Manchester Victoria was significantly less populated at 8.15pm this evening than it would normally be on a Wednesday. In the end though, the reason was obvious. But I did make it home in time for the second half.
I have been watching some of the World Cup; games in which I feel I have some kind of personal interest. Like, thanks to last week, Norway, whose casting as something of a one-man team was not harmed today by Haaland nicking tonight’s winner, with a goal that was better than it first seemed (watch the slow motion — he knows what he’s doing). Clare, as pictured, and I commiserate with the losers of the Ivory Coast but they’re going home, the Norwegians stay for at least one more match.
This sculpture stands outside the Tameside Stadium in Ashton-under-Lyne, east of Manchester. It commemorates the three men born in the town who have World Cup winners’ medals. The trick being that only two of them — Jimmy Armfield (left) and Geoff Hurst (right) — won them with England. In the middle is Simone Perrotta, who was born in Ashton but whose parents moved back to Italy when he was young. This is a decent sculpture; it looks dynamic, and different from each side.
McGlynn’s pub in Bloomsbury declares this afternoon for the French, before their game against Peru in the World Cup: note the tricolour in the window. What gets me about this shot though is how much Roy Keane looks like a little orange animated version of himself, sort of like Max Headroom….
“…. you mean it starts today?!”
OK, this probably isn’t the real Lionel Messi. Welcome to the blog’s first World Cup month.
Being 42 