Over the next month, I'll be covering the World Cup for Tribalfootball. And along the way, I'd like to share with you some of my experiences and keep you up to date with all the action!
Flip the script
Yesterday was an example of how fickle football can be. The Brazilian fans were nervous and quiet for 90 minutes inside the Saint Petersburg as their team looked destined to draw with Costa Rica, harming their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
The unthinkable was about to happen. All the celebrations after Argentina's loss to Croatia would have been in vain. Brazil were minutes away from joining their great rivals on the brink of elimination from the World Cup. Journalists had the headlines ready, the questions prepared for Tite's interrogation.
But just like that, goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar changed the entire tournament. The yellow and gold were now boisterous and stayed inside the stadium singing and dancing long after the final whistle. And Tite was a happy man in his post-match press conference...
The Spaceship
There aren't too many stadiums in the world like Saint Petersburg Stadium. It's resemblance to a flying saucer is striking. Walking off the train yesterday, my immediate thought upon seeing it was: that's a spaceship!
Ten years and $1.1billion went into one of the most expensive stadiums ever built. It was opened last year and holds 67,000 people. During the Russian Premier League season, it is home to Zenit Saint Petersburg.
I sat in the last row of the stadium, but it didn't hinder my experience of the game, it only enhanced it as had a clear view of how the game unfolded.
Taking shape
Crunch time has begun in the World Cup group stages. Teams have already started packing their bags, others have extended their stay, while most are unsure what their future holds.
Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Iceland and Costa Rica will be playing their final game as a consolation. And they could be joined today by Tunisia and South Korea.
The Koreans take on Mexico in game two while Germany must beat Sweden in Sochi.
For me, I said farewell to Saint Petersburg last night. I'm back in Moscow today at Spartak Stadium to watch the likes of Hazard, De Bruyne, Mertens and Lukaku as Belgium take on Tunisia!
