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Wow! Spaniard Stallions - What a delight you were!!

This match the world will remember for a few thousand years. I certainly will. I have been watching world cup football live since Maradona’s epic run against England or Manuel Negrette’s [Mexico’s] bicycle kick in the 1986 world cup – there have been some hugely memorable moments in the past. But nothing to beat the after taste of this wonderful match.

For me, it is not just the delightful passes / crosses n ball control, the enterprising recovery tackles, the fluidity in football and the chutzpah of the Spaniards - that wowed me like mad. Today was football at its best – abt 30 men [starting players, subs and officials] performing to their hilt. Njoyed even better without strong favouritism – just mild preferences [well - was that differentiators in yours truly’s mental make-up!!].

The acme of today’s performance was the history. Spain – echoing the words of an ESPN commentator – delivering, after promising for decades. It been almost three decades now, that I have been following world sports [even now, I start and end with the sports pages of TOI!!!]. Spain had flattered to deceive so many times, that one wondered a few times – is there a place for poetry in sports. But in the last few years the Spaniards have lets their performance match their potential [in hockey / football…and we also have tennis wizard!!]. Consistent wins in different forms and sports are telling that as a country Spain is on an ascendant and poetry is back in sports. Thankfully. It is a post modern world after all.

Talking of poetry and back to the match. This match was as good as the Germans made it to be – even though it’s the red and blue brigade that mesmerized. The Germans almost matched in flair. The poise in defence – especially lightning quick change in formations with changing attacking ball positions and the deft body movements – and free flowing counter attacking runs [which were as menacing as the Spaniards continuous si ege] were equally gleeful. And that is where the history of this match comes from. This is not the first time Germans were beaten in mid-field, this is not the first time the Germans were second best in flair. This is not the first time Germans depended on rear-guard action in a world cup. But this is the first time – Spain broke loose of the stranglehold. Made the Germans loose such a close match, that they seldom loose, and ensure the mid-field winners were the score-line winners too. Is the trend of high potential but perennial second best’s getting better of the habitual winners. That’s were the history lies. And I loved it. To me it is a very subtle sign of the changing gears in global geo-social dynamics. Ah! Is it a bit too much.

Not the just the impeccable match performance, the manner in which Spaniard’s progressed in the tournament is worth a word. First match losers, scraping through to the knock-outs, labouring in quarters…preserving themselves, persevering with self belief till the right moment to set the tracks ablaze. This the algo of winners. Waiting for the big matches, big moments. The winners vs the mesmerizing near winners. This, as much that the match which triggered the blog, is what made to turn back say ‘Wow’.

Don’t get me wrong. My toasting to Spain’s success, no way undermines the Germans. Its just [co]incidental that they were in the line. Germans have always been my big favourites [as much for their clinical precision in almost everything they ass for the much maligned Fuerher in the post WW-II world]. In this tournament, I would like to put in records the Germans showed enormous life – more than anything I have seen in the past. Just because of that one part of me wanted the Germans to lift the trophy, [the other wanted a Netherlands-Spain finals]. And in this match – the poise, the maturity, the balance we got to see, amidst the agony in the faces – speaks volumes the character of the people down there. Hail! Germany. Take solace that you lost only to history, it isn’t a match of football that you lost.

For me at the end of the match - the game of football, was the worthy winner. Yah! It is always easy to enjoy a match better if you start with any strong favourites. This refreshing feeling will be taken to the finals too [hope I end up watching it too]. The finals will create history, irrespective of whoever wins. The Dutch have in the past mesmerized football fans world-wide [remember the Johan Cryuff’s team and European champion team starred by the trio of Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard] and have lifted the trophy. Eagerly look forward to another battle of equals. The organe vs the red. Whao!!

It is interesting that I wrote this piece on football in the land of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Am tempted to finish this piece with an ole anecdote. The scene in year 1998. The year of football world cup. I happened to be here then too. Kolkotta was in a frenzy. Brazil and Argentina flags all over the place. I even recollect a Brazilian fan to have had a hair do, with his hair cut to look like the football in Brazilian flag!!. Coming back to the anecdote. A TV anchor asks a Bengali fan [in Bengali ofcos], ‘Whom do you support’…the ans comes pat - ‘Brazil’. Q: Keno [why!!]……answer again….amar khela ta ek rakam, khali amara ektu slow motion te thake [hope I got the bong right. The transalation goes like this. ‘Our [East Bengal’s] game is just the same [as Brazil], just that we play in slow motion]. Ooops!! Real chutzpah that…matching that of the Madrid Marauders.

Kolkota
Wee hours
Jul 8, 2010

Comments

  1. awesome! no words to describe - not the game (it was more or less as expected) but the feelings with which u hv described it!

    Loved the Kolkata anecdote!

    ReplyDelete
  2. hey thanx for the complis mam...:)

    ReplyDelete

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