Drinking from the World Cup: Day 9

Recapping Day 8:
One thing you learn quickly from watching soccer at this level is just how hard it is to score a goal on individual brilliance alone.  Almost every goal comes off a set-piece, a great pass, or a counter-attack.  Very few goals are scored in the “half-court offense” (for lack of a better term) by one guy making a great play.  Messi had one the other night, and that’s why he’s Messi.  Gervinho had one yesterday for Ivory Coast, but it wasn’t enough, as the Elephants went down to Colombia, who joined the Netherlands and Chile as the third team to clinch a spot in the knockout round.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez is definitely a guy that can create goal on his own, though the two he scored against England yesterday were not of that variety.  Still, he’s put England nearly out of this tournament, which will not over well in the British Isle.  I didn’t think Suarez would have that much for Uruguay but, uh, I guess I was wrong.  The question still remains as to why he didn’t come on as a sub vs. Costa Rica.  If he could go 89 minutes vs. England and look that good, it’s hard to imagine that he couldn’t give them 20 or 25 minutes as a sub five days earlier.  In any event, Uruguay now have three points and a healthy Suarez, so they have a very legit chance to make it out of this group, even after that disastrous 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in their opener.

Today’s Games:
Noon: Italy vs. Costa Rica
3PM: Switzerland vs. France
6PM: Honduras vs. Ecuador

Today’s Drink:
Britt Celtika Tripel. A Belgian-style tripel ale, but brewed in France.  Specifically, it’s brewed in the Brittany region of France, and hence the “Celtika” name.  Usually, the term Celtic calls to mind Ireland, but Brittany was also a historically Celtic region.  It’s also basically the furthest away you can get from Switzerland within France, so even though it’s a Belgian style ale, it is a staunchly French brew in this matchup today.

Highlighted Game:
Switzerland vs. France will be the only game of the group stage that will feature two bordering countries and should also decide who wins Group E.  That is big, because second place in this group is likely looking at a date with Argentina in the first knockout game, while the winner will get a Bosnia or Nigeria.  Massive difference.

The French rolled over a Honduras team that is probably one of the lesser in the field, so we’ll see if they’re for real today.  I believe that they are, but that certainly doesn’t assure them three points vs. a solid Swiss team.  You can bet that a loss or even a draw to their small neighbors would not go over well with the French fans and press.