The main tension of a World Cup usually concerns who will lift the trophy after the final. Not so in 2014.
The narrative driving this summer's tournament has centered on Brazil,
always Brazil -- the team, the country, the maddening relationship
between the two. The amour fou has been on display in the stadiums and on the streets, from the anti-Fifa protests to the players' weeping fits and bouts of psychic trauma.
With all due credit to a German team that played the "joga bonito"
Brazilians now only play on VHS, it was the host's emotional volatility
that turned a likely semifinal defeat -- no shame in that -- into a national tragedy.
The final, to be played at Rio's storied Maracanã, kicks off today in
the shadows of that monumental capitulation. Germany enters planning for
the perfect encore. They know their marks and have, in spells, married
the traditional Vorsprung durch Technik with Spain's tiki-taka artistry to produce some of the most compelling performances of the past month.
Opposite them, Argentina and its tiny talisman Lionel Messi are vying
for the country's third World Cup title and first since Diego Maradona
orchestrated a dramatic defeat of West Germany in the 1986 final. In
order for the matchup to be anything more than an afterword in the story
of this "Copa Das Copas," the teams will have to craft something
original and unique.
Is it likely? No. But as the Germans will tell you: "The ball is round" -- you never know.
Here are a few things to watch for when you watch today's World Cup final:
Lionel Messi's quest to breakdown Germany's defense
Carlos Santana says he "looks like a plumber,"
but Argentina need Messi to play like a locksmith. The Barcelona star
is the only one on his team, perhaps the only one on Earth, with the
speed, precision, and guile to unlock Germany's defense. Algeria managed
a late consolation in their round of 16 match, but despite running the
Germans out of their cleats, couldn't crack the code when it mattered.
So how will the maestro look to conduct this operation? A look at the
two goals Ghana managed in their group stage game suggest Germany
possess three glaring weaknesses. Unfortunately for Argentina, two of
them have been remedied by manager Joachim Low, who moved captain
Philipp Lahm to his natural right back position from a spot in the
midfield. That decision, nudged along by an injury to starter Shkodran
Mustafi, freed Low to pair Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira as
deep-lying midfielders. The pair, charged with protecting the back four
and pinging smart passes up to the squad's stellar forward line, has
been nearly flawless.
The other issue -- center back Per Mertesacker's leaden feet -- is off
the table so long as Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels can stay on the
field. Mertesacker was beaten on both goals in the Ghana match. On the
first occasion, he was late to launch,
allowing Andre Ayew get his head to a looping cross. The second began
with a bad pass from Lahm, playing midfield at the time, and ended with Asamoah Gyan skating past the torpid Teuton.
Messi's best hope, winger Ángel di María, will likely be watching from
the sidelines. The Real Madrid star injured his thigh early in
Argentina's quarterfinal match and has sought to speed his recovery with
the help of some unproven stem cell treatments. With di María likely absent, manager Alejandro Sabella must choose between Diego Maradona's daughter's ex-husband,
Sergio Agüero, and Gonzalo Higuaín, two players who, though talented
goalscorers, lack threatening speed and have yet to make a compelling
partnership with Messi.
Brazil vs. Netherlands: Final score 0-3, Oranje comfortably win 3rd-place playoff
Brazil's World Cup ends in a whimper with a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands in the third-place game.
The Netherlands cruised past Brazil, 3-0 in Saturday's World Cup third-place playoff in Brasília. The Oranje scored
twice early in the first half and comfortably withstood the ensuing
pressure from the impotent hosts before adding a third late in the game.
If this was supposed to be a chance for the Seleção to reclaim some respect after being humiliated by Germany in the semifinal, it will go down as a missed opportunity.
It took the Netherlands only three minutes to break the deadlock, with Robin van Persie netting from the penalty spot after Arjen Robben
was tugged down by Thiago Silva. The incident appeared to occur outside
of the box, though a spot-kick was awarded and the defender escaped
with only a yellow card.
Brazil responded by bombarding the Dutch box with crosses, though they were almost invariably gobbled up by the Oranje center backs.
At the other end, Brazil's defensive woes continued. The Netherlands doubled their advantage in the 17th minute, when Daley Blind collected a David Luiz knockdown inside the box and calmly dispatched his
At the other end, Brazil's defensive woes continued. The Netherlands doubled their advantage in the 17th minute, when Daley Blind collected a David Luiz knockdown inside the box and calmly dispatched his shot into the roof of Júlio César's net.
From then until the break, the
Netherlands were cruising. Brazil didn't capitulate as they did against
Germany, but they never looked like getting back in the game after going
down two. Their best chance of the half came just over five minutes
before the interval, though Oscar's driven free kick flashed wide off
the head of Luiz Gustavo.
The hosts didn't look much
better after the restart. They still struggled to convert their
possession into goalscoring chances, and failed to seriously test Dutch
goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. Ramires wriggled into space on the edge of
the box just short of the hour, though he dragged his shot wide of the
far post.
Brazil should have at least had
some joy with just over 20 minutes left, when Oscar was clearly tripped
in the penalty area by Blind. However, the referee again made the wrong
call and booked the attacker for simulation.
The Netherlands capitalized to score a third in the first minute of stoppage time, when substitute Daryl Janmaat jinked down the right and laid on an assist for Georginio Wijnaldum in the box. A miserable World Cup campaign ended on a fittingly bad note for the Seleção.
Brazil: César; Maxwell, Silva, Luiz, Maicon; Gustavo (Fernandinho 46'), Paulinho (Hernanes 57'); Willian, Oscar, Ramires (Hulk 73'); Jô.
Goals: None.
Netherlands: Cillessen
(Vorm 90+3'); Martins Indi, Vlaar, de Vrij; Blind (Janmaat 70'), Clasie
(Veltman 90'), Wijnaldum, Kuyt; de Guzmán; Robben, van Persie.
Goals: van Persie (pen. 3'), Blind (17'), Wijnaldum (90+1')
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