Brazil - Holland game

---

---

We got up this morning, put on our yellow jerseys and headed towards Port Elizabeth for the Brazil - Holland game. The was due to start at 4pm, so we made sure to be at the stadium by 1pm because I wanted to try and meet up with some Brazilian friends I met in South Korea in 2002 (we saw each other in Germany in 2006 as well).

We went straight to the Budweiser Beer Garden and had some beers with some Dutch fans we had met. They were all very nice to talk to, all dressed up in orange and with full make-up on. All they wanted was a good game, and if Holland lost to Brazil, no problem, because they are supposed to lose to Brazil. I told them that I was concerned about the game and told them how we Brazilians don’t believe in Dunga’s team.

We entered the stadium a little earlier than we wanted because Janel and I need to pee badly. Hehe We found our seats and took in the beautiful stadium, which is also brand new. We were seated by the corner flag once again, but I think any seat in this stadium would give you a good view of the game. When the teams came out for the warm-ups, I wandered down to get some good shots of the players. I stayed down there for the national anthems and thought I had video taped both anthems. When I went to show Janel the videos, I found out that I had somehow stopped one recording way earlier than I should have (probably accidentally), and thus ended up not recording anything I had wanted at all. I guess that was a sign of things to come.

The game started and Brazil had a couple of chances in the first 10 minutes. Robinho broke free
on the left wing and crossed for Dani Alves to put it in the net and put Brazil up 1-0 really early in the game. Janel and I were screaming, jumping, hugging each other when we finally saw the offside flag up on the far side. That was disappointing. Hehe Then a few minutes later, Robinho was sent in alone and scored...we hesitated before celebrating as to not look like fools again. The goal counted and we were super excited once again. What a start!!! Brazil controlled the game in the first half and almost went up by 2 goals when Robinho did his magic on the left wing, passed it to Kaka at the top of the box, who in turn tried to place the ball in the top right corner...the ball would have gone there had the goalie not made a ridiculous save. That save, to me, was the game, as it would have been game, set and match to Brazil. But it didn’t go in, so we had to sit through the second half to know our fate.

In the second half, we started out nervous it seemed. Holland pressed a little harder and got the equalizer on a harmless cross by Sneijder. As the ball was crossed, I said to Janel “Oh no, our goalie is late”...not only was he late, he missed the ball and another Brazilian defender put the ball in the net: own goal. Well, that only made things worse. The Dutch fans then took over and started pushing their team forward. Brazil was struggling to string passes together and couldn’t create anything offensively. Robinho disappeared along with Luis Fabiano. Later in the second half, another cross that Brazil failed to clear cost us a goal. Dirk Kuyt flicked the ball on to Sneijder on the back post to put it in: 2-1 Holland. If things were bad before, now we were in deep trouble. It didn’t seem to matter because Brazil couldn’t retain possession, and with the help of the Dutch fans, Holland remained the better team. With 18 minutes to go, “brain-less” Felipe Melo (former Flamengo, go figure) fouled Robben and then stepped on him on purpose, which resulted in a red card. So here we are a goal down, 18 minutes to go, down a man...just put us out of misery...please. Master Dunga, our coach, made one substation before the end to no avail. I wonder if he didn’t make another one because he looked at his bench and saw the shitty players he brought with him. Would a Ronaldinho been handy, or a Neymar or someone else like Pato? Maybe, but we will never know, and he will be too stubborn to admit to a mistake.

Maybe my Dad will listen to me now when I tell him that Dunga’s team is shitty. I have been telling him that for 4 years now, but he remained a believer. I told my Dad the team lacked a brain, lacked creativity. At the end of the day, I am more annoyed at how they played in the tournament then about the loss and elimination. We’ll see what’s next for Brazil. I wonder who the next coach will be, the man in charge of winning the World Cup on home soil in 4 years...not an easy task.

After the game, we took a shuttle bus to where we parked our car and drove back to our hotel 75km south of Port Elizabeth. We reheated some food and started watching the night game: Ghana - Uruguay. Ghana was Africa’s last hope¸ and everyone here was rallying behind Ghana. I could go either way, but I would prefer to see Uruguay advance. This was a fun game to watch because the two teams weren’t so scared of each other. Ghana started out better, then Uruguay took over, and just when you thought it was going to remain 0-0 at halftime, Muntari took a shot from WAY out and scored. To anyone who wants to see the “great” Jabulani ball do its magic, watch this goal in slow-motion. Muntari’s shot was a knuckle ball, no spin, yet for some reason, this thing decided, in mid-air, to violently change direction. I understand why so many goalies hate this ball. 1-0 Ghana at half time.

In the second half, Uruguay started going after it a bit more. Forlan lined up for a free kick on the left wing and blasted a shot towards the goalie. I am convinced that the “great” Jabulani did its magic again on this goal, because the goalie was moving properly, in the direction the was spinning. However, I guess the ball decided to keep going rather straight, and there was nothing the goalie could do. 1-1.

Things remained this way until the end of 90 minutes. In extra-time, Ghana was the better team and deserved the win. In the very last minute of extra-time, Ghana pressured and almost scored on a corner, or shall I say, they would have scored had Luis Suarez not swung his arms and batted the ball on the line. Hand ball, red car for Suarez, penalty for Ghana in the 120th minute...CRAZY!!!! Africa has never been so close to having a team in the semi-final. Perhaps the moment was too big for Gyan, with all of Africa on his shoulders getting ready to celebrate...because he nailed the ball high and it went off the cross-bar and out. Unbelievable!!!! With that miss, the game was over and into a penalty shoot-out.

In the shoot-out, I figured Uruguay had momentum and more experience in big moments. One or two of the African shooters were no-names...where are your leaders when you need them? Ghana missed two horrible, childish attempts, and were sent packing. Uruguay is through to the semi-final to play Holland. We, of course, have tickets to this game, but we would much rather see the other semi-final, a potential Spain-Germany or Spain-Argentina...that would be awesome.
Tomorrow is a travel day for us, and we are headed to Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of African land (does that sound right to you? Hehe). We are pretty excited to forget about today, that’s for sure. We hope to be able to stop somewhere to watch Argentina kick some ass...go Messi.

I was supposed to have posted this blog tonight, but I thought I’d go next door and congratulate the Dutch folks on the big win. We sat down, drank some beers and talked about the game for over an hour. Today was a big, big day for them; they didn’t have to tell me that, I can see it in their faces. They were telling me that Brazilians were very nice to them after the game, and I told them that we usually turn our anger at the coach and players. In fact, some Brazilian fans have already done that tonight by waiting for the team to arrive back at their hotel in Port Elizabeth and insulting the players and coach. The Dutch folks are a nice bunch, and we will try to meet up again in Cape Town before the next Holland game. They had proposed a bet with me the night before: if Brazil lost, I would have to paint the building orange; if Holland lost, they would have to paint the building yellow. So they asked me where the paint was...I told them I forgot to buy it. hehe

---

Comments

[Dave]

Great blogs!
:)

[Chelsea]

Janel, I see you completed your photo assignment!! KUDOS!