At the time of writing, the World Cup 2014 Semi Finals have yet to be played. The protagonists are Brazil v Germany and Netherlands v Argentina. With five wins, Brazil have the most auspicious World Cup record, followed by Germany with three wins and Argentina, who have won the cup twice. Netherlands have featured in the final three times, but have never won. Being British, I'm favouring the underdogs, which, in this case, must be the Dutch. It would be great to see them succeed and finally lift the trophy rather than being the plucky also-rans. However, there is one aspect of the Netherlands play that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
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| Suarez Bites Chiellini |
As with most World Cup Finals, there have been those players whose antics, when fouled, have been worthy of an Oscar nomination. A tap on the shin can lead to theatrical dives and rolling around on the field of play as if the player in question has been poleaxed. It is an unfortunate aspect of the modern game and it is clear from some of the players' actions that it is a part of their game that they must practice - see this tongue-in-cheek video (
Diving Practice). The bottom line of such deeds is that it is cheating, pure and simple. Once Suarez was taken out of the equation for his physical attack on the Italian player Giorgio Chiellini, the tournament seemed to take a turn for the better. However, waiting in the wings was Arjen Robben.
When Netherlands played Mexico on Sunday 29th June 2014, the knockout phase of the World Cup Finals was in full swing. With the score drawing at 1 - 1 and the game looking like it was heading into extra time, Arjen Robben entered the penalty area and dived spectacularly after minimal contact from Mexico's Marquez. The resultant penalty was converted and Netherlands went through to the Quarter Finals. By his own admission, this wasn't the only time he'd taken a dive during the match - although he didn't dive to get the penalty, honest!
Despite this, I want the Dutch to win as they are the only team in the semi finals not to have won the World Cup. If this win comes with a red card for Robben for diving, then that would be a scenario I could live with.
