France vs Germany, Brazil vs Colombia tomorrow night, the Netherlands vs Costa Rica, Argentina vs Belgium on Saturday. That is the line-up for the quarterfinals of what has been a terrific World Cup. You can still vote to decide which team/country Salut! Sunderland supports. For now, it’s Belgium, who deserve it if only for Vincent Kompanys’s great show of magnanimity towards Tim Howard…
Grant Tunkel‘s reports from the other side of the Atlantic, chronicling the pride and joy inspired by USA performances at Brazil 2014, have given a valuable extra dimension to our World Cup coverage. Before he reverts to writing as an American Sunderland supporter, here – delayed by his own sporting commitments (he had a game immediately after the Belgium match) – are his thoughts on a noble exit …
Although not a fan of the World Cup as there’s too much hype and dishonesty (so how’s it different? I hear you asking) I have forced myself to watch the games in order to report on them for you. Sometimes, to give myself an authentic experience, I have forced myself to drink beer while watching. You’ll appreciate that this can’t have been pleasant for me but it had to be done, and it underlines the dedication of the Salut team. Maybe one day I’ll get an OBE or a liver transplant in recognition of the effort I’ve made but for now I have the satisfaction of knowing my duty is done, as well as an almost empty barrel in the shed.
Sixteen saves, some of then very classy indeed, made Tim Howard the man of the match in USA vs Belgium whatever the winners could say about their match-winners.
But then the Belgians were actually magnanimous in victory. Vincent Kompany, an outstanding player and very likeable bloke from what we see of him on Twitter, tweeted this:
Two words.. TIM HOWARD #Respect #BelUSA
Respect to you, VK.
Fabulous goalkeeping from Tim Howard, glorious all-round defending and a thundering finale just when it seemed all was lost.
That is how I shall remember the USA’s exit from Brazil 2014, beaten 2-1 after extra time by a technically superior Belgium but only after fighting to the last second to make it an even better World Cup for them than it has been.
The two sets of players and officials, and most fans, will never know it. But tonight’s game between the USA and Belgium has something resting on its result beyond a place in the past eight of Brazil 2014.
We’re doing our best, as promised, with Brazil 2014. But as we await more Sunderland-related news and talking points, let’s look back at some priceless, timeless gems that have appeared on these pages and deserve another airing. Cue a new series. Pete Sixsmith‘s powerfully lyrical description of the Tour de France first appeared when the last World Cup had just finished. As the peleton prepares for the Yorkshire Grand Depart making the simple journey from Leeds to Harrogate a 190km epic through the Dales, here it is again complete with a wonderful image from the first race in 1903 …
Here on Saturday the Suarez affair was bubbling under a bit, but quietly. It appeared Liverpool had not had any documentation from FIFA so didn’t know how or if they could proceed, although they have been told they are not eligible to appeal against the ban. That strikes me as unfair, given that they are innocent this time and FIFA’s action hurts them more than it hurts Uruguay.
I do wonder if England’s stance against alleged corruption was playing on anyone’s mind when the decision was made. If Suarez played for Real Madrid would the decision have been the same? I’m not convinced it would.
So, we have a highly talented player renowned and handsomely rewarded for his contributions to club and country.
At a crucial stage of the World Cup in Brazil, he gets frustrated when a bunch of minnows from Mexico lead the elite masters of football from the Netherlands.
And the response from Arjen Robben, presently of Bayern Munich, soon – maybe – of Man Utd? To dive and dive again.
Rob Hutchison, a Sunderland-supporting southern exile, is also a man of music. He found himself torn (but not, Natalie Imbruglia is relieved to hear, trust, ‘lying naked on the floor’) between Uruguay vs Colombia and Glastonbury. It all turned into Rob’s ‘super Saturday’ …