Poems tagged ‘World Cup’
World Cup day 10
Lukaku and Hazard at the double
Belgium 5-2 Tunisia
Lukaku joins Ronaldo
In the race for the Golden Boot
Romelu does have an ace
It’s Hazard playing the flute
As the Belgians rout Tunisia
Both stars each wa brace
Dylan Bronn and Wahbi Khazri score
Tunisia sink with no trace
Eight goals in two games
Each Red Devil a star
Batshuayi makes it 5
The highest score game so far
23 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
South Korea 1-2 Mexico
Carlos Vela was in mourning
His Grandad had cheered El Tri
Thereafter he’d left this mortal plain
After the win against Germany
Javier Hernandez with a milestone
Reaching fifty not out
Beating Jo Hyeon-woo at the near post
To hand the Taegeuk a knockout
Son in turn hammers a worldie
Football can be so mean
This puts El Tri on the verge
Of the World Cup last 16
23 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
Kroos control as Germany fight back
Germany 2-1 Sweden
“Alles klar” proclaimed the Hoff
Toivonen caught them off guard
Until Reuss stepped it up
And Boateng got a red card
A last minute stunner it is then
Amidst the stadium din
Tony launches his Kroos missile
For a dramatic last gasp win
Thoughts for poor Jimmy Durmaz
Questioned for his right to live
For the foul that led to the win
You people need some perspective
23 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 9
Coutinho and Neymar leave it late
Brazil 2-0 Costa Rica
In Phil Coutinho
Seleção Brasileira have an ace
The Barcelona playmaker
Runs the hard race
Costa Rica set up well
Douglas Costa came in flying
They’d shed Brazilian skin
Even had Neymar crying
And so it looked like the favourites
Had run out of breath
But Coutiinho and Neymar
Swooped to seal it at the death
Magic Musa at the double
Nigeria 2-0 Iceland
Close control and a tidy finish
In my book he’s a maestro
Exquisite touch and deft of pace
What if Musa was Latino
Gylfi Sigurdsson fluffs a penalty
Iceland never in the race
Ahmed Musa for Nigeria
With a magic second half brace
The Super Eagles super win
Leaves second spot to grab
Both teams can still do it
Even the Argies still have a stab
The Eagle has landed
Serbia 1-2 Switzerland
Mitrovic pounced
Xhaka’s howitzer was regal
The Swiss are made from sterner stuff
Behold the Albanian eagle
With the clock ticking
They looked to share the cake
But Shaqiri’s late stunner
Leaves Serbia with heartache
Kaliningrad erupts
Raw emotion in the ground
Rossocrociati in the driving seat
To reach the second round
22 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 8
VAR to the rescue
Denmark 1-1 Australia
Australia are still in it
With Jedinak so trusty
Securing the first point
Against the Danes in Group C
Eriksen with a stunner
Cancelled by the Aussie penalty
Yussuf Poulsen’s handball
Thanks video assistant referee
Aaron Mooy went close
Sisto almost with a goal
France play next
As Age Hareide’s side take pole
21 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
Les Bleus reach last sixteen
France 1-0 Peru
If France have a blazing weapon
It’s Mbappé’s youthful flame
It was left to the young star
To decide an absorbing game
Les Bleus are the third team
To clinch a spot in the last sixteen
Los Incas could’ve shocked
Had Gareca’s strikers been more keen
So France’s youngest World Cup scorer
Is a mere nineteen years old
Tapping in a Paul Pogba pass
To think things stone dead cold
21 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
Argentina on the brink
Argentina 0-0 Croatia
With Ronnie on four goals
Would Messi start to shine?
Already playing catch up
We’re assured it’ll all be fine
A clanger from Caballero
Ante Rebic with a super volley
Modric hammers in a blinder
You can’t just scapegoat Willy
And as the seconds ticked away
Rakitic applied the handcuff
Now even a win against Nigeria
May not be quite enough
21 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
World Cup day 7
Ronaldo knocks out Morocco
Portugal 1-0 Morocco
Ronaldo again with the magic
This time an in the box spinner
At the Luzhniki Stadium
Yet another World Cup winner
All eyes on the Madrid star
After his hat-trick against Spain
Maroc lost the bid too
A whole kingdom feels the pain
It took the captain four minutes
Morocco failed to spot the threat
Diving onto Moutinho’s cross
An unstoppable header in the net
20 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
Suarez swoops to send Charrúas through
Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Luis Suarez once again
Creates World Cup history
The very first Charrúa
To score for Uruguay in three
One nil suits his team fine
Atletico Madrid on the global stage
Saudi were at best lacklustre
They seriously need to engage
Top of the table with Russia
El Pistolero’s goal will suffice
And to Phil Neville we say
They’ve only won the damn thing twice
20 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
Spain edge Team Melli
Iran 0-1 Spain
La Roja scraped a tough win
Sit with Portugal atop of Group B
They made it hard but still
Got an unconvincing victory
Spain’s only goal came
After Rezaeian and Costa met
An unlucky clearance
Ricocheting into his own net
Team Melli rallied
Smashed home by Ezatolahi
Wild celebrations ensued
But VAR did not agree
20 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
World Cup day 6
Colombia Red mist eases Japan home
Colombia 1-2 Japan
Nightmare start to the World Cup
Colombia found it too hot
Sanchez dismissed for handling
Shinji Kagawa’s shot
After the first red at this World Cup
Kagawa from the spot too quick
And the second fastest in history
Upstaged by Quintero’s free kick
Despite Rodriguez’s introduction
Osako’s header too good to resist
Japan rallied to hold the lead
Thanks to Keisuke Honda’s assist
Senegal are trending
Poland 1-2 Senegal
Cionek and Krychowiak scoring
Niang beat a former Arsenal goalie
Slotting into an empty net
Skipping past Bednarek and Szczesny
He’s the youngest at this World Cup
Aliou Cisse is a pioneer
He holds another distinction
Being the only black gaffer here
Definitely the World Cups best fans
Senegal is now trending
This is why you ride with Les Lions
This is Africa’s first Russia win
Hosts seal Egypt fate
Russia 3-1 Egypt
Heart break for Fathi the full back
His finish was simply great
With the Cups fifth own goal
One short of France 98
Cheryshev and Dzyuba make it three
Salah’s penalty on the dot
Rifled in with a full blast
Making no mistake from the spot
In the battle of the forwards
It’s Cheryshev who rules as king
Mother Russia now march on
It’ll be more than a three game fling
19 06 18
number7
© Emdad Rahman
World Cup day 5
Swedes start life without Zlatan
Sweden 1-0 South Korea
Ibrahimovic had said earlier
“The World Cup without me,
is not worth watching”
To some that’s a desperate plea
But the Blågult kept their nerve
With Son’s pace on the counter spin
It’s been a long sixty years
Since an opening day win
With no Zlatan in charge
Granqvist with the penalty
It’s now about Toivonen and Berg
Teamwork and unity
Belgique rule the roost
Belgium 3-0 Panama
Belgium stroll literally
Not to mention metaphorically
Mertens with a superb volley
To liven things up in Sochi
They took a while to get going
But Lukaku headed number two
De Bruyne supplies the magic
As his Red Devil’s plot to go through
Too strong for the newbies
Hard feeding the drip
Martinez tops Group Three
Lukaku with a deft chip
Captain Kane to the rescue
Tunisia 1-1 England
It was a dream start for England
First blood from Captain Kane
Kyle Walker turned street brawler
Sassi exacting penalty pain
We saw an attack of the midges
Attacking without rhyme or reason
Gifts from the Volga River
After all it is breeding season
You can’t keep a class striker down
Three Lions with miss after miss
Harry Kane seals it at the death
Volgograd to see the back of this
18 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 4
Kolarov class the difference
Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia
Nemanja Matic is a hard man
He took on the Costa Rican bench
Over a tussle for ball retention
He received a pardon for his French
David Guzman headed over
Serbia on a tour of duty
They sure know how to cleanse
Kolarov with a left footed beauty
17 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Champions face ‘Chucky’ nightmare
Germany 0-1 Mexico
The holders have been beaten
It’s the World Cup’s first shock
Mexico had more heart
That you cannot knock
Hirving Lozano the difference
That star from PSV
He had the Germans in tears
It’s normal stuff from Chucky
Last time the Germans lost a first
Was Espana 82
They got their act together
To reach that final too
17 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Team Rossocrociati deny Seleção
Brazil 1-1 Switzerland
Argentina, Germany, Brazil
Have another claim to fame
For the very first time
They’ve failed to win their first game
Surely the floodgates would open
With the brilliant Coutinho
Switzerland are stern stuff
Refusing to lay down low
Much lauded for their sparkle
The five time champions pushed on
With the Swiss stifling the firepower
To draw in Rostov-on-Don
17 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 3
Pogba spares the Blues
France 2-1 Australia
This was the game of plenty
France had more and more
With their lethal attacking trio
How many would Les Bleus score?
Twas a penalty that never was
Griezmann dispatched it coolly
What’s most shocking of all
Is VAR acting unruly
Umtiti has a mad moment
Jedinak the Aussie star
Deschamps rings the changes
Bailed out by Pogba
16 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
Argies face the bargy
Argentina 1-1 Iceland
Argentina were left to rue
Messi’s sport kick is costly
Mascherano breaks the record
VAR misses a clear penalty
Aguero scores his very first
So lethal on the swivel
Hallgrimsson’s organised side
Simply refused to shrivel
The lead lasts four minutes
Finnbogason with a simple tap
Argentina pressed for the winner
For the vikings it’s a wrap
16 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
Unlucky Peru rue killer touch
Peru 0-1 Denmark
Yussuf Poulsen did enough
To win this opening tie
Peru had 17 shots without scoring
To leave the Danes home and dry
It could have been different
Christian Cueva had the bullseye
VAR awarded a penalty kick
But he chose to aim for the sky
There was no past Schmeichel
Although Peru tethered Eriksen’s flow
Denmark take the three points
They were quite lucky to do so
16 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
Sorry Nigeria are lambs to the slaughter
Croatia 2-0 Nigeria
Etebo’s own goal
And a Modric penalty
Gives Croatia a winning start
Thanks to Nigeria in Group D
It was a dire game in Kaliningrad
With a wrestling bout on the pitch
Ref Sandro Ricci didn’t hesitate
When Troost-Ekong grapples Mandzukic
There was no danger
Of Modric and his penalty
Super Eagles were woeful
With Etebo off to Stoke City
16 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 2
Day 2
Unlucky Pharaohs sucker punched
Egypt 0-1 Uruguay
There’s a mystery in Ekaterinburg
Where missing seats are aplenty
Suarez looked well sluggish
But Cavani is equally lively
Carlos Sanchez’s free kick
Evades the rookie El Shenawy
Giménez heads in for Uruguay
A first opening win since 1970
We saw a defensive masterclass
Egypt now look to get on track
Godin was simply flawless
But Salah will soon be back
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No boots, no sweat
Morocco 0-1 Iran
So a second African team
Succumbed to a late strike
Iran win with seconds to spare
To stick two fingers up at Nike
It may have been to Queiroz
“The hardest group of the World Cup”
With only a second ever win
His team are surely on the up
Again this one settled late
No boots, no sweat
Aziz Bouhaddouz defending a set piece
Heading into his own net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ronaldo 3-3 Spain
Portugal 3-3 Spain
At the table of Ronaldo
The whole of Portugal sups
He’s now the fourth ever player
To score at four World Cups
Penalty gold in the first half
Who else but Ronaldo
Two from the bullish Costa
A swerving screamer from Nacho
I called it the moment the ref blew
Ronnie’s 51st career hat trick
This thrilling Group B opener
Squared with a vicious late free kick
15 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
World Cup day 1: Hosts kick off World Cup in style
Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia
Seemed the Saudis had better luck
Finding the moon than the net
Gazinskiy gives the Russia lead
The hosts they hardly broke sweat
It’s the first goal of the World Cup
But Dzagoev left in pain
Cheryshev with two superb goals
Green Falcons truly slayed
Dzyuba heads in a fourth
Golovin curls in a free-kick
Saudi were quite simply awful
Pizzi is in for some stick
Then there’s Yasir Al Shahrani
24 times he gave away the ball
Misplacing a third of his passes.
Eid Mubarak to all
14 06 18
number7
© emdad rahman
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
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Latest Poems
John Gilbert Ellis
28th November 2024
joe morris
26th November 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
26th November 2024
Gacina Bozidar
26th November 2024
Wynn Wheldon
26th November 2024
joe morris
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder .
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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