June 21st 2018 is another World Cup day that may not be a stay-at-home-to-watch day for some. To others it's a day of three fascinating matches.
Denmark vs Australia: don't you just think an open match which either team could win?
France vs Peru: France against Peru? Whenever would we see this. The classy, talented French, amongst the favourites, against the tough, disciplined, with a touch of flair Peruvians. This could be a classic.
Argentina vs Croatia: this could be a bigger classic than France-Peru. When Croatia are good, they can be very good and they have the players to almost rival Lionel Messi for moments of individual brilliance.
Looking back at the World Cup history of June 21st there are a couple of matches which I remember very well, for the match itself but also for events off the pitch. But what amazed me more was, despite my World Cup memory that I am so proud of I came across a couple of matches which I have absolutely no recollection of.
On June 21st, 1990, in Italy, Uruguay beat South Korea 1-0 and Spain beat Belgium 2-1. There is nothing in my memory. Nothing. This was the World Cup of the crazy contrasts which made it memorable. The football was for the most part boring. There were few goals and many matches played at pedestrian pace. But it was Italy, I was in my late teens, it was a summer to enjoy. The football made it perfect. But, no, Uruguay, Korea, Spain, belgium. Nothing. On the same day I remember England labouring to a 1-0 win against Egypt, and the Republic of Ireland stubbornly holding Holland to a 1-1 draw.
The 21st of June would have been right in the middle of end of year school exams. I probably sacrificed the first matches for studying. And my brain in protest has probably banned any memory of the events.
There are two June 21st events I remember well. In 1982 France beat Kuwait 4-1. That's not the story. What I will leave you to Google (because I have described in detail before) was why the Kuwaiti players were ordered to leave the pitch and why the referee overturned a perfectly good French goal. Read about the phantom whistle, heard only by the Kuwaiti players and the Prince.
June 21st 1994 was the day of the Diego Maradona goal celebration on steroids. Literally. Watch the video of Maradona's pretty good goal and the bulging eyes, face in the camera celebration that followed. A couple of days later, Maradona was gone, kicked out of the World Cup by Fifa for testing positive for a cocktail of drugs. It was a sad ending for the football genuis, definitely not a stable one.
On June 21st, 2014, Lionel Messi the greatest Argentinian since Maradona, scored a spectacular late winner against Iran. Messi has lagged behind Maradona in acclaim and admiration because he has not done for Argentina what Maradona did. Will this June 21st see an even better Messi?
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