World Cup Review Post
I wanted to start this post with FUCK YEAH, SPAIN!!!, because that's how I dreamed it would be from the very beginning. Because after a campaign of 45/50 wins, they were unstoppable! Because I got so damn invested in those players, that watching them play brought so many tears of joy to my eyes. Because two years ago, I was in Spain, during the Euro Cup no less, and I might have been overwhelmed by the energy and the passion for the sport. I guess I fell in love with the country, and with those boys.
But I can't say it anymore, because it's more than that. And it's less than that. And I'm trying hard not to get emotional right now.
The highs and lows, the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the sad... here's a review of South Africa 2010.
The Group Stage
I think we can all agree that the Group Stage was the biggest mindfuck EVER. Who knew on that first day that France and Uruguay would tie? And that the latter made it to semi-finals while the former didn't even go through to the second round? That Germany would lose to Serbia? Spain to Switzerland? Italy to Slovakia? Although certain matches were frustrating, even upsetting, we got to see quite a few smaller teams shine, such as Paraguay, Chile and Ghana, to name a few.
The Round of 16
The second round produced some really good matches, but the one that really stood out to me was Germany vs England with a 4-1 win for Germany. That was AMAZING football, and was my favourite match of the tournament hands down (ignoring the fact that England was robbed of a goal. grrr!). Otherwise, the other games were more or less predictable, except maybe the USA-Ghana game.
The Quarter-Finals
Those four matches really bothered me and tore me apart. Uruguay's win against Ghana was UNFAIR. That damn handball (screw you, Suarez!) that led to their eventual win. Absolutely horrible. Germany annihilating Argentina... never expected Argentina to go down with a 4-0 loss. That was just beyond me. Germany were without a doubt the better team, but WOW. The Netherlands vs Brazil match angered me the most! They both played HORRIBLY. Robin Van Persie was being a total whiny bastard, Arjen Robben the cheater that he is and Felipe Melo's disgusting display of aggresion. That hurt me a lot because I thought so highly of these players before this. I've been a Brazil fan for fucking ever and I own a Holland flag since the EuroCup, so I felt cheated, like I was supporting a bunch of losers. And ugh, it just made me sad and I looked so dumbfounded at the end of that match. As for Spain and Paraguay, that game was boring! Up until those last ten minutes, when Spain scored, did it get interesting. It was devastating seeing Cardozo walking off that pitch crying :(
The Semi-Finals
After the Uruguay-Ghana incident, and the bs that was the Netherlands-Brazil match, I really could not care less about the Uruguay-Netherlands game. In fact, I couldn't decide who I disliked more. To me it was like "YOU BROKE MY HEART AND I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU ANYMORE *SOB*" I don't care that they are good, they are not cool to me anymore. Germany-Spain, however, was the match I was most looking forward to. I love Germany, but I really wanted Spain to win it. Arguably, Germany deserved it more. They had a better tournament than Spain's edgy one. And I will never say that Germany played badly during the game, because tbh, Spain hogged the ball and never even let them play. And who knew that Spain's best performance would be against Germany?! SERIOUSLY.
The World Cup Final
First of all, the fact that Spain and the Netherlands made it this far? A+++ And considering my love for the Spanish NT and my fresh disdain towards the Oranje, Spain HAD to win it! And SHITSON, WAS THAT MATCH DRAMATIC OR WHAT?!!! I hate it when footballers become aggressive on the field, it makes for terrible football. And although getting carded is consistent among the Netherlands' squad, Spain came into this match with no more than three yellow cards, only to pick up five more against the Dutch. IF I AM BIASED, IT IS BECAUSE I AM BITTER AND I AM BITTER BECAUSE I WAS HURT. DON'T JUDGE ME. Anyway, Iniesta is hardly my fave player, but you would not believe how thankful I was when he scored that goal. And then they won and I was moved, and ecstatic and jubilant. I felt like a proud mama.
There are two teams I really want to talk about at length: Germany and Spain. They've impressed me and have contributed so much to this world cup and I'd like to recognize them as the wonderful teams that they are.
Germany
If the Dutch were like machines, the Germans were like warriors. They played with fierce passion, blood in their eyes, and with heart. They maneuvered their way on that field with such tact and beautiful symmetry. Watching them run and pass and score was appreciating the art and raw nature of the sport. On many one occasion, they thrilled me and, at times, I felt I had to catch my breath. A young team, fresh legs, a prosperous future ahead of them, and I can't help but feel elated and proud. Germany is pretty damn good, if not the best, and not a single person can contest it! The likes of Mueller (who easily swooped the Best Young Player Award and the Golden Boot), the great frog-eyed Oezil, Khedira, the infamous Podolski, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Klose!, Friedrich, etc, etc. I thought I would be emo about Ballack sitting out the World Cup, but they did beautifully without him, so props to you Deutschland.
Spain
There's no way I can be as eloquent about Spain as I just was with Germany. Spain drives me crazy. It makes my heart race, makes me scream for air, makes me feel alive! So when they lost that first match against Switzerland, I felt like someone in the family died. And everything the Spanish NT felt during this last month, I felt it too. I mourned that loss, and slowly I started moving on. One morning I woke up, and I felt that there was hope. Spain was not at all impressive, or at least not playing their best, but it was painstakingly clear that they wanted and needed to win. They fought, winning so narrowly each time. I don't think their style was very entertaining, but it has proven effective. My love affair with the Spanish NT is my love for these boys. Villa was amazing for scoring five goals, Sergio Ramos was the most valuable of the team, Piqué and Puyol proving that Spain's defense is actually not that bad, Xavi, Alonso, Iniesta, Fabregas showing off brilliant midfielder skills and Casillas, for being the best goalkeeper in the world. Special shoutouts go out to Llorente, Jesus Navas, Silva and my bb Torres, who doesn't seem to be doing well at all (AND I FEAR FOR HIS FUTURE BRB CRYING). I personally think y'all deserved to win the cup, but that's just my opinion.
Alright then, it's 3am, so let's put the rest of this in point form. Let's call this category... MISCELLANEOUS!
Basically, SPAIN WON OMG OMG OMG YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!1 :D I am so happy, you don't even know! I'm really proud of them and I hope to see them again soon! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
But I can't say it anymore, because it's more than that. And it's less than that. And I'm trying hard not to get emotional right now.
The highs and lows, the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the sad... here's a review of South Africa 2010.
The Group Stage
I think we can all agree that the Group Stage was the biggest mindfuck EVER. Who knew on that first day that France and Uruguay would tie? And that the latter made it to semi-finals while the former didn't even go through to the second round? That Germany would lose to Serbia? Spain to Switzerland? Italy to Slovakia? Although certain matches were frustrating, even upsetting, we got to see quite a few smaller teams shine, such as Paraguay, Chile and Ghana, to name a few.
The Round of 16
The second round produced some really good matches, but the one that really stood out to me was Germany vs England with a 4-1 win for Germany. That was AMAZING football, and was my favourite match of the tournament hands down (ignoring the fact that England was robbed of a goal. grrr!). Otherwise, the other games were more or less predictable, except maybe the USA-Ghana game.
The Quarter-Finals
Those four matches really bothered me and tore me apart. Uruguay's win against Ghana was UNFAIR. That damn handball (screw you, Suarez!) that led to their eventual win. Absolutely horrible. Germany annihilating Argentina... never expected Argentina to go down with a 4-0 loss. That was just beyond me. Germany were without a doubt the better team, but WOW. The Netherlands vs Brazil match angered me the most! They both played HORRIBLY. Robin Van Persie was being a total whiny bastard, Arjen Robben the cheater that he is and Felipe Melo's disgusting display of aggresion. That hurt me a lot because I thought so highly of these players before this. I've been a Brazil fan for fucking ever and I own a Holland flag since the EuroCup, so I felt cheated, like I was supporting a bunch of losers. And ugh, it just made me sad and I looked so dumbfounded at the end of that match. As for Spain and Paraguay, that game was boring! Up until those last ten minutes, when Spain scored, did it get interesting. It was devastating seeing Cardozo walking off that pitch crying :(
The Semi-Finals
After the Uruguay-Ghana incident, and the bs that was the Netherlands-Brazil match, I really could not care less about the Uruguay-Netherlands game. In fact, I couldn't decide who I disliked more. To me it was like "YOU BROKE MY HEART AND I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU ANYMORE *SOB*" I don't care that they are good, they are not cool to me anymore. Germany-Spain, however, was the match I was most looking forward to. I love Germany, but I really wanted Spain to win it. Arguably, Germany deserved it more. They had a better tournament than Spain's edgy one. And I will never say that Germany played badly during the game, because tbh, Spain hogged the ball and never even let them play. And who knew that Spain's best performance would be against Germany?! SERIOUSLY.
The World Cup Final
First of all, the fact that Spain and the Netherlands made it this far? A+++ And considering my love for the Spanish NT and my fresh disdain towards the Oranje, Spain HAD to win it! And SHITSON, WAS THAT MATCH DRAMATIC OR WHAT?!!! I hate it when footballers become aggressive on the field, it makes for terrible football. And although getting carded is consistent among the Netherlands' squad, Spain came into this match with no more than three yellow cards, only to pick up five more against the Dutch. IF I AM BIASED, IT IS BECAUSE I AM BITTER AND I AM BITTER BECAUSE I WAS HURT. DON'T JUDGE ME. Anyway, Iniesta is hardly my fave player, but you would not believe how thankful I was when he scored that goal. And then they won and I was moved, and ecstatic and jubilant. I felt like a proud mama.
There are two teams I really want to talk about at length: Germany and Spain. They've impressed me and have contributed so much to this world cup and I'd like to recognize them as the wonderful teams that they are.
Germany
If the Dutch were like machines, the Germans were like warriors. They played with fierce passion, blood in their eyes, and with heart. They maneuvered their way on that field with such tact and beautiful symmetry. Watching them run and pass and score was appreciating the art and raw nature of the sport. On many one occasion, they thrilled me and, at times, I felt I had to catch my breath. A young team, fresh legs, a prosperous future ahead of them, and I can't help but feel elated and proud. Germany is pretty damn good, if not the best, and not a single person can contest it! The likes of Mueller (who easily swooped the Best Young Player Award and the Golden Boot), the great frog-eyed Oezil, Khedira, the infamous Podolski, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Klose!, Friedrich, etc, etc. I thought I would be emo about Ballack sitting out the World Cup, but they did beautifully without him, so props to you Deutschland.
Spain
There's no way I can be as eloquent about Spain as I just was with Germany. Spain drives me crazy. It makes my heart race, makes me scream for air, makes me feel alive! So when they lost that first match against Switzerland, I felt like someone in the family died. And everything the Spanish NT felt during this last month, I felt it too. I mourned that loss, and slowly I started moving on. One morning I woke up, and I felt that there was hope. Spain was not at all impressive, or at least not playing their best, but it was painstakingly clear that they wanted and needed to win. They fought, winning so narrowly each time. I don't think their style was very entertaining, but it has proven effective. My love affair with the Spanish NT is my love for these boys. Villa was amazing for scoring five goals, Sergio Ramos was the most valuable of the team, Piqué and Puyol proving that Spain's defense is actually not that bad, Xavi, Alonso, Iniesta, Fabregas showing off brilliant midfielder skills and Casillas, for being the best goalkeeper in the world. Special shoutouts go out to Llorente, Jesus Navas, Silva and my bb Torres, who doesn't seem to be doing well at all (AND I FEAR FOR HIS FUTURE BRB CRYING). I personally think y'all deserved to win the cup, but that's just my opinion.
Alright then, it's 3am, so let's put the rest of this in point form. Let's call this category... MISCELLANEOUS!
- The Jabulani ball! I do actually think we would've had more goals if they played with another ball.
- VUVUZELAAAAAAS! Hated them at first, then learned to love them. They were an integral part of the culture of this world cup.
- Referees. There have been some serious mistakes that I hope will not happen in the future. Not cool, FIFA.
- The Nike "Write the Future" commercial. You know, that one! <33
- GONZALO HIGUAIN
- Piqué with cotton in his mouth, from bleeding
- Ronaldo's neck goal. And the baby drama, haha.
- Landon Donovan's goal in the 91st minute against Algeria
- Reaction shots of Maradona and David Beckham
- SLOW-MO SHOTS. PERIOD.
- France drama, blah blah.
- Diego Forlan
- Kaká and Klose bs red-card
- How useless it is to talk about diving anymore?!
- Iker Casillas, who was far more deserving of the Man of the Match title than Iniesta. Whatever, he got the Golden Glove Award :D
- And last but certainly not least... PAUL, THE PSYCHIC OCTOPUS! ALL HAIL!!!!
Basically, SPAIN WON OMG OMG OMG YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!1 :D I am so happy, you don't even know! I'm really proud of them and I hope to see them again soon! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!