Chapter 483: Dispute
On the evening of July 2nd at 8:30 PM, the quarter-final battle between Uruguay and Germany unfolded at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
Unexpectedly, the South American powerhouse played more aggressively after the opening, and they also had more dominance on the field. They had several opportunities for set pieces in the opponent's half, but unfortunately, their finishing ability was weak.
Both sides were deadlocked for nearly 40 minutes. Taking advantage of Uruguay's slowing attack, Germany seized the opportunity to break the deadlock. Schweinsteiger passed the ball, and Podolski shot powerfully from 12 meters in front of the goal, piercing through Muslera's fingertips.
Despite being in a trailing position, the Charrúas did not succumb. They fought fiercely against the German tank. In the 55th minute, Forlán lofted the ball into the box, and Suárez volleyed it into the net, equalizing the score for Uruguay!
This was his fourth goal of the tournament, currently ranking him fifth in the top scorers' list, which was a tremendous honor for a 23-year-old.
After that, both teams continued to fight without scoring in extra time. However, a dramatic moment occurred in the 119th minute when Germany was awarded a corner kick.
Schweinsteiger delivered the ball into the penalty area, and Podolski's header was blocked by Suárez with his body. Friedrich followed up with a shot, and as the ball was about to cross the line, Suárez reluctantly chose to block it with his hand.
Undoubtedly, this was a serious foul. The referee promptly showed a red card to Suárez, sending the Uruguayan forward off the field and awarding a penalty to Germany. They had a chance to win the game!
Youngster Müller stepped up to take the penalty, but his shot missed, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out of play. At that moment, Suárez, who was still in the player tunnel, couldn't help but be overjoyed.
In the end, the match had to go into the cruel penalty shootout. Uruguay defeated Germany 4-2, advancing to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 40 years.
After the match, Uruguay's surprising victory and Suárez's handball naturally sparked considerable controversy. Some believed that such behavior went against sports ethics and was not worthy of promotion, while others argued that it was a player's instinctive reaction in that situation.
Moreover, both Suárez and Uruguay received severe punishment. It was Germany's failure to capitalize on the chance to score the winning goal that ultimately led to their elimination.
It's hard to justify Suárez's actions positively, but his behavior is at least more likely to win the understanding of fans than Maradona's "Hand of God" or Henry's consecutive handballs followed by an assist.
After the game, a poll was launched on Facebook to let netizens evaluate Suárez's actions. The results showed that more than half of the people considered his actions to be "legally exploiting the rules without controversy."
German coach L?w congratulated Uruguay after the game, believing that the South American team's performance deserved the victory, while his own team missed many opportunities, leading to their elimination.
He didn't comment much on Suárez's handball, only saying that the Uruguayan's actions were a normal reaction on the field, and the German team could accept it.
32-year-old German striker Klose looked very disappointed, perhaps because this might be his last World Cup. "I'm disappointed to return empty-handed once again. The German team is a young and vibrant team, and defeat is part of the maturation process."
"Today, Uruguay's performance was obviously more proactive and spirited than ours. They once had the initiative on the field, and when we woke up, it was already too late."
Podolski, who scored the only goal for the German team, was more optimistic. "We have many players born in the 1980s and 1990s, all of whom are excellent partners. Some of them have even won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship representing Germany."
"So it can be said that the German team is a very outstanding team. We have a bright future, which other teams cannot compare with."
Thomas Müller, who missed the crucial penalty at the last moment, was in tears, while captain Lahm was comforting him, "This cannot be blamed on you. In the end, anyone could have cold feet."
"Moreover, in the penalty shootout, you resisted the pressure and scored a goal, which has already offset your previous mistakes."
Coach L?w insisted on letting Müller take the penalty kicks during the shootout to allow the 21-year-old to redeem himself. He did not let down the Germans' goodwill.
Müller's experience this time was almost identical to the tragedy of Brazil's superstar Zico in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals against France. With the score tied 1-1 in the second half, Brazil was awarded a penalty. Zico, who had just come on as a substitute, stepped up to take it but was saved by French goalkeeper Bats, missing the chance to win with one shot. The game eventually went to a penalty shootout, and Zico stepped up again, this time scoring, but unfortunately, Brazil was still eliminated by France in the penalty shootout.
The quarter-final match between Spain and Paraguay unfolded at the Ellis Park Stadium.
The Matadors had reached the quarter-finals four times before, finishing fourth in 1950, their best result in history, while Paraguay made it to the quarter-finals for the first time. The two teams had met three times in history, with Spain winning once and drawing twice.
In the 41st minute, Paraguay created a great threat. Barreto's long diagonal pass from the right was met by Valdez, who swept the ball into the lower left corner of the goal with his right foot. However, the assistant referee raised the flag, indicating offside.
Upon slow-motion replay, it was evident that at the moment Barreto passed the ball, Cardozo, who was contesting the header at the near post, was in an offside position, and Valdez's lifted left arm was beyond Piqué's position.
In the 57th minute, Barreto took a corner kick from the left, and Cardozo was pulled by Piqué's arm in the penalty area, causing him to fall. The referee, Batres, immediately pointed to the penalty spot and cautioned Piqué with a yellow card.
Paraguay had another chance to take the lead, but Cardozo's left-footed shot to the bottom right corner was not precise enough and was saved by Casillas.
Even more dramatic was Spain's counterattack immediately after saving the penalty. Iniesta was fouled by Cáceres on the left side, and Alonso's precise straight pass from the center line found Villa, who was fouled by Alcaraz from behind in the penalty area. Another penalty!
This happened just 39 seconds after Casillas saved the penalty!
Alonso stepped up to take the penalty kick, aiming for the bottom right corner, but Villar, the Paraguayan goalkeeper, blocked it. He immediately smothered the ball under his body, and Spain also missed the opportunity to break the deadlock!
It wasn't until the 83rd minute that the only goal of the game was scored. Iniesta broke through the middle and passed with the outside of his right foot. Pedro, from the right side, pushed a shot from 11 meters out that hit the inside of the left goalpost and bounced back into play.
Forward Villa immediately followed up, controlled the ball, and sent a curved shot that hit the inside of the right goalpost and then bounced into the net on the other side.
With this brilliant goal, Spain ultimately defeated Paraguay 1-0, securing a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
During the game, Paraguay's performance against the European champions amazed everyone. They came close to toppling the Matadors, but two consecutive penalty awards and two consecutive misses became a topic of discussion among fans.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l