The 2014 FIFA World Cup is over now and if you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms like me, then maybe we should look back at the highlights of the World Cup that made it great and what it will be remembered for.
1. Open tournament with no clear favourites.
Every major tournament since 1998 (when I first started watching) had a predictable winner with Euro '04 and World Cup '06 being exceptions. This time round though, picking a winner wasn't so simple.
There was a different mentality coming from the "smaller" teams. Usually teams would defend heavily against a team that they are under-matched with and just hope to get a result. However, it seems like everybody got together and said, yeah, we're all gonna go for it this year. And that was exactly what happened, especially in the group stages (the knockouts were noticeably more cautious). These teams attacked and threatened to upset the status quo.
Teams that usually get written off from qualifying out of the group stages put up a good fight, and teams that usually bow out in the Round of 16 or Quarters were playing with the belief of world champions.
Germany needed extra time against Algeria, Australia went toe to toe with Holland, Chile were denied by Brazil via penalties and Iran almost got a result against Argentina. The underdogs (almost) had their day.
2. Three groups of death; there will be blood!!
After every pre-tournament draw, the buzz will always be about who has been drawn into the "Group of Death," in which there are at least 3 big teams unusually drawn into the same group, setting up the possibility that at least one of them will get eliminated. While people have had their arguments over which is the true GoD, in general, we had three. Groups B, D, and G.
3. Giant slayers, Costa Rica.
And as GoD's promise, giants did fall. Previous winners Spain suffered a shock elimination in the group stages. USA edged out Portugal, but perhaps the biggest shock of all, Costa Rica went undefeated to top Group D ahead of Uruguay, effectively eliminating Italy and England, the latter three all World Cup winners. Nobody, I repeat, NOBODY, saw that coming.
4. Amazing goalkeepers.
Often, the goalkeepers are overlooked, but this year, they have grabbed the headlines. Just to name a few, Guillermo Ochoa (MEX), Keylor Navas (CRC), arguably Tim Krul (NED), David Ospina (COL) all produced classy goalkeeping. Germany's Manuel Neuer (pictured above), who eventually won the Golden Glove award, reintroduced the sweeper-goalkeeper role to the world, proving that the GK isn't just a person standing between the posts. He may not be as outrageous as Rene Higuita of old, but that's the thing; he found a balance and was a master-class.
Perhaps a special mention goes to Tim Howard of USA. Howard tallied a total of 16 saves (depicted above) in the defeat against Belgium, which is a record number of saves from a GK, ever recorded in the World Cup. Moments later, the Wikipedia page for the Secretary of Defence for the United States was changed to Tim Howard.
Perhaps a special mention goes to Tim Howard of USA. Howard tallied a total of 16 saves (depicted above) in the defeat against Belgium, which is a record number of saves from a GK, ever recorded in the World Cup. Moments later, the Wikipedia page for the Secretary of Defence for the United States was changed to Tim Howard. 5. James Rodriguez. The boy's a bit special.
Call him James or Ha-Mes, J.Rod has been THE player of the tournament, bagging in 6 goals (scoring in every game he played), 2 assists, and 3 Man of the Match performances for Colombia. His 6 goals earned him the Golden Boot award (top scorer) and mind you, all 6 goals were really good, especially this one...
And how about the celebrations? Shakira would be proud.
Quite easy on the eyes too, huh?
Aged just 23, James has the world ahead of him now. Rumour has it he is on his way to a big money move to Real Madrid. Wherever he will be, there's no doubt the generation of kids who just got introduced to the World Cup will be idolizing him just like ours idolized Ronaldo and Zidane.
6. Luis Suarez. The boy's a different kind of special.
Genius on the ball, but unsound in the mind? You've probably heard it, Luis Suarez bit an opposition player in the World Cup. What you've probably not heard, this is the third of such incidents, first from when he was playing for Ajax, second for Liverpool. Great talent, but why?
7. The fall of Spain and Tiki-Taka.
Admit it, we were all getting sick of Spain winning everything. From Euro '08 to World Cup '10 to Euro '12, I think it's fair to say, we needed a breath of fresh air from all the Tiki Taka. Still, they stayed at the top for 6 years and will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest teams of all time. End of the Spanish dominance? We'll see. At any rate, we are about to see the revival of the pacey winger, and a new kind of central midfielder. Maestros like Xavi and Pirlo are no longer in vogue. A new mould of CM's are on the rise. Those who can go box to box, break up play and still offer an outlet going forward, are about to take over. Think Arturo Vidal, Yaya Toure, Paul Pogba. As for Spain, Koke should be the way forward.
8. Jang Ye Won.
The South Korean newscaster became an internet sensation after this shot of her smiling to the camera went viral. I think the guys were slightly overrating her by the end, but yea, it's a pleasant sight. Heard she gained over 12,000 followers on Twitter ever since.
This is how we would have reacted if we realised we were on camera.
9. The managers did not fall behind in all the glitz and glamour.
Joachim Loew (GER) was caught picking his nose before shaking hands with Cristiano Ronaldo. Last World Cup he was caught picking and then eating it.
Croatia's Niko Kovac is probably Joseph Gordon-Levitt's long lost brother.
Miguel Herrera (MEX) captured the hearts of millions with his passionate displays at the sidelines. I love these, here's a few.
Slow mo in the rain....
Super Saiyan mode
He can't even play it cool for just a second.
In contrast, Alejandro Sabella (ARG) just couldn't handle it.
10. Louis van Gaal and his tactical master-stroke?
Not much was expected of The Netherlands this time round. LVG's choice of tactics, draw into a GoD, and selection of inexperienced home-based players resulted in some lowered expectations, with a poll suggesting only 5% of the Dutch public believed they would win the Cup. The only people interested were probably Manchester United fans.
As it turned out, LVG's side massively overachieved, coming out as second runners up. The media has branded him a tactical genius, but is he really? Yes, he subbed in a GK Tim Krul just for a penalty shootout but this isn't an entirely new tactic. Tim Krul has a greater height and reach and is a more intimidating figure to face in a shootout anyways.
Well the fact of the matter is, Krul had previously only made 2 saves out of 20 penalties for his club. Hardly a penalty expert. But perhaps his manager's confidence in playing him JUST for the penalties, made him one. Pygmalion effect, anybody? And one more thing. We all know penalties are mental as much as they are technical. Did LVG make Costa Rica believe that Tim Krul was a good shotstopper just by bringing him on? The mental effect cannot be underestimated. LVG basically went all in with his chips when in fact he had an average hand. Apparently, Costa Rica folded. Kinda.
11. Checking out who was the best at arm-folding.
Basically they pre-recorded every single player turning to the camera and folding their arms, so they could show it with the starting lineups before the games.
Slate has a very comprehensive analysis as to who won the World Cup of arm folding. You can check it out here, it's hilarious!
12. The goals.
We wanted goals, and we got them. Brazil '14 saw 171 goals scored, joint highest in history with France '98. Don't want to get started on the top goals of the tournament, but you could at least watch this sweet first time volley by Tim Cahill (AUS)....
... and this diving header by Robin van Persie (NED)
... and Jermaine Jones' (USA) stunning strike.
13. The new technology
It has finally arrived! Goal line technology. Football is no stranger to controversies and one of the biggest ones that could happen is when the referee gives a goal when the ball had not crossed the line, or when he doesn't give it when it in fact did. With the new system, we can now be assured that the right decision will be made.
This one came as a surprise to most fans. This is the first time the "Vanishing Spray" is being used in the World Cup, having been used in South America, prior. Simple initiative, yet it makes quite a bit of difference, doesn't it? The subject's been a big hit with fans, even being brought up on Sunday social games. "Eh, ref! Never bring your spray ah?"
The Japanese ref above, Yuichi Nishimura was the first person to use it in the World Cup. Personally, he blew my mind when he did it. How straight is that line? And in one stroke? Damn these Japanese and their pursuit of perfection. He probably practised that like a samurai with his sword. A shame, he had a poor game though.
14. Watching the games together.
The subscription fees for having football on your TV is getting more and more expensive. It's not a very big issue to me since I usually stream. But for this World Cup, I've caught the majority of it outside, be it at friends' houses or Community Centres. You can catch it at your favourite pub, coffee shop, McDonalds, they were even screening it at schools and the new Sports Hub. Wherever it is, it is always more fun to watch with a crowd. I have to commend the wonderful effort my local Radin Mas CC (bottom half of the picture) has put into the live screenings. They gave away goodie bags, they sold snacks and refreshments, they had mini games, lucky draws and more. I really enjoyed watching the game and the reactions of everybody else.
15. Andy's father is the God of Gambling.
Yea, you've seen it. The infamous anti gambling ad from none other than Singapore. The whole world were going on about how the NCPG had kicked an own goal with the ad. Yea, yea, we get the pun. It even made it's way to BuzzFeed and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
The NCPG responded by saying that choosing Germany was a more realistic scenario as you wouldn't bet too much money on a weak team. Makes sense. I personally don't feel that there's much wrong in the ad. The message is clear; even if the dad wins, his addiction will keep him wanting for more until one day, he will lose everything. And Andy will still not get his savings back. It's all right to see the funny side, I guess. At least Singapore finally made it's way to the World Cup.
Post by Faris Samri.
16. The highs and lows of David Luiz and Brazil.
David Luiz became a personification somewhat of Brazil's emotions in the tournament. In the early stages, he forged a decent partnership in defence with Thiago Silva and even scored a goal against Chile in the Round of 16. Then it was crunch time in the Quarter Finals vs a determined, free-flowing Colombia, driven by James Rodriguez and co. Brazil delivered, winning the game 2-1, with David Luiz scoring an absolute beauty of a free kick, sending the nation into euphoria.
It all went downhill from there. The next game was to be THAT semi final against Germany. Brazil were missing their captain Thiago Silva through suspension and instead of stepping up, he produced a dismal display.
Let me begin by saying that I never understood why he is a defender in the first place. To be fair, Fernandinho and Gustavo didn't really offer him a good pivot, but Luiz was throwing the ball away out of defence every time he had it, with a 50/50 cross field pass. His positioning was messy, and he looked more concerned about lurking in attacking positions, rather than getting organized at the back. Marcelo was also rubbish. Had to include that. In conclusion, Luiz had a terrible game, and Brazil slumped to their heaviest defeat in the World Cup.
17. THAT semi final. Point number 17, get it?
Brazil 1 Germany 7 will go down as the most memorable semi final ever in history. Never before have we seen anything like it, and possibly never again. A lot have been said about bad defending on Brazil's part, but Germany's attacking should be commended. Their victory was all about good decision making in the final third, and the "extra pass" in the penalty box. At the same time, they kept their shape, organized, passed and moved. Basically, they taught Brazil how to play football.
This is the match that this World Cup will be remembered for.
18. The late game action.
Gotta love late drama. There were some spectacular finishes to the games, with winning goals right at the death. John Brooks scored in the 86th minute to give USA the lead against Ghana. USA then found themselves on the receiving end of a 95th minute equalizer for Portugal, courtesy of Silvestre Varela.
Georgios Samaras (GRE) converted a 93rd minute (soft) penalty against Ivory Coast. France needed a 92nd minute own goal to seal the deal against Nigeria. Switzerland had a 93rd minute winner against Ecuador. And how about that 91st minute strike by Lionel Messi (ARG) against a resolute Iranian defence!
There's still more! Algeria holding Germany for 90 minutes only to concede 2 in extra time and THEN turning heads again with a speculative 121st minute goal? Similarly, USA conceded 2 in extra time against Belgium but also scored a speculative 107th minute goal, which ALMOST sparked a comeback if it weren't for their very late misses. Just when it looked like Argentina and Switzerland were destined for penalties, Lionel Messi put Angel Di Maria through for a 118th minute winner.
Of course, we cannot leave out the final game itself. Sure, it wasn't a goalfest, but by no means was it a dull affair. The game was pretty open with some positive football played from end to end. Both sides had plenty of opportunities to score, but it was to be only one man who could pull the sword from the stone.
Cometh the moment, cometh the man. After 113 minutes, 7 minutes away from a penalty shootout, Mario Gotze scores the decisive goal to end it. And what a goal it was!
A World Cup of late goals indeed.
19. The Internet went crazy with memes.
There are way too many, but here's a few.
Brazil's performance.
Bruno Martins Indi has crazy eyes.
Ted Mosby's doppelgänger, Guillermo Ochoa.
Rodrigo Palacio's hair
Suarez after he bit Giorgio Chiellini
Robin van Persie was nicknamed The Flying Dutchman after his diving header goal.
Sabella falling, or was he?
No, he got Shoryuken-ed by Ryu!
and finally, my personal favourite, #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave
Chiellini from Suarez.
The Titanic.
Sabella, also featuring the kung fu kick of Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
Janet Jackson's nip slip.
Ned Stark.
Steven Gerrard and Liverpool's title hopes.
At 27 years of age, Messi is in his prime and this could have been the last chance for him to win a World Cup. It became a hot topic because some people have issues with the best player in the world having not won a World Cup. It formed an interesting story arc throughout the tournament.
(I went on to type a chunk of words regarding this matter but I figured it's too lengthy so I'll save it for another post.)
This World Cup will not be remembered for a dazzling display by Lionel Messi, but by the expectation that was laid down upon him to bring back the trophy. Never have I seen a more burdened player to the point that it was impossible not to root for the guy. Lets face it, unless you are one of those #TeamCristiano fans which automatically makes you #AntiMessi, then no matter what team you were supporting, it wouldn't have been a bad idea at all if Messi had won it for Argentina.
Whether or not Messi deserved the Golden Ball (MVP) is debatable, but for the way he has played for Argentina this tournament, dropping deep, pulling the strings and providing vital goals and passes, he deserves some form of recognition, at least.
The Golden Ball was a mere consolation.
Because what is football without the fans?
Brazil's performance.
Bruno Martins Indi has crazy eyes.
Ted Mosby's doppelgänger, Guillermo Ochoa.
Rodrigo Palacio's hair
Suarez after he bit Giorgio Chiellini
Robin van Persie was nicknamed The Flying Dutchman after his diving header goal.
Sabella falling, or was he?
No, he got Shoryuken-ed by Ryu!
and finally, my personal favourite, #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave
Chiellini from Suarez.
The Titanic.
Sabella, also featuring the kung fu kick of Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
Janet Jackson's nip slip.
Ned Stark.
Steven Gerrard and Liverpool's title hopes.
20. A determined Lionel Messi.
At 27 years of age, Messi is in his prime and this could have been the last chance for him to win a World Cup. It became a hot topic because some people have issues with the best player in the world having not won a World Cup. It formed an interesting story arc throughout the tournament.
(I went on to type a chunk of words regarding this matter but I figured it's too lengthy so I'll save it for another post.)
This World Cup will not be remembered for a dazzling display by Lionel Messi, but by the expectation that was laid down upon him to bring back the trophy. Never have I seen a more burdened player to the point that it was impossible not to root for the guy. Lets face it, unless you are one of those #TeamCristiano fans which automatically makes you #AntiMessi, then no matter what team you were supporting, it wouldn't have been a bad idea at all if Messi had won it for Argentina.
Whether or not Messi deserved the Golden Ball (MVP) is debatable, but for the way he has played for Argentina this tournament, dropping deep, pulling the strings and providing vital goals and passes, he deserves some form of recognition, at least.
The Golden Ball was a mere consolation.
21. The fans.
Because what is football without the fans?
