Auteur: Andrew Palczewski

Up In the Sky... It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...

The Flying Dutchman!

By Andrew Palczewski   |
The Flying Dutchman at work.

Robin van Persie, the Flying Dutchman. (AP | Christophe Ena)

Robin van Persie was just trying to help the Netherlands defeat Spain in their opening Group B match on June 13 – he surely wasn’t looking to become an Internet sensation.

But van Persie managed to do both: his spectacular header didn’t just contribute to the Netherlands’ 5-1 rout of Spain, but inspired thousands of internet memes and earned him the nickname “The Flying Dutchman.”

In the days following his impressive performance, fans around the world have Photoshopped van Persie’s famous shot into various positions and locations…

…from World Cup-related shots…

Take that, Spain! Van Persie over Brazil.

…to pop culture references…

Van Persie leading Peter Pan. Van Persie as Mario. Van Persie, the wrestler.

…to locations around the world…

Van Persie at the Taj Mahal. Van Persie surfing. Van Persie in the skies.

…it’s even inspired a flipbook…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btWXBpcQ138

…and a hashtag – #Persieing!

 

Russia (1-1) Korea

Group H: Russia and Korea Go Head to Head (UPDATE: Game Ends in Tie)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


here

Two women take a selfie with a poster of the Korean national football team.

UPDATE: In the second tie of the day, Russia and Korea came out of their match with a score of 1-1.

Previous post:

In the final match of the first round of the 2014 World Cup, Russia takes on the Republic of Korea. This looks to be a close match: Korea has won its last three opening round World Cup matches, but only won two of their last 10. Russia has only had one shutout in their last six World Cup matches, but also also holds the record of most goals by a single player in a World Cup match (Oleg Salenko scored five goals against Cameroon in 1994; Russia won that match 6-1). The match kicks off at 6 PM ET (10 PM UTC).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Brazil (0-0) Mexico

Brazil and Mexico Battle for Dominance in Group A (UPDATE: It’s a Tie!)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


here

Mexico's World Cup squad.
Brazil's World Cup squad.
Top: Team Mexico (Reuters | Tomas Bravo); Bottom: Team Brazil (Reuters | Paulo Whitaker)

UPDATE: As it turns out, both Brazil and Mexico end the day at the top of Group A (although Brazil has scored more goals) after the second tie in as many days at the World Cup.

Previous post:

While teams in Group H have yet to play their first World Cup match, Brazil and Mexico will each play their second match of the tournament when they face off today at 3 PM ET (7 PM UTC). On the line is a chance to claim first place overall in Group A – both Brazil and Mexico come into this match after wins over Croatia and Cameroon, respectively. Who will claim the lead in Group A when the 90 minutes are up?

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Belgium (2-1) Algeria

Belgium vs. Algeria: Lopsided Victory, or Upset Waiting to Happen? (UPDATE: Algeria Scores, But Loses)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


here

Mbo Mpenza (L) of Belgium is tackled by Rafik Saifi (R) of Algeria during their friendly match at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, May 14, 2002. Belgium played Algeria in preparation for the South-Korea/Japan World Cup in June this year. (Reuters | Yves Herman).
Mbo Mpenza (L) of Belgium is tackled by Rafik Saifi (R) of Algeria during their friendly match at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, May 14, 2002. Belgium played Algeria in preparation for the South-Korea/Japan World Cup in June this year. (Reuters | Yves Herman)

On paper, the winner of this Group H match seems clear: Algeria hasn’t scored a World Cup goal since 1986, while Belgium saved nearly 90 percent of shots during their qualifying matches. Belgium is ranked higher than Algeria. And in their last two matches, Belgium has beaten and tied Algeria. Given these stats, it’s easy to say that Belgium is the favorite.

But if there’s one thing that’s certain at the World Cup, it’s that anything can happen (just ask Costa Rica). Could this game be an upset in the making? Tune in today at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC) to find out.

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.