We are going on a culinary trip round the world, as the last 32 ramps up the tempo.

Welcome back, and today we have a three course meal to preview (not two as I said yesterday), but before we serve the hors d'oeuvre, we have to mention the indigestion or heartburn that we suffered last night, thanks to the awful game between the Lumberjacks and Bafana Bafana.

This game provided more ammunition for those opposed to the expansion of the tournament, it was dire, I think we heard more boos than cheers from the crowd especially from their frustration with Bafana Bafana’s tactics. They were playing for penalties and to give them a bit of credit, they almost executed their game plan perfectly. Thank God we will not have to suffer them anymore.

Think of your favourite three course meal, picture what you like to eat most to start a meal, as we embark on a culinary feast around the world. We will start with either Coxinha or Sushi, which will be served when the Samba Kings face the Samurais.

They have faced each other once before in a world cup back in 2002, but they are both very different teams from then and I am not referring to the personnel.

Japanese football has improved by leaps and bounds since then and they will be a serious test of the Samba Kings credentials to go far in the tournament. In fact, last year they faced each other with the following outcome.

The Samba Kings have not won a world cup since their last victory in 2002, and their aura has diminished in brightness since then. Victories over the voodoo doctors and the Jocks do not provide us with enough data to say if they are really the mustard so to speak. The Samurai's draws with the Oranjeboom and IKEA were very good results.  I really do not know who to pick here, I like both sides, I will go with the Samba kings because they have a very good manager who knows how to prepare teams for knockout football.

The main course could prove to be a bit stodgy, Asado Paraguayo served with Cassava. or perhaps some Bratwurst maybe with Kartoffelsalat or some Sauerkraut, depending on the result of the game. We are of course referring to the game between Paraguay und Ze Shermans, it could almost be considered a derby despite the vast distance between the two countries.  They met back in the 2002 world cup.

 

There is a healthy Sherman presence in Paraguay and it dates back further than just after the second world war, the initial Sherman foray into Paraguay was at the end of the 19^th Century, when the sister of the Nazis favourite philosopher Nietzsche, moved there with her husband to set up a commune of sorts based on an ideology that would take hold in Germany of the 1930's, well before anyone had heard of the NSDAP.

The famous Paraguayan dictator, Alfred Stroessner who ruled for thirty-five years was of Sherman descent. He sounds like he could have played in midfielder with our old friend Schweinsteiger. Paraguayan football is very defensive, somewhat like Ecuador, their problem is scoring, something they only managed twice in the group stages.

For a number of years now, Ze Shermans have been shadows of their former selves, gone are the days of the Kaiser and Gerd Muller, or the afore mentioned Pig climber and KH Rummenigge. This is the first time since 2014 that Ze Shermans have made it through the group stages. They did not look good, losing to Ecuador and barely scrapping past Cote D'Ivoire, knocking back seven shots of Orange Liqueur does not give one much credit.

I think they have made a big mistake with their goalkeeper who came out of retirement to play in the world cup. Neuer looks slow, he was injured a fair amount last season, and it shows. The fact he is playing shows perhaps a paucity in the goalkeeping department in the Vaterland.

Despite all that, I am going with Ze Shermans in this one. in what could be a low scoring affair. If Ze Shermans do come through, they could face their old cross border enemies in a mouth watering last sixteen clash.

For dessert, we can opt for either Appeltaart or Kaab al Ghazal, as we have the intriguing matchup between the Oranjeboom and the Fez Heads, unfortunately for most of us, this game is being played in the middle of the night, so we will not get to enjoy these delights in person. They have also faced each other once before in a world cup, back in 1994.

 

The Oranjeboom, along with Les Bleus both scored ten goals in the group stages, (I know Ze Shermans did as well, but they padded their stats as mentioned above.) Their standout player so far has been Crescencio (Jimmy) Summerville, a small town boy who is looking for a big money move this summer.

The Fez Heads have also looked good with two victories and their creditable draw with the Samba Kings. As mentioned in a previous post, almost all the team were born in Europe and three of their squad could play for the Oranjeboom as they were born there. This game is the hardest one to call.

I think that the evil empire would want Morocco to advance as that would be good in their eyes for the expansion of the game, but I cannot go with anything FIFA want so I want the Oranjeboom, but do not be surprised if the Fez Heads somehow make it through with a dodgy decision from VAR.

Bon Appetit to all, tomorrow, we shall continue our culinary trip around the world with another three course feast.