I figured that with my last post on this blog, I would do what everyone else does and make a list of my picks for the all tournament team. I'm going to go with a standard 4-4-2 formation and try to pick based on specific positions (rather than four holding middies or something similar), but if I need to twist it a little to make sure a quality player is mentioned, I will. Anyway, let's get started.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
I think this is a bit of a gimmie because he won the Golden Glove, but it's kind of hard to argue with his numbers and the championship. Five clean sheets including all four elimination games and only two goals allowed over the entire tournament. Wow. Of course his defense did a great job to help him in those matches, but he made several big saves when his team needed him. Spain would most likely not be world champions without the leg save he made on Arjen Robben's breakaway in the championship match and plenty of other key stops. Other possible choices were Maarten Stekelenberg, Richard Kingson and Manuel Neuer, but in the end you have to take the guy who won it all.
Defenders: Fabio Coentrao, Carles Puyol, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Maicon
There are a couple of debatable choices here because Coentrao and Tanaka didn't make it out of the round of sixteen, but I would argue that that certainly wasn't because of their lack of skill or effort. Coentrao was a menace down the left side in every match he played and also played fantastic defense when faced with quick wingers such as Sergio Ramos in that round of sixteen match. The Blue Samurai held a special place in my heart during this tournament due to their gutty and surprisingly strong play and Tanaka was the anchor in the back that kept everything in place. He was magnificent in the air and cleared out anything that came his way. Puyol doesn't just make the list because he played on the winning team, but because he (along with Gerard Pique) did everything in their power to protect Casillas and were a large part of the fantastic clean sheet streak. The fact that Puyol put in the game-winning header against Germany certainly doesn't hurt either. Maicon makes this list because of his incredible pace coming down the right side and his absurd impossible angle, outside of the foot shot that somehow found its way in. More than that, he was a positive force in every game that Brazil played and it is certainly not his fault that they saw an early exit. Honorable mentions here are Philipp Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Per Mertesacker , and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.
Midfielders: Wesley Sneijder, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Xavi, Thomas Muller
So many goals and so much creative playmaking. This list of middies had pretty much everything during the tournament and are major reasons for their teams' success. Sneijder almost quietly put up five goals in the tournament, most likely going by the wayside due to his teammate Robben's play and antics on the field. But make no mistake about Sneijder's worth as he scored and set up teammates time and time again. Schweinsteiger and Xavi played similar roles as midfield distributors and both did their job to near perfection. Schweinsteiger may even been a legitimate candidate to player of the tournament if it weren't for a lesser role in Germany's confrontation with Spain due to a different role in which he was forced to play much more defensively. Xavi was perhaps not as good as he has been, but his "pretty good" is still better than almost anyone's best. His quick passing and bountiful creativity were a major reason Spain is celebrating as they are now. Muller was the revelation of the tournament, along with many of his young teammates such as Mesut Ozil. He marauded up and down the right win making life difficult for any defender attempting to keep him under control. Even more than that, he played smart, never letting himself get too far forward and exposing the defense. His suspension for the semifinal match with Spain may have turned the tide all by itself. Honorable mentions here include Mark Van Bommel, Arjen Robben, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Javier Mascherano.
Strikers: David Villa, Diego Forlan
For me, this was the easiest position to pick and I don't see how there could be much argument. Villa was the spark that Spain needed to get going in the group stage and his first goal against Honduras is a candidate for goal of the tournament. If anything, Villa was only held in check by tactics when he was forced to play the role of the lone striker once Spain left his normal partner Fernando Torres on the bench. Forlan is even the more obvious choice as he would be my pick for player of the tournament. Everything Uruguay needed Forlan to do, he did. He scored goals, he created wonderfully, and he did everything he could to beat the Dutch by himself in the semifinals though he fell just short. Most players can only dream to have the tournament that Forlan did and this should be remembered as the year of his brilliance. Honorable mentions here include Keisuke Honda and Robert Vittek.
There is my list and with that, there is my last post. I immensely enjoyed this whole process and loved watching every single one of these matches. I doubt many (if any) of you followed me this whole time, but thank you if you did and thank you if you only checked here once. I'm tossing around ideas in my head for a running sports blog, but admittedly don't have anything finalized yet. If I do, it will most likely have more snark than this recounting of my favorite sporting event, so be forewarned. When/If I set everything up, I will make sure everyone is informed as best I can. I hope anyone reading this enjoyed the 2010 World Cup as much as I did. Take care.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Viva Espana!
Wow. Just... wow. Don't let the 1-0 scoreboard fool you, this was an incredibly exciting final with a lot of great chances for both sides. And with a score in extra time? Talk about high drama. We watched this match out at our favorite local bar, Irish Village, once again so I don't have specific notes throughout the match. I'll just do my best to capture the scene as it came to us.
Holland vs Spain
I got to the bar about ten minutes after two and it was already pretty full. The people I was watching with had locked down a corner booth so we stayed there for the entirety of the match, but there were plenty of shenanigans going on around the place. There was a group of 10-15 guys that were pretty heavily invested in the outcome, either through love of a particular side or through gambling, but they were the entertaining rowdy section of the bar for the day. Eventually we settled into the game and watched as Spain and Holland both tried their best to be the new name on the World Cup trophy. Early on, it was a physical match as Holland seemed determined to keep Spain from calmly possessing the ball and slowly moving forward. Henceforth known as the anti-Germany strategy, Holland pressured every pass that Spain attempted and refused to let the Spanish wingers receive easy balls to let them run one-on-one with Dutch defenders. Despite the pressure, Spain still had the best early chances. Off of a corner, Sergio Ramos put an excellent header on net but Maarten Stekelenburg was there for a great one handed diving save. A bit later, a long cross found David Villa on the back post, but his difficult volley ended up in the side netting rather than troubling Stekelenburg.
Holland was able to get some chances forward too, so don't let my pro-Spain bias fool you. Wesley Sneijder took a free kick straight at Iker Casillas, but the ball didn't dip enough to give the awkward bounce that Sneijder wanted. This game remained very physical with five yellow cards given in the first half, three to Holland and two to Spain. For the most part, these were valid yellows, either for an awkward challenge or persistent rough play. The only truly dicey call actually erred on the softer side when Nigel De Jong side-kicked Xabi Alonso directly in the chest. He completely missed the ball and got his high challenge directly into his opponent, studs up, chest high. Brutal, brutal foul that Alonso was lucky to get up from and De Jong was lucky to only see a yellow for. I don't blame the referee for not giving a straight red in the first half of a championship match but this is one of those times where you could actually see it happening. Regardless, De Jong, dirty bastard that he is (sorry, built up Stuart Holden anger bubbling over here), stayed on the pitch and the Dutch continued to do well to deny Spain easy possession. Xavi and Andres Iniesta were being pressured wherever they were on the field and couldn't rip the Dutch open on quick passes as they are want to do. The half ended with a 0-0 score but a lot of chances for each side.
I've already seen some complaints about the officiating of Howard Webb and for the first time in the World Cup, I feel the need to come to the referee's defense. There were a lot of very bad challenges during this match and plenty of them deserved yellow cards. Webb did slow the game down with his constant calls, but I really do feel that they were justified. Too many Spanish and Dutch players were hacking down their opponents in the midfield and too many players were diving to get calls. Given the pressure he was under, I thought that Webb did a great job. The first good chance of the second half was more than a good chance when Arjen Robben was played through for a 1-on-1 with the keeper and put a shot at the left post that Casillas saved expertly by dragging his back foot. Don't get me wrong; Robben could have done much better with this shot and perhaps should have. But Casillas made a fantastic save by taking away the easier front post and leaving his feet behind so he could stop a back post shot. Great, great, great save. Later on, Ramos did a great job of drifting away from his man to get open for another header off a corner kick, but he somehow endeavored to put it way over the net. This was a golden opportunity and Ramos needed to do so much better than his weak contact over goal. Poor, poor play.
As time went on, the Dutch looked like they would close the game out when Robben got another open chance on Casillas but was legally turned by the defender and then Casillas closed the ball out well. This may have been the highlight of Dutch attacking play as Spain was the more dangerous side from here on out. In fact, I remember saying "Spain is looking good" to my friends who were rooting for Holland on several occasions. After the 70th minute or so, it really looked like Spain was going to get one of those "matter of time" goals because of all of their pressure and build up. Cesc Fabregas came on for Xabi Alonso in the 87th and though he was a bit rough on his first couple of passes, he provided a creative spark for Spain that they were truly missing before. This is about where extra time came and you could tell it was needed as each side was just trying to get to the break.
Out of extra time, Spain had the first good chance as Fabregas was played through well and tried to go back post on Stekelenburg but the Dutch keeper made another excellent save with his back foot to deny Cesc. So close for the Spanish, but still too far. Just afterward, Joris Mathijsen headed an open chance over the net for the Dutch, apparently trying to make up for the chance that Ramos missed. At this point, it was good to see that the game has seriously opened up rather than closed down. Both teams were competing for their first World Cup victory but neither tried to slow it down and wait for shootouts, which was fantastic for all the fans watching. The game changed with eleven minutes left to go in the entire match when John Heitinga was sent off with his second yellow of the match. To be honest, even as a Spanish supporter, I think this was a bit harsh. Heitinga definitely committed a foul, but wasn't egregious with it in the least. No matter the truth of the foul, Spain made them pay in the 116th minute when Iniesta got free behind the defense and hit a well-struck volley into the back corner, despite Stekelenburg getting a hand to it. What a goal. It wasn't as pretty as many that we've seen in this World Cup, but it was an expert finish off of a good opportunity, which is more than we can say for several chances in this very game, most notably the chances of Robben. Spain managed to hang on through the last five minutes or so and won their first ever World Cup.
This was a fantastic win. I've seen a lot of commentary already about how this was a boring final match and I fully disagree. There were lots of chances for each side and the midfield play, while brutal at times, was very interesting to watch. Each side put shots on goal and Spain was the only team to be able to convert. Just a great match to watch. I'll be back one more time to give my team of the tournament and close with some comments. Thanks for anyone that has actually read this far. Viva Espana!
Holland vs Spain
I got to the bar about ten minutes after two and it was already pretty full. The people I was watching with had locked down a corner booth so we stayed there for the entirety of the match, but there were plenty of shenanigans going on around the place. There was a group of 10-15 guys that were pretty heavily invested in the outcome, either through love of a particular side or through gambling, but they were the entertaining rowdy section of the bar for the day. Eventually we settled into the game and watched as Spain and Holland both tried their best to be the new name on the World Cup trophy. Early on, it was a physical match as Holland seemed determined to keep Spain from calmly possessing the ball and slowly moving forward. Henceforth known as the anti-Germany strategy, Holland pressured every pass that Spain attempted and refused to let the Spanish wingers receive easy balls to let them run one-on-one with Dutch defenders. Despite the pressure, Spain still had the best early chances. Off of a corner, Sergio Ramos put an excellent header on net but Maarten Stekelenburg was there for a great one handed diving save. A bit later, a long cross found David Villa on the back post, but his difficult volley ended up in the side netting rather than troubling Stekelenburg.
Holland was able to get some chances forward too, so don't let my pro-Spain bias fool you. Wesley Sneijder took a free kick straight at Iker Casillas, but the ball didn't dip enough to give the awkward bounce that Sneijder wanted. This game remained very physical with five yellow cards given in the first half, three to Holland and two to Spain. For the most part, these were valid yellows, either for an awkward challenge or persistent rough play. The only truly dicey call actually erred on the softer side when Nigel De Jong side-kicked Xabi Alonso directly in the chest. He completely missed the ball and got his high challenge directly into his opponent, studs up, chest high. Brutal, brutal foul that Alonso was lucky to get up from and De Jong was lucky to only see a yellow for. I don't blame the referee for not giving a straight red in the first half of a championship match but this is one of those times where you could actually see it happening. Regardless, De Jong, dirty bastard that he is (sorry, built up Stuart Holden anger bubbling over here), stayed on the pitch and the Dutch continued to do well to deny Spain easy possession. Xavi and Andres Iniesta were being pressured wherever they were on the field and couldn't rip the Dutch open on quick passes as they are want to do. The half ended with a 0-0 score but a lot of chances for each side.
I've already seen some complaints about the officiating of Howard Webb and for the first time in the World Cup, I feel the need to come to the referee's defense. There were a lot of very bad challenges during this match and plenty of them deserved yellow cards. Webb did slow the game down with his constant calls, but I really do feel that they were justified. Too many Spanish and Dutch players were hacking down their opponents in the midfield and too many players were diving to get calls. Given the pressure he was under, I thought that Webb did a great job. The first good chance of the second half was more than a good chance when Arjen Robben was played through for a 1-on-1 with the keeper and put a shot at the left post that Casillas saved expertly by dragging his back foot. Don't get me wrong; Robben could have done much better with this shot and perhaps should have. But Casillas made a fantastic save by taking away the easier front post and leaving his feet behind so he could stop a back post shot. Great, great, great save. Later on, Ramos did a great job of drifting away from his man to get open for another header off a corner kick, but he somehow endeavored to put it way over the net. This was a golden opportunity and Ramos needed to do so much better than his weak contact over goal. Poor, poor play.
As time went on, the Dutch looked like they would close the game out when Robben got another open chance on Casillas but was legally turned by the defender and then Casillas closed the ball out well. This may have been the highlight of Dutch attacking play as Spain was the more dangerous side from here on out. In fact, I remember saying "Spain is looking good" to my friends who were rooting for Holland on several occasions. After the 70th minute or so, it really looked like Spain was going to get one of those "matter of time" goals because of all of their pressure and build up. Cesc Fabregas came on for Xabi Alonso in the 87th and though he was a bit rough on his first couple of passes, he provided a creative spark for Spain that they were truly missing before. This is about where extra time came and you could tell it was needed as each side was just trying to get to the break.
Out of extra time, Spain had the first good chance as Fabregas was played through well and tried to go back post on Stekelenburg but the Dutch keeper made another excellent save with his back foot to deny Cesc. So close for the Spanish, but still too far. Just afterward, Joris Mathijsen headed an open chance over the net for the Dutch, apparently trying to make up for the chance that Ramos missed. At this point, it was good to see that the game has seriously opened up rather than closed down. Both teams were competing for their first World Cup victory but neither tried to slow it down and wait for shootouts, which was fantastic for all the fans watching. The game changed with eleven minutes left to go in the entire match when John Heitinga was sent off with his second yellow of the match. To be honest, even as a Spanish supporter, I think this was a bit harsh. Heitinga definitely committed a foul, but wasn't egregious with it in the least. No matter the truth of the foul, Spain made them pay in the 116th minute when Iniesta got free behind the defense and hit a well-struck volley into the back corner, despite Stekelenburg getting a hand to it. What a goal. It wasn't as pretty as many that we've seen in this World Cup, but it was an expert finish off of a good opportunity, which is more than we can say for several chances in this very game, most notably the chances of Robben. Spain managed to hang on through the last five minutes or so and won their first ever World Cup.
This was a fantastic win. I've seen a lot of commentary already about how this was a boring final match and I fully disagree. There were lots of chances for each side and the midfield play, while brutal at times, was very interesting to watch. Each side put shots on goal and Spain was the only team to be able to convert. Just a great match to watch. I'll be back one more time to give my team of the tournament and close with some comments. Thanks for anyone that has actually read this far. Viva Espana!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I Don't Want to Say "I Told You So," But...
I told you so. Germany to win, five goals scored? I could have sworn I said that somewhere before the game. Yes, it's unrepentant bragging, but I'll take it where I can get it. On to the match!
Uruguay vs Germany
Before the game even started, the first thing that struck me was how many changes there were for Germany. I know that Miroslav Klose was hurt after the semifinal match so it wasn't terribly surprising to see him out of the lineup. But it was a bit of a shock that Manuel Neuer, Lukas Podolski, and Philipp Lahm were also out as well. This didn't seem to bother Germany that much as they started the early part of the match in control and Uruguay couldn't really get any good possession. That changed in around the 7th minute when Diego Forlan took two successive free kicks and almost put the second one in the back of the net. It was a difficult shot from just outside the 18 and he did well to get it up and over the wall, but it went just wide and perhaps just a little high. After that, Uruguay seemed to play better and keep the match more even, but Germany still put chances on goal and just missed the opening tally when a corner kick to the back post found Arne Friedrich, who put his header off the crossbar. Germany would still open the scoring in the 19th when Bastian Schweinsteiger put a curling shot on goal from distance that keeper Fernando Muslera misjudged and couldn't do anything to but swat it away. Thomas Muller made the smart run into the box and passed the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring, bringing him level with Wesley Sneijder and David Villa in the race for the Golden Boot.
Uruguay fought back after this though, showing the never say die attitude that they've had throughout the tournament. Germany either got complacent or were simply outplayed as Uruguay held possession and looked the more dangerous side. Things went their way in the 28th when Diego Perez tackled the ball away from Schweinsteiger and put a quick ball ahead to Luis Suarez. Suarez played a perfectly waited ball to Edinson Cavani who took one touch and then finished past backup keeper Hans-Jorg Butt inside the back post. Uruguay continued the pressure and took advantage of numerous German turnovers to keep the pressure on pushing forward. The half ended with Germany looked a little lost and that continued into the second half. In the 48th minue, Cavani was played through well, but Butt came out to smother his attempt. Cavani still controlled the rebound too and played the ball back to Suarez who took a shot that Butt parried away but probably would have gone wide anyway. Suarez looked very unsure of himself this match and generally seemed to be both too tentative and too stubborn on his pushes forward. His attacking partner Forlan had none of those nerves however and put the Uruguayans ahead with a beautiful strike in the 51st minute. Egidio Arevalo hit a cross in from the right side and Forlan side-volleyed the ball into the back of the net after a bounce, leaving Butt with no chance for a save. Brilliant, brilliant goal from perhaps the best player in the entire tournament.
Germany showed their characteristic resolve though and leveled the match just minutes later against the run of play, which Uruguay was still dominating. Jerome Boateng played a fantastic out-swinging long cross in from the right and new starter Marcell Jansen headed the ball into the back of the net between two defenders and a panicked Muslera. All of a sudden the game was much more open and much more even with chances coming from each side. Suarez created space in the 62nd minute and unleashed a nice swerving shot that Butt went airborne to get his body behind and punched it away. Butt was active again in the 65th when he closed down Forlan well on the left corner of the six to smother the prolific striker's attempt. It was Cacau's turn in the 71st, but he put his chance from the left corner of the penalty area over and wide. In the 76th, substitute Stefan Kiebling (no proper English translation seems to be available) turned away from his defender smoothly but hit his strike directly at Muslera. With all of these hectic chances and back and forth play, it makes sense that the winning goal came on a scramble in the box. A corner kick wasn't cleared well and instead popped up in front of Sami Khedira, who smartly floated his header over an outstretch Muslera and into the right corner of the net. Uruguay of course pressed hard to get the equalizer and the last play of the game came down to a free kick from about twenty-two yards from net. Forlan stepped up to the spot and provided more of his magic, but it was just not quite enough. His brilliant dipping free kick made it over the diving Butt's hand, but clanged off the crossbar to give the Germans third place in the 2010 World Cup.
Germany 3 - 2 Uruguay
This game was everything you could want a third place game to be: two eliminated teams going for everything and playing loose to try to salvage something out of their tough semifinal losses. In the end, Germany was the better team and put on a display that maybe would have been put to better use against the Spaniards in the semis. Regardless of the "could have, should ofs," this was a fantastic match that served as an excellent appetizer to what will hopefully be a classic contest tomorrow. With all of the excellent soccer that has been played to this point in a World Cup for the ages, a dramatic finale would be the fitting end. It's up to Spain and Holland now to make that happen.
Uruguay vs Germany
Before the game even started, the first thing that struck me was how many changes there were for Germany. I know that Miroslav Klose was hurt after the semifinal match so it wasn't terribly surprising to see him out of the lineup. But it was a bit of a shock that Manuel Neuer, Lukas Podolski, and Philipp Lahm were also out as well. This didn't seem to bother Germany that much as they started the early part of the match in control and Uruguay couldn't really get any good possession. That changed in around the 7th minute when Diego Forlan took two successive free kicks and almost put the second one in the back of the net. It was a difficult shot from just outside the 18 and he did well to get it up and over the wall, but it went just wide and perhaps just a little high. After that, Uruguay seemed to play better and keep the match more even, but Germany still put chances on goal and just missed the opening tally when a corner kick to the back post found Arne Friedrich, who put his header off the crossbar. Germany would still open the scoring in the 19th when Bastian Schweinsteiger put a curling shot on goal from distance that keeper Fernando Muslera misjudged and couldn't do anything to but swat it away. Thomas Muller made the smart run into the box and passed the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring, bringing him level with Wesley Sneijder and David Villa in the race for the Golden Boot.
Uruguay fought back after this though, showing the never say die attitude that they've had throughout the tournament. Germany either got complacent or were simply outplayed as Uruguay held possession and looked the more dangerous side. Things went their way in the 28th when Diego Perez tackled the ball away from Schweinsteiger and put a quick ball ahead to Luis Suarez. Suarez played a perfectly waited ball to Edinson Cavani who took one touch and then finished past backup keeper Hans-Jorg Butt inside the back post. Uruguay continued the pressure and took advantage of numerous German turnovers to keep the pressure on pushing forward. The half ended with Germany looked a little lost and that continued into the second half. In the 48th minue, Cavani was played through well, but Butt came out to smother his attempt. Cavani still controlled the rebound too and played the ball back to Suarez who took a shot that Butt parried away but probably would have gone wide anyway. Suarez looked very unsure of himself this match and generally seemed to be both too tentative and too stubborn on his pushes forward. His attacking partner Forlan had none of those nerves however and put the Uruguayans ahead with a beautiful strike in the 51st minute. Egidio Arevalo hit a cross in from the right side and Forlan side-volleyed the ball into the back of the net after a bounce, leaving Butt with no chance for a save. Brilliant, brilliant goal from perhaps the best player in the entire tournament.
Germany showed their characteristic resolve though and leveled the match just minutes later against the run of play, which Uruguay was still dominating. Jerome Boateng played a fantastic out-swinging long cross in from the right and new starter Marcell Jansen headed the ball into the back of the net between two defenders and a panicked Muslera. All of a sudden the game was much more open and much more even with chances coming from each side. Suarez created space in the 62nd minute and unleashed a nice swerving shot that Butt went airborne to get his body behind and punched it away. Butt was active again in the 65th when he closed down Forlan well on the left corner of the six to smother the prolific striker's attempt. It was Cacau's turn in the 71st, but he put his chance from the left corner of the penalty area over and wide. In the 76th, substitute Stefan Kiebling (no proper English translation seems to be available) turned away from his defender smoothly but hit his strike directly at Muslera. With all of these hectic chances and back and forth play, it makes sense that the winning goal came on a scramble in the box. A corner kick wasn't cleared well and instead popped up in front of Sami Khedira, who smartly floated his header over an outstretch Muslera and into the right corner of the net. Uruguay of course pressed hard to get the equalizer and the last play of the game came down to a free kick from about twenty-two yards from net. Forlan stepped up to the spot and provided more of his magic, but it was just not quite enough. His brilliant dipping free kick made it over the diving Butt's hand, but clanged off the crossbar to give the Germans third place in the 2010 World Cup.
Germany 3 - 2 Uruguay
This game was everything you could want a third place game to be: two eliminated teams going for everything and playing loose to try to salvage something out of their tough semifinal losses. In the end, Germany was the better team and put on a display that maybe would have been put to better use against the Spaniards in the semis. Regardless of the "could have, should ofs," this was a fantastic match that served as an excellent appetizer to what will hopefully be a classic contest tomorrow. With all of the excellent soccer that has been played to this point in a World Cup for the ages, a dramatic finale would be the fitting end. It's up to Spain and Holland now to make that happen.
Friday, July 9, 2010
It All Comes Down To This
Well, it's been nearly a month and now we only have one match left. Well, one match that matters at least. We also get a confrontation between two highly technical, possession oriented sides in Holland and Spain which will make for an excellent display of skill. Beware new found soccer fans, however, because skill operating in this fashion could make for a very tentative cat and mouse game. An early goal would do wonders for a match like this and really open up the play and turn up the pressure. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's give a quick look at the third place match first.
Uruguay vs Germany
I mean, it has to be Germany, right? The only times they were effectively shut down were when they were forced to play with ten men against a defensive minded team and when they played the best possession team in the world. Thomas Muller will be back and even if Miroslav Klose cannot play, Germany should be the favorites to win this match. Their attacking style is so fun to watch and they can break down defenses like it is nothing. Bastian Sweinsteiger has been an unsung hero during this tournament because everyone loves to focus on the pace of Muller, the finishing of Klose, or the creativity of Mesut Ozil. Sweinsteiger has been the anchor, though, the man through which all play flows and the key distributor to all of the talented attacking players. Perhaps the only player more important as an individual for the Germans has been keeper Manuel Neuer, who looked strong all tournament and hasn't given up a bad goal that I can recall. The German defense has been strong, don't get me wrong, but Neuer has been there to clean up any messes that are made and is a strong candidate to make the starting eleven on the all tournament squad.
With all of that said, hasn't Uruguay been flying under the radar this entire tournament and didn't they still make the semifinals? Yes, their quarterfinal victory was made possible by an intentional swat of a sure goal by Luis Suarez, but they paid for his absence in their semifinal loss when the only player that seemed to have an attacking bone in his body was the brilliant Diego Forlan. For this match though, Suarez is back and Uruguay has its dynamic duo which has accounted for seven goals in this tournament. Germany is a fantastic attacking team, but Uruguay is no slouch on defense and can definitely stunt the attack enough to get Forlan and Suarez ranging forward. It is far from a certainty that the Germans can immediately break down the Uruguayan defense and if Uruguay can strike first, they have a chance to play solid defense and look for the counter where they can.
In the end, I don't see Germany losing this game. Germany isn't Spain when it comes to the tactical passing attack, but they can break down defenses with their wing play or their combinations through the middle, not to mention the creativity in their runs and the intelligence in their passes. Even if Uruguay does get up early, the Germans can break down their defense and get back in the game. Uruguay did prove that ability as well against Holland so Germany jumping on them early will not spell the end. But the German defense isn't so porous that they will give up multiple easy goals, so the German offense will have their chances as well. I see the Germans getting the first goal and then Uruguay pushing to equalize, which will open them up to German counters. So long as both teams show up for this game rather than mailing it in because they're not in the finals, we could see five to six goals and one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament. Here's hoping that's how it happens.
Holland vs Spain
Let's be honest though; as fun and exciting as the third place match might be, this is the one we care about. This is the one that truly matters and this is the one that will keep us on the edges of our seats, especially anyone who is strongly pulling for either side. Saying that any later round World Cup match has the potential for a classic is, well, kind of stupid. I may have used such phrasing before but I'm trying to stay away from it and for good reason. The key word here is potential and there's no guarantee that this match will live up to it. We could have a very passive, very cautious match where someone gets a goal late to win it or, god forbid, no one scores in regulation and we're forced into penalties. Now, for the record, I don't believe this will happen. Even though the styles of each squad seem like they could work together to create such a scenario, there is too much on the line for either team to be happy playing cautious the whole game or risking their victory on a penalty shootout. Each country has the chance to win the World Cup for the first time ever. Ever. For two countries that are constantly denigrated for their ability to choke when the pressure is really on, for two soccer giants that have little to nothing to prove their ability, there is no way a half-hearted attempt will ever be enough. We have demanded drama from this match and I fully believe we will get it.
Everyone knows the strength of the Spanish side: passing, passing, passing. Spain is the undisputed master of possession soccer that moves the ball around and keeps probing various areas of their opponent. Teams that play the Spanish do not get many offensive chances because it isn't surprising to see Spain in possession of the ball for sixty minutes out of a ninety minute match. With only a half an hour to attack, you better make the most of your chances. But before you think the Spaniards are all passing and technique, they can take away your chances as well with center backs Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. These two were the stars of the match with Germany as they stopped numerous counter attacks before they started and cleared ball after ball out of the box. Let's also recall that for all of the Spanish passing magic, it was Puyol who scored that match's only goal, a header, off of the most fundamental of all soccer plays: a corner kick. And if anything happens to get through them, Iker Casillas is one of the best keepers of the world and he has gotten better and better as the tournament has gone on. Xavi and Andres Iniesta are maestros in the midfield and David Villa is an absolute sniper of a striker who is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. But for all of their technical ability, never forget that Spain has a strong spine that runs all the way through their team, not just at the top.
So how can Holland hope to crack the Spanish in the limited amount of time that they will actually be given to do so? First, they can increase that time by passing well and not foolishly giving the ball away. Holland plays the possession game very well too and if they can win the ball through punishing tackles from holding midfielders Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel, then they need to be able to hold on to the ball instead of foolishly giving it right back. Once they have the ball, Arjen Robben may be the key as he will be marked on the right side of the attack by Joan Capdevila, arguably the weakest spot for the Spaniards. That isn't to say that Capdevila is a poor player or a bad defender, but the quickness of Robben could prove a problem for the slower fullback. Wesley Sneijder is the main playmaker in the midfield and he will of course need to be big, but the attacker that needs to step up the most is Robin Van Persie. He has had an unspectacular, though not bad, World Cup but he will need to be better than that if Holland is to emerge victorious. He will need to hold onto the ball in his high position and not let Pique or Puyol dispossess him easily to start the Spanish attack. If Van Persie can occupy one or both of those defenders and play well on the ball, he will open up space for the other attackers and keep Spain from keying on the dangerous Sneijder. Finally, the Dutch will need to be strong on defense, though this should go without saying. If Spain gets on the board first and early, the Dutch will be in a very dangerous position. Holland needs to disrupt the passing attack wherever they can, but also deny that final ball that leads to the goal. Easier said than done, but it is the chance they have.
Despite how I have been arguing from a Spanish dominance point of view so far, I by no means consider this to be over before it starts. Holland is a very, very strong side and they can score from anywhere. I mean this both in terms of which player can score (Giovanni Van Bronckhorst) or where they can score from (...Giovanni Van Bronckhorst). I have seen too many commentators calling this one for Spain already and I think that is a foolish error. I would not be shocked if Holland wins this match, though it would go against who I pick. That pick is obviously Spain and the reason I think they will be victorious is their possession game. Holland is well organized and has some strong defenders, but they are not a defensive team and they have only been truly tested in the back by a strong attacking squad once, Brazil, and Brazil is much more a defensive team this year than they ever have been in the past. Besides Brazil, Holland has played Japan, Denmark, Cameroon, Slovakia, and Uruguay minus Suarez. Not exactly a bunch of offensive powerhouses. Even the Brazilian possession is not as dangerous and consistent as that of Spain's and I believe that will be the difference in this championship match. Spain controls for too long and gives up too few opportunities. If Spain goes up early, it will put tremendous pressure on Holland and it will become an exciting race to see what comes first: the equalizer or the two goal lead. This would be the best situation for anyone just looking to enjoy this match, but the kicker is that Spain is comfortable winning 1-0. They don't need to press and look for a goal to stay ahead of their competition and that is why they will win.
I will recap the third-place game on Saturday, so expect something from me then as well. Let's just cross our fingers and hope that both of these matches deliver on the massive promise that they have. Enjoy them everyone. I know I will.
Uruguay vs Germany
I mean, it has to be Germany, right? The only times they were effectively shut down were when they were forced to play with ten men against a defensive minded team and when they played the best possession team in the world. Thomas Muller will be back and even if Miroslav Klose cannot play, Germany should be the favorites to win this match. Their attacking style is so fun to watch and they can break down defenses like it is nothing. Bastian Sweinsteiger has been an unsung hero during this tournament because everyone loves to focus on the pace of Muller, the finishing of Klose, or the creativity of Mesut Ozil. Sweinsteiger has been the anchor, though, the man through which all play flows and the key distributor to all of the talented attacking players. Perhaps the only player more important as an individual for the Germans has been keeper Manuel Neuer, who looked strong all tournament and hasn't given up a bad goal that I can recall. The German defense has been strong, don't get me wrong, but Neuer has been there to clean up any messes that are made and is a strong candidate to make the starting eleven on the all tournament squad.
With all of that said, hasn't Uruguay been flying under the radar this entire tournament and didn't they still make the semifinals? Yes, their quarterfinal victory was made possible by an intentional swat of a sure goal by Luis Suarez, but they paid for his absence in their semifinal loss when the only player that seemed to have an attacking bone in his body was the brilliant Diego Forlan. For this match though, Suarez is back and Uruguay has its dynamic duo which has accounted for seven goals in this tournament. Germany is a fantastic attacking team, but Uruguay is no slouch on defense and can definitely stunt the attack enough to get Forlan and Suarez ranging forward. It is far from a certainty that the Germans can immediately break down the Uruguayan defense and if Uruguay can strike first, they have a chance to play solid defense and look for the counter where they can.
In the end, I don't see Germany losing this game. Germany isn't Spain when it comes to the tactical passing attack, but they can break down defenses with their wing play or their combinations through the middle, not to mention the creativity in their runs and the intelligence in their passes. Even if Uruguay does get up early, the Germans can break down their defense and get back in the game. Uruguay did prove that ability as well against Holland so Germany jumping on them early will not spell the end. But the German defense isn't so porous that they will give up multiple easy goals, so the German offense will have their chances as well. I see the Germans getting the first goal and then Uruguay pushing to equalize, which will open them up to German counters. So long as both teams show up for this game rather than mailing it in because they're not in the finals, we could see five to six goals and one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament. Here's hoping that's how it happens.
Holland vs Spain
Let's be honest though; as fun and exciting as the third place match might be, this is the one we care about. This is the one that truly matters and this is the one that will keep us on the edges of our seats, especially anyone who is strongly pulling for either side. Saying that any later round World Cup match has the potential for a classic is, well, kind of stupid. I may have used such phrasing before but I'm trying to stay away from it and for good reason. The key word here is potential and there's no guarantee that this match will live up to it. We could have a very passive, very cautious match where someone gets a goal late to win it or, god forbid, no one scores in regulation and we're forced into penalties. Now, for the record, I don't believe this will happen. Even though the styles of each squad seem like they could work together to create such a scenario, there is too much on the line for either team to be happy playing cautious the whole game or risking their victory on a penalty shootout. Each country has the chance to win the World Cup for the first time ever. Ever. For two countries that are constantly denigrated for their ability to choke when the pressure is really on, for two soccer giants that have little to nothing to prove their ability, there is no way a half-hearted attempt will ever be enough. We have demanded drama from this match and I fully believe we will get it.
Everyone knows the strength of the Spanish side: passing, passing, passing. Spain is the undisputed master of possession soccer that moves the ball around and keeps probing various areas of their opponent. Teams that play the Spanish do not get many offensive chances because it isn't surprising to see Spain in possession of the ball for sixty minutes out of a ninety minute match. With only a half an hour to attack, you better make the most of your chances. But before you think the Spaniards are all passing and technique, they can take away your chances as well with center backs Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. These two were the stars of the match with Germany as they stopped numerous counter attacks before they started and cleared ball after ball out of the box. Let's also recall that for all of the Spanish passing magic, it was Puyol who scored that match's only goal, a header, off of the most fundamental of all soccer plays: a corner kick. And if anything happens to get through them, Iker Casillas is one of the best keepers of the world and he has gotten better and better as the tournament has gone on. Xavi and Andres Iniesta are maestros in the midfield and David Villa is an absolute sniper of a striker who is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. But for all of their technical ability, never forget that Spain has a strong spine that runs all the way through their team, not just at the top.
So how can Holland hope to crack the Spanish in the limited amount of time that they will actually be given to do so? First, they can increase that time by passing well and not foolishly giving the ball away. Holland plays the possession game very well too and if they can win the ball through punishing tackles from holding midfielders Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel, then they need to be able to hold on to the ball instead of foolishly giving it right back. Once they have the ball, Arjen Robben may be the key as he will be marked on the right side of the attack by Joan Capdevila, arguably the weakest spot for the Spaniards. That isn't to say that Capdevila is a poor player or a bad defender, but the quickness of Robben could prove a problem for the slower fullback. Wesley Sneijder is the main playmaker in the midfield and he will of course need to be big, but the attacker that needs to step up the most is Robin Van Persie. He has had an unspectacular, though not bad, World Cup but he will need to be better than that if Holland is to emerge victorious. He will need to hold onto the ball in his high position and not let Pique or Puyol dispossess him easily to start the Spanish attack. If Van Persie can occupy one or both of those defenders and play well on the ball, he will open up space for the other attackers and keep Spain from keying on the dangerous Sneijder. Finally, the Dutch will need to be strong on defense, though this should go without saying. If Spain gets on the board first and early, the Dutch will be in a very dangerous position. Holland needs to disrupt the passing attack wherever they can, but also deny that final ball that leads to the goal. Easier said than done, but it is the chance they have.
Despite how I have been arguing from a Spanish dominance point of view so far, I by no means consider this to be over before it starts. Holland is a very, very strong side and they can score from anywhere. I mean this both in terms of which player can score (Giovanni Van Bronckhorst) or where they can score from (...Giovanni Van Bronckhorst). I have seen too many commentators calling this one for Spain already and I think that is a foolish error. I would not be shocked if Holland wins this match, though it would go against who I pick. That pick is obviously Spain and the reason I think they will be victorious is their possession game. Holland is well organized and has some strong defenders, but they are not a defensive team and they have only been truly tested in the back by a strong attacking squad once, Brazil, and Brazil is much more a defensive team this year than they ever have been in the past. Besides Brazil, Holland has played Japan, Denmark, Cameroon, Slovakia, and Uruguay minus Suarez. Not exactly a bunch of offensive powerhouses. Even the Brazilian possession is not as dangerous and consistent as that of Spain's and I believe that will be the difference in this championship match. Spain controls for too long and gives up too few opportunities. If Spain goes up early, it will put tremendous pressure on Holland and it will become an exciting race to see what comes first: the equalizer or the two goal lead. This would be the best situation for anyone just looking to enjoy this match, but the kicker is that Spain is comfortable winning 1-0. They don't need to press and look for a goal to stay ahead of their competition and that is why they will win.
I will recap the third-place game on Saturday, so expect something from me then as well. Let's just cross our fingers and hope that both of these matches deliver on the massive promise that they have. Enjoy them everyone. I know I will.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Possession Wins Over Defense Yet Again
I didn't post on separate days for the semifinals for a couple reasons. The first is that I just thought it would be better to deal with both games at once and therefore be able to sum up with thoughts on the championship game. The second is that we came home from watching the Holland vs Uruguay match to find that we had lost power in the middle of this awful heat wave. No electricity kind of makes the whole "writing on a computer and using the internet" thing pretty hard, so an executive decision was made to go to an air conditioned bar to deal with the situation properly. I think it was the right call.
Where that leaves us is discussing both semifinal games in the same post, starting with the Holland vs Uruguay match. Holland was the odds-on favorite and almost every soccer commentators' pick, which wasn't terribly surprising since they were fresh off a victory over tournament favorites Brazil. Holland has been playing very solid possession soccer, but they've added another dimension with the full time return of Arjen Robben, who is an absolute menace down the right wing. His willingness to attack defenders on the dribble unfortunately comes with a conviction to attack the grass as well, mercilessly diving over any light touch he receives, not to mention some that he doesn't. Ugh. It makes it harder to appreciate him, but he gave good reason in this match to win some positive attention back. This wasn't going to be a complete walkover for Holland though, as Uruguay had been playing fantastic soccer with tight defense and highly skilled attacks from the pairing of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan. However, Suarez was suspended for this match due to his red card in last round's match vs Ghana when he batted the ball out of goal with his hands. Could Uruguay find offense from other players, or would the lack of the other half of the South American side's dynamic duo doom them?
Uruguay vs Holland
Holland started off the match with a great chance before the game settled into its predictable tentativeness. In the 4th, Robben put a nice cross into the middle that Fernando Muslera did well to punch away. However, the ball still fell to Dirk Kuyt at the back post, who collected it and promptly put it over the crossbar. After this wasted chance, the game went into "let's see how good you are and where you might be weak" mode which Holland had more possession during, but no real chances. In fact, it stayed that way all the way up through the 18th minute when Holland was just passing the ball around outside of the 18. The ball came to defender Giovanni Van Bronckhorst out wider than the penalty area and probably thirty-five yards from goal, and he might as well have shrugged his shoulders and said "what the hell" before he struck it. What came next was unbelievable. Remarkable. Confounding. I didn't even know what happened at first, to be honest. It just didn't seem possible. Van Bronckhorst hit what may be one of the most perfect strikes I have ever seen, picking out the back post upper ninety. From thirty-five yards out. Just barely in from the sideline. Sublime or magnificent does not do this shot justice. It was absolutely astounding and has to be front-runner for goal of the tournament. Unbelievable.
Holland was able to control the ball after this goal as well, working it around and keeping the Uruguay attack from getting into any kind of rhythm while never opening themselves up for the counter. As the half went on, Uruguay managed to work their way into more possession, but never really put together dangerous chances in the box. Luckily for Uruguay, Forlan took it upon himself to get them back in the game, continuing his excellent World Cup with a high quality strike from distance in the 41st. He first did well to turn inside away from the defensive pressure and then ripped a left footed shot that swerved back to the right as it approached the keeper, fooling Maarten Stekelenburg and bringing Uruguay level.
Coming out of the break, neither team really got much in the way of chances for quite a while. Holland possessed the ball largely, of course, but couldn't get anything around the net that would trouble Muslera. The first really good chance of the half actually went to Forlan in the 67th when he got a free kick up and over the wall and then dipping sharply down to the left post. It might have been going wide anyway, but Stekelenburg did well to get over to a well taken kick and push it aside. I don't know if Holland just then realized how close they were to giving up a go-ahead goal and being in serious danger of going home, but they turned it on immediately. Robin Van Persie held the ball well despite being harassed by two Uruguayan defenders on the left wing, then split the defenders with a pass to substitute Rafael Van der Vaart who put a curling shot to the back post. Muslera did well to cover the shot but the rebound fell right to Robben. He didn't do enough with it though as he awkwardly tried to put the ball back on goal with his off-foot instead of playing an easy square ball to Wesley Sneijder who was open in the box. Just two minutes later, the Dutch broke through despite the previous wasted chances, when Sneijder lined up a shot that took a nasty deflection off a defender and changed direction completely to spin toward the back post. Van Persie may have been in an offside position when he took a late swipe at the ball, but the flag stayed down and his involvement was enough to delay the keeper's dive for the ball, which found its way inside the back post. It was a lucky goal, but it was what the Dutch needed to finally get back on the scoreboard and take control of the match.
The Dutch lead grew just three minutes later when Kuyt put a nice ball in from the left that was still a little behind Robben, his target. Despite the degree of difficulty, Robben managed to hang in the air, reach his head back and snap a header off the left post and in that left Muslera flat-footed with no chance. Amazing header, simply amazing. To get that much power on a ball that's delivered behind you and to place it so perfectly as well is a serious feat of skill and is what we'd all be talking about right now if it wasn't for Van Bronckhorst's goal earlier. It's a bit of a shame because Robben's header deserves its own attention, but doesn't stand a chance due to the earlier magic. With a 3-1 lead, Holland seemed destined for the final but Uruguay made them sweat a little with a goal in the 91st minute by Maxi Pereira off of a short free kick restart. They couldn't get the miracle goal to come all the back however, and Holland closed out the game to win a chance to play for the World Cup.
Holland 3 - 2 Uruguay
Spain vs Germany
Despite the amazing goals and high drama of the Holland vs Uruguay match, this was the one that everyone was waiting for. Germany had been many people's pick for "most fun side to watch" during the tournament thus far, mostly due to their aggressive attacking style and huge offensive output. However, they were up against a Spain side that maintains the majority of possession and doesn't recklessly attack resulting in opportunities to counter for their opponents. Germany put up four goals apiece versus the more open attacks of England and Argentina, but it was difficult to see that happening against a side that dominated the ball so much. Still, we had to play the match to find out if this was true.
Early on, Spain had a couple of chances to break up an otherwise super cautious first half with not too many thrills. Sniper David Villa was played through into the box in the 6th minute, but keeper Manuel Neuer did an excellent job coming off his line to close out the angle on Villa's shot. The better chance was in the 14th when defender Carlos Puyol got free for a header in the box off of one of Spain's preferred short corners, but somehow contrived to put it over the crossbar from six yards out. This was a pretty brutal miscue by Puyol and consider how thin the chances were in the game, could have proved quite fatal for Spain. The rest of the half was actually pretty blah, with Spain dominating the ball but never really opening up the German defense. Central defenders Arne Friedrich and Per Mertesacker were good all game, especially in the air, and Spain seemed to think they had to make extra passes all the time and were then dispossessed, lacking the final touch on goal. The price for this defense from Germany was the openness of their beautiful offensive attack, however. It was obvious from the start that Germany was content to let Spain knock the ball around but keep them on the perimeter and look for the counter since they are so skilled at that. But despite the threat of the counter, Germany had always been most impressive and dangerous when flying down the wings and connecting quick passes to get the attack moving forward. Philipp Lahm was an offensive non-factor almost all game and Spain controlled the wings, especially with Sergio Ramos coming down the right. Germany perhaps made the smart coaching move because no team can really hope to outpossess the Spanish, but it made for a duller brand of German soccer, which was a real shame.
Complaints about the pace of the first half aside, the second half was much, much more exciting. Spain seemed to find a little extra room or perhaps kick their attack up a gear. Either way, they truly got their chances this half and made it look for a while like it was only a matter of time until they broke through. The first chances were shots by Xabi Alonso from roughly the top of 18, once in the 48th on a lay off from Pedro and again in the 5oth. Both shots found their way wide, however, to the left on the first and to the right on the second. Spain looked even more dangerous in the 58th when Pedro took a good shot that forced a diving save from Neuer, but Spain kept possession with the rebound. Alonso freed Andres Iniesta for a run into the box with a nice backheel and Iniesta went as far as the end line before putting a sharp cross across the face of goal intended for Villa. Villa had slowed his run, however, and tried to drift from his defender to be open for a pass at the top of the six rather than crashing the back post hard. As a result, he wasn't able to catch up to Iniesta's cross and Spain was left wanting again.
Germany was able to soak up the Spanish pressure despite some close calls and got some decent chances of their own on the counter. The best came in the 69th when Podolski floated a lovely ball in from the left that sailed over the head of Miroslav Klose but found the foot of Toni Kroos at the back post. Kroos one timed the volley, but went near post instead of a more open back post and forced Iker Casillas to make a quick reaction save. Germany was able to push forward more in general and looked like they might completely weather the Spanish storm, until the 73rd minute when Spain scored surprisingly off of a corner kick, surprising because the Germans had dominated the air all game long. Puyol made a late run right up the middle, stepped into Xavi's cross with a head of steam and absolutely buried the header inside the right post, making up for his poor effort earlier in the game. Neuer was furious with his defenders for their poor marking, and rightfully so as Puyol got a free run into the box and was completely unimpeded on the header. Germany was forced to scramble for a tying goal over the last twenty minutes and was almost counter by the Spanish counter on more than one occasion. Spain couldn't convert their chances but neither could Germany and Spain took yet another 1-0 triumph over a defensive-minded side (at least on this day).
Spain 1 - 0 Germany
So now we have Spain vs Holland in the final, assuring that one of these great soccer nations will win their first World Cup. High drama indeed. Though I'm rooting for Spain, I can appreciate the plight of Holland as well and we should have a fantastic final match. I will post full previews of both the final and the third-place games before they start, so for now, let's just enjoy the great semifinals that we saw and let the drama build until Sunday.
Where that leaves us is discussing both semifinal games in the same post, starting with the Holland vs Uruguay match. Holland was the odds-on favorite and almost every soccer commentators' pick, which wasn't terribly surprising since they were fresh off a victory over tournament favorites Brazil. Holland has been playing very solid possession soccer, but they've added another dimension with the full time return of Arjen Robben, who is an absolute menace down the right wing. His willingness to attack defenders on the dribble unfortunately comes with a conviction to attack the grass as well, mercilessly diving over any light touch he receives, not to mention some that he doesn't. Ugh. It makes it harder to appreciate him, but he gave good reason in this match to win some positive attention back. This wasn't going to be a complete walkover for Holland though, as Uruguay had been playing fantastic soccer with tight defense and highly skilled attacks from the pairing of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan. However, Suarez was suspended for this match due to his red card in last round's match vs Ghana when he batted the ball out of goal with his hands. Could Uruguay find offense from other players, or would the lack of the other half of the South American side's dynamic duo doom them?
Uruguay vs Holland
Holland started off the match with a great chance before the game settled into its predictable tentativeness. In the 4th, Robben put a nice cross into the middle that Fernando Muslera did well to punch away. However, the ball still fell to Dirk Kuyt at the back post, who collected it and promptly put it over the crossbar. After this wasted chance, the game went into "let's see how good you are and where you might be weak" mode which Holland had more possession during, but no real chances. In fact, it stayed that way all the way up through the 18th minute when Holland was just passing the ball around outside of the 18. The ball came to defender Giovanni Van Bronckhorst out wider than the penalty area and probably thirty-five yards from goal, and he might as well have shrugged his shoulders and said "what the hell" before he struck it. What came next was unbelievable. Remarkable. Confounding. I didn't even know what happened at first, to be honest. It just didn't seem possible. Van Bronckhorst hit what may be one of the most perfect strikes I have ever seen, picking out the back post upper ninety. From thirty-five yards out. Just barely in from the sideline. Sublime or magnificent does not do this shot justice. It was absolutely astounding and has to be front-runner for goal of the tournament. Unbelievable.
Holland was able to control the ball after this goal as well, working it around and keeping the Uruguay attack from getting into any kind of rhythm while never opening themselves up for the counter. As the half went on, Uruguay managed to work their way into more possession, but never really put together dangerous chances in the box. Luckily for Uruguay, Forlan took it upon himself to get them back in the game, continuing his excellent World Cup with a high quality strike from distance in the 41st. He first did well to turn inside away from the defensive pressure and then ripped a left footed shot that swerved back to the right as it approached the keeper, fooling Maarten Stekelenburg and bringing Uruguay level.
Coming out of the break, neither team really got much in the way of chances for quite a while. Holland possessed the ball largely, of course, but couldn't get anything around the net that would trouble Muslera. The first really good chance of the half actually went to Forlan in the 67th when he got a free kick up and over the wall and then dipping sharply down to the left post. It might have been going wide anyway, but Stekelenburg did well to get over to a well taken kick and push it aside. I don't know if Holland just then realized how close they were to giving up a go-ahead goal and being in serious danger of going home, but they turned it on immediately. Robin Van Persie held the ball well despite being harassed by two Uruguayan defenders on the left wing, then split the defenders with a pass to substitute Rafael Van der Vaart who put a curling shot to the back post. Muslera did well to cover the shot but the rebound fell right to Robben. He didn't do enough with it though as he awkwardly tried to put the ball back on goal with his off-foot instead of playing an easy square ball to Wesley Sneijder who was open in the box. Just two minutes later, the Dutch broke through despite the previous wasted chances, when Sneijder lined up a shot that took a nasty deflection off a defender and changed direction completely to spin toward the back post. Van Persie may have been in an offside position when he took a late swipe at the ball, but the flag stayed down and his involvement was enough to delay the keeper's dive for the ball, which found its way inside the back post. It was a lucky goal, but it was what the Dutch needed to finally get back on the scoreboard and take control of the match.
The Dutch lead grew just three minutes later when Kuyt put a nice ball in from the left that was still a little behind Robben, his target. Despite the degree of difficulty, Robben managed to hang in the air, reach his head back and snap a header off the left post and in that left Muslera flat-footed with no chance. Amazing header, simply amazing. To get that much power on a ball that's delivered behind you and to place it so perfectly as well is a serious feat of skill and is what we'd all be talking about right now if it wasn't for Van Bronckhorst's goal earlier. It's a bit of a shame because Robben's header deserves its own attention, but doesn't stand a chance due to the earlier magic. With a 3-1 lead, Holland seemed destined for the final but Uruguay made them sweat a little with a goal in the 91st minute by Maxi Pereira off of a short free kick restart. They couldn't get the miracle goal to come all the back however, and Holland closed out the game to win a chance to play for the World Cup.
Holland 3 - 2 Uruguay
Spain vs Germany
Despite the amazing goals and high drama of the Holland vs Uruguay match, this was the one that everyone was waiting for. Germany had been many people's pick for "most fun side to watch" during the tournament thus far, mostly due to their aggressive attacking style and huge offensive output. However, they were up against a Spain side that maintains the majority of possession and doesn't recklessly attack resulting in opportunities to counter for their opponents. Germany put up four goals apiece versus the more open attacks of England and Argentina, but it was difficult to see that happening against a side that dominated the ball so much. Still, we had to play the match to find out if this was true.
Early on, Spain had a couple of chances to break up an otherwise super cautious first half with not too many thrills. Sniper David Villa was played through into the box in the 6th minute, but keeper Manuel Neuer did an excellent job coming off his line to close out the angle on Villa's shot. The better chance was in the 14th when defender Carlos Puyol got free for a header in the box off of one of Spain's preferred short corners, but somehow contrived to put it over the crossbar from six yards out. This was a pretty brutal miscue by Puyol and consider how thin the chances were in the game, could have proved quite fatal for Spain. The rest of the half was actually pretty blah, with Spain dominating the ball but never really opening up the German defense. Central defenders Arne Friedrich and Per Mertesacker were good all game, especially in the air, and Spain seemed to think they had to make extra passes all the time and were then dispossessed, lacking the final touch on goal. The price for this defense from Germany was the openness of their beautiful offensive attack, however. It was obvious from the start that Germany was content to let Spain knock the ball around but keep them on the perimeter and look for the counter since they are so skilled at that. But despite the threat of the counter, Germany had always been most impressive and dangerous when flying down the wings and connecting quick passes to get the attack moving forward. Philipp Lahm was an offensive non-factor almost all game and Spain controlled the wings, especially with Sergio Ramos coming down the right. Germany perhaps made the smart coaching move because no team can really hope to outpossess the Spanish, but it made for a duller brand of German soccer, which was a real shame.
Complaints about the pace of the first half aside, the second half was much, much more exciting. Spain seemed to find a little extra room or perhaps kick their attack up a gear. Either way, they truly got their chances this half and made it look for a while like it was only a matter of time until they broke through. The first chances were shots by Xabi Alonso from roughly the top of 18, once in the 48th on a lay off from Pedro and again in the 5oth. Both shots found their way wide, however, to the left on the first and to the right on the second. Spain looked even more dangerous in the 58th when Pedro took a good shot that forced a diving save from Neuer, but Spain kept possession with the rebound. Alonso freed Andres Iniesta for a run into the box with a nice backheel and Iniesta went as far as the end line before putting a sharp cross across the face of goal intended for Villa. Villa had slowed his run, however, and tried to drift from his defender to be open for a pass at the top of the six rather than crashing the back post hard. As a result, he wasn't able to catch up to Iniesta's cross and Spain was left wanting again.
Germany was able to soak up the Spanish pressure despite some close calls and got some decent chances of their own on the counter. The best came in the 69th when Podolski floated a lovely ball in from the left that sailed over the head of Miroslav Klose but found the foot of Toni Kroos at the back post. Kroos one timed the volley, but went near post instead of a more open back post and forced Iker Casillas to make a quick reaction save. Germany was able to push forward more in general and looked like they might completely weather the Spanish storm, until the 73rd minute when Spain scored surprisingly off of a corner kick, surprising because the Germans had dominated the air all game long. Puyol made a late run right up the middle, stepped into Xavi's cross with a head of steam and absolutely buried the header inside the right post, making up for his poor effort earlier in the game. Neuer was furious with his defenders for their poor marking, and rightfully so as Puyol got a free run into the box and was completely unimpeded on the header. Germany was forced to scramble for a tying goal over the last twenty minutes and was almost counter by the Spanish counter on more than one occasion. Spain couldn't convert their chances but neither could Germany and Spain took yet another 1-0 triumph over a defensive-minded side (at least on this day).
Spain 1 - 0 Germany
So now we have Spain vs Holland in the final, assuring that one of these great soccer nations will win their first World Cup. High drama indeed. Though I'm rooting for Spain, I can appreciate the plight of Holland as well and we should have a fantastic final match. I will post full previews of both the final and the third-place games before they start, so for now, let's just enjoy the great semifinals that we saw and let the drama build until Sunday.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Semifinals Predictions, I Guess?
I suppose I should write something up for the semifinals since I've accidentally set that standard for myself, so here goes. We have two fantastic matches and I wish I wasn't working during them so I could see them live. Instead, I'll have to stick with the plan I've had up to this point and try to make it through the day without hearing a damn thing about them. That's gotten tougher as the games have become more important, but hopefully this method will work yet again. Anyway, on to the matches.
Uruguay vs Holland
Uruguay was the winner of that instant classic with Ghana and looked impressive in that victory. Diego Forlan appeared to be the most dangerous player in this tournament not named David Villa and the Uruguayan defense seemed stout enough to keep anyone out, even the vaunted Dutch offense. The main problem is that now they'll be down Luis Suarez for his detestable goal saving handball, so who will step up? Forlan has been amazing, but the Dutch have an excellent, albeit dirty, holding midfielder in Nigel De Jong who may be up to the task. Can anyone else properly contribute and provide the scoring magic that Suarez has been able to provide? I say no. Perhaps Uruguay puts in a goal and makes this interesting, but Holland should dominate this match with their possession and Arjen Robben should create all kinds of problems on the right wing. The real story, though, could be the person that no one seems to be talking about, Wesley Sneijder of Holland who has four goals so far in the World Cup. How people aren't giving Sneijder his proper due is beyond me but he's been magnificent for Holland in this Cup and he may very well keep goal-scoring pace with Villa and challenge for the Golden Boot. Uruguay has been fantastic to watch and Forlan will undoubtedly receive a contract to match his outstanding performance thus far. But look for the Dutch to dictate pace and win this match.
Spain vs Germany
I think most people will have Germany winning this match and I can't say I blame them in the least. Germany has been spectacular throughout this tournament and putting up four goals on England and Argentina simply can't be mentioned enough. But Spain is a different animal. Argentina is a fierce attacking side, but they attack strongly while in possession, they don't work the ball around. Spain does. Spain holds possession for long periods of time and then presses where they have the advantage. People have unfortunately been watching them playing against dedicated defensive teams who have no goal but to sit everyone behind the ball and not allow a score (see: Switzerland, Portugal, Paraguay). Spain is great to watch when they can actually get out offensively and send wingers running forward and get Xavi and Andres Iniesta combining through the middle without ten bodies packed in the box. That'll happen to Spain, of course. People will crowd the area and force them to make perfect passes to score. But so far, they have. And if they can keep Germany from possessing too much and getting forward, Spain can definitely win this match. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I think they pull it off and send a talented, but young, German side home.
Sorry for the lack of length in this post, but I'm just too excited about these matches to fully break it down and go into all the specifics. I can't wait for tomorrow, but I'm nervous about hearing things first before I get a chance to see the games. Let's just hope that does happen. Enjoy the games everyone and let me know what you think of them... after I watch them on DVR, that is.
Uruguay vs Holland
Uruguay was the winner of that instant classic with Ghana and looked impressive in that victory. Diego Forlan appeared to be the most dangerous player in this tournament not named David Villa and the Uruguayan defense seemed stout enough to keep anyone out, even the vaunted Dutch offense. The main problem is that now they'll be down Luis Suarez for his detestable goal saving handball, so who will step up? Forlan has been amazing, but the Dutch have an excellent, albeit dirty, holding midfielder in Nigel De Jong who may be up to the task. Can anyone else properly contribute and provide the scoring magic that Suarez has been able to provide? I say no. Perhaps Uruguay puts in a goal and makes this interesting, but Holland should dominate this match with their possession and Arjen Robben should create all kinds of problems on the right wing. The real story, though, could be the person that no one seems to be talking about, Wesley Sneijder of Holland who has four goals so far in the World Cup. How people aren't giving Sneijder his proper due is beyond me but he's been magnificent for Holland in this Cup and he may very well keep goal-scoring pace with Villa and challenge for the Golden Boot. Uruguay has been fantastic to watch and Forlan will undoubtedly receive a contract to match his outstanding performance thus far. But look for the Dutch to dictate pace and win this match.
Spain vs Germany
I think most people will have Germany winning this match and I can't say I blame them in the least. Germany has been spectacular throughout this tournament and putting up four goals on England and Argentina simply can't be mentioned enough. But Spain is a different animal. Argentina is a fierce attacking side, but they attack strongly while in possession, they don't work the ball around. Spain does. Spain holds possession for long periods of time and then presses where they have the advantage. People have unfortunately been watching them playing against dedicated defensive teams who have no goal but to sit everyone behind the ball and not allow a score (see: Switzerland, Portugal, Paraguay). Spain is great to watch when they can actually get out offensively and send wingers running forward and get Xavi and Andres Iniesta combining through the middle without ten bodies packed in the box. That'll happen to Spain, of course. People will crowd the area and force them to make perfect passes to score. But so far, they have. And if they can keep Germany from possessing too much and getting forward, Spain can definitely win this match. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I think they pull it off and send a talented, but young, German side home.
Sorry for the lack of length in this post, but I'm just too excited about these matches to fully break it down and go into all the specifics. I can't wait for tomorrow, but I'm nervous about hearing things first before I get a chance to see the games. Let's just hope that does happen. Enjoy the games everyone and let me know what you think of them... after I watch them on DVR, that is.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Heart Attack Central
I know this doesn't need to be said to anyone watching today's games, but they were just incredible. We started with the most highly anticipated out of all the quarterfinals, which is saying something considering we already watched Holland vs Brazil. The opening match was one of those "good enough to be a final" match-ups, at least on paper, with Argentina vs Germany. Both teams had been very impressive in their round of sixteen matches, with Argentina beating Mexico 3-1 and Germany beating England 4-1. Germany did suffer one lost during the group stage (a distinction that Argentina does not share), but it is tough to hold them to that as they did play with a man down for roughly sixty minutes. Both sides had shown an impressive talent in getting forward into the attack, so this was a chance to be a high scoring affair. It turned out that that prediction was true, but perhaps not quite in the way everyone expected.
Argentina vs Germany
Things started off quickly in the 3rd minute when Bastian Schweinsteiger took a free kick from the left flank and sent a nasty in-swinger into the box. Thomas Muller got the lightest of headers to the ball, but it was enough to change the direction and keeper Sergio Romero could do nothing but watch the ball glance off his shin and into the back of the net. Astonishing start the match, something that most people did not predict, I'd wager. Great ball in by Schweinsteiger and perhaps a general miss by Muller, but he did enough. Romero really can't be expected to stop that shot, by the way. I'm sure there's a keeper alive now that would make that world class save, but he would have had to have lightning hand or foot speed to have a chance. Just a great start by Germany, and they built on that start by maintaining possession after the goal and worked the ball around to keep Argentina on the move. Neither team generated much in the way of chances for a while in this game, as the German defense was strong enough to meet the Argentine attack while being careful that they didn't give the goal right back. The best chance for either side was in the 24th when Muller made a run down the right and Miroslav Klose smartly separated himself from his defender by fading back toward the top of the box instead of making a hard near post run. Muller gave the ball to Klose but his shot took the ball over the crossbar and Germany missed a golden opportunity.
By the 30th minute, Argentina had started possessing more and taking away chances from Germany, but they couldn't create any quality chances for themselves. They managed to get shots off, but never truly troubled the keeper, like in the 33rd when Angel di Maria opened up some space for himself to get a shot off but rolled it easily to keeper Manuel Neuer. Then in the 35th, Gonzalo Higuain turned Arne Friedrich around to create an opening for his shot, but his near post shot effort was saved by Neuer again. This continued on into the second half with di Maria getting free once again in the 48th to fire a ball just wide of the right post, a shot that Neuer most likely had covered regardless. Argentina was the better team during this time, but they were pressing their advantage very hard in an attempt to get the tying goal and that would eventually lead to the floodgates being opened.
In the 68th minute, Muller was on the ground but still managed to play a sliding ball to free Podolski down the left edge of the eighteen. Podolski kept the ball close to his feet to keep Romero honest and then put a sharp ball across the middle outside of the outstretched hands of the keeper and just short of a sliding Argentine defender. Klose gladly settled the pass first so as not to accidentally one-touch a shot over and then poked it into the back of the net, putting Germany up 2-0. Muller made a great play here to start Podolski down the side and Argentina was finally made to pay for their huge offensive push forward by the quick German attack. It didn't take much longer for them to add to that total against an even more desperate Argentinian side and in the 74th, Schweinsteiger made a fantastic run down toward the left post before touching it in front to a crashing Friedrich who finished just inside the left post despite a hard challenge from a defender. Schweinsteiger was a stand out player all game long and this was just the icing on the cake for him, plus Friedrich's first ever goal for the German national team. The match was over here, but the Germans still managed to pile on one more in the 89th minute when Ozil received the ball on the left wing during a German breakout and beautifully floated a pass over the defenders to Klose who volleyed it into the net to sit one goal behind Ronaldo for all-time World Cup goalscorer. Germany held on for as long as it needed to and then absolutely manhandled a tired, pressing Argentina team for an impressive victory.
Germany 4 - 0 Argentina
Paraguay vs Spain
This was a classic match-up of defense vs offense as this Paraguay side had only allowed one goal in the entire World Cup going into this game. On the other hand, there is Spain, the leading team in percentage of possession held going into the game. And let's not forget that the Spanish have a secret weapon in striker David Villa, who was tied for the Golden Boot lead going into this match with four. Early on, however, Paraguay was the more interesting team as they pressed Spain up high and put a lot of pressure on the reigning European champions. Jonathan Santana got the first chance of the match for Chile, or for anyone, in the 1st minute when he was played through at the top of the 18 but put his shot directly at Spanish keeper Iker Casillas. The Paraguayan defense did the job for quite a while on Spain, keeping them from looking comfortable on their passes and never letting them get into a rhythm. In fact, this match was probably the worst I have seen Spain pass in recent memory, mostly due to Paraguay's pressure I would presume, but also due to their own botched touches and deliveries. Xavi had Spain's best chance of the first half in the 29th minute when he struck a volley from almost dead center around twenty-five yards out, but the shot dipped hard once it was already over the crossbar. The most controversial moment of the first came in the 41st minute when Paraguay striker Nelson Haedo Valdez looked to put in the match's first goal, but offsides was called on Paraguay. The problem is, the replay clearly showed that Valdez was not offside. The offside rule is tricky to interpret: some officials say that any offside player may not touch the ball, some say that any offside player may not participate in the play. There was a Paraguay player that was offside and he did occupy a defender by challenging for a header, but he did not touch the ball. It's a tough call for the officials, but I am in the camp that believes that the offside player did impact the play by drawing an attacker to him while going up for the cross, so Valdez's goal should not have counted. But I was rooting for Spain, so take that how you will.
The second half was, bar none, one of the craziest halves of soccer that I have ever seen in my life. Everything started in the 57th minute when Gerard Pique pulled down Oscar Cardozo by his arm in the box on a corner kick, and the referee yellow-carded Pique and awarded a penalty kick. Excellent call by the referee as Pique clearly was at fault here and all of the in-the-box shenanigans, with the grabbing and holding and pushing, really needs to stop. Cardozo stepped up to take the PK, but took it poorly and Casillas went down to his left to stop the shot and save Spain from going down 1-0. On the Spanish counter attack in the 59th, Villa carried the ball into the box and was pulled and pushed down from behind by Antolin Alcaraz, earning Alcaraz a yellow and giving Spain a chance to go up from the penalty spot. Just an absolutely crazy turnaround and one of the weirder things I've seen in any soccer match. To make things even more weird, Xabi Alonso stepped up to the ball and buried his penalty kick in the left corner. But wait. The referee waived off the goal for encroachment on a Spanish player, which the replay showed to be accurate, so Alonso had to retake the kick. This time, he put a poor quality shot to the right side of goal, similar to Cardozo's shot, that keeper Justo Villar knocked away. In the ensuing melee for the rebound, Cesc Fabregas was obviously taken out by Villar, but no penalty was given, possibly because Fabregas had just passed the ball on to Sergio Ramos, who had his attempt cleared off the line by a Paraguayan defender. Absolutely unreal. After all of that, we were still tied at 0-0.
With all of this ridiculousness, the game opened up and Spain took advantage, pushing forward well and almost finishing off Paraguay. I don't know if it was tired legs, or just all of the excitement of the penalty kick sequence, or Spain finally getting their full attack working, but Paraguay could simply not keep their perfect defensive shape any longer and Spain kept knocking on the door for the go-ahead goal. That goal finally came in the 83rd when Andres Iniesta made an outstanding run straight down the middle of the field and then laid a pass off to the right for substitute Pedro. Pedro collected the ball well and lined up his shot... off the left post in an agonizing moment for any Spanish fan. But much like the very end of the US vs Algeria match, the go-to man jumped on the end of the rebound. David Villa collected the rebound off of Pedro's shot and got his own shot off just before two Paraguay defenders came sliding in front of him. Villa's shot went off the inside of the right post, then off of the inside of the left post, and then finally went in. What a sequence. What a goal. Spain finally broke through the tough, tough Paraguayan defense and took the lead in this match. Paraguay would only get one good chance to level, which would come in the 89th minute when Lucas Barrios came in clean on goal and loosed a shot that Casillas did well to save. He did give up a rebound though and had to be incredibly quick getting back up and coming out to successfully close out Roque Santa Cruz, whose shot hit off of Casillas' right calf and deflected to safety. Spain held on through three minutes of stoppage time and won one of the strangest, craziest, heart attack-inducing matches that I have ever seen. Just amazing.
Spain 1 - 0 Paraguay
I long ago gave up trying to convince people who didn't like soccer to like it. If it's not your thing, then fine, I can't and won't fight your preferences, especially if you've taken the time to watch some high level matches and experience real quality soccer. But this is one of those matches that makes me wonder how anyone can fail to find soccer entertaining, even if you don't love it like hardcore fans do. I'm not going to go all evangelical here, so don't worry. I just really, really enjoyed this match and would love everyone else to as well. Anyway, now we're on to the semifinals and have two amazing matches in Uruguay vs Holland and Spain vs Germany. I already can't wait for Tuesday and Wednesday. This has been a fantastic World Cup and I find myself wanting more every time I think about it. I hope everyone else is enjoying it just as much. Take care.
Argentina vs Germany
Things started off quickly in the 3rd minute when Bastian Schweinsteiger took a free kick from the left flank and sent a nasty in-swinger into the box. Thomas Muller got the lightest of headers to the ball, but it was enough to change the direction and keeper Sergio Romero could do nothing but watch the ball glance off his shin and into the back of the net. Astonishing start the match, something that most people did not predict, I'd wager. Great ball in by Schweinsteiger and perhaps a general miss by Muller, but he did enough. Romero really can't be expected to stop that shot, by the way. I'm sure there's a keeper alive now that would make that world class save, but he would have had to have lightning hand or foot speed to have a chance. Just a great start by Germany, and they built on that start by maintaining possession after the goal and worked the ball around to keep Argentina on the move. Neither team generated much in the way of chances for a while in this game, as the German defense was strong enough to meet the Argentine attack while being careful that they didn't give the goal right back. The best chance for either side was in the 24th when Muller made a run down the right and Miroslav Klose smartly separated himself from his defender by fading back toward the top of the box instead of making a hard near post run. Muller gave the ball to Klose but his shot took the ball over the crossbar and Germany missed a golden opportunity.
By the 30th minute, Argentina had started possessing more and taking away chances from Germany, but they couldn't create any quality chances for themselves. They managed to get shots off, but never truly troubled the keeper, like in the 33rd when Angel di Maria opened up some space for himself to get a shot off but rolled it easily to keeper Manuel Neuer. Then in the 35th, Gonzalo Higuain turned Arne Friedrich around to create an opening for his shot, but his near post shot effort was saved by Neuer again. This continued on into the second half with di Maria getting free once again in the 48th to fire a ball just wide of the right post, a shot that Neuer most likely had covered regardless. Argentina was the better team during this time, but they were pressing their advantage very hard in an attempt to get the tying goal and that would eventually lead to the floodgates being opened.
In the 68th minute, Muller was on the ground but still managed to play a sliding ball to free Podolski down the left edge of the eighteen. Podolski kept the ball close to his feet to keep Romero honest and then put a sharp ball across the middle outside of the outstretched hands of the keeper and just short of a sliding Argentine defender. Klose gladly settled the pass first so as not to accidentally one-touch a shot over and then poked it into the back of the net, putting Germany up 2-0. Muller made a great play here to start Podolski down the side and Argentina was finally made to pay for their huge offensive push forward by the quick German attack. It didn't take much longer for them to add to that total against an even more desperate Argentinian side and in the 74th, Schweinsteiger made a fantastic run down toward the left post before touching it in front to a crashing Friedrich who finished just inside the left post despite a hard challenge from a defender. Schweinsteiger was a stand out player all game long and this was just the icing on the cake for him, plus Friedrich's first ever goal for the German national team. The match was over here, but the Germans still managed to pile on one more in the 89th minute when Ozil received the ball on the left wing during a German breakout and beautifully floated a pass over the defenders to Klose who volleyed it into the net to sit one goal behind Ronaldo for all-time World Cup goalscorer. Germany held on for as long as it needed to and then absolutely manhandled a tired, pressing Argentina team for an impressive victory.
Germany 4 - 0 Argentina
Paraguay vs Spain
This was a classic match-up of defense vs offense as this Paraguay side had only allowed one goal in the entire World Cup going into this game. On the other hand, there is Spain, the leading team in percentage of possession held going into the game. And let's not forget that the Spanish have a secret weapon in striker David Villa, who was tied for the Golden Boot lead going into this match with four. Early on, however, Paraguay was the more interesting team as they pressed Spain up high and put a lot of pressure on the reigning European champions. Jonathan Santana got the first chance of the match for Chile, or for anyone, in the 1st minute when he was played through at the top of the 18 but put his shot directly at Spanish keeper Iker Casillas. The Paraguayan defense did the job for quite a while on Spain, keeping them from looking comfortable on their passes and never letting them get into a rhythm. In fact, this match was probably the worst I have seen Spain pass in recent memory, mostly due to Paraguay's pressure I would presume, but also due to their own botched touches and deliveries. Xavi had Spain's best chance of the first half in the 29th minute when he struck a volley from almost dead center around twenty-five yards out, but the shot dipped hard once it was already over the crossbar. The most controversial moment of the first came in the 41st minute when Paraguay striker Nelson Haedo Valdez looked to put in the match's first goal, but offsides was called on Paraguay. The problem is, the replay clearly showed that Valdez was not offside. The offside rule is tricky to interpret: some officials say that any offside player may not touch the ball, some say that any offside player may not participate in the play. There was a Paraguay player that was offside and he did occupy a defender by challenging for a header, but he did not touch the ball. It's a tough call for the officials, but I am in the camp that believes that the offside player did impact the play by drawing an attacker to him while going up for the cross, so Valdez's goal should not have counted. But I was rooting for Spain, so take that how you will.
The second half was, bar none, one of the craziest halves of soccer that I have ever seen in my life. Everything started in the 57th minute when Gerard Pique pulled down Oscar Cardozo by his arm in the box on a corner kick, and the referee yellow-carded Pique and awarded a penalty kick. Excellent call by the referee as Pique clearly was at fault here and all of the in-the-box shenanigans, with the grabbing and holding and pushing, really needs to stop. Cardozo stepped up to take the PK, but took it poorly and Casillas went down to his left to stop the shot and save Spain from going down 1-0. On the Spanish counter attack in the 59th, Villa carried the ball into the box and was pulled and pushed down from behind by Antolin Alcaraz, earning Alcaraz a yellow and giving Spain a chance to go up from the penalty spot. Just an absolutely crazy turnaround and one of the weirder things I've seen in any soccer match. To make things even more weird, Xabi Alonso stepped up to the ball and buried his penalty kick in the left corner. But wait. The referee waived off the goal for encroachment on a Spanish player, which the replay showed to be accurate, so Alonso had to retake the kick. This time, he put a poor quality shot to the right side of goal, similar to Cardozo's shot, that keeper Justo Villar knocked away. In the ensuing melee for the rebound, Cesc Fabregas was obviously taken out by Villar, but no penalty was given, possibly because Fabregas had just passed the ball on to Sergio Ramos, who had his attempt cleared off the line by a Paraguayan defender. Absolutely unreal. After all of that, we were still tied at 0-0.
With all of this ridiculousness, the game opened up and Spain took advantage, pushing forward well and almost finishing off Paraguay. I don't know if it was tired legs, or just all of the excitement of the penalty kick sequence, or Spain finally getting their full attack working, but Paraguay could simply not keep their perfect defensive shape any longer and Spain kept knocking on the door for the go-ahead goal. That goal finally came in the 83rd when Andres Iniesta made an outstanding run straight down the middle of the field and then laid a pass off to the right for substitute Pedro. Pedro collected the ball well and lined up his shot... off the left post in an agonizing moment for any Spanish fan. But much like the very end of the US vs Algeria match, the go-to man jumped on the end of the rebound. David Villa collected the rebound off of Pedro's shot and got his own shot off just before two Paraguay defenders came sliding in front of him. Villa's shot went off the inside of the right post, then off of the inside of the left post, and then finally went in. What a sequence. What a goal. Spain finally broke through the tough, tough Paraguayan defense and took the lead in this match. Paraguay would only get one good chance to level, which would come in the 89th minute when Lucas Barrios came in clean on goal and loosed a shot that Casillas did well to save. He did give up a rebound though and had to be incredibly quick getting back up and coming out to successfully close out Roque Santa Cruz, whose shot hit off of Casillas' right calf and deflected to safety. Spain held on through three minutes of stoppage time and won one of the strangest, craziest, heart attack-inducing matches that I have ever seen. Just amazing.
Spain 1 - 0 Paraguay
I long ago gave up trying to convince people who didn't like soccer to like it. If it's not your thing, then fine, I can't and won't fight your preferences, especially if you've taken the time to watch some high level matches and experience real quality soccer. But this is one of those matches that makes me wonder how anyone can fail to find soccer entertaining, even if you don't love it like hardcore fans do. I'm not going to go all evangelical here, so don't worry. I just really, really enjoyed this match and would love everyone else to as well. Anyway, now we're on to the semifinals and have two amazing matches in Uruguay vs Holland and Spain vs Germany. I already can't wait for Tuesday and Wednesday. This has been a fantastic World Cup and I find myself wanting more every time I think about it. I hope everyone else is enjoying it just as much. Take care.
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