The fun of writing at leisure

Gary Meenaghan checks in with his daily update from Sao Paulo.

SAO PAULO // The majority of Brazil is seven hours behind the UAE. Consequently, in order for The National to carry match reports in the next day’s newspaper, the analysis often must be sent immediately as the final whistle sounds. This usually results in going entire periods of the second half without seeing much of the action.

As the game develops, the narrative changes, the paragraphs need rewriting, the words must be altered. Such was the case in the group tie between Germany and Ghana, which finished to the sound of social media proclaiming it the finest second half of the World Cup so far.

There were about 400 media in the stadium who would have begged to differ; 400 media thankful that neither team converted a late chance to win the game outright as they both attacked relentlessly.

There are few things less welcomed by a sportswriter filing an on-the-whistle report than a late, result-altering goal.

That is why when you are afforded the opportunity to work a match without the stress of filing immediately at full-time – as I thankfully was for Argentina’s last-16 tie with Switzerland (decided by a 118th-minute winner) – you make the most of it.

Instead of watching the clock and taking notes and assessing each side’s tactical weak points, I took the time to do something anybody else fortunate enough to be inside the stadium might have done. I simply watched one of the best players of all time.

Lionel Messi did not have his best game, but he played every minute, was always open for a pass, always scanning the field for clues as to where the opening might appear and, inevitably, proved fundamental to the only goal of the game – which all made for prime material for an opinion piece that had to be filed an hour after the full-time whistle sounded.