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World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

Thu, Jul 08 2010 14:32 CET

byThe Sofia Echo staff

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World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

The oracle has a new home, in a tank in Oberhausen, as English-born octopus Paul correctly predicted the outcome of each of Germany's games (including defeats to Serbia in the group stage and Spain in the semifinal) by picking between boxes with mussels lowered into his tank.

World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

The first pitch invasion (thankfully, not a streaker) happened during the semifinal between Germany and Spain, as a man clad in a Superman t-shirt ran onto the pitch early in the match.

World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

In Paraguay, however, model Larissa Riquelme, who had promised to run naked through the streets if the country won the World Cup, showed her appreciation for the national team by posing for a nude spread for one of the local dailies.

World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

The Dutch, for all the talk of belief in winning the World Cup, had only reserved their hotel until July 5 and had to find new accomodations before the final. Presumably, they sent captain Mark van Bommel, middle of back row, to get the original booking.

World Cup 2010: Oracle of Oberhausen, Superman with a vuvuzela and the height of support

Two matches remain, only one of them relevant, that will have audiences across the globe glued to their TVs.

The football World Cup in South Africa has produced a number of memorable mementos for the fans even outside the football pitch.

As the tournament entered its final stage and the number of matches went down suddenly, stories on the edge of the World Cup have been gathering more attention: from Paul the "octopus oracle" that has accurately predicted the outcome of every German match to over-the-top shows of support for one's national team.

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Everyone winner in football, FIFA wins the most

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