After an exhausting Sunday in which we watched (on big-screen TV at FanFest) the US tie Portgual...we weren't too ambitious on Monday morning.
We slept in and looked forward to the Mexico-Croatia match in the late afternoon.
We took a cab to the metro station, then the metro to city center, then another cab to a local mall ("Shopping" in Portuguese...seriously). Oh, we saw our Brazilian Ru Paul friends at the metro stop. After yesterday's museum education, we recognized one of their hats was in the style of Luiz Gonzaga. I motioned to his hat and said "Luiz Gonzaga" and they squealed with delight, as if it was an Elvis sighting.
Our plan was to watch the Chile-Netherlans game on a small screen at the mall while eating lunch. The metro attendant who spoke perfect English took one look at us and advised we take a cab rather than walk through town. We found a cab out front, but in Brazil, nothing is straightforward. Two other cars were having a face-off in a one-way road. Our cabbie had to do a 17-point turn and go the wrong way up the one-way loop to get us away from the station.
There is a saying in Boston..."Most traffic accidents are caused by two cars trying to hit the same pedestrian." Boston ain't got nothing on Brazil; almost hitting buses, motorcycles, and pedestrians is par for the course on every cab ride.
Turns out, the mall was right next to FanFest, so the kids watched the game on the big screen while we searched for a way to get some Brazilian cash (Real, plural Reais, whose symbol is R$ or just $).
FanFest was nearly deserted compared to the FratFest it was the night before.
Getting cash in Brazil is quite a challenge. My bank card didn't work in my bank's ATM (I think it has something to do with 4-digit PIN codes vs 5-digit ones). None of my credit cards worked, despite bearing the Maestro and Cirrus logos.
Luckily, we found a "Cambio" and it was good old American greenbacks to the rescue! It was running about R$2.25 per $1 USD (since dropped to R$2.20) but we were happy with the $R2.10 we received, which would give us enough cash for the day.
We ate lunch, watched most of the Netherlands game, and took a taxi back to the metro.
From there, we repeated our earlier march to the arena...metro to shuttle bus to walking to seats.
We met many happy, friendly Mexico fans. The Croatians were a bit edgier. Mexico was all but guaranteed to go through to the next round, but Croatia was likely out of the tourney.
At the game, it was a sea of green. The Mexicans sang constantly and laughed frequently. My daughter's favorite part was speaking a lot of Spanish with the other fans. An ugly fight broke out at one point (thanks for the amazing video, Eric!), but that was the only violence we've seen at the games in Recife. (All the noise you hear in the background is the other fans just cheering for the game.)
Mexican fans were enjoying it immensely. Croatia, not so much.
Here is a story I call: "Don't
f*ck with Mirko Cro Cop"
I was trying to get to the men's room at
half-time, but the line was really long. As I stood there contemplating
my bladder capacity, a guy and girl dressed in Croatia jerseys both went
into the women's bathroom. The guy
just looked clueless. Women in the bathroom entrance started pointing
to him to leave...I was standing by the sign with a picture of a woman
on it, and I just pointed to it to make sure he knew it was the women's
bathroom. He looks at me, and without pausing says "F*ck you. F*ck you!
What are you, f*ckin' security!?!" It was then, I recognized him as the
oft-sighted Druncus Americanus. A local attendant (woman) pointed him
towards the men's room. He gave her no flak. Walking away, he turned
around and screamed one more "F*CK YOU!" for good measure. The heavily
armed police 20 feet away didn't bother looking up during the whole
incident.
I figured it best to just pretend I didn't speak English...which put me in the majority.
Back to our main story line...
But it was Brazil's night and on the way home, we saw many celebratory bonfires.
Arriving at the metro stop closest to our home, we decided to take a taxi to a restaurant that had been recommended.
Breaking our "Only use Easy Taxi" rule, we found a cab outside the metro station. He didn't know how to get to the restaurant, but we found a cab that did.
The driver did not turn on
his fare meter. He motioned with two fingers and I knew he wanted R$20
as a flat rate. I said no and pointed to meter but he ignored me. He
knew the restaurant we wanted to go to, so we reluctantly got in.
He got
us to the restaurant quickly,and I estimated the fare to be about R$10.
We got out of the taxi and looked in the restaurant for someone to
speak English but couldn't find one. I gave the driver R$10, and he
asked for more. We played dumb and went into the restaurant. He followed
us in and showed $5 US (asking for $5 US more). The restaurant staff
dealt with him. I don't know if they just gave him the cash (it was a
high-end restaurant that was very service-oriented). My son was worried
for the rest of the night that the taxi driver would be waiting outside.
Moral of the story, get out of the cab if the meter is not turned on.
Pay the extra R$10, because the driver will follow you into the
restaurant and make a scene.
Anyway, we managed to have lovely dinner (our first real sit-down dinner at a European-style restaurant). Service and food was impeccable, but it took my son 2/3 of the meal to find his appetite.
Enough drama for one day...trusted taxi home in the pouring rain, and collapse into bed.
Boa noite!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Brazil - FIFA World Cup - Day 16 - Round of 16 Round-up
Round of 16 Preview
Friday was a rest day.
The knock-out stage--"Round of 16" or "Octavos de Final"--is upon us, and the match-ups are all set.
See upcoming match-ups here.
There will be two matches per day from Saturday through Tuesday. Matches are at 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm Brasilia time (Noon and 4:00 EDT)
Half of the finalists have been sent home. Who will win the swimsuit competition? Who will be the most photogenic? Doesn't matter...this is all about talent, grit, and determination.
Here are my predictions and comments.
Saturday
Brazil vs Chile
The pre-tourney favorite, Brazil, has not looked as impressive as some other teams, but they will find a way to beat Chile and make it to the quarters and eventually semis, where they will likely face Germany. I had tickets for this game in my shopping cart before being dealt a blow by FIFA. Ah well. I will watch on TV with every other man, woman, and child in Brazil.
Colombia vs Uruguay
I wish these teams were playing in Recife, but alas, I will have to settle for watching this one on TV as well. It will get a lot of attention because Suarez has been banned. Why will everyone be watching it, since he will not play? I guess everyone loves a good vampire story.
It will be tough for Uruguay to win without Suarez, but I'm picking them nonetheless. I've seen stranger adversity cause a team to rally.
But I'm rooting for the Colombians in my heart (but not my pool).
Doesn't matter; whoever wins will lose to Brazil in the quarters.
Sunday
Netherlands vs Mexico
Mexico has looked good (good enough to tie Brazil) but they will lose to the Flying Dutchmen, who have been in top form and should easily make it to the finals. (Where they will eventually face Brazil or Germany). Widely considered the best team never to win a cup, is this the year Oranje finally brings home the title that eluded them four years ago versus Spain?
Mexico made a good run, but they are about to run right into some bad luck in the way the draw came out.
Costa Rica vs Greece
The least interesting of all the R16 games and the one I will be attending. The fans will be 90% Costa Rican, so it should be fun if not very competitive.
Greeks are in over their yogurt. Can they pull the upset? No, no they can't.
Whoever wins will be slaughtered by the Dutch in the next round, but reaching the quarter-finals will be fun while it lasts.
Monday
France vs Nigeria
Nigeria needed some help from the refs in the BH game to get out of a weak group. They've proven worthy of the tourney, but are no match for the French.
France will beat Nigeria, only to lose to Germany in the quarters. Everyone knows this to be true.
Germany vs Algeria
So long Algeria, it has been nice knowing you.
Germany will have to beat France and Brazil to make it to the finals, where they would face Netherlands. This match versus Algeria will be a mere tune-up and perhaps give insights into whether they can make a deep run.
The Germans I spoke with said they feared only Spain, Italy, and France. With Spain and Italy already bounced, the Germans biggest enemy will be the heat and humidity.
They looked comfortable against the US in the rain but made their share of technical mistakes, repeatedly kicking the ball out of bounds on the slick turf. But they possess the ball well and are very, very skilled. My heart says Brazil will beat them in the semis, which will be an epic matchup.
Tuesday
Argentina vs Switzerland
Everyone, especially TV executives, and banking on Messi to take the Albiceleste to the finals, but it isn't going to happen. Coming out of a weak group, they looked vulnerable. Argentina will beat Switzerland, but that is as far as they will get. Yes, I predict the US will face and beat Argentina in the quarters. Whoever reaches the semis will certainly be dispatched by the Dutch.
No one is rooting for Switzerland. At best, they are neutral.
USA vs Belgium
Belgium topped a weak group, but USA survived the Group of Death.
Look for the Yanks to prove Klinsman a genius. I predict US will beat Belgium (2-1) to reach the quarters and then beat Argentina (3-2) to reach the semis. It would be a dream for US to make it that far, but I think it is very attainable. US looked weak against Germany, who is the class of the tourney, but will look better against weaker teams.
If they make it to the semis, they'll be crushed by the Dutch (5-0).
Well, those are my predictions. What are yours?
Friday, June 27, 2014
Brazil - FIFA World Cup - Day 15 - Groups G & H
Thursday concludes pool play for the final two Groups, G and H.
American fans are on the edge of their seats! (the rest of world really doesn't care about US soccer)
Germany (1) - United States (0) - Group G
With the US needing a tie to guarantee an R16 berth, stakes could not be higher for the USMNT. For Germany, it was basically just a tune-up. Even with a loss, US could qualify if they just kept it close and got some help from Portugal.
Are the Germans beatable? The consensus seems to be "no," certainly not by the Americans.
I asked a German why they tied Ghana in an earlier match, and he said simply "the heat." I have no idea how LeBron James and Dwayne Wade impact German footballers, but I'm sure T. Rowe Price will tell us in their next commercial.
"87 min:
Delay. Oh I think a streaker has got on the pitch. We're not allowed to see it on TV because, you know, FIFA = Stalin etc and we might all get ideas and start, er, running from here to Brazil naked or something. Or maybe the guy's bum wasn't bearing an official sponsor's logo."
Despite getting their bums kicked, US backed those same butts into the R16. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Let's skip the next world war and work it out on the pitch, please. Peace out!
Portugal (2) - Ghana (1) - Group G
Holy haircuts! Ronaldo is now my favorite non-US player, because he shaved the side of his head and struck the game winner, knowing it would only guarantee a US berth. He gets a lot of crap as being a pretty-boy whiner, but he showed a lot of class and grit.
After the initial crushing loss to Germany, he had the assist on the equalizer in the 95th minute againts US. And playing in an essentially meaningless game, unless Portugal won by 5 or US lost badly, he still played til the end. And, damn, that guy has some footwork to go along with the nice hair.
Ghana, the US nemesis the previous two World Cups, also seemed anxious to help the US qualify. Their defender scored the most beautiful own-goal I've ever seen (bicycle kick off the post), and a late flub by the GK gave Ronaldo the easy finish.
Algeria (1) - Russia (1) - Group H
Algerians were delirious after they're tie secured H2 seed in R16. They will face (and get crushed by) Germany, but tonight we dance!
Belgium (1) - Korea (0) - Group H
It is said that war is God's way of teaching Americans world geography.
Let's hope that football gives Americans a peaceful reason to find Belgium on the map.
We'll meet (and beat!) them in R16.
American fans are on the edge of their seats! (the rest of world really doesn't care about US soccer)
Germany (1) - United States (0) - Group G
With the US needing a tie to guarantee an R16 berth, stakes could not be higher for the USMNT. For Germany, it was basically just a tune-up. Even with a loss, US could qualify if they just kept it close and got some help from Portugal.
Are the Germans beatable? The consensus seems to be "no," certainly not by the Americans.
I asked a German why they tied Ghana in an earlier match, and he said simply "the heat." I have no idea how LeBron James and Dwayne Wade impact German footballers, but I'm sure T. Rowe Price will tell us in their next commercial.
US looked pretty lame, frankly. Germans outplayed us badly. We looked like a bunch of JV players against a Varsity squad.
After the Germans scored early in the
second half, they seemed content to possess the ball and occasionally press
forward, perhaps out of respect to Klinsman who Germans still hold in high
regard.
The highlight was a guy with a German flag
who ran onto the field in the 87th minute. No one minded. As he high-fived several German players, security just stood on the sidelines. Americans were happy to see clock wind down. Eventually, he got winded and headed towards the sideline where a security guard put his arm around him and thanked him for making the game interesting.
Despite the comments below, he wasn’t a streaker,
To quote: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10927193/USA-vs-Germany-World-Cup-2014-live.html
Delay. Oh I think a streaker has got on the pitch. We're not allowed to see it on TV because, you know, FIFA = Stalin etc and we might all get ideas and start, er, running from here to Brazil naked or something. Or maybe the guy's bum wasn't bearing an official sponsor's logo."
Despite getting their bums kicked, US backed those same butts into the R16. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Let's skip the next world war and work it out on the pitch, please. Peace out!
Portugal (2) - Ghana (1) - Group G
Holy haircuts! Ronaldo is now my favorite non-US player, because he shaved the side of his head and struck the game winner, knowing it would only guarantee a US berth. He gets a lot of crap as being a pretty-boy whiner, but he showed a lot of class and grit.
After the initial crushing loss to Germany, he had the assist on the equalizer in the 95th minute againts US. And playing in an essentially meaningless game, unless Portugal won by 5 or US lost badly, he still played til the end. And, damn, that guy has some footwork to go along with the nice hair.
Ghana, the US nemesis the previous two World Cups, also seemed anxious to help the US qualify. Their defender scored the most beautiful own-goal I've ever seen (bicycle kick off the post), and a late flub by the GK gave Ronaldo the easy finish.
Algeria (1) - Russia (1) - Group H
Algerians were delirious after they're tie secured H2 seed in R16. They will face (and get crushed by) Germany, but tonight we dance!
Belgium (1) - Korea (0) - Group H
It is said that war is God's way of teaching Americans world geography.
Let's hope that football gives Americans a peaceful reason to find Belgium on the map.
We'll meet (and beat!) them in R16.
Brazil - FIFA World Cup - Day 14 - Groups E & F
Wednesday concludes pool play for Groups E and F.
Not a lot of suspense as to who will be in the Round of 16, as shown by these great graphics, but a great opportunity to see Messi play.
Argentina (3) - Nigeria (2) - Group F
A masterpiece by Messi ("El enano", as he is known) to send a message that Argentina hopes to go well beyond the Round of 16. In truth, I missed the game because I was seeing masterpieces of another kind. Life is about choices.
Nigeria will meet France on June 30.
The Albiceleste will face Switzerland on July 1st. My pick is Argentina, but the Swiss are not to be overlooked.
Bosnia-Herzegovenia (3) - Iran (1) - Group F
In a battle for third place, BH proved they belong in the finals (yes, the whole tourney this month is called "the World Cup Finals"; no, I didn't mean the final in Rio in July). Save for an own-goal against Argentina and the blown calls in the Nigeria match, they could have claimed the F2 seed. That's soccer my friends. At times cruel, but often beautiful.
France (0) - Ecuador (0) - Group E
A tie secures the top seed for France. They will face (and beat) Nigeria in the Round of 16.
Switzerland (3) - Honduras (0) - Group E
The Swiss claim the E2 seed in the Round of 1, where they will lose to Argentina.
Not a lot of suspense as to who will be in the Round of 16, as shown by these great graphics, but a great opportunity to see Messi play.
Argentina (3) - Nigeria (2) - Group F
A masterpiece by Messi ("El enano", as he is known) to send a message that Argentina hopes to go well beyond the Round of 16. In truth, I missed the game because I was seeing masterpieces of another kind. Life is about choices.
Nigeria will meet France on June 30.
The Albiceleste will face Switzerland on July 1st. My pick is Argentina, but the Swiss are not to be overlooked.
Bosnia-Herzegovenia (3) - Iran (1) - Group F
In a battle for third place, BH proved they belong in the finals (yes, the whole tourney this month is called "the World Cup Finals"; no, I didn't mean the final in Rio in July). Save for an own-goal against Argentina and the blown calls in the Nigeria match, they could have claimed the F2 seed. That's soccer my friends. At times cruel, but often beautiful.
France (0) - Ecuador (0) - Group E
A tie secures the top seed for France. They will face (and beat) Nigeria in the Round of 16.
Switzerland (3) - Honduras (0) - Group E
The Swiss claim the E2 seed in the Round of 1, where they will lose to Argentina.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Brazil - FIFA World Cup - Day 13 - Groups C & D
Tuesday concludes pool play for Groups C and D. Who will survive to reach the Round of 16?
Group D has come to be known as the "Group of Champions", the only group featuring three former tourney winners (only eight countries have claimed victory, and no other group contained more than one former champ!). But it is Costa-one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others-Rica that bests them all for the D1 seed.
Greece (2) - Côte d’Ivoire (1) - Group C
Holy spanakopita, Batman!
After a poor performance in the opening match against Columbia, and surviving a 0-0 tie against Japan (despite playing a man down), Greece bests Côte d’Ivoire to win their final match in pool play.
It is enough for the Greeks to scrape together the C2 seed with a 1-1-1 record and a minus-2 goal differential! Opa!
Is Greece better than I thought, or is Group C just that weak? The latter. I will be at the match in Recife to see them get their sundials cleaned by Costa Rica. My dreams of seeing Columbia-Uruguay didn't materialize.
Columbia (4) - Japan (1) - Group C
No surprise here. Columbia cruises to an easy victory and 3-0-0 record in the weak Group C. They will face Uruguay in the R16 matchup. Will Luis "Hannibal" Suarez take a bite out of the Columbians quarter-final aspirations?
Uruguay (1) - Italy (0) - Group D
After a first-match loss to Costa Rica, Uruguay strung together successive victories against England and Italy to earn the D2 seed in the R16. But the news of the day was Luis Suarez going Mike Tyson on an Italian's shoulder. For how llong will he be banned? Let's hope it's the remainder of the tourney.
Costa Rica (0) - England (0) - Group D
In a lowly anticipated game rendered largely meaningless by earlier matches, Costa Rica secured the D1 seed, with an overall 2-0-1 record. England salvaged their only point of the tourney, but their dignity had long since hopped the first QEII back to Britain. To be less snarky, lets applaud teams that maintain their class, even while losing. More than can be said for some teams moving on in the tourney (cough...cough...Uruguay).
Group D has come to be known as the "Group of Champions", the only group featuring three former tourney winners (only eight countries have claimed victory, and no other group contained more than one former champ!). But it is Costa-one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others-Rica that bests them all for the D1 seed.
Greece (2) - Côte d’Ivoire (1) - Group C
Holy spanakopita, Batman!
After a poor performance in the opening match against Columbia, and surviving a 0-0 tie against Japan (despite playing a man down), Greece bests Côte d’Ivoire to win their final match in pool play.
It is enough for the Greeks to scrape together the C2 seed with a 1-1-1 record and a minus-2 goal differential! Opa!
Is Greece better than I thought, or is Group C just that weak? The latter. I will be at the match in Recife to see them get their sundials cleaned by Costa Rica. My dreams of seeing Columbia-Uruguay didn't materialize.
Columbia (4) - Japan (1) - Group C
No surprise here. Columbia cruises to an easy victory and 3-0-0 record in the weak Group C. They will face Uruguay in the R16 matchup. Will Luis "Hannibal" Suarez take a bite out of the Columbians quarter-final aspirations?
Uruguay (1) - Italy (0) - Group D
After a first-match loss to Costa Rica, Uruguay strung together successive victories against England and Italy to earn the D2 seed in the R16. But the news of the day was Luis Suarez going Mike Tyson on an Italian's shoulder. For how llong will he be banned? Let's hope it's the remainder of the tourney.
Costa Rica (0) - England (0) - Group D
In a lowly anticipated game rendered largely meaningless by earlier matches, Costa Rica secured the D1 seed, with an overall 2-0-1 record. England salvaged their only point of the tourney, but their dignity had long since hopped the first QEII back to Britain. To be less snarky, lets applaud teams that maintain their class, even while losing. More than can be said for some teams moving on in the tourney (cough...cough...Uruguay).
Brazil is Burning
Friends have asked me what the mood is in Brazil during the World Cup (Copa Mundial).
Monday night, Brazil was on fire. Everywhere we looked (and smelled) were bonfires.
Everyone hoped that Brazil would cruise to a 3-0-0 record in the Group Stage.
Earlier in the week, there was a lot of hand-wringing over the tie game with reigning Olympic medalists, Mexico. After Monday's victory against Cameroon, Brazil's record stood at 2-0-1. They emerged as the number one seed in their group--ahead of Mexico (also 2-0-1)--but only by virtue of the tie-breaking goal-differential.
Brazilian expectations are always high. Vince Lombardi famously said, "Winning isn't everything, it is the only thing." For Brazilians, winning the number one seed in their group is not nearly enough. They wanted to win it by a large margin, leaving no doubt they are the best in the world.
And if they don't win four more games, including the final in Rio, it will be a huge blow to the country. They've yet to forget the loss to Uruguay 64 years ago, despite five intervening championships. Anyone who thinks playing baseball for the Yankees is tough due to high expectations has never been to Brazil during a World Cup.
Yet, all the taxi drivers will tell you that they don't think Brazil will win. Their money is on the Germans and the Dutch.
Back to Monday night and the fires...
We were attending the Mexico-Croatia game at the same time as Brazil was besting Cameroon to clinch the A1 seed. Periodically, a huge cheer would go up in the arena, despite nothing noteworthy happening in the Mexico match. It was all the Brazilian fans screaming in joy every time Brazil scored a goal in the other match.
As the buses taking us back to the subway wound through the Brazilian countryside, we saw house after house with large wooden bonfires lining the road. People were dancing and cheering. The air was so thick with smoke that our eyes were tearing. For the two-hour trip home on the bus, subway, and taxi, we saw many, many such bonfires, and the smell of smoke permeated the entire city.
There were explosions all night and into the morning outside our apartment balcony.
Opa (Wow!), these guys really know how to celebrate. And so far, they have only reached the Round of 16! I can only imagine how they'll celebrate if they win the final!
The next day, I asked some Brazilian friends about fires and the World Cup.
They shook their heads...
No, the fires had nothing to do with the World Cup, nor protests, etc.
It was June 23rd, the night on which many Brazilians celebrate the Festa de São João (Festival of Saint John) with bonfires and fireworks. On the 24th, they continue with street festivals.
My friend, something of a local historian and cultural ambassador said that as planes fly into Recife on the night of June 23rd each year, they see what looks like a city engulfed in flames and smoke, but it is just the residents celebrating.
So, maybe football isn't the only thing in Brazil, even during the World Cup. Or maybe it is just a good omen.
...and now you know, the *rest* of the story...
Monday night, Brazil was on fire. Everywhere we looked (and smelled) were bonfires.
Everyone hoped that Brazil would cruise to a 3-0-0 record in the Group Stage.
Earlier in the week, there was a lot of hand-wringing over the tie game with reigning Olympic medalists, Mexico. After Monday's victory against Cameroon, Brazil's record stood at 2-0-1. They emerged as the number one seed in their group--ahead of Mexico (also 2-0-1)--but only by virtue of the tie-breaking goal-differential.
Brazilian expectations are always high. Vince Lombardi famously said, "Winning isn't everything, it is the only thing." For Brazilians, winning the number one seed in their group is not nearly enough. They wanted to win it by a large margin, leaving no doubt they are the best in the world.
And if they don't win four more games, including the final in Rio, it will be a huge blow to the country. They've yet to forget the loss to Uruguay 64 years ago, despite five intervening championships. Anyone who thinks playing baseball for the Yankees is tough due to high expectations has never been to Brazil during a World Cup.
Yet, all the taxi drivers will tell you that they don't think Brazil will win. Their money is on the Germans and the Dutch.
Back to Monday night and the fires...
We were attending the Mexico-Croatia game at the same time as Brazil was besting Cameroon to clinch the A1 seed. Periodically, a huge cheer would go up in the arena, despite nothing noteworthy happening in the Mexico match. It was all the Brazilian fans screaming in joy every time Brazil scored a goal in the other match.
As the buses taking us back to the subway wound through the Brazilian countryside, we saw house after house with large wooden bonfires lining the road. People were dancing and cheering. The air was so thick with smoke that our eyes were tearing. For the two-hour trip home on the bus, subway, and taxi, we saw many, many such bonfires, and the smell of smoke permeated the entire city.
There were explosions all night and into the morning outside our apartment balcony.
Opa (Wow!), these guys really know how to celebrate. And so far, they have only reached the Round of 16! I can only imagine how they'll celebrate if they win the final!
The next day, I asked some Brazilian friends about fires and the World Cup.
They shook their heads...
No, the fires had nothing to do with the World Cup, nor protests, etc.
It was June 23rd, the night on which many Brazilians celebrate the Festa de São João (Festival of Saint John) with bonfires and fireworks. On the 24th, they continue with street festivals.
My friend, something of a local historian and cultural ambassador said that as planes fly into Recife on the night of June 23rd each year, they see what looks like a city engulfed in flames and smoke, but it is just the residents celebrating.
So, maybe football isn't the only thing in Brazil, even during the World Cup. Or maybe it is just a good omen.
...and now you know, the *rest* of the story...
Brazil - FIFA World Cup - Day 12 - Groups A & B
Monday begins four matches per day (two at 1:00 pm and two at 5:00 pm). Although bad for watching on TV, it is designed so that teams in the same group play their last group matches simultaneously (to minimize knowledge of the other game's outcome).
For all teams not mathematically eliminated by two earlier losses, this will determine their final seeding in the "Round of 16" (aka R16) ("Oitavos-de-finales" or "Eighth-finals" in Portuguese) or whether they go home empty-footed.
Not a lot of suspense in either group A or B. Everyone knew which teams were going through, but seeding was still on the line.
Brazil (4) - Cameroon (1) - Group A
No surprise here. Brazil sews up the A1 seed with an easy victory over Cameroon. The seeding was briefly in doubt, but Brazil outscored Cameroon by enough to win the tiebreaker with Mexico on goal differential. Brazil will face Chile (B2 seed) in R16.
Mexico (3) - Croatia (1) - Group A
This game was a lot of fun to attend. Croatian fans were outnumbered 99-to-1 in a sea of green. The fans sung and chanted nearly continually throughout the game. The scrappy and smaller Mexicans were not intimidated by the physical Croatians, and coasted to an easy 3-1 victory after breaking the game open in the second half. Mexico claims the A2 seed and will face the dominating Netherlands (B1 seed) in R16.
Netherlands (2) - Chile (0) - Group B
In a battle for the B1 seed, Netherlands (Hollande to Brazilians) proved the better team. Chile will now have to face pre-tourney favorite Brazil in the R16. Netherlands will face Mexico.
Spain (3) - Australia (0) - Group B
Spain salvaged what little dignity was left in the till, in a battle for third place (aka first-loser) of Group B. Everyone was watching the Netherlands-Chile game, so it took 36 hours for the score to become widely known.
For all teams not mathematically eliminated by two earlier losses, this will determine their final seeding in the "Round of 16" (aka R16) ("Oitavos-de-finales" or "Eighth-finals" in Portuguese) or whether they go home empty-footed.
Not a lot of suspense in either group A or B. Everyone knew which teams were going through, but seeding was still on the line.
Brazil (4) - Cameroon (1) - Group A
No surprise here. Brazil sews up the A1 seed with an easy victory over Cameroon. The seeding was briefly in doubt, but Brazil outscored Cameroon by enough to win the tiebreaker with Mexico on goal differential. Brazil will face Chile (B2 seed) in R16.
Mexico (3) - Croatia (1) - Group A
This game was a lot of fun to attend. Croatian fans were outnumbered 99-to-1 in a sea of green. The fans sung and chanted nearly continually throughout the game. The scrappy and smaller Mexicans were not intimidated by the physical Croatians, and coasted to an easy 3-1 victory after breaking the game open in the second half. Mexico claims the A2 seed and will face the dominating Netherlands (B1 seed) in R16.
Netherlands (2) - Chile (0) - Group B
In a battle for the B1 seed, Netherlands (Hollande to Brazilians) proved the better team. Chile will now have to face pre-tourney favorite Brazil in the R16. Netherlands will face Mexico.
Spain (3) - Australia (0) - Group B
Spain salvaged what little dignity was left in the till, in a battle for third place (aka first-loser) of Group B. Everyone was watching the Netherlands-Chile game, so it took 36 hours for the score to become widely known.
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