From : Mark
Subject : Dutch “thugs”?
I don’t believe you were watching the same game. It was obvious from the kick-off that Brazil would eventually get someone sent off. Martin Rogers on Yahoo had a far more accurate analysis:
“This was a collection of individuals who looked utterly perplexed by the roughhouse tactics encouraged by their coach. By the end it was a ragtag mob of seething, bickering and argumentative men who looked so disjointed that you could scarcely believe this was some of the world\’s elite talent.”
He was talking about Brazil. And he was dead right.
_______________________
Myles replies :
Felipe Melo is a UXB, we know that.
This was his sixth red card and we all saw it coming.
But not from the kick-off. After 2.38 Dani Alves tackled Robben in the centre circle, clipped him slightly before poking the ball away. A normal tackle, not malicious, missed the ball by two centimetres, if that. But Robben rolled over three times, rolled from his own half into the Brazil half.
Mark van Bommel and Dani Alves were eyeball-to-eyeball and Robinho was in MVBs face until his pal De Jong pulled him away. That was ugly but the Dutch know how to provoke and Brazil took the bait.
Even so, in 9 minutes and 20 seconds Brazil had created a lovely goal and Robinho scored it. At that moment nobody, not even the esteemed Martin Rogers of Yahoo, would have predicted that Brazil would not score again in the 80 minutes that remained.
After 11, we saw Julio Cesar, a keeper with a back brace, saving a Kuyt shot that was going a yard wide. He dived and tipped it round the post. That misjugdgement signalled that the keeper was an accident waiting to happen. That mistake meant that Cesar had to come and punch the corner kick from the left side.Which he did.
When Luis Fabiano dropped off a few yards, then tried to spin and run beyond Heitinga, the centreback whacked him and got a yellow card.
Bottom line, Julio Cesar’s body language was all wrong. His movement was stodgy and inhibited, and Brazil’s defenders knew he was vulnerable.
Maybe he had not trained very much. In hindsight, it’s surprising that the crocked keeper did not make his match-changing mistake until the 53rd minute.
Julio Cesar came out and missed a ball he should have punched and Melo scored the only own-goal Brazil have ever conceded in 97 World Cup matches. After that, Holland handled the big moments of the game much better than Brazil did.
Dunga’s team lost their discipline and concentration and, after Kuyt cushion-headed Robben’s corner across the goalmouth, their defenders allowed the five foot seven inch Sneijder to head the winning goal from three yards. He could not believe his luck. Sneijder said he has never scored a header before and does not expect to score one again.
Brazil then became a rabble.
The UXB exploded and then ran off the field in the calm, practiced manner that he has learned to employ after being sent off five times previously. Melo did not stay to argue. He had stamped viciously on Robben’s thigh. He had no case and knew it.
HOLLAND will hope to be as lucky in Cape Town on Tuesday night.
Their semi-final is against Uruguay, who beat Ghana in a penalty shoot-out.
Luis Suarez got a red card for handball on the line in the 120th minute when the score was Uruguay 1 Ghana 1, Tired striker Asamoah Gyan took the penalty and hit the crossbar. If Suarez had not handled, the unlucky Ghanaians would be playing Holland in a historic game.
But the quarter-final went to extra time and there were no more goals. Uruguay won the shoot-out 4-2. They will miss Suarez but Diego Forlan might be able to swing it for them. It’s a big ask, I know.
Forlan has been one of the best players in South Africa.
Forlan, David Villa, Xabi Alonso, Messi, Carlos Tevez and Wesley Sneijder have all been superb.
Robinho had a good tournament.
Wayne Rooney lost the ball more often than any other player. He has still never scored a goal in a World Cup.
Rooney was one of the worst players in this tournament.