Man, sit down because I found out something that'll make you proud! Istvan Kovacs, bro, our guy, he whistled the 1,000th match in World Cup history! Yes, yes, exactly that match between Tunisia and Japan, 0-2, at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico. And you know what that means? It means Romania is on the map, bro! Since Ioan Igna in 1986, no Romanian has officiated a match at a World Cup finals. Now, Kovacs and his crew - Ferencz Tunyogi, Mihai Marica - wore special jerseys, magenta with gold stripes and a gold badge that said "Match 1000". Just so everyone knows! 53,000 seats, the stadium full, and the Romanian in the center. For real, I felt like I was there myself, but I was in Berceni, having a beer on Fane's terrace.
Now, let's look at the facts. Japan started like a rocket: minute 4, Kamada from Nakamura's pass, goal! Then, in minute 31, Ueda fired a wicked shot, beat Tunisian keeper Dahmen, and boom, 2-0 at halftime. Tunisia had a chance in minute 10, when Dahmen cleared the ball off the line, but... bro, they were dominated big time. Japan controlled the whole match, like they were playing me on the computer in football, but I always lose to Brian.
Tunisia, poor guys, what can I say? They came after a disastrous start: in the first match, Sweden crushed them 5-1, the worst defeat in their World Cup history. So the Tunisian federation fired coach Sabri Lamouchi and brought in Herve Renard, an experienced guy. But, bro, they've won only one of their last eight matches and conceded 11 goals in three losses. If they mess up again, it's over, pack your bags, home!
Japan, on the other hand, started with a spectacular 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, coming from behind twice. Coach Hajime Moriyasu couldn't count on Kubo, injured knee, but the team is unbeaten in their last meetings with Tunisia - they've beaten them five times in six matches, including 2-0 at the 2002 World Cup. So it seems written: Tunisia cries, Japan smiles.
And so, bro, Istvan Kovacs entered history. Me, my heart grew when I saw a Romanian in the center at the 1,000th match. Too bad I can only whistle at the matches on the field behind the block, where the neighbor from 4 yells at me for making noise. But hey, at least we have someone to watch!
