- Smooth reactions from Spain v Chile ref after handshake snub
- Shaheen the Camel gets one last shot at glory
- Rivaldo’s Gamble: World Cup Day 7 Predictions…including England v Uruguay
Smooth ref clip goes viral
It was the stuff of nightmares for Spain against Chile last night, with the World Cup holders bowing out of the competition in the group stage after a 2-0 defeat to the whirlwind South Americans has left them with no points and stuck at the foot of the table with just one game to play.
Also see – Spain 0-2 Chile: Match Report and Full Match Stats
It was indeed a strange old match, with the usually bright Spain looking laborious and unconcerned at their plight; but one fast-thinking ref brought a smile to the face of the much maligned Iker Casillas before the game, saving himself from humiliation after an awkward handshake malfunction.
Joe Fletcher, a Canadian official, was waiting in the tunnel with the players to take to the field at the start of the game yesterday, when what looks like a FIFA executive arrived on the scene, and began shaking hands with the congregation.
Starting with Spain captain Casillias, the smartly dressed exec looked to be moving to his left, and to Fletcher, who put his hand out in anticipation. To his horror, his hand was ignored, with the FIFA man going first to greet Raul Bravo, the Chile skipper.
With his hand prone and untaken, Fletcher decided to continue in a sweeping motion, onto his head, stroking back as if he had the hair of Sergio Ramos before the trim, with Casillas very amused by the situation.
His hand was then finally taken, and all forgiven, but the clip has gone viral, with Joe Fletcher becoming an overnight internet hit!
Shaheen given ultimate responsibility – England v Uruguay:
Having taken a closer look at the record of the wonderful World Cup predicting camel, it seems as if Shaheen has got the last three matches wrong, rather than the two I’d previously mentioned.
He is at a huge disadvantage however, with Shaheen not given the choice of a draw, which seems terribly unfair!
While this brings him down to two fails in a row, and therefore should be, by my words yesterday, dismissed from his duties in the World Cup Roundups, I’m giving the guy an attempt at redemption, with England v Uruguay the perfect encore for the fluffy-lipped ungulate.
Good luck, Shaheen, I for one am rooting for you – not to mention the entire English nation!
Rivaldo’s Gamble: Beat Soccerlens at predicting Brazil 2014!
Brazilian legend Rivaldo took the ultimate gamble in the 2002 World Cup, hurling himself to the floor in what was a successful attempt to get an opposition player sent off; and now you have the chance to indulge in similarly heart-pumping risk taking, taking on Soccerlens in the SuperBru 2014 World Cup Prediction Game, and if you come out on top in the Soccerlens pool at the end of the tournament, you win a £100 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check the World Cup roundups for our latest predictions, and links to the game. It’s free to join, and comes with no balls booted at you by over-zealous Turks.
Soccerlens Tom’s World Cup Day 7 Predictions:
Yesterday I (and I’m sure most people) got two out of three result predictions right, with Spain’s demise a real shock to the footballing world!
Colombia 2-2 Ivory Coast: Going for a high scoring draw here. Two very attacking sides, but suspect defensively.
Uruguay 1-1 England: Surely go to the wire, as I reckon Italy will beat Costa Rica tomorrow, meaning a draw tonight will not be the end of the road for either side.
Japan 2-0 Greece: I liked the look of Japan against the Ivory Coast, and I see them ousting this limited Greece side tonight.
What do you think? Make sure you sign up and get involved in the action!
Key World Cup links:
Spain’s World Cup 2014 Team Page.
Chile’s World Cup 2014 Team Page.
England’s World Cup 2014 Team Page.
Uruguay’s World Cup 2014 Team Page.
World Cup 2014 Matches – Fixtures & Results
World Cup 2014 Player & Team Stats
World Cup 2014 Group Tables
Watch live World Cup matches online.
Our main World Cup 2014 news page.
The Official Soccerlens World Cup Predictor Game.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
