FIFA WORLD CUP POST 29

my 30th will be about the World Cup final..

Goal of the World Cup - Esteban Cambiasso, Argentina against Serbia-Montenegro.. the goal that should have announced the crowning of Argentina as the new world champions.. a brilliant young Argentine side that simply carved up a Serbia-Montenegro defence which had previously only conceded 1 goal in the qualifying games. But here, they were carved up by 24 glorious passes which led to defensive midfielder, Cambiasso, scoring a goal that was easy on the eye and yet so intricately created.

Game of the World Cup - Italy 2-0 Germany, AET.. The extra 30 minutes of this game will be most fondly remembered but the whole game was truly magical. As mentioned before, both sides had chances to win the game in extra time. But two minutes from a penalty shootout, it was Italy who came up with 2 super-late masterclass goals by Grosso and then del Piero to send them to the World Cup at the expense of the hosts in a partisan Westfalenstadion stadium in Dortmund.

Player of the World Cup - Fabio Cannavaro for Italy.. Quite simply the best defender of his generation.. He had 3 different partners in central defence throughout the tournament but Italy still managed to concede only 1 goal - and that was an own goal.. Massive at the back.. Epitomises Italy as a team and a nation just as his predecessor as captain, Paolo Maldini did.

Team of the World Cup - doesn't have to be a winner, so I'm going to go for Germany. No one had given them a chance.. but they were only 2 minutes from a penalty shootout which they would have been odds on to win and hence head into the Final.. they played some great attacking football, driven on by a superb home crowd wherever they were.. Jurgen Klinsmann turned the once-mighty Germans from the laughing stock of world football into a proud team again, hence triggering a revival of interest in the Mannschaft Deutschland

Surprise of the World Cup - Ecuador. They were struggling with the cooler temperatures of Europe apparently. Yet they got to the 2nd round, and some would say in hindsight that they prob deserved to go to the quarterfinals ahead of England but for a lack of cutting edge up front. Their football was delightful in the group stages against Poland and Costa Rica. They had quality players in Giovanny Espinoza the right back, Carlos Tenorio and Luis Valencia. And their fans were always colourful and positive in their support.. Australia? well i wasn't surprised they did so well in this World Cup coz they always had the players, e.g. Viduka, Kewell, Neill, Emerton, Schwarzer, Bresciano.. likewise Ghana..

Disappointment of the World Cup - I could say England but I think I'll give this dubious honour to the Czechs. A good start with a 3-0 win against the Americans should have been a catalyst to greater things, with Rosicky looking on song. But an injury to Jan Koller forced the return of an already-injured Milan Baros, and the Czechs struggled thereafter, losing 2-0 to Ghana - in fact the Black Stars should have scored more - and they were always going to struggle against a rugged Italian team. Their tactics were wrong and they simply ran out of ideas against the Italians. And they were the 2nd best team according to FIFA? then again the USA was 3rd in that list and they were p awful..

Moment of the World Cup - The mass celebrations in Italy after the semifinal in Dortmund. It was like manna had fallen from heaven after the scandals which had hit Italian football in recent months, i.e. match-fixing scandals involving the top sides Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio..

was this a great World Cup? yes, definitely. Better than 2002. There may have been few classics but the competition was superb and as open as it should be.. The knockouts were great despite the lack of goals.. The drama of the penalty shootout and extra time really is what this World Cup is about!