Germany asserts supremacy on world football

Curtains come down on the   planet’s   greatest quadrennial sporting spectacle, the FIFA World Cup   in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Germany emerging victorious and asserting its supremacy.

Everyone agrees that Germany was the best team in the tournament and   fully deserved the game’s biggest and most prestigious trophy.

The Germans   displayed class, finesse, cohesion, physical and mental toughness, coupled with a rock solid will to win. At the end of the day, their endeavor   paid rich dividends and made them stamp their authority   on world football.

They   played like true   champions   from   start   to   finish, never losing their momentum, focus and rhythm. They   stuck   to their game plan, combining caution, strong defensive and mid-field play, counter attacks throughout, and more important, they did not make the mistake of undermining opponents.

In the semi-final against Brazil they demonstrated that they are more than just a defensive team.  And in the final, though Argentina pushed them to the brink,   they did not allow panic or frustration overwhelm them.

Also they brilliantly and effectively policed prolific goal scorer   Messi and ultimately found their World Cup winning goal scorer in Mario Goetze.

The Germans owe a lot to their custodian Manuel   Neuer who was phenomenal under the bar .He was adjudged the tournament’s best goalkeeper, thus fetching him the Golden Glove Trophy.

The competition   turned out to be incredible and memorable for   veteran German striker Miroslav Klose. At   long   last,   he had his cherished dream   fulfilled in a very big way.

He got to be in the   winning side in his    fourth World Cup appearance and overtook Brazilian Ronaldo for the all time World Cup’s leading scorer.

Football experts and observers   across the globe seem to be of the unanimous opinion that the present national team of Germany is the best ever the world has seen in many, many years.

It was so close yet so far  for Argentina. They did put in a stubborn and pleasant performance, had their share of chances, but lost to a better opposition on the day. 

Leave alone winning the World Cup, most football   experts and bookmakers did not even see them making this far in the competition.

They, however, caught everyone   by   surprise, finishing behind Germany. The second place was the best World Cup result for the South American giant in over two decades, and they should be proud of the accomplishment.

The loss   eluded the world’s most expensive player Messi the trophy he so desperately wants. Whether or not, he is able to win the World Cup in his illustrious career, I don’t know. We will have to wait and see.

The Golden Ball award   that came his way did   not   help him get over his disappointment and frustration of not winning the championship.

To make matters worse, two Argentine legends Diego Maradona and Mario Kempes opined that Messi did not deserve the Golden Ball award.

The month long mega event was a rousing success based on record attendance and television viewership, quality play and on the edge of your seat football.

The competition offered   many interesting   storylines to talk about.  Even before the kickoff, spotlight   was   on youngster Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo, Brazil and Spain. In fact, expectations were way too high.

The Brazilian superstar Neymar looked impressive until the   unfortunate injury that put him out of the World Cup for good. The rest is history. Ronaldo was a non –factor, scoring a solitary goal against Ghana.

It is very obvious that whenever, wherever the national team of Brazil participates in a competition, expectation is always high.

The home team was under tremendous pressure to deliver the goods and end the World Cup drought. They appeared well on course after struggling to reach the semi-final; however, they met their waterloo in Germany.

No one disputes the fact that Brazil lost to a much superior opponent. The real issue here is the nature of the loss they endured, which was humiliating, crushing and out of the ordinary.

In football a 7-1 defeat is conceivable; however, it is beyond one’s imagination, especially when it comes to a team of Brazil’s stature, playing in their own backyard.

Although a youthful and talented side, they were not the vintage Brazilian side we are so accustomed seeing. They were unimpressive, unconvincing and failed to turn things around when it mattered most.

A porous defense and an underperforming offensive line, coupled with ineffective playmakers did the undoing for the team. They just proved to be an ordinary side. Perhaps the presence of a few experienced players might have made some difference.

The   2018 World Cup in Russia is quite a   challenge for   Brazil. They have to bounce back   stronger than ever   in order to reclaim their lost pride.

Spain’s mediocrity and failure to reach the knock out stage was a   huge, huge  shocker. No one saw this coming. They were a pale shadow of the team which won the 2010 World Cup.

They   mightily struggled like never seen before. It was a dramatic fall from grace for the defending champions. I am confident that they will take lessons from the debacle and   comeback as a better team.

The first round exit clearly underlined World Cup woes for England, Italy and Portugal. They have to rethink their strategic   approach   and planning to get back on the world stage.

The Netherlands played their hearts out but   fell short, once again. Their championship campaign ended on a high note, finishing a well-deserved third.

Belgium lived up to their dark horse status. They impressed football fans with their attacking, organized brand of football and are the dream team of the future. France played well but lacked the firepower.

The North American teams, the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico strong performance is an indication that they are fast catching up South America and Europe.

Colombia, Chile   deep with talent played well to impress and are bound to improve. Two tremendous strikers   Alexis Sanchez (Chile)   and   James Rodriguez (Colombia), the Golden Boot winner of the 2014 World Cup  sizzling performance captivated the imagination of everyone.

Twenty-three year Rodriguez scored six goals and should have been voted the best player of the tournament instead of Messi   according to Maradona.

Once   again, Asia’s challenge   faltered badly and failed to make an impression.  Unquestionably, Asian football   has a long way to go and something needs to be worked out to make the World Cup dream come true. 

The African teams   might not have   played to   their full potential but have   shown remarkable progress, over the years. Despite talent, they have   underperformed when it comes to the World Cup. They have been let down by discipline, mental toughness and   desire   to win. Algeria stood out, winning many hearts, in the pack.

Uruguay’s star-striker Luis Suarez   grabbed headlines   for the wrong reason mid way through the competition. Old habits die hard, so the saying goes- Suarez was at it   again, biting a player.

The   World   Cup    lived up to its   name and hype. Four weeks of intense and mind boggling football   delivered   everything fans wanted-   high drama, pulsating excitement, agony, ecstasy, surprises, individual brilliance, spectacular goals, stunning goalkeeping and great team work.

2018 World Cup  is  in Russia.  Yes, we are already waiting for it.