World Cup Love and Loathe: Vozinha becomes immortal, Iran providing the game of the tournament, Uruguay's glaring problem
A 40-year-old goalkeeper becomes a global icon, Uruguay's goalkeeping problem is real, Egypt's celebration goes too far, and Iran-New Zealand delivers a hidden gem
With the World Cup underway, here’s a column of some of the most important moments of this summer’s World Cup. With inspiration from The Mismatch, my favorite basketball podcast, here are the things I’ve loved about the days’ round of matches, and things I’ve loathed watching. It will be a tournament ot remember, have this be your morning companion as well (Until the LA Galaxy is back in action).
Love: Vozinha becoming a cult hero
Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain has been the result of the tournament so far. The World Cup debutants frustrated Spain, the favorite to win whole thing, all game long in Atlanta. A sturdy low block was led by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha.
He recorded seven saves and prevented 1.45 goals according to FotMob. Cape Verde defended with six and committed just one foul in the 90 minutes. It the moments when Spain did get shots off, Vozinha made massive saves to keep them out of the net.
The World Cup produces heroes every edition. After this game, Vozinha's Instagram followers went from 50k to 1.5 million in the span of a couple of hours. No matter how Cape Verde’s tournament goes, this moment will always be remembered by the country and football fans around the world.
Loathe: Player Celebration
A goalscorer should have the floor to celebrate their goal, more so at the World Cup. They earned the spotlight for a brief moment and should get the camera time.
When Emam Ashour scored the opening goal for Egypt in Seattle, he should’ve been able to soak in the moment. But these teammates tackled him like it was an NFL game, and quickly he was on the floor.
Are you trying to give Ashour a concussion?
I get that this is a big moment for Egypt and taking the lead against a European country, but let’s also let the goalscorer shine.
It’s Ashour’s moment, let’s make sure he can at least remember it.
Loathe: Muslera Still?
Now, onto another 40-year-old keeper, it’s time for Uruguay to move on from Fernando Muslera. The Estudiantes is the last remaining player for the generation of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin. When I close my eyes, I still see Óscar Tabárez coaching that team. But that was the past, and Muslera needs to get out of the goal for Uruguay.
For starters, La Celeste has fully gone through a generation change. Aside from Muslera, there was only one other player over the age of 30 in the starting XI. If you’re going to use fresh blood, go all in to do that. I don’t mind Muslera being on the roster, but not as a starter. I feel the same way with Memo Ochoa and Mexico; he has his experience, but way past his prime.
I don’t want to pile on the guy, but he has to do better at not letting shots rebound out of control. I don’t want to bring back memories for my Uruguay readers, but Muslera already had this kind of moment in the knockout rounds back in 2018.
I still believe Uruguay can pose a problem during the tournament, but the goalkeeping is my major question about this team.
Love: Iran – New Zealand Match
Let’s be honest, not every game at the World Cup is going to be a salivating affair. On paper, the Iran-New Zealand game wasn’t marked on your calendars as a must-see.
But man, were you wrong to think that after the final whistle blew. The 2-2 draw between the two sides felt like a game of basketball. Both teams are having their moments, great attacking moments, and an incredible atmosphere in Los Angeles.
With the issues that Iran has dealt with (and will continue to deal with) heading into this World Cup, it was good to see them have their moments to celebrate their goals. New Zealand scoring the opener was a shocker to me, but what was more surprising was their style of play. The All Whites showed their ability on the ball and played some great possession football.
If you missed this game, I feel for you. Maybe this means that tonight’s Austria -Jordan game might deliver some fireworks.
Clip of the Day
Back to the good 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha’s masterclass is going to be remembered for years.
Here’s the video of all his saves on the night. Fun exercise for you readers, guess how many Instagram followers he has. Think of that number. Now check here. How far off were you?
Prediction of the Day
Sunday provided 19 goals across all three matches. Im going to say that Wednesday’s games will top that tally.
Mbappe, Haaland and Messi open their World Cup journeys. Their respective national teams are all strong as well. I see today bringing in the goals across every game.