The Dutch must be partying hard after knocking the best team on the planet out of the World Cup. What a thrilling game.
In the first half, Brazil looked almost unbeatable, as they have most of this tournament. But early in the 2nd half, the Dutch leveled the score at 1-1 on a gaff by the Brazilian defense. A few minutes later, Netherlands took the lead on beautiful header by Wesley Sneijder, a small but powerful player who's making a case for being MVP of the tournament.
Then it all started to fall apart for Brazil. Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo deservedly got red-carded for shoving his cleat into Arjen Robben's thigh. I don't blame Melo for getting frustrated. Robben was a pain in the ass the entire game, flopping to the ground every 2 minutes. But when you play for Brazil, composure's supposed to course through your veins. Melo and his teammates lost control of their emotions and the game, 2-1.
The Dutch, meanwhile, haven't lost or even tied at this World Cup. They are very likely to make the finals. Somewhere in my closet is a Netherlands t-shirt from the '94 World Cup in Orlando. I may have to dig that out and root for the Orange!
Meanwhile, the bad blood is heating up between Germany and Argentina. In the last World Cup, Germany eliminated the Argentines on penalty kicks in a game that ended with a bench-clearing kick-and-punch fest between the two sides. This week, German player Bastian Schweinsteiger complained about Argentina's dirty tactics on the field, their constant whining to the referees and even the Argentine fans for sitting in seats that don't belong to them.
Argentine manager Diego Maradona -- the former superstar alcoholic cokehead tax evader -- responded with his usual color: "What's the matter, Schweinsteiger? Are you nervoushhh?"
Only at the World Cup. I won't miss a second of that game.
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