The most ironic thing about the World Cup Final wasn't the fact that Spain emerged the winner-- if you go by the Trend of the Underdogs-- but rather, The Boyfriend snoring next to me 20 minutes into the match while I gripped the corners of my pillow in exasperation as I see my beloved Spaniards being bruised and battered by the team that was so desperate to win that they'd resorted to all kinds of foul behaviour to ensure victory.
In the beginning of the World Cup, I had tremendous respect for the Dutch. Sure, they played aggressively, but they were never the cynical, fouling, deadly desperados that we all came to witness during the finals. They showed discipline and a strong yearning to advance to the very end of the tournament, which, no doubt, contributed to their lead-up into the finals. Yet, when they displayed their dark side at Soccer City Stadium with even the commentators and sports analysts agreeing that they had gone too far, the Oranje lost my respect.
In addition, the sore bitterness displayed by the Dutch after Spain struck gold further served to reaffirm that the Oranje still had a long way to go in terms of sportsmanship display. At least the Germans were more gentlemanly and respectful in their matches as well as in accepting the aftermath of their loss. The Germans were strong, burly, disciplined, and aggressive too (which makes them one of my favourite teams after Spain), but did they play foul? No. And what did they do after losing to Spain in the semifinals? They reflected on their performance humbly instead of behaving like a bunch of sour grapes (or oranges, in this case).
I do empathise with the losing team. After all, no one wants to be a loser. But to sympathise with the Dutch is a different matter. In fact, my heart went out to the La Roja, especially when Xabi Alonso got nailed in the chest by De Jong. For that one heartstopping moment, I dreaded the worst-- a tension pneumothorax caused by a fractured rib. Then, incredulity bubbled into anger as what appeared to have been deserving of a red card was only reduced to a yellow instead. And I was not the only one with the same scruple. People were demanding an answer from Facebook and Twitter as well, and even Johan Cruyff, one of the best Dutch footballers in the past, was ashamed at the way his countrymen were playing and chose to support Espana instead.
Cruyff-- including millions of others-- must have felt a surge of emotions ranging from relief to elation to gratitude when Andres Iniesta finally defined Spain as the far more deserving champeon del mundo at the 116th minute. If the forces of the universe had anything to do with this, it would be karmic payback to the dirty Dutch. The end doesn't justify its means. All is-- and should be-- fair in love and war. The Spanish, no matter how much hostility they endured from the Dutch, rarely retorted by resorting to their despicable level of play. Instead, the dauntless Spaniards continued to display their talent and flair for a beautiful game that can only be described as watching a flamenco dance unfold on the football field. They injected their warmth, personality and enthusiasm into the game with an unrivaled passion that the football world has been seeing less of these days. For their steadfast resolve to remain consistent to an honourable match, and their unyielding faith at themselves till the very end, the La Furia Roja won me over by a margin wider than the grins of every Spanish cheerer combined. I hereby proudly declare my undying respect and tremendous admiration for a team that is so beautiful both on the inside and on the outside :)
Much as I'd like to despise Vincente Del Bosque for, once again, substituting Fernando Torres for Pedro Rodriguez (the selfish bastard who denied Torres a goal-scoring opportunity at the semifinals-- the least Del Bosque could do was to substituted Torres for someone better!), I also have to say I respect his reasons not to put one of my favourite footballers in the starting XI. Undeniably, I was disappointed at the line-up of the Spanish team sans Torres at the finals and semifinals, but to be fair to Torres, he still needed much time to recuperate. It was heartbreaking to see him being ridiculed and criticised at by so many vultures ready to tear him apart, and even more heartwrenching to see how he, yet again, injured himself during the last few minutes of the finals and missing out on his dream to score a goal in the World Cup. If you've been endlessly pursuing your own dreams and then had to give it up for unforeseen circumstances that were out of your control, you'll understand why it's been such a huge disappointment for him, especially when pressures on him to score a goal had been enormous right from the beginning.
The final game hasn't been David Villa's match either. He was off-side too frequently, and his shots were either deflected by the Dutch defenders, or they were off-target. Then again, just like any other footballers, a forwarder as brilliant and as talented as Villa does have his good days and his bad. However, even though Germany's Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot award, some of the best goals in the tournament had came from Villa, IMHO.
Although Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal, Iker Casillas was the Man of the Match for me. There's no doubt about Spain's captain winning the Golden Glove award, hands-down. Throughout the tournament, apart from that glitch in Spain's opening match against Switzerland, and the goal he conceded to Chile in the 47th minute during the group matches, Casillas had consistently demonstrated a calculated, brazen talent for preventing opponent goals. He soared, he dived, he kicked, and he swooped down on the ball, clutching the Jabulani in his arms like it would explode any minute if he let go. He wasn't going to be Spain's Robert Green, and he knew that. Being goalkeeper isn't as easy as it appears to be. One has to be swift, sharp and observant, and Casillas was all that-- and more. Well-fitted to the role of captain, I must say.
Midfielder Xavi Hernandez has also been one of my favourites. He was crucial to the success of each game, as he has a knack for creating openings for his teammates. He came into play with a string of experiences behind, and even though he's won a host of awards throughout his career, the highest accolade, to me at least, was when he was praised as the player who "plays in the future" by one of the commentators, ie always being 2 steps ahead whenever the ball reaches him. I cannot agree more.
The other midfielder-- who's now been hailed as Spain's saviour-- Andres Iniesta, hasn't been my favourite, especially in the beginning of the tournament where his passing was shaky and he missed many opportunities to pass the ball around. I think he really took off after the Spain-Chile game, and exhibited at least some improvement in his passing. Unfortunately, sometimes he can be too focused on passing the ball that he'd missed a few goal-scoring opportunities, particularly in the finals. Thankfully towards the very end, he saw a golden moment and aimed for the goal, sending the whole nation into a frenzied ecstasy.
Credits must also be given to the defenders/defensive midfielders, especially Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. Without them helping Casillas with the defense, who knows how many goals would their opponents have scored? Frankly though, there are still gaps in the Spanish defense that need to be filled, especially when Arjen Robben came close to striking goal a couple of times without being surrounded by any defenders. Each time this occurred, my heart almost leapt out from my throat. No doubt Spain is very much indebted to Casillas for his timely saves during these crucial moments.
One special mention must go to a certain player before ending what had turned out to be a very long-winded post for my favourite national team. Congratulations to Diego Forlan for winning the Golden Ball award! Watching this tournament with amateur eyes, even I could see that he has been one of the most striking players in this tournament. I was truly blown away by his skills and leadership. Uruguay probably wouldn't have come this far without Forlan. Bless Forlan, what a sweet victory to his international career!
Lastly, the thing I'll miss-- other than seeing the Spanish players on the field-- is the source of much annoyance to the majority-- the vuvuzela. It's going to take some time to get used to the silence in my living room again. Maybe I should subscribe to Foxtel. Hmm...
*Disclaimer: Pictures courtesy of Fernando Torres 9 and the FIFA World Cup 2010 fanpage on Facebook.
Technorati Tags: life, football, tribute, finals, musings, FIFA fever, world cup 2010, spain, netherlands, la roja
In the beginning of the World Cup, I had tremendous respect for the Dutch. Sure, they played aggressively, but they were never the cynical, fouling, deadly desperados that we all came to witness during the finals. They showed discipline and a strong yearning to advance to the very end of the tournament, which, no doubt, contributed to their lead-up into the finals. Yet, when they displayed their dark side at Soccer City Stadium with even the commentators and sports analysts agreeing that they had gone too far, the Oranje lost my respect.
In addition, the sore bitterness displayed by the Dutch after Spain struck gold further served to reaffirm that the Oranje still had a long way to go in terms of sportsmanship display. At least the Germans were more gentlemanly and respectful in their matches as well as in accepting the aftermath of their loss. The Germans were strong, burly, disciplined, and aggressive too (which makes them one of my favourite teams after Spain), but did they play foul? No. And what did they do after losing to Spain in the semifinals? They reflected on their performance humbly instead of behaving like a bunch of sour grapes (or oranges, in this case).
I do empathise with the losing team. After all, no one wants to be a loser. But to sympathise with the Dutch is a different matter. In fact, my heart went out to the La Roja, especially when Xabi Alonso got nailed in the chest by De Jong. For that one heartstopping moment, I dreaded the worst-- a tension pneumothorax caused by a fractured rib. Then, incredulity bubbled into anger as what appeared to have been deserving of a red card was only reduced to a yellow instead. And I was not the only one with the same scruple. People were demanding an answer from Facebook and Twitter as well, and even Johan Cruyff, one of the best Dutch footballers in the past, was ashamed at the way his countrymen were playing and chose to support Espana instead.
Cruyff-- including millions of others-- must have felt a surge of emotions ranging from relief to elation to gratitude when Andres Iniesta finally defined Spain as the far more deserving champeon del mundo at the 116th minute. If the forces of the universe had anything to do with this, it would be karmic payback to the dirty Dutch. The end doesn't justify its means. All is-- and should be-- fair in love and war. The Spanish, no matter how much hostility they endured from the Dutch, rarely retorted by resorting to their despicable level of play. Instead, the dauntless Spaniards continued to display their talent and flair for a beautiful game that can only be described as watching a flamenco dance unfold on the football field. They injected their warmth, personality and enthusiasm into the game with an unrivaled passion that the football world has been seeing less of these days. For their steadfast resolve to remain consistent to an honourable match, and their unyielding faith at themselves till the very end, the La Furia Roja won me over by a margin wider than the grins of every Spanish cheerer combined. I hereby proudly declare my undying respect and tremendous admiration for a team that is so beautiful both on the inside and on the outside :)
Much as I'd like to despise Vincente Del Bosque for, once again, substituting Fernando Torres for Pedro Rodriguez (the selfish bastard who denied Torres a goal-scoring opportunity at the semifinals-- the least Del Bosque could do was to substituted Torres for someone better!), I also have to say I respect his reasons not to put one of my favourite footballers in the starting XI. Undeniably, I was disappointed at the line-up of the Spanish team sans Torres at the finals and semifinals, but to be fair to Torres, he still needed much time to recuperate. It was heartbreaking to see him being ridiculed and criticised at by so many vultures ready to tear him apart, and even more heartwrenching to see how he, yet again, injured himself during the last few minutes of the finals and missing out on his dream to score a goal in the World Cup. If you've been endlessly pursuing your own dreams and then had to give it up for unforeseen circumstances that were out of your control, you'll understand why it's been such a huge disappointment for him, especially when pressures on him to score a goal had been enormous right from the beginning.
The final game hasn't been David Villa's match either. He was off-side too frequently, and his shots were either deflected by the Dutch defenders, or they were off-target. Then again, just like any other footballers, a forwarder as brilliant and as talented as Villa does have his good days and his bad. However, even though Germany's Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot award, some of the best goals in the tournament had came from Villa, IMHO.
Although Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal, Iker Casillas was the Man of the Match for me. There's no doubt about Spain's captain winning the Golden Glove award, hands-down. Throughout the tournament, apart from that glitch in Spain's opening match against Switzerland, and the goal he conceded to Chile in the 47th minute during the group matches, Casillas had consistently demonstrated a calculated, brazen talent for preventing opponent goals. He soared, he dived, he kicked, and he swooped down on the ball, clutching the Jabulani in his arms like it would explode any minute if he let go. He wasn't going to be Spain's Robert Green, and he knew that. Being goalkeeper isn't as easy as it appears to be. One has to be swift, sharp and observant, and Casillas was all that-- and more. Well-fitted to the role of captain, I must say.
Midfielder Xavi Hernandez has also been one of my favourites. He was crucial to the success of each game, as he has a knack for creating openings for his teammates. He came into play with a string of experiences behind, and even though he's won a host of awards throughout his career, the highest accolade, to me at least, was when he was praised as the player who "plays in the future" by one of the commentators, ie always being 2 steps ahead whenever the ball reaches him. I cannot agree more.
The other midfielder-- who's now been hailed as Spain's saviour-- Andres Iniesta, hasn't been my favourite, especially in the beginning of the tournament where his passing was shaky and he missed many opportunities to pass the ball around. I think he really took off after the Spain-Chile game, and exhibited at least some improvement in his passing. Unfortunately, sometimes he can be too focused on passing the ball that he'd missed a few goal-scoring opportunities, particularly in the finals. Thankfully towards the very end, he saw a golden moment and aimed for the goal, sending the whole nation into a frenzied ecstasy.
Credits must also be given to the defenders/defensive midfielders, especially Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. Without them helping Casillas with the defense, who knows how many goals would their opponents have scored? Frankly though, there are still gaps in the Spanish defense that need to be filled, especially when Arjen Robben came close to striking goal a couple of times without being surrounded by any defenders. Each time this occurred, my heart almost leapt out from my throat. No doubt Spain is very much indebted to Casillas for his timely saves during these crucial moments.
One special mention must go to a certain player before ending what had turned out to be a very long-winded post for my favourite national team. Congratulations to Diego Forlan for winning the Golden Ball award! Watching this tournament with amateur eyes, even I could see that he has been one of the most striking players in this tournament. I was truly blown away by his skills and leadership. Uruguay probably wouldn't have come this far without Forlan. Bless Forlan, what a sweet victory to his international career!
Lastly, the thing I'll miss-- other than seeing the Spanish players on the field-- is the source of much annoyance to the majority-- the vuvuzela. It's going to take some time to get used to the silence in my living room again. Maybe I should subscribe to Foxtel. Hmm...
*Disclaimer: Pictures courtesy of Fernando Torres 9 and the FIFA World Cup 2010 fanpage on Facebook.
Technorati Tags: life, football, tribute, finals, musings, FIFA fever, world cup 2010, spain, netherlands, la roja
6 Durian(s) Thrown at Jun:
yup, forlan's really eye candy for the ladies. ok, now back to reality for another 4 years ...
You may have watched the games with amateur eyes but you write like a professional commentator. I know practically nuts about football and I don't know how much I can trust your commentary. It is a good read anyway.
寫文章需要心情~~期待你再一次的好文章............................................................
viv: haha i agree. he's one of the better looking ones, tho some may say otherwise.
koh: ask uncle raj whether he wants me to interview la roja or not!? :P
Constant dripping wears away the stone. 滴水穿石！加油！..................................................................
唯有用熱情、用智慧去觀察事物，這事物才會把他的秘密，洩漏給我們............................................................
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