THE GROUP stage has been done and dusted and it has been anything but unpredictable. Defending champion Germany never had the chance to defend their title. They were eliminated in the group stage.
But on a positive note it showed the development of the game of football in what were traditionally lesser footballing nations, particularly Japan and South Korea.
Japan made it to the next stage, the round of 16 and almost made it into the quarter-finals while South Korea, although eliminated in the group stages, had bragging rights defeating defending champion Germany 2-nil, thus eliminating them.
The good performance of Japan and South Korea in the ongoing World Cup Russia 2018 sends a positive message to football in Asia, particularly the Philippines.
Our national team is currently the top team in Southeast Asia and have qualified – for the first time in the history of Philippine football – for the finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
We are on the right track as far is football is concerned. In terms of size we’re about the same as the Japanese or the South Koreans and given proper training is the perfect sport for us to excel internationally.
Football is the sport wherein too much height is a disadvantage; so forget basketball, we have no chance, not in a million years.
Stop dreaming of playing above the rim, you’re too short. Your idol LeBron James is not even making money on the same level as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
And we segue to the round of 8 or the quarterfinals in this World Cup. Including the defending champion Germany, there were seven former champions that qualified. They are Spain, France, Argentina, Uruguay, England, and Brazil.
Spain, Argentina and defending champion Germany are already eliminated, leaving France, Uruguay, England, and Brazil still very much in the running for the Finals.
This is what the round of 8 or the quarterfinals look like: France vs Uruguay, Brazil vs Belgium, Sweden vs England and host Russia vs Croatia.
Again like the round of 16 this is a “sudden death” match. You lose and you pack your bags and watch the semifinals and finals on television.
Take note that all the eight teams left have the potential of being the next World Cup champion. ll they have to do is just win and move on to the next round – the semifinals.
The matches of the round of 8 or the quarterfinals have been played and when the smoke cleared these are the results:
France 2 Uruguay nil; so another former champion exits from the World Cup finals. In the other matches, Belgium 2 Brazil 1 and England 2 Sweden nil.
And another former champion and sentimental favorite Brazil was eliminated.
Meanwhile in the host Russia vs Croatia match, 2-all in regulation time; Croatia won 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
With the exit of Uruguay and Brazil, the World Cup has become a de facto European Football Championship.
One a personal note, moi has always been a fan of Brazil not only in football but music and culture as well. Their “Bossa Nova” or “Samba” is the epitome of Jazz fusion.
And that “tall and tan young and lovely” girl from Ipanema (it’s a beach in Rio de Janero, not rubber flip flops) in a string bikini is the definition of sexy.
And who is not a fan of Brazilian women’s volleyball both indoor and most specially beach volleyball?
Moi can go on but that’s another story. For now let’s talk football.
Pele is perhaps the most popular and respected Brazilian footballer and he won the World Cup three times – 1958, 1962 and 1970 – playing for Brazil. For old former footballers like moi along with most fans of the game, the 1970 Brazil team was probably the best and strongest.
Sadly, Neymar currently of the 2018 Brazil World Cup team is no Pele, far from it. While Pele is respected Neymar is ridiculed and that says a lot of the current team. So moi is not surprised they were finally eliminated.
The surprise there is that Neymar and company got as far as the quarterfinals.
Here’s the cast for the semifinals:
* France vs Belgium on Wednesday, July 11, 2 a.m.
* England vs Croatia on Thursday, July 12, 2 a.m.
The winners of both matches will make up the cast for the World Cup Russia 2018 Finals while the losers fight it out for third place.
This could be England’s time. The last time England made it to the World Cup Finals and won it was 1966; all of the current players including Coach Gareth Southgate were not even born yet when England captain Bobby Moore raised the then Jules Rimet Trophy as World Cup Champions.
An England vs France finals would be the ideal one as there is a lot of history between these two footballing nations and not just football history.
If it turns out to be a Belgium vs Croatia finals then it’s time to catch up on sleep and just check out the results in the internet later. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
