Brazil is always who they are in football, strong and to be feared yet this Brazilian team is far from being one of the best in their history and if anything seemed to be living on the laurels of those great teams from their past. Those teams which include Zico, Pele, Garrincha, Romario and so many others who made Brazilian football one of the greatest in the world yet this Brazilian team was but a shadow of those who seemed to be using the name to intimidate their opponents.
As for the game, it started well for Brazil as they scored their first goal just 10 minutes in to the match when Robinho received a pass down the middle and had no problem putting it past Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg to give his team a 1-0 lead. Robinho two minutes earlier had in fact put the ball in the net but had been found to be on offside. Brazil for its part was not dominating but was on top while the Netherlands attacked yet seemed lost and without ideas when in the Brazilian penalty box. The half would end 1-0 in Brazil's favor though in all truth the Dutch would have been tied or perhaps even ahead if on a few occasions they had been able to be more decisive in the penalty box.
The second half started as the Dutch with little in the way of options went forward with more conviction and a greater sense of purpose than the first half while Brazil seemed to believe their one goal lead from the first half would be more than enough to get them in to the semifinals. Attack after attack came with Kaka getting less involved in the game as it went on. It being as if the Dutch had taken him out of the game though the truth being that he like Portugal's Ronaldo had not shown that quality so many claimed him to have.
The Netherlands would get their first goal of the game when a free kick was taken by Sneijder and though at first it would appear his kick went straight in, the replay would show that in fact the ball was headed in by Melo; who beat Julio Cesar to tie up the match at one a piece. Melo, as a footnote was the first Brazilian player ever to score an own goal in a world cup match. Brazil then was no longer in the lead but worse yet had lost complete control of the game. It being almost as if they had suffered a total collapse which was to a large extent incomprehensible yet the Netherlands sensed this weakness and went forward.
A second Dutch goal would come when Sneijder found the net off a header from a header by Kuyt which came off a corner kick. The Dutch at that moment were not only up but clearly in command with more creativity and determination. Brazil seemed to have been deflated almost completely after that goal. As if they no longer believed they could win.
Brazil's problems however would be augmented when Melo's situation went from bad to worse as he was shown the red card for a brutal foul on Robben which left his team down to ten men. It was at this point that the game would turn in to one of Brazil attacking though more due to Holland's retreating than superior skill or will on their part. At that moment the game turning in to Brazil going forward without any real power or creativity while the Dutch sat back and could have easily taken a larger lead if they had just applied themselves a little more. It seeming as if Brazil, who wanted to score could not and the Netherlands who could score did not want to; almost as if they were unwilling to put the game away. This being what a third goal would have done.
Brazil would attack yet create little if any danger while Van Persie wasted for the Netherlands the chances their opponents could not even create. The game would end 2-1 in the Holland's favor and with their first passage in to the semifinal since 1998 while Brazil is now left to prepare for the world cup they will host in 2014. The Netherlands for their part did win and did so well yet in my opinion could have and should have put away the game earlier with at least a two goal win. This perhaps being something to think about before the next match against either Uruguay or Ghana.
No comments:
Post a Comment