The World Cup of balance and extra time. Of shrewd defenses and counterattacks, of endless zero to zero suddenly revived when time is running out, of missed penalties and clamorous crosses, but not the World Cup of miracles: the skimming has taken place, the little ones go home amid applause and sincere compliments. “They gave everything”. “They held their own for 90 minutes,” and so on, but it wasn't enough.
The caudine gallows of the round of XNUMX give us back a slightly less upside down world. The world aristocracy is advancing, with old Europe raising its head and Africa proudly, with dignity, amid applause and sincere compliments (“They gave everything”), salutes. Outside Algeria, Nigeria, Greece, the United States and Switzerland. Mexico, Uruguay and Chile are also out. All reasonably close to a dream, but all stopped at a crossbar, a post or a few minutes from the finish line, and it couldn't have been otherwise.
Come on, now it's the grown-ups' turn. After two days of stoppage, and forced abstinence for global football addicts (somewhere, however, reruns will pass), Friday we start again with the quarter-finals, with two screaming matches. The first is a European derby of ancient nobility and pedigree: France-Germany, as in '82 and '86.
Neither side impressed in the round of XNUMX: France only got the better of a modest Nigeria late on, thanks to a duck from goalkeeper Enyeama and a goal from Paul Pogba, while Germany needed to get rid of Algeria extra time and a crazy Neuer in the double role of goalkeeper and (above all) free. Perhaps, Joachin Low's will go down in history as the least German Germany ever: technically very strong, sometimes amusing, but lacking the mental hardness that allowed far worse Germanys to get to the end. With France, however, she seems to be the favourites.
Then it's the turn of the South Americans, in a gourmet game: the Colombia show of James Rodriguez and Cuadrado against Neymar's Brazil. The Cafeteros play better and, it seems absurd to say, have much more talent than Brazil in the forward department. The pressure, however, risks playing a bad joke on the Colombians, who could melt in the scorching temperature of Fortaleza, in front of a more experienced and experienced team.
Saturday, however, opens with Argentina and Belgium. Sabella's men play tremendous football, with the team split into two sections and all offensive initiatives entrusted to Messi and Di Maria, two men (too) alone in command. However, somehow it works and, paradoxically, Belgium, an assorted team with a great technical level (seeing is believing how the two full-backs change the game) could be a more comfortable opponent, from a tactical point of view, than Switzerland. For me, the Albiceleste will win (and not only tomorrow), because in a World Cup of imperfect teams, the one with the best individuality is the one with the most opportunities.
The last challenge is the one that would seem to have the most closed prediction. Alien Robben's Netherlands narrowly escaped elimination against Mexico and will now face Costa Rica, the only Cinderella survivors of the round of XNUMX (but they were playing Greece). The ticos risk having a full stomach for having already made history, and they will have to change something in defense, because Robben and his teammates will go along with the offside tactic of Pinto's team.
