What do you do when you’re a world class footballer who has just won his country victory at the opening game of the World Cup?
Oh yes, hang out with your girlfriend in a closet.
Croatian press slam 'shameful' penalty
"Injustice!'' "Shame!'' and "Referee shamelessly broke the Fiery Ones (Vatreni - the team;s nickname)!'' read the leading dailies frontpage headlines as they lamented over an "invented penalty.''
The press gave great play too to Croat coach Niko Kovac's comments to Croatian state-run HRT television that: "If that was a penalty then we should not play football anymore!''
Officers also used rubber bullets as anger at the money being spent to host the competition spilled over.
I can see how the referee called the penalty in the box. It’s not like soccer players ever flop...
(insert Asian eye joke here)
While I have come to enjoy soccer late in life, I continue to think the game needs a bit more scoring. Not because I want cheap goals -- the travesty that basketball has become should cure anyone of that -- but because bad or questionable calls, fluke goals, and shootouts loom far too large in soccer. Bad calls happen in all sports. Can't be avoided. But in most sports you can say, "let's get it back," and mean it. In high level soccer, scoring is so difficult that getting it back requires a bit of a miracle.
That was the worst call I’ve ever seen in World Cup play. I feel bad for Croatia.
The star of the official tournament song We Are One (Ola Ola) emerged on stage at the opening ceremony in what can best be described as a pair of white pants he stole from his cohort Jennifer Lopez.
Interestingly, Lopez, aka J-Lo, wore a similar pair of high-waisted, stark white, ankle-baring chinos during her appearance on The Tonight Show earlier this week, where together with host Jimmy Fallon she performed the sketch ''Tight Pants''.
▶ We Are One (Stolen Mankle Pants, Ole Ola) Opening Ceremony Brazil World Cup 2014
Spain, the reigning world and European champions, meet Netherlands in a repeat of the 2010 final, one of three fixtures as the tournament gets into full swing.
Mexico v Cameroon
Spain v Netherlands
Chile v Australia
Some commentators suggested that FIFA should use refs from the bigger leagues from Europe or S. America for the opening game. The J-League is not one of the world’s best.
BEEF JERKY TIME! Go Cameroon!
I’m tracking how many goals are scored by club team. So far:
Barcelona 2 (Neymar)
Chelsea 1 (Oscar)
Real Madrid -1 (Marcelo)
Robben!
Robben looked like Bergkamp on that one.
