The wait is finally over.. and so is the World Cup

Finally the long wait is over. After so many attempts and so many failures, Spain have finally succeeded in lifting the coveted trophy of the World Cup. Netherlands will need to continue their attempts and will have to deal with this failure once again.

Spain totally deserved this trophy today. They played way better than Netherlands. The Dutch were just stifling their opponents today with rash challenges. It was a game which featured 12 yellow cards (7 for Netherlands and 5 for Spain) and 1 red – a finals record in itself. The way the Dutch played today disappointed me immensely. I mean, this type of game may be suited for a group stage or so but not for a final. I remember people saying that Alex Ferguson can play this type of a game against Barcelona in the Champions League final and win it but the final deserves respect. And the Dutch didn’t do that today.

3rd place once again…consistency.. I guess..

So Germany have secured the 3rd place at the World Cup once again. Should we call it consistency? I guess we can call that considering what chances they were given at the start of the tournament. They were without their inspirational captain, Michael Ballack, who was out injured. They were without their first choice goalkeeper, Robert Enke, who committed suicide. They were without their second choice goalkeeper, Rene Adler, to injury as well.

This was the youngest ever side put out by Germany for the World Cup. Thats right – youngest ever. Only Ghana had a younger side than them. But this young side had a few things with them. They won the under-21 tournament before this world cup and there was barely any weight of expectations on them since everyone was thinking that this is the worst German team ever and won’t be able to achieve anything. But this team surpassed all expectations. Reaching the semifinals – only losing out to Spain but securing the 3rd place with a 3-2 win over Uruguay for the 2nd tournament running.

Sadly Germany are out…

So Germany are out of the World Cup. Well, they are not exactly out since they would still be playing for the 3rd place but they now have no chance of lifting the World Cup. And that practically ends my interest in the tournament. Holland are still there but I do not support them as I do Germany.

And the fact that is hurting even more is that they didn’t play well. They just defended and defended the entire game. It was not the usual Germany that we saw throughout the tournament. It was the Germany that we saw in the game against Serbia where the passes were not clicking and shoulders started dropping after going behind.

Hup Holland Hup…

Hup Holland Hup is same as Go Holland Go and they sure are going places as they have reached the final of the World Cup for the first time since 1978 with a 3-2 victory over Uruguay with Arjen Robben’s goal being the difference between the two teams.

The first half was a pretty boring affair with two beautiful shots thrown in between. The first one was a screamer of a shot by Bronckhorst from 30 yards out to which the goalkeeper had no answer. Diego Forlan, who had an awesome world cup, equalized in 41st minute with a beautiful shot of his own. Other than that, 1st half didn’t feature much. Holland controlled possession but were not able to make anything out of it. Robben was tightly marked and was not able to get his shots in.

Sherlyn and Larissa must be disappointed or are we??

Today is a really sad day. It should probably go down as the saddest day in the world cup history.

Sherlyn Chopra tweeted before the Argentina v Germany game that she would dance in bikini if Argentina win today. Larissa Riquelme said she would run naked with her body painted in colors of Paraguay if Paraguay go on to win the World Cup.

There were the opportunities but we were denied those. We were denied because of the performances by Argentina and Paraguay. Argentina lost to Germany 4-0 and Paraguay lost to Spain 1-0. This is just sad. But if we look at the positive side, we were spared the cruel sight of Maradona running naked. I guess I’ll take that.

Germany 4-0 Argentina:

Honestly speaking I really didn’t care if Sherlyn danced in her bikini or naked, I would have always been rooting for a Germany win. And they didn’t disappoint me at all. Germany totally slaughtered Argentina. Argentina who boast of talents named Messi, Higuan, Tevez (I don’t think he is a talent though) were totally clueless against a dynamic German side who took their opponents apart.

Drama of quarterfinals has already begun

Quarterfinals of the world cup have begun and they have begun with a bang. Two games full of drama and excitement – what else does a football fan wants? Well, lets leave that question open. If the first game featured an exit for Brazil from the tournament, the 2nd game featured all the drama possible and a cruel cruel exit for only African team left in the tournament – Ghana

Netherlands 2-1 Brazil:

It was a game dominated by 2 men – Melo and Sneijder. Melo provided a brilliant low pass which cut through the Dutch defense and allowed Robinho to latch on to it and give the lead to Brazil. First half was all Brazil as they were ripping apart the Dutch defense. Kaka came close to scoring by a curling shot from outside the penalty box but was denied by Stekelenburg. 2nd half started with the Dutch looking for the equalizer. It came around in 53rd minute when Sneijder crossed in and Melo headed it into his own goal. Think about the save made by Stekenlenburg now.

Germany v Argentina – a look at the matchups

So my favorites Germany are taking on Argentina in the quarterfinal stages of the World Cup tomorrow. This is a rematch of the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal which finished 1-1 with Germany going through on penalties. Which way would this one go? Lets take a look at the key talking points.

Messi v Ozil:
This had to be the one with the limelight. Messi has been dazzling us for some time now. We all know what he can do. He is the player with the most shots in the tournament. He is the player with the most shots on goal in the tournament. Argentina are the team with the most goals scored in the tournament and yet, Messi is the player with no goals scored in the tournament till date. But you never know when he can turn some bit of magic and score a goal or two or create for his teammates. Likes of Tevez and Higuan have benefitted from his service and there is no doubt he’ll at his magical best in this game as well.

Clash of the titans – Spain v Portugal

This was supposedly the most glamorous of the fixtures in the round of 16 in the World Cup apart from the Germany v England game. With the pitch full of star players on either side, it definitely was a temptation for every football lover not to miss this one.

The game started out well with Torres forcing a save out of Eduardo in the 1st minute as he was trying to curl one in from outside the left side of the penalty area. Portugal were not to be left behind and Tiago hit a nice shot which was punched in the air by Casillas and he was able to catch the ball before any Portugal player can get on the end of it.

Robben returns, Brazil dismantle Chile

So it is Netherlands v Brazil in the quarterfinals. This promises to be a juicy fixture as both teams are traditionally known for the their attractive style of play, whether they are playing in their attractive form right now is a different matter altogether.

The Dutch were boosted by the return of Arjen Robben to their starting line up who missed the group stage with an injury and didn’t he delight the fans with his display. 18th minute, he cuts inside from the right wing in his trademark style and shoots into the net with a low, precise shot. He was the main tormentor for the Slovakians today as he kept on carving chances after chances either by his own shooting or by his crisp passing.

Day ruled by controversies…

Germany 4-1 England:

Germany and England have a history of encounters and both team do not like each other. They are considered arch rivals, games between them are kind of a derby. Germany have been more successful if we compare the two teams. England except for their win against Germany in 1966 World Cup, do not have much to show against their rivals. Also, games between the two teams in the World Cup generally go to extra time but this one was a different affair altogether.

Initial 20 minutes didn’t produce much in terms of the chances but Germany were playing better than the English and using the width of the pitch well. Things changed when Neuer hit the goal kick which landed in between Terry and Upson but Klose pounced onto it out-muscling Upson and getting to the ball first before James and scoring the goal. It was a mistake by 3 English players. Firstly, Terry and Upson for not being able to deal with it and allowing Klose a chance on the ball and James who came in for the ball very very late. This was Klose’s 50th goal in 99 games for Germany and 12th of the World Cup equaling Pele’s tally.