Moscow
The knives are out. Diego Maradona is leading the hate brigade, saying Argentina are a complete disappointment. “I get the feeling there’s anger at the heart of the team,’ he said. “It’s a disgrace not having prepared for the match knowing that Iceland players are all 1.90m tall,” the 1986 World Cup winner told Venezuelan television.
Four pre-tournament favourites have already performed far below par in their opening encounters. The calculations of the bookies and the travel schedules of the journalists are all going haywire.
The opening matches have recorded the following debacles: Argentina dropped points against Iceland on Saturday; World champions Germany crashed to a 1-0 defeat against Mexico and Brazil failed to get off to a winning start against Switzerland. It all started with the cracker between Spain and Portugal in Sochi.
Phillippe Countinho’s stunning strike, curled from outside the box, signalled a smooth ride for the Brazilians. An early goal is generally a balm to soothe frayed nerves.
Rivaldo, World Cup winner in 2002, had prescribed sangue frio (cold blood) for the team. “You can’t be worried; you need sangue frio to play, because if you lose concentration, you’re going home,” he said.
His warning wasn’t acted upon. Switzerland tweaked the script on Sunday night in southern Russia, Steven Zuber heading in the equaliser from a corner.
