Day 4

DAY 4 (THE MISSING ONE)

6/15/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Ouch! Ouch! Ooouuuuch! The unthinkable happened to Mini Papi, as one of his wisdom teeth had to be removed by someone who said was a "dentist" in the middle of a favela. The Red Sox DH was given very little anesthesia and suffered a lot while his wisdom tooth was being taken out, and is now dealing with a swollen left cheek and stitches in the back of his mouth, drinking liquids and taking some Brazilian medication.

Bosnia, the only debutant in the World Cup, made things difficult for Argentina in the opener of Group F and could have begun the tournament with a decent tie, but Messi's goal proved to be the difference in a match where the equalizer never came for the European squad. 

SWITZERLAND 2 - 1 ECUADOR

FRANCE 3 - 0 HONDURAS

ARGENTINA 2 - 1 BOSNIA

Day 33

DAY 33

7/14/14. BOSTON - Mini Papi is back home. He wants to thank you for following and being a part of his journey at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It has been a blast and an unforgettable experience.

Thank you, Brazil!

By the way, as for World Cup awards, I would have given the "Golden Ball" to Robben (Netherlands), and the "Golden Glove" to Navas (Costa Rica). I agree with FIFA naming Pogba (France) the "Young Player" of the tournament, I don't know about Colombia getting "FIFA Fair Play" Honors… but I am really happy Rodriguez (Colombia) got the "Golden Boot" trophy, as he was the top goalscorer (6) of the entire competition.

Day 32

DAY 32

7/13/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - After the invasion of Rio by over one thousand Argentinians and the resell of tickets going at an average of four thousand dollars each, Mini Papi decided to not deal with chaos and watch the FIFA World Cup final match between Argentina and Germany from an unusual but cool place: the Corcovado mountain. Christ the Redeemer and him enjoyed a great view of Maracana, where Germany captain Philipp Lahm raised the fourth 1st place trophy his nation has conquered in World Cup history.

Germany had a splendid tournament from beginning to end, and truly deserved to win the World Cup. I'm not an Argentina hater or anything like that, but one has got to admit that Argentina didn't do enough to claim  the 1st place of the competition… at least, it didn't do as much as the Germans did. As  a matter of fact, I thought Germany was a level above the rest of the teams, tactically, mentally and in terms of organization, too. And just like that, they became the first European squad to win the World Cup in the Americas.

TODAY'S RESULT:

GERMANY 1 - 0 ARGENTINA (OT)

Here is another view from the Corcovado mountain. Beautiful, huh?

Day 31

DAY 31

7/12/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - Two personal goals have been achieved by Mini Papi this month. One was to watch a World Cup match from the stadium, and the other one was to go all the way up to the Corcovado mountain to take a very close look at one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World: Christ the Redeemer. This piece of art is such a big symbol in the Catholic religion that even late Pope John Paul II came himself to visit it in 1980.

SOME HISTORY BETWEEN ARGENTINA & GERMANY:

In 1986, the Argentinian squad of Diego Maradona defeated Germany (3 – 2) to claim the World Cup in Mexico; however, 4 years later, it would be the Germans who beat Argentina (1-0) in the final match of Italy 1990 to become champions.

The last World Cup encounter between the two current finalists was in the quarter-finals of South Africa 2010, when the “albicelestes” suffered an embarrassing loss by Germany (4-0).

TODAY'S RESULT:
BRAZIL 0 - 3 NETHERLANDS

The Dutch won third place of a tournament where its host failed in too many aspects of the game. Brazil's super stars didn't play their characteristic "jogo bonito", didn't know how to play as a team, was too disorganized in the middle and the back, and lacked ideas offensively. And, on top of that, they showed no respect to the Netherlands for not staying for the third place award presentation. Maybe they did that because they knew deep down they didn't even belong there, as they should have been out of the competition back when they played Chile.

Day 30

DAY 30

 

 

7/11/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - If you go to Rio and don't visit Copacabana Fort, you will miss out a pleasant surprise. This large fort with thick concrete walls and giant cannons was inaugurated in 1914 as a defensive point of attack and is now a landmark that not many tourists know about. Mini Papi highly recommends it!

Hopefully, the rumors of seventy thousand Argentinians invading Rio de Janeiro this weekend are true, because the World Cup atmosphere has gone down a little ever since Brazil and Colombia are out of the championship run. Street sellers are not all over the sidewalks of the most transited streets of Brazil anymore, jerseys of Neymar and James Rodriguez are not being sold on every single corner of the streets, people don’t wear Brazil and Colombia jerseys as much, and national chants are not as common as they used to be.

NO GAME TODAY

Day 29

DAY 29

 

 

7/10/14. SAO PAULO – Mini Papi couldn’t get enough of the stadium where it all began, so he decided to stay an extra day to enjoy every part of it. Of course, there were still some Argentinians celebrating around the Arena Corinthians… and some others were just passed out.

Hopefully, the rumors of seventy thousand Argentinians invading Rio de Janeiro this weekend are true, because the World Cup atmosphere has gone down a little ever since Brazil and Colombia are out of the championship run. Street sellers are not all over the sidewalks of the most transited streets of Brazil anymore, jerseys of Neymar and James Rodriguez are not being sold on every single corner of the streets, people don’t wear Brazil and Colombia jerseys as much, and national chants are not as common as they used to be.

NO GAME TODAY

 

Day 28

DAY 28

7/9/11. SAO PAULO – Brazil didn’t get its wish one way or the other, as they lost to Germany and Argentina beat the Netherlands in penalty kicks, so, after all, the two South American teams won’t play each other in the World Cup.

Argentina will play Germany in the final match on July 13 at Maracana (Rio), while Brazil will face the Netherlands for the third place at Mane Garrincha (Brasilia).

About the Argentina-Netherlands game, I must say that Mini Papi thought the Dutch would take care of Messi and his crew without too much problems… well, but what do I know? I had the same prediction when they played Costa Rica.

For Papi, more exciting than watching the PKs was to see tears of joy coming out of Argentinians’ eyes at the Arena Corinthians once they had won the match. It was awesome to witness the passion they have for soccer and their national team… it truly goes beyond great!

TODAY'S RESULT:

ARGENTINA 0 (4) - (2) 0 NETHERLANDS

Day 27

DAY 27

7/8/14. SAO PAULO - How to start today's blog entry? Mini Papi went to get a drink, Germany goal... Mini Papi checked his phone, another Germany goal... he said hi to someone, anooother Germany goal.... he blinked, anoooother Germany goal.... I mean, what the heck was that? Honestly, I was expecting the Germans to beat Brazil, but never thought the final score would be a team worst 1 to 7 blow out defeat by the European team.

For Brazilians, the real issue here is not that their 'selecao' lost... it is about how they lost. With all the respect Felipao's men deserve, the Germany-Brazil match seemed as if it was a training session between a professional team against a school team. In the first half hour of the game, the Germans had put the ball in the rival's net 5 times! They were unstoppable. The South American squad was too disorganized in the back without their team captain and leader Thiago Silva, lacked creativity up top without Neymar... and the midfield was non-existent.

As if the final score wasn't painful enough for Brazil, Miroslav Klose also scored for Germany to surpass Ronaldo as the player with the most goals scored in the history of the World Cup, with 16. What really hurts about this, for Brazilians, is that he did it against their "verde-amarela", in Brazil... In other words, Ronaldo's fellow countrymen could not even prevent that from happening.

I guess that, after 64 years, people will finally stop discussing the "Maracanazo" from 1950, so they can now talk about the "Mineirao", which has established itself as the perfect substitute for disaster and embarrassment in Brazilian soccer history.

TODAY'S RESULT:

GERMANY 7 - 1 BRAZIL

Day 26

DAY 26

 

7/7/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Well, Mini Papi said good bye to the Arena Fonte Nova, which was the stadium that hosted the matches with most goals and excitement. Remember??? In the group stage: Spain-Netherlands, Portugal-Germany, France-Switzerland, Bosnia-Iran; in the best 16: USA-Belgium; and in the quarter-finals: Netherlands-Costa Rica. The arena saw a total of 30 goals, including the penalty kicks between the "ticos" and the Dutch, which won the latter, 4-3.

 

Honestly, I wish a World Cup day off meant NO TALKING ABOUT NEYMAR'S INJURY! Wherever one goes, that's what people talk about. Any TV channel one watches, that's what it shows. At the media center, radio stations, newspapers... everywhere... I guess, Brazil's number 10 is a pretty huge huuuuuuge deal, after all. Though, what really stinks about this situation is that Brazil already has a excuse, in case they lose to Germany tomorrow... I can already imagine the first pages of all the Brazilian newspapers: "If we had Neymar......"

 

NO GAME TODAY

Day 25

DAY 25

 

 

7/6/13. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - I don't know if Mini Papi is pretending to be a soccer coach or if he is still at Arena Fonte Nova because he is too sad that Costa Rica was sent home yesterday, but there he is... sitting on the "tico's" bench... with his heap up... thinking... meditating... after all, it was a great World Cup performance for Costa Rica against each one of its rivals.

 

Yesterday, what impressed me the most was Netherlands' Coach Van Gaal's move of subbing goalkeepers for the penalty kicks (Cillessen for Krul). Though, it was an unusual strategy, it worked and now the Dutch are in the semifinals, only one step away from making it to their fourth World Cup final.

 

DAY OFF TODAY... STILL WHAT PEOPLE HERE IN BRAZIL KEEP TALKING ABOUT IS NEYMAR'S INJURY

 

Day 24

DAY 24

 

 

7/5/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - This is how Mini Papi received the Dutch and Costarrican players onto the field of the Arena Fonte Nova, prior to their quarter-final match-up. He gave high-fives to each one of them and a huge hug to Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas for his sensational job in this World Cup. 

 

Today, Costa Rica reassured to the world that its amazing performance in the Cup was not an act of luck. In every match they played, they showed discipline and organization, and followed and trusted their game plan. Against Van Gaal's men, for instance, the "ticos" did what they had to do to contain and counter-attack them, forcing the game into extra time and, subsequently, penalty kicks, where they unfortunately lost.

 

Although they are now out of the tournament, they leave as winners, with their heads high, as they made history for achieving the quarter-finals for the first time ever, making not only Costarricans proud, but people from all Latin America.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ARGENTINA 1 - 0 BELGIUM

COSTA RICA 0 (3) - (4) 0 NETHERLANDS

 

 

Day 23

DAY 23

 

 

7/4/14. FORTALEZA - So, you want to know how passionate Brazilians are about their 'selecao' and how important the team is for them? Well, check this out: It is Friday afternoon, beautiful day out... great time to relax and get a tan, right??? Hmmm no, not so much. You know why? Because BRAZIL IS PLAYING AT THAT TIME!!! Seriously, look at the picture above... there is only one person at the beach and he/she is probably a Chilean... The country literally stops when its national team plays at the World Cup. Stores close down, streets become extremely deserted... So you either go watch the game at the stadium, at home, at a friend's house, or at a huge restaurant/hotel that is hosting a World Cup party.

 

Today, the quarter-finals' matches said good bye to soccer stars Benzema, Pogba, James Rodriguez and Cuadrado. among others, as France lost to Germany, 1-0, and Brazil defeated Colombia, 2-1. However, even one of the winning teams said good bye to one of its player... well, actually, to its best player: Neymar. The Brazilian striker won't be able to continue on with the competition, after breaking a vertebra on a collision with Zuniga (Colombian player).

 

To finish on a good note, did you see David Luiz's free-kick goal? Pure beauty before our eyes... what a rocket straight to the net that was.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

FRANCE 0 - 1 GERMANY

BRAZIL 2 - 1 COLOMBIA

 

 

Day 22

DAY 22

 

 

7/3/14. FORTALEZA - Mini Papi ran into the most important player of the Brazilian national team... do I really need to say his name? He is on every poster, ad, tv commercial, etc in Brazil... 19 out of 20 letters from the fans of Brazil are for him... and with only 22 years of age, Neymar is not only the star of the Brazilian team, but also the hope of his whole country. You can imagine the pressure that lays on his shoulders...

 

Tomorrow, in just hours, the quarter-finals of the World Cup begin with the Germany-France game at Maracana Stadium, followed by the Brazil-Colombia match at Castelao Stadium. Both duels are full of expectations and excitement. On one side, Benzema and his mates have the chance to revenge the Germans after that defeat in Mexico 1986. And on the other side, James Rodriguez, Cuadrado and all the other "cafeteros" could take down host Brazil of its own World Cup with the 'jogo bonito' and dominance they have been showing during the whole tournament. 

 

NO GAME TODAY

Day 21

DAY 21

 

7/2/14. FORTALEZA - On his first day off after the first round of playoffs, Mini Papi is chilling and enjoying the weather by Praia Iracema (beach) in Fortaleza, while waiting for the World Cup quarter-final face-off between Brazil and Colombia on July 4, which promises to be an electrifying match.

 

Clearly, this World Cup has been full of surprises. The Spaniards were eliminated of the tournament after two games played; Costa Rica beat Uruguay and Italy to finish first in its group stage; Portugal didn't advance to the playoffs because Team USA had a better goal differential; Algeria went through after a crucial game against Russia; and each one of the playoff matches has been riveting.

 

NO GAMES TODAY

Day 20

DAY 20

 

7/1/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - The World Cup is not only about soccer... it is also about tourism, sightseeing, art, music and food, among others. Some of the coolest stuff that Mini Papi has seen in his stay in Rio are the pieces of art made with sand. He had the chance to interview the sand artist who made the one above and he said that it is not only about being creative and delicate, but also patient and inspired by something. In his case, he was strived by the excitement of the Brazilian people for the World Cup.

 

After watching the first round of the 2014 World Cup, I believe it is safe to say that, indeed, there are no small teams in soccer anymore. I do not know if I should call it "luck", but the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany and Argentina had to fight and suffer waaaaay more than we all expected in order to win their matches against Mexico, Chile, Algeria and Switzerland, respectively.

 

Now, we get two days of rest and then quarter-finals are underway.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ARGENTINA 1 - 0 SWITZERLAND (OT)

USA 1 - 2 BELGIUM (OT)

 

 

Day 19

DAY 19

6/30/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - Mini Papi and the Pestana Hotel have one thing in common: They both are the party of the night! Well, this time they joined forces to rock Rio and all its World Cup fans, as results are unfolding and face-offs are getting hotter and hotter.

 

Today, two European teams reserved spots in the quarter-finals of this FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, as Deschamps' men defeated "the Green Eagles", and Germany conquered a hard fought fight against a well put Algerian team.

 

TODAY RESULT'S:

FRANCE 2 - 0 NIGERIA

ALGERIA 1 - 2 GERMANY (OT)

Day 18

DAY 18

 

 

6/29/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - If you have never been on a moto taxi in your life, please do! Mini Papi was clueless they even existed, and (after he got on one today) found out how dangerous they could be. But also how fast they can take you places. Moto taxi riders in Brazil don't respect anything... they ride in-between lanes, ignore red street lights... to summarize, they have their own rules. And, most importantly, they are 'wicked' cheap!

 

Today, the World Cup said good bye to a Mexican team that was minutes away from eliminating one of the strongest squads of the competition (Netherlands) and advancing to its first quarter-finals outside of 'azteca' territory ever. Nevertheless, the story of the day is that Costa Rica's historic run continues for, at least, one more game, as they defeated Greece, 5 to 3, in penalty kicks.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

NETHERLANDS 2 - 1 MEXICO

GREECE 1 (3) - (5) 1 COSTA RICA

 

Day 17

DAY 17

 

6/28/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - Mini Papi, pigeons and a dog with its owner, that's it... Copacabana was so deserted during Brazil's dramatic match against Chile that Mini Papi could have been the only lifeguard of the whole beach while the game was on and still would have succeeded beautifully.

 

Today, Colombia did not only send home the third place team of South Africa 2010 (Uruguay), but also advanced to the quarter finals of the World Cup for the first time ever. The 'cafeteros' keep convincing people that they are for real at this competition with tactical, organized, smart and well-fought soccer, and led by a great James Rodriguez, who scored the best goal of the tournament, so far, and is currently at the top of the goal's list with five.

 

In case you are wondering... YES! Brazilians are still thanking goalkeeper Julio Cesar for saving them from what should have been Brazil's last match of its own World Cup.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

BRAZIL 1(3) - (2) 1 CHILE (PK)

URUGUAY 0 - 2 COLOMBIA

 

ELIMINATED: Chile and Uruguay.

 

 

Day 16

DAY 16

 

6/27/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - Mini Papi enjoyed the first day off of this World Cup 2014 by walking around the city and doing some sightseeing. His improvised solo tour ended on a very good note after he discovered one of the most beautiful spots of the city, where he was able to see Copacabana from beginning to end.

 

Two huge games tomorrow to start off the World Cup playoffs. First, Brazil vs. Chile: Historically, the 'canarinha' has had plenty of success against the Chileans. In 1962, the Brazil of Garricha won 4-2; in 1998, the Brazil of Ronaldo beat the 'rojos' 4-1; and in 2010, the Brazil of Kaka crushed Chile 3-0.

 

And then, Uruguay vs. Colombia: the two teams have met only once at the World Cup (1962) with a victory for the 'charruas', two goals to one. However, the 'cafeteros' are one of the hottest squads right now after winning its first three matches of the group stage... I don't want to jinx anything, but a Colombian party may be in order in Rio tomorrow.

Day 15

DAY 15

 

6/26/14. RIO DE JANEIRO - It was about time for Mini David to take his swag to the second largest city of Brazil and the third largest metropolitan area in South America. Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana & Maracana Stadium are among the most popular attractions to visit in the Carioca cultural landscape that is the beautiful Rio.

 

One unfortunate news today is that FIFA suspended forward Luis Suarez for nine matches and banned him for four months from any soccer related activities for biting defender Giorgio Chiellini on his left shoulder during the Italy-Uruguay game, a couple of days ago. Nevertheless, one very positive note is that Argelia made it passed the group stage for the first time ever in the history of the World Cup.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

USA 0 - 1 GERMANY

PORTUGAL 2 - 1 GHANA

ARGELIA 1 - 1 RUSSIA

BELGIUM 1 - 0 SOUTH KOREA

 

Germany & USA qualified from Group G, and Belgium & Argelia adavanced from Group H. Ronaldo's Portugal, Ghana, South Korea & Russia are out of the competition.

 

 

 

Day 14

DAY 14

 

 

6/25/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Mini Papi might be starting to like soccer better than baseball after all the VIP treatment he is getting at the World Cup in Brazil. This time, the DH of the Red Sox was invited to the Bosnia-Iran match, so he could watch the game from the very first row of the Arena Fonte Nova... the field of play!

 

Today, the national team of Nigeria became the first African nation to make it into the second round of the World Cup 2014, even though it lost to crack Leo Messi and his Argentinian side 2 to 3 in a crucial game. In fact, Nigeria may be thinking of sending a 'thank you' letter to Bosnia, because if they hadn't defeated Iran, Nigeria would have not qualified to the round of 16 for the third time ever in the World Cup.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

BOSNIA 3 - 0 IRAN

ARGENTINA 3 - 2 NIGERIA

FRANCE 0 - 0 ECUADOR

HONDURAS 0 - 3 SWITZERLAND

 

Iran, Bosnia, Honduras & Ecuador are eliminated from the World Cup. Actually, Honduras & Ecuador are the only two Latin American squads that didn't advance to the playoffs in Brazil 2014.

Day 13

DAY 13

 

 

6/24/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - It may look like Mini Papi is about to take a corner kick in this picture, but what he is actually doing is supervising the work that it is being done on one of the Arena Fonte Nova's nets, a day prior to the Iran-Bosnia match.

 

Today, not only did Colombia move on as the Group C leader to the round of the best 16 teams in the World Cup, but also its goalie Faryd Mondragon -at the age of 43 years and 3 days old- became the oldest person to ever play in a World Cup game, surpassing the record of Cameroon's Roger Milla, who played in the 1994 World Cup at 42 years and 39 days of age.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ITALY 0 - 1 URUGUAY

COSTA RICA 0 - 0 ENGLAND

COLOMBIA 4 - 1 JAPAN

IVORY COAST 1 - 2 GREECE

 

Group C: Colombia & Greece advanced; Japan & Ivory Coast are out.

Group D: Costa Rica & Uruguay are in; England & Italy are disqualified.

 

 

Day 12

DAY 12

 

 

6/23/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Mini Papi is trying out new things in Brazil. In the picture we can see him being fed a warm by Oxossi (one of the representatives of Sao Joao), whose habitat is in the deepest part of the forest and its job is to protect hunters.

 

So far, with three more days to go in the first stage, the teams that have advanced to the next round of the World Cup are: Netherlands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil and Mexico. And the ones that have been disqualified are: Australia, Cameroon, Spain, England, Bosnia, Croatia.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

SPAIN 3 - 0 AUSTRALIA

NETHERLANDS 2 - 0 CHILE

BRAZIL 4 - 1 CAMEROON

CROATIA 1 - 3 MEXICO

 

 

Day 11

DAY 11

 

6/22/14. FORTALEZA - Unfortunately, my friends, all parties have to come to an end. For as much "Papi" wanted to stay and dress up like one of the two locals in the picture with him, he had to go to save the Red Sox from a 4-game series sweep... You already know what happened, Mini Ortiz -in hero mode- showed up in the game and hit a leadoff HR in the 10th inning to beat the A's.

Hey, but don't worry! He is already on his way back for more action in Brazil.

 

Today, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, the recently implemented timeout rule was used at the Portugal-USA match played in Manaus. About 7 minutes before the end of the first half, when the temperature was at 32 degrees Celsius, the referee decided to take a 2 minute break for players to drink some fluids and stay hydrated, as the most important thing for this innovation in the tournament is directly related to the health and benefit of the soccer players.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

RUSSIA 0 - 1 BELGIUM 

SOUTH KOREA 2 - 4 ARGELIA

USA 2 - 2 PORTUGAL

 

Day 10

DAY 10

 

 

6/21/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - This dude in the picture above is loving 'Festas Juninas' in this region of Brazil. Everything from the music to the decorations to the costumes to the dances was spectacular... An atmosphere hard to imagine but impossible to resist. Especially, with the World Cup going on, the melting pot of cultures makes the celebration of this June's festival extra special for both, tourists & locals.

 

Today, German forward Miroslav Klose tied Brazilian 'phenomenon' Ronaldo for most goals scored in the history of the World Cup (15). At his 36 years and 12 days of age, Klose became the oldest player to ever score at a World Cup match, and also joined Pele & Uwe Seeler as the third soccer player to score a goal, at least, in four different World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010 & 2014).

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ARGENTINA 1 - 0 IRAN

GERMANY 2 - 2 GHANA

BOSNIA 0 - 1 NIGERIA

 

 

Day 9

DAY 9

 

 

6/20/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Today, at Arena Fonte Nova's match between France & Switzerland, Mini Papi witnessed two things that happened for the very first time at this World Cup: a penalty kick was missed and there was a free kick goal. After the game, he went to the Historic Center of the city to check out what the whole buzz was about, and the atmosphere was so great that he decided to stay there partying like a... 'local', I guess (don't miss the pics of this place the next couple of days). 

 

 Without a doubt, the story of the day belongs to Costa Rica. Known as the "Cinderella" of Group D, Costa Rica is not only very much alive in the so-called "group of death", but it is also guaranteed a spot in the first round of the playoffs, already, after beating Uruguay & Italy in back to back matches. 

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ITALY 0 - 1 COSTA RICA

FRANCE 5 - 2 SWITZERLAND

HONDURAS 1 - 2 ECUADOR

 

 



Day 8

DAY 8

 

 

6/19/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Mini Papi is back at Arena Fonte Nova for the France-Switzerland match. The face-off will feature the two first game winning teams of Group E, as the defeated Honduras & Ecuador, respectively. And it is likely that the winner of this match will move on to the next round as the group leader.

 

Today, more interesting than to see Uruguayan Luis Suarez kick the butt of some of his Liverpool's teammates, the national squad of Colombia advanced to the first round of the playoffs after being absent from the World Cup in 16 years. As a matter of fact, the last time the South American country made the playoffs was in 1990, when Colombian forward Freddy Rincon scored a dramatic goal in the 93rd minute against West Germany to tie the last game of the group stage, which subsequently was just enough for captain Carlos Valderrama's side to qualify as the second best 3rd place of the tournament.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

COLOMBIA 2 - 1 IVORY COAST

URUGUAY 2 - 1 ENGLAND

JAPAN 0 - 0 GREECE

 



Day 7

DAY 7

 

 

6/18/14. FORTALEZA - On one side Mini Papi is saying "love and be loved", as he is feeling the affection of soccer fans on Beira Mar avenue. And, on the other, Chileans and Colombians are saying "today we do it for you and tomorrow you do it for us", as they are standing united for the collective success of the two "underdogs" of South America.

 

Today, with Spain's disqualification, we are guaranteed to see another team rising the World Cup in Brazil. Curiously, the last three World Cup champs from Europe have been dismissed from the following tournament in the first round (France in 2002, Italy in 2010 & Spain in 2014).

 

By the way, if you are hesitant to jumping on the bandwagon of La Furia Roja's meltdown, this stat might do it for you: Spain was scored on 7 times in two games at this current World Cup... in the two previous ones, it received 8 goals in 11 matches (2 in South Africa 2010 & 6 in Germany 2006).

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

AUSTRALIA 2 - 3 NETHERLANDS

SPAIN 0 - 2 CHILE

CAMEROON 0 - 4 CROATIA

Day 6

DAY 6

 

 

6/17/14. FORTALEZA - Mini David Ortiz might not have hit a home run today, but he definitely made some extra cash after working as a taxi driver due to the high number of cabs needed to transport Brazil-Mexico match's attendees to and from Castelao Stadium. I guess you can say he worked "under the table" in Ceara's territory for a few hours.

 

After 6 days of full World Cup action: The 32 national teams have played once (expect for 'la canarinha' and 'el tri' who have done it twice); 49 goals have been scored in 17 games (2.88 goals per match); there have been only 3 draws, 2 red cards and 6 penalty kicks (none missed); and "Memo" Ochoa (Mexico) made history for becoming the first goalie to ever win the Budweiser Man of the Match award.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

ALGERIA 1 - 2 BELGIUM

BRAZIL 0 - 0 MEXICO

SOUTH KOREA 1 - 1 RUSSIA 

 

 

Day 5

DAY 5

 

 

6/16/14. FORTALEZA - Yes, Thomas Muller recorded the first hat-trick of the competition and Pepe's lack of self-control cost him a red card. Yes, the Super Eagles and Queiroz's team starred in the first tied match of the tournament. And, yes, Clint Dempsey became the only American to ever score a goal in three different World Cups and the second player from the Concacaf.

 

But, most importantly, YES, the picture of today's post (above) represents the reality of Brazil's poverty. This is only my opinion, but a country that is hosting the largest sporting event of the world, shouldn't have kids (the future of Brazil) sleeping and working on the streets. This is the main reason manifestations occur constantly in this country... instead of investing in education and health care, among others, the Brazilian Government spent billions of dollars to build soccer stadiums that will be used only during the World Cup.

 

TODAY'S RESULTS:

GERMANY 4 - 0 PORTUGAL

IRAN 0 - 0 NIGERIA

GHANA 1 - 2 USA

 

Day 3

DAY 3

  

6/14/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - It was a very relaxing day for Mini Papi at Praia de Naturismo (local beach), which happened to be almost empty, surprisingly. Especially since none of today's four soccer matches were scheduled to be played at Arena Fonte Nova (local stadium).

While Papi worked on his non-necessary tan all day long, Costa Rica upset the 4th place team of South Africa 2010 (Uruguay) and are now the momentary leaders of Group D, which consists of three previous World Cup champs and the humbled but hungry 'ticos'.

TODAY'S RESULTS:

COLOMBIA 3 - 0 GREECE

URUGUAY 1 - 3 COSTA RICA

ENGLAND 2 - 1 ITALY

IVORY COAST 2 - 1 JAPAN

Day 2

DAY 2

 

 

6/13/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - "Massacre" is the best word to describe the revenge the Dutchs had on the Spaniards in today's match at Arena Fonta Nova, and Mini Papi witnessed it all.

DID YOU KNOW?
Today, Cahill didn't only tally the first goal Australia has ever scored against a South American team (Chile) in the history of the World Cup, but also became the only player from Oceania who has scored a goal in three different World Cups.

TODAY'S RESULT: 

MEXICO 1 - 0 CAMEROON

SPAIN  1 - 5 NETHERLANDS

CHILE 3 - 1 AUSTRALIA

The Journey has begun. Day 1

David Ortiz may be too busy defending the Boston Red Sox's championship title to go to the World Cup in Brazil, but he has sent a 'mini' representation of him to be a part of the biggest sporting event in the world.

 

THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN

 

 

6/11/14. MIAMI, FL - Mini 'Big Papi' is at Miami International Airport, ready to take on his World Cup trip in Brazil. First stop: Salvador de Bahia.

 

 

 

DAY 1

 

6/12/14. SALVADOR DE BAHIA - Flight and immigration went smoothly. World Cup is underway, however its inauguration wasn't great and already half of the world thinks that referees have been bought off by Brazilian President Dilma (Thank you Japanese referee Nishimura for calling a non-existent penalty in favor of Brazil and putting this thought in our minds).

 

TODAY'S RESULT:

Brazil 3 - 1 Croatia

 

 

 

In all seriousness, during the World Cup (beginning to end), I will be taking pictures of Big Papi's bubble head (and soccer fans) in places that I visit. Don't miss the action, and if you see it in Brazil, say hi!