First of all, I'd like to say it was a huge disappointment for me that Germany won over Argentina. To the Argentinians who played a better game, it must've been real tough to know that they lost eventually to a team which didn't play as well. No wonder that's why they say the penalty shootout is kind of like lottery. I was watching this in Mcdonalds and was repulsed by the number of people who cheered when Argentina missed a penalty. I mean, don't they have eyes to see who played a better game?!
Had a fantastic time watching with Terence, Daniel and Sern Hong though. It was hell crowded but we still got semi-decent seats. And the atmosphere was incredible. I think there were a hundred or so people watching the match at Sun Plaza's Mc! It was more crowded than any lunch time or rush hour, and at 1AM in the morning too! The power of sports - bringing people together. (Kind of like music, which is why I like it.)
The second match that I caught was England vs Portugal. Well, I'm a huge fan of England, Portugal and Argentina, so when Argentina made an exit and the two other teams that I supported were going against each other, I felt conflicted. There was a lot of drama...
... I don't think anyone would comment that it was boring! Long range passes, countless shots, almost equal posession and temper on the field were all present to make it one of the most dramatic matches I've witnessed. There was even booing from the English crowd when the Portugese were doing well, and I think behavior like that ought to be condemned. Cheering's good, but trying to bring down the morale of the opposing team is just rubbish.
There was a controversial act by Rooney and Ronaldo. Rooney stepped on this guy's crotch. I think it was probably by accident. Ronaldo shouted that it was a foul. An angry Rooney gave Ronaldo a push. It was this unsportsmanlike behavior and the above mentioned foul that caused the referee to award him a red card and he was sent off, leaving England with 10 men. Ronaldo then winked at Scolari. Evidence piled up that Ronaldo was stirring shit. But I think it wouldn't have happened if Rooney didn't do what he did.
So with all that happening, I was more pro-Portugal than ever.
When it was a draw at 90 minutes, I was so freaking tired and pissed at the whole thing that I stopped watching. Jnr* was watching the match with me and I could tell that he was rather bored too. With previous experience of the Ger-Arg match, I believed that the extra time wouldn't result in any goals, so we rested for half an hour before watching the penalty shoot out in computer's CCTV 5.
And it was a victory for Portugal. I was kind of in shock that Lampard and Gerard didn't manage to get their balls in, but also impressed with Ronaldo. The nation's victory rested on his shoulders but he was confident and calm. He kissed the ball, gave a confusing run before shooting it into goal post. Fantastic stuff. Also to be given credit is Ricardo, who saved 3 penalties shot by the English. He's the man!
And given his flair, it's no wonder that for me, Cristiano Ronaldo is my favourite player this World Cup. Although he didn't score any goals during the game, he played decently well. I could see the effort in shooting, his dribbling skills, and him trying to get past the defenders as well as being unselfish in passing the ball to his other teammates (unlike the first match of WC where he was accused of not doing so).
I do feel bad for the English team, and most for Frank Lampard, because although he managed plenty of shots, he didn't score. Well, hopefully I'll see him in the Euro Cup then!
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