Brazil 1-2 Holland Port Elizabeth
World Cup favourites Brazil are out of the tournament following a cataclysmic second half collapse against the Dutch. The result has since triggered the resignation of Dunga as head coach.
The three previous World Cup encounters between the sides have all been World Cup classics. Their meeting in 1974 sparked the unstoppable rise of total football and the end of Brazil's samba style. The 1994 quarter final saw five second goals with the Brazilians edging out the Oranje with a late Branco free kick. France '98s greatest game took place in Marseille's Velodrome in the semi finals but Holland's indifference to penalties cost them a deserved final place.
Unfortunately the 2010 installment won't be as fondly remembered. Constant whistle blowing, cynical tackling and an awful playing surface limited the chances for any open free flowing football, the like of which is demanded from these two nations.
The mental collapse of Felipe Melo was what finally sealed the deal. His own goal and subsequent sending off summed up the Brazilian fall from grace in the second half. Their tempermant completely disappeared once the equalizer came and even more so following Holland's second goal. How Holland managed to turn this game around is a mystery as it wasn't particularly through their own doing but moreso down to Brazil's lack of discipline.
The Selacao produced glimpses of their attacking potential in the first half. Clever interplay from the front three and the enthusiasm of Robinho in particular saw the Brazilians take control and the opening goal wasn't long in coming. Future villain Felipe Melo threaded a ball through the non existent Dutch defence from the half way line which Robinho ran on to and volleyed home first time. The goal was the epitomy of the game up that point. The South Americans were comfortable on the ball and confident of their ability to win the game. Meanwhile the dutch defense was clearly nervous and was caught out continuously before and after the tenth minute opener.
By half time their tally could have been as many as three as Kaka and Maicon came close. The under performing Netherlands players were happy to leave the field only one down. Their passes weren't sticking, Arjen Robben was indecisive with his dribbling and Nigel de Jong and Mark Van Bommel were living dangerously in midfield.
The Dutch never looked like scoring as the second half got under way. Robin van Persie couldn't control the ball and was easily snuffed out by Juan and Lucio. A rash tackle by the already yellow carded Michel Bastos changed the game. The Lyon right midfielder, yet Brazilian left back, was lucky not to be sent off but justice came only second later. A quick free kick resulted in a Wesley Sneijder cross. Buzz Lightyear lookalike Julio Cesar came for the cross but got nowhere near it as it bounced in off Melo's head. It was the first own goal Brazil have conceded in nearly 100 World Cup matches.
It wasn't much longer before the smallest player on the pitch scored the winning goal. Sneijder diverted Dirk Kuyt's flicked header into the top corner to score the first headed goal of his career. How the diminutive midfielder found himself in the space to produce such an outcome is unforgivable. The famed Brazilian defence was nowhere to be seen. It was as though their dominating confidence from the first half had evaporated after the first goal they shipped.
Melo's sending off sealed their fate. His stamp on Robben showed how he had lost his head, much like the rest of his team, who were becoming increasingly frustrated with the stop start nature of the game. Melo's temperament had been questioned after the game with Portugal as the Juventus player seemed more interested in fouling opponents than playing the beautiful game. Any worries were clearly justified.
The next goal looked more likely to come from Holland on the counter attack than from the Selecao, especially with Luis Fabiano inexplicably off the pitch. The five time champions huffed and puffed but never looked like turning things around, and even if they had the Dutch would surely have won out eventually against ten men.
Brazilians may now get their wish. Defensive tactics have left a shadow over the winning teams of 1994 and 2002 and this inglorious exit may be the final straw. With the Mundial on home soil in 2014 a return to the Brazil of Pele and Garrincha will be demanded, as opposed to the uninspiring team Dunga has put together in the past four years. The Copa America and Confederations Cup are in the bag but they half failed spectacularly when it mattered most.
One couldn't help but feel disappointed for certain players however. This was supposed to be Kaka's tournament but he never stamped his authority on it and Lucio has been the world's best defender for the last year but as captain he has failed to deliver a sixth crown.
Holland may not be everyone's cup of tea even in their own country but they move on to the semi finals, only one step away from a third final. Could this finally be the year that the Oranje claim the trophy they should have collected in 1974?
Ghana Pay Penalty
Ghana 1 (2)-(4) 1 Uruguay
Africa's last remaining hope are out of the tournament after losing a penalty shoot out to Uruguay. Never has an African nation come closer to reaching the semi finals of a World Cup but when they were practically handed a place in the last four Asamoah Gyan failed to right his name in history.
Gyan last second penalty was the product of Luis Suarez'x hand ball and sending off. The Ajax striker prevented a certain goal with his arms and effectively cheated the Black Stars out of a semi final place but the Ghana penalty taker should have been able to win the game from 12 yards out. A "sporting injustice" had taken place, according to Ghana coach Milovan Rajavec. Unfortunately the rules dictate that a penalty be awarded. In Rugby Union, for example, a penalty try is awarded is instances when a try is inevitable but illegally prevented by the defending side. FIFA may want to look at reinterpreting their own rules. Without Suarez's interference a goal was certain and Ghana would be in the semi finals.
One of the games of the tournament was only enhanced by the chaos of the closing minutes in Johannesburg's Soccer City as both sides attacked endlessly in confidence of winning the game outright. The negativity that encapsulated Paraguays victory over Japan was not on show in this quarter final as both nations believed that they were capable of winning with their own styles of play. Ghana throw caution to the wind and pose an unpredictable threat as eve their own players don't know what they're going to do next. On the other hand the Uruguayans attack with purpose in the confidence that their defensive line can handle all comers.
Urugauy's position as favourites was justified in the manner they began the game. Ghana couldn't get out of their own half as the Celeste pressed for an early goal, as they did against the South Koreans last Saturday. Richard Kingson was forced into a string of saves as he kept Suarez at bay. The Black Stars began to assert their own style as the game wore on however with Kevin Prince Boateng being particularly lively and enthused. After a first half in which both teams could have scored in was Sulley Muntari, Ghana's forgotten man, who opened the scoring with a swerving long range effort than was bending away from the goalkeeper.
That goal was a welcome reward for the Ghanaian endeavours of the first 45 but as they would have expected Uruguay were back in the ascendancy as the second half kicked off. Diego Forlan's dipping and swerving free kick from the left hand corner of the 18 yard box was the least they deserved. The equalizer could easily have been followed by a winner as the Uruguayans found plenty of space in the African half of the pitch. Suarez once more, had the best chance of the half to settle the game once and for all but he fluffed his lines.
Ghana were surely happy to reach extra time at all, much as they were against the US last Saturday in Rustenburg. The mayhem of the final minute came about from a free kick that should never have been. Ghana almost took full advantage from the penalty spot after the ball flew around the penalty area like a pin-ball. Suaez's handball saw him leave the field in tears as he though he had cost his country its dream. The sheer relief he felt was clear for all to see as he jumped around the tunnel upon realising Gyan had missed.
John Mensah can take equal responsibility for the defeat. His one pace run up was always going to result in a missed penalty. Before the spot kicks momentum and the ascendancy were always going to be on the side of the South Americans, and that proved to be the case. Sebastien Abreu slotted home his teams winning kick with effortless and poise. It broke the hearts of a continent and especially Asamoah Gyan but Uruguay return to the big time for the first time in 50 years. A third World Cup might just be possible for a nation of 3.5 million people.
World Cup favourites Brazil are out of the tournament following a cataclysmic second half collapse against the Dutch. The result has since triggered the resignation of Dunga as head coach.
The three previous World Cup encounters between the sides have all been World Cup classics. Their meeting in 1974 sparked the unstoppable rise of total football and the end of Brazil's samba style. The 1994 quarter final saw five second goals with the Brazilians edging out the Oranje with a late Branco free kick. France '98s greatest game took place in Marseille's Velodrome in the semi finals but Holland's indifference to penalties cost them a deserved final place.
Unfortunately the 2010 installment won't be as fondly remembered. Constant whistle blowing, cynical tackling and an awful playing surface limited the chances for any open free flowing football, the like of which is demanded from these two nations.
The mental collapse of Felipe Melo was what finally sealed the deal. His own goal and subsequent sending off summed up the Brazilian fall from grace in the second half. Their tempermant completely disappeared once the equalizer came and even more so following Holland's second goal. How Holland managed to turn this game around is a mystery as it wasn't particularly through their own doing but moreso down to Brazil's lack of discipline.
The Selacao produced glimpses of their attacking potential in the first half. Clever interplay from the front three and the enthusiasm of Robinho in particular saw the Brazilians take control and the opening goal wasn't long in coming. Future villain Felipe Melo threaded a ball through the non existent Dutch defence from the half way line which Robinho ran on to and volleyed home first time. The goal was the epitomy of the game up that point. The South Americans were comfortable on the ball and confident of their ability to win the game. Meanwhile the dutch defense was clearly nervous and was caught out continuously before and after the tenth minute opener.
By half time their tally could have been as many as three as Kaka and Maicon came close. The under performing Netherlands players were happy to leave the field only one down. Their passes weren't sticking, Arjen Robben was indecisive with his dribbling and Nigel de Jong and Mark Van Bommel were living dangerously in midfield.
The Dutch never looked like scoring as the second half got under way. Robin van Persie couldn't control the ball and was easily snuffed out by Juan and Lucio. A rash tackle by the already yellow carded Michel Bastos changed the game. The Lyon right midfielder, yet Brazilian left back, was lucky not to be sent off but justice came only second later. A quick free kick resulted in a Wesley Sneijder cross. Buzz Lightyear lookalike Julio Cesar came for the cross but got nowhere near it as it bounced in off Melo's head. It was the first own goal Brazil have conceded in nearly 100 World Cup matches.
It wasn't much longer before the smallest player on the pitch scored the winning goal. Sneijder diverted Dirk Kuyt's flicked header into the top corner to score the first headed goal of his career. How the diminutive midfielder found himself in the space to produce such an outcome is unforgivable. The famed Brazilian defence was nowhere to be seen. It was as though their dominating confidence from the first half had evaporated after the first goal they shipped.
The next goal looked more likely to come from Holland on the counter attack than from the Selecao, especially with Luis Fabiano inexplicably off the pitch. The five time champions huffed and puffed but never looked like turning things around, and even if they had the Dutch would surely have won out eventually against ten men.
Brazilians may now get their wish. Defensive tactics have left a shadow over the winning teams of 1994 and 2002 and this inglorious exit may be the final straw. With the Mundial on home soil in 2014 a return to the Brazil of Pele and Garrincha will be demanded, as opposed to the uninspiring team Dunga has put together in the past four years. The Copa America and Confederations Cup are in the bag but they half failed spectacularly when it mattered most.
One couldn't help but feel disappointed for certain players however. This was supposed to be Kaka's tournament but he never stamped his authority on it and Lucio has been the world's best defender for the last year but as captain he has failed to deliver a sixth crown.
Holland may not be everyone's cup of tea even in their own country but they move on to the semi finals, only one step away from a third final. Could this finally be the year that the Oranje claim the trophy they should have collected in 1974?
Ghana Pay Penalty
Ghana 1 (2)-(4) 1 Uruguay Soccer City
Africa's last remaining hope are out of the tournament after losing a penalty shoot out to Uruguay. Never has an African nation come closer to reaching the semi finals of a World Cup but when they were practically handed a place in the last four Asamoah Gyan failed to right his name in history.
Gyan last second penalty was the product of Luis Suarez'x hand ball and sending off. The Ajax striker prevented a certain goal with his arms and effectively cheated the Black Stars out of a semi final place but the Ghana penalty taker should have been able to win the game from 12 yards out. A "sporting injustice" had taken place, according to Ghana coach Milovan Rajavec. Unfortunately the rules dictate that a penalty be awarded. In Rugby Union, for example, a penalty try is awarded is instances when a try is inevitable but illegally prevented by the defending side. FIFA may want to look at reinterpreting their own rules. Without Suarez's interference a goal was certain and Ghana would be in the semi finals.
Urugauy's position as favourites was justified in the manner they began the game. Ghana couldn't get out of their own half as the Celeste pressed for an early goal, as they did against the South Koreans last Saturday. Richard Kingson was forced into a string of saves as he kept Suarez at bay. The Black Stars began to assert their own style as the game wore on however with Kevin Prince Boateng being particularly lively and enthused. After a first half in which both teams could have scored in was Sulley Muntari, Ghana's forgotten man, who opened the scoring with a swerving long range effort than was bending away from the goalkeeper.
That goal was a welcome reward for the Ghanaian endeavours of the first 45 but as they would have expected Uruguay were back in the ascendancy as the second half kicked off. Diego Forlan's dipping and swerving free kick from the left hand corner of the 18 yard box was the least they deserved. The equalizer could easily have been followed by a winner as the Uruguayans found plenty of space in the African half of the pitch. Suarez once more, had the best chance of the half to settle the game once and for all but he fluffed his lines.
Ghana were surely happy to reach extra time at all, much as they were against the US last Saturday in Rustenburg. The mayhem of the final minute came about from a free kick that should never have been. Ghana almost took full advantage from the penalty spot after the ball flew around the penalty area like a pin-ball. Suaez's handball saw him leave the field in tears as he though he had cost his country its dream. The sheer relief he felt was clear for all to see as he jumped around the tunnel upon realising Gyan had missed.
John Mensah can take equal responsibility for the defeat. His one pace run up was always going to result in a missed penalty. Before the spot kicks momentum and the ascendancy were always going to be on the side of the South Americans, and that proved to be the case. Sebastien Abreu slotted home his teams winning kick with effortless and poise. It broke the hearts of a continent and especially Asamoah Gyan but Uruguay return to the big time for the first time in 50 years. A third World Cup might just be possible for a nation of 3.5 million people.
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