[pieceofthepuzzle]

Was in Manaus Brazil and saw Italy beat England yesterday. Amazing. It was an incredible game. It was really humid, and by the end of the game the players were drenched in sweat. I think they were also exhausted, which probably explains some of the late mistakes (like Rooney's bad corner kick). In my encounters the Brazilian people have been incredibly kind.

[dfwgator]

I now think Italy is the team to beat.

[BeadCounter]

Argentina and Netherlands look a class above everyone else. England just had sloppy defending.

Chile for Spain and Uruguay for England will not be easy feats. Latin American soccer I think we see is often very physical and hard tackling.

Next game is Portugal Germany. Could be a draw or maybe as most people predict, Germany wins.

[BeadCounter]

If France was awarded a penalty for Honduras’ barge on the French player in the box, really, the episode with Gerrard could have been called and pk given to England. But I’m happy to see the refs let them play but they do need to be consistent.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Most excellent, thanks for the report pieceofthepuzzle.

Ha-ha you are a pieceofthepuzzle!