Thoughts on What Will Happen in the Semifinals and the Final of the World Cup

The semifinals and the finals of the World Cup: three of the most intense sporting events professional athletes can ever take part in. One could argue that it’s one of the cruelest of fates to lose in the semifinals of a major international tournament, since the team gets so close to the final and falls just short of it. But it’s nothing like losing in the final, for there is all the hope and expectations the fans have dashed. The same goes for the players: winning the World Cup is every player’s dream, but losing it is almost an unbearable thought. Anyway, here are my matchups for the semifinals, and my predictions:

Serbia 1 vs. Netherlands 1
This game will go against pretty much everything I’ve written previously about both teams. The Dutch offense will finally run into a team that can stop them in the Serbs. However, the defense will not carry them through this round like it had in the previous two because they will have an off game going forward. This is going to be a sluggish game that will produce a red card. The Serbians will take the lead but the Dutch will catch them. A penalty shootout will occur, and the Dutch will outdo the Serbs, converting 4 to Serbia’s 2. The Serbs will be left wondering what could’ve been as their defense will accomplish the difficult task of shutting down the electric Dutch attack, but not provide enough goals to secure what should’ve been a victory. The Dutch go to the finals where they will face…

Argentina 2 vs. Cameroon 0
The Cameroonian dream will end because of one man: Lionel Messi. This will be the game that defines his tournament, as he will score both goals here to secure the victory over the Indomitable Lions. I don’t know why, but I see a quiet tournament for Messi, at least by the absurd standards everyone has for him. He will not have an elite tournament until this round, where he will answer his critics by scoring twice. The Cameroonians will be unable to control the ball for very long, and they will chase the Argentines the entire game. In the end, I don’t see two miracles for Cameroon, only one, which was the previous round against Spain.
That leaves two teams: Netherlands and Argentina. This is a rematch of the 1978 final which Argentina won 3-1. This is also a match that will feature numerous players who were in the Champions League final this year: Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Martin Demichellis, Mark Van Bommel, Walter Samuel and Diego Milito. It will be a fantastic final, with many elite players on the pitch for both teams. In the end, the final score will be…

Netherlands 3 vs. Argentina 1
The Dutch are my pick to win the trophy this year. I firmly believe that neither a favorite, nor a repeat winner will take the title this year. The Dutch fit these qualifications. Even if they were heavily favored or had won a championship, I would probably still pick them because they are the best team at this World Cup for me. I also really like Wesley Sneijder, who will be the MVP of the tournament. I recognize the Dutch do not have a great defense or goalie, but much like Spain they make up for it with their dynamic play in the midfield and Sneijder leads that area of the pitch. The backline for Argentina is also susceptible, with Maradona favoring four natural center backs as his defenders. This will not work against great wingers like Robben and Elijero Elia, who will run at, around, between and behind the likes of Demichellis all game. Robin Van Persie will open the scoring just before halftime to give Holland a 1-0 lead. Sneijder will then score a second, making Argentina needing to attack even more than usual. They will score next through Juan Sebastian Veron, and a late Argentina comeback will look possible. However, Dirk Kuyt will put the Argentine dreams of World Cup glory to bed with a nice breakaway goal as Argentina has to push up most of their players to try to score. This will leave Kuyt the room to run, and he will score, guaranteeing World Cup glory to the Dutch for the first time.

Well that’s how I see the World Cup going. I’m already ½ on predictions, getting the opener correct completely, but not getting the second one. In all honesty, I have no faith in my predictions. Much like my NCAA March Madness brackets, I expect to get much wrong. Once again, I have no expertise or true insight: I am just a massive fan of this fantastic sport, and will be having the time of my life for the next month.