Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Time to appreciate the beautiful game - football World Cup

Hawkes Bay Today
14 Jun, 2018 06:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Russia head coach Stanislav Cherchesov salutes Artyom Dzyuba after he scored his side's third goal against Saudi Arabia in the group A match which opened the 2018 soccer World Cup.

Russia head coach Stanislav Cherchesov salutes Artyom Dzyuba after he scored his side's third goal against Saudi Arabia in the group A match which opened the 2018 soccer World Cup.

The FIFA football World Cup is upon us.

Sure, the majority of Kiwis prefer to watch rugby and, like our Australian cousins, we're only just getting used to calling it football, but this tournament brings populations from across the globe together.

Once every four years nations dare to dream.

The world's elite will carve their names into World Cup history, while new stars will inevitably be born on the grandest stage of all.

Even though the All Whites are not included in this year's tournament, it's still an event the majority of New Zealand sports fans will not miss.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It may still be a minor sport on these shores, but more than three billion people are set to tune into the 2018 finals in Russia with bated breath.

To look back at World Cup highlights is to experience a rollercoaster of emotions. From Geoff Hurst netting the first and only hat-trick in a World Cup final in 1966, to Maradona's hand of god, Zidane's head-butt, the birth of the Cruyff Turn in '74 and Gazza's tears at Italia '90.

It's all there, an extravaganza of blood, sweat and tears.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The drama began before a ball was kicked this week as 2010 winners Spain sacked manager Julen Lopetegui just days before the competition began.

From this editorial you can probably gather that I am a fan of the beautiful game and will be tuning in all hours of the day for my fix.

Particularly on Tuesday when England lock horns with Tunisia.

Despite the magic of the World Cup, I am, as an England supporter, a realist, or, more accurately, a pessimist.

Discover more

Football World Cup

Putin's cheeky reaction to Russian opener

14 Jun 06:32 PM

David Beckham's sending off in '98, Ronaldinho's freak goal in 2002, penalty shootout heartbreak in 2006 and a failure to qualify from the group stages in 2014 have left me with little hope of England lifting the most prestigious prize in world football.

But, there is still hope.

Even if football isn't a sport that you have taken much notice of before, I urge you to tune in.

You won't be disappointed.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Fatally injured man lived long enough to tell police he was 'jumped'

19 May 06:00 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

76-year-old completes Hawke’s Bay Marathon, nears 200th race milestone

19 May 04:31 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Mum Talks' help young driver find his way

19 May 03:36 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Fatally injured man lived long enough to tell police he was 'jumped'

Fatally injured man lived long enough to tell police he was 'jumped'

19 May 06:00 AM

Two people are on trial for Javon Aranui's murder in Hastings in 2023.

76-year-old completes Hawke’s Bay Marathon, nears 200th race milestone

76-year-old completes Hawke’s Bay Marathon, nears 200th race milestone

19 May 04:31 AM
'Mum Talks' help young driver find his way

'Mum Talks' help young driver find his way

19 May 03:36 AM
Community event raises $53k for Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter

Community event raises $53k for Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter

19 May 03:13 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP