Once every four years, the world seemingly comes to a halt and together, celebrate one of the most prestigious sporting events: The FIFA World Cup. The gathering of the world’s best International teams and players, carrying all the hopes and dreams of their respective nations with them to win the coveted golden trophy, make for a breathtaking spectacle of football games (64 to be precise). Even though the Philippines has not participated in any of the World Cup tournaments, Filipino football enthusiasts, myself included, tune in to television screens or scramble to find stable streaming links online in the wee hours of the night to root for our favorite teams and players. If you have been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks for God knows what reason, here’s what you have missed so far from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil edition that may eventually convince you to catch the remaining weeks left of the tournament.
A scorching number of goals
June 14, 2014, Netherlands vs Spain. Netherlands won in a romping 5-1 thrashing of previous tournament winners Spain
Admittedly, watching football games can sometimes be dragging as we’d have to watch an entire game without each side conceding a goal. This year’s World Cup tournament though has proven otherwise as it has graciously blessed us with an abundance of goals scored in every way possible. From Robin Van Persie’s (Netherlands) impossible header, Lionel Messi’s (Argentina) stoppage time magic, and James Rodriguez’s (Columbia) brilliant volley, this year’s tournament has undoubtedly left memorable moments in its rich history of goals. Through 48 group stage matches, there have been a total of 136 goals. That’s an average of nearly 3 goals per game! To add to that, only 9 matches from the group stage ended in a draw. As of the first round of knockout games (Round of 16) which ended two days ago, the goal tally has now reached 154. This doesn’t even include the penalty shootouts from two of the knockout matches played (Brazil vs Chile and Costa Rica vs Greece). To put things in perspective, the total number of goals from the 2006 World Cup (Germany) and 2010 World Cup (South Africa) tournaments were 147 and 145 respectively. At this rate, with still 8 games left to be played in the tournament, the 171 goal record set in the 1998 World Cup may well be eclipsed.
Hot weather and hot individuals
Along with the hot pace of goals set in this year’s World Cup tournament comes the blistering climate that players and fans alike are subject to. Temperatures can reach up to 32°C during the games! That’s almost playing (or watching) the game with a mild fever. Because of this, FIFA officials have incorporated for the first time the so-called “cooling” break during the game (there are no timeouts in football) if playing conditions become too feverish. A cooling break lasts about 3 minutes, giving ample time for the players to rehydrate and reenergize themselves for the duration of the match.
June 30, 2014, Mexico vs Netherlands. Cooling break for the players
Even the fans need a little bit of refreshment from cheering unceasingly for their nation’s squad.
Playing conditions not too hot for you? Fear not as the World Cup tournament not only brings out the best international players on the field but also some the hottest football superstars there are on the face of the planet. I’m a guy but I have got to say, some of these players look like models rather than football players on the pitch. Not only are these football players good in playing football, they sure look good on our television screens as well. Ladies, feast your eyes on some of these eye-candies:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Need I say more?
Gerard Piqué-ing your interest?
Cesc Fabregas heading into your thoughts
Iker Casillas: “I’m hot.”
Yes, you are.
Joe Hart
See what I mean by looking like models?
For the male readers out there, do not fret. There is no shortage of beautiful women shown on our television screens or wherever we may be watching for that matter. Here are some of the beautiful female fans caught on camera:
I’m cheering for your country…
and your country…
and your country…
and your country…
…and your country.
We are all winners here.
World Cup, World Cup everywhere!
Because of the rapid advancements happening in technology nowadays, we can have access to anything and everything including this year’s FIFA World Cup. Be it on our television screens at home, tablets or smartphones, we can be updated to the happenings in the tournament just within a matter of seconds.
The World Cup fever has definitely hit the shores of Manila harder than the previous tournaments because of the ease and simplicity of access to it brought about by rapid technological advances. There are a lot of avenues available to us to follow the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For Filipinos who are unable to watch the matches live (because hey, some of us have work the following day), there are applications that they can download to receive scores, highlights, commentaries and videos from the World Cup. If you’re the type who simply wants to watch these games as peacefully as possible, Balls Channel provides us the comfort of watching the tournament at our very houses. Thank you, Balls TV. But if you ask me, the best way to experience the World Cup is by going out with a couple of friends to hit local sports bars. With a couple of brewskis in hand, you can enjoy the matches as if you were watching the games live from Rio de Janeiro. The atmosphere created by these sports bars are full of energy as people from all walks of life cheer on endlessly for their favorite team to win. There are a lot of sports bars in the Metro that you and your friends can go to wherever your location may be.
Only a few weeks are left for the 2014 FIFA World Cup: Brazil Edition. This year’s tournament has proven to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory. Turn over that rock you’ve been hiding under and catch it while you still can. See you at the Quarterfinal stages this coming Saturday!