Unlike much of the cup this time the final match was true to form, with Germany trying with early success to disrupt the flow and keep the game slow, and Brasil trying to control and change pace.
The thing that nobody mentions, and I think made the difference in the game was the absence of the normally strong German arial attack, particularly on set plays and corners. The Brasilian defenders did quite well, and there were few serious threats, with most attempts headed clear.
It was a great cup, and I enjoyed many moments. The American team did well, and I was pleased to see them do that after 4 years ago. This is to be expected.. you know, 2 steps forward and then one back...
I have to say that I got the most pleasure from the 3rd place match between Turkey and S. Korea. They both left absolutely nothing on the field, were fierce competitors playing their strongest team game, and left tears in my eyes with thier mutual respect for one another and the game with their hand-in-hand greeting of the crowd at the end. The Korean fans were the greatest, as atmosperic and attentive as any at a top European match, but w/o all that derisive whistling. Given the often cynical view of international athletic competition, and football in particular, both those nations should be rightly proud of the way their teams represented them.
BTW, the twit American media cut away from the after game display with no commentary, and apparently no understanding for the moment. What an arogant ignorant bunch of schedule driven louts.
And I'm and American fan who has played the game for > 20 years.
-- binkely - with more than his usual 2 cents... |
