July 6, 2010 | 7:30 am (yes, just woken up, in case you're wondering)
Caught up in World Cup fever. Wasn't able to watch many of the elimination games (only Spain-Chile, Brazil-Portugal, a little bit of Ivory Coast-Honduras) and so I wasn't able to see how Italy crashed out and how well Ghana and Germany performed to advance to the round of 16. Was rooting for Germany, Spain and Italy (before they horribly crashed out in the first round) besides Brazil. I've watched Spain hold off Chile and thwart Cristiano Ronaldo (though I haven't witnessed Villa's lone goal). Both Argentina and Germany, two strong teams based on their team standings and previous World Cup appearances, I haven't watched yet (in this or previous World Cups or international friendlies) before their quarterfinal spectacle. So I told myself I gotta watch them since one of them is bound to bow out after their matchup. And so I did get to watch at a friend's place. He also had other friends along which made it fun since there'll be (friendly) bickering between the supporters. And it's quite different when you're watching with people you're not entirely familiar with (as I found out the previous night when ate Chie, kuya Carl and I went to Podium to watch the Brazil-Netherlands match up for free and ended up eating Papa Dams and the home-brew iced tea at Arya's, a Persian restaurant which seemed to be the only one showing WC games in that area; we tried to find a cheaper place in the El Pueblo area to no avail.)
So there were chips and dinuguan with puto and beer, and I was simply excited. With Germany's 4-0 and 4-1 wins over Australia and England respectively, I felt sure they're gonna do great in this game. Argentina would have their own superb display since they've reached the quarterfinal stage of the match already, not to mention they've got Messi, the current holder of the FIFA World Player of the Year title.
So the match started, and suffice it to say, I wasn't disappointed as wave after wave of disappointment washed over our Argentina-supporting companions, moreso when the third and fourth goals finally crushed their hopes even with a spirited but belated Argentinian offense.
And now, I approach the upcoming semifinal match between Germany and Spain with a bit of apprehension. After watching that (Ger-Arg) game, I thought there's no stopping Germany. But I've seen how good Spain can be, and they could capitalize on their passing to defeat this young German side which can be at a prone to holes in their defense (as I've seen when I downloaded - yes, you got that right - their games against Australia and England and watched those games earlier today). Germany might not be so invincible after all. But as long as Schweinsteiger, Öezil, Podolski, Klose, Lahm, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Neuer, Khedira, Gomez and the rest keep their cool and do what they're supposed to do and eventually enjoy the game, I believe they'll very well lift the WC trophy this time instead of just being 3rd place four years ago.
Spain has plenty of superstars and I wished them well at the beginning, but I think I'll be heartbroken if Germany doesn't advance after this. Please Germany, go on and show the world what you can do.
Well, so it's been days since the semifinal. We know what happened. That octopus Paul in Germany proved his gastronomic predilections with Spain winning the chance to play in the finals at Soccer City at dawn (local time) on Monday - the playtimes (read: 2:30 AM) proving quite a challenge for most of us in the Philippines who are following the World Cup. I asked my friend if I could burrow up in her sala to witness the game live. The result didn't really come as a shock. I was being prepared for it minute by minute as the Germans led by coach Joachim Loew and captain Philipp Lahm let La Furia Roja control the pace of the game. With their near-impeccable passing, they had most of the possession in the first half. They weren't hurrying through their actions; in fact, the commentator remarked that there's not much haste in the game which was going at a walking pace even with 25 minutes into the game. There were a few spirited attacks in the first half, with the greatest chance of scoring attempted by Trochowski and which was successfully denied by Sans Iker. But the rest of their efforts didn't amount to anything. I don't know what happened but the German side didn't show enough aggressiveness, didn't chase after loose balls or clearing headers much, wasn't able to weave around the defense for counter attacks. They were much too timid for what I've been used to seeing them display. It seemed like they lost their self-confidence and forgot about having fun. It would just be a matter of time before Spain capitalizes on their possession and take that much-coveted spot on the world stage. And take advantage of it they did, as Carles Puyol, the indefatigable defender from FC Barcelona, headed in a most decisive goal from setpiece at the 73rd minute, and Germany was left scrambling to try to organize and at least equalize before the match ends.
The disappointment in the young squad was evident as Spain celebrated and the white-shirted players were discussing in the pitch, obviously scrutinizing what was wrong with their game. Bastian Schweinsteiger displayed an almost uncontrolled fury at the team's loss, and it was really a pity to see him, seeing as how he had coaxed the team and contributed to their previous victories. So it was that Germany will be in the third place play-off for two consecutive World Cups already, a feat achieved by Brazil and France decades ago.
Playing against Uruguay which had the likes of striker Diego Forlán, Cavani, Suarez who returns to play after being suspended in their previous match, and the persevering long-haired defender Martin Cáceres for 3rd place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa, the 11, and later, nine-numbered crowd at Outback restaurant in Libis hooted, despaired, celebrated, banged fists on the counter, and later on, celebrated with whoops, applause and picture-taking the Deutschland victory, one that was orchestrated without the likes of veterans Lahm, Neuer, Klose and Podolski, after a spectacular match yielding five goals, three from the black shirts and two from the blue shirts. Müller, coming back from his suspension at the last game opened up the scoring for Germany in the first half with a well-timed strike after Schweinsteiger's shot was blocked away and into his path by the Uruguayan keeper. Forlán managed to equalize a few minutes later. Things were fast-paced all throughout, and there were groans all around (since I think only one or two of our number was supporting the South Americans) as in the second half, Uruguay had a lead 2-1. But able winger Marcell Jansen, himself looking baby-faced, rallied Germany and its fans as he headed in a corner kick after the ball passed the keeper's ready hands to equalize. Khedira provided the winning shot with another header minutes later. A last minute foul by Germany ended up with a free kick for Uruguay which all the more made us nervous, since anything and everything can happen. Any chance will be duly snatched up, and the match may have to go on overtime, or even penalty shootouts. Thankfully, it didn't. The game ended after three minutes of added time. The relief, joy, the satisfaction was all worth it. Germany defended and attacked to the best of their abilities against the able passing and persevering defense of Uruguay. Each shot made by the blue shirts was a disappointment waiting to bombard us, each off-target or blocked shot or uncreative tactic by the German side a cause for cries of disappointments and bangs on the counter table. Each goal a cause for joy or for despair. Such is the beauty and nature of the World Cup, where things may happen at a split second, brought about by circumstances provided by split-second decisions.
And so we have almost come to an end. There is one last match before Filipino football fans finally bid away sleepless nights trying to follow the game live. Almost 31 days wrought with anticipation mixed with various emotions will be over in just a few hours, and the next meet of the 32 best nations of the world will be eagerly awaited as four years pass by. La Furia Roja meets the Oranje at Soccer City at 2:30 am again tomorrow. ¡Vamos España!
And to my beloved Germans, congratulations for a job well done! May Schweinsteiger, Özil, Podolski, Klose, Boateng, Cacau, Lahm, Müller, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Neuer, Butt, Kieβling, Trochowski, Kroos, Gomez and the rest of you jungen deutschen keep the spark alive and delight more fans for years to come.
P.S. I can be really obsessed by things I've come to love - I haven't written as spontaneously and as spirited as this for a long, long time. It's all because of football and die Mannschaft. Gehen wir Deutschland!
