BRAZILIANS NEVER WORRY

Sixty years ago, at the 1938 World Cup in France, Brazil played Italy at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, the site of Tuesday night’s upset loss to Norway.

The Brazilians lost that 1938 game, but current Coach Mario Zagallo, famous for his superstitions, discounted any connection between the two matches.

Talking before the 2-1 loss to Norway, he said: “I remember listening to the match on the radio when I was 7 years old, but no, I’m not going to worry about that now.”

Perhaps he should have.

A PAIN FOR SPAIN

With Spain desperately needing to defeat Bulgaria today or be ousted from the World Cup, the last thing the Spaniards needed was a blast from the past.

But former Dutch star and Barcelona coach (and Los Angeles Aztec player) Johan Cruyff delivered a very low blow.

“The trouble with Spain is in their heads,” Cruyff told Spanish television. “They thought they had it pretty much won before they arrived. They were overconfident. But they’ve not exactly disappointed me. After all, Spain has never done anything at a World Cup.”

That should guarantee a three-goal victory for Javier Clemente’s team.