Ah I have returned to the blog! Sorry it’s been so long to those of you who were actually checking to see if I had any new posts (if there are more of you than the five fingers on my right hand, then I will be shocked) but I have good excuses. A mixture of poor internet in Dubai, jet lag, visiting Becca and sixteen hours of work is why I haven’t written in so long. I’m not exactly sure what to write about as so much has happened since I last posted. I think I’m just going to give a run down of what happened today and what could happen tomorrow. Today was a fantastic day of soccer, and my early prediction of this round being the best may come to fruition, especially with Germany vs. Argentina yet to take place.
First of all, I couldn’t be prouder of the Dutch right now. Brazil was their biggest test in terms of making it to the final game, and now they have gotten past them. Their performance in the second half was stupendous, as they pretty much wrestled control from the Brazilians, who could only respond with petulant fouls. What makes this victory even more special is that it is the first time in World Cup history that Brazil has lost after leading at halftime (I thought it was interesting that the team who scored first in both games today lost, very rarely does that happen). Wesley Sneijder provided a performance necessary for the Dutch to succeed; he may not be the official captain of this team, but he is a major leader on the field and is vital to their success. In a gritty game, I thought the defensive midfield duo of Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel was fantastic. Van Bommel is an incredible player to me; every game he participates in, he always seems to deserve at least a yellow card for his antics and actions, but he rarely gets them. Not sure how he does it, cause he definitely should’ve gotten one today. Arjen Robben on the wing wasn’t as effective as usual, but he was a constant nuisance to the Brazilians, just ask Felipe Melo, who got sent off for a frustrated stamp to the Flying Dutchman’s legs. The defense was also very good today, and appears to be much stronger than anticipated (the goalie Stecklenberg was outstanding, and made the save of the tournament stopping a beautiful curling shot from the right foot of Kaká).
Brazil will be kicking themselves for four years because of this loss; they had complete control of the game, and just let it go. The defense looked very shaky and frustrated with the constant threat of the Dutch attacking players. The performance of the defense will make the world wonder what happens if a team with quality forwards attacks Brazil and doesn’t just sit back in awe. All that aside, I couldn’t be happier with the Brazilians exiting the competition simply because I would be willing to bet my life’s savings on Brazil winning in 2014 with the tournament in their backyard. I will be beyond shocked if they do not win it.
The other match was both fantastic and cruel at the same time. Ghana, the last hopes of Africa, were eliminated by an extremely tenacious Uruguayan side. People will be furious with Luis Suarez for deliberately using his hand to stop Ghana from scoring in the final moments of the extra period, but I applaud him. I call that doing everything within your power to ensure your team doesn’t allow a goal, not cheating and ruining the game. It was a total necessity for Suarez’s cause, and the rest of the World who was almost entirely cheering for Ghana,can blame Asamoah Gyan for not converting the penalty kick that would’ve given Africa their first ever semifinalist. In the shootout, Uruguay’s kicks were as a whole better. Anyone who says Ghana should’ve won is blind; Uruguay did the important things to advance, and I will forever respect Luis Suarez for doing everything within his power to give his team a chance to win.
The match I am looking forward to tomorrow is Germany vs. Argentina. It, just like the Brazil vs. Netherlands match, has the potential to be the match of the tournament. The match features two teams who simply do not like each other. Expect the early proceedings to be erratic; the referee must establish control near the beginning of the match before it gets out of hand. I will be rooting for Germany, although I predict Argentina to win. The key is which defense stands up and I think Argentina’s will; the German center back pairing of Arne Freidrich and Per Mertesacker is not a good one, and Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi will run right at them. I can’t see the German attack having the same effect on the other end; Argentina will win, although I hope I am wrong.
The Spain vs. Paraguay game is really interesting as well, even though it is being overshadowed by the other game taking place tomorrow. Paraguay will be Spain’s defense’s toughest test though as they are an attacking side with lots of steel in the midfield. They have the personnel to stand up to Spain and provide them some difficult moments. Spain has far more class, but the Paraguayans have more toughness I think, and will win the match. Back when the World Cup draw came out, I made the bold prediction of neither Brazil nor Spain making the semifinals. I’ve gotten one of them out, got to stay with my prediction; Paraguay upset Spain, on penalty kicks.
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