Serenade Here I’m standing right outside your window. Yes, I know you’d thought I’d gone to ground. You’ve read about the World Cup in the Indo? Well, that’s the reason I’ve not been around. Matches on at lunchtime, as you know, dear, Afternoon games whet your appetite, Evening games the best part of the show, […]

Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1 (Round of 16) Loads of vitality Added to frugality, Dutch seem to have the winning mentality. Bags of ability, Allied to stability, Lifting the Cup has become a possibility. Slovaks plugged away, Fears were shrugged away. Dutch broke speedily, Robben eyed it beadily, Cut back inside and rifled home greedily. One […]

England 1 Germany 4 (Round of 16) (i) And so, let the blame game commence. For England, there’s no present tense. The Germans outfought them, Outran them, outthought them But somebody must be to blame Why England’s performance was tame. Will they blame it on Signor Capello? They thought that he was the right fellow. […]

South Korea 1 Uruguay 2 (Round of 16) Knockout stages up and running, South Korea full of cunning But it was the Uruguayans Who broke with uncommon speed. Forlan’s ball across the area Should have made the keeper warier, Defenders thought it had malaria. Luis Suarez did proceed To slot it home with calm intent […]

Brazil 0 Portugal 0 (Group G) Both teams say they qualified And that is all that counts, But I would not be mollified And roundly would denounce These teams of Hillman Hunters And not Mercedez Benz, Who cheated all the punters And lost a lot of friends. Brazil were most unsporting, As were the Portuguese, […]