The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.
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9:28am on Sunday, 19th July, 2026:
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I wasn't intending to watch the World Cup third-place play-off yesterday, because I thought we'd get stuffed. However, my wife kept calling me through to see the goals, so I gave up and watched the second half.
Hmm, well it looked as if France took their semi-final loss worse than England did theirs. It also showed that England's squad has more depth than France's, and that Bellingham is amazing.
England scored four in the first half and two in the second; France scored four in the second. Four two four: that was the formation England used when it won the World Cup in 1966. Is that mere coincidence, or is it a portent?
It's mere coincidence. The universe isn't scripted.
Oh well, England won the match and Mbappé is set to win the golden boot, so both sides have something to be pleased about. The score made it look like a testimonial match for Didier Dechamps.
It just shows what football can be like if teams are allowed to play instead of being fouled whenever an attack is developing <glares at Argentina>.
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Copyright © 2026 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).