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Should we have any sympathy for pampered overpaid, underperforming football players who fail to execute penalty kicks which ultimately cost their team fame and fortune, and the match? In a nutshell, hell no! Two are the quarter-final matches were determined on penalty kicks but in entirely different circumstances.

Uruguay and Ghana was a nail-biter for the ages. The game had ended 1-1 after normal time, and they were playing 30 minutes of extra-time where neither team had much energy left and were anxious not to commit a silly mistake to cost their team the match. In the final minute Ghana launched a promising attack which produced a goal bound shot which was handled on the line by their striker, Suarez. He was immediately shown a red card and Ghana was awarded a penalty.

 Ghana’s No 3 confidently strode up and placed the ball on the penalty spot. He had done this a million times and all he had to do was trust his instincts and stroke the ball in the back of the net to put Ghana into the semi-final of the world cup. He approached the ball and blasted the ball against the cross bar. The Uruguayan goalkeeper reached up and kissed the cross bar while Ghana’s No 3 sank to his knees in despair.

The two teams were forced into the penalty shoot-out. Uruguay’s star striker Forlan went first and completed a perfect penalty. Ghana’s No 3 showed tremendous courage in stepping for Ghana’s first kick which he executed perfectly. Que Sara, Sara…… five minutes earlier his second penalty attempt would have earned them a place in the semi-final. Unfortunately, two of his colleague’s kicks were atrocious and Uruguay were through. Football can be a cruel game; tragic for Ghana but ecstasy for Uruguay.

If one thought that the penalty drama in the previous match could not be usurped, think again. Spain and Paraguay were playing cat and mouse with each other and the game was drifting toward extra-time. Paraguay were awarded a corner and in the melee, Piquez wrestled his opponent to the ground and the referee quite rightly awarded a penalty. The Spanish goal keeper dived the right way and comfortably made a save. Spain ran down the field and within a minute were awarded a penalty kick which was subsequently saved by the crossbar kissing Paraguayan goal keeper. Villa scored a late goal for Spain and booked their date with destiny.

The match of the round pitched undefeated Argentina against a young and vibrant Germany. Argentina were hanging on the emotional coat tails of their emotional coach Maradona. Germany scored in the 3^rd minute of the game and never removed their hands from Argentina’s jugular. Lionel had reportedly been suffering from flu all week and could have ostensibly remained home in bed for what effect he manifested on the field. Argentina were thoroughly outplayed and were relieved to hear the final whistle having conceded four goals to a bitter rival.

The previous day provided another shock with Brazil losing to Holland. Brazil led 1-0 at half-time and Holland barely had a kick. Early into the second half, Brazil conceded a goal via a defensive error which changed the game’s momentum. Holland’s winner came from a corner kick with 5ft 7” Wesley Sneider providing the game winning header. My Colombian-American friend complained that Holland kicked Brazil off the park aided and abetted by the Japanese referee who had no business handling a game of this magnitude. Again we see this “politically correct” shadow creeping into the world of sport. Regardless of race or political affiliation, the best referees should be selected for the big games.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 10:57 am and is filed under Association football, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.