World Cup Diary Day 7: Germany and USA steal the show
Published:Where will Wayne Rooney start (if at all) for England against Uruguay? It’s the question on everyone’s lips and it’s great to see the Ladbrokes traders getting involved in the debate by pricing up a few specials.
In other news I’ve been on the beach with fans of Team USA revelling in their 2-1 victory against Ghana, which has prompted me to contemplate who my favourite set of fans have been so far during this summer’s World Cup.
World Cup Diary Day 7
08:00 – Waking up to the image of Christ The Redeemer emerging through the fog is a sight I really am yet to tire of on this trip.
Whether it be illuminated by night or during the day it’s as impressive a sight as you’ll see and by hook or by crook I’ll get up there before I leave.
08:22 – I can’t daydream for too long though as hot off the press from trading I’ve got a set of prices for which position Wayne Rooney will start on Thursday night.
The press are doing what they do best and continue to make hay out of the story, with opinion varying as to what might happen.
It’s 5/1 he’s sat on the bench as the game kicks off.
09:30 – I’m starting to get hungry and nip down to catch the tail end of breakfast. As a self-confessed savoury food fan it pleases me no end to see today’s special is some sort of savoury quiche (in recent days we’ve had meatballs in a tomato sauce and a sausage stew – all early in the morning).
The intrepid journalist inside me wants to take a picture for the purposes of the blog, but it’s still quite busy and I don’t want to look weird in front of other people. It’s strange enough getting this excited about breakfast quiche let alone snapping away at it.
12:00 – As the morning draws on I start thinking about how I’d price up the tournament if it was won on the basis of the quality of the fans. Chile would be favourites at around the 6/4 mark with Argentina not far away as they are in real fine voice. The USA would definitely be a single figure price. Special mention to Mexico too.
13:00 – Time to settle down for Germany – Portugal to see if our odds compilers’ fancy (they have been rock bottom price for some time) lives up to the expectation. For what it’s worth, I’d be against Portugal with or without the greatest player in the world.
15:00 – It might have been a slightly different story with 11 men but the clear third favourites looked pretty dangerous. In other news, Angela Merkel was spotted in the crowd, and then in the changing rooms after. She also posed for a selfie with Lukas Podolski. Our man David Cameron is 6/1 to do the same (that’s attend any match in Brazil, with or without a selfie) courtesy of the gurus over at @LadPolitics.
17:00 – Time for a little nap. Nigeria – Iran being on the TV merely a coincidence.
17:54 – I’m drifting out of sleep in an ad break at half time and decide to wake up for my favourite spots of the World Cup campaign.
Unlike in the UK, the same set of adverts air in exactly the same order in ever break on the Ao Vivo channel which show the matches, meaning it’s pretty easy to get their messages drummed into your head.
I suppose there’s never been a better time to use Pele to market your products and services, and the surreal Portinglish (that’s Portuguese and English, I’ve just made it up) skit featuring Pele appearing on a chat show to explain that the new Head & Shoulders 3 in 1 is the ‘Pele of shampoos’ is one I never tire of watching.
Just when you think you’ve had your fill of the King, he’s back just seconds later complete with crown and throne urging us to get to Carrefour to stock up on multipacks of beer and Coca-Cola.
19:00 – Time for the USA – Ghana match and the aforementioned American fans are in full voice replete in the stars and stripes.
19:01 – Clint Dempsey doesn’t take long to rally the first round of ‘USA, USA, USA’ and it’s belted out across the beach in full voice. Neat finish.
19:20 – Not wishing to resort to tired clichés, but I’ve heard fans refer to passages of play as both ‘real neat’ and ‘real nice’ within minutes.
22:00 – That was a pretty entertaining match. You’d fancy the Americans to get something from a shell-shocked Portugal on their day and speaking to the fans I hope they do get out of the group as I’m told this tournament is turning out to be a pretty big deal at home as the sport grows in popularity.
23:30 – Resisting the temptation to party on the beach Chile style with the Americans, it’s time to call it a day. More from me tomorrow when we’ve got the small matter of Brazil – Mexico to look forward to from the fan fest.
Alex
Read all about my World Cup odyssey on Ladbrokes News and follow me on Twitter @LadsAlex!
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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