World Cup 2018.

I promised that I will be posting on this event. It was the best World Cup ever and the drama between Russians and Croatians in one of the most magnificent games ever played (yes, I remember semi-final between West Germany and France in 1982 and divine Scuadra Azzura (Juventus, wink, wink) and Enzo Bearzott from the same year, I also remember US national team of Bruce Arena robbed of semi-finals in 2002), but when you see Berlin (some of it Russian) going berserk from Russian national team, after Mario Fernandes' (the greatest Russian Brazilian who ever played the game) goal after Alan Dzagoev's serve, you have to adjust your bearings. 

I remember this 7 months ago and what happened to any Russian then:

And then Berlin going like this. Football is more important than politics, it is more important than war--it is life itself. Here is Berlin that day. 

Madness, that is how we like it. 

Ah, it is Friday, I forgot, let Natalia Oreiro take it from here:

I will, at some point of time, write about incredible US national team at WC 2002.  

Belgium, Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!

Dear Belgium, not only you spared us from observing further this cringe-worthy  pathetic wussy Neymar--a national disgrace of Brazil (I doubt they can comprehend this simple fact, or know how a real man and athlete should behave)--but you just reduced World Cup 2018 to Euro 2018 (wink, wink) and I always preferred seeing European football which is superior to Brazilian one. In general, the whole notion of hearing and seeing Brazil boast about how great they always are seemed almost torturous to me. Thank you for sparing me, and, I am 100% sure, millions upon millions of fans world-wide who do not want to see  anymore boy-girl histrionics of Neymar, this Justin Bieber of football. 

Next generation of football players should grow into real athletes and I know many wonderful female athletes and football players who are tougher than this Neymar will ever be. Give credit where the credit is due to these Swiss football hopes and their coach--it is a great practice to mock a pathetic Brazilian clown. That means they know what it is to be a real man in the competition. And let Neymar's ass not to be hit by the door when leaving Russia. He may consider trying for the acting job in order to avoid disgracing the game anymore.

Congratulations, Belgium--totally deserved! Now, tomorrow...   

P.S. For those in Brazil who may read this. The REAL Brazil with both real men and game magicians was in 1982. It was the best Brazilian Team I ever witnessed--Zico, Socrates, Eder. Sadly for Brazil, it was Enzo Bearzott's magical Azzuri who stopped them. But Eder's tears after that loss were the tears of a man and that was outstanding team. But Italy was simply unstoppable in 1982. 

Spain--Out, Russia--In Top 8!!

Football is more than just a game, it is life itself. Russia has gone mad and it is all good. Nobody expected anything from this team--boy, how much is expected from them now! 

 

And It Started With The Bang!

Russia simply destroyed Saudi Arabia 5-0 at Luzhniki in Moscow today in the World Cup 2018 opener. Good! Goals of all kinds were scored and yes, Russia, is this you? The pre-WC friendlies of this national team were so dismal that even before the opener there were huge jitters about NOT LOSING to Saudis. I will not even mention this national team's dismal publicity--the most hated national team in history. Well, today they made a first step to possible (I underscore that--possible as in may be) redemption. Much more difficult opponents are ahead. But 3 points are 3 points. Golovin and Cheryshev were fantastic. 

Now that I see what is happening in Russia--a global party--I feel very proud about making a decision of getting the hell out before the start of the World Cup because it is craaazyyyy there now!

You think it is not crazy? Get this headline from WSJ today:

           Why Americans Should Root For Russia.

This is the most important spots and cultural event in the world--it dwarfs anything next to it. It is both a chance for healthy nationalism but always also a strange mix of split loyalties between hundreds of millions of people--I always was and am a fanatical supporter of Squadra Azzurra, in different times I rooted for France's magnificent team of Platini and Zidanne, and Flying Dutch of 1974 and 1978 stole my heart. I lost my voice screaming for magnificent US team of Bruce Arena in 2002 when only referee atrocity didn't allow boys to do what was unthinkable--to get into the semifinals by eliminating Germany which they dominated all match and had 150% penalty never awarded to them in a historic scale travesty--Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and guys simply owned Germany all match long. They fvcking outplayed Germans. And in the end, I always rooted for USSR/Russia, but more importantly--it is always the game which billions of people love and that is, in the end, what really matters. Ole, ole. ole...Let the magic start!

It Is Starting....

First, these were magnificent Caps who DID it yesterday...and primed it for all of us:

Now some dude from Russia comes out and says this:

And then it goes...

BTW, you know who are second largest contingent at this WC 2018 after Russians? Americans... 

Evil Allen Dulles Plans.

OK, Allen Dulles did have evil plans. But we all live in meme-driven reality today and once in a while some of those memes are too good to ignore. Knowing Russia's eternal struggle with her soccer national team, especially on the eve of the domestic World Cup 2018, I found this to be extremely funny.

The caption says this: we will deliberately grow and groom such soccer players, who will embarrass Russia in a front of the whole world. How 'bout this level of evilness. Check and mate, America--your plans have been exposed. 

Now on a more serious note: in a Soviet cinematographic masterpiece  of 17 Instances Of Spring, tastelessly and ignorantly compared by Western media to James Bond movies, Allen Dulles was portrayed by a superb Soviet actor (the whole cast of 17 is stunning) Vyacheslav Shalevich and here how he looked as Allen Dulles:

You don't need any comments to recognize who is Allen Dulles (portrayed as cold intellectual) in this screenshot from that legendary Soviet series. The likeness was rather startling, especially in motion. And I believe this photo is exactly from the moment of discussion of Dulles' evil plans for grooming Russian national soccer team for a strategic embarrassment of Russia at the World Cup 2018... Nah, it is a first meeting of Dulles and his people with Karl Wollf (Operation Sunrise) in Switzerland.