Yesterday wasn't half as exciting as the German trouncing of Brazil, but we at least got a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of fairly uninspired play. In another rain soaked affair, Argentina and the Netherlands were unable to find a goal in regular time. Neither team really induced any chances either. I can recall maybe two moments in the entire match where I found myself inching towards the edge of my seat. The only time I threatened to leave it was when Gozalo Higuain buried a great cross into the side netting near the end of regulation.
Whether it was the rain, the respect for the other team's attack, or any other reason, both teams played a defense first mentality. I did say that the determining factor would not be the skills of Lionel Messi or Arjen Robben, but rather which defense contained them better. Unfortunately for us, both back lines were flawless enough to keep both stars off the scoreboard.
So after 120 goalless minutes, we came to penalties. The tone was set right from the start when Ron Vlaar, a defender of all positions, was stopped emphatically by Sergio Romero. Romero would save another when Wesley Sneijder was robbed. The Netherlands had no trick up their sleeves with Tim Krul as a penalty specialist in goal as they did against Costa Rica, since they had used all three of their subs. Argentina buried all four attempts for a 4-2 win.
If Argentina were to play as defensive against Germany as they did against Netherlands, they are sure to lose. Germany's attack is simply too deep. Their ability to maintain possession and be patient is too strong to take such an approach. Hopefully, there will be better weather for the final, because I am sure that influenced play quite a bit. Germany will feel they can beat anyone after their 7-1 hammering of Brazil, and Argentina are going to feel like they can stop anyone after keeping a strong Dutch side out of the goal. Let's hope this doesn't translate into another one sided affair.
This second semifinal was closer than the first one, but it certainly felt to be of a lesser quality. It was certainly less entertaining. Let's hope for a better third place game, which I am still likely to ignore, and a far better World Cup Final on Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment