The face of anguish as Germans hit Brazil for seven

Courtesy: TF1
Pure agony, but is the lass behind her laughing? Courtesy: TF1

Just like watching Sunderland “defending” at Crystal Palace last season, said Pete Sixsmith, and it may only have been two or three by then.

Like them or not, though, the German humiliation of Brazil was as clinical as it was excruciating to follow.

It was torture for the home fans, of course, but painful enough, too, for anyone with a passing preference for Brazil. I kept thinking of those people who cannot properly enjoy Fawlty Towers. They appreciate John Cleese’s comic genius and the superb writing of Cleese and Connie Booth, then his wife and Polly in the series. They just wince too much at the agonies of Basil to be able to laugh at the gags and slapstick,

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Brazil 2014. Sobs says….

John McCormick:
John McCormick: roll out the barrel

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.

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Brazil 2014. Something for the weekend

John McCormick:
John McCormick: a quiet weekend at home

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.

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Brazil 2014: cool California Dreaming meets raw NYC passion as USA celebrate



You, the readers of Salut! Sunderland,
voted the USA by a sizeable margin to be our second team at Brazil 2014. Uruguay and Belgium vie for the runners-up slot but find themselves a long way behind.

So join in our US correspondent Grant Tunkel’s ecstasy as he and a lot of other Americans celebrate the John Brooks winner in USA 2 Ghana 1. USA, USA, USA indeed …

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Brazil 2014: Anita Lovren’s show of love for Southampton-playing Croatian husband

Anita Lovran's Instagram verdict
Anita Lovran’s Instagram verdict

Now let us be honest. If Dejan Lovren had gone feet-high into Fred’s throat, leaving stud marks and threatening life itself, we can safely assume a devoted wife might have protested when the referee had the audacity to give a penalty. And a yellow card.

But it wasn’t quite like that, as we know. Fred, untouched by Lovren except when falling dramatically into him, simply cheated to gain his penalty. Since I am not prepared to suggest anything criminal, let me just repeat that this was a wretched decision, as bad as any to be imagined for the opening game of the world’s grandest sporting tournament.

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Luke’s World Cup: roll on 2014

luke


Almost done in South Africa but it seems an awful long time since England were still involved. Luke Harvey tries to look forward four years to the next World Cup and wonders where our version of Mesut Ozil might come from …

Salut! Sunderland’s World Cup coverage has betrayed an uncanny resemblance to Christmas day in the Harvey household.

Much as we begin our Christmas Day as a united and happy family, we also began the World Cup with arms linked and faces smiling; we were ready to will England to victory.

And much like Christmas Day, it’s all ended in rather petty squabbling.

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