Wow. Really, not much more to say than wow. My time is a bit limited so I’m not going to post full recaps, and honestly I was so amped up with the energy and passion and excitement of the games that it’s mostly just a blur.
All I really want to say is that I’m excited at the prospect of the Dutch finally getting a World Cup trophy, after their agonizing misses of the past. And that I’m absolutely devastated about the end of the Ghana-Uruguay game. It’s not quite as sad as I was about the US getting knocked out, but it’s pretty darn close. The moment when I thought the ball had crossed the line was bad enough, when it was clear that it was a clear handball to keep it out that was worse. And then, to have a penalty kick that would literally be the last kick of the game, to potentially send an African team into the semifinals, my heart was in my throat. If he had made it, it quickly would have passed into World Cup lore, becoming the sort of thing people talked about for decades to come.
When he missed, I was absolutely shattered, and felt like the chance was gone. That Ghana couldn’t possibly recover. That they’d be too cautious and miss a chance while Uruguay–who are as cool and calm as any team I’ve seen in my life–would simply convert and move on.
Sadly, that’s exactly what happened. Nothing against Uruguay, who have been a revelation and deserve plenty of accolades (except for Suarez who I’ve grown to hate over the past couple weeks–he’s a dirty player all around), but my heart was with Ghana all the way.
Tomorrow it’s even more excitement. I’m backing Argentina and Spain to win–not exactly controversial, but after the excitement of today, I believe that anything can happen.