Neither Here Nor There

Uruguay brought on the team they wish had been fit and card-cleared for their match against Holland.  The return of Lugano and Suárez to the starting line-up was particularly pleasing to the fans.  Germany’s starting 11 was an altered squad.  A couple of mainstays were under the weather, Klose had a back problem, Butt was in goal…

The pissing rain and Nelson Mandela Stadium’s typically poor pitch condition added to the drama of the emotionally-charged match.  Some say the 3rd place play-off is a meaningless fixture.  Meaningless in terms of glory and glamour, maybe — but when teams have nothing but pride to play for, more often than not, they play a damn good game.

Uruguay v Germany 2010 didn’t disappoint.  The match was open, free-flowing, and exciting from kick-off to final whistle.  Chances were taken and chances were missed.  Good calls were made, bad calls, too.  There were perfectly-timed tackles and brutally poor ones, successful and disastrous link-up play, long balls, set-plays, shots-on-goal that were neatly gathered, shots that were perilously spilled, shots that came off the crossbar, shots that caressed the wrong side of the uprights.  And there were plenty of goals.

Müller put Germany ahead at 19 minutes.  (That boy is a real talent; we’ll be seeing a lot of him in years ahead.)  Just 9 minutes later, Schweinsteiger (of all people) was dispossessed midfield.  Uruguay took off on the break and Cavani finished with style.

On the other side of the interval, Uruguay took the lead through a beauty of a goal by the irrepressible Diego Forlán, then lost it almost immediately by allowing Jansen to head the ball into an unguarded net.  It was neck-and-neck through a ferociously fought 2nd half until the final stretch, when Khedira capitalized on a corner from Özil by heading a wild ball off the bounce well past Uruguay’s over-taxed keeper.

Could Uruguay keep the see-saw going and equalize yet again?  They got their chance in the very last seconds of the game, from a free kick just outside the box.  Forlán’s wonderful effort came within an inch of putting the game into extra time.  The chance careened off the crossbar.

No glory, no glamour.  Yeah, but a respectable loss. A bittersweet victory.  And a damn good game.

After some weirdness in the Group stage — a close shave victory over the Black Stars and a surprising defeat to Serbia — Germany returned to the form they’d displayed against Australia and proceeded to clobber England and clobber Argentina.  They expected to clobber Spain.

A few days ago I posed the question, “How the hell is anybody going to beat these guys?”  I feared I was being rhetorical.  Turns out Spain had the answer.

• Stick with the passing game.
• Attack like crazy.
• Stifle Germany on the break.
• Don’t be afraid to compete with German giants in the air.

In their now infamous Group stage defeat to Switzerland, Spain played in every corner and half their set pieces short and low.  The predictability of their game made it all too easy for the Swiss to stand firm.  Switzerland scored on the break.  Spain never scored at all.

If Spain had played this semi-final the same way, they’d likely have seen the same result.  Instead, they ran the Germans ragged, fiercely attacking at one end of the pitch, smothering counter-attacks at the other.  My friend Dec couldn’t remember afterward if the Germans even got a shot off on goal.  (They did.  Just the one.  It prompted an exquisite save from Casillas.)

The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute, when Puyol — surely the smallest player on the pitch — ran up unmarked from the back, rose above the also-unmarked Pique to meet Xavi’s sweetly-launched corner, and headed the ball unequivocally into Neuer’s net.

Germany, of course, is now rooting for Spain.  Why?  Same reason England has been rooting for Germany.  Because a team would rather be defeated by the incipient WC champions than by another bunch of losers.  Bet you anything, Uruguay’s rooting for Holland.

As for the 3rd-place play-off in a few hours time… Uruguay claims they’re going for the jugular.  Germany’s got something to prove.  Should be a helluva match.

Those who only follow the fortunes of the big-name teams miss some of the very best matches.   The crowds show up for Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, USA, England.  There were only 3 of us in the pub to see Uruguay-Holland.  Lucky us.  This one was riveting.

With two star player suspended on reds and Lugano — their captain — not fit to start, Uruguay was forced to make changes, upping the pressure on Diego Forlán immeasurably.  Holland had to make changes, too, but with a prized player returning (Mathijsen) and a deep bench, the Dutch were sitting prettier.

Holland threatened right away.  Uruguay shot back, but when Dutch captain van Bronkhorst scored before 20 minutes had gone — a perfectly placed bullet that soared, dipped and apparently hit 61 mph on its 41 yard journey to the far corner of Muslera’s net — it was tempting to believe in Dutch domination and write the Uruguayans off.

Uruguay’s immediate response was a flurry of messy tackles and over-the-top reactions to tackles made by the other side.  About 10 minutes after the goal, a bicycle-kick attempt by Caceras caught de Zeeuw full in the face.  Uruguay collected themselves in the medical time-out and resumed play determined to get back in the game.  Their perseverance paid off at 41 minutes when Forlán took possession about 30 yards out, cut inside and let fly.  Stekelenburg had been an ace in the hole till then, but he’ll hate watching the replay of this one getting by him.

The result (Uruguay 2 – 3 Holland) is a bit misleading.  The last Uruguay goal, snatched by Maxi Rodriguez at 92 minutes, helped make the score more respectable, but Holland at the game sewed up in the 70-80 minute zone, thanks to a gorgeous header from Robben and Sneijder’s slightly deflected, but undeniably on-target strike.

Citing the goals and goalscorers is misleading, as well.  The Netherlands have reached the 2010 Final an undefeated team not because of the individual brilliance of specific players, but because of their fantastic cohesion.  Coach van Marwijk has achieved something remarkable; he’s somehow got his boys to drop their egos without compromising their skills and hit the pitch with unity of purpose, common intention and unselfish play.  Today, Holland is “the best team never to have won the cup.”  Come Sunday, they may just be “the best.”

GERMANY v ARGENTINA

On paper?  A not-to-be-missed match, end-to-end, neck-and-neck.

On the pitch…  Argentina got creamed.  Germany won by a resounding 4 – 0 margin.  The one and only question I had at the end of the 90 minutes was, “How the hell is anybody going to beat these guys?”

Argentina’s pride was crushed as thoroughly as their hopes.  Lionel Messi — arguably the best footballer in the world — wept inconsolably in the dressing room.  Manager Diego Maradona had to take time to to compose himself before addressing the media.  A team that looked full-willing to go all the way, the best Argentinian team to take to the field since Maradona wore the captain’s armband were handed their 2nd biggest defeat in their nation’s WC history.

On a Maradona’s-karma level, the result may be justified.  El Diego’s chequered WC past includes being kicked off the pitch for kicking a Brazilian player in ‘82, his “hand of God” goal in ‘86 (part legitimate header, part divine dexterity, according to Maradona), a black mark by association for the “holy water scandal” in ‘90 (a Brazilian left-back alleged the water bottle passed to him by the Argentinian staff during the match was laced with tranqs), and another that same tournament for suggesting that as he’d just helped Naples to a 2nd Serie-A title, Neapolitans should support Argentina over Italy in the semi-final (being held in — you guessed it — fair Napoli), and dismissal from the ‘94 WC after testing positive for ephedrine.

To be fair, Maradona was a brilliant player.  He won the golden Ball in ‘86 and scored what may well have been the best goal of that tourney against England (after the deity-assisted handball).  To be fairer, the exceedingly talented Argentinian team we’ve been watching in 2010 has clearly not been playing under anybody’s karmic burden.  In fact, Argentina had a relatively easy ride to the Quarterfinals.  In this — their toughest match — their skill and style simply weren’t enough to combat the merciless brilliance of the young German lions.  Neuer’s confident acrobatics, Podolski’s incisive command of the left, old-man Klose’s still keen instincts in front of goal, Özil’s precision switching for hook-up play, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s jaw-dropping, inspirational, indomitable skill and Germany’s cohesion as a team overwhelmed the less experienced Argentine players and exposed their organizational weakness.

On a side note, un-merrie olde England, while still and forever in the doghouse for their lackluster crash-and-burn, can take a modicum of comfort that they scored at all against Germany, while the star-studded Albicelestes failed to find the back of the net even once.  Germany goes on, and well they should.  They play like true champions.

***

PARAGUAY v SPAIN

In the earlier game of the day, Germany and Argentina seemed to be playing each other from across a Great Divide of quality and confidence.  In this game it took 2 penalties, a passel of shots off-the woodwork and 83 minutes to separate the Spaniards from the Paraguayans.

Paraguay’s game is not the free-flowing, attacking football we all love so well.  Paraguay’s game is protect the goal, let nothing in, capitalize on the other team’s errors or on the break, and grind out a squeaky victory.  The 1st option gives us an open game — footy “eye-candy.”  Paraguay’s strategy has done them proud in this tourney and carried them far — but it’s “nails-on-the-chalkboard” for viewers like me.  For them, it’s a risky gamble.

If Paraguay’s opponents make no fatal errors and neutralize their efforts to score (as did Spain, with a few close-call exceptions), then Paraguay isn’t defending a pending victory, but only a chance to go to extra time and penalties.  The longer the game goes on, the more likely Paraguay will lose — because if their defense fails and their opponents nab a goal late in the match, they suddenly and belatedly need uncommon strength, stamina, skill and luck to get back on level terms.  (83rd minute, Villa… hel-lo?)

Coming into the match with one of the best defensive records in the tournament, it’s easy to see why Paraguay centered their tactics on maintaining the back line and holding the midfield.  Offensively, Paraguay managed only 3 goals from their previous matches.  Defense is grand, but bottom line, you can’t win if you don’t get the ball across your opponent’s goal-line.

The match was a tense, frustrating, finally nail-biting experience for the Spanish players, bench and fans — but all it took was 1 quick-reaction goal (from David Villa, naturally) to transform anxiety to relief and send Spain to the Semifinals.

Sloppy officiating at the end of the match added excitement while keeping the scoreline unfairly low.  First Pique gave away a penalty, but Casillas prevented Paraguay from equalizing with one of the most astonishing saves to date; he didn’t just stop the ball — he held it.   Moments later, Alonso was awarded a penalty at the other end of the pitch.  His shot found the back of the net, but the ref ordered it re-taken.  Penalties favor the striker, but re-taken penalties tip the scales in the goalkeeper’s direction.  Alonso’s 2nd try was saved, but in the follow-up scramble, the keeper unfairly brought Fabregas down in the box.  Spain should’ve been awarded another crack at goal, but there was no call.  An incredible amount of action in a fantastically short space of time… and it had zero effect on the score.

Spain’s triumph sets us up for a Euro-Cup rematch, Germany v Spain.  I am so there.

HOLLAND v BRAZIL

Holland has what it takes to be real contenders.  They’ve already shown their coordination, precision passing, attack mentality and individual skills.  In this match they revealed a ruthless side to their game that sent a message to their opponents in the next round:  if our beautiful football isn’t enough to win it, we’ll win it another way.

Favorites Brazil took the lead in the 1st half, thanks to glorious, fluid movement that repeatedly swamped the Dutch defense.  Andre Ooijer, in at center back for the injured Mathijson, let Melo gain far too much ground and pass the ball.  Robinho connected and Stekelenburg was beaten.

The goal set Brazil off on a series of attacks that only failed to reward due to Juan and Kaka and Fabiano failing to finish.  Unfazed, Brazil started counting their chickens at the interval.  Way too soon.  In the 2nd half, the Dutch dug in and played a more cynical game, tactically designed to put Brazil off their stride.  The yellow cards started mounting, tempers flared.  The usually impeccable Julio Cesar totally missed Sneijder’s cross as it brushed off Melo’s head and into the net for an own goal.  Jolted into action, Brazil attempted to regain their advantage.  Instead, the Dutch got a corner.  Robben crossed, Kuyt flicked it on, Sneijder headed it in.

Frustrated by Robben going down too easily and too often, Melo tromped on the Dutch winger’s leg and was given a straight red card.  Down to 10 men, Brazil’s composure unraveled — they never seriously threatened again.  The Nederlands didn’t achieve the prettiest win ever, but it was emphatic.  Their post-game celebrations made a stark contrast to the Brazilians’ glassy-eyed shock and dismay at having crashed ingloriously out of contention.

***

URUGUAY v GHANA

The last set of Quarterfinals, the Semifinals and the Final notwithstanding, this was the match of the tournament, an edge-of-the-seat thriller that went to full-time, extra time and a penalty shootout before Uruguay’s dreams came true and Ghana’s — nay, Africa’s heart was broken.

It was game-on from the kickoff.  A breathless 1st half ended in a stunning 30-yard strike from Muntari that put Ghana ahead on the stroke of 1/2-time and transformed him from a bad-guy (sent home last week after butting heads with the coach) into a pan-African hero.  Uruguay struck back at 55 minutes through Diego Forlán — and no surprise there.  Uruguay’s success to date is largely due to their top striker being in top form.  His free kick was yet another masterpiece; the notorious Jabulani went one way then bent the other, utterly hookwinking Kingson in goal.

All tied at 1 – 1 at full time, we got another 1/2-hour of unrelenting, attacking football from both sides.  Literally in the last seconds of play, a shot-on-goal by Adiyiah was kicked off the line and his follow up punched off the line by Suárez.  The deliberate handball won the Uruguayan a red and Gyan — another striker having an excellent tournament — stepped up to the spot.  The game was his to win, but incredibly, appallingly he struck the bar.

Uruguay was down to 10 men, but that doesn’t mean squat in a penalty shoot-out.   Having squandered a gilt-edged opportunity, Ghana was rightly reeling, yet astonishingly it was Gyan who fearlessly returned to the spot to take the first penalty.  And damned if he didn’t convert it.

Though Gyan had the grit to face the gaping net and send the ball screaming into it, still the wind had gone out of Ghana’s sails.  They hung on for a few rounds, then Mensah hit a weak one that the Uruguayan keeper saved.  Next up, Pereira missed by a mile, but Ghana couldn’t capitalize.  With a wonderful, one-handed stop, the Muslera sent Adiyiah’s subsequent shot wide.  Uruguay clinched the win with a cheeky chip down the center from Abreu.

Ghana came this close to becoming the first African nation to reach the Semifinals.  A wild miss and 2 great saves later, it’s Uruguay moving on with the aim of recapturing the cup they won 80 years ago.