Hello my faithful readers. For those of you who have been keeping up with the blog of late, you’ll know what time it is. For those who haven’t, well, you’ll still know what time it is. That’s right, World Cup Wednesday is back again, but this time it’s the 2018 Season Finale. Yes, you heard me right, or rather, read correctly, this is it, the Final Edition of World Cup Wednesday for this year, and in reality, for just over four years. The World Cup has finished, the final two matches have been played. And here we are, at the very end of the 2018 tournament, just over a month since the first edition of World Cup Wednesday, with the eighth and final edition of World Cup Wednesday. So, as always, let’s get into the matches.

Belgium v England: The Third Place Playoff. In all honesty, this game is realistically unnecessary, as it’s really just determining who the bigger loser of these two losing teams is. But that aside, Belgium wrapped this game up very quickly, and very easily. With a goal inside the first four minutes of the match, it was all too easy for Belgium to take the win from their position. Belgium strengthened their defence, even going so far as to bring on another defender for an attacker. And England flailed. They got desperate, trying whatever they could to net just one goal. But after changing a decent number of personnel in their starting eleven, and with Harry Kane struggling to make an impact, most likely due to an injury he picked up against Colombia in the Round Of 16, England just couldn’t break the Belgian defence. And after another goal late in the match, it was all over. Belgium took third place, a historical milestone for them, and England went home fourth, which still wasn’t all too bad for them, a stellar World Cup for both teams.

France v Croatia: The Final. The most spectacular match of football you will see in the world. This is the moment that everyone waits for, that every team in the World Cup so desperately wants to get to. It’s what each country works so hard for in the tournament, and it always provides top quality entertainment. This year was no different in that aspect. But it was so much more than so many of the World Cup Finals before it. France. Croatia. Both of these teams were fighting that hardest they ever had for their country. It was France’s first World Cup Final in 12 years, after losing their last one against Italy back in 2006. And France were the favourites, having won the Cup once before back in 1998. But for Croatia, this was a historical moment which they would never forget. Their first World Cup Final in 88 years of World Cup History. It was just monumental that they reached the Final, however, the occasion would become all the greater if they had won. And the match was a brilliant one. The Closing Ceremony was well put together, headlined by Nicky Jam, Era Istrefi, and the one and only Will Smith. After a good quality performance of the World Cup Song Live It Up, the Closing Ceremony was over, and the match began. Both teams were strong, but Croatia looked stronger at the start of the Final. However, after the first own goal in a World Cup Final was scored by Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic, France picked up their game. A controversial penalty decision made by the VAR 20 minutes later gave the French side a 2-1 lead, after Ivan Perisic had scored for the Croatians 10 minutes before. And the scores were left that way at half time. The second half saw even more history created. French midfielder Paul Pogba put France 3-1 up in the 59th, with a goal from 19 year old Kylian Mbappe making it 4-1 just 6 minutes later, making him the youngest player to score in a World Cup Final since Pele in 1958. Croatian striker Mandzukic managed to put another one in for Croatia in the 69th, but it wasn’t enough, with France winning the World Cup Final 4-2, the highest scoring game since England edged West Germany 4-2 back in the 1966 World Cup Final. After a World Cup Final filled with drama, including the game being halted after four pitch invaders ran rampant on the pitch, France reigned victorious, and took the glory of the World Cup home with them. Croatia should still be very proud of themselves as a team and as a nation, after their best World Cup tournament in history. The Final was really a true marvel, and a congratulations to both nations for their efforts.

Highlight Of The Final Two Matches: The highlight was most definitely the Final. The match was a thriller, and a high scoring one at that. Seeing both teams do everything they could to win this, the most coveted match in the world, is something that is absolutely brilliant to watch. It was filled with historical moments, moments of pure class, goals that were just spectacular, and some of the most talented players in the world. It was truly a wondrous match, a marvel to watch, and there is really nothing else quite like it.

History Made: There was a fair bit of history made in the World Cup Final this year. Croatia created history after by playing their first ever World Cup Final. Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic created history after scoring the first ever own goal in World Cup History. The VAR was used to award France a penalty for the first time in a Final. This was also the first World Cup Final in which pitch invaders made their way onto the pitch during play, disrupting the match and forcing it to be brought to a halt. Kylian Mbappe was the youngest player, at 19 years of age, to score at a World Cup Final since Pele, who scored 2 goals in the World Cup Final in 1958 at the same age. It was also the first time in decades that a goal was scored in a final from outside the box, in this case the scorer being French midfielder Paul Pogba. And finally, this was the highest scoring Final since the 1966 World Cup Final in England, which England won 4-2 after edging West Germany as they were then in extra time, with the score for this year’s World Cup Final being 4-2 to France, who did it in regular time. A World Cup Final for the history books for sure.

So that’s it. The World Cup is over. The Final is complete, and France have taken home the coveted World Cup, and the titles that go with it. It’s been a great one, but that’s the end of World Cup Wednesday for this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup. Little hint though: there may be a World Cup Wrap-Up in the works for release next Wednesday to finish it up. But as for World Cup Wednesday, it’s goodbye for now, and see you all in just over four years in the nation of Qatar, when the World Cup will be making history once again by being played in Winter (Summer here in Australia), in November and December. But for now, France are your 2018 FIFA World Cup Champions. So for the final time for this year, this has been World Cup Wednesday, signing off. Hope you enjoyed the World Cup!

JJ

Hey there everyone, welcome back to Mystery Monday. This blog is sure keeping me busy. So for today’s Mystery Monday, you all get another poem, this one being one I wrote last year. Thought it would be good to share though, so enjoy it!

The Potato

There was once a potato,
Who was nice and round,
He was large for his size,
And he lay on the ground.

He minded his own business,
And kept it at that,
But this potato was different,
Cause he wore a hat.

But that was not all,
Because as was his root,
This classy potato,
Well, he wore a suit.

That was not it though,
Cause this little guy,
Wore on his suit,
A little red tie.

And yet there was more,
What else might you ask?
Well this little potato,
Had a little moustache.

Yet that was not all,
Cause as was his type,
This little potato,
Smoked a little brown pipe.

But see this potato,
He needed carrying space,
And so carried with him,
A small black suitcase.

And within this suitcase,
We’re not business tips,
Surprisingly instead,
There was a bag of potato chips.

That little potato,
What an odd little guy,
He was once my friend,
But now, he’s a French fry.

And there you have it. Another Mystery Monday. If you want Part 2 of the potato story (because there is a Part 2), like the post, give the blog a follow and leave a comment. Hope you enjoyed this one!

JJ

Hey everyone, you know what time it is. That’s right, World Cup Wednesday is back again. We’ve had a number of editions of this, everyone’s favourite segment. In fact, I lost count, although I’ve made sure and this is the seventh edition. Wow, isn’t that just amazing? (If you didn’t say yes, then I don’t know why.) This just continues to break records doesn’t

it? Anyway, the World Cup Semi Finals have been completed, and we now move on to the Third Place Play Off, and the coveted World Cup Final. But first, a review of the Semis.

France v Belgium: The Semis were always going to be close, and so was this match. Belgium had played a stellar World Cup, and France were proving to be a tough opponent to beat. Both teams hadn’t lost a single match thus far. In fact, Belgium had actually won all their matches, and this opportunity was everything for them. It was their first World Cup Semi Final in 32 years. But despite their efforts, it wasn’t to be, with France taking the win from a single goal scored by defender Samuel Umtiti in the 51st minute. This puts them through to their first World Cup Final since 2006, 12 years ago. Unfortunately for Belgium, the dream for this year at least, is over. Although they will get a chance to play for third in the Third Place Playoff against England.

Croatia v England: The scene was set for England. The English fans were elated that their team had made it this far at this year’s World Cup. The dream was alive, and they were going to do everything possible to get to their first World Cup Final since 1966, when they won the Cup. The English were so hopeful, and their hopes rose dramatically when Kieran Trippier scored in the 5th minute of the match. The English held the 1-0 lead for the rest of the first half, and them kept it going in the second. But it all started to spiral for them when Croatia’s Ivan Perisic put one in the back of the net in the 68th. The two sides couldn’t be separated for the rest of the match, and so extra time ensued. And whilst the scores were level at the end of the first half of extra time, it all went wrong for England early in the second, when Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in the 108th. It was just too much for England, who had players that had sustained some injuries, including striker Harry Kane. But after all that happened, England were sent to the Third Place Playoff against Belgium, and Croatia made World Cup History, making their first ever World Cup Final, and will play France in one of the toughest matches they will probably ever play.

Highlight Of The Semi Finals: The highlight of the Semis, although not really what many people wanted to see, particularly the English supporters, was Croatia making the World Cup Final. This is the first time in World Cup History that Croatia has made the Final, and their supporters are quite obviously going crazy about it. They have quite a challenge to face now in France.

Controversy: In the Croatia v England match, the standard of refereeing seemed to fall short of what it should have been for a World Cup Semi Final. Of particular notice was when the ball went out of play but play continued on as the referee did not recognise it as out of play, and in all reality, this should have been picked up by the linesman. This occurred a couple of times in the match, and throw ins should have been given, but were not. The other blatant error in refereeing was when, towards the end of the second half of extra time, England were denied a corner even though the ball clearly came off the head of one of the Croatian players and went out of play. Croatia were given a goal kick by the referee, however, it was a clear corner, and the decision wasn’t even reviewed by the VAR, therefore showing it is, once again, being misused. These errors change games, and you never know if England would have equalised from the corner they were denied. Hopefully the refereeing is up to high quality standards in the World Cup Final.

What To Expect From The Third Place Playoff And The World Cup Final: Well, here we are. The final two matches of this year’s World Cup. It’s been a brilliant one this year, and now we are coming to its end. The Third Place Playoff. The World Cup Final. One match which, realistically, determines who is the bigger loser, and the other which determines who the Champions Of The World are. The Third Place Playoff will be an interesting one, all things considered. Both teams are playing for pride. England will be attempting to edge Belgium for the second time this World Cup, although it was debatable whether or not they were actually trying to win against them in their Group Stage match. Belgium will be looking to at least gain third place in a World Cup that has been almost perfect for them. Both teams are in some ways level, and so it will be quite interesting to see who will come out on top. And then there’s the World Cup Final. It’s going to be crazy. France in a World Cup Final for the first time since 2006. Croatia in their first ever World Cup Final in World Cup History. France are obviously the favourites to win the match, having won the World Cup once before back in 1998 in their own country, winning over Brazil 3-0. Croatia, however, will do everything they can to secure that precious World Cup, and the titles to go with it, and make history for their country with a first ever World Cup victory. Both teams have not lost a single match, Croatia having won every single one of their six matches so far, France having won five and drawn one in their six matches. Both teams have a shot at this Final, and both will be fighting harder than they ever have before to win, and be crowned Champions Of The World. Enjoy the Final!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to Flashback Friday, the segment where we wrap up the week that was. Let’s get right into it.

We’ll start once again with the World Cup. The 2018 FIFA World Cup is now coming to a close, with the Final just around the corner. The Quarters and the Semis are all over, and unfortunately for England, it’s not coming home. They’ve had a great run this year, but fell short right towards the end, and so did Belgium for that matter. Both teams had played so well in this year’s World Cup, and after 28 and 32 years respectively of waiting to play in a Semi Final, both teams made the Semis, but just fell short of the Final. Croatia will play in their first ever World Cup Final against France, making history for their country. England and Belgium will play for third place before them.

In some world news, and the 12 boys and their coach that had been trapped in a Thai cave for around two weeks have all been rescued and freed. The rescue operation was carried out earlier this week, with four boys being rescued each day over the space of three days. The coach was freed with the final four boys on Tuesday. The divers and the rest of the rescue team, inclusive of Australian doctor Richard Harris who continually assessed the boys health and decided which ones should be taken first, as well as being the one who decided to sedate them in order to keep them from panicking whilst they were rescued, were congratulated and should be highly commended for their efforts. Dr Richard Harris however came out of the cave to the tragic news that his father had passed away while the rescue was taking place. Our hearts go out to the good doctor at this time. He is credited with saving lives, and the boys and their coach would certainly appreciate what he has done for them, as well as their families and all those that were watching around the world. Without him, the boys may have not made it out. He was considered to be essential to the rescue operation due to his thirty years of cave diving experience, and his skills as a medical retrieval expert and anaesthetist. Labor Leader Bill Shorten has since spoken out praising him and backing him to receive a bravery award for his efforts. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke to the doctor directly over the phone, also praising him for his efforts in the rescue operation.

In more local news, One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has enlisted the assistance of former Labor and Opposition Leader Mark Latham in order to further her party’s campaign in the upcoming by-election in the seat of Longman. Latham has aided the One Nation campaign by lending his voice to a robocall, in which he encourages voters to vote for One Nation and the minor parties in the upcoming by-election. In the call, he also reprimands current Opposition Leader and Leader of the Labor Party Bill Shorten, referring to him as a liar, and telling the voters not to put their trust in him by voting for the Labor Party in the by-election. The robocall has gained a fair amount of attention, with opinions being divided. The seat of Longman is a key seat in the Super Saturday by-elections, with Labor holding the seat by less than one percent, and with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation having previously secured ten percent of the primary vote in the 2016 Federal Election. The by-elections will be held on Saturday the 28th of July, two weeks from tomorrow (Saturday the 14th of July).

And in some other news, the Japanese psychic octopus known as Rabio, who correctly predicted all three of Japan’s Group Stage matches at the World Cup this year, is no longer with us. The mollusc was caught by Japanese fisherman Kimio Abe, and was part of a paddling pool experiment in which he predicted Japan’s win against Colombia, their draw with Senegal, and their loss to Poland, although he wasn’t around to see his final prophecy come true. The giant Pacific octopus was, unfortunately, sent to market before his third and final prediction was brought to fruition, and ended up on a Sushi Train as Sashimi soon after. Rabio was not the first psychic octopus to correctly predict World Cup matches for their country however, with a German octopus named Paul correctly predicting all seven of Germany’s World Cup matches as well as correctly predicting Spain would win the Final back in 2010 in the South African World Cup. Paul unfortunately died in his aquarium in Germany later that year in late October. He was two and a half years old when he died, a normal lifespan for his species.

And that’s it for another week. I’ll be back with more in the coming days. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome to the record sixth edition of World Cup Wednesday, the segment that just keeps on giving. This week, it’s back once again to wrap up the Quarter Finals, and hype up the Semi Finals. There will no doubt be another edition of this beloved segment this week, but for now, let’s get into the Quarters.

Uruguay v France: Uruguay had proven themselves to be resilient, and had played a great World Cup so far. But France were just a cut above them, proving to be the better side on the night, with goals from Raphaël Varane and Antoine Griezmann keeping the hopes of the French alive, whilst Uruguay’s hopes were dashed, eliminating them from the tournament despite their efforts. France now progress to the Semi Finals for the first time in 12 years, where they will take on Belgium.
Brazil v Belgium: The Belgians have just been something else entirely this year, and they showed it once again in this match. Although the Brazilians had a few good chances, they were only able to capitalise on one, with a late goal not being enough to win them the match, after Belgium had two early goals to their name, one being an own goal from Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho. The Belgians took out the Quarter Final 2-1, eliminating Brazil from the tournament whilst progressing to the Semis for the first time since 1986, 32 years ago. They will take on France in their Semi Final.
Sweden v England: Well this was the match a lot of people were waiting for. England playing in a Quarter Final was crazy enough, until they managed to win it. The Swedes were very much dominated by the English side, having to defend more often than attack, and the English didn’t hold back on the attack, putting in two goals, both headers. A corner midway through the first half, and a brilliant play early in the second half after numerous attacks, saw England take out the match 2-0, eliminating the Swedes and putting England through to the Semi Finals for the first time in 28 years, back in 1990. They will certainly be looking to go for glory now, playing for a spot in the coveted World Cup Final against Croatia in their Semi Final.
Russia v Croatia: Well, this was a close one. The host nation opened the scoring in the 31st minute, only for the Croatians to equalise around 8 minutes later. The score remained level at 1-1 for the remainder of the match, neither team being able to find the back of the net in regular time after the initial goals. And so the match went to extra time, with the Croatians scoring late in the first half of the added half hour, putting them 2-1 at the end of the first half of extra time. But it wasn’t enough, with the Russians reciprocating late in the second half of the added time period, levelling the scores once again at 2-2. And so a penalty shootout ensued, the second for both teams at this World Cup. After the Russians missed one and had a second saved, the Croatians had the advantage. And despite missing one themselves, they capitalised on the other four, winning the match in penalties 4-3. Croatia, having eliminated Russia from the tournament, now progress to the Semi Finals for the first time in 20 years, where they will play England for a spot in the Final.

Highlight Of The Round: For the Quarter Finals, I’ll have to go with seeing England progress. They have just been playing so well this year, and there’s no doubt that they’ve got it in them to keep going. They kept attacking tremendously against Sweden, and took out two well earned goals. And the keeper, Jordan Pickford, is brilliant. He’s playing at the top level against some magnificent teams, and deserves to be commended for his performance so far in the World Cup, after making some extraordinary saves.

Historic Semi Finals: You’ll notice that all four of the teams playing in the Semi Finals this year have all been vying for this opportunity for so long. It’s been decades since these teams have played in a Semi. France have waited 12 years, having played their last World Cup Semi Final against Portugal in 2006, where they made it to the Final. Belgium have waited 32 years, their last Semi Final being in the World Cup of 1986, where they lost 2-0 to the eventual Champions Argentina. England haven’t played a World Cup Semi Final since 1990, that one being against West Germany where they lost on a penalty shootout to the eventual World Cup Champions. And Croatia hasn’t played a Semi Final in the World Cup since 1998, that one being against France, where they lost 2-1 to eventual Champions and host nation of the 1998 World Cup, France. So this year’s World Cup Semis will be very interesting indeed, and we could see a historic World Cup Final.

What To Expect From The Semi Finals: This year’s World Cup Semi Finals will be some of the greatest we’ll ever see. Each of the four teams playing in these Semis have waited a long time for this moment, and will no doubt be looking to make the most of the opportunity they’ve each been given. These four teams; France, Belgium, England, and Croatia, are all just one step away from the coveted World Cup Final. They will all be playing the highest quality football they’ve ever played, because this is their big moment, their chance to make the World Cup Final. France will play against Belgium, and England will play Croatia. What is for certain is this, all four teams will play another match after the Semis, no matter what the outcome is. The two winning teams will progress to the World Cup Final, whilst the two that don’t make the cut will play in the third place play-off match the day before the Final. It’s exciting, it’s going to be a spectacular one this year. You do not want to miss this. Enjoy the Semis!

JJ