Match Twenty Four: The Last Man Standing

Have you ever watched a movie, a survival/apocalypse-type one,

Where there's this protagonist so possible to make it to the end,

Because he's the strongest, and most dependable of the group,

Yet has to die of sacrificing himself?

Yes that's what I exactly saw,

When I watched this match

Brazil vs Keylor Navas

Group E

Seen inside the picture, one of the best player in the world, and oh
that's Neymar the crybaby on the right. Pic's from here.

I'm not exaggerating. It's literally the whole squad of one-of-world's-best football team, against Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas. If you ask me how many saves and punches and tackles and other forms of goalkeeping that he did, I can't answer because it was literally that many. Brazil was on their ultimate attack mode and they really did countless of shots and sieges. But those attempts turned up to be mere shit because Keylor Navas, one of the best goalkeeper I saw with my very own eyes rising in Brazil 2014, flushed those Brazilian poos away.

It's not until minute 90+1 -yes, it was entering stoppage time already- when Navas finally started losing his grip, and Brazil broke the crazy goalkeeper's walls through Philippe Coutinho. Then Neymar -ewh- showed his capability by adding to Brazil's victory on minute 90+7 -really unfair to me, honestly, because it was past the stoppage time. But then again, it's only nature for Brazil to score both goals because Neymar is a human. He has his limit.

Anyway, it's a fortunate comeback from Neymar to save his own ass from embarrassment, given the fact that he hadn't made any goal while Coutinho had scored twice. Plus, as ever, Neymar had been a complete asshole throughout the game with all his stupid acts, exaggerating non-sense injury, imbecile complains, and on top of all, an ultimate super-obvious diving that almost rewarded Brazil an unfair penalty. The stupid referee had actually decided it was a penalty, but thanks to VAR -in which Costa Rican players need to convince him so hard to check on the screen, it was cancelled and ALL THE SHAME WAS ON YOU, YOU FUCKING DRAMA QUEEN BRAZILIAN TRASH BIN!

But okay, I'm not here to talk about that brat Neymar.

Let that bitch be, he got all the embarrassment he deserved.

This post is dedicated to Keylor Navas.

Obviously the man of the match, to everybody who really watched the game. FIFA decided it was Coutinho who got the title but screw that shit. It's close to rare that goalkeepers got the title although they defend their goal much better than the whole squad try to score goals.

If only, IF ONLY, Costa Rica did more offense, try to rely on attacking, buying time for their goalkeeper to take his time and breathe, and actually score goals rather than defending and counting on Navas, or, IF ONLY, Navas' stamina is unlimited, well, I don't see why Costa Rica can win or at least make it a draw. I didn't think Brazil is on their best shape because, hello, it took them almost the whole match to finally score goals, remember?

Ahh well, Navas...

You may be the last man to be considered hero,

But you were definitely the first one in my mind

For the title "Best Player"

Beyond Saving Goals

As a part of World Cup 2014 closing posts,

And as I much promised I'd talk a lot about,

I think it's just the time to have a tribute

To the best goalkeepers.

Let's save time about how astonishing goalkeepers are in this World Cup, by quoting one of the best living football players -whose tweets and stuff were really becoming my enlightenment along the cup- that I looked after

"The quality of goalkeeping at this World Cup has been extraordinarily high." -- Gary Lineker

See huh? All these times, I didn't say it just by basing on my naked thoughts about football--even a pro agreed to what I thought! Man, I really have to actually go to Mr Lineker and show all my analysis towards the World Cup, who knows he'll make me his apprentice.

So!

From Beto to Fernando Muslera, Claudio Bravo to Diego Benaglio, lots of crazy goalkeepers appearing in this World Cup are... Crazy. Like seriously, they played well! Lots of matches ended up with no score, or tied, but then those kind of matches were a hell lot more entertaining because the keepers are... Crazy!!

Out of those many good keepers, of course, I have a set of GKs I favorited.

Ecuadorian Alexander Dominguez and Nigerian Vincent Enyeama are two that I like from the underdog teams. I saw Dominguez's great game against France, and Enyeama's best game was against, oh what are the odds, France as well! One more from the underdogs, that now has become the whole world's dear, is Keylor Navas. He's just plain good.

Pic's from here, here and here

From moderate team, I vote for, who else, but Guillermo Ochoa. His game against Brazil, was like the one giving me the 'slap in the face' made me realize that this World Cup's goalkeepers are crazy asses. While out of keepers from top teams, duh I don't wanna be seemed too shallow and mainstream but, my fave one is like everybody else's fave one. Manuel Neuer. Oh but in my defense, I adored him since 2010, especially after I explored that he was born on March 27th. Yes, we shared the same birth date and that's the reason why I like him.

Ochoa's pic's from here, Neuer's from here

But then, it's not called 'favorite' if I have many that I like. So I made a decision that I do have one goalkeeper that I like the most. The one that truly won my heart by giving such crazy, constant game from the very beginning to the day he lost. Lost with dignity, because he also stole everybody else's heart. Yes, I made tons of posts about him so you might've known, it's

Tim Howard

Tim's pic, from here

Sick. Really.

I think I said this before, but who cares I'm gonna say it again:

Your performances, my idols, really altered my perceptions about goalkeepers.

Before this, goalkeepers are something I -and probably most watchers in the entire globe- took for granted. You don't do much. The best you can do is just preventing your team from losing, not to drive your squad to winning. But now, I see it differently.

Your roles remain the same: conducting saves, not attacks. But the saves you made, could actually boost your team mates to produce. Keepers don't literally score goals, but your passion move everybody else to want to score goals.

I realized that in the match of USA vs Belgium, where Tim Howard's saves could actually gave spirit to Julian Green's closing goal. Then I was so sure about everything after Brazil vs Germany, where Julio Cesar's devastation led to more conceded goals from Germany and lacking of goals to Germany.

Well.

Thanks guys for making this cup so different.

Thank you all for bringing it to a whole new level.

You didn't just save your goal, your match, your team,

You also saved my excitement

The Rising Underdogs

You might got bored already reading word "underdog" in this blog. To be honest, I am too. But what can I do, this World Cup has surprisingly highlighted underdogs team like I never seen before!

It all started in the round of 16.

Each of Chile, Nigeria, Algeria, Switzerland and USA -oh God, USA, I missed them already- gave too much things to be handled by their match-mate. Great games happened when small teams met big ones, when we got to see like Brazil, Uruguay, France, Germany and Argentina were like working their asses off to show that they were big. But the greatest game was, when underdogs met each other. Costa Rica vs Greece, Belgium vs USA. The last match was even too good to be missed.

Then proceed to the quarter final round.

Only Colombia, Costa Rica and Belgium survived.

Once again, all three out of four matches, that has underdogs in it, turned to be extraordinarily awesome -the other match consisting big teams France and Germany, apparently, damn dead. Not even one big team facing those three, could win easily. Brazil should lost Neymar, and Argentina, well, for me they won by luck. Even Netherlands, one team that has clean sheets over the first rounds they played, should be forced to play extra time and ended up in the penalty shoot-out against Costa Rica.

Costa Rica.

I should've been so mad at this team. They were also one of reasons why England couldn't go on to the next round. But I forgot about dramas in Group D already. Logic over emotion. They actually played well. The captain was capable, the manager was crafted, the keeper was--oh, the keeper. I don't know what else to say, I talked too much about too many too good keepers in this World Cup. Maybe this screenshot could describe how I felt.

Costa Rica.

Trapped in one of the hell group, eventually became the hell itself. They can even proceed further than any of their group mates which were all European giants. And their game last night, which started really slow and dull, but ended up with a massive climax, marked the rising of underdogs.

Another match suited the end of the round. Too sweet.

They who you didn't even see before. Pic's from here.

It all started in the round of 16, and ended up last night.

With Costa Rica leaving, all four semifinalists now are big teams you might've predicted to crowd the last two stages of the tournament. Could turn to be boring like France versus Germany two days ago, but since it's the semi final round and host country Brazil is also there, things would be somewhat interesting.

What a cup. 60 games full of underdogs giving surprises.

I hope the phenomenon's not only occurred in this World Cup.

It's really, tremendously amazing to see teams you took for granted,

Show their true colors and give a hell of a game to big clubs you favorite.

Excitement I never expected from football