What a shocker! I'd expected the Samba Kings to dazzle with their fancy footwork and slick passing skills. Indeed they lived up to expectations in the first 10 minutes with an opening goal by Robinho and looked set to cruise into victory at the end of the first half.
But this was not to be as the Brazilian' fortunes nosedived when the teams reconvened on the pitch after half time. The Dutch equalised in the 53rd minute (actually it was an own goal by Felipe Melo when he tried to head the ball away from the goal) and Wesley Sneijder's 68th minute header put the Oranje in the lead.
Then came the shocking red card for Felipe Melo as he stamped hard on Arjen Robben's hamstring. And that was the proverbial final nail in the coffin for Brazil. With 10 men and 1 goal down, it would take a miracle for the tournament's favourites to move on to the semi-finals, especially after the Dutch managed to get their act together in the second half.
Although both teams had advanced without losing a single match in the finals, I felt that Brazil's a much stronger team in terms of playing style, skills and technicality. So it was a major disappointment that they were knocked out as I'd expected them to play in the finals.
I've always been a supporter of the underdogs and I'd wanted Holland to score so that the game would be more exciting. I didn't think they'd beat Brazil and it was indeed a pleasant surprise. I guess the bookies and punters are in a rage now.
Next match: Uruguay vs Ghana, and the winners will meet the Oranje! But tomorrow's fixtures of Germany vs Argentina, and Spain vs Paraguay are more drool-worthy. Thank goodness it's the weekend and I don't have to be up at 5.30 to get Xian ready for school!
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