"The Flying Dutchman" (aka Robin Van Persie) Scores Big At Cup

"Robin Van Persie has set the bar high. He had to get pretty far off the ground to do it. Anyone who wants to score the most amazing goal of the 2014 World Cup is going to have to best the Dutch striker's high-flying tally against Spain. With the Netherlands trailing the reigning World Cup champions, 1-0, in the 44th minute of a rematch of the 2010 final, Van Persie scored a jaw-dropping goal with his head. Running onto a long pass from teammate Daley Blind, RVP launched himself into the air for a breathtaking, game-tying goal." [Source] The Netherlands went on to defeat Spain. Listen to the overture from Richard Wagner's opera Der fliegende Holländer (The flying Dutchman): 
Watch the spectacular move as RVP flies through the air and look at more pictures of the soccer star, after the jump.

Ana María Sánchez And Plácido Domingo To Perform At World Cup

Ana María Sánchez quer cantar música brasileira!

"Placido Domingo will sing before a World Cup final for the sixth time, announcing Wednesday he will perform at Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena on July 11. The concert featuring the 73-year-old classic musical star will take place two days before the final at Maracana Stadium. The show also is scheduled to include pianist Lang Lang, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, conductor Eugene Kohn and the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira. Domingo has attended every World Cup final since 1970 with the exception of 1978 in Argentina. He sang the 1982 theme song in Spain, 'El Mundial.' He said the program next month will include classical music and Brazilian songs. 'I always think music and sport are the two great things many people can understand without any need to really speak the language,' Domingo said in a telephone interview from London, where he is to conduct Puccini's Tosca next week at The Royal Opera. 'I have friends from all around the world, and they are really fanatics of soccer and music. It's great to see many of the people I know.' [Source]

Plácido Domingo's Sports History As A Soccer Player Served Him Well

Plácido Domingo playing soccer in 1980.

"As the World Cup nears, soccer fanatics will inevitably jink the conversation toward the beautiful game. That includes Placido Domingo, who explains why at 73 he can still get down on one knee to declare his love to the soprano. 'I was a goalkeeper and I know how to throw myself onto the floor,' said the Spanish opera singer. Even if his sporting past has served him well in his career, the tenor-turned-baritone never expected to be where he is today, still singing on stages all over the world. Because of that unexpected longevity, he finds himself doing double duty as leading man and general director for the LA Opera, where he wrapped up its 28th season this past weekend as the love-struck monk Athanael in Massenet's Thais, the 139th role of his career. Around 18 years ago, Domingo took over the direction of the Washington National Opera, and then more than a decade ago became director of the young Los Angeles company. 'I really thought I would be singing for a very short time,' he told Reuters in an interview last week at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where he first performed in 1967. 'That's the reason I started thinking of being a director of a theater. The voice is there, so I keep singing.'" [Source] A picture of the tenor playing soccer in 2011, can be found after the jump.