England's physiotherapist is injured after the goal celebrations. At 45', the score is tied 1-1.

Hope they have a reserve!

Keep your commentary coming, Lpez. It is interesting seeing the action unfolding through a different set of eyes.

It must be the first time I see a physiotherapist injured after celebrating a goal! The first 30 minutes of the game were by far the most boring ones of the World Cup. The last 15 of the first half, probably the best. Hopefully the game will stay interesting!

At 50', Italy 2-1 England. Apparently, the best is still to come.

At 75', it looks as though Italy will win. 2-1 against England.

England, though, does not stop trying. The finish will be interesting!

At 84', the English team seems fatigued, players are falling to the ground because of cramps. Italy 2-1.

Italy defeats 2-1 England.

And Ivory Coast-Japan is underway. What should we expect from this one?

Hopefully a Japanese win. My Tipping Comp stats are not good so far.

Japan scores the first goal of the match at 15'! Ivory Coast 0-1 Japan. Looks like an interesting game so far.

At 23', Japan is being superior. It's been an interesting game so far.

I just saw the referee draw a line with spray paint, to mark the position of the defender's wall. Is that a new idea?

Yes, it's the first time FIFA does this in the World Cup. The idea originally comes from Brazil, and it was later adopted in Mexico and other soccer leagues around the world. it is a special paint that disappears within minutes, and is supposed to assist the ref in case the wall moves of its legal position.

Some results, such as Spain and Costa Rica have been unexpected (to put it mildly, some results have been exactly as predicted - England for example. I predicted Italy to win 2-0, so in that respect England did better than I expected - but still lost and can book their tickets back home.

It's been a great World Cup in my opinion, so far. After the match ends, don't miss my detailed analysis of today's action, which I will be doing almost daily. I hope you guys enjoy it.

At half time, Japan defeats Ivory Coast 1-0, although Ivory Coast has been way more offensive.

The second half has begun.

It was about time. Just minutes after Drogba enters the field, Ivory Coast ties the score against Japan. 1-1

And Ivory Coast scores again! 2-1 against Japan.

I just watched one of those lines and it was gone within about two minutes. It is sad, isn't it, just sitting here watching paint dry?

Ha! Hopefully you're having fun watching the game and not just the paint!

Ivory Coast defeats Japan 2-1 in the last match of the day. My analysis coming soon. Stay tuned!

Today's Games
Colombia 3-0 Greece
A rather easy game for Colombia, as Greece is not veyr competitive. The south american team played way better than the Europeans, during the entire game. It looked like Falcao's absence did not make a big difference for the Colombian team. Almost definitely, Colombia will advance to the next stage.

Uruguay 1-3 Costa Rica
What a surprise! The whole world was shocked after today's match. Costa Rica was the ultimate underdog, it is in a group in which all three teams have been world champions. Yet, it can go to sleep tonight as the first place of its group! Uruguay made a good first half, its only goal was a penalty, and Costa Rica should've been awarded a penalty as well. In the second half, Costa Rica surprised us with two goals in a row, and then a third one (which was one of my favorites of the tournament so far) in aggregate. We also saw the first red card of the Cup, to Uruguay's Maxi Pereira. I bet Las Vegas lost quite a few dollars! Will Costa Rica shock the world again?

England 1-2 Italy
A very clean game, perhaps the cleanest so far, both teams committed very few fouls. The first 30 minutes of the game were terribly boring, I was about to fall asleep when the first goal was scored, and in a matter of minutes, the score was tied. Those last 15 minutes of the first half were probably the best of the World Cup to this point. Italy, with its substitute goalkeeper (Buffon was injured), defeated England and there are good chances it will qualify to the next stage.

Ivory Coast 2-1 Japan
Although the match seemed boring on paper, it turned out to be a quite interesting match. After Japan's goal, Ivory Coast was very offensive, and made many important offensive plays. After Drogba entered, in the second half, a difference was clear, and within two minutes, two goals were scored.


Today's Refs
Thankfully, we did not see serious mistakes today. I have the impression, though, that FIFA has instructed refs to avoid cards. Since the start of the tournament, I've seen many plays that deserved a card, there was even a red-card play in the URU-CRC game, and the player wasn't even booked. If FIFA instructed referees to avoid cards, they've made a huge mistake, as discipline will be missing, and possibly injuries will arise. At least we saw the first red card, correctly sanctioned.


Today's Facts
- So far, the only teams who have not received a single goal are Mexico and Colombia.

- It's the first time since 1974 that a player for Juventus and another for Milan score a goal in the same match playing for Italy.

- Oscar Duarte scored Costa Rica's second goal, however, he was born in Nicaragua. He is the first player born in Nicaragua to score in a World Cup.

- We've had many goals! 22 goals in the first 6 games!


Today's Questions (for you to answer and discuss!)
- What's the biggest surprise so far?

- Is the World Cup looking interesting to you? Will it maintain this level?

- Will refereeing improve?

- Which team has played best in your opinion?


What do you think?

I like your updates, Lpez
And I don't watch soccer!
I don't watch soccer because, basically, I hate sports!
But I like your updates!
Keep them coming!
This is the last sentence with an exclamation point!