World Cup Game #59
Jul. 4th, 2010 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catalyst2I really wasn't sure what a game between Germany and Argentina would turn out like - both teams are capable of thrilling, exciting and expansive games and both are equally capable of ugly, dour and defensive games. Fortunately, this turned out to be a wonderful example of the former. The Germans were a very different side from past German sides - this defence can be porous and vulnerable but they are also willing to attack in thrillingly inventive ways that are sometimes risky too. Similarly, the Argentinian defence was not as stable as in past teams but then their attack could move in great sweeping leaps that covered vast areas of the field very quickly.
In the end, the German finishing was just sharper than the Argentinians and their defence just that little bit more stable. Even though he didn't get onto the score sheet, the dominant player on the field was Schweinsteiger, not just because he provided the pass for the first (and very early goal) but because his accurate passes and devastating runs ripped the Argentinian defence to shreds. All four goals (and yes, you read that right, Germany won this game 4-0) looked easy because the the Argentinian defence had no idea where to go - if they stood off, the German long-range shooting was dangerous, if they ran in, inch-perfect passing put German forwards behind them and if they tried to tackle, nimble dribbling skills got the Germans closer to goal. After the third goal, there was no effective Argentinian defence, just individual defenders trying to stem the tide of attacks.
This was one of the all-time great games, exciting to the end, because, for all the German superiority, the Argentinians never really gave up, until maybe the last ten minutes. After that they were just trying to get of the field as soon as they could. Messi finished a miserable World Cup, goalless and utterly dispirited.
In the end, the German finishing was just sharper than the Argentinians and their defence just that little bit more stable. Even though he didn't get onto the score sheet, the dominant player on the field was Schweinsteiger, not just because he provided the pass for the first (and very early goal) but because his accurate passes and devastating runs ripped the Argentinian defence to shreds. All four goals (and yes, you read that right, Germany won this game 4-0) looked easy because the the Argentinian defence had no idea where to go - if they stood off, the German long-range shooting was dangerous, if they ran in, inch-perfect passing put German forwards behind them and if they tried to tackle, nimble dribbling skills got the Germans closer to goal. After the third goal, there was no effective Argentinian defence, just individual defenders trying to stem the tide of attacks.
This was one of the all-time great games, exciting to the end, because, for all the German superiority, the Argentinians never really gave up, until maybe the last ten minutes. After that they were just trying to get of the field as soon as they could. Messi finished a miserable World Cup, goalless and utterly dispirited.
