La Furia Roja conquers the world!

Sunday’s World Cup final was bound to create history — one way or another. But this clash of two two like-minded footballing cultures looked more like foulball than football. The Dutch set a new record for yellow cards in a World Cup final (12, compared to the previous record of 6), with Heitinga getting sent off with his second yellow card for the evening in the 110th minute of the game. The night, however, belonged to Spain, which prevailed despite the hounding and hammering they received from the Dutchmen.

“I simply made a small contribution in a match that was very tough, very rough,” said Andres Iniesta, the Spanish hero who sent his team to World Cup glory. “All sorts of things were happening on the pitch.”

The match was rough and tumble; the Spanish weren’t able to play their free-flowing football; and despite the number of scoring chances, there was very little of the quality football that these two teams are known for. The sport’s showpiece event was hardly a showcase for the beautiful game, and that was the Netherlands’ doing. Refree Howard Webb showed the first yellow card of the evening to Van Persie in the 15th minute when he brought down Joan Capdevila. Spain’s Carles Puyol reacted to a foul on a Spanish player a minute later and was shown a yellow card of his own, but the spoilers were definately the Dutch.

Though the tactics slowed down La Roja, they still maintained the upper hand in terms of possession (60/40), and delivered where it mattered most — in the goalkeepers net! As Iniesta took off his shirt and ran to the sidelines to celeberate on one end of the field, on the other end Iker Casillas, standing inside his goal post, had tears streaming down his face. That goal ended nearly 80 years of angst for a nation that has produced so many great players but has not once lifted the World Cup trophy.

With this win Spain enters the history books not only because this is the first time the nation has won the World Cup, but also because no country has ever lost its opening match and gone on to win the final! Spain is also only the second country to have won the Euro Cup and gone on to win the World Cup two years later.

Portugal has arrived!!

In the most exciting match of FIFA 2010 so far, the brilliant Christiano Ronaldo led his band of 11 merry men to a resounding 7-0 victory over DPR Korea.

You really can’t call Korea a weak team, they did manage to hold Brazil 0-0 till the second half after all. However, they changed their strategy since that game, from a defensive to an attacking one, and that appears to have gone against them. It doesn’t take anything away from Portugal, however, which gave the Koreans a masterclass in football!

(images from fifa.com/getty images)
There was some brilliant passing from Ronaldo, who set up a number of goals. Plus, when his shots missed the target, his usual theatrics were missing, showing how he has matured as a captain for his team.

“I am always happy to score, but the credit must goes to my teammates,” said Mr. Ronaldo, who was named player of the game. “We were fantastic today.”

Now, what do you have up your sleeve for Friday’s game against Brazil, Mr. Ronaldo?

The World Cup of upsets

What’s up with all the “strong” teams? So far, Argentina’s the only team that impressed in both of its matches. Germany started out extremely well before falling to Serbia; Italy’s just about managed to draw both of its games against Paraguay and New Zealand; England gave away a goal to the US and couldn’t find the back of the Algerian net; Portugal drew nil-nil with Ivory Coast; France is almost certainly on its way home; Brazilian magic worked mainly in the second half; and Spain crashed and burned against Switzerland!

None of the footballing stars have been able to really control the Jabulani ball, and goal keepers haven’t been able to always predict its trajectory. The most successful goalkeepers in this World Cup have been the ones that have punched the ball out instead of trying to catch it, and commentators’ favorite line has been “the ball was too long and went out of play.” The number of times that crosses fly over the penalty box and shots go into the stands is only increasing. Have the best players in the world suddenly forgotten how to play? Or is the reason for all of these gaffes the Jabulani ball, with which players are unfamiliar with, and which England boss Fabio Capello describes as “the worst ball” ever?

It might be sensible to bring the best stars in the world to play in winter conditions, on high altitude, on porous pitches (those in Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Rustenburg are more suitable for planting potatoes or accommodating homeless moles), and deafen them with vuvuzelas. After all, Sepp has always promised to bring the World Cup to Africa. But to make those stars play with a completely new ball on the biggest stage in the world is more than outrageous. That kind of decision shows total lack of respect for all involved – the players, the fans, the World Cup and the game as a whole. (you can read the entire article on goal.com)

But then how do you explain how Maradona floated a beautiful free-kick into the net during practice? It simply demonstrates that the best players keepers are the ones that adapt the quickest to the way a ball reacts, particularly at altitude.

So maybe the fault doesn’t lie in the Jabulani ball; maybe it’s just first-round fears, with many of the teams paralyzed at the thought of being on the back foot after a match. As the teams get into a more “do or die” situation, chances are we’ll see some world class football once again. If you saw Brazil’s 3-1 victory over Ivory Coast yesterday night, you’d know what I was talking about!

The mind-numbing cacophony of South Africa World Cup 2010

I’m a huge football fan. HUGE. One of the things that I absolutely love about the game, apart from watching 22 hot men chase a ball across the field ;), is the joyous celebration by fans. Their chanting, cheering, moans, groans and funky costumes are what first drew me to the game. It was fascinating to my 10-year-old eyes. I would laugh and clap and cheer along with those fans, without, at that time, really understand what the game was all about. Of course, as I grew older, my father initiated me into the rules of the game, and since then, I’ve awaited the FIFA World Cup like a fanatic. While I do occasionally get my fix with the English Premier League, FA Cup, Euro Cup, etc., the World Cup is a totally different rush!

So, I’ve been counting the days to 11 June, and five days into World Cup fever, and my ears are begging for mercy…for relief…for deliverance…from the mind-numbing buzzing that is heard around the stadium — the sound of a million vuvzelas.

I think it takes away a lot from the game when you can’t hear cheering and chanting fans. And I really wonder how the fans at the stadium are able to stand the noise, and how in heaven’s name are the players able to concentrate on the game?

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was the latest World Cup star to voice unease about the trumpet, telling reporters that it affected players’ focus. ‘It is difficult for anyone on the pitch to concentrate,’ the Real Madrid star told a press conference. France captain Patrice Evra has blamed the noise for waking the team in their hotel and stopping the players from hearing each other on the pitch. And Argentina’s Lionel Messi complained they made it impossible for players to communicate on the pitch.

So, is there any chance of the vuvuzela being banned? Unfortunately, it appears not.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, through a twitter posting, said:

“I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound. I don’t see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country.”

And the vuvuzela certainly is central to the football culture in South Africa, with fans comparing it to the chanting, singing — even the wave — done in other countries.

The darn instrument is also gaining a fan following in other parts of the world.

Football fans in Britain are buying vuvuzelas at a rate of one every two seconds. Sainsbury’s sold 22,000 red vuvuzelas in 12 hours before England’s game – one every two seconds. And online retailer Amazon said sales of the horn had increased by 1,000 per cent.

And for those who can’t get hold of a real vuvuzela, there are now virtual versions available at Apple’s iTunes store!

There are around 11 vuvuzela apps available from Apple’s App Store. One named ‘Vuvuzela 2010’ has been downloaded more than 750,000 times, and is currently the most popular free app in the entertainment category, while another, Virtual Vuvuzela, is the seventh most popular free sports app.

So though a large section of fans may complain about the instrument, it looks like the buzzing of the vuvuzela is here to stay.

(Quotes and image from dailymail.co.uk.)