world cup

The Swiss Give World Cup Its First Real Shock

This hasn’t been the most thrilling World Cup, with tons of draws and scoreless halves and generally uninspired, defensive play. But the urge for something inspirational to happen ended about ten minutes ago, when Switzerland pulled off a massive 1–0 upset of Spain, the pre-tournament favorite. The last 25 minutes were unbearably tense, with relentless shots on goal from both sides; it was the game everybody has been patiently (and not so patiently) waiting for. It is possible that Switzerland’s upset will end up the story of the qualifying round; Spain, once again, has its fans terrified. Earlier this morning, Chile beat Honduras 1–0, which was not nearly as much fun. Now all 32 teams have played, which means we’re on to the second round of games in qualifying, starting at 2:30, with South Africa and Uruguay, in the midst of that four-team bottleneck in Group A. But yeah: This tournament is now officially on.

The Swiss Give World Cup Its First Real Shock