Stanislav Cherchesov compared the defeat by Croatia to leaving the army when you don’t want to, though this disappointment does not diminish what the much-maligned team achieved“Who, if not you? When, if not now?” said the two banners held up at one end of the stadium during a stirring rendition of the Russian national anthem. It felt like a call to arms for a group of players who had already exceeded all expectations by hanging around at their own party for far longer than anyone imagined.The show will have to go on without the hosts, however, after Croatia broke Russia’s brave resistance, as well as their hearts, at the end of a long and draining night in Sochi to set...
As England reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1990, take a breath to drink it all in and savour the momentThe red and white train just keeps rolling along. In the city where Russia’s space programme shot for the moon, England’s footballers have now entered their own near-earth orbit. There they go now, a little giddy but still upright, out there floating in their tin can, high above the world.It has been a month and a day in Russia, all the way from the fly pits of Volgograd, to Kaliningrad on the Baltic, and now on to Samara, a city lodged in the humid armpit of the south-east. But after Wembley in ’66 and Turin more than a quarter...
Brazil lost to a very good Belgium side and we must remember the positives from the tournament as well as the negativesIt took time for Brazil’s defeat against Belgium to sink in. I felt sadness, there is no doubt about that, but defeats are part of sport. Having played in many important tournaments for my clubs and my country I know that we do not live just through wins, we have to live through defeats as well.Brazil were beaten by a team with a very good strategy and they were helped by the fact Brazil’s players were not able to finish off their chances. It was not a disaster and, even though the expectations placed on the team were huge,...
The Wait List – and the frantic ticket-seeking scrum surrounding it – is a window into the Fifa machine and its ability to wring every last drop from a global passionAnd what did you see my blue eyed son? And what did you see my darling young ones? I saw a Peruvian TV anchor with a sweat-soaked pastel blazer. I saw a Thai radio crew in a state of mild hysteria. I saw the man from the Deccan Herald being elbowed by Spaniards. I saw 200 tired, flustered people with digestive problems carrying Sochi 2016 rucksacks and pleading in 17 languages for an overflow desk.It is generally assumed Bob Dylan’s haunting, visceral lyrics to the song A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna...
People in Italy, the Netherlands, Chile and Ghana are watching the party in Russia from afar. For some it is a painful experienceItalians are not used to missing a World Cup. It is a surreal feeling and akin to living a daily nightmare, especially now the tournament is underway and providing so much entertainment and joy. Missing out, because of the crazy choices of Giampiero Ventura, the man who led Italy during the doomed qualifying campaign, hurts us all, the players included. Even now they talk about it. Even now it shocks and upsets them. Related: Diego, Neymar and Germany’s bus: World Cup 2018 diary, week three Continue reading...