Até mais tarde Brazil (See you later Brazil) –
Germany’s Coach – Joachim Loew
Yes, the World Cup is over. Futbal will take a breather, and for most Brazilians, they will go back to the regular lives. The month-long festivities, which cost Brazil many Real, was likely dressing up in fancy clothes for a ball. Once the World Cup and FIFA have departed, it is business as usual for most of the Brasileiros.
Super Mario Gotze just after scoring
Germany scored in the extra time, on a late goal by Mario Götze, and it was enough.
The Germans held on to win 1-0. Argentina’s Lionel Messi had a free kick opportunity with seconds left, but he was too far out, and had to put more effort into the kick, and it sailed over the top of the goal.
The game ended seconds later
As a kid, I played soccer, or rather kick-ball, even before softball, or basketball. In my head, I can still see the field at the Woodbury Avenue Elementary School, in Huntington, New York. The school was demolished in 1988. But the seeds for soccer were planted in me.
As for the television coverage of this year’s World Cup, broadcast by both ESPN and ABC, I thought the coverage was excellent. I won’t discuss the announcers or the halftime analysts, as I don’t really know them. But from a spectators perspective, considering the crowd shots, the on-field action, the closeups, and the multiple replays – they could not have done a better job.
So kudos to Germany and thanks for a valiant effort to Argentina. The Netherlands easily bested Brazil in the Third Place Consolation Game for the losers in the two semi-final games.
Long ago, on ABC, there was a tv show called the Wide World of Sports which opened with these words:
Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition…
These words were written by Stanley Ralph Ross, and spoken by Jim McKay. Neither of these gentlemen are alive today, but those words seem so appropriate in the aftermath of yesterdays game.
In these last three photos, we have a huge crowd at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate during the game, then post game. I’d bet the party is still going strong. And then the headlines on the German newspapers.
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