All I can say is that it's a good thing the semi-final encounter between Italy and Germany was settled in extra time (Italy 2, Germany 0). Because I don't think I could have watched a penalty shoot-out if there was one.
I used to be one of those people who could watch a penalty shoot-out with a mind of steel and a hardened heart. It was part of the game and I rationalized it on the thought that since the same set of rules applied to both teams, it was perfectly all right to decide a game via penalties.
Of course, that rationale still holds true, but my approach to the shoot-out changed drastically as I watched the duel at midnight between England and Portugal.
I was perfectly fine during the Germany-Argentina shoot-out a couple of nights earlier. In fact, I sat there on my couch prodding N, my six year-old who had dozed off, to stay awake in the waning hours of that Friday so he could watch it as well. We tried to guess who would miss and who would score. I was right on the money with the Ayala miss (more than guessing right, I was hoping he would miss given the way he was manhandling Ballack during extra time).
The Germany-Argentina shootout was enjoyable; the England-Portugal one was not.
The sense of unease began at the end of extra time. The match referee, Elizando, was waiting for something. But what? Players seemed to get increasingly nervous as the clock ticked away. The two goal-keepers, Robinson and Ricardo, after receiving last minute instructions from their coaches, walked up to each other, held each other at arm's length and exchanged a few words, wishing each other well, I presume.
They were suddenly in the limelight, no longer just another player in the team, forlorn at their ends of the field. They were it, now, the cynosure of all eyes, the names in the prayers of their team mates, the hero or the villain, depending on the result, although it seems like a hopeless task to stop a football from sneaking to the infinite number of corners within the posts of a goal.
The players were pacing around trying to get into their team huddles. Simao, the first Portuguese striker to take a shot walked around in the penalty area, spitting on the green grass. Robinson took a few swigs from a water bottle, and then spat a few times as well. The crowd was going wild, chanting, booing, whistling. Little lightning bugs seemed to be swarming the stadium as camera flashes popped with undying frequency.
Article comments
1 - Webbie
Nice blog post. Very well put.
Webbie (long suffering England supporter)
2 - RJ Elliott
I'm going for Italy over France, 2-0...
3 - sujatha
Webbie, my sympathies are with you. It was rough. With Ericsson gone, perhaps England can make a fresh start with someone who is invested in their success.
RJ, France has a solid defense. So not so sure about the 2-0 score. I'm going to say France over Italy, 1-0. I do hope, though, that there is a result during regular time. It would be wretched to have the final of the World Cup reduced to a shoot-out.
4 - RJ Elliott
Italy has a pretty great defense, too...
5 - sabujo
I just have to disagree on the Englang-Portugal shootout as being not as good as the other. Come on, Ricardo broke a record on defending three penalty kicks and thanks to him, the team underlined their superiority against the English. Portugal has a very good team, but it lacks experience on these kind of competition and that leads to a nervous gameplay. It's perfecly normal, it's a duel with a giant!
Congrats on the Portuguese team that reached the semi-finals. While other "superior" teams, which were already forseeing the cup in their hands, are at home right now watching the rest of the matches through the TV.
6 - sujatha
RJ, we'll wait and see. We'll have our answer in a couple of days. Although, it's an insane hour in India when the match starts (12:20 am Monday morning). :(
Sabojo, I agree. It was good, Ricardo was great (although his nerves betrayed him against the mighty Zidane last night), the Portuguese strikers were much more competent than the English. My point was that the Germany-Argentina shoot-out was enjoyable perhaps because the players appeared confident and did not exhibit their nerves to the extent the Brits did against Portugal.
7 - Douglas Mays
the shootout system...hhhmmm....when this system came into being I really wondered. To me, it was a really fustrating way to decide the game. Why not just do it at the start of the game and forget the game? Oh, I guess that could be said about any tie breaker format.
I remember back in the late 60s in youth soccer (Washington State Youth Soccer Association) we were playing in our first state championship that went into overtime. The tie was not broken. Our team was decided to be winners based on the fact we had more corner kicks. That made sense as far as a way showing offensive threat.
I remember late 60s when Chelsea vs. Leeds United for the or a playoff championship. Tie at end of regulation. Overtime periods, tie. What to do? Replay the game on the other teams field. Leeds won finally. Great matches.
Anyway...
8 - sujatha
Hey RJ, you were right about the Italy over France part! Good going. :)
And whaddya know Doug, the final of the World Cup, decided in s shoot-out...
9 - Douglas Mays
Sujatha, yes, wasn't it fitting for the final to go to shootout? so many shootouts this World Cup. It shows the balance of powers in the sport currently.
10 - sujatha
Doug, It shows the balance of powers in the sport currently. Do you mean that the balance of power is shifting towards the shoot-out or did you mean the balance of powers between the teams?