New Media Assistant and former Panther standout Chris Lins checks in with his latest World Cup thoughts
It has certainly been a World Cup of ups and downs. Twenty minutes in to the Brazil vs. Netherlands game, Brazil looked poised and on form taking the lead. To much of my surprise (and I'm sure many others) they looked confused and didn't know how to react after the own goal by Felipe Melo, the second Dutch goal and finally the sending off of Felipe Melo. It was the first time Brazil was tested and they failed.
Uruguay vs. Ghana was another match that was worth watching the full 120 plus minutes of play. Both teams played exciting soccer throughout the match and it all climaxed at the 121st minute when Suarez handled the ball on the goal line to give Ghana the chance to send the first African nation to the semifinals, EVER! I guess the pressure was too intense and Asamoah Gyan missed penalty to send the game into a shoot out. With that miss, Uruaguay certainly had the momentum going into the shoot out and ended up winning.
With only one more semifinal game to be played (Germany vs. Spain) regardless of who wins, the final is sure to be much anticipated. It's tough to pick who will win this match up but I think that the winner of Spain & Germany will take the Cup. Netherlands is a good team but they have been pretty lucky throughout the tournament and for them to win, they will need all the luck they can get. Germany is looking very good after dominating Argentina in the quarter-finals. Spain on the other hand is probably one of the best passing teams in the world but, have struggled to find their best form. Maybe they'll find it against Germany?
It's all about peaking and finding your best form at the right time. It will be interesting to see if Spain can find that form that made them European Champions in 2008. Can Germany continue to play at the level they have been or did they peak too soon?
We'll find out soon enough!
