One of the paradox of this 2010 World Cup is that after the great display of solidity by South American teams - just outscoring other opponents - it might turn out that the final winner might well be an European team...

The cynical Dutch outplayed the super favorite Brazil winning their 5th game out of five...now they will play a very tired Uruguay which beat to the pk penalty and after surviving a tremendous game with Ghana and without their best offensive player, Luis Suarez, who got a red card that saved the game and perhpas indirectly set the win for Uruguay...

At this point it look like the only the Argentina of Diego 'El Loco' Maradona is between a victory of the world cup by an European team. In fact, Paraguay has to play the defending European Champions Spain after playing extra-time and Pks in the previous games and without important player who will miss the game against Spain because of yellow cards.

Spain overcome huge difficulties so far after loosing their first game against Swizterland, and from there on they have runned like an well-oiled machine: Portugal was a very complicated adversary, leaving no space to take shot on goal, but the great talent of Villa, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso find the way to score against the barricades Portugal erected from their midfield down to their goolkeeper...statistics however were pretty clear: Spain possession of the ball was a stunning 73%, which tell you that scoring against Spain is not a easy task...Paraguay has scored only 3 goals so far and have been scoreless in the last 2 matches...not a good things against a team that basically control the ball 75% of the time...however, Paraguay has also making adversary hard to score, and they have not getting a goal since the first game against Italy...Spain has an edge on this game and should move forward.

So in the end its all over the shoulder of the talentuos Maradona's team to carry the torch of South American team in this world cup. Tomorrow against Germany should be a great game...the great talent of Tevez, Higuain and Lionel Messi agains the horse-running power of Podolski, Klose and Mueller, supported by the genius of Ozil...

To win the World Cup Argentina need to beat Germany, Spain and Nedherland in a row: Maradona did in 1986 single-handling the victory against Belgium, England and Germany...from tomorrow on Argentina need that the best player on the planet step up and does what Maradona did before him: Lionel Messi, that's the player who can make it happen...

So the paradox stand: if Argentina and Lionel Messi does not outplay every other teams this World Cup that celebrated the superiority of South American team might end up by being dominated at the end by the European ones...

Soccer is a wonderful game...
BM

Love your post. Good to see some logical thought on the Sports Board.


BUT THIS IS SPORTS!!!! LMAO  Logic not necessary.

I'll be involved in covert activity today. Won't be able to view TWO very good matches. Please call me with updates.

The Brazil match was theirs to lose and they did.They are a very good ball control team. Ghana doesn't deserve to go further. THEY CAN'T keep the damned ball down. My god they do that for a living.

You will notice how the pairings allowed for Argentina(or Spain)and Brazil to meet in the final. We here at home are always claiming the ncaa wants particular teams to meet in the ncaa roundball final. Food for thought.

Hasta la bye bye

Really fine post, this.  Beautiful mind writes about the beautiful game!

Nice points about die Mannschaft; just wanted to add Khedira has also been important for Germany, and Löw has an excellent running talent with an eye for goal in Marin.

Thanks for writing.  Now I'm putting on my Trikot and heading to the pub.

design.lust

"To win the World Cup Argentina need to beat Germany, Spain and Netherlands in a row."

Spain still has to beat Paraguay which won't be an easy game as Paraguay is a very disciplined team.

Netherlands still has to beat Uruguay and that is not a gimme as it looks despite Uruguay missing Suarez and Fucile for sure and maybe two others.

Oh yeah, you forgot Argentina still has to beat Germany. We are getting to the nitty gritty now and no team is going to lay down.

The best team in the WC so far are still alive, so everything is a tossup. Argentina, Netherlands, Spain and Germany have been by far the four best teams in the WC even with Germany and Spain losing a game.

I have not been terribly impressed by Brazil this entire WC and they got their due yesterday. I actually picked Holland in by brackets and bet a straight up win by them yesterday as well. I am not complaining.

If you looked at yesterday's game, Brazil did not come to play football. MMA was more like it. They were lucky not to concede a penalty in the first minute of play when a Brazil defender pushed a Dutch forward down in the box. Brazil were more interested in shoving and pushing and disrupting the Dutch playing style instead of playing their game. Brazil hadn't played a quality opponent or fallen behind before yesterday. When they did, they crumbled unlike the Dutch who responded. After Brazil fell behind, they constantly badgered the ref for fouls and yellow cards instead of playing their game and looking for an equalizer. Overall, Brazil's performance yesterday was shameful and embarrassing.

Now a couple nuggets for you regarding the WC. Only teams from two continents have ever won the WC, South America and Europe. A European team has never won the WC when it has been hosted outside of Europe. A South American team has never won the WC when it has been hosted in Europe.

This history explains the strong performance of South American teams at this years WC and a good bet that one of the remaining South American teams could win the WC but no guarantees exist and history is meant to be changed.

I am so glad I switched sides and bet Germany today. I just couldn't see Germany being a 2-1 underdog against anyone, the price was too good to pass up, Germany +220 parlayed with the over 2 1/2 paid almost five to one, the price was just too good to pass up, cha ching.

Assumption no. 1: "it might turn out that the final winner might well be an European team"

3 out of the 4 semi-finalist are European team, Nedherland, Germany and Spain. From the South American continget only the Uruguay got to the big four, which are those that really count...

After today games my assumption has been validated and the reason might be very simple: the winner is someone who know how to win games under incredible pressure and European player have an edge over everyone else...

No. 2: "Spain has an edge on this game and should move forward." They faced a pretty hard-walled team in Paraguay, who has conceded only 1 gol but as I said has also scored only 3 goals in all tournament. The edge emerged at the end of the second half: the talent of Iniesta and Villa solved the game exactly as it happened with Portugal...of course if Cardozo make the penatly you never know...but again this is the edge: Paraguay has not scored in 3 games and even with the help of a penalty they did not make one. Spain also missed the penalty, but guess what? The talent find the way to score the goal that put them on top of the game...

No.3: "the great talent of Tevez, Higuain and Lionel Messi agains the horse-running power of Podolski, Klose and Mueller, supported by the genius of Ozil..."

The horse-power prevailed and again punished Argentina as England with a smashing last 20 minutes of the game: Ozil controlled the tempo and the other 3 did the rest...

No. 4: "Lionel Messi, that's the player who can make it happen..." Well the German closed him into a pretty smart cage; he has to come down to the midfield to touch the ball; from there no danger can come up from him; Messi is only 23; Maradona was 22 when he played the first World Cup in Spain: I bet Messi will receive the same treatment: he did not played as his talent would allow him to do, he did not score any goals, and so for...Argentina has 4 years to built a great team around the talent of Messi: 2014 is Messi time. Maradona 4 years lated won in Mexico basically alone...in Brazil in 2014 it might happen again...

It sound my assumtions have been validated today: Spain and Germany beat the 2 South American team, and now it up to a tired Uruguay with no Suarez and Fucile to make a miracle...

Soccer is a wonderful game because regardless of referee mistake, player mistake, coach mistake in the end tactics and talent always prevail: so simple, but so hard to put the two together...

Now its the turn of semifinal: Germany against Spain and Nedherlands against Uruguay; it look like the winner of this 2010 World Cup would be an European team:)

BM

Re: This second goal of Maradona against England in 1986 make a fair one victory:)

Watch the slow-motion and then the original spanish commentator...this goal which is arguable one of the most incredible score of the entire history of Futbol make clear that who win the 1986 World Cup was more than fair...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z-qm-Sb_4s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiYYSradplU&feature=related

Enjoy...
BM

I am surprised that you went in on an over at 2 1/2. I would have surely thought that figure too high unless a blowout occured.

AND WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!! Just that. Lost a bundle on Messi

BUT made up at another sort of TABLE. Yet another casino i probably won't be allowed back into without a pay-in. lol

Without going into specifics, I had an all night pool party at my house with about twenty (mainly female) guests, ended up with some all day company (p4p, unrelated to the party) resting in bed with someone to pamper me all day while I recovered. My meager wager paid for it all with a little bit of change left over. lol

I am glad to hear that you were a winner as well, does that mean the drinks are now on you??? lmao

Sorry, but I want my team and my players to be doing everything within the rules to win.

Golf is the only professional sport I can think of where players call fouls on themselves.

Sorry but it is what it is. I live in the real world where we play for "keepsies" lol

how much change yopu had left over.LOL

Bring the p4p and drinks are absolutely on me. Some of those p4p aren't dudes are they?

are the ones I am going to bring for you, if the drinks are up to snuff.

None of that cheap shit that Mikey and Pripus seem to like. I want the good shit. lmao