A thrilling group stage has gone the way of the snows of yesteryear and the car keys of late last night, but before we move on to the quarterfinals let's take a moment to name the best goal from the third round of games. Well, I'll take a moment to name one. You take a [...]

I'm interested in the bones of Michael Ballack. I don't know why. They're prominent but not expressive, like the aristocrats in Proust. They demand to be noticed, like a pipe wrench, but have nothing to say, like a supermodel. They're functional, like a supermodel, but insentient, like Tyra Banks. Anyway, I'm interested in them.