DAY 22 REVIEW

The quarter-finals got under way with what could be considered a major upset. With a repeat of the 1994 quarter-final and 1998 semi-final, Holland sensationally came from behind to get the better of favourites Brazil, and blow the World Cup wide open. Such an outcome would have seemed preposterous at half-time, as Brazil marshalled the half with relative ease, and went into the interval with a deserved 1-0 lead. After the South Americans started the game the stronger, they took the lead with a brilliantly crafted and simplistic goal. Holland were forced into a change half an hour before kick-off, with centre back Joris Mathijsen suffering an injury in the warm up. The veteran 34 year-old Andre Ooijer came into replace him, and the former Blackburn Rovers defender and his partner Johnny Heitinga were split by a superb 60 yard pass from Felipe Melo, allowing Robinho to run onto the ball and slip it under keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. Holland responded almost immediately, with Dirk Kuyt testing Julio Cesar at his near post, but Brazil quickly assumed the ascendency. While the Selecao were not finding their usual fluency, they could have been out of sight by half-time if it was not for Stekelenburg. The Ajax stopper made a superb save from Kaka’s curling shot after a good move involving Robinho and Luis Fabiano, and he did likewise from Maicon’s fizzing shot. But something Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said at half-time must have worked, as his team came out for the second half transformed. After 53 minutes, the previously ineffective Arjen Robben won a free-kick on the right touchline. After a quick one-two with Wesley Sneijder, the Inter Milan playmaker whipped in a cross. Ooijer made a nuisance of himself, and Cesar, in trying to come for the ball, only succeeded in colliding with his teammate Melo, and the ball flicked off his head and into the net for a sloppy own goal. This energised Holland, but Brazil came within inches of restoring their lead, as Kaka chipped an effort just wide. But the decisive moment came halfway through the second half. Robben and Sneijder were again involved. A corner from the right from the former was flicked on by Kuyt, and Sneijder got in front of his marker to flick in a rare headed goal. If that wasn’t terminal, then what happened five minutes later almost certainly was. After conceding a free-kick, Melo inexplicably stamped on Robben, and the ensuing red card duly followed. Brazil was up against it now, and was throwing everything forward to try and rescue their World Cup campaign. Lucio came closest to taking the game into extra-time, with a shot deflected just wide, but as Brazil left increasingly big gaps, Holland had chances to kill off the game. Cesar saved from Sneijder and substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar dallied instead of teeing up Dirk Kuyt. But it need not have mattered, and the jubilant Dutch celebrations left just Uruguay between Holland and a first World Cup final appearance in 32 years.

Holland was joined in the semi-finals by Uruguay, after an absorbing and entertaining quarter-final which had a thrilling denouement, to compare with anything you are likely to see in sport at this level. In doing so, the hopes of Africa were dashed for another four years, as Ghana agonisingly were the crossbar’s width away from becoming the first African side to qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup. The match started in enterprising fashion, and Uruguay was quickest out of the blocks. Ghana keeper Richard Kingson made a superb reaction save after defender John Mensah inadvertently deflected the ball towards his own goal. And minutes later, star striker Luis Suarez fired in a superb shot from the edge of the area which the Wigan stopper did well to tip over the crossbar. Suarez would have a major part to play in his own penalty area later in the evening. But the match started its see-saw pattern as Ghana came back into the match, which coincided with captain Diego Lugano having to leave the field through injury. After half an hour, defender Isaac Vorsah headed wide when well placed from a Sulley Muntari corner. Ghana’s key striker Asamoah Gyan fired narrowly wide following a brilliant move in which Kevin Prince-Boateng picked him out, Muntari headed wide, and Prince-Boateng failed to get a proper contact on an overhead kick attempt. But as it looked like we were going into half-time goalless, the Africans thrilled the continent with a goal out of absolutely nothing. A loose ball broke to Muntari on the edge of the centre circle, and the Inter Milan midfielder was given an acre of space in which to turn, and fire in a shot from fully 40 yards which caught Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera off guard. This opened up the game even more open in the early stages off the second half, as Uruguay tried to get back into the game. Edisnon Caveni thought he should have had a penalty, but the supreme Diego Forlan equalised with a fantastic free-kick ten minutes into the second half. Suarez was fouled towards the left touchline, and the striker stepped up and fired in an arching shot which flew past Kingson into the top corner. From here, the South Americans looked the more likely winners, but Suarez missed a glorious chance at the far post after being found by Forlan, and the Ajax striker brought another fine save out of Kingson. As the match went into extra time, both teams seemed to be scared of the prospect of making a mistake which could signal the end of their World Cup hopes. Substitute Andres Scotti blocked a shot from Gyan towards the start of extra period, and the defender came close to scoring an own goal as the South Americans substantially tired as the Africans pushed for the crucial winning goal. Then, with the final action of the 120 minutes, there was one final, cruel twist. A free-kick from Anthony Annan found Uruguay defending deep, and Stephen Appiah’s effort was brilliantly hacked off the line by Suarez. But the ball bounced up in the air, and another substitute, Dominic Adiyah, headed goalwards past Muslera. In an astonishing gamble and act of sacrifice, Suarez, weighing up the situation and realising there was only one way to stop the ball entering the back of the net, which would end their World Cup participation, flung himself at the ball at full stretch and palmed the ball away. What followed was the inevitable straight red card, and Asamoah Gyan stood one penalty kick away from making himself an African hero. But if you thought this match had used its final twist, you were mistaken. The striker fired the penalty against the bar, with the last kick off the game, to the delight of Uruguay and the despair of Ghana. In a sense, there was only one winner when the penalty shoot out commenced. Gyan showed amazing bottle to step up first for Ghana, and found the top corner. But Muslera made himself with the hero with low saves from Mensah and Adiyah, leaving Uruguay substitute Sebastian Abreu to coolly chip in the winning penalty over Kingson. In what must mark as one of the greatest World Cup game’s in recent history, the South Americans came out on top, to the despair of the whole of Africa. Luis Suarez did what he felt he had to do, and maybe ‘cheating’ (which is a word which has been thrown around) is a bit extreme. He will miss the semi-final with Holland, and he got the punishment his actions deserved, and his teammates will be eternally grateful for his quick thinking and actions. Asamoah Gyan, on the other hand, will be replaying his missed penalty in his head for the rest of his life.


PLAYER OF THE DAY – Wesley Sneijder.
The Inter Milan playmaker was key in leading Holland’s remarkable transformation. It was his free-kick which led to Felipe Melo’s own goal, and he scored the winner with a rare headed goal. He pulled the strings and showed the form which has made him one of the best players in Europe this season, while the likes of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie were not at their best.

GOAL OF THE DAY – Robinho.
We saw a glimpse of how Brazil can play, and what we will miss now they have exited the tournament. Felipe Melo, who’s day would take a turn for the worse as the match wore on, played a delightful 60 yard through ball for Robinho to run onto. The striker, far removed from the shrinking violet who turned up at Manchester City, finished brilliantly with a first time shot under keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. This goal was almost trumped as a lovely move between Luis Fabiano and Robinho found Kaka, but the Dutch keeper made a great fingertip save. Unfortunately, it was not to be their day.

GAFFE OF THE DAY – Felipe Melo.
After a promising start, the Juventus defensive midfielder had a disastrous second half which contributed greatly to Brazil’s early exit. He scored a needless own goal when he collided with his goalkeeper Julio Cesar, and was sent off as his team were chasing the game for a stupid stamp on Robben. This is not an afternoon he will care to remember.

CONTROVERSIAL MOMENT OF THE GAME – handball by Luis Suarez.
The extraordinary end to Ghana’s quarter-final with Uruguay raised an interesting point. Is Suarez a blatant cheat, or did he just do what needed to be done in a show of modern day professionalism? After Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss and Uruguay’s subsequent penalty shoot out win, it’s clear which camp Uruguay and Suarez lie in. He was smiling broadly as the Ajax striker was hoisted up by his teammates, who are grateful for the chance to play in a first World Cup semi-final for 40 years, even though Suarez will be suspended for the meeting with Holland in Cape Town on Tuesday. It was a piece of remarkable self sacrifice in one way, but it also depends on your culture and viewpoint. What the Europeans and Africans see as outright cheating, the South Americans and Latin Americans see as ‘cunning’ or ‘exploitation of the rules’, and this is clearly the feeling of the Uruguayan camp. Ghana defender John Pantsil said, ‘the referee should have awarded a goal. There’s no way any of the Ghana players would have deliberately used our hands to stop the ball.’ There’s no way the referee could have awarded a goal if the ball did not cross the line, but you get the point. Is it any worse than Maradona’s, ‘Hand of God?’ They were both deliberate handball’s to try and give their team an advantage. None of this will matter to Uruguay, who can look forward to their first World Cup semi-final since 1970. Ghana may well be the moral victors, and they can be delighted with their World Cup effort, especially without their best player Michael Essien – but this will be of scant consolation for coach Ratomir Djukovic and his gallant players.

FANTASY TEAM
Fernando Muslera’s penalty heroics earned himself five points. Defenders Maxi Perreira, Michel Bastos and Gregory van der Wiel failed to add significant points as their teams failed to keep clean sheets. Wesley Sneijder’s goal and assist, as well as being my captain, earned himself a helpful 18 points. Luis Suarez somehow got a point for a save for his well publicised intervention, but lost points for conceding the penalty and his subsequent red card, and Luis Fabiano and Robin van Persie all failed to trouble the scorers.