La Furio Roja!

In a very pathetic match which didn't see any of the class that associated with a World cup final, Espanyol wins thanks to an Andres Iniesta strike in the second half of the ET. Even when Zidane was red carded for what was a very non sporting action, no one was ready to say that Horacio Elizando was wrong. All the parties except Elizando was wrong; and Materrasi was more wrong than Zidane. In this edition's final, all except Webb was wrong; and Netherlands was more wrong than Spain. 

Calm before the storm, er, Kick off

I haven't seen as theatrical a team as the Dutch. Maybe in '54, '66 and '90, there was brutal football but I am yet to read an author claiming that they fought cheap. Football is not a Gentleman's game, let that go to Golf or Cricket. This is a passionate game. If there are a few more passionate guys on the field, it is fine, but not actors. The way Snjeider clasped after fouling Xavi was the a base act. If Robben dived a bit less and concentrated more on his game, then he might have won the game for Dutch.

Clockwise from top left: De Jong giving a Karate Kick to Xavi Alonso, De Jong escaped with a yellow; Referee Webb and team before the start, He played his game to perfection; Arjen Robben after losing out on a superb chance, if only he kept his mind on scoring rather than when to dive; Sergio Ramos diving and missing contact with ball, his indiscretion got him a yellow.

After going so close to lifting the biggest prize in world football with the Netherlands, it was a distraught Dirk Kuyt who was first to brave the press following his side’s 1-0 final defeat to Spain, the striker decided to focus on the standard of the officiating as one of the key reasons behind his side's loss.

“We are angry because we were so close,” - Kuyt

Close to being the most ungainly side. Nothing more. I wish Robben, alas I also have to admit he is a good player, was worst guy on field. If Van Bronkhorst took control of his team rather than waiting for Webb to do his job, this would have been better, but no, he will not leave the main ingredient that helped them win against Uruguay and Brazil, both better teams than this Dutch side.

The only good thing among all that is Dutch!

“The referee was slightly more for them than for us. That ultimately cost us the cup.” What the heck is this guy(Kuyt) saying? They should have seen two red cards and still was not given by Webb, just because he wanted no one to be given unfair advantage in the final. The ref did a great, and ultimately thankless, job. I still believe Dutch were more favored.

I shall even dare to say that Snjeider is nothing what the papers say about him. He is a good player, but none in the league of Robben or Van Persie(who forgot to revise before coming for the World cup!). The only talent of the future in Dutch side is Eljero Elia, who substituted Kuyt in the second half of Sunday's final.

In the semi finals, when Pedro was brought in for Torres, I asked who? why?, and in few minutes, he gave me all answers. So when Jesus Navas was brought in for Pedro I kept the questions bottled up inside. Surely enough, I got the answers. I would have wished to see Cesc on field earlier, at least 40 minutes earlier when there was signs of fresh mind required. This is one player who is so good at reading the game, and make such a dent in opposition that they will leave the main man and come after him. Throughout this world cup, it was always clear that Spain was far more attacking when both Villa and Torres played, but such is the quality of the players that it is always a hard decision for the coach to make a decision on whom to field, and even more importantly, when. Xavi was doing the same thing, but he is yet to make a mark as inspirational. Iniesta! What a player.  I plainly loved the sight when he shoulder blocked Van der Weil after a very bad tackle gone unnoticed by Webb. Only when Iniesta did a La Robben did Netherlands get taste of their own medicine. Espana played intelligently, and ultimately won the coveted prize.

The ultimate moment

"It was poetic justice because football won and football, that marvelous universal folklore, is Iniesta," said El Mundo. "The little wizard had to be the one who in minute 116 put the nail in the coffin of the 11 most quarrelsome Dutchmen in history."

Single shot that changed history.

The match did not show anything as elegant as the German demolition of Argentina, or the tight contest for Third place, but it still was worth watching to see the Dutch beaten soundly. The sight of Casillas crying at other end when Iniesta scored made my heart so happy. It was not a good sight to see Mathiesen throwing the ball and getting booked in the end. I will say, this was my happiest moment since 2002. Even then, the Dutch showed greatest of all attempts at making up by giving a guard of honour to the Spanish team. The final celebrations were superb. Spain shall never be called chokers again with such talents.

Now, the celebrations!

I take a bit of liberty in the list that is going to follow:


Best Player in Spanish side: Iker Casillas
Fernando Torres: Made lot of breathing space for Villa with his speed. Though goalless, it was his presence that gave lot of chances to Villa.
Andres Iniesta: The best playmaker. Made it into my list:P
Xavi: A lot more expected from him. Still the next best thing.
Cesc: My favorite player. Sidelined due to injury, this guy can still create chances and make opposition sweat.
Jesus Navas: Look out for him.


Best Player in Dutch side: Giovanni Van Bronkhorst. Aging captain, but that showed the maturity in his game.
Arjen Robben: None of the class he showed in last world cup.
Robin Van Persie: Stricken with dementia.
Wesley Snjeider: Could have been a hero.
Eljero Elia: Future.

A great world cup. Lots of memories.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Netherlands Plays Ugly in Title Loss to Spain (nytimes.com)
• Iniesta settles war of attrition with a moment of inspiration (independent.co.uk)

The final days memories

Chandrakant Nair So it ends here .

I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to Hrishikesh Varma , Abdul Raouf andRajasekhar Kanathezhath for giving me my best world cup ever . Thanks a ton guys :)

11 hours ago · Comment ·  · Remove tag

Hari Shanker R likes this.

Rajasekhar Kanathezhath

Everything mutual, Kapitane!!

11 hours ago ·  ·  1 person · 

Abdul Raouf

Absolutely. Been a pleasure and ultimately an extremely rewarding experience. :D

11 hours ago ·  ·  1 person

Abdul Raouf So it ends, one of my most enjoyable spells on FB.

What began on the night of 16th with a heady ass-whipping for yours truly ends on a golden note with Spain lifting the Cup, against all odds as it seemed on that night.

Hrishikesh Varma and Chandrakant Nair, you were true sports. :)

11 hours ago · Comment · 

Hrishikesh Varma and Christopher Vasanth John like this.

Hrishikesh Varma

As were you, good sir, as were you :D

Hrishikesh Varma  One month of agony and ectsasy is over. With thanks, apologies and more abuses to Abdul Raouf, Chandrakant Nair and Ullas Mohan for all the abuses.

Regards from the South Pole!

Arun Sundarrajan The champions of Europe are the new world champions..!!! The World cup ends :-(

11 hours ago via Mobile Web · Comment · 

Arun Sundarrajan Just the fitting end to Uruguay.. The last strike hitting the crossbar... giving the same feel as for the Ghana-ians.., when they were sent outta the WC by Suarez.. Sorry Diego :-(

Yesterday at 02:01 · Comment · 

Chandrakant Nair Not what one would expect from a World Cup final . Pathetic attitude from the Dutch .

Anyways , job well done by Spain . Congrats Gouri Krishna, Abdul Raouf , Anand Nair , Aravind Nair , Deepak Dahiya . All of you live to die in 2014 :D

12 hours ago · Comment · 

Vikas Plakkot likes this.

Naveen Giles

Anyway Ini-iesta means "Next time my friend" in Thrissur slang ;-))

12 hours ago ·  ·  1 person

Shibin Azad

‎@ ^ AWESOME! :D

Puyol cracks a header that sends Germany out

Spanish team; well, almost

Spain have advanced to their first FIFA World Cup™ Final, Carles Puyol's 74th-minute header securing a deserved 1-0 victory over Germany in Durban.

The semifinal win marks the first time that Spain has been in the finals of a World Cup.  This was the first appearance of Spain's team, in fact, in a World Cup semifinal match as well.

Whatever the outcome at Soccer City on Sunday, there will be history made with a new name on the Trophy after Spain produced their best performance of these finals to end Germany's hopes of an eighth Final appearance and secure their first. Joachim Low’s men, missing the suspended Thomas Muller, were unable to repeat the scintillating displays with which they swept aside England and Argentina and, as in 2006, suffered the anguish of semi-final defeat.

No one played to their level. Schweinsteiger was nowhere to be seen. Mertesacker did not contribute. Pudolski was uninspiring. Only Ozil an Klose tried, but had no support from anyone. Lahm was running in, but had trouble on deciding whether to defend or attack primarily, and then settled to defend. That did it in for Germans. There was no sign of fluent German attacks. 

Spain on the other hand was not finding its space. I mean, not the space that Germans were giving them, but something else, like where to put the ball in. They were really missing Torres's speed. Rest were all routine business, with Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso and Pedro doing a great job. The goal came from old warhorse Puyol. From a corner by Xavi, Puyol leapt above team-mate Gerard Pique and powered a header past Neuer. Puyol was magnificent today and I thought was a good contender for MoM. Pedro had a great game, though couldn't finish half the time he made a startling run in the flanks, or cut in through the center. I would like to see more of Cesc but Del Bosquinte thinks otherwise. Anyway they are winning, and playing beautifully. That is enough.

Result. Team that made least mistakes won.

Ironically, Paul the oracle octopus, which has predicted Germany's wins and losses accurately for the World Cup up to the semifinal, actually predicted the Spanish win today.  This makes the critter's record for the 2010 World Cup 6 for 6.

Xavi has been elected MAN OF THE MATCH

Spain 1(Puyol) - Germany 0 [Durban - Durban Stadium]

Second Semi Final, World Cup 2010; Mixed emotions

Germany Versus Espanyol, Moses Mabhida Stadium

Two of the best teams in the world play off in the semi final. It looks like a cheap remake of 1954 world cup. A Spanish team which have been touted as best team of tournament, winning everything(except for a hiccup named with Swiss, for once they tasted bitter for the Spanish!) before the tournament. A brilliant team with a player for every role possible in field, Espanyol is playing the game beautifully. For Germany entire Spanish team will be a worry. The return of Fabregas will only add to the strength. As I said, Villa is the most beautiful player to watch with ball. 


[In pic: Schweinsteiger after losing. This one particular person would like to avenge for each of those tears.]


Germans, on the other side, are playing with a very young team. Even though, many are veterans of last world cup, and many campaigns in club and international level, they don't inspire awe as the Spanish side does. Only before world cup, they lost their two goal keepers, their captain, Micheal Ballack, one of the most inspirational playmakers in the world. They still managed to beat two of the best teams in the world by making their opponents taste worst defeats in decades.  Their captain, Lahm is one of my favorite players. I think Ozil and Pudolski should be the worry for Spain. In 1954, against world no 1 Hungary, Germans played against odds to win. This time also both teams have similar scenario to reckon with.

I do not have any favorites for this, and even when asked to pick a team, I am suffering from split emotionality disorder. My instincts tell me that Germany will win, they have a superb work ethics, but my heart wants me to think that Spain should win. Spain ended a 44-year major title drought with its 1-0 victory over Germany two years ago, at the Euro — a win that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated. These players have made what was impossible possible - to see beautiful football being played when even Brazil let down its fans. Their spacing in the midfield is awe-inspiring, their passing so exquisite it almost looks as if the ball is on an invisible wire from one players foot to another  I cannot say what should be the outcome, but whatever be that - that team should beat Netherlands(and send them to Nether Lands!!)

World Cup Between 19 and 26th of June, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

After the brilliant start by Brazil and Argentina, I had to take a break, as my friend said, to be in suspended animation state, alongside some of other equally loyal followers of Jogo Bonito. Four days of revelry, where the matches were seen, assimilated and debated upon in various stages of self induced comatose, made me less confident on saying about them, and far less on writing. I was seeing Brazil win their second match in a brilliant fashion, and suddenly it is all hush for “any team other than Brazil” fans. Luis Fabiano scored twice - a fine first-half strike, then a second goal which Elano slotted in ahead of Didier Drogba's headed consolation. Kaka was sent off. Brazil missed him in the final match with Portugal. France was showing signs of tension, and suddenly all those broke lose, and national pride was put aside for personal prides. Last editions champions, and still looking like that, Italy was forever finding it difficult to score. They were making my predictions go awry. I should have been more confident about my opinions rather than about the opinions of azzuri fans. Well, I was also wrong. Cote D'Ivoire didn't get through, because I didn't want cocky Ronaldo to have the fun. Biased. And the great chokers, Furio Roja – Spanish team, also failed to impress, barely scrapping through. Anyway, rest of the matches were mainly dysfunctional. Brazil versus Portugal was a drab affair, with Brazil not knowing why they were not being allowed to score a goal in the first half, and going all frustrated in the second half. Portugal did not want to win, neither wanted to lose, they just played on. A boring game from Ronaldo as usual. Why is this guy not making his critics eat their words like Messi. Lionel Messi strives hard, and with captains arm band in the final group match, he was trying to make it right for his countrymen. This is where the glory of world cup comes. If shock exits are there, then their absence will be made up by shock presence of Slovakia. Slovaks played brilliantly to reach final 16. Switzerland after shocking Spain went back to their goggle scorelines, which made them see the door. Spain topped the group on goal difference, while Chile finished 2^nd. A fine line up of matches to come.

South Korea and Uruguay at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, June 26, 2010

The first of Knock out match between Uruguay and South Korea was simply outstanding. The Korean conceded a goal in the first half itself, and from then on started putting pressure on a Uruguayan team which was content with playing for 1-0 win. It started to rain too, heavily, making life difficult for the goalies first, and the players later. Koreans made it 1-1 with twenty minutes to go, with a great set piece and poor goal keeping. A long through ball, missed by a weak finish by Lee Dong-Gook(i guess). A chance missed, which might not come again. Koreans are making fun of Uruguayan defense, making outrageous passes, splitting the defense and even making Homer Simpson in Nike ad look better than the Uruguayan defense. Suddenly Uruguay wakes up, starts attacking again, though they take some time to get into an attacking mode. Ten minutes later, a brilliant right foot shot from Suares(who scored the first goal also) curves into the far post, hits the inside of bar and goes in. 2-1. Korea is one goal behind again, and with another ten minutes to go, they start attacks afresh. Another through ball, Terrible football, Lee Dong-gook is one on one after accepting Kim's pass with a cute first touch, but his shot is scuffed and straight at Muslera. The wet ball slips through, Lugano manages to get back and scramble clear. Final minutes with 3 extra minutes for stoppage time. Koreans scramble for an equaliser. Duri tries everything, his impatience seen in each throw taken. There is no imagination, only plain attack. Forlan controls the center while Lugano holds fort. In the end, Uruguay wins even though heart goes out to the way Koreans played.

Uruguay 2(Suares) – South Korea 1(Lee Chungyong)