Soccer Fan Blog

The yesterday party was appearing epic. The Centenary Stadium packed by 60.000 spectators, was roaring hours before the party waiting for a fratricidal duel that could have all the possible ends: both Uruguay and Argentina could achieve a direct square for the World cup, have to play the play-off and even stay out (losing the party and gaining his Ecuador).

Ninety minutes later everything stayed as it started: Argentina already has ticket to South Africa, Uruguay will play the play-off against Costa Rica and Ecuador has lost a historical opportunity. And of this hour and a half it is not possible to extract anything good. The party was horrible: for every wise move it was necessary to support ten bugs and if half an hour had finished earlier nobody would have complained.

Uruguay was willful while he was born by the excitement and the legs, but it played with too many vertical position, unable to give a dozen of followed passes. It defended well in spite of exiting with only three defenses; especially in the first part with the anticipated lines, what provoked that most of the weather was staking in Argentine area. Pero Forlán found not even the half occasion that he needs to dial up and Luis Suárez touched more but without scarcely I am in danger. Five men that it put Óscar Tabárez in centrocampo managed to drown the albiceleste but they attacked to stumbles, without command, and the goal that was classifying them straight never came.

Argentina appeared with four head offices that are not, any, between the best ten of the world. Especially sangrante is Heinze’s case: of left side street it does not exist. Ahead Mascherano, with the captain’s bracelet and expiring as always. Accompanying the Jefecito there was The Witch Verón, who tried for all the means to give a little of sense to the game, but it did not achieve it (as it recognized after the party): your determination in reaching port led him to searching the too much ball below and, when it was coming to him, Higuaín and especially Messi they were that far … agilely Di Maria began good, gaining him the game to your partner of the Benfica, Maximiliano Pereira, but it was diluted. Jonás Gutiérrez scrolled and nothing more.

The forwards deserve separate chapter. Higuaín is an authentic legionary. It does not matter that it plays of beginning or of substitute, in Madrid or with the albiceleste, being the only one top or surrounded with cracks with more it presses. The Pipita not for, desmarca without rest, to the back of the defense or for the rail of eight, since he more likes. But the fact is that in parties as those of yesterday, with the midfielders of your team with problems to go on from the half field, a desmarque is dialed up after other to support, plays of the first and a second later it is already giving another output. For me the yesterday best, because in addition to throwing desire desire it tried to be intelligent.

Messi is a case that is complicated. After one week in which the doubt about your role has been sowed in the selection, the yesterday party does not do any more that to throw firewood to the fire. Those who believe that it is not delivered, that he does not search the ball as much as it should and that it does not dial the differences up possess reasons to keep on poking in the wound; those who think that neither with a team as broken as the Argentinian nor the best of the world it can do very much, also have your motives. Argentina and Messi are needed mutually and both seem to hope that it should improve other to do the proper thing.

The albiceleste had some control on the ball in the second half, especially after the soothing news about the goal of Chile to Ecuador. In the bar some Argentinian was saying with sarcasm that that was the best thing that Bielsa had done for Argentina. Maradona bore three changes up to the last quarter of an hour, in what it looked like a “Virgencita, that I remained how is life”. Di Maria, Higuaín and Messi were replaced, while Jonás Gutiérrez was remaining in the field: a real injustice. Uruguay was losing bellows until Caceres demonstrated that it has no level to play in a defense of three (not of head office for the Barca, at least at the moment) and that your objective yesterday was more to attract attention (eye to as one cuts the sleeves away to the last fashion) than to be right in it. Two cards to correct two bugs and to the shower to take site.

In the minute 85 the Argentine goal came, by means of a newly input Mario Bolatti, 5 with future that nothing more was praised by any old dog of the bar to view it jumping to the field. After the goal, the albiceleste arranged of several contras in equality or numerical superiority that, in a shameful act (since it was not changing anything if they were receiving somewhat in against), they ended up by touching the ball backwards or escaping to rest to the córner. An attitude that paints the portrait of Maradona, about which I will speak in a next post because it deserves separate mention.

Anyway: an ugly party, into which the foot got up to the goal of Chile and little more. From Uruguay it is not expected very much but Argentina disappoints. Only one miracle can do that they do slightly important in the World cup of South Africa 2010.

Photo | Olé