The 2014 World Cup came and went.
As with the recent World Cups that I had followed, the surprise wins and surprise upsets gave the tournament additional uncertainty and excitement. The match times weren't too different from the 2010 South Africa World Cup, but being a working adult now meant that I couldn't afford to watch most of the matches. (It was university semester break in 2010 during World Cup). But I caught the final 4 matches and a quarter-final match anyway, of which 3 matches featured the coveted champion Germany.
I'm not a football fan, but I favour international sporting events, like the World Cup. I supported Team Netherlands in the 2010 tournament and they remained strong in 2014.
But Germany was a recent favourite, probably also because it's one of my favourite European countries, having visited the country twice in 2 years. Each time I was there, I could feel the people's great love for football in the country. During our graduation trip in 2012, we witnessed (from Berlin) the UEFA Champions league finals held in the Allianz Arena (in Munich), between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Though we were hundreds of miles away from Munich, the football fever was just as high and the atmosphere at the hostel's bar was electrifying. And during another Germany trip in 2013, I also saw Munich residents decked out in their Bayern Munich jerseys during days when a match featuring their home team was held. Football was also much talked about in restaurants and pubs, according to fellow trip-mate KS.
The first match I watched in this year's World Cup, was the quarter-final match between Germany and France. It was one important match that also reportedly attracted the highest record turnout at our Community Clubs. I was most in awe at the skills of the goalkeeper Neuer during this match, having saved all the shots from the French players. Then, the unbelievable 7-1 scoreline against Brazil also left me watching the 3am match in a state of incredulity. The German team was just unstoppable and admirable. The 1-0 score against Argentina in the Finals came abit late in the game, but they were definitely the only strongest team that deserved the trophy. In fact, I think they were the only team that could call themselves a 'team'. I was quite happy for them.
The anti-gambling campaign from the local NCPG brought quite abit of laugher to Singaporeans, with countless spoofs, memes and creative edits to mock at the 'plight' of the fictitious boy Andy, whose Dad had bet all his savings on Germany, the eventual champion. It even went on international news! If Paul the Octopus was the informal icon of 2010 World Cup, this local boy 'Andy' was definitely the 2014 World Cup star (at least in Singapore).
World Cup unites the World and can bring the entire planet on a standstill, especially during the final few matches. I enjoyed this year's games and will definitely look forward to Russia 2018.
人生是黑白的.
6:46 PM <3
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