The Netherlands and Uruguay booked their places in the first Semi Final of World Cup 2010 yesterday.
In a pulsating match in Port Elizabeth, the Dutch put in a valiant (if not sometimes little dirty) performance to knock out pre-tournament favourites Brazil. While over in Soccer City in Johannesburg, Uruguay ended African hopes by knocking out Ghana, in a game that produced one of the most incredible and dramatic finales to a match, ever witnessed at a World Cup.
The game was 1-1 after 119 minutes of football and Ghana were all over the tired looking Uruguayans. A free kick was sent in from the right and after mass confusion in the box, Suarez blocked a goal-bound header on the line with his hands.
Asamoah Gyan stepped up to take the penalty but missed it, skimming the crossbar with the last kick of the match.
The game then went to penalties, but the wind had been completely taken out of the Ghanaians' sails and Uruguay made all their penaltyies to win and take them through to their first semi final since 1970.
Ghana are out, and with the tears and heartbreak shared by over a billion African viewers watching, it spells a sad end to Africa's participation in this year's world cup.
Now, the rules clearly state that if a man, other than the keeper, handles a ball and stops an almost certain goal, it's a penalty and the guy gets sent off.
The problem is, Gyan then missed the penalty. So, is it fair that the goal wasn't given anyway? Maybe the rule should be that the man gets sent off and the goal is given. That would stop players from doing what Suarez did.
But Suarez is not stupid. He knew what he was doing and within the boundaries of the rules, as a player, he did what any footballer (including myself I have to say) had to do. Heck, I would have probably done that during a Sunday league game in the first minute, let alone in the last minute of the quarter final of a world cup match!
There is an issue of sportsmanship, sure, but you have to try to imagine what would have happened had the shoe been on the other foot - or the hand been on the other arm in this case ;)
Suarez will now miss the next game as punishment but I'm more than 100% sure, that the Ghanaians or any other player in the world would have done the same thing for their country.
It's a little sickening and I hate to say this but... that's football. We've seen the rules change over the years, not least with cards for handballs, cynical fouls that stop play and even not allowing keepers to pick up back passes (which I think was one of the best by the way).
I think this is one rule that might be changed too. But personally, I'm not sure if it should. There are 11 men on the pitch and it's their duty to stop that ball from going into their net. Not only the keeper, but all of them, as a team!
If you stop the ball with your hands then you should be punished. I think a penalty and a red card is enough. If you give the goal anyway, then you are stopping those 11 players from doing everything in their power to save their country. You'd have to watch helplessly when there was something you could have done.
Plus, there's all sorts of permutations from that too; would the ball have gone in? Was he last man? Was it an accident or on purpose? The list would go on.
Let me just say, I was rooting for Ghana 100% in this game. I didn't want Uruguay to win and I think Suarez is already a bad sportsman anyway. He's always rolling around on the floor when he's barely been touched and complaining all the time to the referee.
Unfortunately though, the fact is, what he did was to save his side and help put them through to the next round. As they say, he took one for the team and it pains me greatly to see Ghana out of the world cup, but I, for one, once again, would have done the same thing :( Sorry mum...
The other game was also fascinating but controversial in a different way. Yesterday, what we saw was the slightly dirty side of the Dutch. They reminded me of the Italians! Van Bommel in particular got away with some filthy tackles and Robben was guilty of a lot of play acting too.
The problem is, Gyan then missed the penalty. So, is it fair that the goal wasn't given anyway? Maybe the rule should be that the man gets sent off and the goal is given. That would stop players from doing what Suarez did.
But Suarez is not stupid. He knew what he was doing and within the boundaries of the rules, as a player, he did what any footballer (including myself I have to say) had to do. Heck, I would have probably done that during a Sunday league game in the first minute, let alone in the last minute of the quarter final of a world cup match!
There is an issue of sportsmanship, sure, but you have to try to imagine what would have happened had the shoe been on the other foot - or the hand been on the other arm in this case ;)
Suarez will now miss the next game as punishment but I'm more than 100% sure, that the Ghanaians or any other player in the world would have done the same thing for their country.
It's a little sickening and I hate to say this but... that's football. We've seen the rules change over the years, not least with cards for handballs, cynical fouls that stop play and even not allowing keepers to pick up back passes (which I think was one of the best by the way).
I think this is one rule that might be changed too. But personally, I'm not sure if it should. There are 11 men on the pitch and it's their duty to stop that ball from going into their net. Not only the keeper, but all of them, as a team!
If you stop the ball with your hands then you should be punished. I think a penalty and a red card is enough. If you give the goal anyway, then you are stopping those 11 players from doing everything in their power to save their country. You'd have to watch helplessly when there was something you could have done.
Plus, there's all sorts of permutations from that too; would the ball have gone in? Was he last man? Was it an accident or on purpose? The list would go on.
Let me just say, I was rooting for Ghana 100% in this game. I didn't want Uruguay to win and I think Suarez is already a bad sportsman anyway. He's always rolling around on the floor when he's barely been touched and complaining all the time to the referee.
Unfortunately though, the fact is, what he did was to save his side and help put them through to the next round. As they say, he took one for the team and it pains me greatly to see Ghana out of the world cup, but I, for one, once again, would have done the same thing :( Sorry mum...
The other game was also fascinating but controversial in a different way. Yesterday, what we saw was the slightly dirty side of the Dutch. They reminded me of the Italians! Van Bommel in particular got away with some filthy tackles and Robben was guilty of a lot of play acting too.
In the end, it was too much for the usually, good natured Brazilians and it showed, when Felipe Melo was sent off for a dirty stamp on Robben in the second half.
This game really seemed to be more about who could control the cool-looking Japanese official and it looked like Van Bommel beat the Brazilians single handidly there.
Still, the Brazilians will mostly only have themselves to blame after scoring a wonderful opener through Robinho early on. They sat back and waited for the Dutch and once they got their goals, a late flurry was not enough to save them and they paid the price.
The Netherlands won it 2-1 and are now through, which means that at least one European side will be in the last 4, when many wondered if this year, the South Americans would take the spoils.
So, today! Germany vs Argentina and Spain vs Paraguay! I can't wait!
This game really seemed to be more about who could control the cool-looking Japanese official and it looked like Van Bommel beat the Brazilians single handidly there.
Still, the Brazilians will mostly only have themselves to blame after scoring a wonderful opener through Robinho early on. They sat back and waited for the Dutch and once they got their goals, a late flurry was not enough to save them and they paid the price.
The Netherlands won it 2-1 and are now through, which means that at least one European side will be in the last 4, when many wondered if this year, the South Americans would take the spoils.
So, today! Germany vs Argentina and Spain vs Paraguay! I can't wait!
I'm sorry but were you watching a different game? ''the usually good natured brazilians''..they were constantly making fouls, especially on Robben. You can't blame the guy for going down easily to protect himself from another injury? I agree with you that van Bommel got away a few times. Aside from the fact that Brazil is in my opinion far a ''good natured team'' you write about the Uruguay - Ghana match and in the end say ''this is football''. Well, making fouls because it's the only way you can stop sneijder or robben or whomever is football too, abusing the fouls the other team commits to frustrate the them is football too. What football isn't is losing it and physically assaulting another player...A professional football player should know better. As for the match: In the first half Brazil was a lot better and the Netherlands were lucky not to get further behind but the second half was a whole different game. the Netherlands were far more aggressive, interrupted Brazils build ups, countered and controlled the match.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, that's my 2 cents;)
Detmar
Aaaaand my apologies for the grammatical errors, only slept 3 hours last night because i was out celebrating the victory and it's to damn hot here to sleep.
ReplyDeletei also ment: far from a good natured team.
I disagree dude. World Cup is, like the Olympics, the pinnacle of sportsmanship. People who cheat, for whatever reason and by whatever methods, are disgusting and an insult to their team, country and the sport itself. Henry's handball cost him the respect of millions. No respected this Uruguyan dickhead to start, no one is surprised that he stooped so low just to win.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that pisses me off is not what he did (and no, I don't think lots of other people would do the same thing in that position) but that he had the audacity to cry when being sent off. His crocodile tears made Ghana's undeserved defeat worse, he is pathetic.
Sadly, this kind of incident is what people wll remember this WC for, instead of the fact that my country has hosted the best WC ever, with the best vibe, the most entertainment, the greatest atmosphere and the most thrilling games ever.
I will boycott Uruguay forever.
Just a quick one - in a major golf tournament recently, the leader asked for a camera review because he thought he might have struck the ground before his OB shot, and as a result was penalised because the camera showed he had indeed. This cost him the tournament, but it brought him honour from golfers and spectators all around the world!!!!