Braeburn's World Cup Blog - Day 3 - Ronaldo stars
After the goal-fest of the opening match, the World Cup looked to be returning to type yesterday. Egypt v Uruguay was a classically cagey affair. I didn't watch the match (on the beach, old boy) but by all accounts, Egypt set up to defend and Uruguay struggled to break them down. Suárez misfired, Salah remained on the bench and nil-nil looked a certainty until the 89th minute when Jose Gimenez headed the winner for the South Americans. A crucial goal that heaps the pressure on Egypt and Salah in their final two group games.
Ronaldo... What more can be said?
Image
Group B started in similar fashion. I joined proceedings on the hour mark and watched as two very limited teams seemed to be cancelling each other out for the first goalless game of the World Cup. From what I saw, the match was a niggly and poor tempered affair. Players on either side needed little encouragement to collapse to the ground grasping at knee, ankles and faces in mock agony. Until the 94th minute, the highlight was an Iranian player (whose name escapes me) flinging himself to the ground and then rolling and flapping around like a landed fish. Then, in the 95th minute disaster struck for Morocco and forward Aziz Bouhaddouz in particular. Iran whipped in a great free-kick and Bouhaddouz pulled off the finest of diving headers to arrow the ball into his own net. One of those wonderful own goals, an unstoppable finish, just into the wrong net. There was no time for comebacks and the result all but eliminates Morocco.
Jose Gimenez celebrates after claiming three points for Uruguay.
Image
And then came what will surely end up the game of the group phase, if not the entire tournament. A match that had everything, a dodgy penalty, a goalkeeping howler as bad as either that we witnessed in the Champions League Final, an exquisite free-kick and see-sawing scoreline that kept us guessing until the final moments of the match.
Early on the Portuguese went ahead, Ronaldo making sure there was contact and going over the outstretched leg of Real Madrid teammate Nacho to win a penalty. Diego Costa made a fool of Jose Fonte to equalise for Spain but just before the break, Ronaldo would strike again. A well hit but very saveable shot squirming through the hands of David de Gea. I see a lot of de Gea in the Premier League but have never seen him make an error like this, pressure can tell even on the best of them.
Spain dominated every aspect of the match but could only draw, it's why we love football.
Image
In the second-half, Spain were as dominant as they had been in the first. Costa got his second on 55 minutes, a Gary Lineker style poachers finish after a well-worked free-kick. Three minutes later and Spain were ahead for the first time in the game. Nacho's redemption coming in the shape of a perfectly hit volley from 20 yards, the ball hardly spinning in the air as it struck both posts and nestled in the back of the net. But the final word belonged to Ronaldo. He stood over that free-kick for what seemed a full minute, sucking in air and eyeballing the top corner of the net where he intended the ball to go. Great players do not only do great things but they manage to do them when needed most. Ronaldo is not really my cup of tea, a preening show pony with a tenuous grasp on the team ethic, but the goal that equalised for Portugal was a thing of wonder. Unlike de Gea, Ronaldo kept his nerve on the big occasion and swept the ball home for his hat-trick. A phenomenal end to a game that has set the world cup alight.
Four more matches today the highlight of which looks to be Croatia v Nigeria. A classic World Cup match up, two teams of contrasting styles who will hopefully put on a good show for the watching gazillions. However, they will have to go some to beat the drama of last night.
No betting tips today as too hungover to think, it is a miracle that this article has been published at all. Enjoy the games and see ya tomorrow.
There is still time enter my WORLD CUP PREDICTION CONTEST supported by SBC and @stimp1024. Just head HERE to submit a prediction for the Tunisia v England game for your chance to win SBD and earn a chance to go for the Grand Prize.
Finally, if you haven't already done so why not head over to my blog and check out some of my very own World Cup Memories:
https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/brazil-2014-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/south-africa-2010-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/germany-2006-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/france-98-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/italia-90-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/mexico-1986-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
