Five goals that would set all the neutral fans cheering. ‘Unbeatable Dutch’ tag was near disappearing. They dithered at times when they should have been clearing. But writing them off would be folly. But oh, what a Tim Cahill volley! Van Persie feeds Robben and then vicey-versey. Robben won’t miss with the goal at his […]

Oh let us not remember them this way, made mortals of by Chilean young guns; sloppy, misplaced passes, mis-timed runs, a team that suddenly has had its day. All things must come to pass; and so this team that ‘cross the football firmament once strode, with one-touch passing, seamless as it flowed, said sad farewell […]

Goalkeeping howlers – one happened today. The keeper is scarlet, the rest of us bray. He wishes to borrow the vanishing spray. Oh, forget all those divers and foulers and thank God for great goalkeeping howlers. Goalkeeping howlers – the Russian is red. He wishes perhaps that he’d stayed in his bed. Oh, why did […]

Ronaldo seemed a bit subdued – he didn’t seem pumped up, imbued by a sense of greater magnitude. A bandage tight and long round one of his knees, we sensed things might go wrong for the Portuguese. Twelve minutes gone, a needless tug. The hole had started getting dug. Müller squared up with a shrug. […]

There was lots of falling over, crying wolf amongst the clover and lots of deeply injured finger-pointing. And both of the net-minders had good matches, if not blinders, but mostly it was deeply disappointing. Oh yes, Neymar dyed his hair from a darkish brown to fair, like some old backing singer from the Chi-lites. But, […]