Pierre Boisrond has followed soccer and the World Cup
closely for many years and also writes for other websites. We at PWC are proud to have him as
a columnist. He will share his views about the past, present and future of
the World Cup.
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2014 World Cup Semi-Finals: A point of view
Germany vs Brazil or Brazil vs Germany and Argentina vs Netherlands or
Netherlands vs Argentina. However, you would like to classify the finals, you have them in the first sentence. Some fans tend to be
superstitious and they have to put their teams first or last. In those semi-finals, superstitions or not, the games will have to be
played and at the end, all of us will know the final results.
Brazil won twelve games against Germany, lost 4, and 5 games ended up in a tie. Today it is easy for the
pundits to begin to sing Brazil’s requiem. However, the pundits fail to realize that the game is going to play in the land of King
Pele, Edson Arantes Do Nascimento and the land of the talented and injured young Neymar. The great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge
and controversy.” This is indeed true for Brazil at this very moment.
Losing their superstar, the Brazilians know that they have to fight to win the semi-final game against Germany
by any means necessary. And I have no doubt that the Spirit of King Pele supported by the spirits of the Hurricane that devastated the
Germans in 2002 World Cup final will resonate in the Mineraio Stadium. The 3Rs are referred to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. There
will not be the 3Rs today, but there will be resilience, resistance and revolution. There will be a revolution in the Mineirao; a
revolution that will transform the 11 Brazilians in 11 mini-Neymars to fight against Germany whom the pundits are giving a clear path to
Maracana.
Brazil is Brazil. Brazil is Brazil. When you think about Brazil, you think about Garrincha, Didi, Vava, Zagalo,
Rivelino, Pele, Zico, Dr. Socrates, Junior, and Leao…. When you think about Brazil, you think about Romario, Bebeto, Roberto Carlos,
Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Alemao, Falcao,etc. Today, there may not be a Zico, a Rivelino, a Pele, but there will be 12 mini-Neymars
including the fans who will be singing “ole, ole, ole, ole, Vamos a Maracana.” There will not be a Mineiraozo in “Tierra Brasilena.”
It will be do or die for the Brazilians against the Germans. With the Spirit of Edson Arantes Do Nascimento
(Pele) and Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Ronaldo) who buried the Germans in Japan South Korea 2002. Many pundits have forgotten that
the Brazilians are playing at home. They are jumping in Germany’s band wagon at their own peril. Today will be the day that the
Brazilians have been waiting for to get their ticket to Maracana since 1950. The games must be played not on paper but on the field.
For the first time, the Brazilians will be coming to a game as underdogs, but they will be at home where Football is a religion and
where Christ is watching over the country. Therefore my prediction for this semi-final game: Brazil 3 vs Germany 1.
The second final will be between Argentina vs the Netherlands or Netherlands vs Argentina. I am very sure that
the Dutch remembered 1978 extremely well. In 1978, the Dutch came very close to win the World Cup had it not been for the divine post
who saved the men conducted by the talented Mario Alberto Kempes. Needless to say that the Argentines massacred the Dutch in overtime
3-1 to win their first World Cup.
In France 1998, the Argentines will not forget the goal of Dennis Bergkamp who sent Argentina back to Buenos
Aires. Both teams are looking forward to that game. However, the Argentines have the upper hand because they’ll be playing in their
continent and the talented Messi is on a mission to join Mario Alberto Kempes and Diego Armando Maradona. He will accomplish his
mission whether or not he is playing against Robben or not. The Messi (ah) will resurrect his teammates to help him reach the mountain
top of World Football. There is no other agenda besides meeting the Brazilians on July 13th in Maracana.
It is not about winning the world Footballer of players so many times. This is history. Now it is about to
rewrite history for the Lion-el Messi, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. It is not about competing against Robben, it is about getting
to the 2014 World Cup final to bring joy to the American continent where for the first time the fans of the round ball will be able
to see the two giants of South America. It is for that purpose that both Argentina and Brazil have the obligation to keep the World
Cup in the Americas by any means necessary. That means eradicating the Netherlands and Germany. It won’t be easy, but Brazil and Argentina
have shown that they will rise to the occasion in the same manner that Pele, Kempes, Maradona, Bebeto, Romario, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo have
done it. They have had lot of examples in front of them to bring the best out of them and they know they are playing in their home
continent.
Furthermore, Argentina will make another trip to the Saint Paul stadium. Some might question what he is writing
about it. Let me say this first, in 1990, Argentina played the Semi-final game against Italy at the Stadio San Paolo di Napoli to earn
their ticket for the 1990 World Cup Final against the Germans who were awarded a bogus penalty kick by Edgar Codesal, the Uruguayan born
Mexican referee. San Paolo di Napoli was the Stadium where Diego Armando Maradona had played for Napoli and was canonized as San Maradona.
This time, Maradona, will not be playing in the San Paolo di Napoli, but for sure there will be Gonzalo Higuain,
the Napoli striker, who will be playing along the Messi (ah), in the Stadium of Sao Paolo. Saint Paul has been very nice to Argentina
and I would also imagine that Pope Francis have already been in communication with St Paul to make sure the prayers of the Albiceleste
have already been answered. However, the Pope might not need that since the Messi (ah), the Son of God, will have the power at his feet
to drive the Argentines to the Maracana Stadium.
It has taken the Argentines 24 years to reach another semi-final in a stadium named after St Paul and the beauty
is that they’ll be playing at the Arena Sao Paulo. 24 years ago, Argentina had the “Hand of God.” This time, it will be the “foot of the
Messi (ah), where the fans will be sing “ole, ole, ole, Messi (ah), ole, ole, ole, Messi(ah).” Now the moment of truth has come. The
time for speculation is over. The time to reach the Promised Land is near. The time for the Messi(ah) to redeem the World Cup trophy
is near after 24 years. Therefore, my predictions are the following:
Brazil 3 - Germany 1
Argentina 4- Netherlands 1
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