By Mark Vincent Lincir
Uruguay will be left wondering if Robin Van Persie should have been called offside on Wesley Sneijder’s goal.
Survey says…correct no call by the official.
Not that I’m losing too much sleep over that one. Justice was served today and the better team advanced to the Final. But it wasn’t until the Netherlands withstood a frantic Uruguay charge with just seconds left that almost saw them equalize.
Uruguay did control the game at times and played very nice soccer. They did miss Luis Suarez, but that was nobody’s fault but his own. The Netherlands looked balanced and confident but lacked some savvy up top until Sneijder and Robben scored goals three minutes apart in the second half to send Uruguay home.
Regardless of what happens in the Final (unless it’s a bicycle kick) van Brockhorst’s game opening blast from 30 yards out will surely be the goal of the tournament. How much confidence do you need to even try that shot? It was a beauty and I don’t care how much the goalkeepers bitch about the Jabulani…that ball is here to stay!
TOMORROW’S other semifinal will surely be an epic battle. Does Spain start a struggling Torres (I say no)? And does Fabregas finally see the starting eleven (he had better if they want to win)? Germany is playing with more confidence than any other team in the tournament and will be tough to beat. But if there is a team that can do it, it’s the super-talented and technically gifted Spanish side. Look for it to be a low-scoring match that features both teams unwilling to expose themselves.
Germany 1…Spain 0
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Mark Vincent Lincir is the Editor-In-Chief of www.90soccer.com he can be reached at [email protected]
