|

On Day Sixteen

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 France v Argentina

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Mbappe sur une Kyllian spree
Inspires Les Bleus pour gagner 4-3
(Thought I’d chance me arm, at a bit of the old Francais)
T’was a tres magnifique sight to watch
Till I screamed selfishly, “Oi Deschamps”, at me goggle box…
“Don’t sub him (Mbappe) yet, leave him out there, let him play”.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Argentina head for the plane
With a case of what might have been…yet again
For a clearly – I don’t fancy this – Lionel Messi
While their former talisman in the stand
Cigar in God-like podgy hand
Tells all who’ll listen…”Please Don’t Cry For Me”.
*****************************************************
Uruguay v Portugal.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 T’was a case of the old one two
For Uruguay, in this no prisoners taken duel,
Against a Portugal side being carried by a name
Once the threat of Ron was snuffed
By Godin – a canny defensive pain in the butt –
Uruguay won as a team, albeit one on another plane.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Their strong team ethic clearly works
I mean…two centre forwards getting stuck in where it hurts?
In order to win the ball back if it’s lost?
Plus their beautifully crafted deuce of goals last night
(Well worthy of another look again in the day light)
Moves me to say of them, “U R The Guys (sic)…the rest must try to stop”!
****************************************************

44

Notes

This latest brace of games are the first ones I’ve watched in their entirety, and a right treat – for a sweltering Saturday afternoon here in London – they were too. The long awaited debut of Kyllian Mbappe on the World Cup stage, was a sight to behold. He’s looking – at least to me – exactly what we’ve heard him to be…a kid who simply sets his sights and goes gung-ho for goal. Argentina were on the way home – in their heads- long before this game, which I thought should and indeed could have been embarrassing over for them, well before half-time.

Meanwhile Uruguay’s no nonsense team ethic, instilled by a sharp minded senior citizen of a coach, will I think make them a difficult team to beat. The pairing up front caused the underperforming Portuguese big problems, even without the ball. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team make so many negative passes trying to get the ball forward as I did while watching Portugal. Ron must have been going absolutely radio rental in the box watching, waiting, waiting and waiting…like I was.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/on-day-sixteen/