Argentina needed a Steven Rodger Waugh

What a world cup its turning out to be. Such drama and passion. The two South American giants are out.

I expected Brazil to lose after i watched them in the Ghana match. They were selfish and terribly over confident. Never once did they play like a team. It was like 11 stars playing to achieve their own personal glory and Ronaldo seemed to net the ball more to break Gerd Muller's record than to make his team go through. So when they came aganist a resurgent French side and a magical Zinadine Zidane they fell awfully short.

Argentina was different. Whoever saw that sublime 24 pass goal against the hapless Serbia & Montenagro stand convinced that this is their world cup. For a country still reeling under the enormous cult of a single man ,that crazy genius called Maradona, this was a chance to find new stars and new age of footballing greats. And they had talent and skill in the likes of Riquelme, Messi and Saviola. So when they went ahead just minutes into the second half against an inspired but what i think a limited German team, i thought they would win 3-0. But Football is a game played as much in the coach's head as it is in the field. Peckerman went defensive and removed Crespo and Riquelma a touch too early and never introduced Messi. Finally it was all down to penalties

Sport as life can be very harsh. While passion, skill , exubarence and style can win you acclodes and fans, it is good old fashioned grit , hardwork and ruthlessness that will win you matches in crunch times. When it comes down to a kick the head matters more than the heart. The Germans come from a culture of discipline, ruthlessness and professionalism, not Argentina. In a team full of Brian Charles Laras, Argentina needed a Steven Rodger Waugh