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

Hey everyone, welcome back to Short Story Sunday. Here’s this week’s short story. Hope you enjoy!

The New Case
When Detective James Acaster strolled into the 95th Precinct on a delightful Thursday morning, everything appeared to be operating as usual. The officers were hurrying around, busy with keeping the city safe as was their primary port of call. The sergeants were going through paperwork at their desks. The Captain was in his office, flicking through files, taking phone calls, the usual. And the detectives were sitting at their desks, likely reviewing cases and preparing themselves to go out on various investigations. At least, that’s what Detective Acaster would be doing today.

The Detective made his way over to his desk and took a seat. His designated space, albeit small, was something he appreciated in this job. He was quite content with the arrangement he had in this precinct. A desk all to himself, a set of drawers built in for storage of various object, sometimes even files and documents. He brought his own laptop of course, that was something that he preferred. On the desk were an assortment of pens and pencils, held together in a wire cup shaped container. There were some files sitting flat in the middle of the desk, probably cases he would be looking into in the coming hours. And whilst the desk was very much bare aside from these things, there was a single framed photograph of four people: a man, a woman, and two young children. The boy in the picture appeared to be around the age of nine or ten, the girl looked to be about five or six. The woman was a brunette, and appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. The man standing next to her also had brown hair, which appeared to be thick and full, and which was pushed back and to the left side of his face, some of it hanging loose. He was a little taller than the woman pictured with him, and looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, very much similar to the woman next to him. This image seemed to be a family, a husband and wife with their two young children. All four had a grin plastered onto their face, suggesting this moment in their life must have been one of happiness, of pure joy. However, that was solely one moment in their lifetime, one piece of their lives that had now passed them by, and was now purely a memory, only kept alive by the photograph that sat on Acaster’s desk.

After spending just short of an hour sitting at his desk flicking through the case files for an investigation that had only just been opened, Detective Acaster rose from his seat, began making his way over to the coffee machine they’d had installed in the precinct last year. He grabbed one of those disposable cups, the cardboard variety, and placed it in position, then pressed a few buttons, and his coffee began construction. When it came to coffee, the Detective enjoyed a nice latte with a little extra sugar, and a little pinch of salt just to dissolve the slight bitter taste that came with the energising liquid. The Detective grabbed the now filled cardboard cup from the coffee machine, and sprinkled a little salt into the beige liquid. He stirred it with one of those thin cardboard sticks, then took a lid made to fit the cup and placed it securely on top.

He took a few sips on his way back to his desk, about to get back into the never ending files, when he was suddenly interrupted, stopped in his path by one of the officers at the precinct. He wasn’t completely certain of the officer’s name, although he thought it might be Daniels. He decided to find out why he was unable to get back to his desk.
‘Hello officer. Is there a reason you’re preventing me from getting back to work now?’ he questioned.
The officer gave a quick response ‘I apologise Detective, I’m just to inform you that there’s been a body found by the pier. Must’ve washed up onto the shore just now, or at least that seeing as it was only just spotted. Anyway, you’re required down at the pier.’
The Detective sighed, ‘Yeah, alright, thanks officer.’
‘Samuels, Sir’ said the officer.
‘What’s that?’ the Detective asked.
‘Samuels, Officer Danny Samuels at your service’ the officer replied.
‘Oh, yeah, whatever’ the Detective said before moving past Officer Samuels to his desk. So it was Samuels, not Daniels. Well, close enough, at least his first name was Danny. Detective Acaster took his coat from the chair it was sitting on, moved the files from his desk into one of the drawers, and left the precinct, coffee still in hand. He got to his car, a black 2016 Dodge Charger, and opened it. He got in, placed his coat on the passenger seat, put his coffee in one of the cup holders, and sped off.

It was almost eleven by the time Detective James Acaster arrived at the Ocean Bay Wharf. Located on the edge of the city, a coastal beach, Ocean Bay appeared to be a luxurious place, likely attracting tourists of all walks of life from all over the world. The beach was fronted by a number of shopfronts and beachside resorts. There were cafés, seafood stores, a few restaurants, some more classy than others, a few takeaway stores, and some surf shops. And then of course there was the beach itself. In all its glory, this beach was one of the finest you’d ever see, a brilliant masterpiece. The smooth, soft sand stretched for miles, fronting a deep blue ocean that sparkled in the warm sunlight. It was quite wondrous, and very much serene. Waves crested and fell, crashing onto the shore, washing over the sand, and the lifeless body that lay on it. Detective Acaster stood over the body, taking a good look at it and its surroundings. It was a male, relatively tall, jet black hair, eyes closed. He appeared to have been in his mid to late thirties. The Detective put on a pair of gloves and bent down, parting one of the victim’s eyelids to see a now faded blue. The Detective closed the victim’s eye and ran his hand down the victim’s body, counting fifteen stab wounds, some which indicated a knife or some other sharp object or weapon of some sort had cut in length, each of them having bled profusely before the death of this man. Although it was more likely that the man had died from the stab wound he had that went right through his neck and the base of his skull. It appeared that his left foot and his right hand had been cut off, and he was missing two fingers from his left. This was a brutal murder, something that was very much unlike any other the Detective has ever seen. The Detective stood and took a look around the victim. There appeared to be nothing else in the immediate surroundings, although the Detective would ensure that a sweep search of the beach was carried out, and would also place a watch procedure on the shore for any item that happened to wash up with the tide, just in case something did present itself. The Detective spoke to the attending officer in charge and gave him instructions for the search and the watch, and also told him to have the body removed and taken to the Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Having completed his initial investigations here, the Detective walked back to his vehicle, got in, and sat there, perplexed. He wasn’t really sure how this had happened. He was certain he’d made sure that this would never occur. He’d carried out everything just as it was meant to be done. But now here it was. The body was in the open now, and it would soon become public knowledge, probably being featured in news bulletins and papers in the coming days. And here he was, right at the centre of it. Detective James Acaster had just become the Lead Detective on this case, but there was a major conflict of interest. He couldn’t solve this case, because he already knew who the killer was. It was him.

Hope you all enjoyed the story! I’m thinking about continuing this one at some point. Leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to see more of this story. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Flashback Friday. Another week has passed us by, and another batch of stories are ready to go. So let’s get right into it.

As has been the usual over the past few weeks, we’ll start with World Cup news. This week has seen the English continue to go crazy, with a historic win in the Round of 16 against Colombia resulting in mayhem in England. England had never won in a penalty shootout in the World Cup ever before, throughout World Cup History. So when England went down a penalty midway through the shootout, the fans were on edge. But then, after a miss, a save from English keeper Jordan Pickford, and a magnificent penalty from midfielder Eric Dier, the English claimed their first World Cup penalty shootout victory, and the fans went crazy. The phrase ‘It’s Coming Home’ has been used excessively in the last few weeks, and it will more than likely continue to be in use over the next week or so. England now face Sweden in the Quarter Finals, a match which the English will hope is won by their team, so that the dream lives on. The World Cup will continue for around a week and a half.

In world news now, and this week in Thailand, a boys soccer team and their coach, numbering thirteen in total, were found alive deep in a cave after having a search that spanned a week. The main issue now is getting them out of the cave as soon as possible. The water levels are decently high in the cave, and in order to get out of it, the boys and their coach will need to dive, which is something that would be considered dangerous and takes a lot of practice to pull off. So it would be very difficult for these boys, and has a lot of danger involved, so it probably wouldn’t be the best option. However, they need to get out of the cave as soon as possible, as the water levels in the cave are going to begin rising soon, and could leave these boys and their coach trapped inside for months. A team of rescuers are at the cave, with some alternative methods of rescue being considered, inclusive of teaching the boys to dive and swim out, which is the most dangerous method, or potentially drilling a shaft into the cave from the forest above it, which would be a safer method of getting them out and soon.

In some more local news now, and Australian Parliament has once again turned into a circus, this time in the Senate with a battle being sparked between Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The outrage began after Senator Leyonhjelm made a comment in the Senate about Senator Hanson-Young which would be considered unparliamentary and very much wrong to say in general. The Senator has since appeared on news panels where he has refused to apologise, and has claimed that Senator Hanson-Young has herself made similar remarks in Parliament. He has also claimed that he made the remark in response to something that Senator Hanson-Young said before him. Senator Hanson-Young has since brought in lawyers and is demanding an apology from Senator Leyonhjelm, and has also said that he should resign over the matter. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have also commented on the situation, each of them stating how Senator Leyonhjelm was out of order in what he said, and that he should apologise for what occurred.

And in entertainment news, the Logies have been and gone once again, this time taking place on the Gold Coast. And after a campaign spanning just over four days, one that began after Tom Gleeson did a Hard Chat with him and pledged to help him win the Gold Logie, Grant Denyer not only won the Logie for Best Presenter, he also took home the coveted Gold Logie. The campaign came to fruition and it actually worked, with Grant Denyer winning the award that Tom Gleeson set out to help him win, after the Denyer4Gold campaign ended up trending and becoming a hit, with more people voting as a result of the humorous one-man campaign. And Denyer recognised Gleeson in his emotion filled acceptance speech, acknowledging his work and thanking him. It just goes to show that even when your show has been axed you can still win a Gold Logie (and the Best Presenter Logie), and it was indeed a fitting send off for Family Feud.

And that’s it for another Flashback Friday. Thanks for reading, keep your eyes peeled for more articles during the week ahead, and Short Story Sunday this weekend, as well as more of World Cup Wednesday, and have a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, you know what time it is….. It’s World Cup Wednesday! And would you look at that…. It’s actually Wednesday! Wow, what a coincidence. Anyway, everyone’s favourite segment is back for its fifth edition. Wow, we’re up to five? I know what you must be thinking: That’s impossible. Well, you’re not just wrong…. hold up, I think I’m quoting movies again. (Whoever gets that, you’re a legend.) Anyway, the Round of 16 has finished. Yes, that’s right we are now heading into the Quarter Finals of the World Cup. Things are really getting intense now. And a lot has happened in the Round of 16. There has been so much drama, and so many tense moments. So let’s get right into what has been one of the most brilliant Round of 16 rounds we’ve ever seen.

France v Argentina: What a match this was. The opening match of the Round, and wow did it provide top quality entertainment. France managed to put one in from a penalty given to them early on, but the Argentines drew it level, and then went one better in the second half, turning the tables and going 2-1 up. But the French weren’t done yet, and went all out on the Argentines, scoring three more in the second half to take back the lead comfortably with a score line of 4-2. The Argentines fought to hold on to the match, with striker Sergio Aguero putting in a late header to make it 4-3, however, it was too little too late for the Argentines, with the final whistle coming shortly after their final goal of the match, putting France through to the Quarter Finals, and sending Argentina packing, potentially for the last time for star player Lionel Messi.

Uruguay v Portugal: Uruguay fought valiantly in this match, and got the win they do thoroughly deserved. After Luis Suarez took a tremendous free kick which came off Edinson Cavani to put Uruguay 1-0 up just 7 minutes in, Portugal were left floundering, fighting to get back into the match. And their fighting paid off early in the second half, levelling the scores to 1-1. However, their redemption was short lived, when just 7 minutes later, Edinson Cavani scored again to put Uruguay 2-1 up, a lead which they held to the end. Cristiano Ronaldo saw yellow in the match once again towards its end, meaning he wouldn’t have played in the Quarter Finals if Portugal had made it through. However, Portugal were sent packing, and Uruguay now progress to the Quarters, where they will take on France.

Spain v Russia: This game was somewhat ridiculous. Both teams played quite well in defence, however the attacking play for both was underwhelming, with neither team really able to go forward well and score. However, a chance for Spain saw one of the Russians put the ball in the back of his own net, the own goal putting Spain 1-0 in the lead, with Spanish defender and Captain Sergio Ramos taking credit for the goal as his own. But Spain practically put themselves out of the tournament, when in the 40th minute of the match, after Russia took a corner, Spanish defender Gerard Pique conceded a handball in the box, gifting the Russians a penalty, which they ultimately converted. The teams played on deadlocked at 1-1 for the entire second half. They went to extra time, and still couldn’t be separated after half an hour. And so we saw the very first penalty shootout of the tournament, with the Russians prevailing over the Spaniards 4-3 on penalties. The Spaniards were sent home, whilst the host nation progress to the Quarters.

Croatia v Denmark: Surprisingly, this match also went to a penalty shootout. After Denmark scored in the 1st minute of the match, and Croatia levelled with a goal of their own 3 minutes later in the 4th, the two sides couldn’t be separated, and played into extra time. Croatia had a chance with a penalty in the 116th minute, however Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel kept Croatian Captain Luka Modric’s shot out of the goal, resulting in a penalty shootout, in which the Croatians prevailed 3-2, sending Denmark home. Croatia now progress to the Quarter Finals where they will play the host nation, Russia.

Brazil v Mexico: The Mexicans tried so hard to break their Round of 16 curse this year. In the last 6 World Cups, they have made it to the Round of 16 and lost, and they made it a 7th straight loss this year. The two sides couldn’t be separated for much of the game, however, Brazil put one in in the 51st minute, and then followed it up with another in the 88th, putting them through to the Quarter Finals, whilst Mexico were once again sent packing in the Round of 16.

Belgium v Japan: This game was brilliant. Neither team scored in the first half, keeping the scores at 0-0 until early in the second half, when Japan opened the scoring with two goals in the space of four minutes, coming in the 48th and 52nd. And although it was so unlikely, almost impossible, Belgium came back from 2-0 down, with Jan Vertonghen scoring the greatest header you will ever see in your life in the 69th, before Fellaini put another header in the back of the net 5 minutes later in the 74th to bring the scores level at 2-2. Both sides fought to get themselves a winning goal, and it looked very likely that the match would go into extra time. However, the impossible occurred in the dying seconds of the match. After Japan took a corner that went straight into the hands of Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, the keeper rolled it out straight to Kevin De Bruyne, who ran it up the field and got it to the winger, who put it in the box, and after striker Romelu Lukaku let it roll by him, putting the defenders off, Chadli put it in the back of the net with 14 seconds to go, winning the match for Belgium and putting them through to the Quarter Finals for the first time since 1986. Japan are now out of the tournament, whilst Belgium progress to play Brazil in the Quarters.

Sweden v Switzerland: This one was close, and without a mistake would have potentially gone to extra time and possibly even penalties. Both teams were deadlocked, with chances coming and being wasted at every opportunity. However, Sweden turned it around when a shot from Forsberg was deflected off one of the Swiss players straight into the top corner of the goal, putting Sweden ahead 1-0. They managed to hold the lead for the remainder of the match, with another opportunity coming right in the last minute after one of the Swiss defenders was give a red card and sent off. The game finished 1-0, with the Swiss sent packing and Sweden progressing to the Quarter Finals.

Colombia v England: What a match. There were no goals in the first half, with the two sides staying level at 0-0. But in the second half, England were gifted a penalty in the 57th, which striker Harry Kane converted with ease, putting the English 1-0 up. But Colombia pulled back right in the dying minutes, drawing the game level with a header from a corner coming in the 93rd, two minutes before the match was to end. After a half hour period of extra time in which the two sides stayed level at 1-1, a penalty shootout took place. The odds were against England, having never won a penalty shootout in World Cup History. They had lost around 6 previous World Cup penalty shootouts, but redemption was well and truly on the cards. After a nail biting moment when Colombian keeper David Ospina managed to save a penalty taken by English midfielder Jordan Henderson, the English came from behind, with a miss from the Colombians, a good penalty from the English, keeper Jordan Pickford pulling off a save, and then English midfielder Eric Dier putting his penalty shot right into the back of the net to win the shootout for England, and put them through to the Quarter Finals. Colombia are now eliminated from the tournament, whilst England progress to play Sweden in the Quarters, with the English supporters now very much convinced it’s coming home.

Highlight Of The Round: Three highlights this week. The first was Belgium’s comeback against the Japanese, with the absolutely astonishing header from Jan Vertonghen and the amazing play to pull off a magnificent last minute goal to win the match 3-2. The second highlight was the France Argentina game, with some amazing goals and brilliant play from both sides, particularly France, with two of their four goals coming from 19 year old Kylian Mbappe. It was really a match that provided. And the third highlight: England’s win against the Colombians. A first time win in a penalty shootout for the English making World Cup history for them, and giving them all the potential they need to actually pull through and go all the way. Well done to the English.

Biggest Upsets: Honestly there was only really one big upset this Round, that being the Russians knocking the Spaniards out to progress to the Quarter Finals ahead of them. Although in retrospect it was the Spanish who knocked themselves out of the tournament, with the hand ball from Gerard Pique ultimately costing them the match, and the Cup. The host nation is proving to be a real contender at this point, and who knows what they could do next.

On England: England is performing so well at this World Cup, and its just so great to watch. They are playing some really great football, and are progressing quite well through the tournament. And after their win in the penalty shootout against Colombia, they will be looking to go all the way and take home the Cup. I know the English supporters are all going crazy about their team this year, and ‘It’s Coming Home’ is very much a trending phrase. In all honesty, I’d love to see the English win the World Cup this year, I reckon it would be brilliant. And the scenes in England would be mental. They take on Sweden next in the Quarter Finals, then either Croatia or Russia in the Semis if they beat the Swedes. They could really make it to the Final this year, there is a real chance for them. It’s coming home!

What To Expect From The Quarter Finals: We’re getting down to the pointy end of the tournament now, and each and every one of the remaining teams will be fighting harder than ever before, with each team wanting so badly to progress to the next Round. The Quarters will be interesting, they will be exciting. Each of the four matches will be a close contest. Uruguay take on France, Brazil take on Belgium, Sweden take on England, and host nation Russia take on Croatia. We could see more penalty shootouts, we could see teams winning in extra time. There will be some close calls, and no one team will want to be making a single mistake, especially conceding a penalty. Every goal will count, and each team will do their best to defend any lead they have. The Quarter Finals will be highly entertaining, and only four teams will progress. Enjoy!

JJ