I love this game. The quarterfinals (by far) produced the most entertaining, dramatic, cruel and unexpected results to date. In the end, Uruguay will face the Netherlands (today) and Germany will face Spain (tomorrow). Going into this round we could have ended up with a semifinal comprised entirely of South American teams - instead, 3 teams of the 4 teams left are from Europe. Sure, the Europeans had a poor showing in the group stages but 3 of the final 4 is pretty impressive.
I really enjoyed every match I watched (since I didn't really watch the Spain Paraguay match). Since I knew the style each country plays, I was convinced that Paraguay would defend against Spain at that they would have a hard time breaking them down. Translation: not a fun game to watch. There were a few penalties missed but all in all I was glad I chose to watch that game in fast-forward on the DVR.
Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
I have never seen Brazil self-destruct like I did yesterday. At the end of the game we were told that Brazil had never lost a game in the World Cup after leading at half time. Well, that explains why I've never seen it happen before. In the first half Brazil played great. They scored an early goal and looked in complete control. However, from the start they seemed to be complaining a lot about and to the referee. They seemed a bit agitated even though they were winning. Then, in the second half, a mistake and the game was tied. At that point Brazil lost their composure. Brazilian players never get sent off with a straight red card. I'll give credit to the Netherlands for playing well, but they really got on my nerves. I used to casually root for them since they've always been the best country never to win the World Cup. Last night I felt like they were the big bunch of whining, diving, acting little punks. The way they played, straddling the line between tactical and disrespectful (in my opinion), left a bad taste in my mouth. I looked around at most of their players and decided that I didn't really like what the team was about in this game. I'm not a big fan of their individual players anyway. So, I hope they don't win it all.
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 PKs)
This game had one of the best finishes I've ever witnessed in a World Cup game. With the game tied and in the last minute of extra time, Ghana had a chance to win it. There was a scramble in front of the Uruguay goal an Ghana came within inches of taking the lead in the final minute. A shot was saved, then another shot cleared off the line, then a third shot saved of the line by an intentional hand ball by Suarez. Of course, we all know Ghana missed the resulting penalty kick and then lost the penalty shootout a few minutes later. I loved the reaction from Suarez as he was leaving the pitch when he saw the ball clatter off the crossbar. I'm really surprised that there is some debate on whether or not he is a villian or hero. I think we're used to this sort of play in this country (intentionally fouling within the rules) in order to prolong your team's chances of winning the game. In my opinion, this was a great play. I really hope Uruguay advance to the final...then maybe Suarez can score the wining goal (or penalty) for his country. That would make for a great story.
Germany 4-0 Argentina
Germany are my new favorite team. I have really been impressed with them this tournament. They've scored 4 goals in 3 of their 5 matches so far. It's not just the fact that they've scored that many, it's how they've played doing it. They've been organized in the back while at the same time very creative and attacking. They seem like the most complete team I've seen - at least compared to the remaining teams in the tournament. Sure, Spain and the Netherlands are probably just as good if not better, but Germany have been the one to most show their class on the field.
All in all this has been a good tournament to watch. Some games are better then others, but overall, good. Let's hope we get the same level of entertainment in the final 3 meaningful games. I'm going to miss the tournament when it's over.