Goodness gracious me. Now I finally understand why watching a football match is like real drama. I can finally see it as I was watching the Germany-Argentina match with my father last night till the wee hours of the morning. The first of the four quarter-final matches. The stakes are getting higher...ooh!
Though Brazil had won the World Cup five times (the recent one was the last World Cup four years back), my father had said before the whole tournament kicks off that Germany had won three times and being runners-up for four times. Indirectly, the German squad is having a good calibre. Coincidentally, Germany met Brazil in the last World Cup and they were the runner-up then. Four years on, my father and I, knowing how Germany has progressed so far and we boldly predicted they will advance, knocking Argentina out and we hold on to our beliefs to the end. Or sort of me at first when I thought it was a goner...lol!
Also, because of the infamous 'Hand of God' from Argentina football player Maradona in the 1986 World Cup (the thing is that back then he claimed that was a goal and it did because...the name is self-explanatory and back then it was the match against England too...to imagine the fury from the England fans like my own father then!)...I think, I inherited a little of that 'prejudice' from my father. So now whenever Argentina is out of the World Cup, my father does not feel so sorry for them though he admit at times they are kind of good too in their football. The whole England-Argentina rivalry actually stretches back to the time of the British Prime Minister's Margaret Thatcher's era during the Falklands War...another long story there...but the thing is England and Argentina both wanted to claim that place (which led to the name of the 'war') at that time and so the rivalry 'transferred' to the football pitch since.
Seriously, when Argentina first took the lead, I thought my heart literally crashed and dropped to the floor. I was stunned and almost screamed in front of the TV. I was watching with my father and was starting to feel so dejected. Suddenly all the sentimental reasons (other than watching how Germany play so far) for wanting Germany to advance flood my head because...my past History classes' syllabus did included Germany. One of those things many Germans will rather want to forget - the Nazi era. The Cold War period does touch upon Germany as well. Yeah right, those are the sentimental reasons. Ha ha.
I was in the bedroom (it was way past midnight then, local time and I wanted to go to sleep) making my beds and still feeling dejected...till when my father called me from the living room. And I literally ran back and almost became mad again. LOL! My father is the one who will call me back to the living room (if I'm not there) if the team I support has scored. I immediately demanded who scored (with the risk of my handphone in my pocket will drop off anytime given my mad dash to the living room...haha!) and Dad told me what happened. It was a Michael Ballack free-kick and in turn, the current top goal scorer Miroslav Klose scored it.
I jumped for joy once again. I am so alive once again when I saw the replay of that golden moment. I think, maybe like those home crowd who were at the stadium in Berlin watching the match, a ray of hope is upon us again! This time, I almost screamed with happiness and almost cried.
The game did went into extra time and I tried to go to sleep after making the bed but then it's difficult. And I tried to go to sleep again when the extra time was going on before staring at the wallclock from my bed that it will soon head for penalty shootout if it's still a draw. Without even wearing my spectacles, I went out. It did happened. I quickly went back to get the spectacles to witness all that drama. Whoever like penalty shootouts anyway? Given what I read about Germany's past experiences with the dreaded penalty shootouts, they only lost once out of those past encounters with that. So, they do have in good stead. And like the Ukraine coach during the round-of-16 encounter with Switzerland, I don't even dare to watch it! I hide from almost the door of my parents' bedroom. The wall which separates the my parents' room and living room, that is.
When it is certain the host nation is advancing, I jumped for joy. There is no way I cannot hide my emotions. Dad almost wanted to sing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from Evita! LOL!
In the end...yeah!!!!!!! Semi-final encounter with Italy (the Italy-Ukraine match was later on and the winner had emerged from that one)...it is happening. Oh yeah.
