Ciao, football friends.

Thanks for popping in to visit our latest World Cup hangout. We’re into day nine of the World Cup and, I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to feel the effects of sleep deprivation.

Luckily for you then, you don’t have to read my sleepless stupor until 7pm, because Jarlath Regan has kindly agreed to come in and help us give away a prize.

Jarlath’s not in the office with me in person, but he’s pumped for this Costa Rica v Italy game all the same.

JR: ”This will either be the best or worst match of the tournament so far. I’m watching it deep in the heart of England. Passed by pub full of dreamers 15 minutes ago. Bless.”

First things first, time for some wild speculative predictions:

Eoin: 3 – 0

Ben : 2 -0

Steve: 2 – 2

Sean 1 – 0

Pat: 1 – 0

Fenno 3 – 1

And Jarlath: “I am calling it a draw no clue what score but there is a real chance they will cancel each other out.”

So that’s two draws and five Italian wins. Time will tell.

JR: “Robbie Savage’s co-commentary is like nails on black board.  Initially you cover your ears but the longer it goes on the more you learn to accept it and hate yourself.”

So, readers, tell us about your experience of watching games so far in this World Cup.

Commenter Darren Fenton this morning told us he had watched that dreadful Greece v Japan game in Osake – “Pint in hand by 7AM”.

Have you tuned in from anywhere wonderful or have you just made date after date with the couch?

Jarlath Regan: “I listened to the England game in my car on the way back from a gig in Colchester last night.

“When you’re in England during the world cup you feel a weird kind of sympathy towards them. They don’t have a chance of winning the world cup.

“They kinda know this but their attitude of “stiff upper lip old chap” “stranger things have happened” is far better to be around than the Gazza era of “Oi Oi, who are ya?!” “We are the best in the world and it’s only a matter of time.”

Is there a cooler player at the World Cup?

JR: “If Michael Ballack played like he was smoking a cigar then Pirlo plays like he’s swigging from a glass of red.

“They keep saying Pirlo moves slowly but if we all jogged around the office the way he does I guarantee you we’d get a lot more done.”

If you’re only here for the prizes, we’ve got a Sony smartphone that must be given away. All you  have to do is e-mail or tweet us a picture of you watching the World Cup so far.

It doesn’t have to be a pic from today, so go on, make us jealous.

JR: “That said there’s a fine line between playing like Pirlo and taking the absolute piss.”

JR: You’d have to say that Costa Coffee have made a great decision in sponsoring the Rican team this year. Great publicity altogether.

25 minutes in there really is not a lot of noteworthy action from Italy v Costa Rica, aside from Pirlo swanning around of course.

Here’s a taster of some of our favourite entries to the competition so far.

Trampoline… YES!

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

Couch… CHECK!

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

Kids screaming in Spanish… you betcha

JR: So close from Balotelli. If ever a match needed a goal this is it. But my prediction is still looking dead on.

JR: “Mario has said he wants two kisses form the queen if he helps Italy to win this game. That’s not exactly an incentive.”

It’s 28 degrees and rising in Recife and it’s not helping the tempo of this game.

JR: I don’t know why but the Irish auld fella always comes out in me at times like this as I think to myself, “Jayziz they got a great day for it but tis fierce clammy.”

It’s just not going Italy’s way… especially not for Giorgio Chiellini.

JR: If I had to put on a bet now you’d have to say Costa Rica will win this 1-0.  They’re just a bit more together up front, they seem fitter and this heat is surely going to take it’s tolL in the final half an hour.

43 mins: Oooooh! Costa Rica should be standing on the penalty spot now. Joel Campbell looks like he had real solid penalty appeal dismissed there.

JR: WORST DECISION EVER

GOAL FOR COSTA RICA!

Finally the goal-line technology makes itself useful. Bryan Ruiz with a thumping header at the back post and it cracks off the underside of the bar.

Ruiz wheels away as the ball bounces back out, but there’s no stopping this Costa Rican party.

Meanwhile, England weeps.

JR: Well deserved after a shocking miss by the ref. The miscarriage of justice is a part of the game of football that the people in charge seem strangely keen to protect. This was a bit of sweet natural football justice delivered. Get in there.

HALF-TIME: Costa Rica 1 Italy 0

No laughing at Gary now, ya hear?

Here’s that brilliant Costa Rica goal.

JR: Costa Rica’s coach’s reaction to missed peno shout is better than his reaction to the goal.

Though it is mighty close.

JR: “The body language between Henry and Hansen would suggest they both think the other one is a plank. Am I the only one picking up on this?”

Hansen is ordinarily pretty laid back, but now that he’s on the way out of MOTD he looks like he couldn’t give a Fiddler’s.

A good point made by Shane McGettrick here.

You’d be fearful that officials might not have been brave enough to give that goal with a little GLT. Poor Frank Lampard is probably turning on his subs bench watching that goal being given.

Another reason why phones in the pub are bad news (unless you’re checking your favourite sports news app, of course)

JR: In the olden days (before iPhones) you could make up a wild statement like “Marco Balotelli has never missed penalty in a televised game”, spit it out in the middle of a pub during a World Cup match, take a self-satisfied swig of your pint and watch the row to unfold.

“That can’t be true”, “Bollocks!”, “You’re talking out your hoop there Jar”.

“If you stood your ground, “Name one so? Go on? Name the last time you’ve seen Balotelli miss a peno?” Nowadays someone would have googled it before you finished the sentence.

“Back in the old days the only way your drinking buddy could prove you wrong was by going to a thing called a library, visiting UEFA headquarters or by appearing on RTE’s Know Your Sport and asking Jimmy McGhie to settle a bet.”

JR: “The only footage of Mario Balotelli missing a penalty is from a training session.”

The legend grows.

You can find more of Dan Leyden’s posters here.

Fair play to Dave, who got up off the best seat in the house to show us how he was enjoying this game.

You’re obviously way better off watching at home than in the Algarve

JR: ”Robbie Savage criticizing these players is the sporting equivalent of Linda Martin working as a judge on X-Factor.  You can see how someone allowed it to happen but it doesn’t make it ok.”

Here’s the kick up the backside Italy were waiting on. They daren’t let Ri-Ri down.

JR: “I’m going to start carrying one of those cans of white spray paint for when I’m on the Luas – draw a circle around my feet just to stop sweaty feckers leaning on me in the heat.”

71 mins:

JR: “Desperation creeping into Mario’s game.  The temperament is still a problem but I wouldn’t bet against him getting a sneaky one off the back of a Costa mistake.”

It’s getting to that time of the game, when dehydration and exhaustion creeps in.

JR: “On the one hand I feel sorry for players that get cramp during these matches but on the other hand there’s worse places to get it. I once got a fierce cramp in my leg during mass. At least on a football pitch you can lie down.”

JR: ”They say that the cup is a great leveller but nothing levels the playing field like a bib. You can be Frank Lampard or Frank Sidebottom – you all look like you are being “allowed” to play when wearing a bib.

Johnny Acosta, bibbed up. Adam Davy Adam Davy

JR: “I believe the exact name of the colour of the FIFA subs bibs is “shite brown”.

JR: About that Balotelli ‘fact’ Ken Early has just corrected me…

Though that footage s so grainy it might as well not exist.

88 mins:

JR: “Pirlo is beginning to look like the Sidney Deane to Costa Rica’s Billy Hoyle. He’d rather look good and lose than look bad and win…”

JR: That footage from Ken Early is from a Longford Town match. It is not Mario! Fact still stands.

FULL-TIME! Costa Rica 1 Italy 0

ENGLAND ARE OUT!

JR: “When all is said and done the better team won this game. More heart. More skill. More determination. More goals.”

The perfect combination

Right, that big long delay was because we were spinning our big social media wheel to figure out who would be the winner of that shiny new smartphone with thanks to Budweiser:

Roll the drums because we have our winner…

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

Some guys get all the luck. Ciaran Behan not only got himself a bunch of flowers but this tweet of his neighbour’s couch had all the ingredients of a winner.

The pic would probably even kill its granny.

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition and joined in the fun of the fair today. It was a rough day for England fans, but hey, why prolong the inevitable.

We’ll be bringing you much more news and views through tonight’s games and we’ll be back with another hangout tomorrow.

Viva la World Cup weekend!