World Cup 2014, Day 7: Heartbreak...

...I prefer surprises, actually.  :(
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by PAM


And so, the current World Cup holders, the Spanish La Roja, were shown the exit by the Chileans in another humbling defeat, 2-0.  Just when you thought that, after that 5-1 defeat from Oranje, there was no other way but up for the defending champs! 

It was heartbreaking... awfully so. :( I wish I could say that I was horribly surprised to see Spain getting eliminated by Chile... but that would be being unrealistic.  They performed so badly in their first Group Stage Game against the Dutch, losing in a humiliating manner

Self-doubt:  what's goin' on? (Getty Images)

.  Naturally, they were a bit broken, and filled with self-doubt.  On the other hand, Chile was victorious over Australia, in spite of a spirited challenge from the Socceroos. So, naturally, they are all fired up by a strong belief that they can beat the mighty Spanish side. 

The current champions' game plan and players combination were suspect... and so was their defense, and especially their goalkeeping (dang, Iker, sorry I have to say that). Okay, let's just say that their quality now was definitely way below theirs in the last six years when they were winning left and right.  Well, yeah, the grande Spanish coach, Vicente del Bosque, tweaked a few things here and there from their match with Oranje, to face Chile... and yet, he didn't address the biggest weakness: there was no chemistry among his players on the pitch.  The big guy, Diego Costa, was sticking out like a sore finger in the Spanish system. He was unable to finish... period.  And, Iker obviously have not regained his self-confidence after failing to stop five Dutch balls from hurting his side.  And without the natural defensive leadership of Carles Puyol in front of him, he had no one reliable enough to hold on to.   

I am not sure whether the decision to drop Xavi was a good idea... the man's movements have become slower, I give del Bosque that, but without Xavi, the Spanish side were running around without clear purpose, without clear form and shape, without clear game plan... 

The chilling grip of defeat. (Getty Images)

and, naturally, without the possibility of winning against a ferocious side like Chile.  Of course, Andrés Iniesta  and Xabi Alonso were there... but those two, for all their strengths and talents, do not have Xavi's sense of the game, its spontaneity, its dynamic transitions.  Xavi has the whole system running in his head, and he can see each one as a gear, and he can click something to snap them to connect and run like one piece.

To be fair, it wasn't just the coaching that was flawed... the guys didn't seem to be having fun, the way Chile were.  This was their biggest strength in their previous three outings, when they took home the prize: they were having so much fun on the pitch!  Their joy was so incredible, lady luck was absolutely mesmerized by them, like all of us!  I think it was this joy that made Xavi more receptive of each one on the pitch... he can feel them.  And with him conducting the play, everyone is connected to him and they played with a single mind. Tremendous teamwork that was absolutely beautiful to watch... and that's how they showed the world how beautiful a game football truly is. I hope that, in spite of this tragic result of them getting debarred from the Round of 16, the world does not forget this.

Whatever, they're out!  Nevertheless, I will always be a big La Roja fan.  Now though, I only have four in my list of faves in this World Cup... and I won't say which sides are these lest I jinx them, too! ;)  

***

World Cup 2014, Day 2: Speaking of 'surprises'...

...Spain left the world gasping as Holland gave them a surprisingly thorough whipping.
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by PAM


There was no furia in La Roja during their opening bout with their former challenger in South Africa in 2010 - the mighty Oranje.  The flying men in orange, while still pushed and shoved unnecessarily, did not have to resort to judo and karate this time.  They beat the Red side, mostly in the second half, in a fashion so reminiscent of the Spaniards' own brand of game for the last six years or so:  just beautiful!

Intense... that's what the first 25 minutes or so was like on the pitch:  the current World Cup holders asserting their supposed dominance, dancing, creating many chances for themselves... the 2010 challengers weighing their opponents' resolve, poking their

I don't mind losing... too much, but how I wish
that the score stayed at 1-2 instead of going at 1-5.

muscled attack here and there, showing menace on counter attacks, jolting the holders. You can almost see localized electric sparks flying everywhere on the pitch.  Intense.

The Brazilian fans are also adding to the intensity... booing Diego Costa loudly, showing their disgust toward the 'traitor' who wears red instead of bright yellow.  The 'traitor' is back on Brazilian soil... with his Spanish adoptive comrades.  Everytime he made a run for the ball, the stadium erupted in loud boos.  While that didn't seem to bother Costa, it seemed to have been shifting the localized sparks of pure energy to the Oranje side.   

And, then, Costa was knocked down - hard - to the delight of the (Brazilian?) fans.  It happened in the area, and so Xabi Alonso took to the spot.  He scored, 1-0 for the Spanish side.  The intensity went one notch higher... La Roja ran faster, more menacing, created more chances.  The uber industrious, David Silva, almost took the goal

Awesomeness.  Robin van Persie's goal on-a-flight. I
nominate this to be the Best Goal in World Cup 2014.  
(Photo credit: Reuters)

tally to 2-0 from a brilliant pass courtesy of Andres Iniesta... almost.  And then, out of nowhere, several yards from Iker Casillas' goal, a speeding Robin van Persie flew in a perfectly timed flight to head a beautiful cross-field pass from Daley Blind, willing his head to power the ball in a collision while his body was on full flight in a precisely calculated move.  His body reached and slid on the turf gracefully in a beautiful dive as the ball flew over Casillas' head - goal, 1-1.  Yep, that was indeed an absolute beauty!  Whew, just sublime.  Just in case, I respectfully nominate that as Best Goal in World Cup 2014!  

Fireworks!  The men in orange and their coaching staff celebrated with gusto, with a cute high-five between RVP and Louis van Gaal, while the Spanish side tensed visibly.  Game changer?  At that point, I thought it was just to make the match a little bit exciting.  However, now that we know what we know, I was very wrong, of course!  About a minute later, the referee blew his whistle... half-time.  Silence... the tension was close to snapping.

A few minutes after the resumption of the match, Arjen Robben muscled his way through Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos, right in front of Casillas.  The slippery Dutch beat the trio and brought the tally to 1-2.  There was a simultaneous leaping of orange shirts in the crowd... as the red ones fell on their seats with a thud.  They had no idea what was about to happen.  A throw-in from Wesley Sneijder, which was tapped in to the net by Stefan de Vrij brought the tally to 1-3.  At that point, the usually supercool La Roja boss, Vicente del Bosque, was on his feet... for one thing, Casillas may have been fouled by RVP before the de Vrij goal. Casillas appealed to the referee passionately, and he was shown a yellow. Tough luck!  The Spaniards started to look dejected... and scattered, with only Andres Iniesta showing unperturbed gut, trying his luck to cut their goal deficit - to no avail.  And then  RVP went at it again, beating Casillas, this time in a clinical finish, 1-4!  Robben followed suit, tried his karate-style flying kick to score a brace - he connected, bringing the goal tally to an official rout of the current World Cup holders, 1-5! 

Fernando Torres, who was shoved in to the pitch, last minute, had a quick opportunity to cut the Dutch lead, but as cold from the bench as he probably still was, he hesitated, and let the opportunity slip.  Robben tried to bring his goal hoard to a hat-trick, but by that time, Casillas' pride and the Spanish long-distance prayer over their "San Iker", saved them from an official crash out of World Cup.  Casillas kicked, punched, shoved... and it worked, a bit too late, but, hey... it's only the Group Stage.  There is a reason to believe that staying alive is possible... except that Chile beat Australia, 3-1, putting Spain at the bottom of Group B.   

Si, Del Bosque, siempre, will be spending sleepless noches.  He needs to come up with a quick answer.  The Spanish defense is a mess... no muscle, they lacked coordination, and without Carles Puyol, no leader to look up to. Iker committed many mistakes at crucial moments.  Oh, boy, I didn't think the day would come when I'd actually say that about Iker Casillas.  The midfield is not as precise, sharp and fast as back in 2010 in South Africa, and back in 2012 when they captured their second-in-a-row European Cup.  Nope, I didn't think I'd ever have to say that, too, with Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta still active. Their front line, while filled with talented men, are not as fast and not as connected to the midfield as, say David Villa, back in 2010.  Time for major revamp?  Perhaps.  More, importantly, I guess the Spanish men should put aside their colors at home, and concentrate on just being red... and things will fall in their right places.  

Never say die, boys!  Vamos, La Roja!

***

The "Beautiful Game"...

...will dazzle the world in 2014!  Goooooaaaall!!
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by PAM


Here's why I absolutely believe that 2014 is going to be a spectacular year...

Brasiiiiiilll... let's do it!

...World Cup, baby!

There will be beauty - lots of it!  Oy, absolutely!  There will be brilliance and awesomeness - that's for sure!  There will be drama... tons of it!  And, yes, it will be a big party!  Therefore, let's do this!!!  Brasiiiiiiiiillllll... get ready, we're coming to ya!  :)

My bet... aw, man, I don't want to jinx this, but there is absolutely nothing wrong about wishing for España to make a back-to-back win.  La Roja is still teeming with just about the finest men of the beautiful game... in talent, teamwork that's exhilarating to watch, heart for winning... and yes, 'beauty itself'! :) They smashed Euro two years ago with a back-to-back win, there is no reason why they

The 'weapon', and the prize... for the 'most beautiful'
of 'em all!  (Credit:  Getty Images)

won't be able to do a repeat of that awesome feat in the World Cup - considering WC's importance, and how a victory for them this year would be a Spanish football success of historical magnitude. The only problem is, they are in the "Group of Death".  They have the Dutch squad and Chile in their way to defending their crown. Now, that's a towering hurdle to clear right there!  

An Albiceleste (Argentina) win would mean the sweetest story of all (at least for me)... the four-time 'Best Player' in the world helping his squad to reach the apex of success for his country... Lionel Messi, of course!  That would be a most dramatic finish - for the books... and films, considering how his country favored Juan Martin del Potro as Sportsman of the Year for 2013!  Man, talk about drama!  :)  And, Argentina is teeming with incredible talents of its own as well, what with Sergio "Kun" Aguero, Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria?  Mama España'd better watch her back... but, honestly... uhm, I won't mind too much if Argentina snatches the crown from Spain. *blush*

There is no discounting the host country, too... Brazil will always be a strong contender, especially with Neymar, Jr.'s awesomeness fast-approaching its apex - that could be a game-changer.  Let's see how'd they fair against Mexico and Cameroon in the Group Stage.  I'm also keeping a close watch on that 'football brute force' that is Oranje (The Netherlands), which is in the same Group as Spain and Chile... man, that's going to be a do-or-die Group Stage saga right there, considering how Oranje almost hijacked Spain's 'date with destiny' in Africa four years ago! That championship was almost a karate match on the pitch, with Oranje playing the 'bully' to the elegant Spaniards... good thing La Roja were up to it, and 'beauty' prevailed! ;) 

Italy with its pride and passion, France with its fine players, and Germany will be contenders, too. I love these German brilliant 'young guns' and their well-dressed manager. They came very close in Africa four years ago... defeated in the quarterfinals by the eventual Spanish victors. Their inexperience worked to their disadvantage then.  Now, with more experience and grit, these young men are a force to reckon with!  OK, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo will make their presence felt, too, that's for sure... whatever!  Germany will be fighting it out through the Group stage, with Portugal and Ghana to wrestle a place with to the knockout stage.  And, oh, did I mention England already?  No?  Well, the Three Lions squad is in my shortlist, too. :)

The other thing is, in 2010, Uruguay was a great team... and they can be back with the same intensity and brilliance, the way they did then and in Copa América, too, in 2011.  The only problem is, they are in the same Group as England and Italy... now, that's a tough Group to crack into the knock-out stage through! Talk about exciting!

We'll see how it goes... hopefully on site - in Brazil!  Woohoo!  :)

***

Corny-ness + Footie beauty...

...is in order.
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by PAM


Yep, I'm convinced, life is indeed like a Petri plate of chocolate... full of mysteries, full of surprises - delicious ones, too... well, most of the time, anyway. :)  

Just when you were about to declare that the last seven 'working days' sucked like no other last seven 'working days' ever did, a breath of fresh air came through some, uhm, 'un-repaired hole' on the wall, of all things, and it 'extended life'.  It made survival all of a sudden possible.  And before you know it, you're breathing good and easy... well, until the next wave of suffocating stench anyway. :) 

Seriously, I'm really thankful.  To pay tribute to the 'breath of fresh air', I'm going to have to put away my rockin' taste (aaww, yawzah!  *wink*) and go absolutely 'cheesy' - with this....

"I never realized how happy you made me, oh, Mandy...."

I know, I know, ang baduy naman!  But, ya know, most good people are a bit baduy, actually.  And because I got to know one really good person who helped me survived a 'sure-death (of motivation) experience', I'm going to go extremely baduy now.  Uh, yeah, that's a warning.... Alright, go and run for cover... now!

"...and you brought out the colors, what a gentle surprise."

:)  Whew!  Oh, boy!  Trust me, I barely survived that one, too - 'solid cheese' right there!  =)  I'm pretty sure Kurt Cobain is stirring in his grave right now.  Sorry, dude... what can I say... "I do have weakenesses, too?!"  =)  Well, I do. 

But wait... 'cheese' is good, I know, but I'm gagging a bit here (haha...), sorry.  I think I need a little 'detox therapy' (hahaha....).  Let me get back to... well, at least the 'middle' of cheese and coolness with this...

"Don't it make you sad to know that life is more than who we are?

...it's lonely where you are, come back down... and I won't tell 'em your name."

"Name" by Goo Goo Dolls - one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands.  If Mozart would have written a contemporary rock song, it would've been this... with all the dramatic shifts in tempo, mood, and musical texture spread throughout the length of the song... a roller coaster ride of emotions coupled with the talented John Rzeznik's deep throaty voice - too good, it's awesome!  

Sorry, 'di ko kinaya si Barry at Kenny, eh... mais na mais - binatog, actually. :)  Anyway, I just want to say "thanks"... so, thanks! :)

***
P.S. Footie, bebeh!

CONGRATULATIONS to La Roja for winning the 'Clash of the (European) Titans' in the 

'La Furia Roja' strikes again!  Oy, ole, ole! 

(Photo credit: Scott Heavey/Getty Images Europe)

much-anticipated FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against France, 1-0, last Monday in Paris!  After that heartbreaking draw with Finland last week, the 'Men in Red' moved back up to the top of Group I through a Pedro Rodriguez goal that couldn't be stopped by France's #1, Hugo Lloris, even when he attempted to do so - twice.

It was an exciting match, fast-paced, excellent playmaking and teamwork from both sides, many heart-stopping runs, awesome attempts for the goal and incredible counter-attacks... very fun to watch - good stuff!  Victor Valdes came up with some good saves, making people not to miss Spain's #1, Iker Casillas, too much. I'd really love to write more about this... I hope to find the time soon. I miss writing about football... I miss watching football at least thrice a week. :(

Anyway, so the beautiful Spanish 'Men in Red' (I'm really lovin' their 'red kung red' kit) moved closer to defending their crown next year in Brazil.  I'm savin' all my vacation leaves for that.  Man, can't wait!     

***

Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video links.

***

QOTD

QOTD #4
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by PAM

Following the alleged racist abuse by the Chelsea FC captain and former English National Team captain, John Terry, on Anton Ferdinand of QPR during a heated argument on the pitch in their London derby sometime back, England (and the world) was forced to ponder the stark contrast between the implication of JT's trial at the Westminster Magistrates' Court last Monday to English Football, and the beautiful game, as a whole, and the glorious Roger Federer-Andy Murray Wimbledon Gentlemen's Final at the SW19 Centre Court the day before and its implication to the Gentlemen's sport:    

"The Wimbledon men's final is a perfect distillation of the human qualities that come our way packaged as sport."

          - Paul Hayward
            The Telegraph, UK

Fairly accurate statement indeed
Federer and Murray: hurrah for gallantry!about last Sunday's Centre Court action and the emotional trophies presentation ceremony that followed.  Needless to say, I couldn't agree more... Federer and Murray played the "gentlemen's sport" and accepted their prizes exactly the way tennis should be played and the way classy players should behave after the match - as true gentlemen!  It makes one think... and believes that, wow, gallantry is alive and well, and it isn't just wishful thinking either!  Really heartwarming... precisely why tennis is a worthy sport to follow.  

And yes, I agree with most of the criticisms on English football as well.  It really is unfortunate how
JT, on the wrong
side of history.the beautiful game and the incredible talent of most men playing it is marred by the behavior of a few players so obsessed with self-importance and macho mentality, which can push them into the dangerous grounds of disrespect and racism.  Then again, it's probably because many greedy people, including women (shallow, gold-digging WAGs et al.), join malicious forces to corrupt these men. Tsk!  At the end of the day though, with all that glory and with all that mind-boggling compensation that could easily bailout a financially strapped nation just to recognize their exceptional talents, they should be intelligent, or at very least, grateful, enough to know what is good, idiotic... and beyond idiotic! Gah!  

Even the Spanish football, specifically on the arrival of José Mourinho at Real Madrid, had been suffering from a similar problem, specifically during those El Clásico matches.  Good thing Vicente del Bosque was able to
La Roja: hopeful cheers for the beautiful game.unite the National Team into a cohesive force that wanted to play football the way it should be played - beautifully.  With their undisputed success and joyful display of camaraderie and teamwork on the pitch (and out of it, too) despite previous bitter competition in their National League, the present Spanish side is now arguably the best National Team ever assembled.  Hopefully, Roy Hodgson would find the same success in the English National Team because Englisb football and those who believe in the game deserve as much.   

***

The Spanish Conquistadores completed their Italian Job

Viva, España!  Woohoo! 
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by PAM 

Europe and the world saw red!  Glorious day for La Roja! 

La Roja... Campeónes de Europa!

They did it! The beautiful Spanish Men in Red wrapped the Euro Cup with the Spanish flag in Kiev, Ukraine... and
Iker Casillas, Número Uno...
El Capitán de la selección
española de futbol.brought it home, to stay for another four years on Spanish soil. And they did it so superbly, so beautifully, so worthy of a place of honor in the history of the 'beautiful game'... made even more beautiful by the dazzling way they play it. 

Their victory in Ukraine is indeed historical... Vicente del Bosque González and his brilliant men, captained so ably by "the 1 and only", Iker Casillas, catapulted Spain to a place of honor in the history of the 'beautiful game'.  Theirs is the only other side (the other one is Germany) to have won the European Cup thrice! Theirs also became the FIRST and the ONLY side - ever - in the history of UEFA Euro to have successfully defended the title.  They won with a record margin, 4-0, too!  They also stand as the only European country to hold the European title back to back and the World Cup at the same time = hat-trick of titles, a FIRST in the history of... uhm, mankind!   :)

Following a number of eras of brilliant Spanish players with so much promise, but that stayed unfulfilled, Casillas's illustrious era, with Del Bosque's guidance, finally fulfilled the great promise of Spanish football brilliance. They continue to dazzle the world with the beauty of their game.  The streets of Spain, and other places in the world, flooded with red-donning fans who shared the joy of La Roja!

Glorious Age, indeed, for Spanish Football! Woohoo! 

June 28, 2012...

...what was wrong with you??? ====================================================================
by PAM


The morning after....

Now, it feels like I floated blindly through one of the most "anomalous" days of tennis and football yesterday! Now, watching BBC's Sport Today in bed, I still ask myself... what the heck happened???  ;) Uhm, ahem... sorry, please excuse my language. It's just that it really feels strange how these catastrophes came like an unexpected avalanche. :/

***
Wait, weren't they supposed to "fire at will"? 

First, Mario Balotelli took Italy to the Euro 2012 final with a brace of goals in a "whoa-whaaat" semi-final match with Germany in Warsaw, Poland! Yes, yes, and yes, sir... to THE EURO
The explosively brilliant German "young guns"...
...gunned down in Poland - by the Italian "Mafia".2012 FINAL!!  And, yes, AGAINST GERMANY, too!  Yeah, that team that was captained by Philipp Lahm and which had Mesut Özil, Mario Gomez (yeah, the real "super" one), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Manuel Nauer, the toast of World Cup 2010, Thomas Müller, and a host of other incredibly talented young players. Yes, them, who are Europe's hotshot young players... who have played their way into the semi-final round like they were on their way to winning the EURO 2012!  Their performance yesterday was lacking in coherence and depth against Italy's solid defense and aggressive attacks with very defined purpose... plus the "veteran" goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, was a "beast" out there! 

I am mightily disappointed by the outcome because I really like that 'breath of fresh air' that these German boys generate on the pitch, I do love the way they play... just like I would've loved seeing them going through to the final in South Africa in 2010... if only the draws were worked differently, and they weren't up against Spain in the semis.   Uhm, ahem... perdón, "Mama España", I didn't mean to sound like I wasn't rooting for you because I was then, and I am now! And will do again in 2014! :) I just thought it would be fantastic to see Germany's exciting "young guns" playing Spain's tasty blend of "fine wine" and "new brew" at the Euro.  I was imagining getting "sweetly intoxicated"! :) And without the "Lionel Messi factor" this time, make that a truly, unadulterated European "intoxication" right
La Furia Roja de Mama España - European Champs...
...still the side to beat!there!  Who else could give you that these days but Spain and Germany, whose pool of talents in their own Leagues are of high concentration of talents from their own countries - the best of them all?  But, apparently, Joachim Loew had a real reason for feeling stressed out all the time... and I thought he was "over acting" a bit considering what a talented team he's managing!  These boys seem to be a bit prone to panic when stared down by the 'big guys' with passionate purpose... I still find it disturbing how Manuel Nauer stood immobile when Balotteli & Co. was gunning for an Italian goal   Aaargh...  Or... it's as simple as a case of Italy remaining to be a massively strong pillar of European (and world) football despite the tumultuous sea of controversies that their National Team had to navigate a couple of months before travelling to Poland and Ukraine, which is very good, too.