The minnows capture an innocent beauty of the World Cup.
Iran vs Nigeria, 0-0.
No superstars, no goals, no real clear chances or highlights. Boring right?..
One of the most enjoyable matches I have watched. Definitely more so than Germany trouncing Portugal.
It was quite an experience watching these two games on the same day.
One match, littered with stars, and big name players that most the fans came to see. And those players knew it. They strutted around the pitch with a sense of self righteousness and some even did the wink during the National Anthem, cringe.
The players took offense to each others challenges too. This highlighted by the Muller/Pepe exchange. God forbid contact be made in a contact sport.
The challenges in the Iran/Nigeria match were heavier. They came in desperate attempts to win the ball and fight for the cause of their shirt, not their ego. And when too much contact was made, an apologetic hand was offered to help the bearer of the challenge to his feet.
There were no egos, just eagerness to find a winner. None of the players berated each other for missing or not giving a pass. Even when a teammate made a mistake, lost possession for example, another sprinted in to try help win it back and minimize the damage, save his blushes. Sadly yesterday and today, I saw neither Ronaldo or Messi do that once.
I’m not having a dig at the stars here. They have reputations for good reason, they are the elite. Some of them became that way due to the environment, and some of them would be nothing without their ego.
What I’m saying is we shouldn’t lament Bale or Zlatan not being in Brazil. We see these players plenty of through the season.
Instead, we should appreciate the true beauty of a World Cup. Get up to watch a pair of minnows battle it out. Watch them appreciate the day they took the world stage.
No doubt, it is a day they will talk about for the rest of their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment