USA 1 - Ghana 2

The match went into extra time but still, the team which topped Group C ahead of England crashed out of the last 16. Ghana scored during the first part of extra time and you could see on the players' exhausted faces, that they knew at that point, the game was won. This means Ghana is the last remaining African team in the 2010 World Cup. I've no doubt they will have wide support in South Africa.

In honour of the American "soccer" effort, the tall bloke ordered an "American Hot" pizza from our favourite, local pizza delivery place: Pizza Max. This pizza place doesn't look like much from outside, but the proof is in the deep pan Margherita, which I order without fail, every time we have a lazy supper. So good are the pizzas from this place, that I feel a slight anxiety about you getting too hooked on them. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Please cut us some slack for not cooking from scratch tonight (again) - it is the night before the Lavender Festival - an event I organise in Battersea (on Lavender Hill) every June. 10,000 people came last year, so as you can imagine, this household has been rather tied up in all the planning and preparations for the Festival!

USA 2 - Serbia 2

For America's second match in the tournament, this time against Serbia, the tall bloke prepared home made beef burgers and home made chips - using red skinned potatoes. It was exactly what I needed on a Friday night and made excellent accompaniment to England's match - i.e. at least something was satisfying!

The burgers were made by mixing salt, pepper, parsley, Worcester sauce, garlic and onion with the raw meat and letting marinate for a few hours. Then the tall bloke patted the mixture into small rounds and cooked them on a medium heat, in a frying pan with a knob of butter. They were delicious!

The chips were sliced to shape (the thinner you cut them, the crispier they turn out), covered in sun flower oil and cooked at 220degrees for a good half hour.