Yesterday, reigning World Cup champions Italy, were unceremoniously dumped out of this year's competition. Defeated 3-2 by Slovakia, in what must be considered the match of the tournament thus far. There were tears and everything.

Credit: Toyota Motorsport GmbH
Four years ago Jarno Trulli was celebrating Italy's triumph in the 2006 World Cup.
I guess the Italian contingent of the F1 paddock will be less than cheerful in Valencia today. C'mon, even England managed to make the final 16, although admittedly under the watchful eye of our, erm, Italian manager.
A time for unity
Are you ready for your next instalment of World Cup Typography yet? Good, because the timely Font Feed have even more brilliant insight to offer. This time looking at the work of Brazilian designer, Yomar Augusto.
Augusto designed the Unity set for Adidas, makers of the controversial Jabulani ball. In fact the revised ball, which caused so many negative headlines early on in the tournament, served as inspiration for the Unity typeface. The rounded-triangle shaped panels that make up the ball, forming an essential part of each elements design.
Next time you see a player on the pitch, pay special attention to the number on his shirt and shorts, as well as the writing on the Jabulani. All of those characters come from the Unity typeface, with the numerals 6, 8, and 9 taking their cue directly from the ball players are kicking about the field. Typography, eh?
About those matches
We have four more games to look forward to today, and they shape up as follows:
- North Korea v Ivory Coast - 15:00 (GMT+1)
- Portugal v Brazil - 15:00 (GMT+1)
- Chile v Spain - 19:30 (GMT+1)
- Switzerland v Honduras - 19:30 (GMT+1)
I'm hoping Spain do well out of those, if only because a grumpy Spaniard driving for a grumpy Italian team, might be just too much to bear during the course of the weekend.
Go Fernando Spain!
the big question is... how long will it be before we run out of f1 related football photographs?
I did not cry :-) But it was a good game, it had goals, some great acting from the Italians, late drama and win for underdogs. other than all that acting diving (that belongs to Olympics I would say :-) ) it was a good advert for the elimination round games to come
some italian players did though :)
Ivory Coast, North Korea, Honduras aaaaand Spain will all be going out today.
How optimistic. ;)
Spain? They had better no, there'd be hell to pay round here if they were!
Optimism? More like some mad person going for another risky prediction.
But you got the Slovakian one right! :D
I am desperately making space on my recorder now so that I can tape the games tonight. More goals please!
Then the only happy boys at Ferrari would be Massa and ROB...
I doubt Rob will be happy come Sunday night...
If even them. An unhappy Fernando can make things very difficult for these 2.
Least it won't affect the race...
I don't like these silly overlapping matches.
But it is in the name of fair competition, upping the tension and better games! Yesterday we were so engrossed with the Slovakia-Italy match, and the tension just got worse when we realised all NZ had to do was score to get through.
Unfortunately, they didn't.
Brazil v Portugal, woo, woo.
Watching Brazil vs. Portugal...
Action be here please. ;)
This should be a great game
The only way Portugal can go out is if Brazil and Ivory Coast win and there is a 9 goal swing.
I love the arch over the stadium. Must have a lovely view from up there.
I think a Cable Car travels it....
Portugal's shirts are the wrong colour. They should be dark red not Man U read
red not reaf
I hate typos
Corner...
Custom made?
The white shorts do not go with the rest of the kit
Aw. They happen to everyone sometimes. ;)
Woah, very ear-deafening cheers for CR there.
RG, are you secretly an octopus like Fernando Alonso?
Sadly not as
a) I think England will win and
b) Yesterdays correct predo was the first right one in about 5 months
Ivory Coast score.
No way he should have been booked
Yaya Toure score for Cote d'Ivoire!
Does that mean England will lose? ;)
90% likely.
Ivory Coast hit the post! Plenty of pressure on N. Korea.
2-0 Ivory Coast.
IC score again!
If they keep scoring at this rate Portugal are going to get nervous
Keep it 0-0 and they'll be fine.
But Ivory Coast could get double figures.
But can they trust Brazil not to nick a late goal? Especially with Dani Alves shooting from 30 yards every chance he gets
That could have been red.
Nice to see the Portugese player getting a card fo hassling the ref
Well done ref, Duda asking for a red card and he gets booked himself
stupid internet died. Thank goodness I have my phone.
I am of the opinion CR could have been through on goal there - should have been a red.
I agree. To me if the defender feels he has to handle it then he thinks it is a goal scoring opportunity and he knows that he is risking a red card.
There was contact but he dived
Opportunities all over the pitch! Both should have scored.
Thatshould have been a red card. There is absolutely no need for that
Not a good atmosphere, this game. This would mean twice brazil has been involved in games where fouling almost got out of hand. :(
I wonder how many players will be on the field at the end of this game
I'd love to know how its only 1 min of stoppage time
I think the referee just wanted to get them off the field and try to calm things down
I think the ref has seen enough. Better diffuse the tension know before fights really break out.
CR conspiring with the referee? ;)
Portugal kick off!
NK keeper and IC #18 in a bit of a collision
CR looks up and running. Auxiliary striker role suits him. Or is he the lone striker?
Just checked soccernet and CR is indeed functioning as lone striker. Strange.
I can't tell because of all the bright headlights
I suddenly feel like supporting Portugal. If only because Felipe Melo has left a very bad impression of Brazil on me.
SOOOOOOOO CLOSE!
Best chance and he misses.
Portugal should have scored there
Definitely.
I just can't help supporting Brazil.
Onside there. Plus that was a horrid barge.
Rubbish free kick
Gawd, this Ronaldo fella hasn't got anything on Honda.
:D
I wonder if Honda sponsor Honda
heehee.
Depends if they've got the brawn to do so.
Two of the worst games of the tournament
Portugal 0-0 Ivory Coast
Portugal 0-0 Brazil
I say we ban Portugal.
Two of the worst behaved games of the tournament
Brazil - Ivory Coast
Brazil - Portugal
I say we ban Brazil. :P
I can work with that too.
I say we ban the group of dea...dly boring football.
Oh my word something happened, Ivory Coast 3-0
You can't ban Brazil from the world cup.
:D
Goal.com says the real group of Death is group D. Which Germany topped. ;)
Saloman Kalou.
Not the old one, no. But this one where they no longer play that pretty football but try to make the beautiful game a showcase of their street fighting skills, yes.
So ban this lot and bring back the proper Brazil? I could go for that
Yup. Heck, ban anyone who gets violent on the pitch. Like the Slovak goalkeeper and Italian players. ;)
Its just like watching Stoke.
Except worse. Like Stoke on a bad day.
NK keeper seems to be on the floor injured
:(
How can their be 5 minutes added this half and only 1 in the first half
5 more minutes of this?! Dear god what have we done to deserve this?
Because now there is no fighting, so the previous added time is added here?
+1
Yaaaaaaaaay. Full time.
Full time: Brazil 0 Portugal 0
What a rotten game
Truly.
I hear boos. If even their fans do that, there is nothing more to say.
Beckenbauer's latest dig, Germany win on penalites.
How many more can he do before the game on Sunday?
:D
He needs the attention. His feet can't get it for him anymore, so he uses his mouth instead.
Can't watch the match tonight, but come on Chile!
Matches starting soon...
Double goalkeeper captains!
Now they're just doing it to spite me.
hee. Both are rated really highly. ;)
That is unusual.
woot! Fernando is starting! Hopefully, he can score this time...
Spain kick off!
Almost a repeat of the Euro final goal there!
Soccernet is confused. It thinks Honduras's starting formation was 4-4-1
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/gamecast?id=264077&cc=5739&ver=global
They had an off day yesterday too. Slovakia somehow disappeared from their radar altogether.
I noticed yesterday they were not doing live updates of the group positions and today they are doing them again
Soo close for Chile there. Spanish defense in hopeless as usual.
Post-shop/outside cold Guinness is very nice, especially when it is £4 for 4. In a pub you'd get one and a bit pints for that.
How is it I've got this game on and I'm paying more attention the typeface than usual?
;)
If Chile score Spain are in real trouble
Yup.
Because the Spanish typeface does look quite nice?
I thought he meant Guinness typeface
Ops. Really? :P
♥
it looks like the ball!
Nooo!
I am confused now. Must mean Mr C's adidas typeface thing
Spanish passing not very accurate today. Quite easily anticipated by the Chileans.
be honest, you're doing the same. i know you're looking for the number 6.
Thought so. I am liking Adidas jerseys quite a bit. :D
I read that typeface thing about the jambalaya ball. Really interesting
Not the Spanish (Liverpool) number 9? :P
The one in the post :)
I won't be sucked in.
I'm sure it looks familiar from elsewhere
I liked the 8 because it is really two sixes rotated and squished together.
ROFL at that throw in.
Or maybe two 9s or a 9 and a 6. Who knew 9+6 made 8? Typeface arithmetic is confusing
:)
:)
Goodness. That was Fernando's injured knee there. :(
That was reckless and stupid
Chile won't have enough players to make it through to the round of 16 now.
I mean through the round of 16 to the quarters.
what happens if you run out?
Less than 7 and you forfeit the chance altogether.
yikes. has that happened before?
What a great goal
VILLLLAAAAAAA!!!!!! GGGGOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!
Nope. There are 23 people in a squad after all.
Nice
wowsers.
Goalkeeper error. But that was a fantastic finish. :D
Don't think at a world cup. It has happened at other levels of football. I posted a youtube clip a while back of a local game where the team had only 6 on the pitch for the last 30 seconds but the ref decided one of their players was off being treated for an injury so was really on
41st goal in 62 appearances. David Villa = goal machine.
Is that the sound of the referee's bottle crashing that I can hear?
That was a hilarious free kick. Almost as funny as his penalty.
Penalty
Stupid ref
Fernando's finishing may have been off, but that was some nice footwork there.
2-0 Iniesta
Andres scores!
Ref red carding someone
For the challenge on Fernando I think.
BBC only just figured Estrada was sent off. They saw a red card and figured it was for that foul
Why is it that Fernando had a hand in both goals but has not yet scored? He doesn't usually provide so many assists.
btw, Switzerland just needs a goal to be through now. Chile better be careful.
If Switerland can win 1-0 they will be second to SPain in the group
Beat me by 17 seconds
:D
Vidal better be careful...
Half time 2-0 Spain
Xabi! :( Chileans' tackling are rapidly dropping in quality.
Two players at the Switzerland Honduras game swapped shirts at half time. Must be really dull
:D
2 subs for Chile in the other game.
Soccernet says1
Chile score!
2-1. Great goal
I see 2. :P
Now they say two
Blimey, I just changed channel after I saw it was the 2nd half, and the ball went in!
Awful deflection off Pique wrong foots San Iker.
Fabregas for Torres?
I am not sure that is a good thing... Spain needs 2 strikers if they want to hold the front line because David isn't very disciplined.
Full time: Chile 1 Spain 2
What a 2nd half bore. :(
Full time: Switzerland 0 Honduras 0
itv fell asleep on me.
can i tempt anyone into penning tomorrow's world cup post?
i'm running out of typography stats.
I was falling asleep during the last 20 minutes. Passing and passing and passzzzzz....
:)
Halfback passes to centre
Centre holds it
holds it
holds it...
M-Andy agrees:
ah am assuming this is the same match murray was watching?
@andy_murray
Last ten minutes of spain chile most boring 10 minutes of sport I've seen this year haha guess they have to do it though
he should watch some f1 this sunday...
you beat me to it. *runs from world cup thread*
Good for Fernando though - wait's over: