World Cup fulfills aim of the game

As the World Cup is nearing its climax, I will conclude my own World Cup on the Web by offering up a few observations on what I've seen here.

The goalkeeping has been generally outstanding, and at least part of the explanation for why the number of goals scored is down from France '98. Marcos of Brazil and Oliver Kahn of Germany are a large part of the reason that those two teams have made the final. And while Rustu Recber of Turkey, Lee Woon-jae of South Korea, Brad Friedel of the U.S., and Gigi Buffon of Italy couldn't help their teams reach the ultimate stage, they each offered up world-class performances.

Up front, Ronaldo of Brazil shut up the naysayers, myself included, who felt his potency as a striker had been blunted forever by his knee injuries. I still maintain he's not the player he was before the surgeries, but clearly 75 percent of what he used to be is still pretty damn good. So I'm happy, for the sake of the game, to hear all the "I told you sos" you want to send me.

His partner, Rivaldo, also brightened the tournament after a suspect start with his fake injury against Turkey in their first meeting. At last he's now played for Brazil like he plays for Barcelona. And, with Ronaldinho also living up to the hype we've been hearing for a while now, Brazil's Big Three have done their nation proud.

That said, I don't think this has been a World Cup where any real individual stars have emerged. As my colleague Pedro Pinto wrote earlier in the tournament, the teams have been the stars, and that's been an interesting development.

Germany, of course, belied their critics by making the final. Were they just playing possum by saying their woeful pretournament form meant a quarterfinal place was the best they were hoping for? I doubt it. I just think that on the big occasions the Germans know how to win more often than not, with or without stars.

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Which was the team of the tournament? It has to be South Korea, which went further than anyone thought possible. Granted, once they ran out of steam in the latter stages of their challenge, they were nowhere near the force they'd been earlier, but while they were firing on all cylinders, Guus Hiddink's Red Devils were the most exciting team in the competition.

The U.S.'s stellar run also owed everything to teamwork. Having watched them play many times, I think their performance against Germany, though ultimately unsuccessful, compared with the best seen at the finals. Will the U.S., on the evidence of this tournament, become a new soccer superpower? Who's to say. But let no one doubt their potential any longer.

Have the so-called lesser nations closed the gap on the big guns? Well they did at this World Cup, with Senegal showing the way right from the kickoff against the defending champions. But only time will tell whether this was a freak occurrence or whether the likes of France, Italy, Spain and Argentina, really do need to go back to basics.

Whatever the answer, wasn't it good to see the top dogs rattled, if only once in a lifetime?

On the negative side... We saw some awful refereeing decisions, and I'm glad FIFA president Sepp Blatter had the guts to air his feelings, because it's now more likely something will get done to improve the standard for next time.

We also saw more playacting than I can remember at previous finals, and more shirt-tugging and general manhandling between players. Of course, it may always have gone on to the same extent. It's just that with better technology and more cameras we're able to see everything in more detail. Incidentally, has the law on throw-ins been changed without my knowledge? I saw so many foul-throws at this tournament that I assume no one cares how you do it any more.

The issue of over the top nationalism I have already gone into at length, as regular readers will know. Suffice to say you'll have your own opinions on when flag-waving crosses the line.

Naturally, losing was as unpopular as ever. Only, at this World Cup, many more teams than usual seemed to feel they were cheated out of victory. As I said, it's been accepted that the officiating was sometimes questionable, but there is an argument that goes "if you're good enough, you'll find a way to get it done whoever's against you."

OK, let's end on two positive notes. There was no hooliganism -- whether because the prohibitive cost of long-distance kept the troublemakers away; or because good policing stopped the hooligans from entering Japan and South Korea; or because there's been an about-face in social attitudes, we, as journalists, did not have to waste time on "hooli-patrol" or words on people who don't deserve them.

Finally, a mention for Ireland -- a nation whose football team plays with commitment, wins with dignity, and loses with good grace. And who, along with their charming fans, seem to have an obscene amount of fun whatever the outcome. And isn't that the aim of the game?

Enjoy the final.

--Terry Baddoo

Terry Baddoo is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN International. He has regularly contributed Postcards from the World Cup to CNNSI.com.

 

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