matter of nerves

Guillermo Ochoa, goalkeeper of Mexico, after the game with Poland. Moises Castillo (AP)

Dear Martin:

I return the ball to the first touch: the most important gesture of the World Cup has been that the Iranian players refused to sing their anthem.

You rightly say that this will cost them more than a yellow card;

we ignore the consequences of his bravery;

the certain thing is that they disputed the party like sentenced to death.

The 6-2 defeat against England came as the anticipation of worse ordeals.

Previously, at a press conference, the Iranian captain, Ehsan Hajsafi, spoke about the victims of the repression and expressed his solidarity with them.

That example of dignity contrasts with the cowardice of the European teams that at the last minute gave up the rainbow bracelet.

I move on to the matches of our group.

The Argentina-Saudi Arabia was broadcast at 4:00 in the morning from Mexico.

I woke up to an unusual world where Argentina had lost.

I went online and found that the video reiterates images without explaining miracles.

You highlighted a key issue: Messi is playing his first World Cup without Maradona officiating as a witness.

It is not necessary to become a Lacanian to know that this can have a liberating effect;

however, the bump indicates that Diego's absence plunged him into orphanhood.

Although the 10 did his thing – he almost scored on his first touch, converted a penalty with dignity and was about to surprise with a header – he left the field feeling the loneliness of Adán on Mother's Day.

In 13 minutes the VAR punished Argentina three times.

This World Cup heralds a world dominated by artificial intelligence.

There is no way to dispute the supremacy of the machines.

However, from my fallible human understanding, at least one of the three disallowed plays seemed moot to me.

Please confess how you suffered from that cancellation culture.

Each party has another inside.

Saudi Arabia's lasted a prodigious five minutes: Saleh Al-Sheri and Salem Al Dawasari scored dazzling goals.

The FIFA ranking, which confuses everything, placed that team below Qatar, something absurd if one judges those brilliant plays and Mohammed Al-Owais saves.

Saudi Arabia confirmed what heroism in football is.

At no time did it seem stronger than Argentina: it won by being weaker.

The party was no stranger to a cabalistic dimension.

Argentina had 36 games undefeated.

Something strange could happen at 37. Added together, those two numbers indicate that fate was playing with 10;

like Diego, he could do whatever he wanted.

Beyond the esoteric explanations (there are no others for football), the fall demonstrates the disconcerting power of a minor team in a state of grace.

Sorry for opening wounds, but in Italy 1990, when Argentina lost to Cameroon, there was an unforgettable blunder: Neri Pumpido faced Biyik's shot with butter hands.

Instead, now Saudi Arabia won on its own merits, two shots and endless saves.

The green shirt was bad for Argentina, a stimulus for the Mexicans, who dressed in the same poison.

Unfortunately, our debut against Poland was not worthy of the 30,000 fans who turned the stadium into Garibaldi Square, a bastion of revelry and mariachi music.

I know of people who have mortgaged their house, sold their car, and abandoned their partner to go to Qatar.

These are not exemplary people, but they deserve some kind of reward.

Is there a way for the Tata team to understand that you win with goals?

We exercised an unsuccessful dominance, typical of a country where adult life consists of doing paperwork, and the players left the field satisfied, as if a tie were the secret name of victory.

Once again, Mexico wrote the interesting prologue to a book that does not exist: it prepares well the plays that it does not conclude.

The epic moment came with the goalkeeper.

Paco Memo Ochoa appeared in his fifth World Cup by saving a penalty from Lewandowski, who joined the legion of Zico, Baggio and other geniuses who have lost their compass in the twelve steps of death.

Argentina is bound to beat Mexico on Saturday, and will take the pitch in despair and anguish.

Our players are worse, but our nerves are better.

Martín Caparrós will respond this Wednesday, November 23.

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