SO LONG, SLOVENIA!: The World Cup came to an end for Slovenia after the loss against England and after the American striker Donovan scored a last minute golden goal in the game USA vs. Algeria. The hearts of 2 million Slovenians were broken, while tens of millions of ecstatic Americans crashed Twitter and celebrated their lucky, but well deserved victory. That's football! Unpredictable until the very last moment. We thought we were through... but then... we weren't. I admit, I was very sad, however I'm not a sore loser. The game was fair and the better one won. Congrats!
Our heroes, the Slovenian national football team. This was the start-up against England, from left to right: 1 Samir Handanovič, 4 Marko Šuler, 11 Milivoje Novaković, 5 Boštjan Cesar, 9 Zlatan Ljubljankič, 10 Valter Birsa, 17 Andraž Kirm, 2 Mišo Brečko, 8 Robert Koren, 18 Aleksandar Radosavljević, 13 Bojan Jokić.
WE ARE PROUD OF YOU: It wasn't meant to be this time for Slovenia, but one thing is sure: Our team did not disappoint in a single game. I'm so proud of our players, they really gave viewers in Slovenia (and abroad) a lot of unforgettable moments. We have won, we have drawn, we have lost. But most of the time we played smart and attractive, we were fearless and fair. No red cards, no mean fouls, no shady tactics. We showed the world that a team from a small nation can play great football and can leave a great impression on the people around the world. Once again, congratulations to England and USA for moving on to the round of 16. Also hats down to Algeria, who also surprised everyone by being a very tough contender. There were no winners or losers in Group C. There were only lucky and less lucky teams.
ABOUT THE WINNERS: When it comes to those who moved on from Group C, I'm rooting for England. It seems they finally woke up. Rooney played amazingly well, so did others. Capello's man played tactically incredibly smart and totally disabled the Slovenian offense. Now they're playing the Germans in the round of 16 and wholeheartedly hope that they finally beat them at the World Cup. It's been like over 40 years since they did it the last time. I hope they break the curse and that game will be a delight to watch. When it comes to USA, I think they play rough and sometimes unfair, which was clear in the game against Slovenia. I hope Ghana can beat them and from how I saw them playing against Germany today, they have a great chance. They're definitely the best African team. Sorry USA, but I like teams who play attractive and technical football.
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WORLD CUP SO FAR: I'm not really impressed with "big" teams such as Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy. Some of them disappointed completely, some of them picked themselves up, like England and Germany. France with their shameful performances, did not belong on the World Cup at all. Had it been Ireland, I'm sure we'd have a Slovenia like story, a small country with a big heart making it hard for the big teams. It's a pity. However, there are countries that were quite ok, like the Netherlands, Portugal and Brazil. But their form is a bit unstable. I'm not really convinced with the Portuguese and Dutch, but I see Brazil as one of the teams, that will make it up to the finals. And the other one for me are Argentina. I must say, I was always a fan of Brazil, since USA 1994. But this time, I'm supporting Argentina.
ABOUT ARGENTINA: Argentina played the best football so far and not only is that obvious in three clear victories, they played consistently well, didn't make many mistakes and scored a lot of goals. Of course some people may think playing well sometimes isn't enough, you need a bit of luck. But I think, they have such great team spirit and with Diego Armando Maradonna, such an amazing leading figure, that they should make it to the finals without any big problems. Of course they will face resistance, they will have tough games, possibly with Germany or England, but even their B-team plays better than some other teams at the World Cup. My heart beats for Argentina from now on. I always loved Maradonna, especially since I was a young boy in the 80s, he was a football God. For me personally, he will always remain the best player in the history of this game. Yes, Pelé was great, but Maradonna is pure passion and pure genius. I'd die to see him all in tears holding and kissing that World Cup trophy in Johannesburg on July 11, after Argentina beat Brazil 3:2 in the best game of the tournament. Can that happen? Yes, it can. Will it happen? Well, that's another story. Football is so unpredictable, anything can happen. All teams are great this time, there really will be no real losers (apart from France) this time, I think we can look forward to some amazing surprises. Only time will tell. Let's hope for great games and an amazing atmosphere. Heck, I don't even hear the noise of the vuvuzelas. I guess that's good, right? :-)
THANK YOU again, Slovenia! I'm really proud to be your countryman today. Football united us and I hope we stay as united as long as possible. And finally the world has gotten to know our little country a bit better. Now you know Slovenia: A small country with a big heart.
- How did you like Slovenia's performance at the World Cup?
- For which team are you rooting now, when Slovenia's out?
[Sources: Photo 1 by me, Photo 2 and 3 by Dylan Martinez, Photo 4 by Eddie Keogh]
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