Houstonians are great people.
One resident dressed some of his trees in Dutch jerseys and also had dozens of cases of bottled water for folks marching to Houston Stadium with the Oranje Bus.. #Netherlands
When Turkey kicks off its must-win game against Paraguay in Santa Clara, its greatest-ever player will not be in the stands, but at home, up the road. Meet the remarkable Hakan Şükür, who has spent the last decade living in exile here in the Bay Area.
https://t.co/04Kjkz9gDO
As brilliant and utterly irrepressible as Lionel Messi is, there have been a few occasions during his illustrious career when opponents — and certainly opposition fans — have suggested that he has received “special treatment” from referees.
What is certain is that, between scoring his first and second goals against Algeria, he got lucky. A challenge on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi, who was caught by Messi on his right calf and Achilles tendon, could have earned at least a yellow card — and plausibly a red card — but Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was content to award a free kick.
It was a strange incident. Mandi was in control of the ball, going nowhere fast, and there was little prospect of dispossessing him from Messi’s position. To make a lunge like that, with his studs up, seemed incomprehensible, never mind dangerous.
Special treatment? At the very least it was lenient refereeing. A yellow card would perhaps have been the most widely expected outcome — a red card second — but Messi was certainly lucky to get away scot-free.
✍️ @OliverKay
FREE TO READ: https://t.co/qmXtQ0ErQN
Told my brother some tea a few days ago and he barely responded. Today he phoned me with very specific questions and follow ups. I love how obvious it is that he told his wife and couldn’t answer anything she wanted to know 😭