Posted on Saturday, 4th July 2009 by Jon Daisy
There are only four more matches to go before the Confederations Cup draws to a close in South Africa on Sunday. After a hectic week of group stage football, the four semi finalists have been decided. Spain, the USA, South Africa and Brazil will be the teams trying to reach the final this weekend.
South African fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that their team overcomes all odds to reach the final. However, that is unlikely to occur despite all their efforts to remain motivated. The players will definitely try their hardest even though everything is stacked against them.
Unfortunately for the Africans they will have to find a way past the samba boys of Brazil. The South Americans even have a huge contingent of fans within the host country and they will be torn between supporting the two teams. They could even end up having their hearts broken by Brazil as their national team ends up on the losing end.
There should be little doubt that Brazil will beat South Africa. It is only a matter of the margin of victory which is certain to be considerable. The Brazilians are playing well and have shown greater fluidity and cohesion compared to recent years.
The team having the least probability of reaching the final amongst the four left will be the United States. Even though critics and fans have disregarded them, the players are not about to have a holiday in the sun. They know that after what they achieved in the group stages, they could actually be on the upward curve in momentum.
Another miracle will definitely be necessary if the Americans hope to get past Spain. Spain have swept aside every team before them with considerable ease in the past year since winning the European Championship. If not for the resurgence of Brazil, they would be grabbing all the headlines instead.
It could be set in stone that the two eventual finalists would be Spain and Brazil. On a different planet altogether in terms of skill and ability, their meeting would also have consequences on several historic records, one of which could be Spain achieving the longest unbeaten run in international football.
If that final were to be realised, it would be the best present for any football fan this year. They can always look forward to some of the best football on display when these two meet. If they set aside their inhibitions and put on an advertisement for the sport, it could only lead to more success in the coming years.
Tags: brazil, confederations cup 2009, fitness, football, international football, leisure, recreation, soccer, south africa, spain, sports, travel, USA, world cup 2010
Posted in soccer | Comments (0)