So it looks like I was somewhere over Europe/Africa when all of the controversy broke over the French “ghost goal” that actually was never a goal but they scored a few seconds later anyway. Alas, the flight didn’t have Wi-Fi for the first leg of my trip. However, the lounge in Dubai airport did, so I am able to bring you the condensed version of events based on the Arabic commentary. Despite a thorough look around the Duty Free, I could not locate any Bosnian wine to go with my bottle of Quilmes, so instead I substituted on a strong black coffee…sorry.
2. Bosnia aren’t bad - 16 shots, more than Argentina, shows they haven’t come to sit back and enjoy the sights. Dark horses for the second spot in the group? Maybe. They will take confidence from the fact this was their hardest game in the group and came away with no disgrace.
3. Crowd – The official attendance was 74,738 which just so happens to be the official capacity. Funny that considering there was clearly a row of empty seats behind one goal. That would also mean there would have been no touts outside trying to sell hospitality tickets belonging to corporate sponsors or some un-named Football Associations.
4. OOOOOO - For one minute thirty-three seconds in the second half, Dzeko was the only player on the Bosnian side whose surname didn’t end in a “ic”. Bet no commentator picked up on that little nugget back in the UK?
5. Socks - Argentina – best socks in the tournament. FACT. There is no more debate on this subject, case closed.
The Beer World Cup
Based on the fact it was 7.55am local time (4.55am BST) when I arrived, the Bosnian Black Coffee made an impressive start, putting the Argentinian beer in the shade. However, a strong performance in the second half (hour) saw the Quilmes ease home to take all three points
Argentina 2 Bosnia & Herzegovina 1
The Kit World Cup – Day Four
Puma – 12pts
adidas – 9pts
Nike – 9pts
Lotto – 3pts
