Day 26 WorldCup2018
There are so many ways to describe how wonderful this World Cup has been. So here's another one: my Dad would have approved. As long as he hadn't watched Spain play, or France-Denmark he wouldn't have had much reason to complain about boring football, or how many times the ball was passed backward. Yes, he would have moaned about Neymar and Ronaldo, but the multitude of good would have very much outweighed the bad. I think Belgium would have been his favourite, partly because he would have been used to seeing so many of their players on TV in the Premier League every weekend. But I could also hear him saying, "they pass, they move, they attack and they don't keep passing the ball backwards."
He may also have been impressed by England, after so many years of moaning and groaning as we watched them together. The last good memory was the much-talked about (this week) 1990 run to the semifinals. That was the semifinal that I had "the dream" about before the World Cup, the one that made me know for sure that England would not beat the Germans. It was a strange evening. As I sat there sweating in my chair on that hot Maltese night, there was little of the normal nervousness that usually comes with watching England. There was only hope that maybe the only dream of mine that would ever come true, wouldn't actually come to fruition. There we were watching Shilton get beaten by that deflected free kick, England's late equalizer, the drama of extra time, the near misses for England; Dad cheering and groaning, Mum wishing and hoping and me knowing all along that all the emotion was all in vain. The penalties confirmed the gloomy, predictable ending for England. Spooky and weird as it may sound, I really did have a dream about what would happen. I have written about it many times.
All these years later and the emotion is very different. I have not had any dreams and I have not succumbed to any of my normal superstitions. I have also not watched one "football's coming home" video and have made no plans for what may happen beyond Wednesday. I have enjoyed celebrating the wins but stop myself from looking ahead. One match at a time has truly become my mantra.
Before Wednesday's event, Belgium play France tomorrow in what really should be yet another dream match-up for the neutral. Belgium are all about the flashy attacking play and France have the flash with a little more pragmatism. At least that's the impression they've been projecting but I agree with what I heard on the radio today, that they can still shift into a few higher gears. There's more to come from them and maybe they are saving themselves for the final.
The 4 semifinalists as a whole are fascinating. Europe has dominated, has produced the final 4 but look who it is. Not Germany, Italy or Spain. Holland might have also been a safe bet. France may be the least surprising of the four but, for the un-educated, Belgium and Croatia? And England? Well that's a pleasant surprise for everyone.
I hope you all enjoy the next two days. Savour every moment. We are reaching the end. Take the time to watch because next week you'll be watching Chelsea and Manchester City play meaningless pre-season friendlies in the US and looking online for results of the pre-qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
This amazing World Cup will be over soon, so even if you are not Belgian, French, Croatian or English enjoy what's left as a fan of great football.
There are so many ways to describe how wonderful this World Cup has been. So here's another one: my Dad would have approved. As long as he hadn't watched Spain play, or France-Denmark he wouldn't have had much reason to complain about boring football, or how many times the ball was passed backward. Yes, he would have moaned about Neymar and Ronaldo, but the multitude of good would have very much outweighed the bad. I think Belgium would have been his favourite, partly because he would have been used to seeing so many of their players on TV in the Premier League every weekend. But I could also hear him saying, "they pass, they move, they attack and they don't keep passing the ball backwards."
He may also have been impressed by England, after so many years of moaning and groaning as we watched them together. The last good memory was the much-talked about (this week) 1990 run to the semifinals. That was the semifinal that I had "the dream" about before the World Cup, the one that made me know for sure that England would not beat the Germans. It was a strange evening. As I sat there sweating in my chair on that hot Maltese night, there was little of the normal nervousness that usually comes with watching England. There was only hope that maybe the only dream of mine that would ever come true, wouldn't actually come to fruition. There we were watching Shilton get beaten by that deflected free kick, England's late equalizer, the drama of extra time, the near misses for England; Dad cheering and groaning, Mum wishing and hoping and me knowing all along that all the emotion was all in vain. The penalties confirmed the gloomy, predictable ending for England. Spooky and weird as it may sound, I really did have a dream about what would happen. I have written about it many times.
All these years later and the emotion is very different. I have not had any dreams and I have not succumbed to any of my normal superstitions. I have also not watched one "football's coming home" video and have made no plans for what may happen beyond Wednesday. I have enjoyed celebrating the wins but stop myself from looking ahead. One match at a time has truly become my mantra.
Before Wednesday's event, Belgium play France tomorrow in what really should be yet another dream match-up for the neutral. Belgium are all about the flashy attacking play and France have the flash with a little more pragmatism. At least that's the impression they've been projecting but I agree with what I heard on the radio today, that they can still shift into a few higher gears. There's more to come from them and maybe they are saving themselves for the final.
The 4 semifinalists as a whole are fascinating. Europe has dominated, has produced the final 4 but look who it is. Not Germany, Italy or Spain. Holland might have also been a safe bet. France may be the least surprising of the four but, for the un-educated, Belgium and Croatia? And England? Well that's a pleasant surprise for everyone.
I hope you all enjoy the next two days. Savour every moment. We are reaching the end. Take the time to watch because next week you'll be watching Chelsea and Manchester City play meaningless pre-season friendlies in the US and looking online for results of the pre-qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
This amazing World Cup will be over soon, so even if you are not Belgian, French, Croatian or English enjoy what's left as a fan of great football.
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