After a World Cup that has sparkled in patches but been mediocre overall, Sunday's final turned out to be one of poorest games of the knockout stages. The warning came as soon as the teams were announced: 4-5-1 vs. 4-5-1. Those formations can result in free-flowing, attacking football, particularly when the wingers push up. However if the wing-men stay around the middle of the pitch and are forced to continually track back, the result is two ten-men defensive walls facing off against each other. That was the case Sunday.
Nonetheless, after a dull first period, chances did come in the second half. Unfortunately, both teams showed a shocking lack of finishing ability in front of goal when they got there. Arjen Robben was particularly wasteful for the Dutch, while Andres Iniesta and David Villa also failed to convert opportunities.
To make matters worse, starting in the second minute when Robin Van Persie clipped a Spanish defender, the game became very chippy, with countless fouls and the referee receiving an earful every time he raised his whistle to his lips. By the game's end, a record number of yellow cards for a World Cup final had been dished out, and in all honesty, there could have been more (Nigel De Jong in particular was lucky to stay on the field after planting his studs in Xabi Alonso's chest).
In the end, probably the best national team (both in the tournament and over the past two years) won, courtesy of an Iniesta goal four minutes before a penalty shoot-out was due.
It still wasn't enough to save a game that surely won't last long in the memory, apart from Spanish and Dutch fans, of course.
Jul 11, 2010
Jul 7, 2010
World Cup: Quarter- and Semi-Finals
Six days, six games, six teams' World Cup dreams crushed.
Some teams went down defiantly (Ghana, Paraguay), others fell with barely a whimper (Argentina, Germany).
As the dust cleared Wednesday evening, only Holland and Spain, two of the most pedigreed soccer nations without a World Cup triumph to their name, were left standing to face each other in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Neither team has blown its opponents out of the water in this tournament - in fact both have been guilty of some overly laborious wins- but they have done what all good soccer teams (no, all good sports teams) do: win games while not playing their best.
The Spanish boast the prized scalps of both Portugal and Germany, while the Dutch own perhaps the most impressive scalp of all, Brazil. Spain have the red-hot David Villa, but Holland have the red-hot Wesley Sneijder. Spain have a striker struggling to find his best form in Fernando Torres, but Holland matches them with Robin Van Persie. Spanish full-back Sergio Ramos loves to get forward and join the attack, but Dutch full-back Giovanni Van Bronckhorst may have just scored the goal of the tournament against Uruguay.
Something has got to give when they meet Sunday in Soccer City, Johannesburg. Can the Dutch back six (let's be honest, holding midfielders Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong aren't in this team to score goals) stifle Spain's offensive play the way it did with Brazil? Or can Spain pass their opponents into the ground and completely starve them of possession?
One thing that I am fairly certain of is that Holland will not sit back the way Germany did against Spain. Holland will commit more players forward in order to trouble Carlos Puyol et al., even if that means Spain has more space to create opportunities at the other end. I'd like to say this has all the makings of being an entertaining, open game but I've seen enough major soccer finals inevitably turn into defensive chess matches to know better.
Predicted World Cup Winner: Spain
And now a look back at the quarter- and semi-finals.
Game of the rounds: Holland: 2 – Brazil: 1
Going into this game, Brazil had arguably looked like the best team in the tournament. So when they took the lead by exploiting the already-suspect Dutch central defense with only ten minutes gone, it appeared it might be a long night for the Oranje. But Holland showed great determination to hold them until the half, and then in the second exploit Brazil's two glaring weaknesses: their ability to defend high balls into the box and to keep their cool. Arjen Robben was a thorn in Brazil's side all game- winning free-kick after free-kick and infuriating the Brazilian players- and Sneijder scored both goals to send the favorites home.
Runner-Up: Uruguay: 1* -Ghana: 1
Worst Game: Argentina: 0 – Germany: 4
This game promised so much: two of the most exciting teams in the competition, some bad blood left over from the last World Cup and plenty of trash-talking in the build-up; but ended up falling completely flat. The Germans took the early lead, and tore the Argentines apart in the second half with devastating attacking moves. They completely outplayed the South Americans, who had a dreadful showing.
Runner-Up: Spain: 1 -Germany: 1
Biggest Upset: Holland: 2 – Brazil: 1
It must be nice to root for a team for which a loss, no matter the stage or the opponent, is almost always considered an major upset...though that's probably won't bring much comfort to Brazilian fans right now.
Runner-Up: Argentina: 0 – Germany: 4
Best Performer (Team): Holland
The Dutch just sneaked this because of their impressive win over the Brazilians. Spain's dominance of previously ebullient Germans was impressive as well, but the victory wasn't achieved in such a dramatic fashion.
Runner-Up: Spain
Worst Performer (Team): Argentina
Argentina's veil of unity evaporated when the going got tough against a very team-oriented German side. For all their individual superstars, Argentina failed to play with any type of cohesion in the game and had their defensive weaknesses ruthlessly exploited.
Best Performer (Player): Wesley Sneijder, Holland
Three goals in two huge matches for the diminutive midfielder who has seen everything he touches turn to gold this calendar year (let's not forget his club side, Inter Milan, won the treble this season). While none of his goals were particularly pretty, his contributions for the Dutch go far beyond getting on the score-sheet. He is a masterful passer and offensive creator, and he possesses the kind of self-confidence you need to truly excel at the highest level of sports.
Runner-Up: Carlos Puyol, Spain
Worst Performer (Player): Oscar Cardozo, Paraguay
Things might have turned out oh-so-differently in this competition had Cardozo buried the penalty kick he won in the second half of Paraguay's quarterfinal against Spain. But he shot straight at Iker Casillas, perhaps costing the Paraguayans what would have been the upset of the tournament. He'll hear about that miss for the rest of his life. (Asamoah Gyan might also have been worthy of this spot for the exact same mistake, but after all his great performances in the tournament, it felt harsh to single him out for criticism.)
Runner-Up: Sergio Romero, Argentina
Best Goal: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Holland
The 35 year-old left back received a pass on the left side channel about 40 yards from out from goal with no defenders in front of him. He pushed the ball forward into space with his first touch and then, without hesitation, blasted the ball goalwards. The shot screamed across Nestor Muslera, who managed to get his fingertips to it, but couldn't prevent it from flying into the top corner, via the post. An unstoppable strike.
Runner-Up: Arne Friedrich, Germany
Jul 1, 2010
World Cup: Second Round
Consider this two-day World Cup hiatus the calm before the storm as we prepare to truly enter the business end of the tournament.
Eight teams are still standing -Uruguay, Ghana, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Paraguay, and Spain- and in all honesty few teams that have been eliminated thus far can have too many complaints about it (South Korea, Japan and the US -in that order- would head the list though).
Of the eight quarter finalists, at least 5 were roundly expected to be there: Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. Sure, they were questions about Argentina, who scraped through qualification under Diego Maradona, and Germany, who brought an inexperienced squad to the tournament. However, the Argentines’ star power has shone through so far and the players (the ones who made the squad anyway) look as though they have truly made their peace with Maradona’s exuberant leadership style. As for the Germans, they proved that their stellar qualifying record shouldn’t have been overlooked when the teams were being handicapped pre-tournament.
The fact that Uruguay, Ghana and Paraguay are still standing in the competition constitutes somewhat more of a surprise. Sure, none of them were considered rank outsiders going in but I doubt many people envisioned all three making the quarters.
And now, because Uruguay and Ghana face each other, one of them will be in a World Cup semi-final (probably the biggest surprise semi-finalist since host nation South Korea made it in 2002 by beating Italy and Spain).
Uruguay has probably been the most impressive of the three, having won three of their four games. They’ve shown defensive grit and solidity (only one allowed goal so far) and possess a midfield and strike force that can carve out chances. At the other end of the spectrum, Paraguay has only won one game in normal time so far, against Slovakia, and I can’t see them making it past Spain.
Of the quarterfinal match-ups, two obviously stand out as the most mouthwatering: Argentina-Germany and Brazil-Netherlands. All four teams have performed well so far and there’s plenty of history to each matchup; for the first dating back only to this stage of the competition last time around (a tense, drama-filled German penalty victory).
My four predicted semi-finalists: Uruguay, Brazil, Germany and Spain.
And now, a look back at the second round matches.
-Game of the round: Uruguay: 2 - South Korea: 1
Not a lot of obvious superstars in this match-up, but it was one of the few second round games that truly swayed back and forth between the teams throughout. Uruguay started better and deservedly took the lead, but South Korea struck back. They dominated most of the second half and equalized. It took a moment of individual brilliance from Luis Suarez to determine a winner with ten minutes left on the clock.
Runner-Up: United States: 1 – Ghana: 2
-Worst Game: England: 1 – Germany: 4
Say what you will about the possible implantation of goal line technology, but in this game, it might at least have saved World Cup viewers a brutally dull final twenty minutes. By that point, Germany was 4-1 up, and, given England’s complete lack of offensive creativity, the last quarter of the game was awash. Apart from a fifteen minute period after Matthew Upson’s header had made it 2-1, England didn’t show up for this one and Germany took full advantage of the mismatch.
Runner-Up: Argentina: 3 – Mexico: 1 (Linesman’s mistake aside, Mexico never really challenged Argentina)
-Biggest Upset:
There really wasn’t one in this round. Ghana beating the US, maybe, but I think most people had them pretty much neck-and-neck. Had either of the Asian teams triumphed, and they both came mighty close, this spot would have been theirs.
-Best Performer (Team): Brazil
Brazil continues to breeze through this competition. They have not looked troubled in any of their games, and have not even shown any of the defensive lapses sometimes associated with Brazilian teams. They were far, far too good for Chile and should have plenty left in the tank for Holland.
Runner-Up: Germany
-Worst Performer (Team): England
Another year, another World Cup disappointment for the English. Some of England’s problems are so old, it seems dull to even discuss them (Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard not being able to play together, lack of a decent goalkeeper, no viable strike partner for Wayne Rooney) but some new ones cropped up this time around: a lack of pace in their defense (Klose’s goal was a perfect example of this), and a lack of offensive creativity and weapons (illustrated by the fact that Rooney kept his place on the team after three bad performances in a row).
Runner-Up: Chile
-Best Performer (Individual): Carlos Tevez, Argentina
Tevez was at his skillful yet dogged best against Mexico. He chased and harried defenders all over the field, scored two goals (including a second-half screamer) and linked up well with Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain. He might well have completed a deserved hat-trick had he not been substituted with twenty minutes left.
Runner-Up: David Villa, Spain
-Worst Performer (Individual): Ricardo Osorio, Mexico
A brutal day for one Mexico’s defensive cogs. The right-back gifted Argentina their second goal when he tried to lay the ball off to someone- only he could tell you who- but ended up presenting the ball to Higuain who ran onto it and finished clinically. Still reeling, Osorio almost gave away another a few minutes later after a second error.
Runner-Up: Fernando Torres, Spain
-Best Goal: David Suarez, Uruguay
Just pips Tevez’s effort because of its importance in deciding the tie. With the clock winding down and the score level at one apiece, a Uruguayan corner ricocheted into Suarez’s feet on the left side of the penalty area. With two defenders standing him up, he took a quick touch to his right to give himself some room before curling the ball beautifully around the Korean goalkeeper, off the post and into the back of the net to book Uruguay’s place in the last eight.
Runner-Up: Carlos Tevez, Argentina
Eight teams are still standing -Uruguay, Ghana, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Paraguay, and Spain- and in all honesty few teams that have been eliminated thus far can have too many complaints about it (South Korea, Japan and the US -in that order- would head the list though).
Of the eight quarter finalists, at least 5 were roundly expected to be there: Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. Sure, they were questions about Argentina, who scraped through qualification under Diego Maradona, and Germany, who brought an inexperienced squad to the tournament. However, the Argentines’ star power has shone through so far and the players (the ones who made the squad anyway) look as though they have truly made their peace with Maradona’s exuberant leadership style. As for the Germans, they proved that their stellar qualifying record shouldn’t have been overlooked when the teams were being handicapped pre-tournament.
The fact that Uruguay, Ghana and Paraguay are still standing in the competition constitutes somewhat more of a surprise. Sure, none of them were considered rank outsiders going in but I doubt many people envisioned all three making the quarters.
And now, because Uruguay and Ghana face each other, one of them will be in a World Cup semi-final (probably the biggest surprise semi-finalist since host nation South Korea made it in 2002 by beating Italy and Spain).
Uruguay has probably been the most impressive of the three, having won three of their four games. They’ve shown defensive grit and solidity (only one allowed goal so far) and possess a midfield and strike force that can carve out chances. At the other end of the spectrum, Paraguay has only won one game in normal time so far, against Slovakia, and I can’t see them making it past Spain.
Of the quarterfinal match-ups, two obviously stand out as the most mouthwatering: Argentina-Germany and Brazil-Netherlands. All four teams have performed well so far and there’s plenty of history to each matchup; for the first dating back only to this stage of the competition last time around (a tense, drama-filled German penalty victory).
My four predicted semi-finalists: Uruguay, Brazil, Germany and Spain.
And now, a look back at the second round matches.
-Game of the round: Uruguay: 2 - South Korea: 1
Not a lot of obvious superstars in this match-up, but it was one of the few second round games that truly swayed back and forth between the teams throughout. Uruguay started better and deservedly took the lead, but South Korea struck back. They dominated most of the second half and equalized. It took a moment of individual brilliance from Luis Suarez to determine a winner with ten minutes left on the clock.
Runner-Up: United States: 1 – Ghana: 2
-Worst Game: England: 1 – Germany: 4
Say what you will about the possible implantation of goal line technology, but in this game, it might at least have saved World Cup viewers a brutally dull final twenty minutes. By that point, Germany was 4-1 up, and, given England’s complete lack of offensive creativity, the last quarter of the game was awash. Apart from a fifteen minute period after Matthew Upson’s header had made it 2-1, England didn’t show up for this one and Germany took full advantage of the mismatch.
Runner-Up: Argentina: 3 – Mexico: 1 (Linesman’s mistake aside, Mexico never really challenged Argentina)
-Biggest Upset:
There really wasn’t one in this round. Ghana beating the US, maybe, but I think most people had them pretty much neck-and-neck. Had either of the Asian teams triumphed, and they both came mighty close, this spot would have been theirs.
-Best Performer (Team): Brazil
Brazil continues to breeze through this competition. They have not looked troubled in any of their games, and have not even shown any of the defensive lapses sometimes associated with Brazilian teams. They were far, far too good for Chile and should have plenty left in the tank for Holland.
Runner-Up: Germany
-Worst Performer (Team): England
Another year, another World Cup disappointment for the English. Some of England’s problems are so old, it seems dull to even discuss them (Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard not being able to play together, lack of a decent goalkeeper, no viable strike partner for Wayne Rooney) but some new ones cropped up this time around: a lack of pace in their defense (Klose’s goal was a perfect example of this), and a lack of offensive creativity and weapons (illustrated by the fact that Rooney kept his place on the team after three bad performances in a row).
Runner-Up: Chile
-Best Performer (Individual): Carlos Tevez, Argentina
Tevez was at his skillful yet dogged best against Mexico. He chased and harried defenders all over the field, scored two goals (including a second-half screamer) and linked up well with Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain. He might well have completed a deserved hat-trick had he not been substituted with twenty minutes left.
Runner-Up: David Villa, Spain
-Worst Performer (Individual): Ricardo Osorio, Mexico
A brutal day for one Mexico’s defensive cogs. The right-back gifted Argentina their second goal when he tried to lay the ball off to someone- only he could tell you who- but ended up presenting the ball to Higuain who ran onto it and finished clinically. Still reeling, Osorio almost gave away another a few minutes later after a second error.
Runner-Up: Fernando Torres, Spain
-Best Goal: David Suarez, Uruguay
Just pips Tevez’s effort because of its importance in deciding the tie. With the clock winding down and the score level at one apiece, a Uruguayan corner ricocheted into Suarez’s feet on the left side of the penalty area. With two defenders standing him up, he took a quick touch to his right to give himself some room before curling the ball beautifully around the Korean goalkeeper, off the post and into the back of the net to book Uruguay’s place in the last eight.
Runner-Up: Carlos Tevez, Argentina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)