In amongst the usual disaster zone that is my life, I made time a the other week to go see Guardians of the Galaxy, and let me tell, it kicks many levels of arse.
Unlike Avengers Assemble, which was also very excellent, I wasn't that familiar with the characters. We haven't had a series of films to set everything up, instead being thrown into the life of one Peter Quill, self-appointed "Star Lord", a human adventuring in space due to circumstances best seen on screen. Through his usual reckless thieving, he ends up with more misfits on his case: Rocket (a Raccoon type animal genetically and bionically modified to speak like Bradley Cooper), Groot (a walking tree) and Gamora, a green skinned alien who is the adopted son of the rather nasty Thanos, who was the bad looking dude seen at the end of the Avengers flick. She has been tasked with recovering a relic by Ronan, a lacky (OR IS HE?) to Thanos to whom Gamora is working for alongside the big man's other daughter, Nebula.
It all ends with them locked up in clink for scrapping, where they meet the musclebound Drax the Destroyer, left extremely violent after his family were murdered, from which it all goes off and, plot spoilers aside, becomes very entertaining indeed.
I honestly couldn't find much to criticise about the whole affair. It looks great, has plenty of laughs, great music and for the main part, the casting is top notch. I've seen some jibes at the casting of pro wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax - personally, I found him excellent in the role, offering up some fine comic timing. I'd never seen anything of Chris Pratt before (having given up on Parks and Recreation before his character arrived), but I give the dude his dues: his playing of Quill was most excellent. People have been saying he's a Han Solo for the 21st century, which makes a lot of sense. Indeed, if Marvel play their cards right on this one, this franchise could well be the Star Wars for this generation - an opinion shared by a friend of mine who took the seven-year-old son of a friend to check this out, and was met with a demand to see it again right away.
Right now, it's impossible to give anything but kudos to Marvel: I've seen this and Captain America: The Winter Soldier in recent times and had nothing but a brilliant time, left eagerly wanting more of the characters I've seen. Anyone reading this who hasn't seen Guardians of the Galaxy should consider it, unless they can't stand the whole genre.
In other related news, I did get very excited when I saw some test footage for Deadpool reboot, all CGI with Ryan Reynolds voicing your favourite Fourth Wall breaker. However, it turned out to be from 2011, leaked for whatever reason. Reynolds played a Wade Wilson created in a rather regrettable fashion in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and as a huge fan of the character, has been trying to make amends ever since, bless him. A Deadpool film done like the footage we have already seen would be a total hoot and I wish a plague of genital warts on whoever has not green lit it so far.
Monday, 11 August 2014
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Day 32 - Germany v Argentina
Pre-Match Thoughts
In which, we reach the conclusion, a repeat of both the 1986 and 1990 finals, though Germany had the "West" prefix back in those days.
The big news is that German midfielder Sami Khedira got himself crocked in the warm up and is replaced by a guy, Christoph Kramer, who has only put in 12 minutes on the pitch so far. Yikes! Khedira has been a huge part of the engine room of his team and his loss will be felt.
Argentina, again, will look to Messi to be the icon that Maradona was in 1986. The Dutch spent most of their game plan fighting his influence, to the detriment. Mascherano, the former Liverpool man, has done a lot of their donkey work and it was his last ditch tackle in the semi-final that might well have seen them reach this game.
On Friday, I was backing a 2-0 win to the Germans, though with the last minute tactical switch, the South Americans may fancy their chances more. Got to stick with my original thoughts, though!
Drink?
Despite work tomorrow, it's the World Cup final, so fuck it. Only comes every four years.
First Half
Despite the lack of goals, there's been plenty to watch. Germany have perhaps have the bigger share of possession, but it's their opponents who have had the best chances. Messi has been mainly quiet, but been able to waltz through a couple of times.
The usual reliable Toni Kroos made a disaster of a header that put Higuain clean through, though the Argentine somehow managed to spanner it wide. To compound his misery, he then had a goal (correctly) disallowed.
It perhaps should have been one up to the Germans, seconds before half time, Howedes should have put away a ball from a corner, but managed to conspire to head it at a weird angle, hitting the post.
Sadly, poor Kramer got sparked out in a bad accident early on, ruining his big night. The poor guy looked totally lost, as if he had done 12 rounds in a boxing ring, forcing more unwanted changes for the Germans.
More of the same from both will see goals.
Second Half
The game has reduced, somewhat, to a slugging match with two teams tiring quickly. Neither goalkeeper has been tested to any real level. Germany perhaps just looked the most dangerous, though Messi squandered a good chance early in the half.
Into extra time, then.
Extra Time
Go Germany, then. Extra time looked for a long time like it would go the distance, to penalties.
In the end, it took a moment of top class not from Messi, not from any of the big name players hyped before the World Cup started, but a 22-year-old who only got on the pitch as a sub. Mario Gotze goes down in history as scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final, and a superb goal it was too. Gotze has shown plenty of promise in his career so far and a moment like this could see him rise to the top.
Germany are the World Champions in 2014. Looking back, perhaps they deserve it. No other team was as well organised and worked as a team as well as them, the Algeria game aside. Their 7-1 drubbing of Brazil will long stand in memory and the relative youth of their squad will make them favourites for the 2016 European Championships.
And the Bad News Is...
No more football worth mentioning till August 16th. Fuck.
In which, we reach the conclusion, a repeat of both the 1986 and 1990 finals, though Germany had the "West" prefix back in those days.
The big news is that German midfielder Sami Khedira got himself crocked in the warm up and is replaced by a guy, Christoph Kramer, who has only put in 12 minutes on the pitch so far. Yikes! Khedira has been a huge part of the engine room of his team and his loss will be felt.
Argentina, again, will look to Messi to be the icon that Maradona was in 1986. The Dutch spent most of their game plan fighting his influence, to the detriment. Mascherano, the former Liverpool man, has done a lot of their donkey work and it was his last ditch tackle in the semi-final that might well have seen them reach this game.
On Friday, I was backing a 2-0 win to the Germans, though with the last minute tactical switch, the South Americans may fancy their chances more. Got to stick with my original thoughts, though!
Drink?
Despite work tomorrow, it's the World Cup final, so fuck it. Only comes every four years.
First Half
Despite the lack of goals, there's been plenty to watch. Germany have perhaps have the bigger share of possession, but it's their opponents who have had the best chances. Messi has been mainly quiet, but been able to waltz through a couple of times.
The usual reliable Toni Kroos made a disaster of a header that put Higuain clean through, though the Argentine somehow managed to spanner it wide. To compound his misery, he then had a goal (correctly) disallowed.
It perhaps should have been one up to the Germans, seconds before half time, Howedes should have put away a ball from a corner, but managed to conspire to head it at a weird angle, hitting the post.
Sadly, poor Kramer got sparked out in a bad accident early on, ruining his big night. The poor guy looked totally lost, as if he had done 12 rounds in a boxing ring, forcing more unwanted changes for the Germans.
More of the same from both will see goals.
Second Half
The game has reduced, somewhat, to a slugging match with two teams tiring quickly. Neither goalkeeper has been tested to any real level. Germany perhaps just looked the most dangerous, though Messi squandered a good chance early in the half.
Into extra time, then.
Extra Time
Go Germany, then. Extra time looked for a long time like it would go the distance, to penalties.
In the end, it took a moment of top class not from Messi, not from any of the big name players hyped before the World Cup started, but a 22-year-old who only got on the pitch as a sub. Mario Gotze goes down in history as scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final, and a superb goal it was too. Gotze has shown plenty of promise in his career so far and a moment like this could see him rise to the top.
Germany are the World Champions in 2014. Looking back, perhaps they deserve it. No other team was as well organised and worked as a team as well as them, the Algeria game aside. Their 7-1 drubbing of Brazil will long stand in memory and the relative youth of their squad will make them favourites for the 2016 European Championships.
And the Bad News Is...
No more football worth mentioning till August 16th. Fuck.
Saturday, 12 July 2014
Day 31 - Netherlands v Brazil
Pre-Match Thoughts
To which, the most pointless game of the whole affair. Neither teams wants to be here, both would prefer to be chilling out, reflecting on getting so near to the final. Or, in Brazil's case, trying to forget abject humiliation.
Some panic-mongers predicted mass riots after the German game, which don't seem to have happened. Perhaps the scale of defeat made it simply too absurd to be angry about - a 4-0 may have brought a different outcome. But 7-1? That's just silly.
The Spain game apart, the Dutch did well to get so far without ever being fantastic. Van Gaal picked his tactics right in the main, but I think he showed a lack of adventure against Argentina. This is his last game in charge before taking over at the Greatest Club in the World, so I'm hoping he'll want to go out with a bang. Let's say 2-1 to der Orange Boys.
Drink?
Well, I did spend most of the afternoon boozing with my main man Simon... but why not?
First Half
Perhaps my prediction was too easy on Brazil! Within a minute, the Dutch had a penalty. It wasn't a penalty, as the foul was outside the box. But then, the defender should have walked for the foul, when he only got a yellow. Robin van Persie didn't need to ask twice to slot it away - his fourth goal in a tournament in which he's rarely been at his best.
Not long after, David Luiz once again threw his odd shapes to head a simple clearence into the path of Daley Blind to finish in style. Ouch.
Since then, Brazil have made some attempts to resolve some pride, to no results.
Second Half
Slight non-event in which the best part of sod all happened until the last few minutes, when the Dutch decided to see their boss off in the style and score another. Not many happy campers in the stadium there.
Result
3-0 to Netherlands, who are the third best team in the world, presumably.
In Honour of Tommy....
Hey! Ho! Let's go! Hey! Ho! Let's go!
To which, the most pointless game of the whole affair. Neither teams wants to be here, both would prefer to be chilling out, reflecting on getting so near to the final. Or, in Brazil's case, trying to forget abject humiliation.
Some panic-mongers predicted mass riots after the German game, which don't seem to have happened. Perhaps the scale of defeat made it simply too absurd to be angry about - a 4-0 may have brought a different outcome. But 7-1? That's just silly.
The Spain game apart, the Dutch did well to get so far without ever being fantastic. Van Gaal picked his tactics right in the main, but I think he showed a lack of adventure against Argentina. This is his last game in charge before taking over at the Greatest Club in the World, so I'm hoping he'll want to go out with a bang. Let's say 2-1 to der Orange Boys.
Drink?
Well, I did spend most of the afternoon boozing with my main man Simon... but why not?
First Half
Perhaps my prediction was too easy on Brazil! Within a minute, the Dutch had a penalty. It wasn't a penalty, as the foul was outside the box. But then, the defender should have walked for the foul, when he only got a yellow. Robin van Persie didn't need to ask twice to slot it away - his fourth goal in a tournament in which he's rarely been at his best.
Not long after, David Luiz once again threw his odd shapes to head a simple clearence into the path of Daley Blind to finish in style. Ouch.
Since then, Brazil have made some attempts to resolve some pride, to no results.
Second Half
Slight non-event in which the best part of sod all happened until the last few minutes, when the Dutch decided to see their boss off in the style and score another. Not many happy campers in the stadium there.
Result
3-0 to Netherlands, who are the third best team in the world, presumably.
In Honour of Tommy....
Hey! Ho! Let's go! Hey! Ho! Let's go!
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Day 28 - Argentina v Netherlands
Pre-Match Thoughts
There's a slight bit of "how do you follow that?" with this game in regards to last night. Germany have set down a marker that they are capable of destroying any team that shows weakness. Neither of their potential opponents have shown much of that, but they haven't shown too much in the way of power too much, the Dutch's first game excepted.
For our friends from the Netherlands, there remains the constant title of "The Best Nation to Never Win the World Cup"... even England have won it! Finalists in '74, '78 and 2010 and now into the last four despite it not being a classic Dutch team. Louis van Gaal appears to be playing a careful tactical approach where he adapts to every situation rather than playing one single system.
As said before, Argentina are designed around Messi. If van Gaal can work out how to put the mockers on him, half the battle is won. I'm putting confidence in the future Manchester United manager and saying 2-1 to the Orange boys.
Drink
No work tomorrow, so hit me.
First Half
About an uneventful first half as you could wish for. Neither goalkeeper has been seriously tested, though the Dutch have had more to deal with. None of their attacking threats - van Persie, Snijder or Robben - has managed to make any impact. Argentina have looked *slightly* more threatening, but that's not saying much. Time for the teams to lively up themselves, or this is heading the distance.
Second Half
Pretty much as I feared, on some levels. There were two chances, one to either side. Argentina hit the side netting, then in dying moments, Robben had a chance, but left it too late to shoot. Therefore, extra time awaits, somewhat predictably.
Extra Time
It seemed through most of this that penalties were an inevitability. Which they turned out to be and this time, the Dutch's luck ran out. They missed two, Argentina scored all of theirs.
Result
Argentina win on pens, to play Germany in the final. The Netherlands will play Brazil in a totally pointless play-off for 3rd/4th place.
Sitcom of the Day
"Citizen Smith", as I'm on strike tomorrow. Power to the People!
There's a slight bit of "how do you follow that?" with this game in regards to last night. Germany have set down a marker that they are capable of destroying any team that shows weakness. Neither of their potential opponents have shown much of that, but they haven't shown too much in the way of power too much, the Dutch's first game excepted.
For our friends from the Netherlands, there remains the constant title of "The Best Nation to Never Win the World Cup"... even England have won it! Finalists in '74, '78 and 2010 and now into the last four despite it not being a classic Dutch team. Louis van Gaal appears to be playing a careful tactical approach where he adapts to every situation rather than playing one single system.
As said before, Argentina are designed around Messi. If van Gaal can work out how to put the mockers on him, half the battle is won. I'm putting confidence in the future Manchester United manager and saying 2-1 to the Orange boys.
Drink
No work tomorrow, so hit me.
First Half
About an uneventful first half as you could wish for. Neither goalkeeper has been seriously tested, though the Dutch have had more to deal with. None of their attacking threats - van Persie, Snijder or Robben - has managed to make any impact. Argentina have looked *slightly* more threatening, but that's not saying much. Time for the teams to lively up themselves, or this is heading the distance.
Second Half
Pretty much as I feared, on some levels. There were two chances, one to either side. Argentina hit the side netting, then in dying moments, Robben had a chance, but left it too late to shoot. Therefore, extra time awaits, somewhat predictably.
Extra Time
It seemed through most of this that penalties were an inevitability. Which they turned out to be and this time, the Dutch's luck ran out. They missed two, Argentina scored all of theirs.
Result
Argentina win on pens, to play Germany in the final. The Netherlands will play Brazil in a totally pointless play-off for 3rd/4th place.
Sitcom of the Day
"Citizen Smith", as I'm on strike tomorrow. Power to the People!
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Day 27 - Brazil v Germany
Pre-Match Thoughts
The World Cup seems to be in danger of fizzling out after little in the way of excitement in the quarter-finals, the Dutch sneaking through on pens excepted.
Brazil have been hit with Neymar cracking his back, though his impact against Colombia was minimal in any case. For them, it's an issue of whether they can handle the pressure having had to scrape past in their last two games, with only one clean sheet out of five. There's plenty of potential for goals against this team.
Whether Germany can manage it depends on their midfield. Once again, they've stuck Klose up top, despite him being well off the pace against the French. He may, perhaps, have more luck against a less well organised back line.
Prediction: 1-1 after 120 minutes, Germany to win on penalties.
First Half
Well... erm... not sure what you can say about that 45 minutes.
The Germans set themselves up perfectly and all the concerns about the Brazil team expressed thus far have finally come to fruition. They were hopeless and Germany took full advantage - most notably when Klose was able to find the time and space to become the top scorer in World Cup Finals history.
But five??! Did anyone predict that, anywhere? They've managed to make everything click that didn't quite against Algeria and France, pressing hard, playing a brilliant short passing game and showing total ruthlessness.
Worth noting Brazil's David Luiz should have been sent off for one of two elbows he threw out.
Second Half
Naturally, nothing could live quite up to that. Yet there were chances galore, with Neur in the German goal having to make some good saves. The slight kamikaze approach from Brazil allowed the ruthless Germans to grab another two goals.
It could have been more, but for Ozil's hopeless finishing. From that, Brazil went up the other end to score the most pointless goal all summer.
The fallout from this game could be felt for while to come. Brazil have seemed on the verge of a bad defeat, but nothing on this level. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here.
Memory of Another 7-1
Back in the Spring of 2007, I had a camera shoved down my gob at hospital, which required sedation. A friend, let's call them "Ricky", got me home and after buying me a sausage roll before leaving me to my drug-addled state. That night, Manchester United played a very good Roma side and won 7-1, leading me to ring my dad to check I wasn't tripping out or something.
The World Cup seems to be in danger of fizzling out after little in the way of excitement in the quarter-finals, the Dutch sneaking through on pens excepted.
Brazil have been hit with Neymar cracking his back, though his impact against Colombia was minimal in any case. For them, it's an issue of whether they can handle the pressure having had to scrape past in their last two games, with only one clean sheet out of five. There's plenty of potential for goals against this team.
Whether Germany can manage it depends on their midfield. Once again, they've stuck Klose up top, despite him being well off the pace against the French. He may, perhaps, have more luck against a less well organised back line.
Prediction: 1-1 after 120 minutes, Germany to win on penalties.
First Half
Well... erm... not sure what you can say about that 45 minutes.
The Germans set themselves up perfectly and all the concerns about the Brazil team expressed thus far have finally come to fruition. They were hopeless and Germany took full advantage - most notably when Klose was able to find the time and space to become the top scorer in World Cup Finals history.
But five??! Did anyone predict that, anywhere? They've managed to make everything click that didn't quite against Algeria and France, pressing hard, playing a brilliant short passing game and showing total ruthlessness.
Worth noting Brazil's David Luiz should have been sent off for one of two elbows he threw out.
Second Half
Naturally, nothing could live quite up to that. Yet there were chances galore, with Neur in the German goal having to make some good saves. The slight kamikaze approach from Brazil allowed the ruthless Germans to grab another two goals.
It could have been more, but for Ozil's hopeless finishing. From that, Brazil went up the other end to score the most pointless goal all summer.
The fallout from this game could be felt for while to come. Brazil have seemed on the verge of a bad defeat, but nothing on this level. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here.
Memory of Another 7-1
Back in the Spring of 2007, I had a camera shoved down my gob at hospital, which required sedation. A friend, let's call them "Ricky", got me home and after buying me a sausage roll before leaving me to my drug-addled state. That night, Manchester United played a very good Roma side and won 7-1, leading me to ring my dad to check I wasn't tripping out or something.
Saturday, 5 July 2014
Day 24 - Netherlands v Costa Rica
Pre Match Thoughts
A real "David v Goliath" match up, to dip into the realms of cliché once again. Netherlands are three time finalists against Costa Rica, who are in the quarter-finals for the first time.
The Americans may well regret having not finished the job against Greece in better style, needing to go to extra time and penalties. Especially when they are up against a fancied Dutch team, with Robben on fire and the likes of van Persie hunting for goals.
Costa Rica have been the hero team so far in this tournament and I have tons of admiration for them. They may be long-shots, but in a one-off game there is always a chance. Navos in goal has been in top form throughout and Bryan Ruiz is capable of scoring, but by playing five at the back, it suggests they're looking to contain and perhaps even last out till penalties.
Though I'm going for 2-0 to the Dutch, feeling confident after getting the last game on the money.
Drink?
Keep 'em coming, boyo.
First Half
Turned out to be my worst fears, with Costa Rica playing the safe game. To their credit, their back line has held up very well and the goalie has dealt with any issues comfortably. There's not been much to write about in terms of action... the Dutch may well be biding their time and hoping the other side tires out first.
Second Half
The Dutch have taken the term "making it hard for themselves" to new levels. It's been nearly all them throughout the second half but they've not managed to get the ball in the net. A free kick hits the post, van Persie misses a sitter and then sees a shot cleared off the line.
With Argentina waiting, the last thing these teams want is an extra 30 minutes to toil through. But that is what they've got.
Extra Time
The first half was pretty dead, except for a moment where Costa Rica should have had a penalty, a decision the ref seemed to totally bottle. The rest of the game was fairly equal, though the Dutch came closest when Wesley Sneijder, whose free kick hit the post, hit the bar.
Therefore, the game went to pens, with van Gaal making the decision to bring on Newcastle's Tim Krul on as goalkeeper to face the shoot-out.
And what a decision it turned out to be - the Dutch lads converted their penalties nervelessly, and Krul saved two out of four. The Dutch made far too much hard work out of this game and the extra shift put in may prove to be fatal. Big improvement needed if they are to make the final...
Result
0-0, Dutch win 4-2 on pens. They'll play Argentina.
Crap Relevant Joke
Q - What's the difference between Amsterdam and scoring in American football?
A - One is a touchdown, the other is a Dutch town
A real "David v Goliath" match up, to dip into the realms of cliché once again. Netherlands are three time finalists against Costa Rica, who are in the quarter-finals for the first time.
The Americans may well regret having not finished the job against Greece in better style, needing to go to extra time and penalties. Especially when they are up against a fancied Dutch team, with Robben on fire and the likes of van Persie hunting for goals.
Costa Rica have been the hero team so far in this tournament and I have tons of admiration for them. They may be long-shots, but in a one-off game there is always a chance. Navos in goal has been in top form throughout and Bryan Ruiz is capable of scoring, but by playing five at the back, it suggests they're looking to contain and perhaps even last out till penalties.
Though I'm going for 2-0 to the Dutch, feeling confident after getting the last game on the money.
Drink?
Keep 'em coming, boyo.
First Half
Turned out to be my worst fears, with Costa Rica playing the safe game. To their credit, their back line has held up very well and the goalie has dealt with any issues comfortably. There's not been much to write about in terms of action... the Dutch may well be biding their time and hoping the other side tires out first.
Second Half
The Dutch have taken the term "making it hard for themselves" to new levels. It's been nearly all them throughout the second half but they've not managed to get the ball in the net. A free kick hits the post, van Persie misses a sitter and then sees a shot cleared off the line.
With Argentina waiting, the last thing these teams want is an extra 30 minutes to toil through. But that is what they've got.
Extra Time
The first half was pretty dead, except for a moment where Costa Rica should have had a penalty, a decision the ref seemed to totally bottle. The rest of the game was fairly equal, though the Dutch came closest when Wesley Sneijder, whose free kick hit the post, hit the bar.
Therefore, the game went to pens, with van Gaal making the decision to bring on Newcastle's Tim Krul on as goalkeeper to face the shoot-out.
And what a decision it turned out to be - the Dutch lads converted their penalties nervelessly, and Krul saved two out of four. The Dutch made far too much hard work out of this game and the extra shift put in may prove to be fatal. Big improvement needed if they are to make the final...
Result
0-0, Dutch win 4-2 on pens. They'll play Argentina.
Crap Relevant Joke
Q - What's the difference between Amsterdam and scoring in American football?
A - One is a touchdown, the other is a Dutch town
Day 24 - Belgium v Argentina
Post Match Thoughts
I'm hoping for a better day of football, though this game doesn't offer much encouragement. I've not seen much from either team to suggest they've played as well as they could. For all the talk of this being the best generation Belgium has ever produced, they've been little more than functional for 99% of this World Cup so far, needed Roman Lukaku to wake up and do a job to get past the USA.
In the same way, Argentina have (more obviously) relied on the magic of Messi to put them into contention. Throw in the news that Brazil have lost Neymar with a broken vertebrate and there will be a feeling amongst everyone else that their odds just got better.
Somewhat surprisingly, Fellani stays in the team despite a poor showing in the last game while Lukaku stays on the bench, though Kevin Mirallas starts. ITV TV have tried stirring a little by suggesting the real power in the dressing room lies with captain Vincent Kompany rather than coach Marc Wilmots, which seems hard to believe.
1-0 win to Argentina seems a fairly likely outcome here.
Drink?
It's Saturday, it's warm. Of course I want a beer!
First Half
As I expected, not the most thrilling of games, with I think only one shot on target. Sadly for Belgium, Higuain pulled off a perfect finish for his first goal of the tournament. Since then, both goalkeepers may as well have brought a book, such is their lack of work. The pace of the game has been essentially as quick as me, though if anybody else is going to score, it'll be the South Americans.
Second Half
Argentina perhaps knew this result was solid, as they rarely pushed too hard and Belgium never offered much in the way of any threats. Indeed, the best chance of the half came right at the end when Messi was clean through, only to squander an opportunity.
Belgium may look back on this World Cup as a wasted opportunity. Eden Hazard especially was poor and it was their lack of attacking threat that means they're not in the final four.
Result
Argentina win 1-0 and will face Germany.
Beer O'Clock
Why does anyone drink the American Budweiser (which is total piss) when the original is infinitely times better?
I'm hoping for a better day of football, though this game doesn't offer much encouragement. I've not seen much from either team to suggest they've played as well as they could. For all the talk of this being the best generation Belgium has ever produced, they've been little more than functional for 99% of this World Cup so far, needed Roman Lukaku to wake up and do a job to get past the USA.
In the same way, Argentina have (more obviously) relied on the magic of Messi to put them into contention. Throw in the news that Brazil have lost Neymar with a broken vertebrate and there will be a feeling amongst everyone else that their odds just got better.
Somewhat surprisingly, Fellani stays in the team despite a poor showing in the last game while Lukaku stays on the bench, though Kevin Mirallas starts. ITV TV have tried stirring a little by suggesting the real power in the dressing room lies with captain Vincent Kompany rather than coach Marc Wilmots, which seems hard to believe.
1-0 win to Argentina seems a fairly likely outcome here.
Drink?
It's Saturday, it's warm. Of course I want a beer!
First Half
As I expected, not the most thrilling of games, with I think only one shot on target. Sadly for Belgium, Higuain pulled off a perfect finish for his first goal of the tournament. Since then, both goalkeepers may as well have brought a book, such is their lack of work. The pace of the game has been essentially as quick as me, though if anybody else is going to score, it'll be the South Americans.
Second Half
Argentina perhaps knew this result was solid, as they rarely pushed too hard and Belgium never offered much in the way of any threats. Indeed, the best chance of the half came right at the end when Messi was clean through, only to squander an opportunity.
Belgium may look back on this World Cup as a wasted opportunity. Eden Hazard especially was poor and it was their lack of attacking threat that means they're not in the final four.
Result
Argentina win 1-0 and will face Germany.
Beer O'Clock
Why does anyone drink the American Budweiser (which is total piss) when the original is infinitely times better?
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