Of necessity, the World Cup is quite clannish. Half the world will get behind the Spanish, The other half will champion the Dutch, For whom sweet victory will surely banish The hurt of losing finals, inasmuch As that peculiar pain can ever vanish. Total football had us all enamoured – Fluency while all around them […]

Where was the free kick from outside the box, The thirty yard screamer evading all blocks? Long distance strikes barely caused any shocks – To the top of the stands they went cruising. You might as well play with my son’s shuttlecocks As those stupid beach balls they were using. The keepers were helpless, could […]

Germany 0 Spain 1 (Semi Final) For all the small triangles Spain were making, For all the German tackling and swift breaking, For all the lethal probing balls of Xavi, For all Schweinsteiger’s legendary savvy, For all of David Villa’s tireless working For all of Klose’s loitering and lurking, For all the tactics, figured out […]

Netherlands 3 Uruguay 2 (Semi Final) You wouldn’t really say it was a classic. At times, the going got a little rough. Tackles often bordered on Jurassic But in the end, the Dutch just had enough. Van Bommel left his mark on all who crossed him, Robben tackled like a powder puff. Kuyt plundered when […]

If we hadn’t have lost against France, they say, Not been cheated by Henry’s handball, Perhaps we’d have had a good chance, they say, Of doing quite well overall. We’d have breezed to the knockout stage, they say, And then ‘twould depend on the draw. From there, it is tricky to gauge, they say, The […]