Monday, July 14, 2014

World Cup - Germany vs Argentina

The score is 0:0 at halftime and both teams have been closely-matched through the half.  Both have been taking the ball back to the other goal but overall it looks like Germany keeps possession of the ball better.

And that's how it stayed all the way through the second half although Argentina got more aggressive.  There was no predicting who would score first.  So the refs added thirty minutes to the game.   And still they were fighting to a draw ... until ... Germany scored with five minutes to go.  There was tremendous suspense in those last five minutes but Germany defended well.  Their strategy changed completely as they did not try to take another goal from Argentina after that and instead kept their team around the German goal to belt the ball back downfield if it approached.  It didn't much matter where it went ... so long as it went downfield.  That worked brilliantly and Germany took the day.

There's no need for an extended monologue on fouling but I admire that Germany plays a clean game whereas some other teams do not.  And that's probably all that needs to be said.

I suspect they may build a statue for Neuer in Germany.  He is their goalkeeper and he is likely the best in the world.  He's a good-looking fellow and this may be a bit of a curse as I imagine he will be swarmed by girls every time he tries to set foot outside his house.

Germany vs Argentina 1:0 (final)


Fussball is, for me, much more interesting than football.  Just timing alone is attractive as the game won't run longer than two hours and then I can get on with my busy day.  With football, a game can kick-off at 2100 and may finally wheeze to a close by 0200.  Football is very good for creating suspense but it's not much good at all for action.  Fussball just never stops.

It's hard to identify with football players as most of them aren't much more than mutated meat.  They aren't very fast of foot or mind and they don't do much except hit each other.  Hard to miss the sport in that, eh.  Fussball players look like humans, albeit humans who are exceptionally fit.  They don't have cosmetic cop muscles but rather they look like people.  If I were in what I consider perfect condition, I would look like a fussball player and damn sure not like a football player.

Nobody falls in agony like a soccer player, tho.  Other than figure skaters, I can't think of any sports figures who can fall in such agony.  This looked like it was when my ol' Dad told me what to do if I crashed during a kart race:  stay down and they will think you are hurt so they will restart the race.  Then you can get back in it.  Unknown why the soccer players do it as they get up pretty quickly and start playing again ... usually.

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