Apologies for the prolonged delay in updating this blog, but "mici" on the grill, cold beers, catching up with old friends and family and [did I mention it already?] way too much drinking are all good excused for putting down the ... ehm, keyboard...
So this will be short, as it's getting late and I have to get up early tomorrow to go play soccer, or break another part of my legs, or both...
Yesterday, Brazil finally imploded. Or Holland were that much better. Or both.
I mentioned the other that that I was curious to see who could take Brazil apart. The answer for that was quite unexpected: Brazil. Yes, they believed in a victory too early, got comfortable just hoping to catch Holland on the counter [clearly did not work] and were outdone in the end by a resilient performance from the Dutch in the second half. It's easy to point fingers and blame Melo (although scoring an own goal and leaving their team in numerical disadvantage will not be forgotten easily) but in all truthfulness, Brazil were weaker on the day and the better team went through.
In the other game, Uruguay were lucky on and on but managed to win the PK psychological battle in the end. A hard fought battle, with plenty of chances on both ends could have ended in regular time with Ghana going through, but Gyan succumbed under the pressure of the moment. I know he won't be able to get much sleep over the next few weeks, and his career will always be plagued by that unfortunate moment. But to his credit, one has to applaud the mental strength it took to be the first one to take (and score) the Ghana series. Luis Suarez, on the other end, went from villain to hero, allowing Uruguay back in the game... How overly dramatic the unwritten script of this game could be sometimes...
Earlier today, Argentina were blown to pieces by Germany. I watched some of the replays and it looked like one of the teams (I'm sure you guessed which one) was playing in slow motion. It was sad to see Lionel leave the competition without scoring one single goal (as everyone was anticipating a 1986 Maradona-like display from the current player of the year). I guess it was not his time...or maybe he's truly not as good as Diego Armando [still the #1 player of all times in my book]. But as we come to that, I need to accentuate the player part; because as a coach, relaying on the tremendous talent of a great bunch of players, was obviously not enough. One would have to wonder if some of the players he preferred (by leaving home the likes of Cambiasso and Zanetti) simply were not good enough once the opposition got seriously stronger...
Again, I'm sad for my buddy Lionel, but Argentina was simply outclassed...
In the last of the quarterfinals, more drama as Spain waited for another late winner from [who else?] David Villa to book the last semifinal spot. Some would say that the first Paraguay goal was valid (certainly a strong point for that) and the game would have been different had Casillas not sopped the penalty. But then Spain could use the same [penalty] excuse with Villar's save from the spot a minute later.
In the end, it wasn't easy, certainly not pretty, but once again, the better team prevailed. Spain just has not shown their true potential yet... and by looking at Germany's performance as the tournament progressed, La Furia Roja will definitely go into the semifinal as underdogs.
The other semifinal pairs Uruguay against the Dutch. It will definitely not be as easy for Robben & Co. against one of the most resilient defenses in the tournament. Holland has the upper hand, but the South Americans will surely give them a run for their money!
More to come in the next few days, but it's really hard to get in front of the computer when the grill is sizzling , and the beers seem to be calling: "drink me, drink me, drink me too!!!"
Oh, the sweet Romanian [vacation] life ...
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