Category: World Cup
-
England 0 USA 0
Friday 25th November 2022 10pm – The FIFA World Cup – Al Bayt Stadium, Doha (just) Ah the best laid plans. The decision to leave Khalifa and not trying to get in at half-time meant I was on a bus heading north to Al Bayt at 7:45pm. Plenty of time for the 30 mile journey…
-
Netherlands 1 Ecuador 1
Friday 25th November 2022 7pm – The FIFA World Cup – Stadium Khalifa, Doha If the walk from the Metro drop off at the Al Thumami was long (1 3/4 miles) then the trek to the bus park was even longer. I’d manage to clock up 10,000 steps just getting to and from the public…
-
Qatar 1 Senegal 3
Friday 25th November 2022 4pm – The FIFA World Cup – The Al-Thumama Stadium, Doha Having started the day of football with a simple journey west to the Ahmad Bin Ali, game two was going to be a bit of a trek thanks to the location of the Al Thumama Stadium. It wasn’t that it…
-
Iran 2 Wales 0
Friday 25th November 2022 1pm – The FIFA World Cup – Stadium Ahmad Bin Ali, Doha After the decision not to head to the Brazil game, and deny myself of 4 games in a day, I headed back to the cruise ship. It had been the longest day so far, having initially landed at 6am…
-
Portugal 3 Ghana 1
Thursday 24th November 2022 7pm – The FIFA World Cup – Stadium 974, Doha “‘Cuse me mate, where is the Metro?” I’m sure the joke was funny the first time but the English guy walking just in front of me towards the Education City Metro entrance thought he was hilarious by asking the volunteers who…
-
South Korea 0 Uruguay 0
Education City Stadium – Doha – Thursday 24th November 2022 4pm – The FIFA World Cup As the Switzerland vs Cameroon game entering injury time I headed towards the exit. Google Maps suggested that I had a 59 minute journey from Al Janoub to Education City Stadium, with kick off in 75 minutes – plenty…
-
Switzerland 1 Cameroon 0
The Al-Janoub Stadium – Doha, Qatar – Thursday 24th November 2022 – 1pm Three hours after I had arrived in Doha I was on a bus from Souq Waqif, heading south towards the Al-Janoub Stadium as part of a 48-hour, six (or seven) game adventure in the desert. There would be little in the way…
-
An Arab Winter
Twenty two nations, taken from both the African and Asian Federations but with the common trait of being Arab nations, will take part in the tournament which will run for 18 days in December 2021. The top 10 teams based on the December 2021 FIFA ranking will directly qualify to the group stage, while the…
-
The Road to Doha Opens For England
IFor English fans they may struggle to get to see the Three Lions, assuming COVID-19 restrictions are eased, in Andorra-la-Vella and Serravalle, the homes of the lowest-ranked UEFA countries. The days of UEFA agreeing to switch venues for the smaller countries has long passed, with Gibraltar being the final nation to be allowed to host…
-
Whatever happened to the likely to be very good lads?
Ten years ago the English media waxed lyrically about our “Golden Generation”, the core of players who would go on to dominate world football. Beckham, Ferdinand, Lampard, Owen and Rooney. We went into the 2004 European Championships in Portugal full of hope that this time we would get it right, finally delivering some glory after…
-
1966 and Not All That
The England squad that travelled to the 1962 World Cup in Chile had to endure a flight with two separate changes to Lima where they played a warm up game against Peru before moving onto Santiago, then Rancagua where they would play their group games and then bus to their base in the Braden Copper…
-
Five things from….Argentina 0 Germany 1
Footballers never look comfortable wearing ties but Rio has taken this smart look to a new level, with his blazer and orange tie, last seen on the Easyjet flight from Malaga to Liverpool. Surely, someone in wardrobe must have said to him he looked a little silly? Or did he simply buy the outfit on…
-
The Golden Generation of German football
Whilst the likes of Martin Cranie, Nedum Onuoha, Mark Noble and Michael Mancienne have failed to progress further than the Under 21’s, the Germans have continued to produce young talent, constantly pushing them into the national team if they are deemed good enough. In the squad that got on the plane for Brazil, nine were…
-
Five things from….Brazil 0 Netherlands 3
Nothing like being in the spotlight to really show your qualities. I remember punching above my weight when I played for a number of sides in my youth. You naturally raise your game. But here is David Luiz, fresh from leading the Brazilian defence into the worst defeat in their history, perfectly setting up Blind…
-
Five things from….Netherlands 0 Costa Rica 0
The stars of the tournament so far have been the keepers. Howard, Neuer, Ospina and Costa Rica’s Navas have all been outstanding. In fact every keeper could probably say they have performed on the world’s stage. Well, Iker Casillas excepted. Navas once again put in a fantastic shift, although probably felt that he would have…
The Ball is Round 