Roberto Bolano’s 2666 is a monster of literary fiction. In the sheer size and scope of its literary ambitions. Among all the books I have read since my love affair with literary fiction began, this has to be the most taxing one I have read. At times it seemed the book would never end and at times I was wondering where the story was taking me. But at the end of the mammoth (almost 900 page) book, I felt like going back to it. Re exploring all the themes of death, passion, intensity and love for books which he endorses in his book.
The book is divided into 5 stories which are all tangentially linked to each other and which in some way or the other take place or are linked to Santa Teresa, a fictional city in Mexico. Here, unemployment is very low, but crime and murder and degradation of society rampant. A lengthy part of the book in the middle is dedicated to explaining murder after murder of young women who were mostly factory workers. These women were mostly brutally raped and tortured before they were left for dead. This is definitely not for those of a weak stomach, but there is an irreducible beauty and detail in his writing which cannot be ignored. The first of the 5 parts deals with the story of 4 literary critics who are obsessed with an enigmatic German writer, Benno Von Archimboldi and the various sexual and emotional twists they get caught up in while trying to search for him. There is another section dealing with an American reporter, Oscar Fate, who ends up in Santa Teresa to cover a boxing fight but gets involved somehow in the killings taking place. The final part of the book deals with Archimboldi’s story.
It seems Bolano based the fictional town of Santa Teresa on the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez where there were similar killings of women. He is an author I heard of recently only and is a Chilean whose works are written in Spanish originally. 2666 was actually published posthumously, since he died in 2003 at the age of 50 of a liver ailment. Though he seemed to have been quite famous, he remains a bit of an enigmatic figure who never used to give much interviews or did not take them seriously when giving them. His previous biggest critical and commercial success was the book ‘The Savage Detectives’ the English translation of which is also available. While his writing is definitely not for anyone other than the advanced readers of literary fiction, I would say this book is something every serious reader should give a shot at.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
World Cup Finale...
There is one thing that has made me real happy about the end of the world cup. Diego Forlan has won the Golden Ball as the MVP of the tournament. If there was one player who defined what it meant to raise a team with his performances, it was Forlan. Uruguay may have finished fourth, but Forlan’s contribution cannot be sidelined. He was poacher par excellence, apart from turning into a playmaker in a position he is not familiar in. English football fans will be wondering if this is the same player who flopped at Manchester United back in the early part of the decade. And some of the more high profile players who complain of being played out of position can learn a thing or two from him. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him when his final kick of the tournament, off a free kick, hit the crossbar and denied Uruguay a goal which would have taken the 3rd place match to extra time. It would have given him, deservedly, the Golden Boot as well. As it stands, it is Muller who gets it by virtue of having more assists.
If Uruguay had one thing going for them, it was their deadly strike force. Both Suarez and Forlan are golden boot winners in Europe, though they were not playing for the highest profile clubs. Despite attempts to paint Suarez as a villain, he just did what anyone would have done at the time and he got punished for it. Like their coach asked, what more should be done?
Coming to which, the most poignant moment of the cup for me was Asamoah Gyan at the end of that heartbreaking quarter final loss to Uruguay. He was such a colorful and passionate character till then and epitomized Ghana’s fearless approach to the tournament, you couldn’t help but feel for him. He showed he had the character by taking the first kick in the shootout right after he missed the penalty. As I’ve said before, they will be back stronger. Another moment was North Korean striker Jong Tae Se’s tears during their anthem, and his subsequent exciting display against the Brazilians.
The most disappointing aspect was all those big name players who just couldn’t do it. Apart from Messi, to an extent, messrs Ronaldo, Rooney (and most of the England team for that matter) just couldn’t cut it. England played probably the most boring match of the tournament in that goal less draw with Algeria.
Shocking results? There were a couple but the best was when completely unheralded Slovakia knocked out the aging Italians in one of the best matches of the tournament. Cannavaro cut a sorry figure as he trooped off for the last time on the world stage.
My favorite goals of the cup:
1. Suarez’ second goal and the winner in their second round match against the plucky South Koreans. A class act.
2. Maicon’s thunderbolt from the narrowest of angles against North Korea. One of the few moments which reminded us why everyone used to love the Brazilians.
3. Tshabalala’s opening goal of the tournament for South Africa against Mexico. It raised the roof of the stadium and the South Africans started dreaming.
4. Van Bronkhorst’s belter in the semi final for the Dutch against Uruguay.
5. Keisuke Honda’s and Yasuhito Endo’s free kick goals against Denmark. After all the complaints against the Jabulani, these guys showed how it is to be done, while totally outclassing a toothless Danish side.
6. Villa’s 40 yard strike against Chile. It may have been an empty net after the keeper came way out, but didn’t take away from the fact that Villa casually and confidently struck from that distance. This was a striker at the top of his game.
7. Italy’s second but ultimately fruitless goal against the Slovaks by Quagliarella
8. For sheer drama, Landon Donovan’s injury time winner against Algeria. The US were on their way out until Donovan showed his class and deservedly put the Americans through.
Oh, and a nice piece of trivia. When the Dutch lost their final, it left New Zealand as the only team to leave South Africa unbeaten with three draws from their matches. For a team that was expected to be cannon fodder for the other teams, their passion and determination in the face of superior opposition reminded everyone what it is about the world cup that everyone loves so much. They may not have had the quality to beat Paraguay in their final match and progress, but in terms of endearing themselves to football fans around the world, they came second to none.
If Uruguay had one thing going for them, it was their deadly strike force. Both Suarez and Forlan are golden boot winners in Europe, though they were not playing for the highest profile clubs. Despite attempts to paint Suarez as a villain, he just did what anyone would have done at the time and he got punished for it. Like their coach asked, what more should be done?
Coming to which, the most poignant moment of the cup for me was Asamoah Gyan at the end of that heartbreaking quarter final loss to Uruguay. He was such a colorful and passionate character till then and epitomized Ghana’s fearless approach to the tournament, you couldn’t help but feel for him. He showed he had the character by taking the first kick in the shootout right after he missed the penalty. As I’ve said before, they will be back stronger. Another moment was North Korean striker Jong Tae Se’s tears during their anthem, and his subsequent exciting display against the Brazilians.
The most disappointing aspect was all those big name players who just couldn’t do it. Apart from Messi, to an extent, messrs Ronaldo, Rooney (and most of the England team for that matter) just couldn’t cut it. England played probably the most boring match of the tournament in that goal less draw with Algeria.
Shocking results? There were a couple but the best was when completely unheralded Slovakia knocked out the aging Italians in one of the best matches of the tournament. Cannavaro cut a sorry figure as he trooped off for the last time on the world stage.
My favorite goals of the cup:
1. Suarez’ second goal and the winner in their second round match against the plucky South Koreans. A class act.
2. Maicon’s thunderbolt from the narrowest of angles against North Korea. One of the few moments which reminded us why everyone used to love the Brazilians.
3. Tshabalala’s opening goal of the tournament for South Africa against Mexico. It raised the roof of the stadium and the South Africans started dreaming.
4. Van Bronkhorst’s belter in the semi final for the Dutch against Uruguay.
5. Keisuke Honda’s and Yasuhito Endo’s free kick goals against Denmark. After all the complaints against the Jabulani, these guys showed how it is to be done, while totally outclassing a toothless Danish side.
6. Villa’s 40 yard strike against Chile. It may have been an empty net after the keeper came way out, but didn’t take away from the fact that Villa casually and confidently struck from that distance. This was a striker at the top of his game.
7. Italy’s second but ultimately fruitless goal against the Slovaks by Quagliarella
8. For sheer drama, Landon Donovan’s injury time winner against Algeria. The US were on their way out until Donovan showed his class and deservedly put the Americans through.
Oh, and a nice piece of trivia. When the Dutch lost their final, it left New Zealand as the only team to leave South Africa unbeaten with three draws from their matches. For a team that was expected to be cannon fodder for the other teams, their passion and determination in the face of superior opposition reminded everyone what it is about the world cup that everyone loves so much. They may not have had the quality to beat Paraguay in their final match and progress, but in terms of endearing themselves to football fans around the world, they came second to none.
World Cup Diary – July 13
Almost inevitably, the Dutch lose their third final at a world cup. But then again, can any fan of the Dutch football of yore really feel too bad for this team? I had fallen in love with the Dutch style of play from the late ‘90’s at France ’98, when a team of stalwarts including Bergkamp (my personal fave), Overmars, the De Boer twins, Davids, Seedorf, Zenden, Cocu, Jonk, Van Der Saar, Kluivert among others played some great football but were desperately unlucky to lose out in the semi’s to Brazil on penalties. Two years ago my love affair with them was re in forced when they played exhilarating attacking football to thrash both Italy and France at Euro 2008. But a naivety in defense cost them dearly in the quarters against a rejuvenated Russian side. This team was supposed to be the best of both worlds, finally a potent combination for the Dutch. But the game they played in the final was, to put it simply, ugly. Van Bommel had been looking like a time bomb waiting to go off all tournament and I was surprised he didn’t get sent off even once. De Jong tried practicing his kung fu on Alonso’s midriff and yet stayed on the pitch. Almost the entire team was booked, and they were lucky the sending off only came with ten minutes of extra time remaining. Sad to say, but despite possessing some wonderful attacking talent, this team did not really deserve the cup ahead of those great teams of the past.
And what of Spain? Well, its safe to say, they were the best team of the tournament and the best team of this generation. They lost, totally undeservedly, to a boring and dour Swiss side in their first game, but you could see it did not really affect their confidence and they continued with their own style of play despite the odds. In fact it almost seemed like it was Barcelona playing out there as, obviously, it was their style which had been replicated onto the national team. Ironically, a lot of that style was influenced on Barca by Dutch geniuses like Cruyff and Rijkaard. The only reason Spain did not win this world cup even more emphatically was because, apart from Villa, they suffered a curious lack of finishing power. They may have won most of their matches by the odd goal, but deserved to win by more. This is a great team and deserve all the plaudits that come their way, despite the odd grumble or two about some play acting. As long as they are trying to play the game beautifully rather than stopping other teams from playing, I think it can be tolerated.
But I did like the final classy touch from the Dutch team and their personnel, with the guard of honor they made for the Spanish players coming with the cup. How many times do you actually see such sportsmanship in football? Despite the ill fitting final, that was a nice touch to finish off a grateful tournament.
And what of Spain? Well, its safe to say, they were the best team of the tournament and the best team of this generation. They lost, totally undeservedly, to a boring and dour Swiss side in their first game, but you could see it did not really affect their confidence and they continued with their own style of play despite the odds. In fact it almost seemed like it was Barcelona playing out there as, obviously, it was their style which had been replicated onto the national team. Ironically, a lot of that style was influenced on Barca by Dutch geniuses like Cruyff and Rijkaard. The only reason Spain did not win this world cup even more emphatically was because, apart from Villa, they suffered a curious lack of finishing power. They may have won most of their matches by the odd goal, but deserved to win by more. This is a great team and deserve all the plaudits that come their way, despite the odd grumble or two about some play acting. As long as they are trying to play the game beautifully rather than stopping other teams from playing, I think it can be tolerated.
But I did like the final classy touch from the Dutch team and their personnel, with the guard of honor they made for the Spanish players coming with the cup. How many times do you actually see such sportsmanship in football? Despite the ill fitting final, that was a nice touch to finish off a grateful tournament.
Friday, July 09, 2010
World Cup Diary – July 8
The Spanish Armada have marched on into the final. After all the twists and turns, we have the favorites in the final finally. And of course they are already most peoples favorite now for the title, but I would say never discount the Dutch. They are finally playing with an efficiency and manner not seen before from them, and they are the only team to have won all their matches in the tournament so far.
All the hullaballoo over the German performance against Argentina had barely died down before Spain gave them a lesson in attacking possession footie and defending staunchly. After their quarter final performance, Germany had been instilled as the new favorites, but I always felt that the Spanish team with all their brilliant personnel were a very effective and efficient, if not as exciting as they could have been, outfit and would probably bring the young Germans down to earth. The Germans have to face the despair of a second successive world cup exit in the semifinals. The past decade, they seem to be becoming the nearly men of international soccer, which is ironic considering in the last century they were one of the most efficient at winning it all. But this past decade, they have reached the final of the world cup once (2002), the euro final (2008) and two world cup semifinals (2006, 2010). Oh, but I expect with this generation coming through they will start winning with their usual efficiency in the next decade, and all will be right with the world again. However, the Germans will probably be too disappointed to make much of an attempt in the third place match, so expect Uruguay to take the honors.
Back to the world cup final. This final will see a couple of deviations from history. These include:
• A new winner for the trophy.
• The first time a European team will win the trophy outside its continent.
• The first time Europe will win two world cups in a row. In a pattern stretching back to 1962(!), the world cup has alternated between Europe and South America.
This will also probably be the last world cup final with the current system of refereeing. With all the controversy that the refereeing decisions have caused this world cup, it would be inconceivable that FIFA won’t institute changes by the next time.
So onto Soccercity for the final. The Spanish have played at times with an almost arrogant sense of their destiny. Even when they lost to Switzerland in their opening match (seems so long ago now), they did not seem particularly perturbed. They continued playing every match the same way and assuredly qualified from each round. But so have the Dutch. It will be, if anything, a very interesting final to watch.
Oh, and I do fear for the safety of the psychic octopus, Paul. Last I heard the Spanish authorities are planning to provide security for him… ;)
All the hullaballoo over the German performance against Argentina had barely died down before Spain gave them a lesson in attacking possession footie and defending staunchly. After their quarter final performance, Germany had been instilled as the new favorites, but I always felt that the Spanish team with all their brilliant personnel were a very effective and efficient, if not as exciting as they could have been, outfit and would probably bring the young Germans down to earth. The Germans have to face the despair of a second successive world cup exit in the semifinals. The past decade, they seem to be becoming the nearly men of international soccer, which is ironic considering in the last century they were one of the most efficient at winning it all. But this past decade, they have reached the final of the world cup once (2002), the euro final (2008) and two world cup semifinals (2006, 2010). Oh, but I expect with this generation coming through they will start winning with their usual efficiency in the next decade, and all will be right with the world again. However, the Germans will probably be too disappointed to make much of an attempt in the third place match, so expect Uruguay to take the honors.
Back to the world cup final. This final will see a couple of deviations from history. These include:
• A new winner for the trophy.
• The first time a European team will win the trophy outside its continent.
• The first time Europe will win two world cups in a row. In a pattern stretching back to 1962(!), the world cup has alternated between Europe and South America.
This will also probably be the last world cup final with the current system of refereeing. With all the controversy that the refereeing decisions have caused this world cup, it would be inconceivable that FIFA won’t institute changes by the next time.
So onto Soccercity for the final. The Spanish have played at times with an almost arrogant sense of their destiny. Even when they lost to Switzerland in their opening match (seems so long ago now), they did not seem particularly perturbed. They continued playing every match the same way and assuredly qualified from each round. But so have the Dutch. It will be, if anything, a very interesting final to watch.
Oh, and I do fear for the safety of the psychic octopus, Paul. Last I heard the Spanish authorities are planning to provide security for him… ;)
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
World Cup Diary – July 7
And it’s onto Soccercity, a magnificent stadium, for the Dutch. Their win in the semi finals was expected, but the manner in which it was achieved was far from easy. The Uruguayans played with a verve and energy which would have made them wonder what if Suarez and their first choice defenders were available?
However, the Dutch took control in the second half, and the final score of 3-2 gave an undeserved respectability to the score line. But even the last goal by Uruguay in the dying minutes of the game had a touch of class, and they leave this tournament having provided some enduring goals and play for the fans. As well as drama (Ghana, anyone?). I don’t think Suarez will be taking a pleasure trip to Accra anytime soon. In the absence of Suarez, Forlan had to shoulder most of the creative burden and for a while it looked like he can take the Dutch on all by himself. His goal was again well taken and he had a good chance from a free kick later on.
Ultimately, though, it is the Dutch who continue their unlikely, almost unnoticed, march to their first title. The first goal was a wonder strike from Van Bronkhorst, of all people. In the second half they were looking far from comfortable before Sneider shot from the edge of the area, a shot that went into the corner off a deflection. His fifth goal of the tournament. After this, Holland were dominant, and got a third a few minutes later, a wonderfully pinpoint pass from Kuyt which was headed in assuredly by Robben. They probably could have had one more, before the drama of the final few minutes.
Amazingly, Holland have reached this final playing a brand of practical football so different from their usual free flowing and attractive style of play. But those days never really branded the ultimate results, which is probably what their coach, Van Marwijk, had in mind before the tournament. Well, their fans aren’t complaining. But it will definitely be the toughest match of the tournament for them so far, with a date with Germany or Spain to look forward to.
However, the Dutch took control in the second half, and the final score of 3-2 gave an undeserved respectability to the score line. But even the last goal by Uruguay in the dying minutes of the game had a touch of class, and they leave this tournament having provided some enduring goals and play for the fans. As well as drama (Ghana, anyone?). I don’t think Suarez will be taking a pleasure trip to Accra anytime soon. In the absence of Suarez, Forlan had to shoulder most of the creative burden and for a while it looked like he can take the Dutch on all by himself. His goal was again well taken and he had a good chance from a free kick later on.
Ultimately, though, it is the Dutch who continue their unlikely, almost unnoticed, march to their first title. The first goal was a wonder strike from Van Bronkhorst, of all people. In the second half they were looking far from comfortable before Sneider shot from the edge of the area, a shot that went into the corner off a deflection. His fifth goal of the tournament. After this, Holland were dominant, and got a third a few minutes later, a wonderfully pinpoint pass from Kuyt which was headed in assuredly by Robben. They probably could have had one more, before the drama of the final few minutes.
Amazingly, Holland have reached this final playing a brand of practical football so different from their usual free flowing and attractive style of play. But those days never really branded the ultimate results, which is probably what their coach, Van Marwijk, had in mind before the tournament. Well, their fans aren’t complaining. But it will definitely be the toughest match of the tournament for them so far, with a date with Germany or Spain to look forward to.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Beatrice and Virgil
I am not sure what Yann Martel was exactly intending here. His previous book, the Life of Pi, is supposed to be the largest selling Booker winning book ever thus making it a commercial and critical success. However, since I haven’t been able to read it yet, I had no pre emptive notions about his writing. I’m pretty sure I will have to read the Life of Pi now, as this book is definitely not the best work of someone so acclaimed.
The story begins off about a writer called Henry who, after having a super successful last book about animals and such, is trying to sell the idea of a book he has written about the Holocaust to his publishers. This book is a flip book, with one cover and side of it being fiction, while the other side is an essay. However, his publishers reject the idea and Henry relocates to a nameless metro with his wife, disillusioned and with writers block. While amusing himself there taking music lessons and with an amateur theatre company, he receives a letter from a reader with an excerpt of Flaubert's tale "The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator", a fable about a boy whose greatest pleasure is killing animals. It also contains a snippet of a play which the reader seems to be writing about a donkey and a monkey talking about a pear. Henry’s interest is piqued and he decides to pay the reader a visit. Once he reaches there, he realizes that the writer of the play is a taxidermist and has his own shop full of stuffed animals. Incidentally his name is also Henry. Though the first Henry has his doubts about the strange disposition and story of the taxidermist, he decides to help him out.
Unfortunately, Martel’s idea of using the parable of a talking donkey and a howler monkey to symbolize the holocaust suffering of the Jews falls flat mostly. The numerous analogies and metaphors just don’t cut it. The donkey and monkey are supposedly walking on a shirt, which is supposed to represent the world as such, with different provinces like Collar. Yea, whatever. While the true nature of the ‘Horrors’ they keep talking about does seem brutal, most of the book doesn’t really hold our attention with its meandering descriptions of Taxidermy and endless conversations in the play. After a point, you start wondering whether Martel is using the way we treat animals as a metaphor for the Holocaust, or if it is the other way around. Ultimately when the truth about the taxidermist is realized, it seems abrupt and not very convincing.
There is, however, a great piece of writing at the end called ‘Games for Gustav’ where Martel poses some grim moral quandaries as a game. These tug at your heart and leave you wondering that if he had elaborated on these instead, we could have had a great book.
The story begins off about a writer called Henry who, after having a super successful last book about animals and such, is trying to sell the idea of a book he has written about the Holocaust to his publishers. This book is a flip book, with one cover and side of it being fiction, while the other side is an essay. However, his publishers reject the idea and Henry relocates to a nameless metro with his wife, disillusioned and with writers block. While amusing himself there taking music lessons and with an amateur theatre company, he receives a letter from a reader with an excerpt of Flaubert's tale "The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator", a fable about a boy whose greatest pleasure is killing animals. It also contains a snippet of a play which the reader seems to be writing about a donkey and a monkey talking about a pear. Henry’s interest is piqued and he decides to pay the reader a visit. Once he reaches there, he realizes that the writer of the play is a taxidermist and has his own shop full of stuffed animals. Incidentally his name is also Henry. Though the first Henry has his doubts about the strange disposition and story of the taxidermist, he decides to help him out.
Unfortunately, Martel’s idea of using the parable of a talking donkey and a howler monkey to symbolize the holocaust suffering of the Jews falls flat mostly. The numerous analogies and metaphors just don’t cut it. The donkey and monkey are supposedly walking on a shirt, which is supposed to represent the world as such, with different provinces like Collar. Yea, whatever. While the true nature of the ‘Horrors’ they keep talking about does seem brutal, most of the book doesn’t really hold our attention with its meandering descriptions of Taxidermy and endless conversations in the play. After a point, you start wondering whether Martel is using the way we treat animals as a metaphor for the Holocaust, or if it is the other way around. Ultimately when the truth about the taxidermist is realized, it seems abrupt and not very convincing.
There is, however, a great piece of writing at the end called ‘Games for Gustav’ where Martel poses some grim moral quandaries as a game. These tug at your heart and leave you wondering that if he had elaborated on these instead, we could have had a great book.
World Cup Diary – Jul 4
So it’s going to be Spain Vs Germany in the second semi final. While I was thinking Germany may brush it past Argentina, I (probably like everyone else) never expected the astonishing ease with which they managed it. They have scored four goals now against the Aussies, the English and the so called mighty Argentines. Hot form, indeed, and they will take some stopping. I get a feeling the names Muller, Ozil among others are going to be household names for the Germans in the near future to make proud their predecessors like Mattheus, Klinsmann at al. This was again a young German side whose fearless approach was exemplified by some pleasing attacking play that the Argentines had no answer to. Maradona just looked stunned at the end of it all, as did Messi. Like German coach Joachim Low said after the match, the Germans had managed to effectively shut out Messi without resorting to fouls. Every sane football fan has always wondered when Maradona’s perplexing decisions to leave behind Javier Zannetti and Esteban Cambiasso, both of them from Inter Milan’s brilliant treble winning side of the season past, will come back to haunt him. Up till now Argentina had not met a team which could exploit their lapses, and were able to put on a show with their attacking flair. Even in the match against Mexico, who are a very good team, the first Argentine goal was yards offside and the Mexicans seemed to lose their heads to give away a weak second. What if? The backline would surely have held up better with the two Inter Milan team mates.
But will the Germans be able to hold this up in the semi’s against a Spanish side which, like the Dutch, have not reached their dazzling best in this cup so far yet find themselves in the semi final. Is a Spanish masterclass just around the corner? Because if they do get into their top form, I doubt if even the Germans cans top them. But, the Spanish were not very pleasing in their narrow win over Paraguay and could have even lost it. A flurry of penalties in the second half saw Casillas make an excellent stop from Cardozo before Spain immediately broke and won one of their own. Alonso thought he had scored, but the referee spotted some encroachment and ordered it to be retaken upon which Alonso changed direction and the shot was stopped by the keeper. In the ensuing melee, Cesc Fabregas looked like he had been brought down and should have got another penalty. Finally, after all the madness, it was Villa once again with his fifth goal of the tournament who sent Spain through. Torres, sadly, was once again a pale shadow of his former self and was once again substituted early in the second half.
So, a quarter final line up which looked so promising for the South Americans (4 teams made it through) ends with only Uruguay, with their suspended and injured players, with a slim chance of making it through to the final. Don’t bet on it, though. Once again, European tactical dominance seemed to unsettle the South Americans and it looks like one of the three European nations left in the competition will finally be the first European team to life the trophy outside their continent. What were people harping on about a Brazil Vs Argentina final?
But will the Germans be able to hold this up in the semi’s against a Spanish side which, like the Dutch, have not reached their dazzling best in this cup so far yet find themselves in the semi final. Is a Spanish masterclass just around the corner? Because if they do get into their top form, I doubt if even the Germans cans top them. But, the Spanish were not very pleasing in their narrow win over Paraguay and could have even lost it. A flurry of penalties in the second half saw Casillas make an excellent stop from Cardozo before Spain immediately broke and won one of their own. Alonso thought he had scored, but the referee spotted some encroachment and ordered it to be retaken upon which Alonso changed direction and the shot was stopped by the keeper. In the ensuing melee, Cesc Fabregas looked like he had been brought down and should have got another penalty. Finally, after all the madness, it was Villa once again with his fifth goal of the tournament who sent Spain through. Torres, sadly, was once again a pale shadow of his former self and was once again substituted early in the second half.
So, a quarter final line up which looked so promising for the South Americans (4 teams made it through) ends with only Uruguay, with their suspended and injured players, with a slim chance of making it through to the final. Don’t bet on it, though. Once again, European tactical dominance seemed to unsettle the South Americans and it looks like one of the three European nations left in the competition will finally be the first European team to life the trophy outside their continent. What were people harping on about a Brazil Vs Argentina final?
Saturday, July 03, 2010
World Cup Diary – July 3
Oranje!! They have done it, haven’t they? After being mocked for almost a week since I made it clear that not only was I a die hard Dutch football fan, but that I also believed their game was good enough to stop the supposedly rampaging Brazilians, the Dutch have pulled through in their quarter final in a manner which must have seemed surreal even to them for a while. Indeed, the Brazilians and their coach Dunga’s reaction after the final whistle was one of stunned silence. How did they manage to lose that one after looking so comfortable in the first half?? I was trying to tell anyone who cared to listen that in recent times, Brazil have proven capable of turning on the style against average to good teams, but when it came to the very good or great teams, they lose their way and don’t seem to have enough options when the going gets tough. In this world cup and the last ones, they have beaten Australia, Japan, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Chile. All good teams, but not of a class of the French who Brazil ran into in the last world cup or the Dutch who eliminated them here. Over here too, once the Dutch started making their intent clear in the second half, Brazil started to lose their way and their heads. Robben must have been the most fouled player in the whole match, and Melo was deservedly sent off, while Bastos should have been earlier. Once Sneider scored the second goal, Holland could have had more. But there were some great glimpses to their heyday of Joga Bonito in the first half. Kaka had a wonderful shot which was excellently saved by Stekelenburg. It would be only later that we would realize the full importance of the save and how it kept the Dutch in the game. But my favorite was when Maicon almost scored with a thunderbolt of a shot from the right, in a move similar to the goal scored by Carlos Alberta in the 1970 final against Italy which is in some circles considered the greatest world cup goal ever. But at the end of the day, Oranje are in with a chance at long last to exorcise the ghosts of world cups past.
The other quarter final, between Ghana and Uruguay, turned out to be an even more dramatic affair in the end with Ghanaian (and African) hearts broken after a topsy turvy period of extra time. An excellent free kick by Forlan had equalized Sulley Muntari’s speculative long range goal and things seemed even till the final minute of extra time. Till Ghana won a free kick in the last moments of the game. The ball was going in, but an excellent save on the line by… Luis Suarez? He was deservedly sent off, but when Asamoah Gyan blasted his penalty (the last kick of the game) on the crossbar, Suarez tears turned to joy and everyone knew that he had probably saved his team by giving them the chance to fight it out in the shootout. And, as expected, Ghana’s young players stumbled and Uruguay were through. Though the happiest must have been the Dutch, since Uruguay will now be without a number of their first choice and especially without Suarez, a potent weapon. He may be a hero in his country, but does he deserve harsher punishment for the blatant handball that broke a million African hearts ultimately? Gyan showed great spirit to come back and slot the first penalty for Ghana in the shootout, but he was inconsolable at the final whistle. I hope he can get over this. He may not be among the best rated strikers in the world, but the heart and verve he showed during this cup for Ghana will be one of the enduring images of this world cup, as his goals played a major part in Ghana reaching here. His passionate discourse after Ghana beat Serbia in their first match and his celebratory dance jigs after each goal and victory point to someone who wears his heart on his sleeve more than a lot of the illustrious names supposed to shine here. But Ghana will get better. Their performance here is, if anything, a major bonus as it was built around the team that won the Under-20 championship last year. As by their own admission before the cup, their main focus was the 2014 tournament in Brazil. If they can maintain the core of this team and keep developing, expect them to be a major force come Brazil 2014. We need more of Gyan and his kind to keep the premier sporting event alive for the ages.
The other quarter final, between Ghana and Uruguay, turned out to be an even more dramatic affair in the end with Ghanaian (and African) hearts broken after a topsy turvy period of extra time. An excellent free kick by Forlan had equalized Sulley Muntari’s speculative long range goal and things seemed even till the final minute of extra time. Till Ghana won a free kick in the last moments of the game. The ball was going in, but an excellent save on the line by… Luis Suarez? He was deservedly sent off, but when Asamoah Gyan blasted his penalty (the last kick of the game) on the crossbar, Suarez tears turned to joy and everyone knew that he had probably saved his team by giving them the chance to fight it out in the shootout. And, as expected, Ghana’s young players stumbled and Uruguay were through. Though the happiest must have been the Dutch, since Uruguay will now be without a number of their first choice and especially without Suarez, a potent weapon. He may be a hero in his country, but does he deserve harsher punishment for the blatant handball that broke a million African hearts ultimately? Gyan showed great spirit to come back and slot the first penalty for Ghana in the shootout, but he was inconsolable at the final whistle. I hope he can get over this. He may not be among the best rated strikers in the world, but the heart and verve he showed during this cup for Ghana will be one of the enduring images of this world cup, as his goals played a major part in Ghana reaching here. His passionate discourse after Ghana beat Serbia in their first match and his celebratory dance jigs after each goal and victory point to someone who wears his heart on his sleeve more than a lot of the illustrious names supposed to shine here. But Ghana will get better. Their performance here is, if anything, a major bonus as it was built around the team that won the Under-20 championship last year. As by their own admission before the cup, their main focus was the 2014 tournament in Brazil. If they can maintain the core of this team and keep developing, expect them to be a major force come Brazil 2014. We need more of Gyan and his kind to keep the premier sporting event alive for the ages.
Friday, July 02, 2010
World Cup Diary – Jun 30
So we move into the quarters now. The second round matches are all over and its pretty much an expected lineup for the most part in the quarters. Of course, from an Asian perspective, it would have been nice if one of Japan or South Korea had made it, but nevertheless it does not take away from the fact that both have had great tournaments. South Korea were probably unlucky that they came up against a beatable team with one of the best strikers in the world right now, Suarez. His winning goal against them on a rainy evening in Port Elizabeth was one of the best, if not the best, so far in the tournament.
Japan, on the other hand, erred in probably going for a cautious approach in their match against Paraguay. They should have continued the red hot play they astonished the Danes with. Instead we got what was the most boring match of the second phase, finally decided when a single Japanese spot kick hit the crossbar. Both these Asian giants can only get better.
Sorry, sorry England bowed out, something which could have happened in the group stage itself. Rooney, after all the expectations heaped on him, could not deliver even a fraction of what was expected, and they were deservedly exposed by a young, exciting (?) German team led by their new talisman Mezut Ozil. Expect one of the major clubs to buy him out this summer from Werder Bremen.
Another player of whom great things were expected, Cristiano Ronaldo, fizzled out and cut a forlorn peripheral figure as Portugal marched into oblivion in the second half of their match against the self assured Spaniards. Portugal just did not have plan B, and a lot of blame has to be placed at the coach’s feet for not finding a way to include the worlds most expensive player at the heart of the action.
Which leaves us with the other player expected to shine, and so far the only one of the triumvirate to respond in a manner befitting of the status. Messi has done everything except score so far, but considering he has an amazing forward line to feed, maybe he doesn’t need to. Tevez’ second goal against Mexico was brilliant and it sets up a mouth watering clash in the last eight with Germany. I’m not even going to call this one.
And what of Brazil and the Dutch? Brazil looked imperious against an attractive, but ultimately toothless Chile side. Brazil may look overwhelming favorites against the Dutch, but why do I get a funny feeling that the Dutch are still in first gear and will probably burst into life and top form soon? And when they do, Brazil may find that the Dutch are an altogether different proposition from the Chileans. Did anyone notice that Robben has played only a marginal part so far and has already score a wonder goal against the Slovaks as well as a good attempt against Cameroon? And what of the fact that they so casually substituted Van Persie and Robben midway through the second half, when the match was still not safe? Strength in depth is something they have, and this is going to be my pick of the quarter finals.
Finally, the Black Stars of Ghana are carrying an entire continent’s hopes on them. They scored two exciting goals to knock out the tenacious Americans, but what astonishes me is that this is a team which is mainly formed around the core of their youth team which won the under 20 cup. Consider that their talisman and creative fulcrum was ruled out of the tournament. Their other celebrated players, Sulley Muntari and Steven Appiah, have played marginal roles so far. And yet, they find themselves in the quarters and with a good shout of getting into the semi’s. Whatever happens from now, they have a great foundation for the future and are a lesson to the unorganized structure of other African teams. Is it a surprise that they must be one of the few African teams having the same coach for the last couple of years, while teams like the Ivory Coast and Nigeria appointed theirs barely months before the tournament on knee jerk reactions?
Japan, on the other hand, erred in probably going for a cautious approach in their match against Paraguay. They should have continued the red hot play they astonished the Danes with. Instead we got what was the most boring match of the second phase, finally decided when a single Japanese spot kick hit the crossbar. Both these Asian giants can only get better.
Sorry, sorry England bowed out, something which could have happened in the group stage itself. Rooney, after all the expectations heaped on him, could not deliver even a fraction of what was expected, and they were deservedly exposed by a young, exciting (?) German team led by their new talisman Mezut Ozil. Expect one of the major clubs to buy him out this summer from Werder Bremen.
Another player of whom great things were expected, Cristiano Ronaldo, fizzled out and cut a forlorn peripheral figure as Portugal marched into oblivion in the second half of their match against the self assured Spaniards. Portugal just did not have plan B, and a lot of blame has to be placed at the coach’s feet for not finding a way to include the worlds most expensive player at the heart of the action.
Which leaves us with the other player expected to shine, and so far the only one of the triumvirate to respond in a manner befitting of the status. Messi has done everything except score so far, but considering he has an amazing forward line to feed, maybe he doesn’t need to. Tevez’ second goal against Mexico was brilliant and it sets up a mouth watering clash in the last eight with Germany. I’m not even going to call this one.
And what of Brazil and the Dutch? Brazil looked imperious against an attractive, but ultimately toothless Chile side. Brazil may look overwhelming favorites against the Dutch, but why do I get a funny feeling that the Dutch are still in first gear and will probably burst into life and top form soon? And when they do, Brazil may find that the Dutch are an altogether different proposition from the Chileans. Did anyone notice that Robben has played only a marginal part so far and has already score a wonder goal against the Slovaks as well as a good attempt against Cameroon? And what of the fact that they so casually substituted Van Persie and Robben midway through the second half, when the match was still not safe? Strength in depth is something they have, and this is going to be my pick of the quarter finals.
Finally, the Black Stars of Ghana are carrying an entire continent’s hopes on them. They scored two exciting goals to knock out the tenacious Americans, but what astonishes me is that this is a team which is mainly formed around the core of their youth team which won the under 20 cup. Consider that their talisman and creative fulcrum was ruled out of the tournament. Their other celebrated players, Sulley Muntari and Steven Appiah, have played marginal roles so far. And yet, they find themselves in the quarters and with a good shout of getting into the semi’s. Whatever happens from now, they have a great foundation for the future and are a lesson to the unorganized structure of other African teams. Is it a surprise that they must be one of the few African teams having the same coach for the last couple of years, while teams like the Ivory Coast and Nigeria appointed theirs barely months before the tournament on knee jerk reactions?
Norwegian Wood
Murakami has a strangely languorous, easy going style to his writing which makes his books easy and quick reads. This may of course be in part due to some great translation from the Japanese by Jay Rubin of his books. Or it may be because I still haven’t read some of his supposedly more complex works. I was introduced to Murakami with his small, quirky but ultimately intriguing novel After Dark. This made me interested in exploring more of his work. Finally I zeroed in on his most popular work, the one which made him (unwontedly) into a celebrity in his home country and later elsewhere in the world. Norwegian Wood.
The story begins with the narrator, Toru Watanabe in a flight and hearing the Beetles Norwegian Wood playing. This takes him back to his student days in Tokyo and his first love, Naoki (whose favorite song it was), who was also the girlfriend of his best and probably only friend during those days Kizuki. A life of disillusionment, confusion and aimlessness, he had moved to Tokyo to pursue his drama course. Not out of any great passion for the subject, but because it offered him a relatively easy way to university in Tokyo. Toru does not have any particular ambitions or passions, it would seem. Perpetually indifferent or bored at the antics of the world and its superficial denizens, he drifts along attending lectures or reading the Great Gatsby. He also thinks back to the days he shared with his best friend Kizuki and his girl Naoki. They were almost a perfect company until darkness sets in and things are never the same again. He runs into Naoki in Tokyo and they start spending time with each other. However, Naoki has demons of her own and she has to depart. Toru drifts back to his aimless existence until he comes across an impetuous and wildly different young woman, Midori. A strong, at times ambiguous relationship develops between them and Watanabe starts wondering where his heart really lies.
The book deals with the existential angst faced by a lot of urban class youth in their early to mid twenties, not just in Japan but the world over. Toru is a character who, though an upright and nice guy, can never understand the superficial and phony desires and behavior of most of the people around him. At times an almost Holden Caulfield kind of character, which is mentioned in the book once. Midori is a wonderfully fresh and invigorating entry into his life and ours while reading this great book. The theme of loss, pain, desire, passion, helplessness and enduring love are seamlessly explored in the book and strikes a chord among the readers. If anything, this book has encouraged me to explore more of Murakami’s more complicated work.
The story begins with the narrator, Toru Watanabe in a flight and hearing the Beetles Norwegian Wood playing. This takes him back to his student days in Tokyo and his first love, Naoki (whose favorite song it was), who was also the girlfriend of his best and probably only friend during those days Kizuki. A life of disillusionment, confusion and aimlessness, he had moved to Tokyo to pursue his drama course. Not out of any great passion for the subject, but because it offered him a relatively easy way to university in Tokyo. Toru does not have any particular ambitions or passions, it would seem. Perpetually indifferent or bored at the antics of the world and its superficial denizens, he drifts along attending lectures or reading the Great Gatsby. He also thinks back to the days he shared with his best friend Kizuki and his girl Naoki. They were almost a perfect company until darkness sets in and things are never the same again. He runs into Naoki in Tokyo and they start spending time with each other. However, Naoki has demons of her own and she has to depart. Toru drifts back to his aimless existence until he comes across an impetuous and wildly different young woman, Midori. A strong, at times ambiguous relationship develops between them and Watanabe starts wondering where his heart really lies.
The book deals with the existential angst faced by a lot of urban class youth in their early to mid twenties, not just in Japan but the world over. Toru is a character who, though an upright and nice guy, can never understand the superficial and phony desires and behavior of most of the people around him. At times an almost Holden Caulfield kind of character, which is mentioned in the book once. Midori is a wonderfully fresh and invigorating entry into his life and ours while reading this great book. The theme of loss, pain, desire, passion, helplessness and enduring love are seamlessly explored in the book and strikes a chord among the readers. If anything, this book has encouraged me to explore more of Murakami’s more complicated work.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
World Cup Diary – Jun 28
Ah yes. I had a feeling this would turn out to be a good birthday. The moment I realized that Holland would be playing their second round match today I had decided. The stars had aligned correctly. The heavens were conspiring to make Holland win on my birthday. Perfect.
And they did win, pretty comfortably. Despite the fact that they still do not seem to be at their fluid best, they have negotiated their four matches till now with consummate ease. And with Arjen Robben barely playing a part till today. Today, he finally made the starting line up, and how he made his mark on the tournament. A great goal and Holland were on their way. Sneijders second in the second half confirmed it, while Slovakia’s last gasp penalty gave an unnecessary respectability to the scoreline. The truth was, Holland hardly looked like losing this match. And considering the ease with which they managed to survive a good part of the second half without Robben and Van Persie (who were substituted) shows the management’s confidence in the bench. If Brazil do, as expected, make it through their match against Chile, expect a nail biting contest in Cape Town. Undoubtedly, that will bring back memories of the last great Dutch team’s heartbreaking loss on penalties to Brazil at France ’98. That team had the De Boer brothers, Overmars, Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf, Jonk… and the peerless Dennis Bergkamp, but they fell at the penultimate hurdle. Can the class of 2010 lay to rest the ghosts?
Yesterday night’s match saw Argentina, as expected, convincingly book their place in the quarterfinals against a very good Mexico team, who must be wondering what they have to do to break their second round jinx. Since USA ’94, they have been exiting every world cup at this stage. However, the result was again marred by a laughably bad decision, when Tevez was yards offside for Argentina’s first goal. The poor referee’s angst was increased when the stadium organizers, in a major gaffe, showed replays of the goal right after. But since the referee has no right to change his decision based on TV replays, the goal had to stand. FIFA and their human element. Go figure.
And they did win, pretty comfortably. Despite the fact that they still do not seem to be at their fluid best, they have negotiated their four matches till now with consummate ease. And with Arjen Robben barely playing a part till today. Today, he finally made the starting line up, and how he made his mark on the tournament. A great goal and Holland were on their way. Sneijders second in the second half confirmed it, while Slovakia’s last gasp penalty gave an unnecessary respectability to the scoreline. The truth was, Holland hardly looked like losing this match. And considering the ease with which they managed to survive a good part of the second half without Robben and Van Persie (who were substituted) shows the management’s confidence in the bench. If Brazil do, as expected, make it through their match against Chile, expect a nail biting contest in Cape Town. Undoubtedly, that will bring back memories of the last great Dutch team’s heartbreaking loss on penalties to Brazil at France ’98. That team had the De Boer brothers, Overmars, Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf, Jonk… and the peerless Dennis Bergkamp, but they fell at the penultimate hurdle. Can the class of 2010 lay to rest the ghosts?
Yesterday night’s match saw Argentina, as expected, convincingly book their place in the quarterfinals against a very good Mexico team, who must be wondering what they have to do to break their second round jinx. Since USA ’94, they have been exiting every world cup at this stage. However, the result was again marred by a laughably bad decision, when Tevez was yards offside for Argentina’s first goal. The poor referee’s angst was increased when the stadium organizers, in a major gaffe, showed replays of the goal right after. But since the referee has no right to change his decision based on TV replays, the goal had to stand. FIFA and their human element. Go figure.
World Cup Diary – Jun 27
So, belatedly, I decide to start writing about this world cup. The second round match between England and Germany has just got over, and a young, exciting German team has just hammered an English team which has been looking woefully average throughout the tournament so far. Of course, England will point to the wrongly disallowed goal from Lampard, but you get a feeling that it may not have made much of a difference in the final outcome. That, however, does not excuse FIFA and their archaic norm of not allowing video technology into the game. According to their much maligned head, Sepp Blatter, introduction of video technology will supposedly take away the human element from the game. Well, I’m pretty sure nobody will mind this sort of human element being taken away.
While I wait for the next mouth watering clash between Argentina and Mexico to start, I felt like reflecting on what has so far been a pretty exciting tournament. The first few days of matches were pretty boring leading me to wonder if this world cup will ever come to life, but once the initial matches were over, the fun began. The state of a lot of the groups at the end of the first round may not exactly been what many had in mind before the games began. Who would have ever believed that the Slovaks had it in them to send the reigning world champs, Italy, back home bottom of their group? Their figurehead from that triumph four years ago, Fabio Cannavaro, cut a sorry figure as he comforted his teammates after the game. It was obvious a lot of this was past their prime and Lippi probably should have blooded a few new faces. Though, on the evidence of what was seen, it didn’t look like the new faces were any better. In the same group, New Zealand showed, why despite not possessing world class personnel, their attitude and determination (along with their Oceania neighbors, Australia) will always make them a threat in any sport. A team expected to be cannon fodder for the other teams in the group, ended up undefeated with three draws and on top of Italy. Great Stuff.
And what about the Asians? South Korea were expected to be pretty strong this time around and were given a chance of making it through, and they did that though they did look a bit shaky in the last group game against Nigeria, whose striker Yekubu probably made the miss of any match I have seen so far when he shot wide with the goal gaping at him and just a few feet away. South Korea may be out now to a Uruguay side starting to look ever more dangerous, but they are definitely progressing from the days they were just also rans. On the other hand, Japan had seemed a shaky bet before the tournament started, but they have impressed even more with two victories. The second of these, the clincher against Denmark was achieved with astonishing certitude, including two great free kicks in a tournament which has seen a paucity of free kick goals. In fact, the Asians seem to have learnt to control the much derided Jabulani ball than their counterparts. South Korea also scored a direct free kick off the Nigerians and almost scored an early shocker against Uruguay. The third Asian representative, the unknown North Koreans, may have been hammered by Portugal, but showed enough in their first match against Brazil to win a lot of fans. An enduring image is that of their Japan based striker Jong Tae Se crying while their national anthem was playing. His style of play was increasingly impressive, with his holding techniques among others not something seen much in European football these days. And when they got that late consolation against Brazil, everyone seemed to be taken aback. All in all, a great performance so far in a tournament the Africans were supposed to come to the fore.
Which brings us to the debacle of the Africans. Though no host nation had failed to get past the opening round so far in World Cups, no one really expected the South Africans to make it. However, when the Bafana Bafana opened the tournament with a wonder strike and eventually drew with a strong Mexican team, hope was raised. Before Uruguay brought them crashing down with an emphatic victory. They may have won against a horrible French side, but by then the writing was already on the wall. As for the African sides, Cameroon and Nigeria flattered to deceive and were overtaken by their Asian rivals Japan and South Korea respectively. Algeria never looked threatening enough, other than the bore draw with England which was probably the worst match of the tournament so far. Ivory Coast had the misfortune of once again finding themselves in the group of death, but even otherwise they hardly looked like world beaters. It looks like their golden generation will fade into the sunset without much to show for at the international level. Finally, it is Ghana like the previous world cup, who will be the sole torch bearers for Africa in the next round. They have just made the quarterfinals after an impressive extra time victory over the United States and will look to go further. This is an impressive Ghana side. When you consider the fact that their foremost player and creative fulcrum, Michael Essien is not even playing and their other experienced stars like Sulley Muntari and Steven Appiah have been marginal figures so far, their progress looks very promising for the future. They may have been lucky in the group stages, but they came into their own against a good American side. Otherwise, though, it is back to the drawing board for the African teams, who will have to realize that without strong planning and organization they really cannot hope to mount a serious challenge.
What of the Spaniards and the Argentines? The Spanish, amazingly, lost their opening match to a dour and boring Swiss side, but came back strongly to win against Honduras and an impressive Chile side. David Villa seems set to make the tournament his own after 3 stunning strikes so far, one of them a great spectacle of confidence and accuracy from 35 meters out against Chile. I expect them to come into their own in the latter stages. Argentina, managed by the eccentric genius Maradona, have looked great in the opening fixtures though there is a concern that their defence may have issues against quality opposition. But when you have team having a forward line of Tevez, Higuain, Milito… Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the best player in the world yet, Lionel Messi. He may nto have scored yet but his contribution has been substantial so far. Expect great things from them. Though I wonder if I do want to see them win, considering Maradona has said he would run naked in Buenos Aires if they do.
And finally, Oranje… The Dutch team I always have a soft spot for. They may not have shown much of their total football yet, with dour victories against Denmark and Japan, but you could see the signs of it coming back in the last group game against Cameroon when they won with two wonderful goals. And considering Arjen Robben has still played only a minor part till now, once he fully returns… I wonder… Dare the Oranje start dreaming now?
While I wait for the next mouth watering clash between Argentina and Mexico to start, I felt like reflecting on what has so far been a pretty exciting tournament. The first few days of matches were pretty boring leading me to wonder if this world cup will ever come to life, but once the initial matches were over, the fun began. The state of a lot of the groups at the end of the first round may not exactly been what many had in mind before the games began. Who would have ever believed that the Slovaks had it in them to send the reigning world champs, Italy, back home bottom of their group? Their figurehead from that triumph four years ago, Fabio Cannavaro, cut a sorry figure as he comforted his teammates after the game. It was obvious a lot of this was past their prime and Lippi probably should have blooded a few new faces. Though, on the evidence of what was seen, it didn’t look like the new faces were any better. In the same group, New Zealand showed, why despite not possessing world class personnel, their attitude and determination (along with their Oceania neighbors, Australia) will always make them a threat in any sport. A team expected to be cannon fodder for the other teams in the group, ended up undefeated with three draws and on top of Italy. Great Stuff.
And what about the Asians? South Korea were expected to be pretty strong this time around and were given a chance of making it through, and they did that though they did look a bit shaky in the last group game against Nigeria, whose striker Yekubu probably made the miss of any match I have seen so far when he shot wide with the goal gaping at him and just a few feet away. South Korea may be out now to a Uruguay side starting to look ever more dangerous, but they are definitely progressing from the days they were just also rans. On the other hand, Japan had seemed a shaky bet before the tournament started, but they have impressed even more with two victories. The second of these, the clincher against Denmark was achieved with astonishing certitude, including two great free kicks in a tournament which has seen a paucity of free kick goals. In fact, the Asians seem to have learnt to control the much derided Jabulani ball than their counterparts. South Korea also scored a direct free kick off the Nigerians and almost scored an early shocker against Uruguay. The third Asian representative, the unknown North Koreans, may have been hammered by Portugal, but showed enough in their first match against Brazil to win a lot of fans. An enduring image is that of their Japan based striker Jong Tae Se crying while their national anthem was playing. His style of play was increasingly impressive, with his holding techniques among others not something seen much in European football these days. And when they got that late consolation against Brazil, everyone seemed to be taken aback. All in all, a great performance so far in a tournament the Africans were supposed to come to the fore.
Which brings us to the debacle of the Africans. Though no host nation had failed to get past the opening round so far in World Cups, no one really expected the South Africans to make it. However, when the Bafana Bafana opened the tournament with a wonder strike and eventually drew with a strong Mexican team, hope was raised. Before Uruguay brought them crashing down with an emphatic victory. They may have won against a horrible French side, but by then the writing was already on the wall. As for the African sides, Cameroon and Nigeria flattered to deceive and were overtaken by their Asian rivals Japan and South Korea respectively. Algeria never looked threatening enough, other than the bore draw with England which was probably the worst match of the tournament so far. Ivory Coast had the misfortune of once again finding themselves in the group of death, but even otherwise they hardly looked like world beaters. It looks like their golden generation will fade into the sunset without much to show for at the international level. Finally, it is Ghana like the previous world cup, who will be the sole torch bearers for Africa in the next round. They have just made the quarterfinals after an impressive extra time victory over the United States and will look to go further. This is an impressive Ghana side. When you consider the fact that their foremost player and creative fulcrum, Michael Essien is not even playing and their other experienced stars like Sulley Muntari and Steven Appiah have been marginal figures so far, their progress looks very promising for the future. They may have been lucky in the group stages, but they came into their own against a good American side. Otherwise, though, it is back to the drawing board for the African teams, who will have to realize that without strong planning and organization they really cannot hope to mount a serious challenge.
What of the Spaniards and the Argentines? The Spanish, amazingly, lost their opening match to a dour and boring Swiss side, but came back strongly to win against Honduras and an impressive Chile side. David Villa seems set to make the tournament his own after 3 stunning strikes so far, one of them a great spectacle of confidence and accuracy from 35 meters out against Chile. I expect them to come into their own in the latter stages. Argentina, managed by the eccentric genius Maradona, have looked great in the opening fixtures though there is a concern that their defence may have issues against quality opposition. But when you have team having a forward line of Tevez, Higuain, Milito… Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the best player in the world yet, Lionel Messi. He may nto have scored yet but his contribution has been substantial so far. Expect great things from them. Though I wonder if I do want to see them win, considering Maradona has said he would run naked in Buenos Aires if they do.
And finally, Oranje… The Dutch team I always have a soft spot for. They may not have shown much of their total football yet, with dour victories against Denmark and Japan, but you could see the signs of it coming back in the last group game against Cameroon when they won with two wonderful goals. And considering Arjen Robben has still played only a minor part till now, once he fully returns… I wonder… Dare the Oranje start dreaming now?
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