Thoughts on the World Cup 2010 Semis

The FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa, which opened last June 11, 2010, is now on its last stages of the tournament. Only 4 teams remain. Some teams had already left the tournament, including the favorites France, Italy, England, Brazil and Argentina.

Who would have thought that Italy and France, both football powerhouses in Europe and finalists in the 2006 edition, were eliminated in the first round? Their awful performance was jeered by fans, and they went home in humiliation. France had a star player sent home because of some verbal tussle with the coach. The other players went on strike. The Prime Minister wanted to intervene and demanded some explanation.

In Italy, it was just a shame for the defending champ. They don’t have the glitter and the legs to perform at the top level anymore.

So, how about England? They are very strong on paper. They have one of the best coaches in the world named Fabio Capello. But their stars brought no ammunition in the actual battle at the football field. Wayne Rooney, despite being dubbed as one of the best soccer players in the world, was a major disappointment. He even had some ugly confrontation with a few of the English fans. Lampard, Gerrard and Terry were no shows. Even against teams like USA and Algeria, they failed to win. Their early and embarrassing exit at the hands of a young German team was not a surprise anymore.

At the quarters, there were 4 teams from South Africa, 3 from Europe and one from Africa. Brazil, the current no. 1 team in the world and the favorite to win the Cup, was also favored to win against Netherlands. They looked lethal on paper and they easily beat their opponents. But even great teams crumble. After the unfortunate own goal from Felipe Melo, Brazil never recovered and lost 1-2 to the Oranges. The coach was immediately sacked. 4 years of preparation, and winning every game along the way, was all for naught because they failed to win the greatest prize of them all – the World Cup. That could have been their sixth. But they will have a chance against as they will host the 2014 edition in Sao Paulo.

Cry for Argentina this time. They were badly humiliated by the Germans, despite having one of the most solid and experienced squad in the tournament. 0-4 is such an embarrassing defeat that it need a National Day of mourning. I cried for Messi and for Diego. The latter will no longer have to run naked in Buenos Aires, as he promised if his team wins the Cup.

Who are the teams left? It is such an unlikely group. Netherlands, Uruguay, Germany and Spain remained standing after the other fell along the way. Spain is the next favorite to win, but their performance in South Africa is suspect. They lost their first game again Switzerland. No team that lost its first game ever won the Cup. Can they break that jinx? Germany, on the other hand, is riding high on its trashing of Argentina. The young Germans are lethal on the attack and yet solid on defense. Spain has to be lucky to win against the mighty Germans.

In the other semis match, it is Netherlands vs Uruguay. The South American came off with a controversial win against Ghana. The ‘hand of Suarez’ rescued them. And luck was not on the Africans side as they missed the ensuing penalty. Uruguay will be without their main striker. But Netherlands, the team that dismantled Brazil, has all the chances to win the Cup now. They’ve never won the tournament before, despite being in the finals twice. Maybe, this is their chance to surpass the greatness of Johan Cruyff’s team of ’74.

The semis matches are both good to watch. All four are known not to play boring football. Expect more goals. But I like to see a finals of Netherlands vs Germany. That would be a remake of their 1974 encounter.


See also - Netherlands vs Uruguay: World Cup 2010 Semis Preview and Results Prediction

Watch Spain vs Portugal Live Stream Online for Free

I love to watch live online Spain vs Portugal tonight. The two will be battling for a place in the quarterfinals. It is a must see game for all football fans in the world. Big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, Fernando Torres, David Villa and Iker Cassilas will be playing.

The game will start at 230pm ET (12am HK time). I am sure a lot will be searching for a free live stream online of the Spain vs Portugal match for the 2010 world cup.

For those with cable TV in the Philippines, Sky Cable has its Balls Channel airing the games live. For those wanting to watch it live online, ESPN3 offers free live stream for US residents.

For those who are unwilling to pay, hostream.net offers various channels. But most of time, the quality is so bad that you would just want to go the neighbors house and sneak in to their living room just to watch TV.

What to Expect?

History has not sided with both countries. Despite their greatness in Europe, not one of the two had made it to the Finals. Portugal placed third in 1966 and 4th in 2006, but Spain is unluckier as it had not reached the semis. The latter is even considered a football superpower, and ranked second to Brazil.

So today they'll make history. Head-to-head, Spain is ahead, even in the rankings. But player-wise, Cristiano Ronaldo is much a better footballer than any of the Spanish squad. Spain has Fernando Torres, David Villa, Cesc Fabregas, and Andres Iniesta. Explosive strikers they are. But in this tournament, only Villa made a significant contribution. Spain's fans should hope for better things to come around tonight. They need to claim their place in world cup history - not as an underachiever, but a true football superpower. Just as the papers said about them.

Spain or Portugal?

If you haven't had an opportunity to watch any of the two teams play, you ahould watch tonight. Spain vs Portugal, neighbors at war in South Africa. As for me, I am rooting for Portugal to win 1-0 vs Spain. Sorry La Liga fans! Anyway,you have Ronaldo in Madrid.



See also Spain vs Portugal: Preview and Results Prediction