There was an air of manifest anticipation and a fair dose of dread all day before the final Copa America soccer championship game kicked off between Argentina and Brazil. As far as these two countries are concerned, it’s never a light matter when they face each other on the playing court be it soccer, volleyball, field hockey, track and field or ice hockey.
Ok, so they don’t play ice hockey in these countries but you get my point.
Argentina played one of its worst games ever. Argentinean stars like Messi, Tevez, Veron, Riquelme, jointly worth tens of millions of dollars, looked like they were being taken for a ride by the Brazilians. They weren’t able to score one goal. The game ended 3-0 for Brazil.
I asked a taxi driver after the game why he looked so tired?
“We lost,” he said. “And what’s worse to the Brazilians. If we would have lost against the Paraguayans, or any other team, it wouldn’t have been a problem but to the Brazilians!”
A good friend and collegaue of mine told me Sunday a couple of hours before the game that he didn’t care which team won.
“Following soccer or any national sport is like awakening the primitive spirit in us,” he said. “It’s like allowing yourself to be fooled and tricked into focusing your attention away from buring issues that society faces.”
He made a good point.
sports, reality tv, celebrity sightings…same thing..diversionary tactics that work…enough to make you weep, sugar…
Hi Savannah, those are wise words.
Brazil deserved to win; their players work together as a team, as this tournamet shows. Unlike some baseball teams here in the USA, who peak too early and fall off the wagon, Brazil likes to start slow and let the momentum build. That’s the way that champions are made!
Even if it pains me to admit it, you are absolutely right — Brazil deserved to win. Argentina was lost, especially after Ayala scored the autogoal. It was a sad game to watch if you were rooting for the Argentineans.