Weltmeister der Herzen - you don't have to win to be a winner
To all the critics of Germany and of the 3rd/4th placing match:
Sure, no one wants to lose in the semi-finals, but it's not just about who wins and who loses. As sportsmen, you play every single match to win, whether or not it counts towards winning a tournament. And the German team showed that it mattered to them and the whole of Germany was behind them in this. They might not have gotten to the final, but that didn't make them play like they didn't care. They cared and people recognised that and were happy for them. It's all about the attitude. Die Idee war den 3. Platz zu feiern, als ob es den ersten Platz gar nicht gäbe. Celebrating 3rd place as if 1st place never even existed...yes, that's the attitude Germany had...and you can see it in everyone's faces. Sportfreunde Stiller's song: '54, '74, '90, 2006 proclaimed that Germany would win the World Cup this year and topped the charts. When Germany lost to Italy, everyone started singing '54, '74, '90, 2010...how's that for bouncing back? We're gonna win the World Cup in 2010! It matters if you make it matter and why do outsiders who don't understand what it means to the Germans want to criticise them for celebrating their team's success? Success isn't measured by ultimate terms, after all. If not, Singapore should go and cry because it didn't even make it to the World Cup, while Germany is the 3rd best in the world.
The whole nation was in mourning when Germany lost to Italy...there were people crying and everyone was so emotional. Even people who don't even really care about football usually were shocked and saddened. It was a tragic way to lose and in your own country as well. It was painful because if it had gone to penalties, Germany might've won...and it was in the last minute of the extra time that Italy scored...how do you turn something like that around? I don't think I'll forget the sad faces of the German team. I will remember the tears falling down Michael Ballack's face...the face that is usually so full of pride (some say almost to the point of arrogance). Yes, football is a game full of emotions...it's not just about tactics and winning all the time.
This World Cup has allowed Germans to display their patriotism without feeling any shame. Never ever has Germany seen so many Germany flags hung all over the place and everyone dressed in black, white, red and gold and singing their national anthem (no, they don't sing it as flag-raising assembly every morning)...and all these appeared spontaneously! Everyone is not only ready to celebrate but also to mourn with the Nationalmannschaft. Germans aren't not the cold, clinical people that stereotypes make them out to be. They're warm and full of emotions...just ask the people who've come to Germany to watch the World Cup. I think they've really taken their motto seriously: Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden. There has been little violence and fans from every nation, regardless of race, language or religion, have gotten together to celebrate...even if their teams lost. This is true sportsmanship. Many people were holding up banners thanking the foreign fans for being Germany's guests.
Today's match was no disappointment either. Sure, the first half was a bit sluggish and there wasn't much action...but the second half more than made up for it. There is no doubt that Bastian Schweinsteiger was the hero of tonight. He scored 2 goals and the own goal by Petit was an attempt to block a Schweinsteiger shot. And they all rendered Ricardo helpless. And we all know that Ricardo ain't no butterfingers. He made a lot of good saves tonight, but tonight was just Schweini's night. And Germany rejoiced with every goal.
The sight of all the flags and fans in the stadium in Stuttgart was amazing. Everyone is also hoping that Jürgen Klinsmann will stay on as coach. They want to start a major petition to convince him to stay. The whole stadium was chanting his name. Yes, this is solidarity. Solidarity isn't forced...or hothoused. It is people coming together because they believe in something. And Germany believed in its national team. Angela Merkel showed her real emotions during the match...it's nice to see politicians being real. And while I cannot forget the tears that flowed on Tuesday, I will also never forget the joy in the faces of the German team when the match ended and they knew that they'd won. Jürgen Klinsmann is a joy to watch...you can see all his emotions written on his face. He's like a little boy with a totally disarming smile.
These players, this team...they are winners. No one even thought they stood a chance at the beginning of the tournament. Everyone basically wrote them off. But they proved the critics wrong. Of course, they seem to need a little taste of success before they really get this drive to win. Just look at the matches with Costa Rica, Ecuador, Sweden and today's match: the goals start rolling in once they score and gain some confidence. I guess to win 2010, they will need more initiative and more self-motivation...but they are certainly auf dem guten Weg...they have many of the qualities needed in a good team..they just need a little push in the right direction. As Klinsi said himself, "Diese Mannschaft wird noch wachsen" and I agree. They have the potential to become a great team...hope they continue to work hard.
Today was also a day of farewells. Lehmann gave up his place to Kahn for the day and Kahn did a great job today...and then announced his retirement from international football. I guess at 37, he has had quite a long and fruitful career. He was #1 until this tournament and even won the Golden Ball during 2002, the first time a goalkeeper had won this award.
It was also possibly Luis Figo's last international match. He didn't even play for 20 minutes though...he said he was having muscle problems and that's why it was decided that he wouldn't start. This photo's from the TV...it shows him on the bench, after it was 1:0. He looked sad. But he managed to show his stuff...and created the sole Portuguese goal. :) Figo's my man!
This match was also a very very fair one, unlike the match between Portugal and Holland, which saw 4 red cards and 16 yellow cards...and Figo could actually have received a red card for his head butt. But this match was calm. No one was injured...ok, well, Klinsmann let nearly all the reserves play today cos a lot of people were injured, including Ballack, Mertesacker and Friedrich. So basically, a lot of fresh pairs of legs today. But yeah, no one had to be treated at all...so there was only 1 minute additional time after the first half and 2 minutes of additional time after the second half. Schweini did get a yellow card for taking off his jersey, but there was close to no violence. That was really nice.
Das kleine Finale war ein ganz großes. There's no doubt about that. Thanks for the entertainment, boys!
To all the critics of Germany and of the 3rd/4th placing match:
Sure, no one wants to lose in the semi-finals, but it's not just about who wins and who loses. As sportsmen, you play every single match to win, whether or not it counts towards winning a tournament. And the German team showed that it mattered to them and the whole of Germany was behind them in this. They might not have gotten to the final, but that didn't make them play like they didn't care. They cared and people recognised that and were happy for them. It's all about the attitude. Die Idee war den 3. Platz zu feiern, als ob es den ersten Platz gar nicht gäbe. Celebrating 3rd place as if 1st place never even existed...yes, that's the attitude Germany had...and you can see it in everyone's faces. Sportfreunde Stiller's song: '54, '74, '90, 2006 proclaimed that Germany would win the World Cup this year and topped the charts. When Germany lost to Italy, everyone started singing '54, '74, '90, 2010...how's that for bouncing back? We're gonna win the World Cup in 2010! It matters if you make it matter and why do outsiders who don't understand what it means to the Germans want to criticise them for celebrating their team's success? Success isn't measured by ultimate terms, after all. If not, Singapore should go and cry because it didn't even make it to the World Cup, while Germany is the 3rd best in the world.
The whole nation was in mourning when Germany lost to Italy...there were people crying and everyone was so emotional. Even people who don't even really care about football usually were shocked and saddened. It was a tragic way to lose and in your own country as well. It was painful because if it had gone to penalties, Germany might've won...and it was in the last minute of the extra time that Italy scored...how do you turn something like that around? I don't think I'll forget the sad faces of the German team. I will remember the tears falling down Michael Ballack's face...the face that is usually so full of pride (some say almost to the point of arrogance). Yes, football is a game full of emotions...it's not just about tactics and winning all the time.
This World Cup has allowed Germans to display their patriotism without feeling any shame. Never ever has Germany seen so many Germany flags hung all over the place and everyone dressed in black, white, red and gold and singing their national anthem (no, they don't sing it as flag-raising assembly every morning)...and all these appeared spontaneously! Everyone is not only ready to celebrate but also to mourn with the Nationalmannschaft. Germans aren't not the cold, clinical people that stereotypes make them out to be. They're warm and full of emotions...just ask the people who've come to Germany to watch the World Cup. I think they've really taken their motto seriously: Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden. There has been little violence and fans from every nation, regardless of race, language or religion, have gotten together to celebrate...even if their teams lost. This is true sportsmanship. Many people were holding up banners thanking the foreign fans for being Germany's guests.
Today's match was no disappointment either. Sure, the first half was a bit sluggish and there wasn't much action...but the second half more than made up for it. There is no doubt that Bastian Schweinsteiger was the hero of tonight. He scored 2 goals and the own goal by Petit was an attempt to block a Schweinsteiger shot. And they all rendered Ricardo helpless. And we all know that Ricardo ain't no butterfingers. He made a lot of good saves tonight, but tonight was just Schweini's night. And Germany rejoiced with every goal.
The sight of all the flags and fans in the stadium in Stuttgart was amazing. Everyone is also hoping that Jürgen Klinsmann will stay on as coach. They want to start a major petition to convince him to stay. The whole stadium was chanting his name. Yes, this is solidarity. Solidarity isn't forced...or hothoused. It is people coming together because they believe in something. And Germany believed in its national team. Angela Merkel showed her real emotions during the match...it's nice to see politicians being real. And while I cannot forget the tears that flowed on Tuesday, I will also never forget the joy in the faces of the German team when the match ended and they knew that they'd won. Jürgen Klinsmann is a joy to watch...you can see all his emotions written on his face. He's like a little boy with a totally disarming smile.
These players, this team...they are winners. No one even thought they stood a chance at the beginning of the tournament. Everyone basically wrote them off. But they proved the critics wrong. Of course, they seem to need a little taste of success before they really get this drive to win. Just look at the matches with Costa Rica, Ecuador, Sweden and today's match: the goals start rolling in once they score and gain some confidence. I guess to win 2010, they will need more initiative and more self-motivation...but they are certainly auf dem guten Weg...they have many of the qualities needed in a good team..they just need a little push in the right direction. As Klinsi said himself, "Diese Mannschaft wird noch wachsen" and I agree. They have the potential to become a great team...hope they continue to work hard.
Today was also a day of farewells. Lehmann gave up his place to Kahn for the day and Kahn did a great job today...and then announced his retirement from international football. I guess at 37, he has had quite a long and fruitful career. He was #1 until this tournament and even won the Golden Ball during 2002, the first time a goalkeeper had won this award.
It was also possibly Luis Figo's last international match. He didn't even play for 20 minutes though...he said he was having muscle problems and that's why it was decided that he wouldn't start. This photo's from the TV...it shows him on the bench, after it was 1:0. He looked sad. But he managed to show his stuff...and created the sole Portuguese goal. :) Figo's my man!
This match was also a very very fair one, unlike the match between Portugal and Holland, which saw 4 red cards and 16 yellow cards...and Figo could actually have received a red card for his head butt. But this match was calm. No one was injured...ok, well, Klinsmann let nearly all the reserves play today cos a lot of people were injured, including Ballack, Mertesacker and Friedrich. So basically, a lot of fresh pairs of legs today. But yeah, no one had to be treated at all...so there was only 1 minute additional time after the first half and 2 minutes of additional time after the second half. Schweini did get a yellow card for taking off his jersey, but there was close to no violence. That was really nice.
Das kleine Finale war ein ganz großes. There's no doubt about that. Thanks for the entertainment, boys!
posted by Samantha @ 11:17 pm
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