Slovenia: Broken hearts and a heroes' welcome

Hearts were filled, but for a moment, when the game ended, and Slovenia conceded but one goal to the English. They were going through to the group of 16.

Then, moments later, in the US match versus Algeria, Donovan scores in extra time and Slovenia had their hopes squashed, as the Americans advanced.

Biggest congratulations to both Slovenia as well as Algeria on playing lovely and brave football. I thoroughly enjoyed watching both these teams battle it out in group C. Each team possessed fantastic moves, great defence, and brave goalkeeping. We had small teams, with little funds, and we battled giants. Both England and America had the power, training camps, supporters and outfits. Their fans demanded nothing but success.

A special Jane award goes to Slovenian keeper Samir Handanovic, who kept shots at bay, even clearing a John Terry header (one of my favourite moves by that man). Never mind Handanovic's fine looks, he saved the Slovenians with style and swiftness. Very nice to watch.

It was a must win for England, with throngs of devout fans across the globe all demanding their team finally offer results. Success was their only option. Rooney, red-faced and hungry, seemed out for blood. His pass to Dafoe proved to be the teams only goal and with it, Slovenia lost the match. I will miss watching Slovenia, and Algeria. I liked both teams and their smooth passing.

To all the Slovenian supporters out there, remember the boys are already champions. For the smallest country in the World Cup, getting so far, qualifying and battling giants to the end..they proved more than able, they rose to the challenge and fought to the end. Eleven brave hearts to the end. A hero's welcome surely awaits. Perhaps there will be Lipizzaner awaiting on the tarmac when their plane touches down in the capital. Those famous horses, if you didn't know, originate from Slovenia.

About Jane Jamnik

Algeria: Wrong place, right time

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  My attempts to find a full on, no-holds-barred, no-one-here-but-us-Algerians bar/restaurant/club/wholesale furniture store to watch the game at have failed up to this point.  My mentions of Rangers player Bougherra have only gotten me so far in this city, so I pulled the "Gotta find it" Hail Mary.  I Googled it.

Up popped two results under "Algerian restaurant", one called JaJa Mediterannean, the other Roi do Couscous.  Result!  However, if my dealings with Toronto restaurants have taught me anything it is this: Unless you see a very well maintained website telling you about the trivia night results from last week, make sure that the places are still around.  Glad I did.  JaJa has turned into some sort of a fire-pit meat grilling place, and Roi de Couscous, the best-named restaurant ever, is now a sushi joint on Baldwin St, something that street has desperately needed (I note dipping my comments in hot buttered sarcasm).

So, back to the old-new 'hood and back to Bloor and Shaw.  I decide to try a new venue for football but a place that I have been to before, Lalibela Ethiopian restaurant.

 
Lalibela - Where One Would Think All African Teams are Welcomed

As before, not as highly attended, but again, people appear to have to work at 10:00 am on a Wednesday.  Over the course of the match, people do begin to file in.  I also note that Algerian manager Rabah Saadane must make this a very important game as he's wearing a suit in lieu of the tracksuit from the previous matches.  I'm hoping it's that, because I also note that some folks also dress up for funerals.  Ugh.

I'll Assume Everyone Else is a Blogger as Well

The restaurant has both games on; the England match has the audio on, but all in attendance focus on the muted Algerian game.  To add to the mixed media of the experience, the Algerian game is split with a white line down the middle of the LG screen with something called "TruMotion" on on one side, and off on the other.  I see no difference.  More like "FalsMotion".

Can You See The Difference? Yes. One Team Will Score.

With the two screens broadcasting the two games being on opposite sides of the restaurant, I begin to feel like I'm watching tennis not football.  I finally decide to keep my eyes glued to the Algerian match, while eavesdropping on the England match audio.  No choice really.

When the first USA chance is called offside, there's no reaction from the viewers.  Everyone appears to accept it.  I begin to wonder why and then I hear the England goal. 

Damn. 

I fire up my Excel spreadsheet of results that also calculates the group table places and start tinkering with possible results.  Slovenia need a goal and so does Algeria.  Thankfully Bougherra is not seeing that much of the ball, leaving it to the midfield and forwards whose job it is to pop the Jabulani into the net.  That said, in typical Bougherra style, any attempts to tell him to stay back fall on deaf ears.

The passes are being fed into the box by Algeria but to no effect, Algeria not able to get on the end of one and slot it home.  Which, admittedly, has been the story of this campaign for them, having not scored a single goal in the tournament.  At the six minute mark Algeria chanced it off the bar, but that's the closest they have gotten.

The half-time hit, and if I hadn't a lunch appointment, I'd be tearing into a Foul, a stew of beans with sauteed onion and green pepper in butter, that comes with a side of fresh bread that is making my stomach growl with vuvuzela-intensity.  Also in the key of B-Flat.

Still-Life With Laptop and Coffee. See, Ma? I'm a Proper Journalist Now!

Second half continues and the USA and Algeria are trading blows back and forth, both landing chances on either side that are not hitting the mark.  It's a hard thing, keeping an eye on one game and willing another team to score one in another match.

I keep hearing about the Slovenian pressure, but I'd love to hear the crowd silenced to make Algeria's task easier.  As it sits with England up 1-0, Algeria have to win by two, two more than they've scored in a previous 180 minutes of play.  Except now they have less than 20 minutes to do it in.  Algeria begin to remind me of my hairline; decent at the back, really thin up front.

Torn further am I as a Rangers fan as seeing Maurice Edu subbed off early on the US side, but now in the dying moments, seeing DaMarcus Beasley, another probably-soon-to-be-former Rangers player take the field.  Ugh.  Fouls are marking the end of both games, making both games increasingly tough to watch.
  Two goals are needed in the dying moments, one from Algeria, one from Slovenia, that will make the freshly yellow-carded Algerian Lacen actually able to miss the next match.  Still nil-nil, and there are no happy faces anywhere in the stands, both the Yanks and Algerians needing a goal to advance.

Suddenly it all happens very very weirdly.

The England game ends 1-0.  As soon as the match ends and they announce the win, a US strike on goal, a rebound, and Donovan slots hit home behind the Algerian keeper.  1-0 USA...and the place erupts.  Not only do Algeria lose, not only do the US go through, but to add to it, I've been hanging out in a place that was cheering on the US.  No one wanted Algeria to win except me.  Injury is added to insult as Algerian captain Yahia is given a red card in the dying moments.

So thus ends not only an unsuccessful World Cup for the Boughie-Boys, but also for me in trying to find out more about the Algerian community in Toronto.  Not unlike Algeria in this group, I never came close to hitting the net.

About Todd Van Allen

Slovenia: Making their mark

Slovenia, (no, not Slovakia) currently leading their group, take on England in a very short time. Hopes are high as Slovenia has so far proved to all that they can compete in the international arena. Last Fridays match versus the Americans seemed to me to be the most exciting match of the tournament, with Slovenia settling for a 2-2 tie. I will not forget the opening goal from Capt Robert Koren of Slovenia. A real howler.

The match versus England will surely be even more exciting. RIo is out, JT is still without arm-band. Carrigher, with two yellows which makes red is out. Frankly, the entire English team seems, to use a pleasant word "seasoned".

Although the Three Lions are a favourite of mine, they seem to be lacking in leadership. Rio didn't fit at all, even if he was not injured. Stevie G seems lost, quiet and subdued as captain. Capello and his last second choices as to who plays which position and when seem absurd for a competition of this calibre. JT, I know he tries. I had great hopes for England, like many footy fans, but Capello has ruined the team spirit I think.

But for this match, I am all for Slovenia, taking on another lion. A tie or a win would be absolutely lovely.

By the way, the Slovenian flag on my car has proved to arouse much curiosity. Most people ask if it is near Slovakia. No. Is that question posed because the name of the country also starts with an S? Next thing I know, we will be a neighbour of Sweden (who I am missing in the World Cup actually).  Slovenia is actually a very small country  but they are curently in the best economic position in the European Union.

The flag consists of three equally sized stripes, white, blue and red. In the upper left corner rests the coat of arms featuring the three peaks of the highest mountain, Triglav. Some supporters even feature the mountainside..steep jagged mountain outlines painted on their faces.

Slovenia is due south of Austria. Another neighbour is Italy. I will not comment on their performance for fear of the wrath of the multitude of Italian descendants here in Toronto, but for defending champions, it's a sad state of affairs and hard to believe the poor results.

Anyway, feel free to give me a wave if you spot me waiting for construction on our busy streets..best of luck to the handsome and brave Slovenia lads, meeting England on Wednesday, live at 9:45...Toronto time. I can't wait for this match!

About Jane Jamnik

World Cup: Top 10 moments so far

For those who were complaining about lack of emotion, here it is. A second round full of emotion as I had imagined in this post. Maybe the net wasn't hit by the ball as many times as we would like to see, but, the World Cup is not only about a ball and the net. This first week was marked by historical moments that will stay forever on people's minds all around the World. Here are my top 10 moments of this World Cup so far:

10. Robert Green, England's goalie wrote his name onto the list of blundering England goalkeepers, after his gaffe in the game between England x USA

09. The noisiest World Cup ever, thanks to vuvuzelas

08. France was losing the game against Mexico, and Thierry Henry who is one of the best strikers in the world, sits on the bench. (can someone explain why, please?)

07. Drogba entering in the second half of the match, 11 days after he had his arm broken.

06. Serbia team listening their anthem as an independent country for the very first time in a World Cup

05. Slovenia won their first match in the history of World Cups (Algeria 0-1 Slovenia)

04. Greece scored and won for the very first time in the history of World Cups (Nigeria 1-2 Greece)

03. Switzerland celebration after beating Spain (Nothing against Spain, but it was an incredible emotion for the swiss)

02. The striker Jong Tae Se crying during the execution of the North Korean anthem

01. The photo of a North Korean fan holding a sign which says: "Forget politics for 90 mins".

And what are your top 10 moments of this World Cup so far?

About Paulo Porto

How to pick a European winner 101

With the recent spate of surprising results

• Italy : Paraguay - 1:1
• Mexico : France - 2:0
• Spain : Switzerland - 0:1
• Serbia : Germany - 1:0
• Greece : Nigeria - 2:1 (If the Greeks thought that they could actually win a match, then there must have been some ouzo in that tsatsiki)

I've determined a formula on figuring out whether a European team will win their next group match. Take the Euro, then determine a country's relative GDP in comparison to overall European economy. The higher the relative GDP, the lower is that country's chance of winning a match.

How else can one explain Germany losing to Serbia and the Greeks winning anything but the lottery? :D

If one doesn't like this theory of football predictive analytics, I have heard that Maggie the Monkey is looking for work - she is excellent in hockey picks, stock analysis and manages Hedge Funds in her spare time.

BTW what a comeback! Who knew the Americans had that spirit! Best game of the World Cup so far but Honduras isn't looking that bad right, are they? 

About Rishi Sankar

Slovenia: Can a mouse rattle an elephant?

Drawing near, Slovenia takes on the giant United States of America. Fewer players to chose from, fewer fields to practise on, and fewer resources to draw upon. In what has been a dull start, few games, big teams settling for zero goals, Slovenia goes into game 2 with a victory in hand.

Can the underdog defeat team USA? My guess is yes. Sometimes heart provides enough fodder. The mouse needs only one crumb, the elephant may just prove too heavy to fight.

Let's join in a cheer for the mouse that roars! Go Slovenia go!

And for the ladies out there, may I present the fine Slovenian national team.  

About Jane Jamnik

Algeria: Ghezzal's 15 minutes of fame

So, if you thought trying to find people to watch the Algeria team play was hard in Toronto, try Halifax.

I found myself on the East Coast for the first time in years not knowing really anyone, and really no hope of trying to find Algerians to watch the match with.  My attempts to find any one Algerian person, let alone a full-on venue, had a very Australia-against-Germany feel to it.  No returns.  I found a guy in a convenience store who said, "I think I know a guy who's Algerian."  Turned out he was Armenian.  Thanks.

So, the story so far.  Finding a venue in Halifax to watch the Algerians: Yellow card.  Finding people to watch the match with: Red card.  In Halifax, you couldn't swing a vuvuzela without hitting someone in an England Three-Lions shirt.  Trying to find the green-and-white of Algeria, not good.

So, I found myself setting my alarm and rolling over to find the remote for the TV in my hotel room, alone and feeling no closer to the Algerians who know way more than I do about this side.  But that said, I am getting better and better and finding Bougherra on the field.  The game kicked off and I was immediately impressed by how thick the midfields were for both sides, with barely enough space for the ball, let alone solid run of play.  The blows were traded right off the bat and already I was feeling pretty confident about Algeria's chances.  Of course I still had no one to validate this with.

Things seemed still doable, Algeria still trading blows throughout the game with more and more confidence.  When Ghezzal came on in the second-half, I thought "Cool.  Fresh legs, young guy, plays in Italy.  We've got a good chance with him on the field."  What do I know?  No sooner had Ghezzal headed onto the field than he was asked to perform a 180-degree turn and return to the bench.  Fifteen full minutes he spent on the field and was then told his services were no longer necessary.  Turns out a beautiful, and I do mean beautiful hand-ball can pretty much cap your game.

Down to 10 men, morale hanging by a thread, it began to show that Algeria were pretty down on their luck.  They still made runs in and even after the not-as-bad-as-Green's-"save"-but-still-poor-attempt-by-Chaouchi goal by Slovenia's Koren, Bougherra and Co. did not give up at all, still trying and punching at the Slovenia goal.  It mattered for not.  The whistle blew.  1-0 the result.  Bottom of the group.

Next up is England who have proven that they're very touchable, but are still brimming with talent.  They say that Green is likely to remain in net for the Three Lions.  Let's hope that if Algeria keep hammering the goal, that'll be enough to get Algeria off the group floor.  And hopefully I'll have better luck finding Algerians in Toronto.  They hide in Halifax.

About Todd Van Allen

Abject goalie brutality and those buzzing bees

Over the past three days, I've seen some really poor displays of quality goalkeeping. After watching that England/USA game, I was filled with feelings of horror, disgust and nausea all combined with the shame of a nation. After watching the Algeria/Slovenia, I felt some pity for the goalkeeper but not that much. Watching the Italy/Paraguay match felt like a kick to the gut, since the goalie tried to play Superman, when he flew through the air, but in his flailing attempt to punch the ball, he looked like a slow motion cartoon.

I'll chat about the English calamity, since that is still in the headlines. I'm surprised by the level of "support" for the goalkeeper, since the British media talking heads are usually devastating in their criticism. In the Telegraph, Michael Owen claims "Nobody should blame Robert Green for America's goal and he certainly shouldn't blame himself." Former England goalie David James claims, "We all make mistakes." while the Times bellowed "Green fingers: One disastrous spill the Yanks won’t complain about"

There seemed to be more criticism about the Rugby team than the Football team. However it seems that Robert Green's World Cup is over ... but who to throw the gloves to?

Could it be that there is something to this "it's the ball" theory? The quality of the football has been poor, aside from the German exhibition against an overage, out of depth Wallaby side, however 4-0 is still 4-0. That being said, I really hope that the next couple days brings about some quality football. The Dutch side played as poor a first half, as I've seen in the last couple years. Even the Argentines displayed panache but no killer instinct.

However from the goalie perspective, it could be worse.

The other story so far is the buzzing bees.

On many football forums, there is the presence of the "I hate the Vuvuzela" thread. Personally, I find the noise extremely annoying, but that being said, who are we to tell South Africans how to celebrate. It would be highly colonial of FIFA to do such a thing. The ICC banned drums and musical instruments for the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies and the tournament turned into a colossal failure and I for one was glad. No one should tell people how to celebrate in their own countries.

So here is my question, why can't the TV guys simply filter the sound out? With all the sound engineers and technology, why can't the buzzing sound be filtered out of the TV broadcasts?

About Rishi Sankar

Slovenia atop Group C

Cheers Mates,

As predicted, well actually hoped for, Slovenia is atop their group. A sweet victory this morning. Robert Koren's late goal moved the team to the number one spot. Big congratulations to the boys in green! Let's keep it up and keep winning!

About Jane Jamnik

Slovenia defeats New Zealand

Cheers Mates,

Slovenia has won their last, and only pre-game match against New Zealand, with a 3-1 victory. Congratulations Slovenes!  I often wonder about the benefit of pre-competition friendlies.  The Slovenian strategy, less friendy matches, intrigues me. It worked and now the travel to South Africa begins.  The last of the teams are sure to arrive by the end of this weekend, regardless of group. By this time next week, we will all be in front of a screen cheering on our team.

With Rio currently under suspected injury, I wonder what the England v. Slovenia match will look like. It's one game, as I wrote about before, I am very much looking forward to watching. Will John Terry reclaim captaincy? Tell me what you think!

A glorious opening, with the host country emerging on the pitch....only days away.

Sleep tight. Footy dreams will soon come true!

About Jane Jamnik