Day -193 WorldCup2018
On the 16th of June, next year, at 9am, Toronto time, I hope to be
watching what I think will be one of the most fascinating matches at the
World Cup, Argentina vs Iceland.
I've come back to this match,
with a mention for a 3rd consecutive day, after reading Cathal Kelly's
column in yesterday's Globe and Mail. Mr. Kelly covers a wide range of
sports, from baseball to ice hockey, but is the Globe's voice of
football and is always an entertaining, interesting read. But then he
throws in a few head shaking sentences, as he did yesterday, and it gets
my Euro snobbishness tail up. Unashamedly.
After a quick read
through the often-mentioned potential issues with Russia hosting the
World Cup, from the incredible expenditure, to mounting accusations and
proven cases of doping to racism; and the predictable description of the
laughable glitz and glamour of the draw and the collection of
ex-footballers and bad jokes.
Then he switches his argument to
the lack of any 'Groups of Death' emerging from the draw. And this is a
bad thing, presumably because for part-time football fans there is a
need for the likes of Germany, Brazil, France and Spain to be all drawn
in the same group to ensure titanic clashes right from the get go. Mr.
Kelly also mourned the missing "behemoths" Italy, Netherlands and the
USA, and how their spots have been taken by lesser teams, resulting in
less "pizzazz" in the first round.
According to him the first
round has the feel of "filler until the knockout rounds." And this from
somebody who writes about Olympic ice hockey where nobody is eliminated
after the first round group phase. As we say in Maltese-English, "I'll
give you filler."
Substitute groups of death with groups of so
much equality that if I was in a fantasy pool it would be very, very
hard to pick the top two teams in each group. (I went through a lot of
them on Friday). Yes, Peru vs Denmark may not sound very interesting but
it could determine who finishes second in that group. And when else
would you see these two teams play, other then in some meaningless
friendly.
Mr. Kelly then really got me going with this:
"Group D, featuring Argentina, Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria, looks the
most challenging on paper. Does that excite you? Probably not."
Who are you asking, Mr Kelly. Hopefully, not me. What a group. Apart
from Argentina-Iceland, have you ever watched Nigeria play? Have you
ever noticed how terribly, frustratingly exciting they can be to watch.
For your homework: Argentina-Nigeria, World Cup 2014. And Croatia? What a
joy to watch when they are in full flow. Croatia-Nigeria could be a
roller-coaster classic. And then there's Argentina-Iceland.
Say
it again, as I have many times since Friday. Argentina, Iceland.
Argentina play Iceland in the World Cup. Yes, Iceland may be the
hipster's dream team but consider the football and where they've come
from.
(On reflection, Argentina are also one of those
retro-hipster favourites so that adds another dimension to this clash.
Hipster heaven).
In 1982, the World Cup Champions, Argentina,
were defending their title at the World Cup in Spain. Football fans were
looking forward to seeing the much-hyped, new star of world football,
Diego Maradona. Ultimately, it all ended with a red card and a defeat by
Brazil.
A week before Argentina, World Champions, begun the
defence of their crown, Iceland played a match against Malta. It was not
a friendly. It was the first qualifying match for the European
Championships of 1984. It was a match between two teams who would battle
to not finish bottom of their qualifying group, again. Malta won 2-1
and nobody outside of Malta or Iceland really noticed. A meaningless
match between minnows.
Iceland's status as minnows did not change
for many years. In 1986 as Maradona led Argentina to their second World
Cup. Iceland were still not a country of any football significance.
Netherlands, the behemoth, were also not at that World Cup, just as they
had not qualified in 1982.
Iceland got a few mentions when
Eidur Gudjohnsen was banging in the goals for Chelsea and Barcelona from
2000-2009. Iceland were making progress now but they weren't really on
anybody's radar until they made it the 2014 World Cup qualifying
play-offs. That amazing progression from minnow to second place in a
qualifying group could have been luck. But what happened after that,
Euro 2016 and making it to Russia, is not only, of course, history but
maybe the start of something bigger.
So consider that Mr Kelly,
the story behind how Argentina and Iceland came to be playing each other
at a World Cup when you are watching on June 16th. And add this to it
as well: on one side Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Di Maria against Sigurdsson
(famous only because he is their current biggest name) and ten other
players who's names most of us will never remember. One of them, Birkir
Bjarnason, can't even get into Aston Villa's team in the English second
division. You have to be a football fan to get excited by the prospect
of what could happen when these two, so very different, teams meet.
More homework for you, Mr Kelly. Or do you remember the famous
Norwegian commentary after Norway beat England in 1981? "Margaret
Thatcher, your boys have taken one hell of a beating", and all that.
Aren't you excited by the possibility of an Icelandic version of it.
"Diego, God will not lend you his hand anymore. Now it is ours!"
Roll on June 16th. Where will you be, Mr Kelly?
(I have to save Benevento and Alberto Brignoli for tomorrow. They deserve their own day).
