Germany had a newfangled swift, stylish game but the Spaniards with all their inventiveness and imagination, have deservedly set up footballs’ dream date with the technically-brilliant Dutch in Soccer City on Sunday. The Germans were played off the Moses Maabhida Stadium, in Durban this Wednesday in front of the 60,960 spectators who were enthralled by an exhibition of mellifluous passing and possession football by Spain in the second semifinal as La Roja trampled Die Nationalmannschaft in a demonstration of taunting authority.
Germany hardly touched the ball for 25 minutes in a goalless first half. But when Spain seemed to pause for breath, Piotr Trochowski, the man entrusted to fill Muller’s right-sided berth, forced Iker Casillas into a scrambling low save and thereafter the Spain skipper was the busier goalkeeper until the break. The interval just triggered a repeat of the opening to the first half, as Spain totally dominated their bewildered opponents without making it count. Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso and Pedro went about their business of nullifying their rivals, by passing the ball, asking it back, and then passing it once again., their eyes riveted at closing off any gaps. Iniesta in particular kept slicing away from under the normally-solid and experienced Lahm and Schweinsteiger along the left flank as he twisted and turned his foot and hip at will and came over any challenge. As the rest joined into the fray, for once, David Villa took a backseat and watched.
Maybe Thomas Mueller’s absence and quick game was sorely missed, for Germany just couldn’t turn on their magic. Even Klose seemed to be lost in a reverie throughout as he kept waiting indefinitely for the ball to come his way. When they did get the ball, however, the Germans showed flashes of their recent fearsome form. But all the German hopes were crushed by Puyol’s thundering header in the 73rd minute. Puyol’s run from deep had the added advantage of giving him the power to ensure once he had got his head to Xavi’s corner, Neuer had no chance of keeping the ball out. The overwrought Germans gave it their all to equalize but the Spanish defense proved too strong for them as Casillas took away another clean-sheet.
Be it La Furia Roja or Oranje, the cup’s going to Europe. Will it be the European champions who lift the trophy? Will Sneijder be a Midas once more? Will possession football come out tops? Or will it be Total Football?
The wise have said: patience is a virtue, so behold it and wait for the 11th of July, glory awaits the Champions.
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Excellently written, capturing the essence of a masterful tactical battle, spain showed little inventiveness, but then the old dictum was proven correct again, if you don’t have the ball you can’t score. That is just what the spanish did, but the curious thing about this world cup is the Netherlands, lack of total football, it seems the reversal of an ideology, the Dutch are playing like the Deutsche and vice versa, this seems like a fated event, but something tells me deep in my gut that the oranje are the chosen ones….but we can never count out La Furia Roja.
it is not that they want to kill the octopus but i know that this parrot “Mani” should challenge against the octopus so that who ever looses should kill it. and i also know that GOD CREATED the octopus with his image and i am shocked because how can an octopus have nine brains, but i think that it is not true. Bye.