World Cup!!!

[Matthew MacNish]

Lol, I'm torn. I cheer for Germany... but I picked Spain in our little pool. Oh, what to do, what to do?

I see what you mean. Still there's no denying that's not likely, you can blame it on the coin toss if you like.

[knight_tour]

Ted's bracket is looking better every day. Germany and Holland in the final? It's looking likely.

I just might get the final exactly right!

[Matthew MacNish]

I just have to say I'm quite glad to have seen Uruguay knocked out. They completely cheated Ghana out of the win. Gyan never should have had to take that penalty. The shot was in until that hand hit it on purpose.

[Bryan Russell/Ink]

So who else is excited for Germany vs. Spain? Yeah? Yeah?

[Claudie]

I just have to say I'm quite glad to have seen Uruguay knocked out. They completely cheated Ghana out of the win. Gyan never should have had to take that penalty. The shot was in until that hand hit it on purpose.

THAT. Netherlands will have my eternal gratitude for outing both Brazil and Uruguay (no, I have nothing against South America, despite what it looks like...)

I'll be cheering for Germany. Sure, they eliminated Argentina and England, my two starting teams, but their football is quite simply splendid. I like to watch them play.

[Nathan Bransford]

Wow, surprised to see that Spain won. Anyone watch it? Did Germany miss Muller that much or was Spain that good?

[Nick]

Wow, surprised to see that Spain won. Anyone watch it? Did Germany miss Muller that much or was Spain that good?

Really? I've been calling for Spain to the final since the get-go. Spain really are a brilliant side.

And quite happy to see the final I've been calling for ever since England got taken out of the tournament. Sunday should be a true cracker of a match.

[Nathan Bransford]

Wow, surprised to see that Spain won. Anyone watch it? Did Germany miss Muller that much or was Spain that good?

Really? I've been calling for Spain to the final since the get-go. Spain really are a brilliant side.

And quite happy to see the final I've been calling for ever since England got taken out of the tournament. Sunday should be a true cracker of a match.

Spain was looking good, but Germany was looking like a juggernaut. Of course, soccer is soccer.

[Nick]

Of course, Germany are always a juggernaut (well, West Germany if you go back far enough; East Germany was a failure). But one thing the Spanish side were good at in the Euro 08 final and have been good at throughout this tournament is chiseling down defenses. Rather then just haphazardly break forward and try to maneuver around defenses, they come at it from different angles and with different strategies to locate weak points, and them exploit them. In the end the match-winning goal came down to the luck of having been able to get into that position in the first place, but you could see Spain working down the defenses to find those weak spots throughout the match. Spain would've scored at some point during the game, even if Germany had won it. And really I think the best hopes for a German victory would've been penalty kicks. Even going way back in the day, shootouts are a vital part of German training. It's really Germany's specialty.

[Bryan Russell/Ink]

Wow, surprised to see that Spain won. Anyone watch it? Did Germany miss Muller that much or was Spain that good?

Well, Germany did miss Muller. They were lacking a bit of their customary fluidity, and his incisive runs and quality in possession might have made a difference. It was a fairly neutral game, with not too many chances on either end. Both teams were very disciplined. But I'd have to say that the better team, at least on this day, won. The Spanish short-passing game was as meticulous as always, and so Germany's time in possession was much reduced. And what the Spaniards haven't got enough credit for, I think, is how they've closed down the middle of the field and put constant pressure on opponents. Tremendous teamwork and discipline, and a great work rate. They seemed to smother so many of those great German counter-attacks that were killing England and Argentina. Muller might have helped... but there was never a lot of room to maneuver. Spain really closed things down and kept up the pressure. And when they get the ball it's so hard to get it back...

Really, it always seemed like they had more men on the field. There was always more red shirts than white around the ball, no matter which team had possession. That's part tactics and discipline... and part simple hustle. For all their skill, I've been just as impressed with how hard they compete. They're not big guys out making rough tackles... but they close down every ball, and swarm every passing lane. Time after time. It's quite a feat, really.

The Dutch play very similarly to the Germans, so the final is going to be just the same sort of stylistic conflict. Will it help the Dutch having a chance to watch this game? Might be a little intimidating. But they've found a way to pull out wins so far.

[Matthew MacNish]

There is no question that Muller would have made a difference but I'm afraid it would not have been enough. Spain's control of possession, especially in the middle of the field, as Bryan pointed out, was phenomenal. I missed the second part of the first half because I get off work at 3 but I caught the entire second half at home and it was seeming like every time Germany began a counter attack Spain had recovered possession within a pass or two. It was a strange match in a way because to my mind there was no question which side had been playing better football up until today, but I really think Spain's experience and finesse won out. Puyol sure made their backs look a little flat-footed on that amazing run and header during Spain's best set piece.

Speaking of set pieces I've been wondering about a trend I noticed in this year's cup. Not so much in the knockout rounds but definitely in the group stage it seemed like half the corners taken were simply dribbled or short passed in rather than crossed in front of the goal. Is this some kind of new strategy or was it just a matter of teams having confidence in some situations that they didn't need more goals? Bryan?

My heart still lies with Holland but it is exciting to know that whichever nation wins it will be their first time ever.

[Claudie]

Well, I don't know if it's a general trend, but I know Spain did it because they were smaller than the Germans and would not be able to get their heads on the ball first. Of course, that's how they scored but shhh!

The United States did something similar in their game against Ghana. They'd use long passes because most of their players were taller than the Africans and, indeed, most of the time they'd be the one to get the ball.

[knight_tour]

I couldn't watch because the game came on too late at night here. I hadn't been terribly impressed in the Spanish games I saw earlier in the Cup, so I thought Germany would win. I wish I could have watched it. I hope I can watch the final, though I'll be flying to Budapest that day, so not sure I'll be able to.

[steve]

Holland v Germany would have been epic.

A battle for the ages, not to mention Anne Frank.

Holland over Spain 2-0.

[xouba]

Holland over Spain 2-0.

As a spaniard, I completely disagree and hope that it's the opposite :-)

(Besides, the octopus Paul said that we'll win - go Paul!)