BOLIVIA WIN IN SINGAPORE

STORY OF 2010!

The Bolivian under 15 soccer team won a gold medal at the youth olympic games in Singapore!

I've always dreamed of Bolivia catching the eye of Singaporeans, a noteworthy feat worthy of accolades. And the YOG provided the platform to make concrete a personal dream. The Bolivians were awesome. They steamrolled over their opponents, including the Haitian team in the final. A Bolivian vs Singapore final was a mouth watering possibility that never materialized.

The sight of the Bolivian team singing the national anthem as the Bolivian flag was slowly raised in Singapore, was especially moving. Bolivia, my adopted homeland was triumphant in Singapore, land of my birth.

SPAIN: WORTHY WORLD CHAMPIONS!

The Spaniards were at their best against Germany in the semis.

They controlled play with incisive passing and moved in a pack around the ball, both in attack and in defense. The physical conditioning was mind boggling. Germany were outplayed and not having Mueller didnt help. Spain's forwards however cant seem to stick the knife in! Torres and Ramos seemed lost. And it took a header from Puyol to setttle the game.


Spain kept their cool in the final game and deservedly scored in extra time to win the World Cup for the first time. They were prevented from playing their usual game by their opponents, whose game plan was to have none except to maim their opponents and score on the break. The dutch team were a sham!

The dutch destroyed the world cup final with a cynical approach. Aggression is part of football but they entered the game determined to break the Spanish rythmn with the sort of football you'd normally associate with thuggery. Was the dutch coach behind this strategy? He probably was because the rough play was consistent and unrelenting. They showed no respect for the occasion and seemed oblivious to the fact that millions were watching. Human decency would assume some decorum when one's performance is on display before the whole world. I hope we never see the likes of this dutch team in the final, of any competition!

Where was the team which beat Brazil in the quarter finals? The dutch were brimming with enthusiasm and confidence then. What happened between the quarters and semis? It was as if Dr Jekyll had turned to Mr Hyde. The kind of soccer we associated with the dutch was absent. The dirt they dished out was unlike the sort of soccer one would expect from the dutch! De Jong's foot on Hernandez's chest was awful. He claimed it was unintentional but the replays seemed to indicate otherwise. He should have been sent off.

Who knows? they may have played better with 10 men on the field.

This dutch team of 2010 were nothing like the legendary teams of '74 and '78. Hence the great disappointment. Cruyff was scathing in his cristicism of the dutch team. He was fully justified. I was hoping for a dutch triumph in this final as a tribute to dutch football in the 70's. Maybe they will learn their lesson from this final and give us better performace 4 years from now in Brazil.

So, Spain rule! They have a great coach and might win the European Nations cup in 2012, as well.

Well done Spain..till Brazil 2014. Bien hecho España... Nos vemos...Brazil 2014!!

BOLIVIA BEAT BRAZIL 2-1

Bolivia's victory over Brazil in the World Cup though wonderful is meaningless.

Brazil had already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa before this game; But still, its sweet to parade Brazil's scalp in public.

Congratulations to the Bolivian team. This was not a fluke; on their day Bolivian football is mesmerizing. Dont forget, they mauled the Argentinians 5-1.

Our problem has been constancy. Why they cant repeat their genius aganist lesser teams is a mystery. We'll have to wait for 2014!

Dunga, the Brazilian coach, in the tradition of coaches who lose in Laz Paz, blamed the high altitude. This is a lame excuse. World champions, like the armies of Alexander, must have the skill and fortitude to dominate opposing teams be it in bumpy pitches or in the high altitude.

If Dunga wants to win the World Cup in Africa, he has to build a team which can win anywhere in the world!

BAN PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS!!

Bring Back The Golden Goal

My worst fears came to pass yesterday.

The European Cup final last night was settled in a dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Manchester United and Chelsea ran themselves to the ground in an action packed 1-1 draw. The players gave their best and played their hearts out. Both teams took turns to dominate the game and deserved to win the cup. My heart goes out to the Chelsea team. Losing a Cup Final in such circumstances is a horrible experience. And where's the honor in winning a Cup Final through stage managed penalties?

I had stayed up to watch the game in Singapore - 2.30 in the morning! In Bolivia, because of the time difference, these games are televised live in the afternoons. The experts were predicting a close & tight game. The possibility of not having a clear winner and going through the tension of a penalty shoot-out, was very real. I decided to risk it anway.

The problem with a penalty shoot-out is that it makes redundant the previous 120 minutes of soccer. Both teams start from scratch when the kicks are taken; its as if the previous 2 hours of soccer was an almighty waste of time and players' sweat.

The Golden Goal was, for a time, a solution to for games which in a draw, even after extra time. The team which scored the first goal after a extra time was awarded the game. Hence the term Golden Goal to describe goals of this nature. Referees would then blow their whistle to signal the game's end. Strangely this arrangement did not catch on and disappeared shortly.

OH NO!

Uruguay Crush Bolivia 5-0 In World Cup Qualifier

An absolute tragedy!

Bolivia played badly in Montevideo, Uruguay and were beaten soundly by 5 goals in their first game of the South American World Cup preliminary qualifying group. Losing by one or two goals would have been easy to swallow - but 5 goals!

I was expecting a better performance.

The Bolivian team, under a new coach, showed lots of promise in some of the earlier tournaments and previous games. I was hoping that perhaps we could qualify for the World Cup Finals which will be held in South Africa.

There is still a long way to go in this competition. Bolivia could still qualify if they accumulate the necessary points from the rest of the games. The psychological setback of this mauling however may be too much of a barrier to overcome.

Soccer is probably the only national activity which unites Bolivia. A good showing in the opening game would have given us something to cheer about as a nation.

Ah well...maybe next time

APOLOGIES BUT NO REGRETS!
Zidane's Moral Puzzle

Zidane apologises for head butting the Italian centre half. He then adds a qualifier: I dont regret my actions. Huh? did I miss something here. Isn't one supposed to regret the offense which caused the need to apologise? Some say his actions were justified because of the level of provocation. Was his head butt a measured response to the Italian's provocation? That's not the issue. Zidane is a proffessional. We're talking about loyal fans who want to see goals. The primary responsibility of teams and players is to entertain ticket paying fans! The rules of soccer are to ensure a smooth and entertaining game. Zidane broke those rules and paid the price. Did his head butt cause his team to lose the World Cup final? Probably. Did his head butt let down those fans who paid hard earned money to see their team win? Yes, definitely. Zidane should apologise for his actions!

Its time to clean up the game. If the Italian soccer player provoked Zidane with vulgarities then he should be reprimanded, fined and suspended for a period. Players need to exercise self control and be responsible to society and the ticket paying fans. Enough of verbal hooliganism on the soccer pitch!

Both Zidane and the Italian centre half should apologise for their actions to all ticket paying fans!

ITALY WIN THE WORLD CUP!!

The French Are Unable To Break Down Italian Defensive Wall.

Italy Overcome France In Penalty Shoot Out!!


It was not an outstanding game although parts of it were intense and entertaining.

The French are awarded a penalty in the 5th minute of the game. Henry was accidentally tripped by the Italian defender in the penalty box. Didn’t seem like a penalty to me. But I’m not the ref! Zidane scores rather strangely from the spot. The ball hits the underside of the bar weakly, crosses the goal line and bounces out into play. It’s a clear goal. The Italians equalize when their centre half heads the ball in from a corner kick. You can almost feel the sigh of relief coming from the Italian bench. They look the better team and are connecting with each other as they move forward. The Italians however have not imposed their will although they’re having more of the ball. The French have not been entirely inactive. With Henry at the helm, France put together some probing runs.

In the 2nd half the Italians go to sleep and the French take over. They control the game with good ball control and are stringing together some fine passes. Whoever said the French were a bunch of unfit old players has been proven wrong. The Italian skipper and the goalkeeper are solid in defense. They’re letting nothing through. Any other team would have probably caved in.

We enter the extra time and I’m asking myself what’s happened to the Italian team? Why aren’t they playing the way they did against the Germans in the semis? The Italian keeper make’s a great save from a Zidane header. In the second period of the extra time, Zidane is sent off! He head butted one of the Italian defenders in an of the ball incident. What a rank piece of stupidity! Word is that he was provoked by the Italian defender. He’s supposed to be the ice man - the cool one under pressure. Zidane’s departure means that he will not take part in the penalty shoot out. He’s supposed to be their ace penalty taker.

The match is settled by a penalty shoot- out. The Italians win by one penalty! It’s a disappointing anti-climax. But we have a winner! The Italians are the new world champions. Let the celebrations begin!!

PORTUGAL BLOW IT!
France Win 1-0 And Enter The Final

The French were not at their best and simply did what was necessary to win. Portugal could have sent them packing! They had the players and the chance. No one to blame except themselves. Maybe it was the exhaustion from their previous game with England. Henry scored from the penalty spot; the French then effectively fortified themselves against the other team. Ronaldo's play acting may have caught up with him; loud boos sounded across the stadium whenever he played the ball. Hope we'll see an open, attacking football in the final.

WORLD CUP COMES ALIVE IN THE FIRST SEMI FINAL!!
ITALY OUTLAST GERMANY TO WIN 2-0 IN EXTRA TIME!

Italy may have beaten Germany 2-0 in the first World Cup semi-final but the real winner was football. European soccer is back on track! Full marks and accolades to both teams for playing great competitive soccer. Listen, this is what professional soccer is all about: teams giving spectators a performance that justifies the price of a ticket. There were no attempts to close down the other team with boring defensive soccer; both sides went for each others throats. We had 120 minutes of end to end football. None of the dim -witted, wait and see attitude that characterized many of the first and second round games. The Italian players did not allow the Germans to dictate play; neither were they depending on speculative counter attacks. Some of the shots at goal from both teams were patchy to say the least. But that’s ok. The point is that the teams were adventurous and probed each other constantly. Goal mouth incidents kept us at the edge of our seats. Both teams were not afraid to lose. The first goal was a wicked left legged volley. Lehman, the German keeper didn’t have a chance. The second was an uncomplicated strike from a last minute counterattack. At long last Italian fans heard the faint echoes of that great Italian team which won the 1982 World Cup in the present squad. They were sharp, incisive and not intimidated by the home team’s support in the Stadium. Maybe that’s where the achievement lies: Italy beat the German team on German soil!

WORLD CUP 2006

A LATIN AMERICAN DISAPPOINTMENT

A DIFFICULT PILL TO SWALLOW!

Argentina and Brazil lost both their quarter final matches. The World Cup returns to Europe. Latin teams have always added spice to the game. They will be missed. Latin football, at its best, is set within intricate patterns and flows freely. Maradona and Pele embodied the very best of Latin American football. Can anyone forget Maradona dribbling through the English mid field and defense before scoring the goal that put Argentina through to the semi finals in 1986. He made it look so easy: he found space and the speed in the 54th minute from the centre of the pitch to weave his way past 5 english players before scoring a dynamite goal; Peter Shilton, the English keeper, looked bewildered. After such a sensational goal, it was hard to hold a grudge against Maradona for his infamous hand ball goal 3 minutes earlier. Argentina went on to beat Germany 3-2 in the final.

There was a real possibility of Brazil or Argentina winning the World Cup on European soil this time around; that would have been something to savor! Nothing of the sort happened. The Argentines had the Germans on the ropes after scoring the first goal. Why they went on the defensive is anybody's guess. Messi should have come on, to bury the Germans.


GERMAN RESILIENCE

Give the Germans an inch and they will take a yard. They deserve credit however for their machine-like relentlessness. It was only a matter of time before they equalized. It is plain foolishness to slip into a defensive mode against a hungry German team. The Argentines were rattled by the German goal; they never regained their attacking composure. Would stronger Argentinian captain on the field have made a difference? Maybe but probably not. The Germans had home support and they were clearly playing the better football toward the end.


GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD LATIN AMERICA!

Brazil losing to France was painful but necessary. Brazilian soccer needs a shake up; maybe this early exit will force them to rediscover the open and free flowing style from the past. Some have observed the lack of classy attacking midfield playmakers with the ability to feed their forwards. Hope they find attacking mid-field players in the class of Socrates and Falcao and regain their soul. Remember Tele Santana's glorious Brazilian team in the 1986 World Cup? They were the most entertaining team in 1986 but were sadly knocked out by Paolo Rossi's Italy.

None of the semi finalists are from the Americas. Latin America normally rally around their representatives in the World Cup as regional rivalries take a back seat. Old hatchets are buried temporarily. Bolivia would have cheered on the Brazilians and the Argentines (in that order of preference!). We have no one to root for now. The Argentine team is young and possess great strength in their reserves. Watch out for them in 2010 in South Africa.