Posted on 07/09/2014 6:35:41 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Regulation and extra time brought 120 minutes of scoreless exasperation in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday that was by turns tense, cautious, clumsy, gripping and stubbornly unyielding.
There was little space to move, few chances to score. Sometimes the match was as dreary as the misty evening chill. If it possessed any beauty, it was not in gracefulness but in stark, struggling exertion.
And finally, when grind and strain and labor could not bring a resolution, whimsy and caprice did. Argentina defeated the Netherlands by 4-2 on penalty kicks and advanced to Sunday’s final against Germany.
Sergio Romero, Argentina’s goalkeeper, was poised in the shootout, unsettling the Dutch on the very first kick. He dived to his left, parried a shot by defender Ron Vlaar and kissed his gloves. Later, Romero repelled a shot by Wesley Sneijder and pounded his chest.
For Argentina, Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay and Sergio Aguero confidently punched their shots into the net. The decisive attempt, by Maxi Rodriguez, was deflected, but it hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Repeat of 1986 & 1990!!!!!
What a game it will be!
Salt in the wound for Brazil if Argentina wins the cup. The extra dose being that its being played in Brazil. Ouch.
Agreed!!!!
That would be like the Bears winning the Super Bowl in Lambeau.
First unified title for Germany if they win.
Did they cheat to get the penalty shots? I saw some clips of the weird soccer practice where guys hit themselves or exaggerate or pretend to be hit to get penalty calls.
Supposedly the U.S., I read, was the only one that wasn’t very good at cheating, if we tried cheating at all.
Penalty shots occur when it’s tied at the end of regulation and overtime.
So are the Netherlandians gnashing their teeth, rending their clothes and contemplating suicide like the Brazilian sore losers did the other way?
I know nothing about soccer, except that it’s of the devil.
That entire Brazilian roster that failed to show up yesterday, will never again wear a Seleçao jersey—count on it!
Losing 7-1 at home in a World Cup Semi-Final does have consequences in South America.
Neymar is lucky he was hurt and didn’t play. It’s the only reason he will be able to wear that yellow jersey again.
Penalty kicks have a certain mystique to them, but is a crappy way to determine the outcome, particularly in a Final ... Better to decide the game in the course of normal play – perhaps “Golden goal” (sudden death) after the first OT, or deuce-goal in extra time.
I am rooting for Germany to get number 4.
Silva also lucked up, maybe.
I think BRA71L lost...
Penalty shots? In a semi-final? Make ‘em play till they’re dying!
The game should be decided by a “golden goal”...
Every 5 minutes into overtime, each team has to remove a player...
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