Belgium vs Algeria: World cup match results predicted by Paul the Octopus in latest Google Doodle

Belgium and Algeria will go head-to-head in Tuesday's match

Heather Saul
Tuesday 17 June 2014 03:15 EDT
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17 June 2014: Google celebrates the 2014 World Cup match between Belgium vs Algeria with a doodle honouring Paul the Octopus
17 June 2014: Google celebrates the 2014 World Cup match between Belgium vs Algeria with a doodle honouring Paul the Octopus (Google )

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Google has celebrated the 2014 Fifa World Cup with another doodle, this time marking Tuesday's match between Belgium and Algeria by paying homage to Paul the 'psychic' octopus.

The search giant’s latest creation shows a halo-wearing Paul on a cloud as he struggles to decide between two boxes, one of which bears the Belgium flag while the other carries the Algerian flag.

Paul the octopus lived in a tank in at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany where he became known for his divinations with his aquarium keeper before his death in October 2010.

The animal oracle would predict the outcome of matches in Germany, with the help of staff who would put two different boxes loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams in front of him, before waiting to see which box he would select.

In the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, he correctly predicted the outcome of four out of six of Germany's matches.

Paul rose to international fame when he made some accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup, including Germany's wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana and the country's loss to Spain and Serbia.

Upon his death, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany, said: "His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself."

Clicking on Paul leads to information on the match time, match preview, and news about the game this evening.

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