Dramatic Finale to Groups C + D - What's the Story Golden Glory?

Group C

Match 37:
Slovenia 2
Bojangles 70, Pistilic 81

England 1
Runny 9

England make a bright start - Peter: 'Its lovely. So long as you like peaches. Lends itself to duck pate or cheesecake.' James responds with 'that sounds like a recipe for gout,' and similar feeling amongst the lads means the writing is on the wall for the Three Lions. The Slovenian Hops in Adnams' Broadside are a more conventional hit 'would warm you cockles any old day,' (Dan) and patriotism is put aside in favour of scientific enquiry. It is found to be eminently drinkable - with a punch without the pungency. This could well have disastrous consequences for England's chances.

Other news

So, its do-or-die day for England in WC2010. Great story here from The Daily Mash about John Terry's frame of mind before the big game. Other news:- Apparently an Algerian witch doctor sent the pigeon behind the goal to cast a spell on England last Friday. Elsewhere Raymond Domenech is to write a book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Possible explanation found for poor Croatian show in qualifiers

Match 38:
USA 3
Measley30 (pen), Hold'em 40, Bubble 57

Algeria 0

The States' entry - Sierra Nevada Glissade - racks up an easy victory against the Algerians who leave COGH without so much as a goal, let alone a goal to their name. 'Fruity, lingers like a good'un,' says Dan about the US of A. Skol, the biggest, if shortest name in lager in parts of North Africa, has a torrid time. 'Light and refreshing my arse,' says Dan, whilst Stu describes it as 'flavoured water. In fact, I don't think they've bothered to flavour it.' The Executive Beer Tasters were going to ring the Skol Consumer Helpline on the side of the can, but ultimately we couldn't be bothered.

Final Group C Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Slovenia	3	3	0	0	10	3	7	9
2	USA	3	1	1	1	7	5	2	4
3	England	3	1	1	1	6	4	2	4
4	Algeria	3	0	0	3	0	11	-11	0

COGH Analysis: England go home due to scoring one fewer goal than the USA - the cruellest form of elimination known to man. The Slovenians triumphed after a couple of narrow wins over their main rivals and annihilation of the Algerians, who never really stood a chance in the company of three strong opponents. England can take a lot away from this experience, but must be bitterly disappointed to be going home at this early stage.

Group D
Match 39:
Ghana 0

Germany 2
Bierhoff Jr 39, Geradehaus 90+2

Yet again there's a shutout for Star - and Erdinger does more than enough to ensure safe progress. 'It's a lovely contrast to have a bit of white beer,' says Peter, who by now has drunk enough generic piss to last a lifetime. 'Nice lid. has five stars on it, shame you can't say that about the beer,' says Stu about the African also-ran. It's plain to see by this point that beers such as Star are going to get little sympathy as we've sampled most of the big guns three times.

Match 40: Australia 4
Chippyfeel 9, Kewl 41, Floater 49, Molehill 80

Serbia 2
Yearic 29, Alcoholic 64

Coopers Sparkling Ale very well received all round. James sums it up 'Interesting and tasty. Smallest bottle in the group but packs a big punch.' Jelen Pivo also has its fans, with Dan noting it was 'very nice, which was pleasing as it came in a bottle the size of a battleship.' However, the antipodean class shone through, and it was arguable there was possibly just too much Serbian Beer knocking around to be impressed by it. At the end of the day, Coopers is a speciality world-renowned ale as opposing to above-average mass market lager. No contest really.

Final Group D Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Australia	3	2	1	0	10	5	5	7
2	Germany	3	2	1	0	8	5	3	7
3	Serbia	3	1	0	2	7	8	-1	3
4	Ghana	3	0	0	3	1	8	-7	0

COGH Analysis: Australia top the table on sheer fire power ahead of a German side who'd have won most COGH groups hands down. Serbia's Jelen Pivo can also count themselves unlucky due to the company they've kept, as they have found the net nearly as many times as those who have qualified. Ghana were outclassed on a regular basis, looking the epitome of average throughout.

Third round of matches - It's Le Crunch time...

Half-time for WC2010 and Cup of Good Hop

So we're halfway. Thirty-matches and 32 COGH taste-offs down, and we've seen a lot of drama and shocks in both competitions. Argentina and Holland may be churning out victories on the pitch, but its a different story in the pitcher. Nigeria may have suffered at the hands of their group opponents in South Africa, but their beer has managed to capture hearts, minds and tastebuds. It's now time to blow the whistle for the second half - let's hope there's as many thrills, but no spills - as we try to find the world's best beer. Let's kick off now and see how the group stage concludes...

Kim Jong-Il yesterday - not pleased... Apparently ordered the shark tank to be restocked

Funniest WC banner so far...

Match 33:
Mexico 1
Jalapeno 16

Uruguay 1

Monty-Video 43 (pen)

'This is the Andy Dawson of international beers cos it was a late replacement,' says Deaks of Corona, probably wishing we were sampling Pacifico. 'Unlike Dawson there's no substance here.'
Dan has had enough of it too. 'One I’d only turn to after I’d reached my beer capacity for the night.' Stu says sniffily, 'It's training beer - like a training bra,' and James rounds off the critique with 'Not quite right - Smells wrong if left alone for five minutes.' However, we the wheels were also coming off the Uruguayan bandwagon. We generally liked the bottle and label better than the inoffensive yet slightly thin taste of Harvey's Blue Label. Essentially two beers we've kinda want to see the back of.

World Cup snippets

Great story here about the 1966 World Cup... And another from the same source - Newsarse...

RIP Frank Sidebottom

Chris Sievey, Aka Frank Sidebottom died yesterday after a short battle with cancer. The COGH team would like to extend their gratitude for all the football related laughs he brought us during his lifetime. His final song, Three Shirts On My Line is here. There's plenty more out there to investigate.

Match 34:
France 4
Merci-Beaucoup 31, 88, Cissy 36 (pen), Kronenbourg 71

South Africa 1
Botha 62

The revolving door of fate no longer turns for the hosts. They were simply outclassed by the French, and the result was never in doubt after persistent early pressure lead to a clear then increasing lead. 'I couldn't imagine doing a session on these,' says Deaks, looking like he never wants to drink Durban Pale Ale ever again. Every judge continued to take to the French. 'I shall say these only once, this is delicious,' says Peter in an 'Allo 'Allo accent. And so it was sedimentary that the host without the most beer would depart the stage early.

Final Group A Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	France	3	3	0	0	11	4	+7	9
2	Uruguay	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
3	Mexico	3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
4	South Africa	2	0	0	2	2	8	-6	0

COGH Analysis: Mexico missed out on a place in the group of sixteen by a single goal and can count themselves incredibly unlucky. Uruguay are through instead - and join the Mighty France, who may have had a dreadful WC2010 but have shone like a glint in that gorgeous barmaid's eye in COGH. They will be feared by whoever finishes second in Group B. It looks incredibly likely that Uruguay will face Nigeria in the next round. South Africa have surrendered with barely a whimper - an exceedingly poor show for the host nation. So it's goodbye to Durban Pale Ale and Corona - and on reflection we have to say good riddance.

Match 35:
Nigeria 4
Yobbo 31, Ohdear, 34, 85, Amataxi 50

South Korea 1
Pak Choi 38

'Full of flavour but could cause misbehaviour.' We should approach Guinness with this genius ad strapline coined by Deaks. In terms of flavour and depth there's very little in COGH to rival it. South Korea's OB is simply no match, and three visitations of it to our tastebuds is quite enough. 'Would be quite sickly after a few,' says Stu, pulling a dissatisfied face. 'The bubbles fade very quickly,' observes James, and Dan responds in song '...and like my dreams, they fade and die.' With that OB's chances of further progression in COGH.

Match 36:
Greece 1
Taramasalata (pen) 42

Argentina 1
Labia 4

Dan considers Quilmes to be 'clean, crisp but lacking in depth. Ideal in Buenos Aires but not so desirable in BN1,' and Deaks more or less echoes these thoughts - 'nice label colours, watery - not much punch. Fresh but dull.' James is no more complimentary: 'It's more Notts County than Ruddles County, an afternoon of these would not hurt, but wouldn't inspire either.' Drinking Mythos is like sampling Quilmes' identical twin... 'drinkable, harmless, forgettable.' And with that we wave goodbye - without much regret - to the Greek entry.

Final Group B Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Nigeria	3	3	0	0	11	3	8	9
2	Argentina	3	1	1	1	3	5	-2	4
3	South Korea	3	1	1	1	4	8	-5	4
4	Greece	3	0	1	0	2	6	-4	1

COGH Analysis: In a remarkable reversal of fortune, the South Koreans have been turned over at the death by Argentina who squeak into the next round with a humble point. They owe the Nigerians a great debt, who put a fatal dent in OB's (Korea's) goal difference. Argentina v France would be a mouth-watering tie on the pitch, but will the beer equivalent match up?

Spain's passage to next round under threat - or is it?

Kader Keita Acting School - cheap rates - no talent required

Cup of Good Hop Polls

You've had the opportunity to vote for your favourite beers on COGH, and they have produced some surprising results so far. Things couldn't be tighter in Group A, whereas Quilmes is the clear front runner amongst Argentina's foursome, despite the presence of Guinness Foreign Export (jeez, their PR department should start bunging us some cash before long - but it really is a stunning beer). Another surprise is the walkaway victory for Macs Gold (New Zealand) in Group F - which seems to be contrary to the thoughts of the COGH Executive Beer Tasters. As the tournament unfolds we will give you more opportunity to state your preferences and generally get involved.

Are we experiencing the worst refereeing in World Cup history?
Probably not, but it sure feels like it... Chile v Switz latest of too many examples

Match 31:
Chile 0

Switzerland 4

Toblerone 10, 77, Tell 47, Franc 56

A predictable outcome for this bottom v top encounter. The Swiss continue to impress to the utmost, with complicated yet subtle flavours and a profound effect on the noggin. Chile are peppered with attacks 'tastes hot, smells funny,' says Deaks, and Peter wants no more - 'wrong combination of flavours. Not a keeper.' James finishes off the job with a dismissive 'I'm anti this beer big time.' There's no coming back from that kind of barracking when taking on the best.

Us against An-them

It occurred to me during the Portugal v North Korea match that both of their national anthems are tuneful, upbeat and cheery. Then it struck me that given Portugal's political history theirs is possibly about peasants getting mercilessly shot by the militia, and heaven knows what they've got to be cheery about in North Korea. What's been your favourite anthem - or indeed the one that makes your eardrums feel sick... Let us know here at COGH - leave a message or email pstymail@yahoo.com.

Facebook Focus

Alex Edgar The England team went to visit a South African orphanage. "It was good to put a smile on the faces of people who have no hope and are constantly struggling," said Joseph Umboto, aged six.

Match 32:
Spain 3
Del Fuego 45, Amarillo 67, Que-Pasa 77

Honduras 2
Escobar 14, Palacial 71

Though we are all big fans of Banana Bread beer, we have to give a narrow decision in favour of Alambra Mezquita. 'This is a serious beer - class in a glass,' says Stu. 'I could drink a lot of these,'
says Deaks with some zest. There's a lot going on with Alambra, and is more of a connoisseur's beer, but that takes nothing away from the plucky Hondurans. 'Lovely smell - you could drink these too excess in one sitting,' says Peter - who pledges to look out for Banana beer in future when in need of a tasty, novel boozing experience.

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Switzerland	2	2	0	0	9	4	5	6
2	Honduras	2	1	0	1	4	3	1	3
3	Spain	2	1	0	1	7	7	0	3
4	Chile	2	0	0	2	0	6	-6	0

COGH Analysis: The Swiss have laid waste everyone in their path, but its a top of the table clash next. This could be a prime opportunity for Spain to leapfrog into the second round, as they face the Chileans, who've yet to make any positive impact on the competition yet.

Brazil yet to score shocker...

Twitter Titter #5

davidschneider

I'd say the disarray in the French team dates from the appointment of sports psychologist Paddy O'Shaunessy

and latest news:-

simonmayo

Sky sources: England coach Fabio Capello agrees to tell players of team selection earlier. (via @SkyNewsBreak)

Here's a link to current scenarios in all groups. Especially interesting is the possibility of a coin toss if England score two more goals than the US in their final games.

Cup of Good Hop Match 29:
Brazil 0

Ivory Coast 0

Deaks' 'Barak Obrahma' quip is more entertaining than either brew, and Tusker yet again fails to impress. 'The only big game this will be involved with is the elephant on the label,' says Peter. By this time the lads are very bored of generic Lagerland lager, and this goalless encounter is testament to that. 'Brazil need to have a word with themselves beer-wise, this is a shoddy display,' says James.

Not everyone is complaining about the Vuvuzela

Match 30:
Portugal 1
Mandi 10

North Korea 0

An encounter nearly as flat as Mann's Brown Ale itself. Sagres gets the nod over a 2.8% beer that has recipes written on the side of the bottle. 'It's going to qualify for the last 16, but I can't see Portugal getting much further,' says Stu. Like Ronaldo, there's something a little effeminate about Sagres, whereas Mann's has completely lost the faith of the judges. 'It's giving me the shivers,' says Peter, who can't face drinking any more. 'You've got to wonder who still buys this rubbish.' I suppose we did, but for a very specific reason.

Group G Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Portugal	2	2	0	0	3	0	3	6
2	North Korea	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	3
3	Brazil	2	0	1	1	0	1	-1	1
4	Ivory Coast	2	0	1	1	0	2	-2	1

COGH Analysis: Portugal top a poor group and have yet to concede a goal. Brazil, on the other hand have yet to score one and run the very real risk of first round elimination at the hands of North Korea. The Ivorians could spoil their party but will have to perform significantly better than in their previous two matches.

Group F - shock leaders after two games

COGH around the world

So far people from more than 60 countries have visited Cup of Good Hop - from every continent and just about every major nation on earth. A quick rundown the alphabet of the global community of Hoppers includes Brunei, Iceland, Libya, Pakistan, Vietnam and Zimbawbe. Wow. I hope you're enjoying COGH out there as much as we enjoy producing it. Drop us a line anytime.
Thanks, Peter & James. Now back to the action...

Group E caps: Poor show from Italy and Slovakia

Match 27:

Slovakia 1
Rubik (pen) 47
Paraguay 3
Santana 13, Alcatraz 20, Stukka (o.g) 81

For a beer to be described as 'very bitter, gassy and unremarkable' is not a good start and is liable to result in slip-ups in Cup of Good Hop. Such is the fate of Ostravar, who let Paraguay in with an early brace and never recovered. Paraguay's distinctive style and 12% strength laid the Slovakians asunder - though not everyone's cup of tea, they are the best tipple in the group for many of the EBTs.

Our siblog European Football Weekends has been publishing Fat Boy Slim's World Cup diary. Here's the latest instalment...

Fatboy Slim - our blog soul brother

And here's the prime data from the first round of matches in a handy chart.

Click picture to enlarge

Match 28:
Italy 1
Rizotto 65

New Zealand 0

Not the most inspiring encounter. Peter concludes: 'At this stage it's hard to distinguish Forza Azzurri from Mythos and the rest of Lagerland, but to be fair it's better than Mythos.' James feels that Macs Gold, with it ridged bottle and ring-pull cap is style over substance. Stu is in accord, rubbishing its 4% status along the way toboot. You feel the Kiwis won't be extending their stay in COGH beyond stage one.

Group E:

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Paraguay	2	2	0	0	6	2	4	6
2	Italy	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3
3	Slovakia	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3
4	New Zealand	2	0	0	2	0	2	-2	0

COGH Analysis: Paraguay have ensured qualification with two fine performances, and face the bottom feeding Kiwis. The drama-o-meter will be turned up to eleven at the Italy / Slovakia game, as only alphabetical order can separate them thus far.

Japan tighten grip on Group E

'You know where you are with beer and football - til you don't'

World Cup's best tipster

The COGH research bureau has unearthed the safest bet in the WC so far - a Brit who put £110,000 on France to reach the final. Graham Sharpe of William Hill confirmed: 'A southern based telephone client has staked a bet of £55,000 each-way on France to win the World Cup at odds of 20/1 - and will make a profit of £1,650,000 if they do so - the biggest ever World Cup winnings'. Don't hold your breath - whoever you are.

Cup of Good Hop Match 25:

Holland 0

Japan 1
Godzuki (pen) 62

Sapporo has made all the running in the group, and with good cause. 'Holds its own, pleasing, light and refreshing,' was James' opinion. Oranjeboom was judged to be less of a lager and more of an annoying tune from the past, Dan said 'I have nothing to say,' and this summed up the general consensus that it was generic and quite, quite dull. These guys aren't fans of Oranjeboom either.

The contestants reclining in their mass ice bath. Note - Serbia so big it needs its own cold pack

Match 26:
Cameroon 0

Denmark 1
Arsen 21

Deaks thoughts on Carlsberg are simple 'The rank outsider - with an emphasis on rank.' But even compared to Tradition the Danish entry is the epitome of ambrosia. James considers the Tradition to be 'strange', and in two matches has managed to win precisely no fans amongst our Executive Beer Tasters. They are not likely to trouble any COGH goalkeeper unless they've had at least a dozen the night before.

Group E Table:

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Japan	2	2	0	0	3	0	3	6
2	Denmark	2	1	1	0	1	0	1	4
3	Holland	2	0	1	0	0	1	-1	1
4	Cameroon	2	0	0	2	0	3	-3	0

COGH Analysis: Japan dominate this low scoring group, who take on the Danes who have done better than expected up til now. The Dutch still have a fighting chance of progression, so long as they play to their strengths against the goalless and pointless Cameroonian side.

n.b. here's the tune to that Oranjeboom advert - warning, if you click on this it'll be in your head for the rest of the World Cup.

Group D - Triumph of the Big Two...

Africa's World Cup?

A cursory glance at the match stats so far suggest it's been anything but Africa's World Cup. Of eight matches involving teams from the host continent (up to Friday 18th) only Ghana have managed to win, and every other game has resulted in a loss apart from South Africa's draw on the opening day. South America are the most successful continent by a country mile, with five wins and a draw from six matches. European teams are drawing more often than they are chalking up wins, but who would ever have thought that Germany, Spain and France would have trouble in the group stage?

Germany miss from the spot for once

Match Breakdown (as of June 18th, in order of success)

South America
Matches 6
Won 5
Drawn 1
Lost 0

Europe Matches 11
Won 4
Drawn 5
Lost 2

North America
Matches 4
Won 1
Drawn 2
Lost 1

Asia & Australisia
Matches 6
Won 1
Drawn 2
Lost 3

Africa
Matches 8
Won 1
Drawn 1
Lost 6

Jelen Pivo: Big, but not one of the Big Two

The Jelen Pivo World Cup lounge...

Cup of Good Hop Match 23:

Germany 3
Mullered 41, 51, Badstubby 77

Serbia 2

Crossstic 13, Zigzagic 43

Two words sum up Erdinger for Deaks - well engineered. The Serbian beer is both big and well received 'it's much nicer than Stella - gets you in the mood,' says Stu, but ultimately it doesn't have enough to match Die Nationalelf, as the Germans are sometimes known. Peter seems to be failing to keep up with the pace when he says 'I might need a little time to finish Germany off,' and the double entredre is well received. James considers Erdinger to be 'subtle but powerful', with the team in full agreement that they should shave a narrow win.

Stuart with the trophy they are all lusting after

Our Team

Just in case you've forgotten or didn't know what our EBTs (Executive Beer Tasters) look like - here they are again...

Peter Styles

James Byford

Dan Last

Lee Deacon

Stuart Fuller

Twitter Titter #4

An occasional COGH series revealing the tweets that make us titter

@billybragg USA continue their winning streak with a brilliant 2-2 victory over Slovenia

What! Another Drinking World Cup!

We've had an email from Tom Drummond , an app that allows you to pledge allegiance to your telling us about the Drinking World Cup allowing you to pledge your allegiance for your nation - indeed any nation of choice - by saying that you are going to drink on their behalf. Seems eminently sensible to us. Cheers!

John Travolta putting a scientologist curse on the Australian team last week

Match 24:

Ghana 0

Australia 3
Kewl 27, Molehill 50, 52

Australia, like the Germans, consolidate after cancelling each other out in the first round of games. Ghana have no answer to the Aussie firepower, with very little by way of attack. Peter thought that Coopers 'beat Star pants down' and Deaks described it as 'special and refreshing. It's a top performer - good bowling Shane.' As far as Star was concerned, Dan picked up on their marketing message. 'They promise a million sparkling bubbles - and deliver considerably less.' James thought Star was 'lacklustre' and 'metallic', and it was clear to all that Star was going to be the whipping boy of Group D.

Group D Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Australia	2	1	1	0	6	3	3	4
2	Germany	2	1	1	0	6	5	1	4
3	Serbia	2	1	0	1	5	4	1	3
4	Ghana	2	0	0	2	1	6	-5	0

COGH Analysis: Germany have almost guaranteed themselves a place in the last sixteen with as their final fixture is against the lowly Ghana, but the tie that's going to wet many whistles is the one between the Socceroos and Serbia, with the Eastern Europeans needing all three points to progress.

England's Glorious Return

STOP PRESS - CUP OF GOOD HOP ANALYSIS OF LAST NIGHT'S GAME: Jacques Cousteau, Inspector Clouseau, Amelie Mauresmo, Air, Nicolas Sarkozy, Cyrano De Bergerac - your boys took one hell of a beating!!!

Well then... back to the beer. It's the second Group C after the massive 'Fruit v Flowers' clash of England's Golden Glory versus Sierra Nevada of the USA.

England now face the mighty Skol, who were trounced 5-0 by Slovenia in the previous round of games.

Match 21:
Slovenia 3

Pistilic 50, Bojangles 71, 73, Beersa 89

USA 2

Bubble 20, 50

When asked for reasons why he liked the Slovenian entry, Peter says 'it ticks a lot of boxes, though as a UK ale it is a bit of a wolf in Slovenian clothing,' followed by a Zola Budd / Owen Hargreaves / Greg Resedski et al analogy from James. Dan says 'the USA beer is very flowery, and if I drank I load of that I feel like I'd have to buy my wife some flowers.' It was also compared to a high-maintainence woman as it was 7.5% but didn't really taste like it was. Stu got the thread immediately: 'It looks good when you take them out, but get them home and the make-up comes off and its all - What's that doing there, move that over there etc...' Punditry out of the top of the top drawer. Deaks agreed, though was disappointed that Budweiser was not the US entrant.

Strewth! Cindy and Barbie losing interest in the beer

COGH gossip: After Robert Green's handling error against the USA, apparently Capello made him come in the next day for an extra training session, during which he had over a thousand shots fired at him and he didn't concede a single goal. Unfortunately it was Heskey doing the shooting...

Match 22:

Algeria 0

England 3

Runny 9, 53, Pilsner 88

Stu berates Algeria for not even turning up with a bottle cap. 'How f***ing dare they,' agrees Peter. 'Yeah - you've just got to look at their attitude really' - Dan. And to face it, they're not doing themselves any favours by having one of the world's worst beers as the favourite tipple in downtown Algiers. England run the show with a peach of a game - mirroring the peachy, summery flavours inherent in Golden Glory. 'More of a sprint beer than for a marathon,' says James. We'll see...

Group C Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Slovenia	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	6
2	England	2	1	1	0	5	2	3	4
3	USA	2	0	1	1	4	5	-1	1
4	Algeria	2	0	0	2	0	8	-8	0

COGH Analysis: The Slovenians are the surprise package of the group, and have already booked their place in the last 16. England are their next opponents, whilst the US face the hapless Algerians. England seem to be sitting pretty on paper, but we're playing with beer.

Guinness is Back, Guinness is Back - Hello, hello

Here at COGH it isn't all drink, drink, drink - we've got some lovely food on the go - here's the fish stew that's going to line the sides for the rest of the tournament.

Over in South Africa Henry Winter, Chief Football Correspondant for the Daily Telegraph, has been our most high-profile advocate. Today on our siblog European Football Weekends, Henry talks to our Executive Beer Taster Danny Last about elephants, Capello and why watching a dire goalless draw is good for the soul.

Anyhow, back to more important matters...

Match 19:

Argentina 1

Militant 64

South Korea 0

Quilmes may fare well in times of increasing climate change, for Peter thought that the Argentinian entry was 'nice if you're hot and bothered'. James took a dim view of OB - 'it's not as distinctive as it claims to be,' he said with some distain. Bottle and cap design then took centre stage, and the South Koreans were blown away by some lovely blue-and-white dtp action. It was also thought you could do more Quilmes than OB on a long session, thus giving it a narrow victory with a scrappy goal.

Peter gives OB the red card

Twitter Titter #3

COGH Executive Beer Taster Stu @theballisround posted this:- After the first round of games, the Cup of Good Hop correctly predicted the results in 6 out of the 16 games - the power of beer!

He says he's going to set up a spreadsheet to track the results, and see if beer is a more reliable predictor of the future than astrology or any other form of mumbo jumbo - I bet it is... Also, I'd recommend some good World Cup comedy courtesy of The Onion.

Match 20:

Greece 1

Tzaziki 30 (pen)

Nigeria 4

Amataxi 13, 67 (pen), Yobbo 23, Oddbinnsa 75

Dan puts his cards immediately on the table in favour of Nigeria: 'This is a dark horse I'd like to get my leg over,' he says with a wry smile. 'It has so much going on,' adds Peter... 'It's like they've got Rooney, Essien, Messi...' - at which point James retorts with 'It'd certainly get messy if you had more than a couple. By now the Guinness label is a little squ-whiff, but battles on with total resolve. James is still convinced that Mythos is part of the Global Lagerland conspiracy, whilst Stu gives it the thumbs down compared to the most warmly received beer of the tournament so far...

Group B Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Nigeria	2	2	0	0	7	2	5	6
2	South Korea	2	1	0	0	3	4	-1	3
3	Argentina	2	1	0	0	2	4	-1	3
4	Greece	2	0	0	0	2	6	-4	0

COGH Analysis: Well, you've got to think that Nigeria are through with flying colours, Greece are out and it just remains for the middle two to battle it out. However, it is the Koreans who face the Super Eagles in the final game in the group.

Yet more Group A - let's see them again...

Well, well, well, it would seem that Switzerland's World Cup side have been inspired by the performance of their COGH compatriot. Spain have got a mountain to climb - surely more appropriate for the Swiss. Who would have thought our humble beer challenge would be like an amber-coloured crystal ball?

Meanwhile, the five of us have been studiously capturing our thoughts on Post-Its, in notebooks and all other kinds of media. Deaks has been doing a stirling job as the compiler of the former and sticking them on the COGH Wallchart.

Hang on - what are Sindy and Barbie doing?!

There may have been fewer goals in the first round of matches in the World Cup than ever before, but there has been plenty of action as far as COGH is concerned. And now it's time for each of our beers to do battle once more - and for us to boldly go where no beer drinkers have gone before...

Fifa's new World Cup ball considered too light

Match 17:

South Africa 0

Uruguay 2

Forlan-Over 48, Uren 74

Durban Pale Ale continues to annoy the lads - 'there's a load of crap in the bottom,' says a non-plussed Peter. James rules it out as a session beer, saying he'd not be drinking the host's beer again in a hurry. 'It's even got a disappointing cap,' adds Dan disparagingly. Harvey's Blue Label - chosen as a tribute to Brighton's Uruguayan manager Gus Poyet gets an infinitely better reception. 'This is what real beer tastes like,' opines Deaks, wishing it was 5% and not a wishy-washy three-and-a-half. Clearly an example of doing the easy things well, and grabbing three deserved points.

COGH prefers Uwe Seeler to Vuvuzelas

Match 18:

France 3

Ribaldry 7, 34, Cissy 25

Mexico 1

Dirty-Sanchez 40

Mexico made to look bog-standard by this artisan delight. 'I still think this is a girl's beer,' says Stu, looking bemused by its presence in his hand. 'Stick a bit of lime in it,' says Dan, but receives little response. La Choulette continues to impress, a complex whirlwind of a beer that smells and tastes as seductive as a night on the Left Bank with some up-for-it sort called Mimi. 'They love a strike and Sasha Distelle, but I know what I like and I like this...Allez, allez allez' Nuff said.

Corona - Someone did put some lime in it eventually

Group A Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	France	2	2	0	0	7	3	+4	6
2	Uruguay	2	1	0	1	4	4	0	3
3	Mexico	2	1	0	1	3	4	-1	3
4	South Africa	2	0	0	2	1	4	-3	0

COGH Analysis: Les Bleus are flying high and into the next round, probably as winners. The whole group depends on the Uruguay v Mexico tie, and the hosts look like they will be eliminated barring miracles, rather like their WC2010 equivalents.