World Cup 2006: the facts
I appear to be unqualified to give an opinion (see: comments passim), so I would say I'll stick to the facts as I see them, but there may be a stray opinion in here as well, so be warned. As long as it's understood that, to an extent, I don't know what I'm talking about!
MONDAY
Australia 3 Japan 1
Too busy writing sitcom to watch this, but I gather it was very exciting towards the end when Australia suddenly scored three goals in nine minutes.
USA 0 Czech Republic 3
Absolutely terrific first two goals from Koller and Rosicky of Czech Republic (first appearance in World Cup under post-1993 name), then, five minutes before the second half, "wretched luck" to use the words of commentator Simon Brotherton (I think), as Koller pulled his hamstring and was stretchered off, leaving the Czechs with neither of their key strikers. If he had been inexplicably taken off by coach Bruckner - a lovely, white-haired old man, who likes chess - then it would have been a bit like Michael Owen's exit. As it is, it was much worse for the Republic. I obviously wanted them to win, just because I wanted the USA to lose. They are triumphalist enough already, without winning football matches against Yurp. They need some international humility. By the way, about four of their players, obviously Communists, didn't sing along to The Star Spangled Banner before the match, in full view of the camera - doesn't that mean they will be arrested and tortured as un-American spies? I wouldn't risk it. I had to go back to the computer while the second half played out (sitcom waits for no man, and Lee is on his way home from Cologne today and he will want to see my homework), but it was Rosicky who made it three.
Italy 2 Ghana 0
In the opening BBC preamble, it was sweet to see Hansen and Martin O'Neill virtually kneeling down before Marcel Desailly. The early evening Berlin sun even gave him something of a halo. Come on, chaps, there's a game about to start! Cracking first half, not least because we heard John Motson say, "Totti's in space." Well, he is a bit of a superhero and you wouldn't put it past him. Toni looked like he'd be the man to score, banging one off the crossbar in the 29th minute. Or was it Totti? Motti kept getting the pair of them mixed up anyway. You had to love the Ghanaians, who held the slightly-off-form Italians for most of the first half, only letting in a cannonball shot from Pirlo outside the box in the 40th minute that the keeper, Kingston, couldn't see, due to there being, like, a dozen players in between him and it. This changed the dynamic of the game. It was clear that Italy needed a goal to find their swagger, and what little I know of Italian football, I expected them to sit on it and protect it like an egg in the second half. This, they mostly did, but, after being stretchered off in apparent agony after a post-offside-flag foul by Samuel Kuffour, a long-haired bloke called Iaquinta made a miraculous recovery (must have been all that crossing and ring-kissing the Italians do) and popped one in after all the other players had kindly vacated half the pitch, making it an unassailable 2-0 in the 83rd. Some desperate fouling by the Ghanaians in this half merely illustrated their frustration at all the chances they had failed to finish, and all the wild shots off-goal. Mind you, the Italians did a lot of amateur dramatics. I thought it neat the way the Italian strip was designed to look as if the players had big sweat patches under their arms before they'd started playing in the heat. This gave them the advantage.

Seemed like a good day of football, from what I saw. The Ghana shirts looked like they were being worn backwards. Oh, and it was Motson who gave us today's headline, referring to the Italian keeper.