Brazil 2014 Winners!!!

To say that Brazil 2014 is the best World Cup tournament of the modern era may sound subjective, but there is no arguing against its entertainment value. Given how much effort FIFA has put into developing the game to allow more goals to be scored, they can celebrate this tournament as the most successful in history given that it had the highest number of goal scorers and tied France 1998 for most goals scored. More fitting though, for the first time since 2002, the Champions were the most offensive team, defeating the sometimes dulling sports cliché, “defense wins Championships”.

CONGRATULATIONS GERMANY!!! Despite winning Euro 1996 as unified Germany, German football generally seemed to lose its way with the collapse of the Berlin wall. Humiliating defeats at World Cup 1998, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 forced a grass roots effort to revive success for this footballing power house. In the 2006 World Cup with Germany as host nation, the revolution begun as they delivered a group of younger-technical players and an adventurous style of play that was such a breath of fresh air. How fitting that after the agonizingly near misses of World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, Germany is rewarded with the first European nation World Cup triumph on South American soil!

The South American hosts were hoping to exorcise the one blemish on their football record, “failure to win the previous World Cup they hosted in 1950”. So united were the Brazilians in this goal that the multitudes demonstrating in the build up to this World Cup put their cause on hold, as the nation cheered the Seleção with one loud and passionate voice. It is argued that it is this passion that led to their annihilation at the hands of the eventual World Champions but the Brazilians may have more to celebrate than staging a very successful World Cup. It would have been even more painful had Argentina, their bitter South American rivals, triumphed on Brazilian soil like Uruguay did more than a half century ago.

Argentina however deserves a lot of credit for a disciplined performance that led them to the periphery of winning the tournament, despite appearing to be overly reliant on one star player. Winning the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament may be scanty reward for Lionel Messi, but it may cause a rethink by those Argentina fans that questioned his commitment to the national team. Messi and Netherlands’ Arjen Robben are two players that kept us on the edge of our seats with their jaw dropping skill, and gave football fans the moments that they will remember Brazil 2014 by.

Congratulations to James Rodriguez for winning the Golden boot for the tournament’s top scorer. He and his Colombian team mates will also stick in memory for the way they celebrated each goal by performing a brief choreographed salsa dance.

Costa Rica the tournament’s Cinderella team deserves an honorable mention for the way they stood up to more illustrious opponents, making it all the way to the quarter finals without losing a game in regulation time. Congratulations to CONCACAF for a record three teams making it to the knock out stages and for their breathtaking goal keeping displays. Africa despite a generally disappointing tournament also celebrated taking two teams to the knock out stages for the first time in history.

Of course the infamous Suarez-bite and African team strikes for unpaid bonuses attempted to throw some blemish into the mix but FIFA deserves credit for the way it has addressed these. For all the corruption and imprudent statements that have scarred their leadership, it is surprising that FIFA responded quickly and decisively to Suarez’s animalistic tendencies and are at least discussing a solution to the constant bonus-saga that encumbers African teams. With Brazil 2014 now behind us, it may leave a legacy of the tournament when FIFA and Brazilian football finally begun to get their act together. Brazil’s humiliating defeat is likely to force the kind of system overhaul that their conquerors had to go through almost a decade ago, and this pain will hopefully make Brazilian football stronger.

Semi-finals to Savor!

Down to the last four teams of what has been a fascinating contest between the thirty-two finalist nations from across the globe, this is a time when each game’s special moments are firmly engrained in the history of the world’s favorite sport. As the last sixty games have treated us to goals galore, giant-killing performances, first-class goalkeeping and tactical master class, some may wonder what new the semi-finals will have to offer.

While the quarter finals of most World Cup finals boast the game of the tournament, tact and experience came to the fore at the Brazil 2014 quarter finals. Given the semi-final matchups at this tournament, we shall tune in more in expectation than hope that this round should deliver the game of the tournament. In the quarter finals, football’s super powers may have been hampered by the fear to lose to lesser opponents, but in a face off against each other, should be liberated to play to their respective strengths.

One half of the draw features a face-off between two of this tournament’s most captivating players. Messi’s moments of magic carried Argentina through their sluggish start to the tournament while Robben’s mesmerizing runs have kept all witnesses on tips of their toes. While home turf and the “Messi factor” tip the balance in Argentina’s favor, there is an element of suspense because no one can predict the impact of Netherlands’ maverick coach’s next move. After losing in three World Cup finals, the Dutch will be desperate to shed the title of “Greatest footballing nation to never win a World Cup.” The Dutch were arguably very unfortunate to lose the 1974 and 1978 finals, but having gone through the last round on spot kicks, they may start to believe that they have finally traded their misfortune for the luck of the Irish!

The other half of the semi-finals features two teams that have historically achieved the sport’s greatest success using quite contradictory methods. Brazil traditionally renowned for their flair and the German’s for their efficiency have recently appeared to switch philosophy. Especially robbed of Neymar, their poster boy, the Brazilians are expected to fight for every ball and probably win more out of will than ilk as they are fervently roared on by an entire nation. The German’s on the other hand move into their fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final playing a more possession based game and will be desperate to shed their new found tag of “Football’s nearly men”.

Given that no European team has ever won the World Cup on South American soil, Argentina and Brazil may be considered slight favorites heading into their respective ties. Should these two fierce rivals advance and get pitted against each other in the final, Brazil will have to face their greatest fear of losing another final on home soil, worse still, this time to their arch enemy. Netherlands and Germany will be desperate for their own success, and given the relative mediocrity of their South American rivals’ teams, will know that they may never have a better opportunity to assert European football supremacy. These contests may be too close to call, but it is the teams that have a greater desire to win than a fear to lose that will prevail!

A Battle Against History

With a flurry of first round goals and nail biting finishes to second round games, we eagerly anticipate the new twist that will be delivered by the quarter finals of World Cup 2014.

With seven of the last round’s games not decided until the last 10 minutes, it is ironical that only the game featuring Uruguay did not have a nail biting end. Whether this was down to the brilliance of James Rodriguez and the Colombia stars or the absence of Uruguay’s star striker, a match up against the host nation in the next round is the best way to settle this debate. With only the crossbar preventing Mauricio Pinilla’s shot from settling the tie against the hosts in favor of Chile, this game also offers Brazil’s Seleção an opportunity to finally prove their doubters wrong. While many pundits believe that history and home support will inspire Brazil to step up their game, I am backing Colombia’s collective strength and ambition to reveal a fighting spirit the Los Cafeteros have not needed so far in this tournament. Unlike any other World Cup tournament, Brazil has the extra motivation to correct the only blemish on their record, being the only major soccer power yet to win a major tournament as hosts. With history beckoning for both nations, this looks like a tie that will be settled in favor of the team with the greater will.

Before Colombia can overcome their historically dominant South American rival, France will have a score to settle with their European nemesis. Despite looking the more complete team this tournament and having the motivation to complete their renaissance since a shambolic showing at World Cup 2010, France will face a German team equally determined to end a run of three impressive major tournaments without silver ware. Given France’s sequence in the last four world cups of first round elimination preceding progress to the final, World Cup 2014 may be earmarked for a French final. While the Germans have not looked imperious since their opening day thumping of Portugal, Germany is probably at their most dangerous when they do not look their best. The older French generation will know first-hand that after taking a 3:1 semi-final lead in extra time against the Germans in 1982, they had a place in the final snatched from their grasp. In a contest that is almost impossible to objectively call, it will be interesting to see what aspect of history will be overcome.

Although Belgium boasts one of the most complete squads at this World Cup, 1986 is the only time in their rich World Cup history that they have made it to the quarter final stage. Given their recent run of results, Belgium’s presence at the quarter finals is no surprise and neither will a victory against previously fancied Argentina. As Messi finally discovered form for the national side, an Argentina squad that has an embarrassment of attacking talent was tipped to triumph on the familiar territory of their bitter South American rivals. Argentina’s performances so far have however left more questions than answers given their over reliance on Messi to keep them in the tournament. Roared by most Brazilian fans that cannot stand the thought of their archenemy hoisting the world cup on their territory, Belgium has a great opportunity to make the World Cup Semifinals for only the second time in history.

When the draw was made, I was tempted to brand Costa Rica the light weight of the round and their tie against the Netherlands the only one that I could predict with some confidence. I was quickly reminded that when the first round draw pitted Costa Rica against three former World Champions, almost all pundits did not give them a chance. Costa Rica went on to defy predictions by not simply qualifying from the group but doing so as group winners and with a game to spare. Fast, fearless and aggressive, they are without a doubt the “Cinderella Story” of World Cup 2014. With the exception of South Korea which made it to the semi-finals as hosts of World Cup 2002 and helped by controversial decisions against Italy and Spain respectively, the “Cinderella Story” usually ends in the quarter finals. Although I do not fancy them to, Costa Rica has a great opportunity to create the most impressive World Cup “Cinderella Story” in World Cup history.

Whether it is a battle to make history or to defy history for their nations, let the games begin!