2014 World Cup - Day 24 - The Final

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Today was the day of the big Final in Rio. I had nothing planned for the day other than the game. The closing ceremonies were to start at 2:20pm with the kick-off at 4pm. For Germany, was it going to be the day star #4 was added to their jersey? For Argentina, was it going to be Messi’s day, the day he’s finally considered alongside Pele and Maradona as the 3 greatest of all-time? I was completely divided.

I am a huge Messi fan, likely the best player I have seen play in my time following the game. Maradona was where the bar was at as far as I was concerned until Messi came along a few years ago. Both from Argentina, both small in stature, both huge in game and talent. What separates Messi from Maradona, for me, is an extra gear that nobody else has in the game. I’m not talking raw speed, but with speed with the ball and the rare ability to always be half a step ahead of defenders. Messi zigs and zags with the ball while defenders attack him from all angles, but the quickness in which he makes decisions, turns and cuts separates him from the rest. He also just plays the game, plain and simple, the way it should be played. No dives, no faking, no rolling around on the ground, no arguing with the referee, no talking, a true example to everyone who loves the game.

Maradona was more of a bad guy, had an edge to him, an edge that helped him become one of the greatest of all-time. He is largely known for his 2 goals in a game against England in the 1986 World Cup, a Cup in which he dominated and led Argentina to the title. In that game, he showed both his good and bad sides. The good was what I consider to be the greatest goal of all-time, a run in which he started in his own side of half, dribbled past 6 English players, past the goalie, and rolled the ball into the empty net (Messi managed to score a similar goal playing for Barcelona against Getafe, but it was against Getafe and not against England in a World Cup). The bad was the infamous Hand of God goal, when little Maradona somehow managed to win a “header” over the goalie, but not by using his head to score the goal but using instead his fist.

So, with all that being said, I am always with Messi. I came to the World Cup hoping Nigeria would be eliminated so that I could follow Argentina throughout that tournament and see Messi play many many times. If Brazil couldn’t do it, Argentina was my next choice. Our “brothers”, our “hermanos” as we call them in Brazil. But as soon as I got to Porto Alegre to watch Nigeria vs Argentina, I began changing my mind a bit because of how annoying the Argentines are. They are very good with their songs and chants, and sing non-stop throughout each game. They are relentless, and came up with the song of the World Cup for us Brazilians. We will never forget their “Brasil, decime que se sientes” song, where they poke fun of us Brazilians for eliminating us from the 1990 World Cup. It’s very catchy and especially created for this World Cup, but it’s annoying nevertheless. Haha If they are singing a song about eliminating us in the second phase of the 1990 World Cup, what would happen if they beat Germany today? For one, they would never leave Rio, a city they have taken over the past 4 days. Over 100,000 Argentines have made their way here. We really wouldn’t hear the end of it, and this, for me, was the most crucial factor in making me cheer for Germany.

Cheering for Germany would mean cheering for a super-power in the game to win a 4^th title (bringing within 1 of Brazil), cheering for the team that spanked Brazil 7-1. Everyone in my hometown of Blumenau is cheering for Germany, some even over Brazil.

The train ride to the stadium was awesome. Just me, 2 Germans, and a car full of Argentines singing the entire 30 minutes it took to get to the stadium. It was awesome. One of their brand new “songs” is counting from 1 to 7, you know, poking fun of the 7-1 semi-final score line. So annoying. I didn’t waste too much time outside the stadium before going in. I got there just after noon and had plenty of time before Shakira came on. Haha

My section today required me to enter the stadium using the stadium’s old, classic/legendary entrance, walking up 3 long ramps to the top of the rafters. Half-way up, I stopped to get my beer and my souvenir cup, but ended up getting 2 beers right away because the vendor told me they were short on the custom Final cups.

My seat was 6 rows from the top on one of the corners. Even though it was way up there, I had a great view of the entire place, and had a nice spot to take photos of the trophy ceremony. Argentines pretty much dominated the place, and every time they sang, we (and by “we” I mean Germans and Brazilians) whistled to drown them out. We also sang with the Germans and did our “1000 goals” chant. This back and forth game went on until the Final whistle, so it last hours. It was awesome. Never in a World Cup had I experienced so much singing. This is one of the factors that has marked this World Cup for me, that separates this one from the other 4 I’ve been to. So much fun.

The closing ceremonies were nice and short and the crowd was into it. Shakira came out first, then Ivete Sangalo, then a few others. When Shakira was done her bit, she went off to the side and I could see her grabbing her son and dancing. You could probably see it better than me on TV.

Let’s get to the game. This turned out to be the best soccer World Cup game I have ever seen live. It started fast and teams went at it, back and forth, looking for the breakthrough goal. The entire stadium was loud and the teams were fighting and trying to do something. What else could we ask for? It was not a chess match pitting 2 cowardly teams against each other.

Argentina had the best chances in the first half. Higuain had a clear breakaway after a German defender made a mistake but he somehow missed the net. This was glorious chance #1 for them. Higuain also had a goal called back because he was in an offside position. Germany had a good chance off a corner at the end of the first half but an offside call stopped play. Argentina had been the better team in the first half in my opinion.

In the second half, it was Germany’s turn to take over. They began controlling the game more, keeping possession in Argentina’s end but were unable to create any clear chances. Messi had the best chance of the second half when he rolled a shot just wide of the far corner. This was chance #2 Argentina wasted. Messi was less involved in the second half because Germany had the ball more, but once Argentina got the ball, he would dash up the field with insane speed and try to create something. Everything for Argentina went through Messi; for Germany, everything went through Schweinsteiger.

Regulation ended in an exciting 0-0 draw, which meant overtime was necessary. The 2010 World Cup ended with Iniesta’s goal in the second half of overtime while the 2006 World Cup ended in a penalty shootout. Something similar was about to happen. In overtime, it was all Germany. They just patiently moved the ball around looking for a break. The first scoring chance, however, went to Argentina when Palacio broke through on Germany’s goalie Neuer but missed the net altogether. This was chance #3 for Argentina, and they would end up paying for the 3 mistakes. Towards the end of overtime, Gotze took a cross on his chest and volleyed the ball past Romero and scored the World Cup winning goal. As you can imagine, the stadium erupted!!!! Both Brazilians and Germans screaming at the top of their lungs. We did not hear any more Argentine chants after the goal. Soon after, the final whistle blew. Germany rightfully won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They beat France, Brazil and Argentina on the way to the title, not bad.

This generation of German players, as I mentioned in a previous post, lost 2 Euro Finals to Spain in 2008 and 2012 and 2 World Cup semi-finals in 2006 at home and 2010 in South Africa. They had suffered enough, and though the 2008, 2010 and 2012 losses, kept their coach. Can you imagine? They stuck to their game plan, stuck beside the coach they hired mid-2006 and now, 8 years later, are finally rewarded for their patience and loyalty. This is some lesson. In Brazil, we burn coaches after 4 or 5 bad performances. In my opinion, we will never be able to do what the Germans did, we are just not that smart.

After the game, I stuck around until almost everyone had left the stadium. I took lots of pictures of the trophy ceremony and of the German players celebrating on the field with kids and family members. Messi won the Golden Ball trophy as the MVP of the tournament. There is a bit of controversy in this selection, but almost everything FIFA does these days draws the ire of the press. Germany goalie Neuer won the award for the best goalie of the tournament. He is in top form, clearly the best in the world right now and is a goalie whose influence on a game is clearly visible. Brazil’s President, amidst boo’s, handed the World Cup trophy to Phillip Lahm and he hoisted it almost immediately. He must have been so excited.

By this time, I had made my way down almost to field–level. I wanted to see the trophy up close. I got a few good shots, and would’ve gotten some more had Podolski not refused to hold it up in the air for us to see. He hogged the trophy and just walked around with it holding it down by his side. That’s not how you hold that trophy, I thought it was kind of disrespectful, like he was hauling around a bag of oranges. It was nice to see him with his kid though, who was wearing and playing with his World Cup medal.

The Germans did 2 cool celebrations for their fans. The first one was when, led by Schweinsteiger, the entire time team ran towards their fans then at the end jumped and Schweinsteiger raised the trophy for all to see. The other, a celebration paying tribute to an Indian tribe they had met up north by their headquarters/training center, a headquarters they built themselves from scratch just for this World Cup. They put the trophy on the ground and did a dance around the trophy. So cool. The team spent almost all their time right in front of the biggest section of German fans in the stadium. This is how you reward your fans for their support. They seem to do everything right.

I got some good shots of players as their girlfriends and wives were 1 section over so they came by us quite often. Eventually, as I made my way towards the side of the field closer to the podium, I was right beside all their hot girlfriends/wives. They couldn’t take one step before being asked to pose for a photo with someone. I just watched, and I could tell they wanted to leave the area. They just wanted to get out and probably go downstairs to meet their significant others.

The ride back to Leme/Copacabana was fun, because we were all singing with the Germans in the subway car while the Argentines had to listen to us. Ha!!!!! What a sweet moment!!

Today was, in essence, my last day here in Brazil. With the World Cup over, it’s time to go home and I am now ready. I wasn’t ready yesterday, but I am now. Haha Janel’s been sending me photos of Owen and of herself and I think he has changed so much. I am so curious how he will react when he sees me on Tuesday morning.

Now that the party is over, I want to thank a few people that made my 2014 World Cup a wonderful experience and one to remember. First, there’s my uncle Djalma and aunt Coca, who drove me to and from the airport, who hosted me for 3 nights, cooked a delicious fish dish for me, and found me a hotel in Porto Alegre and apartment in Brasilia. I am ever so grateful for their help and hospitality. My aunt Gladys and uncle Nato hosted me as well and lent me one of their cars so I could run some errands. My cousin Luiz went with me to Porto Alegre to watch the Nigeria vs Argentina game; good company he was, great having him with me. My cousin Marco drove me to the airport which allowed me to spend more time with him and with other family members. My grandmother Ominha gave me some cash for the trip which helped me a lot in my travels. Senator Luiz Henrique and wife allowed me to stay in their apartment in Brasilia for 3 nights. In Rio, Bruno e Antonia hosted me in their beach front studio apartment for probably a week. I spent a lot of time with them, meeting their friends, playing beach soccer, enjoying the ocean, and playing with their daughter Nina. She’s such a sweetie, and is always up for some good fun, a real fire cracker. My Dad leant me his cellphone, which came in handy all the time during the trip. All these people helped make my World Cup experience a fantastic one. Thank you.

In Brazil, before going, I expected chaos, protests, delays, crimes, etc... Instead, I saw nothing but planes leaving on time and landing 20 minutes early, bus systems that always worked and always had drivers that were helpful telling me when to get off, a subway system that was first-class and head air conditioning running, countless people helping me find my destinations, no protests and wonderful weather. I have nothing but good things to say about Brazil’s World Cup, and that’s not what I was expecting.

Brazilians will now have to sort out the funding issue, who pays for what, what work needs to be finished and who stole what and how. My part is in essence done.

I now look forward to another 4 years before potentially going to Russia. Who’s in? 😊

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