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)