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.
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
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
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?
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?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Joga Bonito!!!
The party has begun. The greatest sporting event in the world is back once again to nourish the souls of the teeming millions who follow each and every tidbit of info about it with the kind of passion or fervor reserved only for such emotions as love or hate. Or maybe not even for that.
In all honesty, it is tough at times to understand the scope of the world cup. Purely on a logistical or personnel level, the Olympics is definitely the biggest sporting event ever. The number of participating countries are virtually all encompassing, while the disciplines are rich and varied. By contrast, the football world cup deals with only one sport, and has a measly 32 countries playing. But the kind of extreme emotions this game evokes in so many different parts of the world sets this event a class apart from any other. Cricket may cause hysteria in a couple of countries, and that too the few ones which play it seriously. Football on the other hand can boast of causing hysteria in countries ranging from the Sub Saharan to the European, from the Far East to Central America. Most of these countries don’t even stand a chance of winning the trophy. Yet, the feelings associated with just being part of the quadrennial event, the holy grail of the three group matches is enough for them.
India’s relationship with the world cup is a funny one. Obviously, as of now, India is nowhere close to qualifying for it. But there was a time when they were invited for the 1950 tournament in Brazil. However, they had to decline because…. Wait for it… they didn’t play in football boots. Which basically meant there was a lack of funds. Sad, considering after that they probably haven’t got near a whiff of a world cup place. Considering India’s vast poverty stricken population of millions, it would have seemed the ideal place for a game like football to flourish. There is a strange, alluring simplicity and beauty about the game which has resulted in practitioners of the art coming from such places as Brazil’s shantytowns and the African hinterlands.
So what about this world cup? For the first time, amid growing fears of security, the world cup is being held in Africa. So far, the only distinctive flavor I can get from it is the irritating vuvuzela horns which keep creating a din while the matches are on. FIFA was thinking of banning them, but were dissuaded from doing so, as it was supposed to add on to the South African experience. Among 10 stadiums created or renovated for the event, the beautiful Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg stands out with its structure and capacity of 94000. As for the potential champions, the regular suspects are always there, out of which this time Brazil and Spain look the overwhelming favorites. Spain would be hoping to put their years of underachievement on the world stage and follow up their brilliant Euro 2008 triumph with the world cup. Of course, I would always keep hoping that the Dutch finally come good for the duration of an entire tournament rather than the few flashes of brilliance we see from them. Oh, and I expect a couple of the Asian teams to do pretty well this time around.
So, like somebody once said… “Football is not a matter of life and death… It’s much more than that!” Let the good times begin… Joga Bonito!!!
In all honesty, it is tough at times to understand the scope of the world cup. Purely on a logistical or personnel level, the Olympics is definitely the biggest sporting event ever. The number of participating countries are virtually all encompassing, while the disciplines are rich and varied. By contrast, the football world cup deals with only one sport, and has a measly 32 countries playing. But the kind of extreme emotions this game evokes in so many different parts of the world sets this event a class apart from any other. Cricket may cause hysteria in a couple of countries, and that too the few ones which play it seriously. Football on the other hand can boast of causing hysteria in countries ranging from the Sub Saharan to the European, from the Far East to Central America. Most of these countries don’t even stand a chance of winning the trophy. Yet, the feelings associated with just being part of the quadrennial event, the holy grail of the three group matches is enough for them.
India’s relationship with the world cup is a funny one. Obviously, as of now, India is nowhere close to qualifying for it. But there was a time when they were invited for the 1950 tournament in Brazil. However, they had to decline because…. Wait for it… they didn’t play in football boots. Which basically meant there was a lack of funds. Sad, considering after that they probably haven’t got near a whiff of a world cup place. Considering India’s vast poverty stricken population of millions, it would have seemed the ideal place for a game like football to flourish. There is a strange, alluring simplicity and beauty about the game which has resulted in practitioners of the art coming from such places as Brazil’s shantytowns and the African hinterlands.
So what about this world cup? For the first time, amid growing fears of security, the world cup is being held in Africa. So far, the only distinctive flavor I can get from it is the irritating vuvuzela horns which keep creating a din while the matches are on. FIFA was thinking of banning them, but were dissuaded from doing so, as it was supposed to add on to the South African experience. Among 10 stadiums created or renovated for the event, the beautiful Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg stands out with its structure and capacity of 94000. As for the potential champions, the regular suspects are always there, out of which this time Brazil and Spain look the overwhelming favorites. Spain would be hoping to put their years of underachievement on the world stage and follow up their brilliant Euro 2008 triumph with the world cup. Of course, I would always keep hoping that the Dutch finally come good for the duration of an entire tournament rather than the few flashes of brilliance we see from them. Oh, and I expect a couple of the Asian teams to do pretty well this time around.
So, like somebody once said… “Football is not a matter of life and death… It’s much more than that!” Let the good times begin… Joga Bonito!!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
K'naan - Wavin' Flag
I love this song. This truly captures the spirit of the world cup of football. My favorite world cup song since Ricky Martin's Cup of Life back in France '98.
The singer K'naan is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and musician.
Let the party begin!!
When i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
When i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhho ahhho ahhho
Born to a throne
stronger than Rome
but violent prone
poor people zone
but its my home
all i have known
where i got grown
streets we would roam
out of the darkness
i came the farthest
among the hardest survive
learn form these streets
it can be bleak
accept no defeat
surrender retreat
(so we struggling)
fighting to eat
(and we wondering)
when we will be free
so we patiently wait
for that faithful day
its not far away
but for now we say
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhho ahhho ahhho
so many wars
settling scores
bring us promises
leaving us poor
i heard them say
love is the way
love is the answer
thats what they say
but look how they treat us
make us believers
we fight their battles
then they deceive us
try to control us
they couldn't hold us
cause we just move forward
like buffalo soldiers
(but we strugglin)
fighting to eat
(and we wondering)
when we will be free
so we patiently wait
for that faithful day
its not far away
but for now we say
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
and then it goes when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhhooo ahhhoooo ahhhooo
and everybody will be singing it
and you and i will be singing it
and we all will be singing it
wo wah wo ah wo ah
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
and then it goes when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
a oh a oh a oh
when i get older
when i get older
i will be stronger
just like a wavin flag (3x)
flag flag
just like a wavin flag
For anyone who wants to watch a nice little montage of moments with this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMAy7cG03rk&feature=related
The singer K'naan is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and musician.
Let the party begin!!
When i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
When i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhho ahhho ahhho
Born to a throne
stronger than Rome
but violent prone
poor people zone
but its my home
all i have known
where i got grown
streets we would roam
out of the darkness
i came the farthest
among the hardest survive
learn form these streets
it can be bleak
accept no defeat
surrender retreat
(so we struggling)
fighting to eat
(and we wondering)
when we will be free
so we patiently wait
for that faithful day
its not far away
but for now we say
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhho ahhho ahhho
so many wars
settling scores
bring us promises
leaving us poor
i heard them say
love is the way
love is the answer
thats what they say
but look how they treat us
make us believers
we fight their battles
then they deceive us
try to control us
they couldn't hold us
cause we just move forward
like buffalo soldiers
(but we strugglin)
fighting to eat
(and we wondering)
when we will be free
so we patiently wait
for that faithful day
its not far away
but for now we say
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a waving flag
and then it goes back (3x)
and then it goes when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
ahhhooo ahhhoooo ahhhooo
and everybody will be singing it
and you and i will be singing it
and we all will be singing it
wo wah wo ah wo ah
when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
and then it goes when i get older i will be
stronger they'll call me freedom just
like a wavin flag
and then it goes back (3x)
a oh a oh a oh
when i get older
when i get older
i will be stronger
just like a wavin flag (3x)
flag flag
just like a wavin flag
For anyone who wants to watch a nice little montage of moments with this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMAy7cG03rk&feature=related
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Sports... A Great Leveler
India’s T20 World Cup campaign got off, as expected, with a win against rank outsiders Afghanistan. While the victory was expected, this was a match I was looking forward to watching, purely out of a curiosity about the romance surrounding Afghanistan’s march to probably their first major sporting event.
Sports, in its basic form, is just another form of entertainment, like the movies. Of course, the passion and fervor with which some people follow the games makes it seem like the sportsmen are sometimes going off to war for their country. Though I do love watching football and to a lesser extent, cricket, I have always guffawed at the notion people (spectators) have that people who play international sports should be treating it as almost a war and should not be swayed by commercial concerns. Pretty silly, if you ask me. A sportsperson knows he will be at the top for only a short period in his life, and there is absolutely nothing wrong if he uses that period to do as well as he can. As long as he gives it his all on the field.
However, there are times, when sports manages to transcend the glitz and gold that seems to symbolize the best sporting endeavors these days. Every once in a while, a story like the Afghans’ comes along which makes you realize the power this medium can have over nations. I don’t know how much of it is mere romance created by the media, but it does bring a lump to the throat to think of these men who made their way from refugee camps in a country which has been ravaged by endless wars, as one group after another lay claim to its disillusioned landscape and people. I wonder how hopeless the situation would have seemed for these men just a few years back when the oppressive rule of the Taliban was coming to an end in the bloodiest circumstances possible. They joined the lower divisions of the cricket leagues a mere few years back. And now they find themselves on the world stage, after barely missing the qualification to the 50 over event next year. Whatever their chances, I’m sure the Afghans savored the moment when their national anthem was played at the early start in the St. Lucia stadium.
This is not the only occasion this has happened. I remember being touched when I read towards the end of the last century how the then Yugoslav football players payed their own way to be a part of the global event that is the Football world cup at France ’98, as the country just didn’t have the funds. Now, of course, there is no more Yugoslavia. Similarly, what a source of pride it was for Croatia when their team not only qualified but, astonishingly, finished third at the same event. Theirs was a young nation then, and this would have helped them. Football, being almost a religion in itself, would have a lot more of these stories. However, there are significant instances of the power of sport in other disciplines as well. The black power salute by American athletes at the 1960 Olympics. Or how cricket passed a big message to the rest of the world when they banned South Africa from international competition for more than 2 decades, on account of the human rights violations under the despicable apartheid governments. When the same country finally got rid of the shackles of apartheid, Nelson Mandela saw the rugby world cup which South Africa hosted and won in 1995 as a means of uniting the country after years of separation between the whites and other races.
Afghanistan will, in all probability, not last beyond the first round in the West Indies. But they may have already won their own kind of battle. The most important one.Wednesday, May 13, 2009
To be a fan...
These days, with the second season of the IPL in full flow, I was thinking back to the days when, for the first time, i truly felt what it was like to be a fan. A fan of a team of individuals you may not have any connect with, yet you egg on like they were somehow related to your life.
The first major sporting event i really followed was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, but, though i felt pretty bad when India went out to Sri Lanka in that eventful semi final, the actual passion of following a team came during the 1998 Football World Cup, France '98.
The Dutch football team is one I've always had a strange connect with. Maybe I was initially drawn to them because of the silky skills of the mercurial Dennis Bergkamp, the non flying Dutchman (he was well known for his fear of planes, and never really travelled by them.). Maybe it was the Orange. I dunno. But, as France '98 started picking up steam, with the pre quarters, i started paying more attention to the others. The speedy and inventive midfielders like Overmars, Seedorf and Edgar Davids (who, for me, was the midfielder of the tournament). The wonderfully talented De Boer twins, Frank and Ronald, and the others.. Kluivert, Zenden, Jonk... all backed up by that excellent keeper, Van Der Saar.
It started of with that pre quarterfinal against the Yugoslavs... They admittedly did have some good fortune, with that accomplished striker, Predrag Mijatovic, missing a penalty for the Yugoslavs. Then, in the 92nd minute, with everyone looking towards penalties, Davids unleashes a shot from the edge of the box... speculative... but it went in and Holland were through to the quarters, where they would face a fancied Argentine side, who themselves had come through a harrowing match against the English on penalties.
This one was set up beautifully towards the end for a photo finish. With the scores level on 1-1, in the 89th minute, a long ball was hopefully presented in the Argentine half... and who would be there to receive it, but... Dennis Bergkamp. This was his moment. You could see it coming. With all the finesse and precision that has marked some of his best goals, he unleashed what was probably the goal of the tournament, into the roof of the Argentine net. The Dutch were through. Bergkamp had lived up to his billing. By now my excitement had reached fever pitch.
The Dutch were to face the mighty Brazilians in the semi final. Though i had an inkling that the Dutch had their best moment in the tournament already, i was still hopeful. That they would make their ancestors of Total Football, who had failed to win football's top honour, proud.
The match started of innocuously. The first half went scoreless. Then, in the early minutes of the second half, Ronaldo gets in. 1-0 to Brazil. Holland kept pushing. In the 87th minute, a cross comes in from the right, and Kluivert, rises above the Brazilian defense to powerfully head in the equaliser. The Dutch had scored at the death again. In the ensuing extra time, both teams came close to breaking the deadlock, but it finally had to be penalties.
Cocu missed and Ronald De Boer missed, and the Oranje dream was over. Brazil was through to the final. After that, i really didn't care about the 3rd place match with Croatia. Though Zenden provided another glimpse of why the Dutch brand of football is so beloved, with a beautifully taken goal. Croatia ended up winning that 3rd place. But as far as i was concerned, my beloved Oranje had lost earlier.
I went out to my balcony, and raised my fist to the humid middle eastern air. AAgh.... So this was how it felt like to be a fan.
The first major sporting event i really followed was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, but, though i felt pretty bad when India went out to Sri Lanka in that eventful semi final, the actual passion of following a team came during the 1998 Football World Cup, France '98.
The Dutch football team is one I've always had a strange connect with. Maybe I was initially drawn to them because of the silky skills of the mercurial Dennis Bergkamp, the non flying Dutchman (he was well known for his fear of planes, and never really travelled by them.). Maybe it was the Orange. I dunno. But, as France '98 started picking up steam, with the pre quarters, i started paying more attention to the others. The speedy and inventive midfielders like Overmars, Seedorf and Edgar Davids (who, for me, was the midfielder of the tournament). The wonderfully talented De Boer twins, Frank and Ronald, and the others.. Kluivert, Zenden, Jonk... all backed up by that excellent keeper, Van Der Saar.
It started of with that pre quarterfinal against the Yugoslavs... They admittedly did have some good fortune, with that accomplished striker, Predrag Mijatovic, missing a penalty for the Yugoslavs. Then, in the 92nd minute, with everyone looking towards penalties, Davids unleashes a shot from the edge of the box... speculative... but it went in and Holland were through to the quarters, where they would face a fancied Argentine side, who themselves had come through a harrowing match against the English on penalties.
This one was set up beautifully towards the end for a photo finish. With the scores level on 1-1, in the 89th minute, a long ball was hopefully presented in the Argentine half... and who would be there to receive it, but... Dennis Bergkamp. This was his moment. You could see it coming. With all the finesse and precision that has marked some of his best goals, he unleashed what was probably the goal of the tournament, into the roof of the Argentine net. The Dutch were through. Bergkamp had lived up to his billing. By now my excitement had reached fever pitch.
The Dutch were to face the mighty Brazilians in the semi final. Though i had an inkling that the Dutch had their best moment in the tournament already, i was still hopeful. That they would make their ancestors of Total Football, who had failed to win football's top honour, proud.
The match started of innocuously. The first half went scoreless. Then, in the early minutes of the second half, Ronaldo gets in. 1-0 to Brazil. Holland kept pushing. In the 87th minute, a cross comes in from the right, and Kluivert, rises above the Brazilian defense to powerfully head in the equaliser. The Dutch had scored at the death again. In the ensuing extra time, both teams came close to breaking the deadlock, but it finally had to be penalties.
Cocu missed and Ronald De Boer missed, and the Oranje dream was over. Brazil was through to the final. After that, i really didn't care about the 3rd place match with Croatia. Though Zenden provided another glimpse of why the Dutch brand of football is so beloved, with a beautifully taken goal. Croatia ended up winning that 3rd place. But as far as i was concerned, my beloved Oranje had lost earlier.
I went out to my balcony, and raised my fist to the humid middle eastern air. AAgh.... So this was how it felt like to be a fan.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A sportin' shame
Amid all the fanfare over Abhinav Bindra winning India's first Individual Gold ever, I was wondering if the officials of Indian sport would dare take any credit for it. But i think even they would realise here, that they really have no reason to. Abhinav may have been talented, but because of his affluent background, he was able to command himself the best facilities around. He could train in Germany, and even have a shooting range constructed at his home, by his wealthy dad. It seems that his personal range was much better than the national facility available to our shooters. And there lies the basis of India's sad show at sporting events such as the Olympics. There may be many others who could reach the heights, but because of the gross national negligence we afford them, they fade away. I remember when Jaspal Rana shot his way to a world record once. However, lack of funds and sponshorship resulted in him fading away. There was even the embarassing situation, where, at a major championship, the gun provided by our sports body, was defective. He left the field in tears.
But then again, whose fault is this sorry state of affairs in Indian sports? I've come across a lot of people blaming cricket and cricketers for the neglect bestowed on other sports in India. This, i feel, is a very feeble and shallow excuse. Cricket is in the position it is today because the people running the game knew how to preserve it for the future and popularise it. There was a time when India ruled the roost in Hockey. Winning a Gold in the Olympics in Hockey seemed always a foregone conclusion. Until, one day it snapped. What happened? Similar to what happened to the West Indies and cricket, the wise men in charge just did not plan ahead. They figured the golden goose will keep laying eggs, when, in reality, the game moved forward and India got left behind. Astro turf became the norm, and India just did not seem to know how to cope.
India was not too bad at football either, atleast on an Asian level. They had even managed to qualify for the World Cup held in Brazil in 1950, where they had to decline, because, as always, of a lack of funds. Again, today, football in India is in a sorry state. A sad thing when you consider that India, with its billion people, and millions under the poverty line, would be an ideal place where the simplest and most beautiful game can take hold, if really given a push.
If you look at cricket, last year, after the 50 over world cup debacle, when India were disgraced, there was a fear that cricket would go hockey's way, with many saying that the Indians will not be able to cope with the new kind of power play that teams like Australia were plying. Well, thankfully, that fear has proved unfounded atleast uptil now. The selectors put together a brilliant and young new team with a charismatic captain (M.S Dhoni) and sent the team to the T20 world cup, where hardly anyone gave them a chance. And we all know what happened next.
My point being that, you can hardly blame cricket and cricketers for hogging the limelight. They have toiled and planned for it, and probably deserve their success.
But what about the other sports? Well, probably the whole system would need an overhaul. We would definitely need some fresh faces at the top of the boards, and some strict timelines set for their stints and re elections, so that they would be forced to think out of the box and improve the state of affairs. Lets face it. Given a chance, this country and its teeming millions can definitely throw up atleast a couple of world champions with some regularity.
By the way, isn't hockey supposed to be our national game? Funny how I've never played it or even seen it being played in any school... And that, i guess, is where it all starts...
But then again, whose fault is this sorry state of affairs in Indian sports? I've come across a lot of people blaming cricket and cricketers for the neglect bestowed on other sports in India. This, i feel, is a very feeble and shallow excuse. Cricket is in the position it is today because the people running the game knew how to preserve it for the future and popularise it. There was a time when India ruled the roost in Hockey. Winning a Gold in the Olympics in Hockey seemed always a foregone conclusion. Until, one day it snapped. What happened? Similar to what happened to the West Indies and cricket, the wise men in charge just did not plan ahead. They figured the golden goose will keep laying eggs, when, in reality, the game moved forward and India got left behind. Astro turf became the norm, and India just did not seem to know how to cope.
India was not too bad at football either, atleast on an Asian level. They had even managed to qualify for the World Cup held in Brazil in 1950, where they had to decline, because, as always, of a lack of funds. Again, today, football in India is in a sorry state. A sad thing when you consider that India, with its billion people, and millions under the poverty line, would be an ideal place where the simplest and most beautiful game can take hold, if really given a push.
If you look at cricket, last year, after the 50 over world cup debacle, when India were disgraced, there was a fear that cricket would go hockey's way, with many saying that the Indians will not be able to cope with the new kind of power play that teams like Australia were plying. Well, thankfully, that fear has proved unfounded atleast uptil now. The selectors put together a brilliant and young new team with a charismatic captain (M.S Dhoni) and sent the team to the T20 world cup, where hardly anyone gave them a chance. And we all know what happened next.
My point being that, you can hardly blame cricket and cricketers for hogging the limelight. They have toiled and planned for it, and probably deserve their success.
But what about the other sports? Well, probably the whole system would need an overhaul. We would definitely need some fresh faces at the top of the boards, and some strict timelines set for their stints and re elections, so that they would be forced to think out of the box and improve the state of affairs. Lets face it. Given a chance, this country and its teeming millions can definitely throw up atleast a couple of world champions with some regularity.
By the way, isn't hockey supposed to be our national game? Funny how I've never played it or even seen it being played in any school... And that, i guess, is where it all starts...
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Oranje Fever
There is no sporting event like the showcase events of football which can make me spend sleepless nights to catch the action. And Euro 2008 is right now catching my fancy in a big way. All the more so since the team i've always had a soft spot for, Holland, are finally living up to their billing of total football.
Football is a beautiful game, they say. It's also a pretty simple game. The fervour of the supporters around the world can probably not be expected by any other sport. And the Oranj team of this Euro are epitomising the beautiful game like never before(at least since i started watching). I remember rooting for an excellent Dutch team, which had the likes of Bergkamp, Kluivert, the De Boers, Davids etc, back in the world cup of '98. This was probably the last tournament where they looked like they would be deserving winners. But they had a heartbreaking loss on penalties to Brazil in the semi's.
If that was heartbreaking, fans of Oranj were in for more heartbreak in Euro 2000, which was on home soil. They thrashed the Yugoslavs in the quarters, and looked heads on for the final. That is, until they came into the great wall of Italy in the semis. Italy had a player sent off, and Holland had 2 penalties in normal time, both of which they missed. By the time the penalty shootout came, there was an air of inevitability around their defeat. Finally they scored hardly a penalty in the shooutout.
After that, i was a neutral for sometime. Right until Hollands first match against the world champs Italy in this Euro. They virtually thrashed them, with a wonderful display of passing game and counter attacking strikes. If we thought that was the best they can be, nobody told them. I am writing this the day after their match against the other world cup finalists, France. Whew!! I have never been so captivated by a teams performance in a match in a long time. If Italy had no answers, france were rendered virtually invalid by the Dutch. France did not play badly. But like the commentators said, Holland were playing football from another planet. The score was 4-1 to Holland, with all 3 strikes of theirs in the second half being good enough for goal of the tournament. My love affair with the Dutch Football team just reached fever pitch.
I dont know if they can carry this on for the length of the tournament, but i do know that if the Dutch do get eliminated on the way, it will not just be the Dutch citizens who will shed a tear.
In that way alone, they have already left a mark on this tournament.
Football is a beautiful game, they say. It's also a pretty simple game. The fervour of the supporters around the world can probably not be expected by any other sport. And the Oranj team of this Euro are epitomising the beautiful game like never before(at least since i started watching). I remember rooting for an excellent Dutch team, which had the likes of Bergkamp, Kluivert, the De Boers, Davids etc, back in the world cup of '98. This was probably the last tournament where they looked like they would be deserving winners. But they had a heartbreaking loss on penalties to Brazil in the semi's.
If that was heartbreaking, fans of Oranj were in for more heartbreak in Euro 2000, which was on home soil. They thrashed the Yugoslavs in the quarters, and looked heads on for the final. That is, until they came into the great wall of Italy in the semis. Italy had a player sent off, and Holland had 2 penalties in normal time, both of which they missed. By the time the penalty shootout came, there was an air of inevitability around their defeat. Finally they scored hardly a penalty in the shooutout.
After that, i was a neutral for sometime. Right until Hollands first match against the world champs Italy in this Euro. They virtually thrashed them, with a wonderful display of passing game and counter attacking strikes. If we thought that was the best they can be, nobody told them. I am writing this the day after their match against the other world cup finalists, France. Whew!! I have never been so captivated by a teams performance in a match in a long time. If Italy had no answers, france were rendered virtually invalid by the Dutch. France did not play badly. But like the commentators said, Holland were playing football from another planet. The score was 4-1 to Holland, with all 3 strikes of theirs in the second half being good enough for goal of the tournament. My love affair with the Dutch Football team just reached fever pitch.
I dont know if they can carry this on for the length of the tournament, but i do know that if the Dutch do get eliminated on the way, it will not just be the Dutch citizens who will shed a tear.
In that way alone, they have already left a mark on this tournament.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Runnin' On Empty
When i signed up to run in the Pune marathon for AIDS awareness, i never expected the circus that it turned out to be. While i do agree that it was a charity event for a cause, it does get a bit frustrating when you realise most of the junta are just not interested in the 'marathon' part of the event. Of course, the main event (42.195 Kms) was goin on nearby, wher all the actual runners took part. So, what a few of us people who were actually interested in running the stretch found was that, we had to get around whole groups of people shouting and virtually partying on the roads, to actually get somewhere. This may have included dads, moms, uncles, aunties, grandmoms and granddaddies, and maybe the pet dog. And people with varying degrees of pouch around them that you wonder if they actually were planning to really run. And of course, the event hardly had a proper flag off, with the result, some people ended up startin off around a half hour after it actually began. Of course, it is also possible that a majority of the people turned up to catch the celebrities in action at the event. Salman, Sunil Gavaskar, Aarti Chabbria(man! what a babe!), and a couple of the Chak De girls... what more could the scream brigade ask for?
On the brighter side of things, me and my buddy Ab, had started practising on the road only a week or so before the run, and happily, managed to complete the near 5kms in around 25 mins with hardly any stoppages. Of course, Ab had whetted my appetite for it by proclaiming his aim of running in the Mumbai half marathon(21 kms) in january. That though remains to be seen.. though it does seem a great thing to look forward to practising for.
Now THAT would be what i call a marathon...
On the brighter side of things, me and my buddy Ab, had started practising on the road only a week or so before the run, and happily, managed to complete the near 5kms in around 25 mins with hardly any stoppages. Of course, Ab had whetted my appetite for it by proclaiming his aim of running in the Mumbai half marathon(21 kms) in january. That though remains to be seen.. though it does seem a great thing to look forward to practising for.
Now THAT would be what i call a marathon...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
T20...Cricket in the 21st Century...
Well...it looks like Twenty 20 is here to stay. I have to admit, i was not too excited about this latest version of the game when the idea was first floated. While i definitely am a fan of the idea of making cricket reach out to a wider audience, this at first seemed to me, to be a major compromise. I thought it would turn out to be just a slam bang fest wihtout a care given to the finer nuances of the game.I'm happy to see that i was mistaken.
I watched the final of the recently concluded T20 world cup in the frenzy atmosphere of my office campus. After a topsy turvy, and absolutely incredible game, which to me epitomised the whole spirit of this latest version of the game, India had finally prevailed over their rivals. And the place erupted. I hardly think the reactions could have been more delirious if it was the 50 over cup. After all the worries of whether India will be able to adapt to the new power game that is taking over cricket, it was refreshing to see them perform so well. Indeed if there is one thing this team showed, it is that strokeplay can be as effective in this version of the game as it is in the traditional format. And of course, it was wonderful to finally see a country other than Australia to win something!
What this tournament has shown is that T20 is a format which is not necessarily just a batsmen's game. If a bowler has the right stuff, he can make an impact. Who can forget what Vettori did against the Indians or what RP Singh did to the hosts, South Africa. And in the 20 overs, we have seen some wildly fluctuating games, with the advantage see sawing back and forth between the two teams. Add to it the fact that this was a very successful world cup from the organisational point of view. This is in stark contrast to the 50 over world cup earlier in the year in the West Indies, which was roundly critisized as an insipid affair, with amazingly bad organisation.
Come to think of it, you do wonder about the future of the 50 over game. While test cricket will always be popular among the purists and true lovers of the game, it does seem that T20 may just take away the sheen from 50 over cricket, which was anyways, in something of the doldrums. We may have to wait and watch on that front.
As for India, considering the fact that they were almost newcomers to T20 cricket, this win was both unexpected and invigorating. The young team led by Dhoni, showed remarkable presence of mind and character to hold on just when it mattered. Including the final against Pakistan, when they seemed to have let it slip out of their hands in the last over. One cannot help but remember the team which did so well in the 2002 Champions trophy in Sri Lanka and the 2003 world cup in South Africa. Hopefully, this team will go onto better things.
I watched the final of the recently concluded T20 world cup in the frenzy atmosphere of my office campus. After a topsy turvy, and absolutely incredible game, which to me epitomised the whole spirit of this latest version of the game, India had finally prevailed over their rivals. And the place erupted. I hardly think the reactions could have been more delirious if it was the 50 over cup. After all the worries of whether India will be able to adapt to the new power game that is taking over cricket, it was refreshing to see them perform so well. Indeed if there is one thing this team showed, it is that strokeplay can be as effective in this version of the game as it is in the traditional format. And of course, it was wonderful to finally see a country other than Australia to win something!
What this tournament has shown is that T20 is a format which is not necessarily just a batsmen's game. If a bowler has the right stuff, he can make an impact. Who can forget what Vettori did against the Indians or what RP Singh did to the hosts, South Africa. And in the 20 overs, we have seen some wildly fluctuating games, with the advantage see sawing back and forth between the two teams. Add to it the fact that this was a very successful world cup from the organisational point of view. This is in stark contrast to the 50 over world cup earlier in the year in the West Indies, which was roundly critisized as an insipid affair, with amazingly bad organisation.
Come to think of it, you do wonder about the future of the 50 over game. While test cricket will always be popular among the purists and true lovers of the game, it does seem that T20 may just take away the sheen from 50 over cricket, which was anyways, in something of the doldrums. We may have to wait and watch on that front.
As for India, considering the fact that they were almost newcomers to T20 cricket, this win was both unexpected and invigorating. The young team led by Dhoni, showed remarkable presence of mind and character to hold on just when it mattered. Including the final against Pakistan, when they seemed to have let it slip out of their hands in the last over. One cannot help but remember the team which did so well in the 2002 Champions trophy in Sri Lanka and the 2003 world cup in South Africa. Hopefully, this team will go onto better things.
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