How a year has changed so much. On the news level and on a personal level for me. Exactly a year ago, the winner of the 2012 Olympics bid was announced from here other than the IOC Session here. On a personal level, it almost kind of sucked. Studies wise. I had indirectly caused the furore of my mother of not able to advance to the polytechnic after my ITE course. And now I have to wait till exactly a week from now then I will start my CAT (Certified Accounting Technician) course. Got to sink back to reality after all this World Cup mania is over.
Or maybe I am starting to sink back to reality after Germany's exit from the final showdown in Berlin. But they still got the 3rd/4th playoff. The consolation prize.
Speaking of consolation prize, I got it once more in the form of France beating Portugal in the second semi-final match which was played early this morning. The first time I got my consolation prize for this World Cup was despite England's exit (thanks to Portugal...ugh) of not able to advance to the semis, France is able to beat world champions Brazil in the quarter-finals. I got my 'revenge' once again when France beat the squad whom sent England home - Portugal. Yeah!
My father was saying last night as he was settling his stuff that he wanted to see France beat Portugal in order to 'revenge' for England. It was then I became mused and told him about the traditional bitter rivalry between the UK and France. I brought up the 2012 Olympics bid which happened a year ago here in our country and it was then I started to see and realise why at times, UK and France don't really see eye to eye in many things (despite only separated by the English Channel), even sports. Exactly a year ago, Paris looked like the clear winner in the bidding to stage the 2012 Olympics but London 'snatched' it away from them. How the French felt so bitter then.
One year on, it's the World Cup in Germany. Many had written off their national squad from Day One (even me...sorry, but that was then!) but they managed to prove their critics wrong as the matches are going on that their veterans who came out of retirement (like Zidane for example) still proved their worth from eight years ago when the World Cup was in their country. Now the Les Bleus are in the final once again! The real France '98 final is baaaack (lol), but this time their opponent is Italy. Not Brazil whom the Les Bleus met eight years back in Paris.
I was trying to sink in on what really happened as I was watching the Germany-Italy match on yesterday afternoon. Even realising my body clock had started to go haywire because I was feeling a little hot, even when trying to watch Bridget Jones's Diary on Star Movies on the cable! Actually the real reason to watch that movie I had always wanted to watch is to distract myself from the events of the match. Days before I was flipping through the Telescope magazine, I saw when was it and I thought that regardless of the match outcome, I will watch. So looks like it's a way to escape from how I felt from the match.
To almost made matters worse yesterday afternoon, my mother had told me that the packet of carrot cake she had bought for me was all for me. At first I kind of declared that I might not be able to finish it because...my brother helped me in the explanation. Everyone knew I saw the Germany-Italy match entirely with my father, only sneaking off during the half-time mark. Mother was impressed when she asked me about it.
I still ate the carrot cake when the movie ended and even kind of ranted to my brother about some of my feelings of what happened during the Germany-Italy match. It's when I realised, the hurt and the pain of Italy beating Germany to advance to the final really sank in to me because I found tears coming out of my eyes.
For those quiet moments throughout the rest of yesterday, I began to think about so many things. Even on the outcome of the teams I was rooting for. My brother told me that after we kind of analysed that if I watched a football match from start to end and occasionally sneaking off at times, the team I was supporting will win. This was what happened to Germany after the penalty shootout against Argentina in the quarter-finals. The moment I went to the bedroom then, my father called me out from the living room. I knew what happened at once. Germany had scored and bounced back.
Not so much in the case of the Italy-Australia match in the round of 16, the England-Portugal one in the quarter-finals. In both cases, I headed for bed after the first half. And ended up what happened? The ones I was supporting (Australia and England respectively) got kicked out. Don't even get me started on the controversial penalty during the Italy-Australia match. While watching the first half of the England-Portugal match, something happened on the field and Dad was commenting that it's like the time when Italy got the penalty against Australia. He was clearly pissed off when Italy got that penatly.
Now it's the Germany-Italy match. Dad brought back The New Paper he got and I saw some of the articles on what happened and the reflections of the match. Real actors indeed, the Italian squad! I know about some of the things being mentioned because I saw the entire match and at times I thought I wanted to scream a 'Yes!' when few of the things being written were what I felt as well on the Italian squad. Sure, the experienced Azzurri (the Italian squad's nickname...and why am I mentioning it now...ugh!) is up against a relatively young German squad (except for the goalkeeper, if you knew what I mean) who had been meeting their nation's expectations as they progressed (also partly for the sake of being the host nation, you know), the Germans are still not able to beat the Azzurri. Sigh! Dad kind of commented that last night.
In the past, I did admitted to myself that Del Piero (from the Italian side) is not that bad. But thinking again what happened after he came on as a substitute and even sealed the second goal to silence the homecrowd in Dortmund, I think I am starting to hate him now. For me, if any team stands in the way of the squad I am rooting for, I will start to hate them all the more. No matter what. So I was practically wanting the Les Bleus beat Portugal to advance to the final. England lost to Portugal and so now...I want the Les Bleus to lift the trophy once more in order to revenge for the German squad.
It's kind of complicating and a little interesting...given I am aware of the past historical links between all these countries in my past History classes. Germany and France, England and France...historically, these three never see eye to eye. Italy and Germany's past historial links I am kind of aware of it too...and it's kind of weird they were once friends in leading to WWII but on the pitch on the time when I saw the semis against these two sides, they are battling to advance to the final. I admit I did kind of have some reservations if eventually England and Germany meet in the final because Hitler wanted to bomb Britain during WWII at that time, and given the traditional football animosity between the two sides thanks to the events of the war. History lessons are returning once again to me. Ha ha.
Now, it's Italy against France in the final...Germany against Portugal in the 3rd/4th playoff. So what's up now, the Big Phil? The nickname for the Portugal's coach. You had your boys beaten England in the quarter-finals, huh! Now you are going to meet the hosts in the playoff.
And given Germany is now starting to feel so patriotic all over again given how they themselves and even the rest of the world, had seen how the German squad had progressed from almost no-hopers to an awesome team...only to stop in the terms of the Italian squad, and also to help to 'revenge' for England, I want the host nation to thrash the Portugal squad. I don't care anymore!!!!!!!! The Les Bleus...I want them to beat Italy to get the trophy. I am saying this once again to make it clear because of the outcome of the Germany-Italy match.
I was kind of thinking and a little musing as well during yesterday - why did I took piano lessons in the beginning back then? Because any piano student will be aware that Italian terms always come out in terms of how the score should be played many a times. Thanks to my past piano lessons, I need to learn some Italian. Now I am kind of 'regretting' it. I thought maybe I can travel to Italy someday given how I so admire their cultural scene...but I don't know now. Having reservations about it. Because why they beat the host nation to advance for the big final?!
The Taylor Hicks's song 'Do I Make You Proud'...now I am starting to think it fits how the German squad had been doing so far in this World Cup. I really hope they can bounce back four years on when the World Cup heads to South Africa. Provided the now 'Mr Popular' (as I termed that myself) Klinsmann (he has reservations about it actually because he is actually based in the States though a German-born himself) is still the coach for his home squad. Dad told me he was rather an average football player in his prime when Dad saw him at Spurs back then...to imagine decades on to now, Klinsmann will not had imagined he had won over the entire Germany, even his harshest critics over his tactics for the squad. Now I am almost becoming so drama and wanting to cry now...for a moment the day I saw the match, I felt like a German. Seriously.
