Hundreds of Oranje fans in Liberty Village were screaming wildly at our victory against the perennial favourites, and World Cup giants, Brazil. It felt like it did when I was in Holland for the Euro. Actually, even better. The fans went crazy when the ref blew the whistle at the 94th minute and we have been giddy ever since (must have something to do with several pints of Heineken and no food!).
It almost didn't happen for me this morning. I got up early (or so I thought), and made my way down to Liberty Village to join the other Nederlands fans at the School Bakery and Cafe. Despite getting there 1 hour and 15 minutes before kickoff, I was too late. The place was packed, and the proprietors directed us to the Liberty Bistro just down the street. But there were no signs of life at the Liberty, and no indication they would open before kickoff. So, we all trekked to the Brazen Head, which was also not opened until 10 a.m.
For some people, waiting until just before kickoff was good enough, but not for me. I am a fanatic. I need to see the pre-game program, with all of the news and line ups and the national anthems. So, I made my way to Shoeless Joe's on King St. W. and was rewarded with a sea of Oranje fans who were as anxious as me to get it started.
Needless to say, we were nervous when Brazil scored the first goal, cutting through the Nederlands defence like a hot knife through butter. But, the character of the Oranje showed through, and the team pulled it together. I was so excited at the tying goal, that I high-fived and hugged complete strangers, who were now part of my Oranje family! When Super Wesley Sneijder scored what would be the winning goal, it was like a fairy tale. The bar was jumping. Oranje fans are the best. I'm still buzzing from the thrill of watching the Brazilians implode and become desperate.
We danced on the streets of Liberty Village, in disbelief at our triumph. Ever since 1998, when Brazil knocked Holland out of the World Cup in the semi-final, we have been waiting for this day. And it has finally come!
Now, I will know what it is like to see someone crying and doing the Samba at the same time!
In this 2-day break without games, I was thinking to write another post about the best moments of this World Cup, but when I found this video on Youtube produced by BBC-London, I thought that it doesn't only show all these moments but it is comprised of wonderful images as well.
The Brazilian coach Dunga was the team's captain of the 1994 world champion squad in the United States World Cup edition.
Dunga has said in several moments that he wanted his team to play similar to the 1994's team. Well, both teams have more similarities than he could have thought:
In 1994, the first game, Brazil scored 2 goals and beat a communist country for decades (Brazil 2-0 Russia) In 2010, the first game, Brazil scored 2 goals and beat a communist country for decades (Brazil 2-1 North Korea)
In 1994, the second game, Brazil scored 3 goals and beat an african team (Brazil 3-0 Cameroon) In 2010, the second game, Brazil scored 3 goals and beat an african team (Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast)
In 1994, the third game, guaranteed in the round of 16, Brazil draw with an european team which also secured a spot in the next round (Brazil 1-1 Sweden) In 2010, the third game, guaranteed in the round of 16, Brazil draw with an european team which also secured a spot in the next round (Brazil 0-0 Portugal)
In 1994, in the round of 16, Brazil beat a team from the American continent that never won the World Cup (Brazil 1-0 USA) In 2010, in the round of 16, Brazil beat a team from the American continent that never won the World Cup (Brazil 3-0 Chile)
In 1994, in the quarter-finals, Brazil beat the Netherlands (Brazil 3-2 Netherlands) In 2010, in the quarter-finals, Will Brazil beat the Netherlands?
In 1994, in the semi-finals, Brazil played and beat a team which surprisingly got to that stage (Brazil 1-0 Sweden) In 2010, in the semi-finals, Will Brazil play against a team which surprisingly will get to that stage (Uruguay or Ghana)?
In 1994, in the final, Brazil met a very traditional team that has a world title In 2010, in the final, Will Brazil meet a very traditional team that has a world title (Argentina or Germany)?
Much has been said of the success of South American teams in this World Cup and with good reason. Now, after all Round of 16 matches are over and we know all the matchups for the quarter finals, it’s safe to say that regardless of what happens next or who ends up lifting the Cup on July 11th it’s been a great year and a great tournament for South America.
All five South American teams competing in the tournament made it out of the group stages. Four of those teams also finished first in their respective groups, and every quarter finals game has a South American representative, the first time that has ever happened in a World Cup. That means there could be an all-South American semi-finals and/or an all-South American final.
Paraguay already made history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, and Uruguay hadn’t made it this far in a World Cup since 1970. Chile is the only South American team that is already out of the Cup, but they have a lot to be proud of after showing a lot of exciting football.
I hope this is no World Cup “fluke” and South American football futbol is back at the world stage to stay. And the timing couldn’t be better: after an absence of more than 30 years, the next World Cup will be played in South America.
Now back to counting the minutes until Saturday at 10:00am ET, when Argentina will take on Germany, and to hoping we will have one all-Spanish-spoken semi-final between Argentina and either Spain or Paraguay.
With the world's most celebrated sports tournament half way through, I can only wonder what surprises the soccer gods behold during the last two weeks.
In the words of my good friend Huzaifa Dohadwala, I’m sure you can all agree that the slogan of this World Cup should be ‘Expect the unexpected.’ And I’m sure you all know why. With the 2006 finalists making a quick exit, and organized and creative Switzerland upsetting Spain, we have witnessed some of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.
The best part? It has just begun. Paraguay has now secured their spot in the Quarters for the first time in a historic match against Japan. To be honest, I cannot fathom any other event that would give me goosebumps and make my hair sit up like the brave ten did. As the lonely walk to the penalty spot begins, the confidence and nerve possessed by the players is one out of my comprehension. Although the Paraguay and Japan teams were different in many aspects -- hailing from two totally different countries, speaking different languages, and having mastered a different style of play—they held one goal in common: put the ball at the back of the net and lift your team to heights it has never seen before.
After Komano had clipped the crossbar, Oscar Cardozo rolled home the winning spot-kick to give the South Americans a 5-3 win. Paraguay won by the narrowest of margins, but nonetheless, a win is a win. Although, I’m having difficulty understanding why so many fans criticized Japan and Paraguay’s performance. No, there were not any staggering goals scored in regulation. No, there were not any theatrics put on by world class players. No, we did not witness fancy footwork by the Ronaldos. But is that how the game must turn out every single time? Sure, it makes the game a whole lot more exciting. Although it is getting clearer day by day that the results of this tournament are getting wilder and wilder; at this stage, anything is possible.
“The game was boring,” said Alexi Lalas of ESPN. In my opinion, the results should have played out the dream match of any soccer fan. After all, how did the 2006 final turn out? Sure, the infamous head butt made things a lot more interesting, but it came down to the penalties, didn’t it?
Anyway, as Paraguay prepares to battle the likes of David Villa and Fernando Torres, it is vital that they improve in creating better opportunities to slam the ball home, rather than leaving things on the line during the penalty kicks. That should be the game plan for every team, of course. Then again, the inevitable and the unexpected is what makes the game beautiful.
It is safe to say that the World Cup is dancing to the tune of South American teams, and whether you like it or not, Spain is no exception.
First, Ronaldinho wasn't even selected to be part of the Brazilian team. And then, Cannavaro, Drogba and Ribery were eliminated in the first phase. In the round of 16, it was the turn of Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to be knocked out. None of these superstars were able to write the future, as the Nike slogan in its recent commercial says. (Just hope the next one isn't Robinho).
A dejected Portugal fan rolls up his flag after Portugal's 1-0 loss to Spain in the Round of 16
A picture is worth a thousand words... Still, I can't resist adding a few extra thoughts.
I wondered how I would feel watching today's game between Portugal and Spain because I spent four wonderful years living in Spain as a child. I remember my family being in the stands for a 1982 World Cup match in Madrid, my little brother, Jason, proudly wearing his pint-sized Arconada uniform (which he insisted on wearing almost every day) and the two of us cheering our little heads off as Spain took on England. That day made an impression on me, it is the reason why I have faithfully followed the FIFA World Cup tournament ever since. If there was one team I would be rooting for in this tournament, you'd think it would be Spain.
Watching today's game though, it was obvious that Spain was not my team. My team was Portugal. I cheered and worried and analyzed and imbibed as much as any lifetime fan of the Selecao das Quinas on the patio at Bairrada Churrasqueira today; and I wanted so badly for my team to win that match and move on in the tournament.
Alas, it was not to be. Spain dominated the ball throughout the 90-plus minutes of play and while Eduardo valiantly fought them off in net, it was only a matter of time before one of Spain's carefully orchestrated strikes made it past him. And that is exactly what happened. My team's World Cup journey came to an end, with a 1-0 loss to the first World Cup team I ever cared about.
Writing this blog has been a wonderful experience; I've met so many great people and eaten way too much fantastic food; and I'd like to thank the Toronto Star for giving me this opportunity.
While, the idea of switching my allegiances to Brazil and blogging about them from here on is tempting, I think Paulo Porto has that well in hand. So, if I come across anything that might be of interest to Portugal's fans I will post it.
In the meantime, I hope you keep getting out there to watch the games with fans of the beautiful game. This tournament only happens every four years so take a few hours off from work, enjoy the weather, the company, the food (oh, the food) and have some fun!
There is one off-the-pitch scene of the Beautiful Game that has only been touched upon once (I think) by my fellow bloggers - predictions.
They can sometimes be as wrong as can be, but they still fascinate football fans everywhere.
Forget Nostradamus, who is well known for his predictions for range of worldly events, people and places. Football predictors both humans and non-humans take their art very seriously.
Now that the stakes are high for both the teams and for the respective fans of the quarter-finalists match ups for this year's FIFA World Cup:
Uruguay vs Ghana
Germany vs Argentina
Netherlands vs Brazil
Paraguay vs Spain
Let's take a look at some of these predictions, predictors and some methods used to make these predictions - to make your footballing watching experience even more exciting, why not try some of this interactive methods for yourself.
WARNING: Pro-line players, addicts you did not hear this from me OK. Bet at your own risk. I don't want you go pawn your treasured grandfather's clock.
Do not ask me how, but somehow Octopus Paul of the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, has an uncanny talent for predicting World Cup Winners. Paul predicts by placing shells in designated boxes or getting into the winning team's box.
How many of us would have predicted Germany being upset by Serbia, especially after merciless trashing of Australia??
Octopus Paul did! -
In fact, The Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany reports Paul has predicted World Cup winners with 100% accuracy so far.
Mmmmh....Quick defeat indeed.
Paul's pick for Sunday game? A German win. Really Paul?
WARNING: Pro-line players, addicts you did not hear this from me OK. Bet at your own risk. I don't want you go pawn your treasured grandmothers's crockpot.
In England, they’ve gone a little more high tech. The Mirror newspaper used the Football Manager video game to simulate the match, which ended in a 3-2 England win. Gerrard got two, Rooney one for England, while Germany’s reply came through Thomas Mueller and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
We all know who came on top on their prediction: Paul the Octopus.
Way long - back in the days in Tanzania, there was a intriguing method of predicting football matches:
Two flags of opposing teams would be hosted at an open area, side by side by their respective supporters and each side would put a frankincense burners under the flags. Most of the time the flags were of Simba and Yanga, country's two major clubs and traditional rivals both based in Dar-es-salaam.
Fans of two clubs from all over the city would flock the area known as 'Kariakoo,' an uptown suburb to burn the frankincense, the aromatic gum native to East Africa and Middle East formerly used for worship.
The outcome of the game would depend on which team had burned more frankincense, under the team's flag post. Hundreds of shillings worth of frankincense would burn while the game is played and listened to on the radio-there was no TV broadcast of the matches in those days. The fans danced, cheered and also taunted each other. Some big shots and businessmen would also visit briefly to burn the aromatic substance hoping for better luck for their teams.
And then there is Sheikh Yahya Hussain, a renowned East African astrologer who claims to even have Pele himself visit him for the outcome of some matches he was involved in. His method is mathematical one:
He takes the numerical value of an alphabet letter plus the date of the match. The team numeric value that divides by two is the winner. Let's try one:
Let's take Spain VS Portugal
The first letter in 'Spain' is 'S' the numerical value of the letter 'S' is 19 alphabetically.
For 'Portugal' is letter 'P' numerical value of 'P' is 16 alphabetically.
Lets see if 'Spain' can be divided by 2, after adding Tuesday's date, the 29th. (note if the first letters of both teams you are trying to predict divide by two, then take the second letter, add the first letter's value+date to get your prediction) if that number does not divide 2 keep on going until you get one team's number that divides by 2 . The team that has the odd number that does not divide by 2 is the loser.
SPAIN = 19 (numeric value of 'S') +29 (Tuesday's date) = 48 Can be divided by 2
Now let's see Portugal
Portugal = 16 (numeric value of 'P') +29 (Tuesday's date) = 45 Can not divided by two - we all know Portugal sent home on Tuesday after being eliminated by Spain. Simple!! try it.
Let's do Germany vs Argentina
G = 7+3 (Match date)= 10
A=1+3 (Match date)= 4
Both can be divided by two, so we take the second letter from each team add the first letter's numeric value then add the date value.
G+E=7+5=12+3 (Match date) = 15
A+R=1+18=19+3 (Match day 3rd July) = 22
Sorry Octopus Paul - Bye Bye Germany. 15 is an odd number that can't be divided by two.
Good Luck!
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine not very long pondering the state of Canadian Football. How Canada, with all the mosaic of people from all over the planet and the footballing world has a potential to be a football powerhouse. Yet football seems to have an awfully hard time to take off in the country.
May be similar off-the-pitch football antics could be the answer to our football blues.
A hard fought sloppy game for both Japan and Paraguay ended in a penalty shootout win for Paraguay... I was heartbroken and crushed after this tense defensive battle in which both teams had a few chances they should have put away. Japan stuck to their game plan defending with all 11 players and counter attacking with pace, not the most attractive football but it does the job and it almost worked again today.
I must say I am very proud of the Samurai Blue and the fans of Japan in South Africa, in Japan and here in Toronto, we put on a good show and showed the world that there is great football in Asia.
It's always tragic for any team to lose in a penalty shootout and while neither team deserved to win,Paraguay did not deserve to lose either, so hats off to them and good luck in the next round.
This World Cup was probably the most entertaining for a Japanese fan and I look forward to cheering on Japan always and forever.
It has taken me a couple of days to come to terms with the loss on the weekend, and I'm pretty certain that most England fans did as I did today, went to work and discussed if the game would have been different if the second goal that England scored had been allowed.
There is no question in my mind that our team would have come out a bit more pumped than they did in the second half, but we all know that games are not won or lost on kinda-sorta-maybes.
Regardless of the goal or not, England really did get outplayed by the German team, and in the end, the result was reflective of their entire tournament. For a team that had great potential coming in, they really were one of the major underperformers of the tournament.
Sadly, I took my England flag off the car after Sunday's match.
In another 4 years I'll get my hopes up for a new and improved England squad - it should be quite a different team by then.
Toronto is home to people from all 32 countries vying for the 2010 World Cup — and the most passionate soccer fans among them will be here, blogging about their countries’ performance throughout the tournament June 11 to July 11.
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