Soccer cliches in general, actually, but edifying on this off day.
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One famous cliché [...]

Interesting. Original, in Estonian.
For months now, a dispute about the demolition of a bronze statue from the Soviet era has been raging in Tallinn. Krista Kodres takes up the cudgel for the communist regime’s cultural legacy. “Just imagine if people had pulled down the palaces of the hated Bourbons after the French Revolution, or if [...]

Can the Italians win a game without a significant boost from the referees?

“Berlin! Berlin! We’re going to Berlin!”
That was the big chant among the crowds at the three or four different venues where I watched parts of Germany’s victory over Sweden today. And, you know, they might well be.
Downtown Munich is one big party zone right now. I’ll be back, er, later.
(Sorry, David.)

As David said, “Cool when underdogs win. Just not against us.”
(I know this happened 24 hours ago. It just took time to face up to putting it into a blog post.)

in an opening round World Cup game goes to …
Italy!
Again!
(Or is that, “as usual”?)

I don’t know if these are also soccer cliches in English, but they are widely repeated bits of wisdom in German.
First, for our friends from Japan: “The game lasts 90 minutes.” Das Spiel dauert 90 Minuten. Bayern Munich learned this most famously in 1999, when the game lasted a little bit longer.
Second, for les [...]

Just so no one shall be able to say that a ball is simply a ball at afoe, and since it’s a weekend, I’ve decided to tell you, gentle readers, about a quick’n’dirty short film concerning the “true meaning” of the “Miracle of Bern” - Germany’s surprising victory in the 1954 world championship - that [...]

“Thirty years of hurt
Never stopped me dreaming.”
I don’t think that England can count on own goals from all of their opponents, though.
(Comments in the main thread, pls.)

Let’s keep this in one thread from now on.
…The Guardian and the NY Times will liveblog everything.