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Spain V Australia World Cup 2014

Spain V Australia Fifa World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

Beers: Group B of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-b/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? VB Beer V San Miguel. Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit? Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

San Miguel V Victoria Bitter: 0-2 Comfortable win in the end for VB. As nice as San Miguel is and all its no match for a strong VB in the hand, especially when there is sports on the tele! VB’s aftertaste is delicious and wins out. San Miguel is a fine beer, but I am not in Spain and the weather is not so hot and so the mood doesn’t fit. San Miguel is a lovely golden clear lager that goes down smooth and has a nice soft aftertaste, but up against a strong rival like VB it’s no match. VB with its golden pour and sweet malt aroma wins it with its bitter unique aftertaste. Click on links below for full beer information and reviews.

PreGame:

Spain: Even though this is a dead rubber tie it still remains a fascinating game to review. Will Vicente del Bosque completely change the team for this last game, or give the old guard one last chance to play World Cup football? As a huge fan of Cecs Fábregas and Cazorla, I am hoping he at least plays these two. But he could just as easily, give Diego Costa some game time to get his shooting boots on. It would be more than fair for the man to have a chance to restore some if his lost reputation in this last game. Might even get a shot on target today!

I think Spain might want to prove something in this game. prove that they can still win, and win well. I am sure they will try their damnest to win this match handsomely, trying to notch up a few goals, and get some pride back in the national team

Australia: If Spain disappointed then Australia have done the opposite. They have shown some good football in this tournament and their future looks very bright.They played well against the Netherlands and asked some serious questions about their defence, getting behind the Dutch back four on numerous ocassions, scoring twice.

Cahills’ goals was what every kid dreams of. A beautiful volley top corner, brilliant. Reminded me of the great vans Basten all those years ago. But he wont be playing today as he picked up another yellow card, so he is suspended for the match this evening. That’s a massive loss, and I cant see the Aussies doing much without him up front. It will be tough to beat the (soon to be former) World Champions, but what a story of they did!

A more detailed review on Spain here and on Australia here

This game highlighted the complete balls up that Vicente del Bosque made with the Spanish selection policy at this years World Cup. Seven changes were made for this final game in which Spain won out easily enough in the end. Now I know it was a dead rubber of a game but still questions should be taken from it.

David Villa, the man who has scored seven of Spain’s last 11 goals at the World Cup, and who powered Spain into the final of the last competition, was on the bench for the first two games. While del Bosque persisted with Costa who finished the World Cup without ONE shot on target. Villa looked very lively when he came on and, sure enough, he scored a lovely back heal to score his ninth goal in a World Cup. He will be missed and what a player he was, scoring 59 times for his country and generally playing the game in the right spirit. You don’t leave World Class players on the bench Vicente, ever!

Fernando Torres scored Spain’s second, and Fabregas played a lovely pass to get Mata into score the third. Fabregas and Mata, more players criminally underused in this campaign by del Bosque.

Australia had made a very positive start to the game, and had Spain under the cosh for the first twenty minutes or so, but once Spain scored they dropped their heads and the rest of the match was played out in a very slow tempo.

Spain can regroup after this World Cup, knowing that they have to try and get a better forward than Costa in action if they want to be a top force again. For Australia the future is very bright. Although they lost this game by three goals, their overall World Cup adventure was positive. They have a young squad who would have gained a huge amount from their time in Brazil. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing them back in four years time to see how much further they have progressed.

Music to get you in the mood

Kylie Minogue V Pignoise

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South Korea V Algeria World Cup 2014

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South Korea V Algeria Fifa World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

Beers: Group H of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-h/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Hite Lager V ? Unfortunately I couldn’t source any beer from Algeria so this will be a one sided affair. Click on picture for a preview of the beer.

Hite Lager: V ? : 1-0 win for Hite Lager: as I couldn’t source a beer from Algeria. Click on links below for full beer information and reviews

PreGame:

South Korea: Played out a very dull first game. can’t solely blame the Russians for that. Korea didnt do a whole lot in that game either and would not have scored only for the generosity of the Russian goalkeeper doing his best for Russian Korean diplomacy.

Russia were clueless. South Korea not much better. At one stage of the match a South Korean player kicked the ball right out of the stadium when trying to shoot for a goal.

Was a little disappointed with Son Heung Min. Okay he had moments, but in such a slow game, I thought he could have picked up the tempo better. Had a great season in Germany, maybe he is knackered?

Really don’t know where the goals are going to come from with this Korea team.

Algeria, in the first game against Belgium, had, as expected, a rock solid defence which was well marshaled by Bougherra. They closed off the channels to Belgium cutting off any supply for their forwards. More of the same will do against Korea.

Sofiane Feghouli, who, apart from the goal, disappointed. Hopefully he can shine tonight, as I would expect there will be much more space for him to go on his marauding runs.

If Algeria continue to play it tight, and break well and try and bring the aforementioned Feghouli into the game, I can see them getting a win. The Russian Korean tied game really has given Algeria a great chance of getting out of this group. Still very much to play for as if Algeria don’t get the win and lose they are out.

A more detailed review on South Korea here and on Algeria here

Was a cracking game from start to finish, who would have guessed it going on the two teams previous games. Fast paced with high intensity, resulting in a six goal thriller, this World Cup just keeps getting better and better.

In the first half Algeria came out with a really high tempo game, they played some lovely football, attacked with pace, and it looked liked the Koreans were shell shocked. Three goals in the first half shows how great the Algerians were.

The Korean goalkeeper, Jung Sung-ryong, was all over the shop in the first half, and he didn’t get much help from his defence either. The two centre haves were particularly awful and were caught ball watching for a few of the Algerian goals.

Madjid Bougherra was a rock in defence, at least in the first half. Wilted a bit in the second and was badly caught napping for the first Korean goal. Still was a good goal by Son Heung-min, who was quick to pounce on Bougherra’s mistake in the box.

That goal gave a huge confidence boost to the Koreans and they had Algeria rattled early in the second half. The Algerian goalkeeper M’Bolhi was particularly busy, and made a few brilliant saves to stem the tide. But Algeria got the fourth to relieve the pressure on their team in the end.

By the way, whats with the Korean’s and their naff haircuts. Looks like they are heading into town to do some shopping not play in the World Cup and battle the Algerians. Didn’t look very intimidating anyway! Wouldn’t see those styles on a rugby pitch anyway!

A win for Algeria, their first in a World Cup since 1982, now means that the Desert Foxes only need a win against Russia to secure a last-16 spot, and a draw could be enough if South Korea fail to beat Belgium, which is a given really.

Music to get you in the mood

Ruks V Souad Massi

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Germany V Portugal World Cup 2014

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Germany V Portugal Fifa World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

More winners please

Pregame bets:

Draw and both teams to score is 10/3
Bastian Schweinsteiger to score anytime 9/2
Ronaldo to score anytime is 11/10
over 2.5 goals 4/6
Draw at 13.5
2-2 is 11/1

Game died with the sending off, ruined the whole contest, but truth be told Germany were well on top even before Muller’s theatrics. Its very hard for Ronaldo to carry that Portugal team all the time, it really must be very physically demanding especially after his long season. Apart from the free kick Ronaldo didn’t have much of a chance of scoring a goal. Bad tipping there, I hold my hand up.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group G of Beer World Cup:http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-g/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? SuperBock V Friedenfelser? Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit?

Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

SuperBock V Friedenfelser Pils Leicht: 0-1 Two very contrasting beers. SuperBock was a strong 5.2% Pale Lager while Friedenfelser is a Light Pils of about 2.8%., but Freidnfelser were controversially given the win with a late and surprising victory. Read here for full beer report.

PreGame:

Germany: Will they win it this year? I think they have a very strong chance. They have one of the strongest squads in the competition. The world cup games come quick and fast and teams have to rely on their fringe players to get them through to the end. Teams with strong solid squads will do well. Germany fits that bill.

Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment. Playing regular top class football with Bayern Munich he has shown to be a solid keeper that makes few mistakes and he has the temperate and steadiness to give his back four full confidence to get on with their own game. Would also fancy him for a penalty shoot out. Top class keeper.

if there is a small weakness it is Germany’s defence. It can go without leave, and get disorientated. Philipp Lahm, the captain and one of Germany’s stars is great for bombing forward and getting the ball into the opposition box, but when he is up the field who is behind at the back? Per Mertesacker? Jérôme Boateng? or the rest? Germany have really struggled to get a central defender of the mold of Beckenbauer, someone who exudes confidence on the ball, sweeping out of central defence, controlling his area. Funny that this is a position that Germany is weak on considering the history of German teams and their usually rock solid defence. It remains to be seen if Joachim Löw has solved this problem.

Midfield is where German are strong. Bastian Schweinsteiger is about as good as you can get for a box to box player, who can ship in for a lot of goals. He has a long season with Munich so it remains to be seen how he will perform with Germany. Mesut Özil is another star of the German midfield, who was a key player from the last World Cup. But this season with Arsenal he has been out of sorts, has struggled and his confidence is very low. Heading into a world cup that’s not good. Thomas Müller is another who has had a mixed season, scoring 13 goals in the league, but under performing in the CL. But could the German stars be waiting for the world cup to correct their season?

Up front Miroslav Klose is back and itching to get Ronaldo’s top goal scoring record. He needs two to beat it. At 36 one would wonder if he can get it, but with Löw only bringing the one striker, now that Lukas Podolski seems to be more of an inside forward, he will get chances and game time to beat it. Klose was a world class player, but I am not so sure if he still has the legs and pace to get the goals he needs for the record. He still has a good head for a goal though, literally! It would not be the first time a team has won the world cup with few strikers and a team built around the midfield. France did it in 98, and Argentina did it in 86.

Germany have the ability to steam roll through teams. they are fast going forward and are physically strong. I see them coming first in their group. A tough group but I can’t see Germany losing any of those first round games.

Portugal and Ronaldo, the two are synonymous in Football. Without their star, Ronaldo, Portugal wouldn’t be half the team, and might struggle to qualify for so many top tournaments. Will this be the year that Ronaldo drags his nation to a world cup final? Well its a definite possibility.

Of course it would be prudish to exclude the rest of the squad in any analysis. Portugal have a decent enough team, strong in defence, creative in midfield, and Ronaldo up front. It is a good team. Going forward that is. They are a team that is great for counter attacking football, but their defence can so easily be caught at the other end.

They have good defenders in Fábio Coentrão, Bruno Alves, Pepe, and André Almeida. Decent enough but as a group they are liable for the odd mishap, and they also tend to give away silly free kicks around their box.

Midfield is also pretty decent. João Moutinho, Raul Meireles, and Manchester United’s Nani, three creative players who love getting forward at all times. its the tracking back that could be the problem here.

In the forward line Hugo Almeida and Hélder Postiga are the wrong side of 30 and I haven’t seen a whole lot from them previous World Cups to suggest they will trouble many defences this time around.

So it all lies on Portugal’s key player and inspirational captain Cristiano Ronaldo. He has had an amazing season, winning the Champions League, outscoring his nemesis Messi, and finishing the season scoring 31 goals from 30 games, sharing the European Golden Shoe with Liverpool striker Luis Suárez. What else can you say about that? Amazing season from an amazing player. He really has developed into one of the best player ever, as his all round game has also improved in the last few years. With Ronaldo in such sizzling form, Portugal will always have a chance against any team.

In group G Portugal have got one of the harder groups. Against Germany in the first game, Portugal will have to be at their very best. These kind of games are always tight and cagey. I predict a score draw.

A more detailed review on Germany here and on Portugal here

Well lets get right to it then. The sending off. One word for me. SHAME. Muller could have scored ten goals but it wouldn’t have mattered as all we will remember is his Rivaldoesque dive. I hate seeing players trying to get other professionals sent off, its a cancer of the game I love so much, but FIFA never seem to care. The sight of the German bench celebrating the sending off was also shameful, have they got no f-ing pride! SHAME

Now Pepe was a silly boy, but in the heat of the moment he really didn’t do a whole lot wrong. A yellow was what he should have got for showing anger at Muller’s theatrics. Its not like Pepe doesn’t love the odd roll along the grass himself, the fool. But it wasn’t a headbutt as I have seen reported, it was mild, and the authorities have to step back and let the men on the pitch sort it out, eh like men! Want an example, take Jermaine Jones in the USA game where he calmed the situation right down after a heavy collision with a Muntari who wanted to strangle him, he even had his arms on his neck. Jones relaxed the angry Ghanaian right down, shook hands and got on with the game. What would Muller have done? Its all about pride in oneself, and respect for the game and your opponent. SHAME And the German bench jumping around giving high fives after the red card, SHAME. Have some pride.

Anyway to the game. Ronaldo tried but its hard when it a one man team. Everything went through him, even if other players were in better positions. Arrogance? No, its a reality, the other Portuguese players are not as good, you have to get it to Ronaldo has fast as possible. Good try Ronnie but Germany were just too good this time round. One nil to Messi so far.

The second half was ruined by the sending off, game pretty much unwatchable as the contest was over early. With that I thought Low should have brought on Klose for the goal scoring record and give the striker some game time. Why bring him if you wont play him, tut tut no class from Low, as usual. The fans would have at least got some enjoyment in the last 20 minutes seeing Klose try his best for a goal.

Anyone else notice how every time the camera pans to Ronaldo he has a sneaky look up at the stadium screen. “Yeah, still looking good baby”

And Viera on ITV saying diving and cheating is part of our game and its acceptable. Not part of the game I used to play. Two words Patrick, F. O.

Will have calmed down by the weekend! SHAME!

Music to get you in the mood

Nena V Rui Da Silva

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Argentina V Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup 2014

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Argentina V Bosnia and Herzegovina Fifa World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

And even more winners on the way!

Pregame bets:

Argentina to score a peno 9/2
Argentina to win and both teams to score 2/1
Over 2.5 goals 8/13
Messi to score 8/13

Three out of four bets, cant argue with that. Was a bit worried about Messi in the first half, and with Argentina, as Bosnia had them under some pressure in this game, but Messi’s skill and brilliant goal was the difference in the end. Take a bow.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group F of Beer World Cup:http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-f/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Quilmes V ? Unfortunately I couldn’t source any beer from Bosnia so this will be a one sided affair. Click on picture for a preview of the beer. Get the Quilmes review afterwards.

Quilmes won by default, as could not source a beer from Bosnia and Hertz. Read here for full beer report

PreGame:

Argentina Quite a good few of the pundits and experts are tipping Argentina this year for the World Cup. With Messi and Agüero on board, a South American world cup, and a relatively easy path to the semi’s predicted, its really not hard to see why Argentina are second favourites, after Brazil.

Group F should be a doddle for Argentina. Can’t see them having much difficulty in dispatching Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria.

Double mark Messi and cut out the threat? He has had a relatively bad season with Barcelona. Relatively speaking since scoring 28 league goals isn’t bad, but arch rivals Ronaldo and Real Madrid stole the headlines this year. Alejandro Sabella has made him Captain, which is amazingly foolish. Thanks coach for putting more pressure on my back! The problem here is, Messi has the weight of a nation on his shoulders. We will see tonight how he copes with this pressure.

Bosnia and Hertz: Don’t know a whole lot about Bosnia and Hertz I am afraid. But I do know playing Argentina first up they better be good or they will get a quick harsh introduction to world cup football.

Their squad have few standout names, but they do seem to have a lot of players plying their trade in the big leagues of Europe. Edin Džeko is the key man, a player we are all very familiar with after his few seasons with Manchester City. He can score goals, and in this group that could be the key. In fact in qualifying Bosnia scored 30 goals. That’s a strike rate to frighten any defence.

But having said all that, they qualified from a very easy qualification group, just ahead of Greece, Slovakia, Lithuania Latvia, and Liechtenstein. So they have never really got a true test.

Lets see how they do tonight, could go with way to be perfectly honest.

A more detailed review on Argentina here and on Bosnia here

Bosnia were a tough team for Argentina to get first up. They were hard to break down and for long periods it was Bosnia that looked the slightly better team in this game, without doing a whole lot either.

The first half was a snoozefest, nothing to note at all. Messi was getting a lot of criticism from the idiots on BBC. Again I keep saying it, its a different system with Barca. With Argentina he plays much deeper, with forwards that are not as accommodating as what he plays alongside at the Camp Nou. So he always has to overachieve with his national team. A lot of pressure was answered with a classic goal.

Otherwise thought the Argentina goalkeeper, Romero, had some impressive moments, apart from the odd clanger or two.

Bosnia good unit without anyone in particular catching the eye.

Up next, Argentina have to play Iran, a chance to rest a few players. Also could give Messi the full game to get more goals, and shut up more of his critics.

Bosnia are against Nigeria, and going by what I saw yesterday they also shouldn’t have too much trouble beating the African team.

Music to get you in the mood

Dino Merlin V Bandana

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Colombia V Greece World Cup 2014

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Colombia V Greece

After match synopsis in red!!

Another winner please!

Pregame bets:

Greece to win to nil 11/2
Greece to score a peno 14/1
Greece to win 17/4

Pretty horrendous tipping there, Greece never really got motoring at all in the game. For a team to let so few goals in getting hammered 3-0 was a shock.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group C of Beer World Cup:http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-c/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Club Colombia V Mythos? Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit?

Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

Club Colombia V Mythos: 1-0 Two excellent beers that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking. Both were refreshing, easy to drink, and nice on the palate. But I will just give it to Club Colombia for having a slightly sweeter taste, but it was close, very close, and two beers I look forward to having more of in the near future. Read here for full beer report.

PreGame:

Greece are a well coached team who play to the best of their strengths. Even though they are a relatively old squad, that can count for invaluable experience, they know each others game plan inside out. You cant train that, its competitive experience that should make them do well again. They are also lucky enough to be in a relatively easy enough group and have the experience and know how to get out of this group without too much bother, or at least they should do.

Key man is Giorgos Samaras who seems to spend more time on the ground than he does off it, but he is a brilliant player at holding the ball up and a great target man. Dismiss him at your peril. He might not score more than he should but his teammates definitely feed off his delicate passes.

Colombia are a team that always entertains and always make the headlines both on and off the field. But I think they will struggle badly. With the striker Radamel Falcao of Monaco out injured, I just cant see any goals in this team. Who else will score the goals? That and a lack of experience in top international football is what will hurt them.

if they have a chance its that Colombia is so close to Brazil so for adapting to the climate and the conditions that’s a huge bonus for this team. And they did come second in South American qualifying, so maybe I am too hard on them? But have they played a team as clever as Greece in South America or as physically daunting as Ivory Coast? I dont think so. Sorry Colombia, I dont think you will get out of the group, but hell at least its a short journey home.

Read a more detailed review on Colombia here and on Greece here

Was very disappointed with Greece in this game. No real passion, drive or skill shown from the team. They were also a bit clueless going forward. For one of Europe’s best defences to ship three goals was a bit of a shock. One example from the game was when a defender had two team players right beside him, yet flicked the ball up to himself and promptly lost it. I had no idea what he was trying to do, but that kind of rubbish was too regular in the Greek defence, silly mindless stuff. It also seemed that their sole attacking formula involved running to the penalty box with the ball and taking a dive. No effort to shoot just fall.Pathetic.

But don’t Greece always lose the first game? I still expect them to come out of this tight group, but they would need a huge improvement in the next game against Japan.

As for Colombia they were great in the first half and wilted a bit in the early second, but thoroughly deserved to win the game, well done. Will be very interesting to see how they get on against the Ivory Coast.

Also must mention the 12th man in the game, the Colombian fans were brilliant and definitely gave a huge lift to their team. Take a bow Colombian fans.

Music to get you in the mood

Shakira V Elena Paparizou

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Ivory Coast V Japan World Cup 2014

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Ivory Coast V Japan World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

A winner please!

Pregame bets:

Ivory Coast to win and both teams to score is 9/2
Honda to score is 11/4
IC to win -1 is 4/1

Got there in the end, easy second half for Ivory Coast, might have even pushed them for that third.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group C of Beer World Cup:http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-c/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Kirin Ichiban V ? Unfortunately I couldn’t source any beer from the Ivory Coast so this will be a one sided affair. Click on picture for a preview of the beer. Get the Kirin Ichiban review afterwards.

Kirin Ichiban won by default, could not source a beer from the Ivory Coast. Read here for full beer report

PreGame:

Ivory Coast: With a relatively easy group this could be the time for the Ivory Coast to put on a show in this years World Cup. I feel they have enough in their squad to overcome both Colombia and Japan

For me its all about the physical strength of this team, They will have some strong physically demanding players who get the ball and power through defenses. Think of Drogba. Think of the Toure Brothers. Think of Gervinho.

Not only have we this power but this team also has a lot of international experience and players who have played in the world cup before.

key player for me and a somewhat very underrated player is Serey Die. Another very physical player he rarely loses the ball and can show off some skill when required. I am sure not much will get past this African version of Roy Keane.

So I predict that the Ivory Coast will steamroll out of this group

Japan, Asian champions and first nation to qualify for the World Cup, are great at passing and running, but not a huge amount of overall quality in their squad

Honda is back for another run out in the world stage. he really is the linchpin of this team, the link where everything happens, and can chip in for a good goal as well. If he clicks then Japan clicks. But he had an out of sorts season with Milan and really needs to get back on track soon.

Ivory Coast might out muscle them in a bruising encounter, which I think they will lose.

Read a more detailed review on Japan here and on Ivory Coast here

Game was a little disappointing. Japan great in the first half but wilted in the second.

Japan are a well coached team, and great on the counter attack, moving forward with great speed, but maybe in the heat of Brazil it is a hard game to play. Honda, the heart beat of the team, scored a cracking goal, and Japan were a little unfortunate to at least not take a point from this game.

Ivory Coast, like Cameroon, seem to have employed a bit of a buffoon, another European coach who cant get work in Europe. I know Drogba has a niggly injury but to wait until the 62 minute to bring him was ridiculous. He is lucky it worked out in the end, because it was obvious that even a half fit Drogba is better than the attack that IC started with. When Drogba came on he lifted the whole team and its no surprise that IC scored two minutes later.

Aurier had a decent game, and was my man of the match, his two crosses resulted in two goals and his forward play caused Japan problems all day long.

Next up for japan is a wounded Greek team in what will be an interesting game of contrasts. Ivory Coast have to look forward to playing Colombia, a game where there is no clear favourite. This group is still hard to call in my opinion, and I would still fancy Greece to come out of it, with the IC.

Music to get you in the mood

Polysics V Alpha Blondy

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England V Italy World Cup 2014

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England V Italy World Cup 2014

After match synopsis in red!!

Fancy a bet?

Pregame bets:

Draw and both teams to score is 7/2
Balotelli to score 12/5
Draw is 2/1

If only Rooney could score in the world cup. England played well enough to get the draw. At least Balotelli did the business and had a few chances in the game. Good stuff.

Full betting review here>

http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group D of Beer:http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-d/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? London Pride V Birra Moretti? Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit?

Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

London Pride V Birra Moretti: London Pride wins 1-0. The complexity of London Pride and the variety of flavours makes drinking it a thrill especially when served cold. Moretti was good but on the day London Pride hit the spot (Unlike Rooney I might add!). Read here for full beer report.

PreGame:

England: Every time England get into the World Cup expectations rise, but this year one can feel that with the hard group England got, may English fans are not exactly brimming with much confidence. Many feel England will be lucky even to get out of the group never mind getting to another quarter finals.

In many ways playing Italy first is not as bad as first appears. Both teams in their first game could well play a cagey and dour game, which might result in a draw for the English team.

You can never really tell with the England team. When you expect them to do well they disappoint but when they are up against it they can pull out a result. Will the real England please step up!

England’s strengths lie in its midfield, its the teams engine. Lampard and Gerrard, in their last world cup, and the new guys Wilshere and Henderson all point to a midfield that will be tough to crack. But that means someone has to score the goals. Can Rooney finally stick his finger out and do something in a major championships? Perhaps he can, but I think Daniel Sturridge could be England’s key player. He has had a cracking season and must be raring to go in his first world cup.

Lets hope Roy Hodgson, a manger I rate and a top class bloke, takes the brakes off the team and just lets them play football.

Italy have a decent team, and are very well coached under the excellent Cesare Prandelli.

Off to a cagey start against England, I think they should top group D, especially since they have the Costa Rica game second, which should determine exactly what they should have to do in the last game against Uruguay.

The squad is strong from front to back, a little like Spain in that regards. No real weaknesses and the fact that it will be a final swansong for Pirlo and Buffon, at 35 and 36 respectively, means that they will certainly try to stay in the competition for as long as possible.

The key player will be Mario Balotelli who lit up the last European championships with his goals and style. I fully expect him to do the same in this world cup.

Remember Italy have never lost when super Mario scores!

A more detailed review on England here and on Italy here

Have to say England played well in this game, better than I expected anyway. Maybe a dip in the second half but enough to give them confidence in their next two games.

The youngsters that Hodgson picked played well, but I do have to ask about some of the more senior players. Gerrard was missing in action a good few times, and Rooney should have really done better with his chance in the second half.

Italy were good, maybe a little suspect at the back, but for the first game they looked a decent team. Pirlo was a magician, pinning balls all around the park, and unlucky not to score from a brilliant free kick, hitting the crossbar. Great stuff to watch and its such a pity this will be his last world cup. A draw or win against Costa Rica in the next game and they are through with minimum fuss.

Music to get you in the mood

Rik Mayall’s Noble England V Eiffel 65

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Chile V Australia World Cup 2014

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Chile V Australia

After match synopsis in red!!

Pregame bets:
Over 2.5 goals is 1/1,

Chile to win 3-1 12/1

Finally get a decent win. Got there in the end with the 12/1. Nice

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group B of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-b/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? VB V Nomade? Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit?

Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

Victoria Bitter V Nomade: 0-1 Close call but will give it to Nomade, was that bit stronger in the overall taste. VB had an interesting aftertaste, but Nomade gets the victory for its stronger alcohol content, which had a good kick near the end.Read here for full beer report.

VB Beer, for the Working Man

Nomade Beer, An Up and Coming Player

PreGame:

Chile were one of the most attractive teams in the last world cup, playing the game in the correct spirit and a tad unlucky not to do a little better. This time there is more of an expectation with a world cup in South America the Chilean public expects great things from their team.

In a tough group and with the Netherlands already putting the Spanish to the sword tonight Chile are in a dogfight to get out of this very tough group. The only bright spot in this difficult group is that Chile get to play Australia first. Victory in that game should be a given and set them up for at least trying to scrape a point against Spain in the second game, which might be good enough for them to qualify.

Key player is Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, decent form this season, fast and difficult to defend against, will be sure to get a goal or two in this world cup.

Australia are the lowest ranked nation in the competition, will have an up field task if they want to get out of the group.

A journey man team, Australia, don’t have the players to make any impression in this world cup. Tim Cahill is still around, but now at 34 you would reckon he cant lift the team as he so used to do in the past.

One thing that Australia wont lack is effort, and in every game I am sure they will try their damnest to be competitive, but if they don’t have the players in a very tough group, they will struggle.

Overall this game has suddenly taken on more importance than it once had. Netherlands demolition of the once mighty Spain has made a win in tonight’s game a must if either team wants to have any chance of reaching the second round. I will go with Chile, they have the firepower to do it.

A more detailed review on Chile here and on Australia here

Excellent game, end to end, two teams playing football in the right spirit (take a note Cameroon). Really enjoyable game. Sánchez and Valdívia were immense in the first half, wilted a little bit in the second half. Australia were very well coached, and attacked Chile down the flanks putting in some brilliant crosses that unsettled the Chilean defence time and time again. Brilliant coaching. Cahill was my man of the match, every time the ball went near him from a cross he looked like scoring. I dont mind admitting that I thought he didnt have the legs for a total performance like this, boy he proved me wrong, brilliant. Its such a shame that both these teams are in such a tough group.

Both teams have tough games up next. Chile will do well to get a result against the Spanish, even if the Dutch exposed their weaknesses. Chile have to tighten up that defence. Australia are unlucky that next up they have to face the Robben and Persie double act, on form and raring to go.

Music to get you in the mood

Men At Work V Panico

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Spain V Netherlands World Cup 2014

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Spain V Netherlands

After match synopsis in red!!

Need a winner soon! Ha

Pregame bets:
Fabregas at 3/1 to score a goal

Came on with about 13 minutes left, never going to score in that space of time. Wish he would get more game time as I think he still has the skills to do some damage, but its arguable if he could have done anything last night against the unstoppable Dutch.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group B of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group-b/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers? Heineken V San Miguel? Who will quench the thirst, set the mood, get me in the right spirit?

Click on picture for a preview of the beers.

Get the beer result after, much after!

San Miguel V Heineken: 0-1 Heineken with its distinct yeast aroma and taste wins out over the Spanish pale lager.Read here for full beer report

Heineken, the Dutch Brewing Giant

San Miguel, On Your Holidays.

PreGame:

Spain: Can they win the World Cup again? It definitely is a strong possibility. They are very strong in all areas of the field; one of the best goalkeepers in the world, a strong defence, a creative midfield, and strikers who know how to score goals for fun. In my opinion they are this years most complete team.

The Netherlands: As always the Dutch team have quality in their ranks. Robben, Sneijder, and van Persie, three players who on their day can change the outcome of a game with a touch of sublime skill, or at least get a dodgy peno.

Key player is Robin van Persie, the Netherlands’ all-time record scorer. An awful year with Manchester United where he looked like a spoilt child at times, he really needs to get back to form at the World Cup to save his career from its worrying slide downwards.

So overall I think the Netherlands will still struggle to beat the Spanish. It should be a tight game, and it could take a free kick or some individual piece of skill to win this one. Possibly even a draw. I will go with Spain though to do the World Cup double over the Dutch.

A more detailed review on Spain here and on the Netherlands here

What a game, what a performance, what a shock! Didn’t see that result coming. 5-1 against the world Champions, the Dutch have definitely put down a marker to the rest of the teams in this years world cup. Beware, this could be the Netherlands time to finally win that damn cup.

Vicente del Bosque, for the first time in a long while, has now actually got to do some work. He will have to make quite a few changes for the next game, that is at least what one would imagine he should do! Casillas surely must be dropped after his howlers, and the team should have at least two strikers playing. No point in the midfield playing great passing football if there is no one in the box to put the ball away. That worked to an extent in the last few years, but wont work this year.

As for the Dutch, their top two were phenomenal. Robben and Van Persie were flawless. That van Persie goal was as good a headed goal as you are ever likely to see. And Robben’s speed and agility on the ball caused all sorts of problems for the Spanish defence. Least we forget Blind who was not only good in his defensive duties but brilliant going forward. Must have learnt a thing or two from the old fella!

For Spain they have the tough game against Chile to look forward too. Was difficult for Spain to beat them last time round, isnt any easier this time either. But the only thing going for Spain here is that Chile are not too hot in defence. They will give away chances.

Holland have Australia to look forward to. Win that they are in the second round. Would be a brave man to bet on the Aussies causing an upset, it wont happen.

Thanks to the Netherlands for getting this World Cup going.

Music to get you in the mood

Two Unlimited V Ill Niño

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Mexico V Cameroon World Cup 2014

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Mexico V Cameroon

After match synopsis in red!!

Fancy a few winning bets?

Pregame bets:

Cameroon to win and both teams to score 8/1
Over 2.5 goals at 8/5
Cameroon to win at 14/5

Bets never looked like they would come up as Cameroon were set up to defend from the start.

Full betting review here>http://thisdrinkinglife.com/top-bets-world-cup/

Beers: Group A of Beer World Cup: http://thisdrinkinglife.com/world-cup-beer-group/

Who is set to win the battle of the beers?

Corona V ? Unfortunately I couldn’t source any beer from Cameroon so this will be a one sided affair. Click on picture for a preview of the beer. Get the Corona review afterwards.

Corona won by default, could not source a beer from Cameroon. Read here for full beer report

PreGame:

Cameroon are a team that can score goals. It’s a pity that they might not be so good at preventing them going in at the other end. Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o and Vincent Aboubakar are likely to be the key men.

This first game against Mexico could be the making or breaking of their World Cup. They really need to motor right from the first game. This match will be a real humdinger of a game, with a good few goals flying in, from both teams. A win for Cameroon and they might have an outside chance of sneaking into the last 16. A loss and it’s a mountain for them to climb.

Key Player is Aboubakar, the 16-goal Lorient frontman who needs to bag a few if his team has any chance of making the second round. Latest reports that striker Samuel Eto’o might not be fit on time for the game.

Mexico They just about got over the line in qualifying, suffering some shocking defeats in the process and using over 40 players in that campaign. So what they will be like in this World Cup is anyone’s guess.

Rafael Márquez, is still around, a great player in his prime, but how old is he now? He looked slow four years ago, cant think how he will survive with the high temp game that Cameroon will play. I can see them shipping a lot of goals.

Key player is Javier Hernández, but it appears he might not be starting today, which is good bonus for Cameroon.

Expecting a good game, with some nice goals and an even enough contest, with Cameroon just shading it in the end.

A more detailed review on Cameroon here and on Mexico here

Often wonder what African teams get out of employing European Mangers. The present Cameroon manger from Germany decided in his infinite wisdom to have 6 men defending at all times against Mexico. God only knows what defensive system he has planned against Brazil! Cameroon with the clear height and physical advantage should have taken the game to the Mexicans rather than just plodding along waiting for chances to magically appear. They only got going in the last 15 minutes when they finally realised that they still have to play Croatia and Brazil, and with no points on the board that’s going to be tough! Maybe they shouldn’t have boarded the plane to Brazil after all!

Fair play to Mexico and their manager who at least tried to play football and didn’t crumble after the linesman incorrectly flagged two goals off for offside. Dos Santos was lively for most of the game and Layún impressed as well. Sets the team up well for the next game against Brazil, but they will have to improve their heading ability in defence! As for Cameroon, good luck against Croatia as you will need it!

Music to get you in the mood

Carlos Santana V Henri Dikongué

Spain V Australia Fifa World Cup 2014

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