As the World Cup field narrows down to the final game on July 11, the field is starting to separate with the best teams rising to the top. The quarterfinals, also known as the Round of 8, saw 4 South American teams, 3 European teams, and a lone African side competing for the right to move on to the semifinals.
Brazil versus Netherlands
Top ranked Brazil came out strong against a formidable Dutch team scoring first when Brazil capitalized on a defensive error and Robinho beat the Dutch keeper in the 10th minute of the match.
Brazil Comes Out Strong
The Brazilians nearly extended their lead when Kaka hit a beautiful shot from 20 yards. With the ball bending to the far post upper 90, Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg made an acrobatic save diving to tip the ball wide of the goal. This was the turning point in the match, breaking the Brazilians’ momentum and rallying the Dutch. The Brazilians had a phenomenal record of 35-0-2 when leading at the half.
If the first half was all Brazil, then the second half was all Netherlands. The Dutch evidently were either unaware or unimpressed with Brazil's dominance when leading at the half. Netherlands dominated the second half, sending the 5 time World Champions home in disgrace in a 2-1 upset. Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder scored in the 53d minute to tie the match, and then scored the game winner in the 68th minute.
Red Card for Melos Seals Brazil's Fate
The favored Brazilians were frustrated by the Dutch attacking play and teamwork in the second half and their frustration and undisciplined play boiled over when Felipe Melos was sent off with a red card for fouling and then stepping on Dutch forward Arjen Robben with 17 minutes remaining in the match.
This mental error forced the Brazilians to play a player short for the remainder of the game and cut the Brazilians chances to score dramatically. The Dutch held on for the remainder of the match enjoying an advantage in possession despite the Brazilians outshooting them 15-11.
After the match, Brazilian forward Robinho summed up the match, “I can't explain it. We were excellent in the first half but conceded two silly goals in the second and got knocked out. Anyone who saw the first half would have thought we'd end up thrashing them but we ended up conceding twice. Everyone's gutted and we know we could have done better. Football's a great source of joy but today, unfortunately, the people of Brazil are sad.”
Ghana versus Uruguay
Ghana, the lone African entry played exciting attacking soccer and were a sentimental favorite in their match against two time World Champion Uruguay. This match provided one of the most emotional endings in World Cup history.
Ghana outplayed the Uruguayans evenly through 90 minutes outshooting the South American’s 30 to 19 but the score was tied at the end of regulation play. The tie held up through the 30 minute overtime period and in the 120th minute, Ghana put three shots on the Uruguayan goal. The first two were blocked by Uruguayan defenders but the third shot was saved by a deliberate hand ball.
Heart-breaking Miss Costs Ghana the Win
Although time was expired, Ghana had a final opportunity to score on a penalty kick while the Uruguayan defender was ejected for a deliberate goal saving foul. Asamoah Gyan took the shot but struck it off the crossbar forcing a shootout. In the shootout, Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera made two key saves to give the Uruguayans a 4-2 victory and allow them to move to the semifinal against the Netherlands.
Milovan Rajevac, Ghana’s coach, summed up the heartache best when he said, “This is sport and justice. Today Uruguay were the lucky ones.”
Beth Anderle - A retired US Army officer, Beth has been writing professionally and personally for many years but has only recently made the transition to ...
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