Mexico 2, Ecuador 0; Portugal 2, Croatia 1; predictions

Still he was a pius man in his way and found relief in prayer.

(Daisy Ashford, The Young Visiters)

We lost because Mexico was the home team. It pretty much boils down to that.

Mexico shouldn’t have hosted this tournament, but that’s a topic for another day.

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To my dismay, I’ve been driven very close to embracing a conspiracy theory.

Not because Ecuador lost, but because of how Portugal beat Croatia. A penalty kick was bogusly awarded to the Portuguese; later, Croatia’s tying goal was disallowed due to a tiny spike on a chart. The spike indicated an otherwise undetectable touch registered by a chip inside the ball.

Not even video review could corroborate it.

It’s not that I don’t believe the technology works. It’s that I’m not convinced that this chart isn’t a fabrication.

(It doesn’t help that this technology’s only other beneficiary has been Real Madrid, for a notorious judgment that decided a Champions League series.)

Or, to retreat just a little, a Croatian who chose to doubt the chart would be within his rights.

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Enough lamenting (for now). These are my predictions for the rest of the tournament (see the bracket). I may revise them after the round of 16, should Spain lose to Portugal, Norway to Brazil, or Colombia to Switzerland.

The Belgium/​USA match is hard to predict, too, but its winner shouldn’t last longer than one more round.

Morocco over Canada

France over Paraguay

Belgium over the USA

Spain over Portugal

Norway over Brazil

Mexico (at home again) over England

Colombia over Switzerland

Argentina over Egypt

France over Morocco

Spain over Belgium

Norway (unless undone by Miami’s heat) over Mexico (no longer at home)

Colombia over tired-looking Argentina

France over Spain

Colombia over Norway

Spain over Norway (or vice versa; it’s just a consolation match)

France over Colombia

Pepe is of the immortals

In one day, Samuel has gone from slithering on his belly to crawling. He used to crawl just one or two feet at a time. Now it’s his preferred mode of locomotion.

He still slithers when his arms are weary.

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Full episodes of Midsomer Murders have long been streamable gratis, with advertisements, through IMDb.

Now, FilmRise has posted quite a few episodes to YouTube. The videos appear to be ad-free.

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Watching the UEFA Nations League, I was a little surprised to see Pepe trot out onto the field for Portugal. “He is so, so old,” I told Karin.

(He’s only a couple of years younger than I am. He’s older than David.)

“Maybe he’s like Grimes,” said Karin.

It took me a moment to understand whom she meant. At first, I was thinking of Grimes the musician. Then I realized that Karin was referring to Captain Grimes of Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and Fall.

GRIMES WAS OF THE IMMORTALS

The first knockout stage

… has been played out.

I just finished watching England defeat Colombia in a penalty shootout. This game had a villain: U.S. referee Mark Geiger. He called a very dubious penalty against Colombia, forfeited his credibility with the players, and was generally incompetent. In fact, he was a jackass. Given his history, he shouldn’t have been assigned to the World Cup in the first place.

With Colombia’s disqualification, one half of the playoff bracket looks utterly dismal. One of these sorry teams will reach the final game:

• Russia (KO’d Spain in a penalty shootout after playing bunker defense)
• Croatia (KO’d Denmark in a shootout after an utter snoozefest)
• Sweden (KO’d Switzerland with a goal from a deflected shot, mercifully ending an utter snoozefest so that extra time wouldn’t have to be played)
• England (toothless)

So far, all knockout games between two European teams have been deadly dull. We can expect more of the same for the quarterfinal and semifinal games in this half of the bracket.

The other half is much better. These are its surviving teams:

• France (scored four goals against Argentina)
• Uruguay (scored twice, and at will, against Portugal – seven minutes after beginning to play, and seven minutes after having been scored upon – and with breathtaking technique; dominated play without possessing the ball)
• Brazil (broke down Mexican resistance with two well-crafted goals)
• Belgium (showed attacking prowess by surmounting a two-goal deficit vs. Japan)

Even if France and Belgium should defeat the South Americans in the quarterfinals, we can expect them to give us a rousing semifinal game.

A sputtering start

Who will seize control in this World Cup? So far, none of the “powers” has seemed capable. Germany has lost to Mexico; Portugal and Spain have drawn against each other (these teams have shown perhaps the best potential); Argentina and Brazil have drawn against Iceland and Switzerland, respectively. Only France has won – against Australia – but hardly in a convincing fashion.

Russia, the host nation, scored five times against the dismal Saudis without playing especially well. I expect the Russians to qualify for the next round, and then to get knocked out.

Only Uruguay – not a “power,” but still a team to be reckoned with – defeated its opponent, Egypt, in its usual manner. It eked out a 1–0 victory in added time, with a goal by a central defender. Uruguay will be very comfortable in games like those that have occurred so far.

Belgium, England, Colombia, and Poland have yet to play any games. It’s too early to say how they will do.

Delfín 4, Liga de Quito 1; Portugal 2, Mexico 1; Germany 1, Chile 0; a futile exercise in pickup soccer

The important news is that Delfín S.C. clinched the top spot in the first semester of the Ecuadorian tournament. In so doing, the “Cetaceans” qualified to play in December’s grand finale – and in the group stage of next year’s Copa Libertadores.

This is historic. Delfín will be the first-ever Copa Libertadores team from the longsuffering province of Manabí.

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In the Confederations Cup, in the game for third place, the Portuguese scored a couple of late goals to defeat the Mexicans. Then, in the final game, the Germans tapped the ball into the net after stealing it from one of the Chilean defenders. After that, the Germans simply waited for the game to end.

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I missed the second half of that game because I was playing pickup soccer. It was not one of my best experiences playing soccer.

It was dismal to play as a fatty. I had the strength for just one sprint, and I didn’t want to expend it right away, so I let the opposing players dribble past me. Then, after an old man dribbled past me, I was like, “No more of this.” So when he tried again I got in his way and kicked the ball out of bounds. I did this several times.

I tried to stay on the wing, a region of the field from which the other team would never score any goals. Alas, my teammates failed to occupy the fullback’s area just behind me. (Perhaps they assumed that I was the fullback.) Since I didn’t run back to cover that area – and since I couldn’t have guarded anyone even if I had run back – this was fatal.

After a while, my friend Brandon – another fatty, who was playing for the other team – came over to my side of the field to guard me. I decided to perform my only sprint. I ran into the open space behind Brandon. I called for the ball. It was passed elsewhere.

A little later I decided that it was time for me to go home.

Chile 0 (3), Portugal 0 (0)

I recall those shocking days when Russia and Qatar were awarded the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Everyone in the West screamed bloody scandal. Especially the English. … And now, it’s reported that Prince William, his Prime Minister, and their cronies negotiated an illegal trade of votes with officials from South Korea (another bidding nation).

Gloat, gloat, gloat.

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Today, Portugal and Chile played the first semifinal game of this Confederations Cup. I turned it on and viewed it for ten minutes. “No goals in this game,” I foresaw.

I watched Netflix. Then I turned the game back on and viewed during minutes 83–90. Still no goals. I regretted my decision to report on the tournament.

The announcers kept saying what a good game it’d been. Maybe they were right. I couldn’t tell.

The thirty-minute extra time started slowly and finished with a flurry of attacking. The Chileans should have been awarded a penalty kick, but VAR did not intervene. Then, twice, they struck the goalposts.

The shootout was more straightforward: three shots, three goals for the Chileans; three shots, three misses for the Portuguese.

Mexico 2, Russia 1; Portugal 4, New Zealand 0; New York City FC 2, New York Red Bulls 0

Today’s Confederations Cup games were played simultaneously. I watched Russia vs. Mexico, which was shown on regular TV.

The Russians started well. Two of their attacks should have resulted in penalty kicks. Neither the referee nor the VAR system awarded any foul, however.

The Russians scored the first goal after a frantic sequence. One shooter struck the upright. Another saw his shot blocked. A third shooter missed the ball altogether. He did manage to slip the ball to the eventual goalscorer.

At that time, the Russians led the group. Things looked quite rosy for them. But then the Mexicans scored with a looping, headed shot.

In the second half, the Mexicans corrected their tactical imperfections. They scored again with another looping, headed shot. The assist came in high and long – all the way from the Mexican defense – and, as he lunged for the ball, the goalscorer was kicked in the chest by the Russian goalie.

VAR disallowed a third Mexican goal. … One of the best Russian players was red-carded. … The Russians looked very tired. … Finally, the whistle was blown, and the host nation was eliminated from the tourney.

At the same time, Portugal defeated New Zealand.

Then FOX showed an MLS contest between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. The announcers called it the “New York Derby.” Only, they didn’t say “Derby,” as in “Kentucky Derby”; they said “Darby,” which is how the English pronounce the word. They also talked about the “Texas Darby” – Houston vs. Dallas – as well as other MLS “Darbies.”

Wankers.

Portugal 1, Russia 0; Mexico 2, New Zealand 1

I was occupied with tutoring, and so I missed Portugal’s victory over Russia. It seems to have been a dull contest. The Portuguese scored early and then defended all the rest of the game.

I did get to watch Mexico vs. New Zealand, which was entertaining. In the first half, the Kiwis disrupted the Mexicans’ attacking rhythm. Also, Chris Wood, a truck of a forward, gave the Mexican defenders fits. He eventually scored a goal. The second half was very different. The Mexicans realigned themselves tactically; came out at full speed; and scored twice, due to the slipperiness of Javier Aquino, their tiny winger.

In stoppage time, the two teams got into quite a scuffle. The referee ordered a long break so he could consult the Video Assistant Replay system about whom to punish. I was licking my chops – I thought he’d give out several red cards – but he didn’t give out any.

Father’s Day; Mexico 2, Portugal 2; Chile 2, Cameroon 0; Germany 3, Australia 2

I didn’t watch yesterday’s games. I was in Goshen, Indiana, attending a Father’s Day event. I gave my father-in-law a card, and he gave me a book of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches that he bought during a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

I, Karin, and Karin’s sister, Lily, walked for an hour down a pleasant creekside path in Goshen. I wondered how it would be to live in that city. Where would I work? There are some Mennonite colleges in the area. Could I be a good Mennonite? I doubt it. I have too much feeling for the nations.

These are the games I missed:

Mexico 2, Portugal 2;

Chile 2, Cameroon 0.

One thing made the news: Video Assistant Replay, which is being tested during this Confederations Cup. It led to the annulment of this Portuguese goal (and, I believe, to the validation of a Chilean goal that the referee initially had annulled).

Its use did not seem intrusive. I opposed VAR before this tourney, but now I’m coming to favor it.

Today Germany and Australia played. The Germans got an early goal. The Australians equalized near the end of the first half. The Germans – few of them habitual first-teamers – responded with a flurry of excellent play, quickly scoring two more goals. But not long afterward the Australians punched in another goal, keeping the Germans from leaving them in the dust. All around, it was a good show.

Yet another Confederations Cup

It used to be that in each four-year cycle, the world would get to peek at an Oceanian team only twice: (1) during a brief World Cup qualification playoff, which the Oceanian team would lose; and (2) during the Confederations Cup.

This year, however, there are two traditional Oceanian teams in the Confederations Cup: New Zealand and Australia. The latter team defected to Asia some years ago and recently won the championship of that continent. But we all know better. Australia is not in Asia.

An honorary third Oceanian contestant is Chile, by virtue of its claims upon Easter Island and Antarctica.

Like Oceania, Europe supplies three contestants: Russia, Portugal, and Germany. The field is rounded out with Mexico and Cameroon.

So much for the contestants. Now, their division into groups.

A: Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, and Russia.

B: Australia, Cameroon, Chile, and Germany (this is the Group of Death).

Notice that alphabetically Group B has the first four teams, and Group A has the last four. This is appropriate, just as it is that an Oceania-heavy tourney should be played in Russia. It’s the World Turned Upside-Down.

I plan to report on this important tourney.

Portugal … ?

Well, who’d’ve thought it? Portugal!

• A team that didn’t win so much as not lose.
• A team whose goalscoring hero wasn’t CR7, but an obscurer striker, Éder. (Not even the most distinguished Éder in the tourney. That striker was Éder the Brazilian; he dressed for Italy.)
• A team whose coach had been employed by Greece during the World Cup, and who brought over the grinding tactics of the Greek team. (Without him, the Greeks finished last in their Euro qualifying group, twice losing to the Faroe Islanders.)

I am glad for my cousins, Annie & Vickie, who grew up in Portugal and are loyal to CR7. After the final they walked around their housing co-op waving the Portuguese flag. I am not glad for CR7, who didn’t play especially well in these Euros; nor for Pepe, who did. I am glad that modest Éder got the winning goal. I am sorry for Moussa Sissoko, the Frenchman who played best against the Portuguese.

Wildflower

Another upset: the Welsh KO’d the Belgians. In their semifinal they’ll face the Portuguese, who’ve yet to win in 90 minutes.

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On July 8 the Avalanches will put out their first album since, what, 2000? – and to my great delight the tracks released so far are distinctly like certain passages of Since I Left You.

Ignore for a moment the sounds, the samples, and consider how, structurally and rhythmically, the new tracks parallel the earlier ones.

“Subways” condenses “Close to You,” “Diner’s Only,” and “A Different Feeling”;

“Colours” is like “Electricity”;

and of course in many ways “Frankie Sinatra” is like “Frontier Psychiatrist.”

(All these tracks – old and new – are mid-album. We’ve yet to learn how Wildflower will start up or wind down.)

I don’t think these parallels are accidental (“Fr”-“S”; “Fr”-“Ps”). The Avalanches have been trying for sixteen years to make something that approximates the feel, the mood, that was so loved about Since I Left You, and this goal has proved most elusive. And so here and there they’re making the albums’ similarities extra-conspicuous.

The new tracks are quite good in themselves, but they also show how difficult it is to re-do what first was achieved with comparatively little effort. It is no small victory to copy, accurately, what was done by free association.

Belgium 1, Russia 0; Algeria 4, South Korea 2; Portugal 2, USA 2

Belgium boringly qualified for Round 2. …

Hats off to the Algerians. Their fourth goal was especially well-crafted. And hats off to the Koreans for trying all game long. …

The U.S. came within a minute of qualifying against the mediocre Portuguese. I roared with pleasure when Silvestre Varela scored the tying goal.

Now Ghana and Germany, the better teams, are poised to qualify instead of the U.S.

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This morning, before I walked to work, I checked the forecast: 0% chance of rain … and then a downpour caught me as I was waiting for a train to pass. I called Martin, and he kindly brought dry clothes.

Germany 4, Portugal 0; Iran 0, Nigeria 0; USA 2, Ghana 1

Self-destruction by the Portuguese. …

Iran/Nigeria. … “Dreadful stuff,” the British commentator said. Afterward, Alexi Lalas, the U.S. commentator, apologized for the game.

The day got worse. …

The Ghanaians steamrolled over the U.S. players — I mean, made them look pathetic — only to fail, again and again, just outside the box. Bad cross after bad cross. Bad shot after bad shot. No self-belief. “Just bring the ball inside the box, on the ground,” I thought. “They can’t defend against that.” And that was how, at last, the Ghanaians scored their tying goal. Then they switched off their brains and allowed the U.S. to steal the victory.