Before kick-off, ITV gave us a montage of high beam gymnastics.

The old saver ‘cultural differences’ was suggested; the first refuge of racists and the inappropriately friendly

POT MEETS KETTLE

With less than a week to go, we are still mired, rear wheels spinning, in nostalgia.

HALF-TIME in Port Elizabeth and it’s parallel universe time again. Remember the movie Sliding Doors, when Gwyneth Paltrow’s life split in two when she missed her train? On RTÉ, England might have held a half-time lead over Slovenia but the carriage doors had slammed firmly in their faces.

IT’S THE END of the world as we know it.

A COLLEAGUE took away a nice memento from the otherwise forgettable friendly against Chile on Wednesday.

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes a move to Real Madrid could prove too tempting for Michael Owen to turn down if it comes to fruition.

REGULAR readers of the Irish Examiner's weekly television sports column - a big hello to Brendan and Irene Blennerhasset, Old Youghal Road, Cork - are doubtless both suffering intense withdrawal symptoms, what with its author obviously being entirely preoccupied with dossing around the Far East, under the pretence of "covering" the 2002 World Cup.