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We finally had the first dud of the tournament yesterday when Iran and Nigeria collectively put the world to sleep. But in retrospect I think that's okay. We all needed a break from how insane this tournament has been every step of the way and it was nice to get one.
And it wasn't as if the day was a sleeper, either. We got a match in which Germany Netherlandized Portugal. And if that wasn't fun in its own right, we got to see tons of complaining Ronaldo. When Ronaldo is good, it's a treat for everyone to watch. But when he's having a bad day, it may be even more fun. So thanks for that, Germany. Then we had the small matter of the United States winning a match in which they played poorly and yet still finally broke their curse against Ghana. Winning ugly: it's how the USMNT does.
Be sure to check over at SB Nation every morning, as they've been doing a fantastic series called "Good Morning, Brazil" with three perfectly-written thoughts every day. Often featuring our own Kirsten!
The matches
| Group | Location | Time (BST) | |
| Belgium vs. Algeria | H | Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte | 5 p.m. |
| Brazil vs. Mexico | A | Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza | 8 p.m. |
| Russia vs. Republic of Korea | H | Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba | 11 p.m. |
The World Cup Wrap-Up
Each day during the World Cup, our very own Jack Grimse is hosting the World Cup Wrap-Up on KRNU radio. You can listen live tomorrow morning at 8 AM Central time (2 PM UK time) by going here and clicking on KRNU2. And below you’ll find this morning’s episode!
Any Villa players involved today?
Nope! Unless you count the ghost of Christian Benteke's World Cup dreams.
Any transfer targets or rival players I'm probably interested in?
Javier Hernandez will likely see the pitch again for Mexico today, and there have been plenty of rumours that Aston Villa are interested in bringing him in. Given how stingy they've been with funds elsewhere, it wouldn't surprise me to see Paul Lambert work almost exclusively free transfers and then splash what little cash he has on one signing. Hernandez would fit that mold, and he looked decent coming off of the bench in Mexico's first match against Cameroon. In fact that whole Mexican team looked far better than I had expected. Nevertheless, don't be shocked if Brazil crush them today.
How do I watch these games?
In the UK you can use ITV or the ITV player online. In the US it's ESPN in English and Univision in Spanish, and both have online streaming platforms, while our Canadian friends have CBC and the CBC Sports player. If you live elsewhere, check LiveSoccerTV for listings in your country.