Setting the Scene

by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (January 8^th 2015)

Beautiful?

In what should have been a festival of Samba football celebrating the Beautiful Game, the second World Cup that Brasil hosted will be remembered partly for the wrong reasons. Germany deserved to win and tempting as it is to take some satisfaction from the drubbing that Luiz Felipe Scolariʼs anti-football received in the semi-final, it proved cold comfort.

ʼJosé Pékerman Krimenʼs Colombian side, missing their predatory striker Radamel Falcao, were a joy to watch, playing attacking flowing football. Their joyous football was infectious. But they fell victim to cynical anti-football in the quarter-final (see https://empowersport.wordpress.com/2014/07/05/the-beautiful-game/). The inheritors of Samba Footbball went home to soon and so too did Chile.

Content?

But Colombia must bear some responsibility too. Sevillaʼs striker Carlos Bacca summed up the mood regarding Colombiaʼs World Cup and performance. “I am happy,” Bacca told Empower-Sport. He speaks for his nation, but should los Cafeteros and their supporters be content?

They were robbed by a display of cynical fouling by Brasil and ineffective refereeing by Spainʼs Carlos Velasco Carballo – an experienced referee who had handled big matches previously and had a reputation as a disciplinarian never shy to brandish a card or seven or eight. But the signs of a far too lenient approach were there earlier and that all it could ever achieve was lead to a licence to hack.

Precedents

Some referees are thought to be too lenient. Howard Webb was awarded the World Cup Final in 2010. He tried to let it flow, famously allowing Nigel de Jong to remain on the pitch after a kung-fu style kick on Xabi Alonso. The final soon degenerated into a spectacle of anti-football. It should have provided a stark lesson, but didnʼt.

Four years on Webb took charge of Brasilʼs first match in the knock-out phase (see https://empowersport.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/brasil-beat-chile-just/). Chile, inspired by Alexis Sánchez Sánchez, now carrying Arsenalʼs challenge in England, stood in their way. Less than a minute into that match Brasilʼs captain Thiago Silva went into Arturo Vidal Pardoʼs back. It was soft but there was no attempt to play the ball.

No card was shown – it deserved a talking to, but that is not Webbʼs style – he at least was consistent. Less than two-and-an-half minutes into the match Fernandinho clattered into Charles Aránguiz Sandoval, sending the Chilean midfielder, who plays for Brasilian club Internacional flying.

Dirty

Webb had a perfect view of a dirty challenge that deserved a yellow card. Instead Manchester Cityʼs enforcer got no more than a talking to. The match had barely started, but Chile had already suffered more fouls than minutes had been played. Aránguiz caught Neymar within a minute. It was already threatening to become a hack-fest. The fouling continued with penalty shouts turned down.

Despite an awful foul by Vidal on Neymar and Fernadinho racking up the offences – two in less than a minute – half an hour went by without a card emerging from Webbʼs pocket for Manchester Cityʼs defensive midfielder.

Typical

The second half wasnʼt as entertaining, card were shown. Hulk scored, but was penalised for handball and booked by Webb. Later substitute Jô was shown the yellow card for dangerous play, catching goalkeeper Claudio Bravo Muñoz high – Xabi Alonso could be forgiven an incredulous double-take or even two.

The match went into extra time. Webb brandished yellow seven times before Brasil scraped through on penalties, as for the second time in the match the woodwork saved Brasil. Five were shown in normal time. Brasil got four and Chile three in a match that set the record for fouls in a World Cup match – 51 – but somehow Fernandino escaped sanction and continued where he left off against Colombia in the next round. It was typical Webb. Worse would follow – far worse.

Brasil beat Chile – Just

by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (June 28^th 2014)

Fine Margins

A thrilling encounter in Belo Horizonte, which is a city not unaccustomed to World Cup upsets, ended with hosts Brasil pipping Chile 3-2 on penalties after Gonzalo Jara Reyesʼ penalty hit the post with Júlio César beaten. It was the second time that the woodwork saved Brasil.

With the clock running down in extra time Alexis Sánchez Sánchez and substitute Mauricio Pinilla Ferrera combined. Pinillaʼs shot from just outside the area thudded against the crossbar. Júlio César stood no chancre and the hearts of the host nation sipped a beat.

By his standards Neymar had a disappointing match, but his penalty against new Barçelona team-mate Claudio Bravo Muñoz showed his class. He waited for Bravo to commit himself before scoring to the other side. Jara had to score as Júlio César had saved two (Pinilla and Sánchez) and Bravo had saved Hulkʼs penalty – Willian had missed.

Careless defending had cost Chile dear earlier, as a free-kick and then corner were needlessly conceded. Neymarʼs corner was nodded on by Brasilʼs captain Thiago Silva who plays for French champions Paris Saint-Germain. David Luiz had never scored for Brasil before and may not have done this time as it appeared to be an own-goal by the luckless Jara.

Chile were not there to make up the numbers. A defensive mix up from Marceloʼs throw-in allowed Valenciaʼs Eduardo Vargas Rojas to pick Hulkʼs pocket, pull it back for Sánchez to score.

Advantage

Joint top scorer Neymar was outshone by Sánchez, although Brasilʼs star created several opportunities, mainly for himself. He was subjected to harsh treatment by Chilean defenders. Neymar failed to add to his tally. He pulled strings in the first half, but faded as the match continued.

Neymar ran off an injury after Charles Aránguiz Sandoval fouled him. However, almost as soon as the match started Manchester Cityʼs Fernandinho should have been booked by referee Howard Webb for a bad foul on Aránguiz. Again Webb should have brandished cards earlier as some decisions appeared inconsistent later.

Webb turned down two penalty appeals and crucially disallowed Hulkʼs 54^th minute goal deciding the Zenit Saint Petersburg striker had handled before beating Bravo with the outside of his foot. Midway through the second half, during a period when Chile looked the more likely to break the deadlock Aránguiz was denied by a fantastic save by Júlio César to maintain parity.

Chile won a few hearts this afternoon, but will be going home while Brasil will meet either Colombia or Uruguay shorn of Luis Suárez on Friday evening.

Down and Out

by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (June 18^th 2014)

Humiliated

The World champions are out and Vicente del Bosque Gonzálezʼ side deserve it. Chile have beaten Spain at the eleventh attempt. Chileʼs coach Jorge Sampaoli Moya out-thought his world renowned counterpart from start to finish with an energetic pressing game that knocked the aristocrats of world football out of their stride. This is the first time in eight years that Spain has lost back to back matches.

They are the fifth defending champions to go out in the first round, but have done so with a match to come, which adds to the humiliation. While Barçelonaʼs Alexis Sánchez Sánchez and Juventusʼ Arturo Vidal Pardo will grab many headlines in a famous win along with the goal-scorers Eduardo Vargas Rojas and Charles Aránguiz Sandoval, captain and goal-keeper Claudio Bravo Muñoz and Cardiff Cityʼs Gary Medel Soto were immense.

The Writing on the Wall

The 5-1 drubbing by the Netherlands over, Spain needed an emphatic response. It did not come. Del Bosque stuck with the unfit Diego da Silva Costa. Atlético de Madridʼs striker was disappointing in both matches, slow to get shots away and failing to test Bravo. Perhaps this was a case where the false 9 that had served del Bosque so well previously was a better option than the genuine 9s Costa and the misfiring Fernando Torres Sanz who had not been in a Spain squad since the Confederationsʼ Cup.

Xabi Alonso Olanoʼs misplaced pass was intercepted by Sánchez. An incisive one-two with Vidal was followed by a pass that found Aránguiz on the right in the area. He squared to Vargas who rounded Casillas to give Chile a lead that had been coming. Spainʼs response was a Costa shot into the side-netting after David Jiménez Silva put him clear – poor effort that summed up his first tournament for Spain.

With two minutes remaining in the first half Casillas made another howler, deciding to punch Sánchezʼ free-kick which should have posed no problems to catch. Aránguiz latched onto the rebound and his shot beat Casillasʼ desperate dive. Two nil down at half time del Bosqueʼs and Spainʼs legacy were on the line.

Tradition versus New-Comers

World Cup and football history suggested that Spain would come out fighting and somehow find a way out of their predicament, but Sampaoli and his team had other ideas. They defended like Titans, but this was not a team that got everyone behind the ball and looked to hold on to what they had. Six minutes into the second half Sergio Busquets Burgos spurned the best chance that Spain had. In 68 internationals he has never scored and after this miss it was not hard to see why.

The chance stemmed from another poor goalkeeping decision. Bravo chose to punch Sergio Ramos Garcíaʼs when it was straight at him – a strange decision after the problems experienced by Casillas. It was returned to the right of the area and Costaʼs overhead kick found Busquets 8 yards out on the left of the goal. He shot wide – a terrible miss. It was an omen of things to come.

Chances came and went for Vargas and Mauricio Isla Isla and substitute Santi Cazorla González demanded a save from Bravo who was equal to the test. Four years ago Barçelonaʼs Andrés Iniesta Luján scored the only goal of a dreadful World Cup Final to establish beyond doubt just how good a team Spain was. Iniesta went close again from outside the area, but Bravo refused to be beaten, tipping it over. Spainʼs reign was over.