Let's say it all at once, "VAR, FUCKING VAR"! The annoying new footballing trend that no body can quite figure out became the theme of day 3. That a host of penalties spread across the four matches, some missed, some scored. One of the misses may go down as one of the big moments of the World Cup. Oh and the ball busting in the French-Aussies match, that was kinda cool too!
A mixed day begin with some hope for the underdogs and neutrals. The Australians who thrive at succeeding at most other sports, yet love being the plucky outsiders at football gave a brilliantly gutsy performance which was almost enough to snatch a draw from the "hot and cold" French (as the woman on the BBC's video described them). France followed Uruguay's suit from the previous day by paying well in patches, but ultimately struggling to get into their groove. Even more so than Uruguay, the French here bumbled their way to a narrow victory. It was almost like a farcical comic routine. I have to say well played boys. After all, no one wins a World Cup by looking like world beaters in the first game. The way to do it is to make avenge opposition look amazing, to sneak a win without playing well, thus taking the pressure off yourselves and then playing to your best when people least expect it. The main problem for the French I think will be getting the best out of promising youngster Kylian Mbappe, whilst fitting him around a system that also needs to accommodate their top striker Antoine Griezmann. Following Spain's suit from the previous night with a more direct approach could help at times. Olivier Giroud may look out of place in the modern game, and his goal scoring record is a bit "hot and cold", but psychical presence and hold up play gives France another option and he can be one hell of a threat from set pieces. It was their predictability at times that almost lost them all three points here. Australian were well drilled, with standout performances from the likes of Trent Sainsbury, keeper Mathew Ryan, and the passion of Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak at the heart of the midfield as a driving force. Jedinak noteworthy for making history as the first player to captain Australian at two world cups. It was certainly an uplifting moment when he converted the spot-kick to level the scores (justice since the spot-kick that put the French ahead was very suspect). To Aston Villa fans Jedinak is a bit of an enigma. Having signed two summers ago from Crystal Palace, he seemed the perfect fit for the dog fight that is the Championship. Since then he has struggled to make much of a mark on the team, and up till recently has been in and out of the side. More baffling, is that for the Aussies Jedinak has added goals to his other traits (scoring a hat trick in qualifying). Little goal threat has come from him at Villa Park. An interesting subplot for Australia might be how much of an impact Tim Cahill can have when he plays. They probably lack much in the way of creativity or bite up front. In tight games he only needs one moment to snatch the crucial goal. Their bad luck at the end of this one was a really shame. A draw would have given them a fighting chance. Denmark up next is another tough match, Peru is more winnable. Four points from those two games has to their aim. This being the early game (11.00am for us Brits), gave it a relaxed breakfast slot kind of feel. The witty and charming Mark Chapman (he's coming for your job Lineker!!), proved the perfect anchor for such a slot. Alex Scott was lively as a studio pundit keeping the female end up. Didier Drogba made a solid, if unremarkable debut. Mark Lawrenson on communtary duties tends to fit the flavour of an early start. His sarcasm of recent years can grate a bit, but he remains a likeable enough presence, direct, with a good sense of humour.
The most entertaining moment of the day might have come when the BBC's broadcast crashed during Phil Neville's mutterings. The real boob here came when they briefly cut to pictures of the Argentinian fans ahead of their game. Since the BBC weren't showing their match you have to wonder if they were nicking second hand shots from their rivals? Speaking of who, ITV hit an all-time low when serving up the deadly one-two-punch of Glenn Hoddle and Sam Twatterface for the game in question. Twatterface is a journeyman hack who has bounced around between Sky news to Talksport and now ITV in no time at all. He has all the flow of someone nicking stats off wiki, whilst commenting from a middle class pub. What is most annoying is his lame attempts at comedy. At one point he came up with this winning line, "Iceland are sitting so deep, some of their players are wearing scuba masks." Bravo Sam, bravo! His back slapping interaction with Hoddle was toe curling. At least in the studio Patrice Evra (looking like a Jackson 5 cast-off), and Henrik Larsson added some diversity to proceedings. The match itself was an intriguing clash of styles with some good drama and most importantly for a football match kept you guessing. Iceland the stars of Euro 2016 (sorry Wales!), not only matched Australian's energy levels and tactics, but were able to carefully pick their moments. The likes of Gudmundsson and Gunnarsson made some excellently timed runs from midfield making life difficult for the Argentinian defence which looked very leggy. Unlike France in the first match, Argentina didn't actually play badly on the day. They just lacked a plan B, lacked a little bit of edge and luck. Its telling that Aguero's goal was a brilliantly worked individual effort, contrasted with the more direct, but smartly worked Iceland equaliser. Most impressive about the goal was the commitment to keep the ball alive in the penalty area. It seemed Argentina were only going to score with a moment of magic or luck. With the shape and passion of Iceland neither looked likely as the day went on. Messi having a penalty saved was a sweet moment too. His subplot is intriguing. Iceland were more than worth their point, a result that opens group D up nicely.
Two potential dark horses for the tournament are Denmark and Croatia. The Dens are always functional and never fail to course headaches. Christian Eriksen is one of the best creative players at this World Cup. They had a tough time against Peru (who themselves might be quite underrated), more so in the first half, but got the job done following an improved second half. The Dens should fancy their chances of at least snatching second spot. More impressive all be it in a forgettable match were Croatia who opened up with decent 2-0 win over Nigeria, in a battle of Experience VS. Youth. The Nigerians will surely be cursing their luck at once again being drawn in the same group as Argentina. If history is anything to go by Messi will take his frustrations out the Africans with two or three goals in their final group game. Still Iceland's surprise draw will give others hope.
Match day 4 should bring some thrilling stories. Both Brazil and Germany open their World Cup, both facing nations that could handout upsets if there are not on their games. Switzerland and Mexico are not sides to be overlooked. Meanwhile, the opening game should be a close contest between Costa Rica and Serbia who will both feel they can do something at this tournament.
Star of the Day: Mile Jedinak (Australia's record setting captain).
Dork of the Day: Sam Twatterface
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