By then end of the day Tuesday, the World Cup participants from Europe will be decided. Here are the four things you to be looking out for.
Ronaldo v. Zlatan II
World football has made a lot of this battle and with good reason - Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are two behemoths of the game. And on Tuesday one of them will find himself condemned to a summer of watching the 2014 World Cup on the couch. The edge right now is in Ronnie’s favor, after his header was the decisive goal in Portugal’s 1-0 victory last Friday in Lisbon.
Most seem to think that’s that and Portugal has run away with this thing. But that’s a mistake that Ibra has pounced on countless times throughout his career. Give him the excuse and he’ll do it again. Especially when buoyed by the home crowd in Solna and especially when his side aren’t supposed to win.
Which they’re not. Portugal are hands-down the better side, which is precisely (and ironically) what has put them in the current predicament of needing to qualify through a play-off. Brace yourself.
Tough Times In France
It’s nice to have France around if for nothing else but a reminder that no matter how bad things are with your national team, they could be a heck of a lot worse. Despite having talent for days, Les Bleus screwed the pooch last week when they dropped the first leg of their playoff to 0-2 at the Ukraine.
To most people the result, while unfortunate, wouldn’t be the end of the world, especially considering the second leg is in Paris. But to the French, it’s curtains, as only 16% of the public (as surveyed in Le Parisien) believe Les Bleus can advance to the 2014 World Cup.
16%? That’s disgraceful.
With that pathetic amount of confidence, perhaps France should lose and end all of the misery that team has caused since their boycott antics back in South Africa 2010. Ask any good Irishman and they you France shouldn’t have had that honor either - but that’s a whole other piece of crepe.
Go On, Iceland!
If you have a heart then you have to support those loveable blondes to the north, Iceland, as they take on Croatia. Strákarnir okkar (Our boys) managed a 0-0 draw in Reykjavik meaning it’s all to play for in Zagreb on Tuesday. While winning away will be an uphill battle for Iceland, Croatia’s previous home form will give the underdogs confidence as the Croats previously lost to Scotland and Belgium during home turf qualifiers.
If Iceland do succeed in winning they will become the least populous country (at 320,000 inhabitants) ever to play at a World Cup. Fascinating stuff.
Not Your Father’s Greece
So long the butt of all stylistic football jokes in Europe, Greece appear to have finally shed their brutally defensive style in favor of flair and goals. Last Friday they were a joy to watch, suffocating the Romanian defense with clever through-balls and inventive play that resulted in three well-worked goals and a 3-1 victory.
The effort marked the first time the Greeks scored more than twice in a competitive game since a 3-1 win over Malta in June 2011. Oh, how they times they are a changing! And while they may fall into a more defensive scheme to preserve the precious lead, don’t be surprised if come June people are using words like “quality” when describing Greece.
Well, perhaps that’s a bit much. But they are a much improved side and worth a watch, if only for a quick bit.
