Match 59
Green Point Stadium - Cape Town
Argentina 0 – 4 Germany
Place watched: Reza’s Pitch, Bismarck, ND
So it appears that Reza’s is the only establishment in Bismarck that opens early for the World Cup matches. You know what? That is just fine with me. Even 4 years ago, there would not have been any, so this is a good development.
From the opening kickoff, it appeared that this match will live up to the hype. Each side had an early chance before Miroslav Klose was fouled just outside the area. Bastian Schweinsteiger’s in-swinger was ever-so-slightly touched (or not, depending on which replay angle you are watching) by Thomas Mueller, hit Argentine keeper Sergio Romero in the shin, and deflected into the goal.
The action continued to be even throughout the first half. Argentina had several good chances during a stretch in the middle part of the half. The best chance resulted in a goal that was judged to be offside. Upon replay, it was obvious all four attacking players were offside when the pass was struck. It was rightfully waived off.
Halftime came and went, and the teams settled back into their rhythm in the second half. While the two most offensive-minded teams produced a lot of chances, the resulting shots did not find their targets… until the 65th minute.
As Mueller lay on the ground after being tackled, he somehow picked out Lukas Podolski overlapping to his left. Podolski played a square ball to Klose who calmly finished.
Argentina made an offensive change, leaving just 3 defenders in the back, and committed more men into the attack. Unfortunately for them, that left additional exposure, and the German counter-attack produced another goal.
Down 3 goals, Argentine coach Diego Maradona stripped off his suit revealing an Argentina kit underneath, and substituted himself into the match.
Ha! I kid, but I am sure he wished he could…
Germany added one more just to make things interesting. It was a very decisive win against a previously impressive opponent.
Match 60
Ellis Park Stadium – Johannesburg
Paraguay 0 – 1 Spain
Place watched: Blarney Stone Pub, Bismarck, ND
This is the only match in the quarterfinals that had a definite favourite and underdog. While, perhaps, none of the first 3 were predictable (indeed, the lower-ranked side won in every case), none could be classified as huge upsets. On the other hand, if Paraguay were to win this match, it would be a HUGE upset.
Spain started this match a bit shaky with Paraguay dictating play early. Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque has taken some heat for the side selection he has used in this tournament. Today there should be no such criticism. He started every star other than Cesc Fàbregas. We will see how they respond.
The game was much closer than any of the pundits would have guessed. In the second half, Paraguay finally won their first corner. During the ensuing free-kick, Gerard Pique for Spain was ruled to pull down Oscar Cardozo in the penalty box. The fouled player broke the unwritten rule and stepped up to take his own penalty kick. Iker Casillas, the Spanish keeper, saved the strike and smothered the rebound.
Less than 60 seconds later, Spain was awarded a penalty when Antolin Alcaraz bundled over David Villa. Xabi Alonso easily put away the spot kick, but was ordered to take it again after one (or more) of his teammates encroached hoping for a rebound. The retake was saved and we were still scoreless.
Finally, in the 83rd minute, Villa put Spain in front for real. His strike finished the Paraguayans who had battled valiantly, but came up short in the end.
The semi-final matchups were set: Uruguay will play the Netherlands on Tuesday, July 6th and Germany will face off against Spain the following day. Is it too soon to ask for more days off?
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