REUTERS Global Sports Editor JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The first World Cup in Africa, which concluded on Sunday with Spain lifting the trophy, was hailed as a triumph for the continent, but not so much for the game itself. It arrived with fanfare and enthusiasm but failed to ignite the 31-day tournament as many had hoped. Superb modern stadiums, great excitement from the crowds, and the total disappearance of the gloomy predictions by doom-mongers of a tournament ruined by inefficient organization and violent crime put a feather in the cap of Africa in general and South Africa in particular.
But, unfortunately for the three million who attended the matches and the billions who watched on TV, the tournament didn't really take off where it mattered most — on the pitch. A lack of goals, the bread-and-butter that fuels fans' passion, coupled with the chill of the first winter World Cup in 32 years, a shortage of memorable encounters, and a dearth of star performances contributed to a World Cup that left more than a hint of disappointment.
The final between Spain and the Netherlands only exacerbated the frustration for fans. A solitary goal four minutes from the end of extra time after a physically grueling battle featuring 13 yellow cards and one red was hardly the stuff of dreams. The goal scarcity was the worst aspect. The tournament started with a meager 28 goals in the first 17 games and never truly recovered, finishing with 145 in 64 matches, an average of 2.27 per game — the worst ever after the second-worst 2.21 in Italy in 1990.
The unpredictable flight of the Jabulani ball and its tendency to rise when struck with any kind of power might have been one factor. Fear was certainly another. In the early matches, teams seemed more anxious to protect their defensive lines than to breach their opponents', and draws were prevalent — six in the first 13 games.
Then there was the surprising failure of big-name players to impose themselves in what should have been their moment. Who would have thought that Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, and Kaká wouldn't score a single goal among them? Or that Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo would manage no better than one each at the end of a long season? Was it the weight of huge expectations? Too little time to recover from injuries? In the end, it remained a mystery. Not so much a whodunit, more of a case of not having enough time.
The winter was supposed to help build excitement. The energy of the players wouldn't be sapped by the summer sun, so the theory went, and they would inject more pace and performance into the game. Well, so much for that theory. It wasn't just the great players who disappointed, but the great teams as well.
Italy and France came as reigning World Champions and runners-up and exited the group stage without even a win between them. England did little better, squeezing through what was probably the weakest group with just a single victory — a modest 1-0 win over Slovenia — and then getting thrashed 4-1 by Germany.
The South Americans flattered in the early games, especially Argentina and Brazil. But both collapsed in the quarter-finals when their title credentials came under serious scrutiny for the first time. Diego Maradona's theatrical bench tactics looked wooden as Germany humiliated his Argentina side with a 4-0 win, and Brazil couldn't hold onto a 1-0 lead at halftime against the Netherlands, losing 2-1 and seeing Felipe Melo sent off with a red card in 20 minutes of mayhem.
Even the African teams disappointed. With six out of 32 teams for the first time, they had some hope, but all but one were eliminated in the group stage, including hosts South Africa, the first host nation not to reach the knockout rounds. Ghana made progress to the quarter-finals but was denied a first semifinal appearance on African soil by Luis Suarez's last-minute handball on the goal line and eventually exited to Uruguay in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Spain's elegant play provided many of the beautiful moments, alongside Germany and the Netherlands, but ended up winning the title by scoring the fewest goals in seven matches by any side — just eight, the lowest ever.
Despite winning their first-ever World Cup and becoming the first European team to do so outside their continent, Spain never truly hit the sublime heights they reached when winning the European Championship two years earlier.
Then there was the omnipresent vuvuzela, perhaps the worst idea ever to hit a World Cup. The monotonous and constant single-toned blasts from the plastic trumpets drowned out the colorful traditional chants and applause of the fans. Perhaps it was an appropriate backdrop for the strange desolation of the football on display. (Edited by Jon Bramley)
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