second vibe

Germany-Costa Rica (10 a.m., MST): Germany coasted with a victory 4-2 against one of the minnows but not without a scare or two for the fans. I missed the first 14 minutes (my car was stuck in the traffic) and therefore missed the first two goals. The rest of the game the Germans played alright, nothing overboard although their defense looked questionable at times as the scoreline suggests.

Poland-Ecuador (1 p.m., MST): This was widely touted as a cakewalk for the Polsl. Instead they walked into a 0-2 hammering. An ideal lesson for paper favorites who forgot that the winners are decided on the field and not on reputation. By the way, is scouting a common practice in football? How could the Pols not see this coming? They better regroup or else they are leaving the cup little too early.

England-Paraguay (7 a.m.): My buddy Jon called at 6:45 to wake me up so that I could watch his England team and appreciate the hype. I kept sleeping. Well, I found out later that I didn't miss much. By the way, England won 1-0 and they were terrible (as the reports say).

Sweden-Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad is famous for it's legendary cricketers like Brian Lara, Learie Constantine, and spin wizard Sony Ramadhin. Turns out that they are in the World Cup too, not a small feat for an island nation (actually two major islands and 21 smaller islets) with a total population of about one million. Sweden was supposed to win this one without breaking a sweat, which didn't happen even though the islanders were reduced to only 10 men in the second half. The Swedes were relentless in their attack but couldn't buy a goal. T&T created history holding onto a gritty 0-0 draw.

Argentina-Ivory Coast: This was the best game in the tournament so far. Argentina won 2-1 and should consider themselves lucky to get away with the win. They did play well, their passing game was more assured, and by and large they controlled the midfield. The Ivorians, on the other hand, were a big surprise to everyone as they matched their famous opposition in almost every department of the game with a show of sparkling skills in their attack offering everything the Argentine defense could handle. If only they could convert a fraction of the chances they created in the box, the cheerful face of Diego Maradona, the Argentine football legend in the stands might have turned into a solemn one.