World Cup day 12, Group E finale ⚽️
– Japan 🇯🇵 2, Spain 🇪🇸 1: I wonder if La Roja took it easy, so they’d face Morocco next (instead of Croatia)
– Costa Rica 🇨🇷 2, Germany 🇩🇪 4: they eventually did all they could, but the Germans get seats on the WTF Happened Express home
Author: Chris G Page 8 of 77
World Cup day 12, Group F finale ⚽️
– Croatia 🇭🇷 0, Belgium 🇧🇪 0: a must-win for Belgium for much of the game… but they didn’t. shock exit
– Canada 🇨🇦 1, Morocco 🇲🇦 2: the Canadians tried to play spoiler but end with zero points; the Atlas Lions finish atop (!) Group F
World Cup day 11, Group C finale ⚽️
– Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 1, Mexico 🇲🇽 2: poor Mexico, so close, losing the 6th tiebreaker with Poland… until KSA got one late
– Poland 🇵🇱 0, Argentina 🇦🇷 2: Szczęsny’s save of Messi’s PK was a highlight, but kind of meh for a marquee matchup
World Cup day 11, Group D finale ⚽️
– Australia 🇦🇺 1, Denmark 🇩🇰 0: Aussies send poor Eriksen & his Danes home
– Tunisia 🇹🇳 1, France 🇫🇷 0: not that France was trying too hard, but I loved the scenes of Tunisia fans celebrating the win even though they’re eliminated
World Cup day 10, Group B finale ⚽️
– Wales 🏴 0, England 🏴 3: sad to see the Welsh end so flat, as England comfortably win Group B
– Iran 🇮🇷 0, USA 🇺🇸 1: Pulisic scores & then gets subbed out hurt as the US squeak through to face the Dutch on Sat.
World Cup day 10, Group A finale ⚽️
– Netherlands 🇳🇱 2, Qatar 🇶🇦 0: hosts flame out with a grand total of 1 goal and 0 points; Dutch finish top of Group A
– Ecuador 🇪🇨 1, Senegal 🇸🇳 2: Ecuador just needed a draw, & had it for a minute… but the Lions of Teranga advance
World Cup day 9, 2/2 ⚽️
– Brazil 🇧🇷 1, Switzerland 🇨🇭 0: Brazil look dominant though they only get one; they’ll advance
– Portugal 🇵🇹 2, Uruguay 🇺🇾 0: Portugal will also advance; La Celeste still goalless in this tournament (plus CR7 hilariously steals credit for 1st goal)
World Cup day 9, 1/2 ⚽️
– Cameroon 🇨🇲 3, Serbia 🇷🇸 3: sometimes the lowest-profile, least-famous teams put on the best show; a good game with a fitting result
– South Korea 🇰🇷 2, Ghana 🇬🇭 3: another exciting goalfest from non-marquee teams sees the Black Stars stay alive
World Cup day 8, 2/2 ⚽️
– Canada 🇨🇦 1, Croatia 🇭🇷 4: Canadians start strong, but once the Picnic Tablecloths start clicking, forget it. a shame Canada’s out
– Spain 🇪🇸 1, Germany 🇩🇪 1: an exciting, high-tension draw. Spaniards were menacing but Germany scrounged a point
World Cup day 8, 1/2 ⚽️
– Japan 🇯🇵 0, Costa Rica 🇨🇷 1: I loved this: after a 7-0 loss in first game, Los Ticos withstand the Japanese onslaught & steal one late
– Belgium 🇧🇪 0, Morocco 🇲🇦 2: another upset sees the Belgians looking flat (again); paying for it this time
Emmylou, by First Aid Kit, played live for its namesake 🎵
Saturday’s beer: Goose Island Beer Co.’s Bourbon County Coffee Stout (2022)
⭐️⭐️⭐️
picked up along with two other variants on release day yesterday. a little sharp but tasty af 🍺
World Cup day 7, 2/2 ⚽️
– France 🇫🇷 2, Denmark 🇩🇰 1: Eriksen’s Danes give the French a scare but Mbappe takes care of le business
– Argentina 🇦🇷 2, Mexico 🇲🇽 0: Messi helps his team to an essential win over El Tri (& caps a day with no 0-0 draws! hey, no draws at all!)
World Cup day 7, 1/2 ⚽️
– Tunisia 🇹🇳 0, Australia 🇦🇺 1: Socceroos get one early & withstand the onslaught to keep their WC hopes alive
– Poland 🇵🇱 2, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 0: Lewandowski & Szczęsny keep the lid on the underdogs from a country that should never host
World Cup day 6, 2/2 ⚽️
– Netherlands 🇳🇱 1, Ecuador 🇪🇨 1: another unimpressive Dutch game; Ecuador looking scary. best part: this result knocked out Qatar
– England 🏴 0, USA 🇺🇸 0: Yanks held their own against a tough team, if not looking their best today, either
World Cup day 6, 1/2 ⚽️
– Wales 🏴 0, Iran 🇮🇷 2: Welsh overmatched even before their keeper got a straight red; Iranians score 2 after 98’
– Qatar 🇶🇦 1, Senegal 🇸🇳 3: Qatar get their first-ever (last ever?) WC goal but the home “fans” still all left early again
World Cup day 5, 2/2 ⚽️
– Portugal 🇵🇹 3, Ghana 🇬🇭 2: it was looking like another scoreless draw until Ronaldo’s PK opened the floodgates
– Brazil 🇧🇷 2, Serbia 🇷🇸 0: Serbians held firm until Richarlison gets a Thanksgiving brace, the second as sweet as pecan pie
World Cup day 5, 1/2 ⚽️
– Switzerland 🇨🇭 1, Cameroon 🇨🇲 0: subdued game, Africans always taking a touch too many, then Shaqiri’s team break the deadlock early in the 2nd half
– Uruguay 🇺🇾 0, South Korea 🇰🇷 0: the South Americans looked threatening… but weren’t, in the end
World Cup day 4, cont. ⚽️
– Spain 🇪🇸 7, Costa Rica 🇨🇷 0: as with France, this is how sharks should dispatch minnows
– Belgium 🇧🇪 1, Canada 🇨🇦 0: result doesn’t match which team played exciting, attacking ball & which looked flat (plus Canada should’ve had another PK)
World Cup day 4 ⚽️
– Morocco 🇲🇦 0, Croatia 🇭🇷 0: watching Morocco deadlock with Modrić‘s team not as worth getting up early for as the ARG upset
– Germany 🇩🇪 1, Japan 🇯🇵 2: speaking of upsets! Germans fail to score from open play, & the Japanese punish them for it
World Cup day 3, cont. ⚽️
– Mexico 🇲🇽 0, Poland 🇵🇱 0: another goalless draw, with a soft PK saved by Ochoa (ball don’t lie)
– France 🇫🇷 4, Australia 🇦🇺 1: this is how a dominant team dominates
World Cup day 3 ⚽️
– Argentina 🇦🇷 1, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 2 (!): 500 offside calls saved the Saudis, then a couple stolen goals made them giant-slayers
– Denmark 🇩🇰 0, Tunisia 🇹🇳 0: a red & white grudge match
World Cup day 2 ⚽️
– England 🏴 6, Iran 🇮🇷 2: underdog Iranians steal 2 but English dominate
– Senegal 🇸🇳 0, Netherlands 🇳🇱 2: Senegalese hold Dutch at bay until late
– USA 🇺🇸 1, Wales 🏴 1: Yanks get a narrow lead but not enough to get past Bale
World Cup day 1 ⚽️
– Qatar 🇶🇦 0, Ecuador 🇪🇨 2: the hosts wilted under the pressure of the opener, and reportedly many of their “fans” gave up & left at halftime. I hope they wash out, goalless
Saturday’s beer: Jester King Brewery’s Pattinson Porter
⭐️ __ __
should’ve known better than to think a Jester King wouldn’t be funky 🫤 🍺
new post: Fuq Qatar, in which I rage briefly under a childish headline about the monsters hosting the pinnacle of the beautiful game ⚽️
The Guardian: Beer ban is show of strength and an almighty two fingers up to Qatar’s critics:
The ink was barely dry on Qatar’s decision to ban alcohol from World Cup stadiums when an informed insider in Doha was asked why it was happening now, just 48 hours before the tournament’s big kick-off. His response was succinct. “It’s a deliberate fuck you to the west.”
Fuck us? No, Qatar. Fuck you.
First you stole the hosting rights with envelopes of cash, then you moved the tournament to November, then you screw up even the most rudimentary hosting requirements. (Hotel capacity? Really?) That’s not even to mention the human rights offenses or the brutal working conditions and high death toll on the people you’ve tricked into coming to build all the stadiums.
And why? Sportswashing, they say, but for what? Tourism? To make people think, hey Qatar, they’re okay, I guess? Well, congratulations, it’s completely backfiring. Now everyone knows how much your country sucks, and even rabid soccer fans are only coming to the tournament grudgingly. You might pay people (or not) to post nice things on Instagram, but nobody’s planning a trip to fucking Doha next year.
#fuq___Qatar
#Qatar___suqs
P.S. To hell with FIFA, too, for letting this happen.
Warpaint, performing Disco//Very live on KEXP 🎵
Nina Persson, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 🎵
Saturday’s beer: Save the World Brewing’s Sanguis 🍺
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Metric, again, with Doomscroller, again, from a livestream last week. I paid to watch this, and haven’t closed my browser window yet to keep my replay-ability beyond the 24 hours… but here’s the opening song from YouTube thanks to some pirate 🎵
The Cardigans – I Need Some Fine Wine, and You, You Need to be Nicer 🎵
baby you’re foul in clear conditions
but you’re handsome in the fog