THE WORLD CUP is just over 96 hours away and all of a sudden we are into Day After Tomorrow scenarios.
England’s draw with Honduras was halted for 43 minutes last night after an electric thunderstorm so brooding it snatched Glenn Hoddle’s microphone away. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean and over some cobbled streets, Belgium’s final World Cup warm-up match was suspended after 25 minutes due to a major hail storm in Brussels.
According to AFP, referee Viktor Kassai took the players off the field, with the game scoreless, to protect the players as lumps of ice as big as stones fell. With the storm in full force, the pitch was almost entirely covered with balls of white ice. Exposed spectators also sought cover out of the storm.
The players were off the pitch for 40 minutes and played on with the pitch still covered with the icy hefty hailstones. Belgium snatched an 88th minute winner when Dries Mertens scored to make it 1-0.
England, Belgium and Honduras will hope that the weather is a lot more placid in Brazil when the tournament begins, on Thursday.
Additional reporting © AFP, 2014