Samba back again - Joga Bonito

Millions across the globe would have watched the Confederations Cup 2013 final yesterday night, between hosts & current Champions Brazil and current World Cup & Euro Cup Champions Spain. The new look Maracana stadium went berserk with delight as it was Braaaziiiiilll all the way. The men in yellow tore apart the men in red, as the final scoreline read 3-0. The quality of football was worth every effort to keep awake & watch the match live till the wee hours of the morning. The Samba football looks back again. The Selecao are moving in the right direction....

Spain, under the able coaching of Vincente Del Bosque, had been ruling the World football over the past few years. They are the current World Cup & Euro cup Champions, being unbeaten for the last 29 matches. Their brand of Tiki Taka football has been mesmerizing all the soccer fans across the globe, & the Confederation Cup was the only trophy left to be conquered. They have looked nearly invincible & maintained their No 1 status since the world cup victory in South Africa in 2010. Xavi, Iniesta, Silva were weaving passess midfield, while Torres, Fabregas, Pedro, Villa would score upfront, & Ramos, Jordi Alba, Pique manage defence with Casillas under the bar. Truly a world class team, nurtured by Bosque shrewd coaching.

On the other hand, Brazil has been struggling. For the first time that I am aware of, their World ranking had slipped to a dismal 19 !!!!.....no where in the top 3-4 that they have enjoyed over years. The quarterfinal exit to Netherlands in the last World Cup, had led to the side suffering from able leadership & coaching & also the confidence amongst the players was waning. Its at this stage that Luiz Felipe Scolari took over the coaching. He had earlier coached the national side to their last World Cup win in 2002. Scolari has shown the mettle that he is & the Confed Cup was a perfect platform to test his team's abilities. Many called it a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World Cup, to be hosted by Brazil next year.
Scolari has been stitching a wonderful unit of young talent, who play fearless football, with their heart & lungs. Neymar, Fred, Oscar, Hulk upfront, Paulinho, Gustavo Luis in the midfield, Dani Alves, Marcelo, Thiago Silva, David Luiz in the back with Julio Cesar under the bar.......almost all the players are in their early / mid 20s....willing to give their last breath & daring to dream.

The run up to the final was in itself a fairy tale for the Brazilians. They had humbled Japan 3-0, Mexico 2-0 & Italy 4-2 in the group stages & then defeated their South American neighbors Uruguay 2-1.  In each of the games, the team looked assured & capable to winning. On the other hand Spain had mauled Tahiti 10-0, Uruguay 2-1, Nigeria 3-0 in the group stages & then overcame Italy in the semis via penalty shoot out 7-6.

It was indeed battle royale...

Within two minutes of the start to the final, Brazil pressed home the advantage. A dangerous ball floated in by Hulk, had Fred & Neymar juggle in goalmouth melee amongst Spaniard defence, & Fred managed to toe in the ball past Casillas...it was 1-0. It was not a pretty Samba goal, but was enough to stun the World Champions. The Maracana stadium erupted in rapturous celebrations as the Spanish team looked dazed to retort. The Brazilians were all over the ground & the famed Spanish Tiki Taka   was severely tested. For the first time in many matches the Spanish Armada was left to come up from behind....they were trailing....something they had not experienced in a long time.
Xavi & Iniesta tried their best to stitch passes & get the game under control....there were flashes of brilliance, but a resolute Brazilian midfield would pounce & snatch at will & get back the possession at the right time. Spain was unable to make a break through. Meanwhile, Brazilians missed a sitter, as Oscar fired into Casillas's body & then Paulinho lobbed a beauty which Casillas managed to tap over....Spain was seriously getting tested, as Brazilians mounted attack after attack. With just a few minutes to half time, Spain had a wonderful opportunity to level scores, as Pedro beat the Brazilian goalkeeper Cesar with a left footer.....the ball was almost gliding into the net, when David Luiz from nowhere slid in & blew the ball over the bar for a corner....every soul gaped at a miraculous save.....& even before Spain could come to terms with the save, Oscar & Neymar were wall passing into the Spanish circle. Oscar took a Neymar pass & held the ball along with a couple of defenders, as Neymar positioned himself to receive the ball again & hit a thunderous left footer into the corner of the net....what a shot....this time truly Samba football. Instead of pegging at 1-1, Brazil had gone up 2-0. Looked like even the Gods wanted Brazil to win.
As the match resumed in the 2nd half, as if in action replay, Fred scored again, within two minutes....Hulk this time held the ball & sent in a curling centre & Neymar foxed a defender & let the ball go to Fred who placed the ball neatly at the far end of the net....it was 3-0 & Brazil were certainly looking like the Champions. The mighty World Champions were left clueless. Bosque tried his last trick by bringing in Naves. the move paved immediate dividend as Marcelo fouled Naves on the edge of the box...referee pointing to a penalty. Sergio Ramos, normally calm player, looked nervous & hit out. Neymar was unstoppable & in another rush, was brought down by Gerard Pique, prompting a red card....Spanish team reduced to ten men now.....Pedro & Villa tried a couple of well placed shots, but Julio Cesar, under the bar was his confident best, fisting out the ball from any danger. Towards the end, Brazilians were just toying with the ball, without even pressing for another goal.....as if giving the World Champions some respite.
Neymar was adjusted Player of the tournament with the Golden Ball. In him & Fred, Brazil have found goal scoring abilities, with Oscar, Hulk, Paulinho & others quite capable of adding to the scoreline.

It was certainly a team effort for the host nation....it was certainly the fancied Samba brand...it was Selecao at its best. The team looks hungry & eager & spirited....they may not have the brilliance of Pele & his rampaging team of 60s & 70s, they may not have the flair of Zico, Junior, Socrates of 80s, they may also not have the imagination of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Romario, Kaka of 90s & early 2000, but this team has small capable stars in Neymar, Fred, Oscar, Hulk, Paulinho, David Luiz, Cesar & others, who believe that they can....
This win gives hope for the host nation to dream an unprecedented 6th World Cup win at home next year, although no Confed Cup Champion has ever won a World Cup in the following year. Let us truly wish...it happens this time....Samba football rules again.
Brazil under the able coaching of Scolari has it in them to recover their lost status....of being the undisputed Kings of football..... as the commentator said yesterday....its good for Brazilian football....it is good for the world football...

Joga Bonito.....the beautiful game called football.

Calypso Cricket....finally !!!

Calypso music did take over.....the world witnessed Gangnam.....Gayle  combining push ups with dance steps, birthday boy Bravo doing sensational hip movements, Samuels, Sammy, Pollard, Ramdin et all, screaming & dancing in childlike fervor as they emerged the new World T20 Champions......there has been something refreshingly boisterous about this Windies outfit.....it was worth the wait.....& watch.

All of this looked an improbable dream an hour into the play, as the West Indies looked dead & dusted, struggling for life at 32 for 2 after 10 overs, with Gayle already back in the dugout....the Lankans had planned well for him & had choked him out for almost nothing. Mahela was leading with inspiration & his bowlers were spot on as per plan......it looked as if the West Indies had crumbled......but for one warrior, Marlon Samuels....the stony faced 'never give up' Jamaican. He counter attacked the Lankan bowling & singled out Malinga (arguably one of the best T20 bowler) taking 50 runs off  his 3 overs, stunning the rapturous home crowd into silence, & pulled off one of the most amazing turnarounds the game has witnessed, as he amassed 78 invaluable runs in just 56 deliveries....one of the sixes he hit cleared 108 meters, the longest in this tournament.........with Sammy lustily hitting at the end, the Windies has added 105 from their final 10 overs....it was simply incredible.....137 runs on board at the end of the innings meant......it was at least fight on.....
The Lankans needed a good start & they faltered...Dilshan bowled for nought by Rampaul, & the Windies had tasted blood, as the crowd went into a stunned silence !!! Mahela & Sanga started to consolidate, as Bravo dropped Mahela at deep backward square leg off Samuels.....at the end of 9 overs, the Lankans looked well under control, with score reading 47 for 1, though runs were hard to come by. Sammy brought back Badree & he removed Sanga, caught by Pollard in the deep....the Windies had breached the Lankan defence!! What followed was mayhem, as runs choked & the Lankan batsmen succumbed to the ever building pressure.......two needless run outs were clear testimony to this & at the end of 15th over, the score read a shocking 72 for 7.....still 66 runs required off 30 deliveries.....all top order batting back in the dug out. Kulasekara bludgeoned 22 runs of the next over off Rampaul, as the crowd came back to life, but it was far too steep for his capabilities.....Narine had him caught in the deep in the very next over & the Lankans innings finally folded for 101 runs.....the Windies had slayed the mighty Lankans by 36 runs.....it was indeed incredible.....probably once in a lifetime....certainly so for this team !!!
The Lankans had done well in the first phase of the match.....Mahela had managed his resources well 7 the team looked hungry for success......Ajantha Mendis was on a dream spell, getting 4 wickets for 12 runs....but the Windies managed to wrest the initiative & momentum back as Samuels & Sammy launched a counter attack.....it turned out to be a knockout punch....the Lankans in reply choked under pressure....
This Windies team, has looked a unit....a compelling unit of match winners..........
Calypso music came alive & how.....looking forward to the resurgence of a Super Power.....for the sake of the game...for the sake of the flair.....for the sake of raw talent.....its been a long long wait.....

Dance to Calypso music.....well lets hope so !!!

For this T20 World Cup, the best two teams are in the finals......so we all can look forward to a epic battle. Its the consistent Sri Lanka on home soil against the mavericks West Indies.

The Lankans have been in four finals including this one in the last five years, still looking for the elusive title of a Champion since 1996. Under Mahela, the team is peaking at the right time. The temperamental  Captain along with Dilshan form a fearsome opening pair, with one killing the opponents softly, while the other attacking fiercely......with Sanga, the old warhorse to follow along with Angelo Mathews, Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis & Thisara Perera....its a formidable line up. Any three players fire & you are looking at a tall score first up or a serious chase on cards. In bowling, Lasith is gradually finding form with toe piercing yorkers & accurate slowers.....supporting him is Kulasekara up the order followed by Ajantha Mendis & Herath, both capable of deadly carrom ball & awkward spin. The fielding has been disciplined & aggressive.....in all a well oiled machine, capable of beating the best, especially before a roaring home crowd & familiar conditions. 

The Windies on the other hand are most unpredictable, whose Calypso cricket is has kept everyone mesmerized throughout the tournament. They have the batting order, which can decimate any attack under the sun today, especially in this format.....Gayle upfront with Johnson Charles has been in a different zone altogether.....unlike earlier times, he does not go hammer & tong from the word go....instead, he settles down into a fine rhythm & then goes for the tall hits....even if he manages 25-30 hits, we are looking at a near impossible target for the opponents....Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Pollard, Russell & Sammy, next to follow, each capable of putting up a wining total single handedly.....if Gayle fires upfront & stays even till 10-12th over, along with Samuels & Bravo lending able support.....& with Pollard & Sammy giving finishing touches......we are looking at a sure Calypso win.....this team enjoys batting first....free in mind & that brings out the best in them. In bowling, they have mystery spinner Narine, who has been weaving magic amongst the best of the batsmen, along with Badree as an able support, & then Rampaul, Russel, Sammy, Samuel, all contributing to tight bowling.....they could choke any opponent.

The team needs to play freely & enjoy their cricket....& they need to believe that even if Gayle misses a big score(the Lankans would obviously be targeting to get him out cheaply), they have the fire power & capability to put up a defending total....there is Samuels, Bravo, Pollard & even Sammy, who can put any bowling to sword......the world will witness entertainment of a different quality.....it will be money's worth for every spectator....

In the Super Eights, the Lankans had beaten the Windies quite easily, as Gayle failed to prosper, & this will propel & bolster the hosts. However, the Windies, call simply look at how they decimated the Aussies & they should be on a roll. The wicket will assist spin for sure, & both the team have excellent spinners in their ranks....both the team play spin very well.....the capacity crowd, assured of a high octane match. History is against the Windies, as they have lost all four matches in T20 to the Lankans till date, but then its a World Cup final & if Gayle & Co hold their nerves & put up a big total.....the records may change....finally..... 

For the sake of cricket & entertainment, I would like to see another Gayle storm......a Calypso music & dance...