How come they win Four World Cups but lose Two World Wars?

Congratulations to Germany for winning the World Cup for the fourth time and becoming the first European team to win the trophy in the Americas. The only way Argentina could defeat Germany was for Lionel Messi to produce a world class performance that his status as “best player in the world” demands.  Unfortunately he continued his indifferent form from the semi-final and at times looked disinterested.

To add insult to injury, he received the trophy for the player of the tournament which is a travesty. There are at least five players who were more deserving: Muller, Rodriguez, Shweinsteiger, Maschcerano, and Robben. Yes, he scored 4 goals in the group, but did very little to enhance his reputation in the knock out stages.

Both teams had their chances which you expect world class strikers to convert, but the match rumbled onto extra time, and a penalty shoot-out looked inevitable until (Super) Mario Gotze came on as a late substitute and scored the only goal to win the Cup for his country.

Many football writers have claimed that Brazil 2014 deserves the title of best World Cup of all time, but I have to disagree. The group stages provided entertainment and excitement with a record number of goals and some surprising results. However, several teams went into a defensive mode when they reached the knock out stage, and Columbia, Chile and Mexico missed wonderful opportunities to progress by affording their more illustrious opponents too much respect. Not the first time, the final was contested by previous winners which made the later rounds a little predictable.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable World Cup if not a great one, and there were memorable moments:

Quote of the tournament: Ian Darke, ABC commentator on the final: Chancellor Merkel is very familiar with the German players. She has visited them regularly in their dressing room.” Was that with or without their towels?

Best Performance: Without a doubt, Costa Rica who won their group by defeating Italy, Uruguay, and drawing with hapless England.

Biggest shocks: Holland coming back from a goal down and defeating holders Spain in the group stage 5-1, and Germany’s 7-1 annihiliation of Brazil in the semi-final.

Most heroic performance: Tim Howard versus Belgium; literally.

The Villians: Arian Robben for his Olympic diving and Vaudeville acting, Tim Krul for trash talking the plucky Cost Rica penalty takers, and inevitably Luis Suarez for his lame impression of Count Dracula.

The Heart-stopping moment: The instant Colombian defender drove his knee into Neymar’s back putting him out of the tournament destroyed the hopes and dreams of 200 million Brazilians.

The Night they drove Old Dixie Down Moment: The energy, excitement and momentum generated in America during the World Cup all but evaporated when USA were eliminated.

The Crass Moment of the World Cup: Pompous self indulgent FIFA officials making the Argentinian players stand forlornly for 25 minutes after losing the final, so the officials  could preen themselves for the award ceremony.

Players of the tournament: Definitely the camera crew who provided us with regular shots of beautiful women dotted around the stadiums.

The Most Enjoyable game: USA’s 2-2 draw with Portugal. We watched the game at a family reunion in Myrtle Beach, and the support for USA was amazing particularly when a number of family members knew nothing about football let alone soccer!

Most Boring game of the tournament: It has to be the semi-final between Argentina and Holland without a shadow of a doubt.

 

 

 

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