Whatever it was it's really on his shoulders that the loss needs to hang - between this, and the tie with Iceland, Caballero might be preventing Argentina's Cup bid. It's a shame, really - a loss for Argentia is a win for dark sorceries and the forces that oppose the light - here represented by Messi.
Anyway. Exciting times in the World Cup; we're starting to see the round of 16 shaping up! Stay tuned for more tomorrow - the next games are Brazil vs Costa Rica (the important one), Nigeria vs Iceland (the fun one), and Switzerland vs Serbia (the meh one). Marry-Fuck-Kill, there!
-Dave
P.S. If you want to see what USA Today thought about the World Cup countries before any games were played, well, here you go:
And here's a good little thing - maybe better written than mine! - about the top-ish ten teams so far:
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